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How to complete the first Jhana?

In my understanding of the instructions I received, for the first Jhana, you should switch your focus on the bliss and "say" to yourself: "wow, this is awesome, this is sublime, this is so peaceful, I ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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What exacly is the so-called "formless" jhana?

Here is my understanding as of 2018. When they say "form" (rupa) or "seed" (bija) in context of meditation, it's what we call an object of meditation these days. For example, your breath, an image of ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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7 votes

How to 'Let Go' in Meditation?

Great question, you hit the nail on the head with this question. The goal of Buddhist path is liberation of mind. Liberation of mind is cessation of grasping and attachment. Cessation of grasping and ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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7 votes
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Is attaining to Jhana possible for me?

I think you are misunderstanding the nature of jhanas. In your defense, this is a mistake made by almost everyone on a certain stage. You think jhanas are some concrete states that are specific and ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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7 votes

Among 9 jhanas which is deep sleep?

I've got a simple answer for you: Sleep is not a jhāna. The Buddha never says, not in Pāli not in Chinese not in Sanskrit, that sleep is a jhāna. Sleep is also not nibbāna. Sleep is also not nirodha. ...
Caoimhghin's user avatar
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6 votes
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Jhāna, seeing the welfare of self and other

Sangaravo Sutta: Sangarava -- The Hindrances (SN 46.55) says that. It says that ... he cannot know or see, as it really is, what is to his own profit, nor can he know and see what is to the ...
ChrisW's user avatar
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Did I get into a Jhana state?

I wouldn't worry about what it is or isn't and dont listen to what other people have to say about it either as everyone will have varying opinions and really they cannot know what you experience. You ...
Arturia's user avatar
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What is fruition in Buddhism?

Fruition is more related to the 4 stages of sainthood. This is realising of the fruit (Pala) of practice. What his means is you realized the path.
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena's user avatar
6 votes

Is there anything akin to 'Jhana' in Zen Buddhism?

Zen and Jhana are the same word. Jhana is a word in the original spoken language. In Sanskrit it is written as Dhyana. Channa or Chan is how it came to Chinese language, and Zen is how it subsequently ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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5 votes

In the Anapanasati Sutta what is meant by 'sensitive to rapture/bliss'?

I assume that by rapture and bliss you mean the Pali words Piti and Sukha. Piti and Sukha are supposed to be comfortable and pleasant states of mind that arise whenever the mind is sufficiently calm, ...
Buddho's user avatar
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Why the Buddha abandoned asceticism

Maybe MN 26 is more relevant: towards the end of it, the Five ask questions like, When this was said, the group of five monks replied to me, 'By that practice, that conduct, that performance of ...
ChrisW's user avatar
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5 votes

What is initial thought and discursive thought

Ordinarily, when unrelated to jhana, the words 'vitakka' & 'vicara' simply mean 'thought', 'thinking' & 'thinking about'. For example, MN 19 is about 'two kinds of thinking'; MN 20 is about ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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Did I get into a Jhana state?

Now i have anxiety attacks and at first was i was having an anxiety attack during the meditation. This does not look like Jhana. Jhana is blissful. Sometimes you might experience Piti and Sukkha. ...
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena's user avatar
5 votes

Is there a reason not to practice jhana?

Absolutely not! Go for it! (Assuming when you say first Jhana, you actually mean first Jhana and not something else). "There is the case where a monk — quite withdrawn from sensuality, withdrawn ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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5 votes
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In which sutta does a lay disciple of the Buddha tell a non-buddhist mendicant that he has experienced jhana?

your best first try is this essay perhaps this When Do the Jhānas Become Necessary? While there seem to be no suttas that impose an inflexible rule to the effect that a lay noble disciple must ...
user12901's user avatar
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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. All factors of the N8P have the same purpose, they just operate ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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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

what is the citation of that piti sukha simile for the 4 jhanas from? It's from the Visuddhimagga-Ch IV.100 (pg. 139): And wherever the two are associated, happiness is the contentedness at ...
santa100's user avatar
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5 votes

Is there anything akin to 'Jhana' in Zen Buddhism?

When a person doesn't eat, he gets hungry. When you drop a ball from the top of a parking deck, it falls. Likewise, when you watch your breath, a sign, or sit facing emptiness, the mind will ...
user19437's user avatar
5 votes

anapanasati: nimitta or ambient light?

We don't care about nimitta or ambient light. We care only the breaths. The nimitta or ambient light is naturally appearing at focusing the breath. Thinking of light or nimitta is not thinking of ...
Bonn's user avatar
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5 votes

what is difference between na-nimittaggāhī and animitta?

Not grasping the signs is the continuation of the beginner's practice of guarding the doors of the senses by skilfully directing attention away from the harmful experiences. So, for example, when a ...
Andriy Volkov's user avatar
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4 votes

In the Anapanasati Sutta what is meant by 'sensitive to rapture/bliss'?

Below are what I hope is some relevant material from several prominent teachers of jhāna. Ajahn Brahm Here are what I take to be some helpful comments from Ajahn Brahm's book, The Jhanas regarding ...
Adamokkha's user avatar
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jhānas, Zen, and how to practice concentration meditation

Ajahn Brahm wrote a book about jhana called 'Mindfulness, Bliss & Beyond'. It is 291 pages long. The first 65 pages are at this link. The method in this book emphasizes 'letting go' & is thus ...
Dhamma Dhatu's user avatar
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4 votes
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During jhana do you eliminate all hindrance at once?

Jhanas are attained by suppressing the five hindrances via concentrating on objects like the breath, or a kasina object, etc. But if one contemplates on anicca, dukkha, anatta, one automatically ...
Saptha Visuddhi's user avatar
4 votes

How can mindfulness be about immovable attention?

When one gets absorbed, focused, or mindful in anything, no matter what the object is, the mental factor called “ekagghatha” takes over and make the mind latched on to it. Being mindful depends on the ...
Saptha Visuddhi's user avatar
4 votes

What is Unwise Consideration?

In short: having Vipallasa (see: Vipallasa Sutta), I.e., not seeing the three marks of existence having the unwholesome roots having craving and clinging due to the unwholesome roots arising ...
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena's user avatar
4 votes
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The fourth path to attaining arahantship

How does the fourth path work? Please elaborate on the fourth path. By attaining “anariya jhanas”, one can attain only ceto vimutti. Thus to achieve all of the four paths, one has to practice “ariya ...
Saptha Visuddhi's user avatar
4 votes

Does Samadhi realm of desire require single-pointed focus?

There are no 3 realms of Samadhi(Jhana). The jhanas have nothing to do with sensual desire. First four jhanas lead to birth in fine material realms. The last four lead to immaterial realms. One-...
Sankha Kulathantille's user avatar

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