Inconceivable Matters

Monks, there are these four inconceivable matters that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive them would reap either madness or frustration.

What four?

1. The experiences of the Buddhas is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap either madness or frustration.

2. The experiences of one in the Jhānas is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap either madness or frustration.

3. The (exact) result of Kamma is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap either madness or frustration.

4. Speculation about the world is an inconceivable matter that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive it would reap either madness or frustration.

These are the four inconceivable matters that one should not try to conceive; one who tries to conceive them would reap either madness or frustration. 

(Reference: AN 4.77)

In this Teaching from Gotama Buddha, he shares four inconceivable matters that one should not try to conceive or understand. Attempting to understand these four inconceivable matters would produce either madness or frustration.

(1) The experiences of the Buddhas is a topic that is not easily or readily understood by the average person, therefore, The Buddha guides Students to not attempt to understand this topic. To deeply understand the experiences of a Buddha, one would need to be a Buddha and through one’s experience, they would be able to understand the experiences of a Buddha. But since a Buddha is a rare individual who meets unique criteria, Gotama Buddha shares that if you attempted to understand “the experiences of the Buddhas” it would create either madness or frustration. Since you are not a Buddha, to attempt to understand “the experiences of the Buddhas” would produce only madness or frustration.

(2) The experiences of one in the Jhānas is a topic that is not easily or readily understood by the average person, therefore, The Buddha guides Students to not attempt to understand this topic. To deeply understand the experiences of one in the Jhānas, one would need to be in the Jhānas and through one’s experience, they would be able to understand the experiences of being in the Jhānas. The Buddha shares that if you attempted to understand “the experiences of one in the Jhānas” it would create either madness or frustration. If you attempted to understand the Jhānas when you are not in the Jhānas, to attempt to understand “the experiences of one in the Jhānas” would produce only madness or frustration.

(3) The Buddha shares that attempting to understand the exact result of Kamma is a topic that one should not attempt to understand. Attempting to understand this would only create madness or frustration. It is wise for a Practitioner to understand The Natural Law of Kamma and gaining the wisdom to make wise decisions for one’s moral conduct and mental discipline. But, if one were to attempt to understand each individual situation and the results, The Buddha shares this would lead to madness or frustration because one cannot determine Kamma to this level of detail.

(4) Speculation about the world such as conspiracy theories or topics that are incapable of being determined as true or untrue would only lead to madness or frustration. A Practitioner who is on The Path to Enlightenment should be interested in discovering the truth to acquire wisdom rather than speculating about what could be, should be, or might be.

If the mind is obsessed with the future and worried about countless eventual outcomes that have not come to be, the mind would experience only madness or frustration. Instead, train the mind to reside in the present moment and when making plans, do so based on tangible information currently available rather than being worried or obsessed about those things not yet known as 100% true. Speculating about what will or will not occur, with an obsessed mind, would lead to only madness or frustration.

Attempting to understand these topics will not lead one further on The Path to Enlightenment and, therefore, The Buddha provided guidance that one should not pursue them. A Practitioner should let go of attempting to understand these “four inconceivable matters” because they would only produce “madness or frustration” not progress on The Path to Enlightenment.