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The Theravada tradition recognizes forty meditation types for obtaining at least access concentration, found scattered throughout the Tipitaka and organized in the commentaries, as follows:
1-10: The Kasinas
These all lead to the four jhānas; they are practiced by creating a disk and focusing on it, while repeating, e.g., "earth, earth..."
1. Earth
2. ...
15
The debate centres around the Theravada commentarial interpretation of the suttas along with the teachings in the Abhidhamma, Patisambhidamagga, and Visuddhimagga.
Basically, there are two schools of thought, one which subscribes to the above teachings and one that rejects them.
The teachings in question are those that describe two potential paths:
...
8
Worrying about whether something is polite or not is a hindrance. I am sure some practitioners would find it offensive but if they are offended that probably tells you all you need to know.
If you have yet to obtain the Jhanas then there are probably others who are still more advanced than you who have not yet obtained them either. The way I see it, anyone ...
8
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 attachment is letting go.
So when you meditate, you look at your mind, you see grasping and attachment (it is easy to detect because it always creates dukkha, ...
7
The Suttas usually define Samma-Samadhi as the four jhanas, but in some Suttas it gives a different explanation. For example, in the Mahacattarisa Sutta the Buddha said:
The Blessed One said: "Now what, monks, is noble right concentration
with its supports & requisite conditions? Any singleness of mind
equipped with these seven factors — right ...
7
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 don't need anything else, this is so much better than any worldly achievement, finally, I can rest in this state, so good! I did it!" etc. The idea is to ...
7
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 can be recognized, that all people must go through same exact experiences on their way to nirvana/enlightenment. That the final Liberation is also something very ...
7
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. You just forget your dreams when you wake up and it seems like you were up to "nothing," but your mind was quite active despite you not remembering it....
6
It depends on how you understand the first and second jhanas. If, like me, you take them as glorified descriptions of being able to get yourself in a joyful mood deliberately, then there are bunch of methods.
first, as Buddha himself suggested, by thinking through good discursive sequences. Specifically, if your practice of "guarding the gates" is going ...
6
Have a look at:
Bhante Vimalaramsi
Thanissaro Bhikkhu
Forest Dhamma
Forest Sangha Publications
Buddhist eLibrary
Manual of Mindfulness of Breathing
answered Jan 8 '15 at 13:36
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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6
When a meditator achieves e.g. the 5th jhana of infinite space, is he
or she still in this world?
Yes, he doesn't disappear. When you sleep, you are not aware of what's happening around you. But that doesn't mean the world is gone.
Obviously the body is, but what about the mind?
Yes, the mind is still associated with the body. Just that it's focusing ...
6
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 profit of others, or of both himself and others
... when overwhelmed and possessed by hindrances including ...
sense-desires
ill-will
sloth-and-torpor
worry-and-...
6
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 will end up feeling confused. The main thing to remember is that it was just a pleasant experience and like all experiences it arose and then passed. It's like ...
6
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.
answered Apr 16 '17 at 3:27
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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5
Also if you stick to the instruction mainly in the Tripitaka most of the Suttas on meditation contain reference to them hence they are important. As the Ven. Sir mentioned the controversy arises due to interpretations in the Visuddhimagga and commentaries. The organisation that you do it through Jhana and or without are also mainly later developments. If I ...
answered Jun 27 '14 at 17:57
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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5
IMO, you are mixing apples and oranges. Metta meditation is practiced towards "the state of brahmas" (AN 4.190 and AN 3.63), not one of the Four Jhanas. The "state of brahmas" (brahmapatta) is a state of non-dualistic unity with the world. The way to attain it, is through progressively expanding the context of Metta meditation, starting from yourself, to ...
5
The word jhāna is Pali, so it stands to reason you wouldn't hear about it directly in other traditions. What you should be looking for are the following:
Sanskrit: dhyāna
Chinese: Chán (simplified Chinese: 禅; traditional Chinese: 禪)
Japanese: Zen (禅)
As far as differences go, I'm not sure which you are referring to, but I once skimmed through a ...
5
It could be in any order:
"There is the case where a monk has developed insight preceded by tranquillity...Then there is the case where a monk has developed tranquillity preceded by insight...Then there is the case where a monk has developed tranquillity in tandem with insight..." ~ AN 4.170 ~
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I guess the short answer is that in general the more intensive meditation practice you do the more familiar you will become with the jhanas and the more insight you will experience. Larry Rosenberg in Breath by Breath does say that retreats are needed to experience certain levels of insight. However he does emphasise practice in everyday life even more.
...
5
Although the higher jhanas are not required, they're strongly encouraged by the Buddha evident in the high frequency with which they are mentioned throughout the suttas. Ven. Gunaratana in his "The Jhanas" wrote:
The Buddha is constantly seen in the suttas encouraging his disciples to develop jhana. The four jhanas are invariably included in the complete ...
5
There is no samatha jhana nor is there vipassana jhana mentioned in the suttas, I may have missed it!
There are the 4 rupa jhanas mentioned with each containing various jhana factors and 4 arupa jhanas.
IMHO, the distinction is made to rationalise some meditation practices which dispense with the development of jhanas as a necessary step.
Vipassanā jhanas ...
5
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, abiding in itself. However, these states have degrees of maturity, and they are not always conventionally pleasant. Diarrhea or sensations of ants crawling for ...
5
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 austerities you did not attain any superior human states, any distinction in knowledge & vision worthy of a noble one. So how can you now — living luxuriously, ...
5
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 distracting thoughts &, in MN 44, 'vitakka' & 'vicara' are called the 'verbal conditioner' because they cause speech to occur, as follows:
Having ...
5
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. These may be intense.
answered Mar 30 '17 at 13:28
Suminda Sirinath S. Dharmasena
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5
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 from unskillful qualities — enters and remains in the first jhana: rapture and pleasure born from withdrawal, accompanied by directed thought and evaluation. He ...
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