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?
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.
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.
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.
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.