Structural analysis of daratha narration in the Cūḷasuññata Sutta (MN 121): Scriptural foundations for understanding meditation adverse effects
Journal of Meditation based Psychological Counseling April 30, 2026 Dae Yong Ha
The Cūḷasuññata Sutta (MN 121) presents a formula—'there is only this measure of agitation'—across nine stages of perceptual transition. Analysis of this formula reveals three dimensions of daratha (agitation): perceptual, where previous agitation becomes transparent while new agitation remains; ontological, where agitation tied to body and life conditions emerges after perceptual agitation ceases; and dissolution of the formula itself through insight into conditioned phenomena. Correlating this structure with clinical cases and the taxonomy of challenging meditation experiences suggests that the Sutta frames agitation not as something to be eliminated but as an object to be discerned. Meditation adverse effects are thus reframed as structural residual agitation accompanying the transition toward emptiness, and ethical foundations are argued to be a structural prerequisite for stable observation.