Questions tagged [jhana]

Jhāna generally refers to the 8 stages of tranquility (samatha) meditation taught by Gautama Buddha and mentioned in the Pali Canon.

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How does mindfulness practice (sati) lead to jhana?

How does mindfulness lead to jhana? How does contemplating the four frames - body, mind, feelings, dhamma (phenomena) lead to jhana? Is mindfulness the first jhana (Vitarka-vicāra)?
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is jhana required to realize the four supramundane paths?

Where does it say jhanas are necessary (or not) to realize the four supramundane paths (stream-entry, etc)?
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Jhana for rest and relaxation

Which sutra does it say that someone like Buddha would "rest in jhana" or "go often resting" - some combination of jhana (not sure which stage) and rest. i saw it recently but I ...
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Why did Buddha continue jhāna after enlightenment?

Can you tell me why Buddha used to go in different levels of absorption/ jhāna/musing even after nirvana for reference Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta (DN 16) and An 3.63 venaga sutta?
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what is a luminous realm?

Where is there more information about the luminous realm? the standard pali is lacking. what is the relationship with jhana? from MN 115: “...There are these three elements: the elements of the ...
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What does discourse AN 9.37 describe?

From AN 9.37: Ven. Ānanda said, “It’s amazing, friends, it’s astounding, how the Blessed One who knows & sees, the worthy one, rightly self-awakened, has attained & awakened to an opening [in ...
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what is difference between na-nimittaggāhī and animitta?

Indriyasaṁvara is part of sīlakkhandha. there you see this Idha, bhikkhave, bhikkhu cakkhunā rūpaṃ disvā na-nimittaggāhī hoti nānubyañjanaggāhī. whereas animitta cetosamādhi is part of highest ...
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Relationship or mapping between Jhanas ( 4 + 4) and the four stages of Enlightment

Is there a mapping (or relationship) between the 8 stages of Jhanas and the 4 stages of Enlightenment. This could be a very debatable topic, but really keen to know this.
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In sutta SN 40.9 and SN 41.7,what do they mean by "signless" immersion of the heart?

I'm still learning the Suttas to apply The Buddha's teachings to my life. I haven't read much about the jhanas (which I think the below is related to) so I ask. What does it mean when The Buddha says ...
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verse from MN 44

Background: What I perceived was disenchantment, which seemed to be the cause of duhkha (a psychological pain in this case). In M 44 Dhammadinnā says: "Now what, lady, lies on the other side of ...
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Doesn't pīti mean love?

I am indian. And in all indian languages Priti means love. And even in abhidhamma I found a statement that it's towards the object. interest in object. Whereas sukha is from the object. I sometime ...
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what is difference between sukha and sukhendriyam?

Moreover inline with this question there is somanassindriya, dukkhindriya, domanassindriya and upekkhindriya?. And Uppaṭipāṭikasutta says that. arisen pain faculty (dukkhindriya) ceases without ...
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what is difference between sukha and somanassam?

internet is talking more abouut difference between piti and sukha because its important for Jhana I liked this discussion here Is pīti physical and sukha emotional? However in VedanA SaSyutta, sukha ...
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what is difference between Mansikāro and Vitakā

I have asked this question earlier but still not clear...so asking this again... This time be specific on mansikaro and vitaka.. people says vitaka is directed attention and mansikaro is always termed ...
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How does Piti relate to Jhana?

I am able to experience Piti Specifically the "weak rapture" mentioned in this wiki page, that causes me to have full bodily bliss and itself causes piloerection (goose bumps) I am able to ...
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Sutta references for hindrances and jhana related statements

In the YouTube video entitled "Characteristics of a Sotapanna", Ven. Dhammavuddho Mahathera stated (with some paraphrasing): So who are the people who do not have the five hindrances? In ...
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Question about vitakka and vicara. How to reinforce upper jhanas (without vitakka and vicara)

Sometimes i am keeping some mental object in mind, free from anger or greed, and for a moment i feel piti and sukha over my entire body. Sometimes this piti and sukha keep with me for a long time. But ...
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What is sex without attachment to sense pleasure actually like?

What is sex without attachment to sense pleasure actually like? Does it feel different? Do you only ever have sex to please the other person? I'm asking both about the relationship and the act itself. ...
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I've attained jhana literally once, should I try to pursue it further or just live a decent householder life?

Some background: I was born into a Buddhist family. I've always been intellectually interested in spiritual things like meditation and yoga, but I never really took it seriously until my early 20s, ...
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is formless better than formed?

I recall it being said by the Buddha that the formless - jhana perhaps - is better than the formed. in which sutta does this say this? I remember reading that, but I can no longer find the text
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While in Jhāna to walk or (reaching) Jhāna is not possible while walking?

How could one come, if any experiances and understanding, to the idea that one in Jhana isn't able to walk, not to speak of to listen and talk? Maybe there is a different between sitting, standing, ...
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AN 8.30 Great thoughts, thoughts of great man, thing-able, (de-)touch-able for everyone? (thinking in first jhāna)

Coming from here, analysis of AN 8.30. Good, Anuruddha, very good. It’s good that you think these thoughts of a great person: Does good householder think that certain (all) people are capable to ...
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anapanasati: nimitta or ambient light?

I have started facing a weird problem which I wouldn't earlier. While meditating during daytime, I sometimes doubt whether I am actually experiencing nimitta or my vittaka has waned and, instead of ...
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Are we Mindful in Jhana?

When a person enters into Jhana (particularly 2nd onward): What is he mindful of? What kind of meta awareness or introspective awareness(Sampajānakārī) is there? Note: it says that the 2nd onward is ...
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I am trying to find the correlation between theravada jhana, rupa/arupa and the 9 levels of calm abiding in tibetan buddhism

Title really. I am reading the tibetan lamrim version of the 9 mental abiding and trying to correlate it to the theravada 8 jhanas, I can't seem to find which jhana/abiding is which in regards to the ...
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What does random Images flashing during mediation mean ,if anything at all?

I started meditation with Headspace app and have experienced a lot during meditation such as irrational fear of someone breaking in to the house and killing me while I was meditating , fear of snakes ...
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Nirodha samapatti - cessation of all, or only clinging, perception and feeling?

This is based on the comments below this answer. From this page, we find the commentary: nirodha-samāpatti 'attainment of extinction' (S. XIV, 11), also called saññā-vedayita-nirodha, 'extinction of ...
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How to get rid of demons or evil spirits?

I have been a Vipassana meditator since 2001 and had a very strong practice and very good concentration. Last 2-3 years I started feeling a physical violation of space and then hearing voices. What ...
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Sutta on leaving absorption/concentration/meditation

I'm looking for a Sutta I read recently that has instructions (or a description) on a gradual exit of meditation/levels of concentration. It might talk about this in the context of Samādhi or Jhāna, I'...
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Recalling Neither Perception nor Non-Perception for Nimittas

In the state known as neither perception nor non-perception, it seems impossible to cognize the relative particulates that allow it to occur as an event, but one can emerge mindfully from its ...
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Among 9 jhanas which is deep sleep?

Please provide suttas I plan to do a meditation until I can achieve the same experience as my deep sleep but I don't know whether it's the first jhana or even cessation of feeling and perception or ...
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Am I falling asleep or am I deepening my concentration?

I use the Tara mantra as my focus during Samatha meditation prior to beginning Vipassana but lately I am beginning to wonder...am I falling asleep? I can't tell, really. I don't get drowsy but my ...
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Signless Meditation • 8th Jhana

We find in Thig 3.3 the following verses : I attain the meditations on emptiness and signlessness whenever I want. I am the Buddha’s rightful daughter, always delighting in quenching. How, dear ...
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Did infinite space had a beginning?

One of the absorption is of Infinite Space. Did the dimension of Infinite Space had a beginning and therefore it is impermanent and non-self? If yes then how much time did it took for this 'plane of ...
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Looking for a canonical reference: everyone who attains jhana will be a god of that realm in the next life

Looking for a canonical reference: that everyone who attains jhana will be a god of that realm in the next life. I'm fairly sure I've seen that claimed in scholarship, either Buddhist or otherwise.
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Are the higher arupa jhanas supernatural states expanding beyond the physical body?

The higher arupa jhanas are: fifth jhāna: infinite space (Pāḷi ākāsānañcāyatanaa), sixth jhāna: infinite consciousness (Pāḷi viññāṇañcāyatana), seventh jhāna: infinite nothingness (Pāḷi ...
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Is attaining to Jhana possible for me?

I searched for the word 'Jhana' on this site and read almost all about 50 odd questions on Jhana. I asked few questions myself. It seems like one has to put extreme efforts to attain to Jhana. This is ...
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Looking for sutta reference on entering into Jhana

Following are the stages Ajahn Brahm mentions in his book Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond, to enter in to Jhana. Present moment awareness Silent present moment awareness Silent present moment awareness ...
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Is there anything akin to 'Jhana' in Zen Buddhism?

I have read about 'Jhana' in Ajahn Brahm's book, 'Mindfulness, bliss and beyond'. It looks like, from his teaching of Theravada Buddhism, 'Jhana' is a pre-requisite to attain 'Nirvana'. I want to ask, ...
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Doesn't mahāyāna have a classification for jhānas?

Is it me or is it incredibly difficult to find resources on the 4 (or 8, with the arupas) jhānas and how to reach them in the mahāyāna/vajrayāna literature? Apart from vague references to samādhi in ...
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Do visual objects have karma?

According to Nagarjuna, the second causal link (sankhara, motivations) and the tenth causal link (bhava, gestation) are two karmas through which sentient beings trigger seven sufferings identified ...
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what's the emptiness, 空, in 3rd jhana of STED 4 jhana formula in agamas?

what's the emptiness, 空, in 3rd jhana of STED 4 jhana formula in agamas? https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2019/12/whats-emptiness-in-3rd-jhana-of-sted-4.html excerpt: The 4 jhanas standard ...
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Jhana Explaination [duplicate]

Namo Buddhaya! Can someone please SIMPLY explain the EIGHT Jhanas, specifically: 1) What are Jhanas meant to do & why would one want to achieve them? 2) How does one specifically achieve ...
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looking for citation, pīti and sukha of 4 jhānas compared to dying of thirst, seeing water in distance, and drinking it

There's an excellent simile in the Theravada non canonical literature explaining the difference between piti and sukha in the first 3 jhanas, reminiscent of the lotus pond in this sutta MN 40. (...
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Sathipathanna mindfulness and Jhana how to do them correctly

1) It is said that doing the technique that Mahasi Sayadaw talks about we can attain awakening. If you know anything about this technique how is it to be done and can it take us to Nibbana. 2) ...
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Should I judge the efficacy of Samadhi based on the ethical qualities of the meditator?

As far as I understand, one of the main purposes of the eight factor of the Path (samma samadhi) is to clean the mind from impurities. I've read a lot of discussions where one meditator states that ...
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What is bodily formation? Does it refer to the breath or the body?

'I will breathe in tranquilizing the bodily formation'; he trains thus: 'I will breathe out tranquilizing the bodily formation.'" ---Satipatthana (Bhiku Bodhi's translation) What is bodily formation? ...
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To reach 1st jhana, do we have to let go, or do we have to put some effort?

Recently, I've been reading a lot about the different methods and perspectives for reaching the jhanas. For a long time, the only method I've been using is to "let go" everything, and to use the ...
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In which sutta does a lay disciple of the Buddha tell a non-buddhist mendicant that he has experienced jhana?

I remember reading a sutta some time ago in which a lay disciple of the Buddha held a conversation with a non-Buddhist ascetic. I don't remember the topic of their conversation, but at one point the ...
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MN 36 parallels for section where Buddha as a 9 year old boy has first jhana

I read up on B. Analayo's Agama comparative notes between the passage in question in various EBT schools (pali, more than one agama lineage, sanskrit...). But he didn't have the part I'm interested ...
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