Jhāna in Theravada

Jhāna (Pāli) is a meditative state of profound stillness and concentration in which the mind becomes fully immersed and absorbed in the chosen object of attention. [Cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-samadhi/jhana.html |title= Jhana |accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Access to Insight] This was the state where the Buddha himself had entered during the period of his own quest for enlightenment. [Cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/buddha.html|title= A Sketch of the Buddha's Life |accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Access to Insight ] The Buddha is constantly seen in the suttas encouraging his disciples to develop jhāna as a way of achieving self-awakening and liberation. [Cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html |title= The Jhanas|accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Buddhist Publication Society|Last=Henepola Gunaratana] [In the Pali Canon, the instruction on jhana is contained in suttas MN119, AN 1.16, MN118, MN4, MN19, MN36, MN43,MN45, MN64, MN65, MN66, MN76, MN77, MN78, MN79, MN85, MN105, MN107, MN108, MN119, MN125, MN138, MN152, AN2.2, AN3.6, AN3.7, AN3.8, DN1, DN2, MN94, MN100, MN101, MN111, MN112, MN122, MN139 & MN141. This list is not exhaustive.] Just before his passing away, The Buddha entered the jhānas in direct and reverse order, and the passing away itself took place after rising from the fourth jhāna. [Cite web|url=http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.16.1-6.vaji.html |title= Maha-parinibbana Sutta |accessdate=2007-12-03|publisher=Buddhist Publication Society|Last= Sister Vajira & Francis Story ]

Stages of Jhāna

There are 4 stages of deep concentration which are called the "Rupa Jhāna" (Fine-material Jhāna):

# First Jhāna - To attain this jhāna, the meditator must fix his mind on the meditation object to reduce and eliminate the lower mental qualities which is called the Five Hindrances (sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry and doubt) and promote the growth of five jhāna factors (applied/directed thought, sustained thought, rapture, bliss and one-pointedness). In this stage, only the subtlest mental movement remains. The ability to form unwholesome intentions ceases.
# Second Jhāna - To attain this jhāna, the meditator must reduce and eliminate the two initial factors of the first jhāna itself (applied/directed thought and sustained thought), the three remaining jhāna factors still possessed by the meditator are the rapture, bliss and one-pointedness. In this stage, all mental movement utterly ceases. The ability to form wholesome intentions ceases as well. Acquires complete confidence.
# Third Jhāna - To attain this jhāna, the meditator must reduce and eliminate the third initial factor of the first jhāna itself (rapture), the two remaining jhāna factors still possessed by the meditator are the bliss and one-pointedness. Three additional components are possessed by the meditator (equanimity, mindfulness and discernment).
# Fourth Jhāna - To attain this "jhāna", the meditator must reduce and eliminate the fourth initial factor of the first "jhāna" itself (bliss) and replace it with another "jhāna" factor (equanimity/neutral feeling), the two remaining "jhāna" factors still possessed by the meditator are the neutral feeling and one-pointedness. In this stage, the meditator enters a state of supreme purity, equanimity, and pure consciousness.

Beyond the four "jhāna" lie four higher attainments in the scale of concentration, usually referred as the "Arupa Jhāna" (Immaterial/formless Jhāna). The "immaterial jhānas" are designated as:
# Dimension of the infinitude of space.
# Dimension of the infinitude of consciousness.
# Dimension of nothingness.
# Dimension of neither perception nor non-perception.

Preliminary Stage

The Buddha explains right concentration ("samma samādhi"), part of the Noble Eightfold Path, as the four first "jhānas". According to the Pali Canon commentary, there is a certain stage in of meditation that the meditator should reach before entering into "jhāna", this stage is called "upacara-samādhi" (Access/Neighbourhood Concentration). The overcoming of the Five Hindrances (sensual desire, ill will, sloth and torpor, restlessness and worry and doubt), marked the entries into "access concentration". "Access concentration" is an unstable state where the mind become well concentrated on an object but it is still not yet a state of "full concentration" (jhāna). The difference is in "full concentration", where certain factors become strengthened to such a degree that they bring about a qualitative shift in the level of consciousness, they actually shift the mind to a different level of consciousness, and it no longer functions on the ordinary sensory level. Access concentration does appear in the discourses of the Buddha, though it is not labeled as such. [Peter Harvey, "Consciousness Mysticism in the Discourses of the Buddha." In Karel Werner, ed., "The Yogi and the Mystic." Curzon Press 1989, page 95. He finds access concentration described at Digha Nikaya I, 110, among other places. "The situation at D I, 110, then, can be seen as one where the hearer of a discourse enters a state which, while not an actual jhana, could be bordering on it. As it is free from hindrances, it could be seen as 'access' concentration with a degree of widsom."]

At the state of "access concentration", some meditators may experience vivid mental image (Pāli: nimitta), which is similar to a vivid dream (as vividly as if seen by the eye), but in this case the meditator is fully aware and conscious that they are seeing mental images. Different meditators will experience different mental images, some meditators may not experience any mental images at all. The same meditator doing multiple meditation sessions may experience different mental images for each session. The mental image may be pleasant, scary, disgusting, shocking or neutral. At this stage, the meditator must ignore the mental images and should continue their concentration.

As the concentration become stronger, the feeling of breathing and the feeling of having a physical body will be completely disappear leaving only pure awareness. At this stage the inexperienced meditator will usually become afraid thinking that they are going to die if they continue the concentration because the feeling of breathing and the feeling of having a physical body has completely disappeared, at this stage the meditator should not be afraid and should continue their concentration in order to reach "full concentration" (jhana). [Venerable Sujivo, "Access and Fixed Concentration". Vipassana Tribune, Vol 4 No 2, July 1996, Buddhist Wisdom Centre, Malaysia. Available [http://zencomp.com/greatwisdom/ebud/ebmed020.htm here] .]

Mastering the Jhāna

A meditator should first master the lower "jhāna", before they can go into the higher "jhāna". There are five aspects of "jhāna" mastery:
# Mastery in adverting: the ability to advert to the "jhāna" factors one by one after emerging from the "jhāna", wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and for as long as he wants.
# Mastery in attaining: the ability to enter upon "jhāna" quickly.
# Mastery in resolving: the ability to remain in the "jhāna" for exactly the pre-determined length of time.
# Mastery in emerging: the ability to emerge from "jhāna" quickly without difficulty.
# Mastery in reviewing: the ability to review the "jhāna" and its factors with retrospective knowledge immediately after adverting to them.

Usage of the Jhāna

The meditator uses the "jhāna" state to strengthen and sharpen the mind, in order to investigate the true nature of phenomena (dhamma) and to gain higher knowledge in the state of "access concentration". The longer the meditator stays in the state of "jhana" the sharper and powerful the mind becomes. The "jhana" will cause the Five Hindrances to be suppressed for days.

After coming out from the state of "jhāna", the meditator will be in the state of post-jhana "access concentration". This post-jhāna state of "access concentration" will have the qualities of being certain, long-lasting and much more stable. This is where the job of investigation and analysis of the true nature of phenomena start. It is also where deep insight into the characteristics of impermanence, suffering and not-self arises. The meditator can experience these truths, which lie at the heart of the Buddha's teachings, through direct experience.

As the Five Hindrances will be suppressed for days, after entering "jhāna". The meditator will feel perfectly clear, mindful, full of compassion, peaceful and light after the meditation session. This may cause some meditator to mistakenly assume that they have gained Enlightenment.

The "jhāna" state cannot by itself lead to Enlightenment as it is only suppresses the defilements. Meditator must use the "jhāna" state as an instrument for developing wisdom by cultivating insight and use it to penetrate the true nature of phenomena through direct cognition, which will lead to cutting off the defilements, fathoms the Four Noble Truths and Enlightement.

ee also

* Samadhi (Buddhism)
* Rupajhana
* Arupajhana
* Kammatthana
* Anapanasati

References

External links

* [http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html The Jhana]
* [http://www.budsas.org/ebud/ebmed058.htm The Mystery of the Breath Nimitta]
* [http://www.dharmaweb.org/index.php/Travelogue_to_the_four_jhanas_by_Ajahn_Brahmavamso Travelogue to the four jhanas]
* [http://www.leighb.com/jhanantp.htm Interpretations of the Jhanas]