Day 71: Understanding Sabbaloke Anabhirata Saññā through the Girimānanda Sutta (AN 10.60) – Study Notes from BMV Monday Sutta Study with Bhante Dr. G. Chandima

Why Sabbaloke Anabhirata Saññā?

The perception of non-delight in all worlds (sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā) is a profound meditative insight that dismantles clinging to saṃsāric existence. 

Sabba-loke – "In the entire world" or "all worlds"
Anabhirata – non-delight
Saññā – Perception

Understanding "All Worlds" (Sabbaloke)

This perception extends beyond the physical world, encompassing the three realms of conditioned existence:

• Kāmaloka (Realm of Sense Desires) – Where beings are bound by craving for sensory pleasures.
• Rūpaloka (Form Realm) – Where meditative absorption prevails, but subtle clinging lingers.
• Arūpaloka (Formless Realm) – Where even the most refined states of existence involve clinging.

The Nature of Delight and Non-Delight

The Buddha teaches that true non-delight (anabhirata) arises when one abandons the following 4 forms of mental engagement with regard to the three worlds. 

1. Mental fixation through purposes (cetaso)
2. Resolutions and determinations (adhiṭṭhāna)
3. Deep-rooted adherence (abhinivesā)
4. Latent defilements (anusayā)

Thus, non-delight signifies the transcendence of instinctive grasping that perpetuates rebirth across the sensual, material, and immaterial realms by uprooting these four forms of mental engagement.

The Insight of Yathābhūta-ñāṇadassana (seeing this as they are/seeing things as they come to be)

The practice of sabbaloke anabhirata Saññā cultivates yathābhūta-ñāṇadassana—the direct realization of reality as:

• "Sabbe saṅkhārā aniccā" – All conditioned things are changing/changeable. (Dhammapada 277)
• "Sabba saṅkhārā dukkhā" – All conditioned things are unsatisfactory. (Dhammapada 278)
• "Sabbe dhammā anattā" – All phenomena are not-self.(Dhammapada 279)

By deeply contemplating this, one deconstructs the illusion of permanence, desirability, and selfhood, thereby loosening the bonds of clinging.

Going Beyond Even the Subtlest Delight

Even advanced practitioners may retain clinging to sublime states—jhānic bliss, celestial existences, or refined meditative attainments. Sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā serves as a sharp sword cutting through the final fetters, ensuring that even the most subtle "I" does not remain.

The Arahant’s Realization and Our Realization

The perception of non-delight in all worlds (sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā) reaches its ultimate fulfillment in the Arahant’s realization, where all attachment is completely extinguished. However, for practitioners on the path, this perception serves as a crucial tool for progressively dismantling the layers of clinging that sustain suffering.

1. The Arahant’s Realization: Absolute Non-Delight

For an Arahant, sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā is not just a meditative practice but a permanent realization. It manifests as:

• Complete disenchantment (nibbida) with all conditioned phenomena.
• Total cessation of craving (taṇhā) and clinging (upādāna).
• The end of rebirth (bhava-nirodha), leading to Nibbāna.

The Arahant sees with finality that all worlds, from the lowest sensual realms to the highest formless attainments, are inherently unsatisfactory. No subtle desire remains—not even for the peace of meditative absorption (jhāna) or celestial existence. This is the state of anupādā-parinibbāna, where nothing binds the mind to saṃsāra.

2. Our Realization: Gradual Liberation

For those still on the path, sabbaloke anabhiratasaññā is cultivated through progressive insight and leads to:

• Reducing clinging to the pleasures of sense-realm (kāmaloka)
• Recognizing clinging to subtle mental states in meditation.
• Seeing the conditioned nature of even refined existences, weakening the illusion of self.

Unlike the Arahant, we may still experience latent tendencies (anusaya)—subtle inclinations toward delight in the world. However, by deepening this perception, we progressively weaken these tendencies, leading to stages of awakening such as stream-entry (sotāpanna) and beyond.