Vipassana jhanas

Vipassana jhanas are steps that describe the evolution of Vipassanā meditation practice as described in the Theravada tradition. They contrast with samatha's jhanas. The usual description opposes the concentration attained by practicing samatha meditation called the jhanas, and the concentration attained by practicing vipassana meditation called "neighborhood concentration" (upacara samadhi).

Therevadan teacher Sayadaw U Pandita, a disciple of Mahasi Sayadaw, describes four vipassana jhanas:

*The meditator first explores his body, then his mind, discovering the three characteristics. The first jhana consist in seeing these points and in the presence of vitakka and vicara. Phenomena reveal themselves as appearing and ceasing.
*In the second Jhana, the practice seems quite automatic. Vitaka and vicara both disappear.
*In the third Jhana, piti, the joy, disappears too: there is only happiness (sukha) and concentration.
*Then the practice leads to knowledge. The comfort disappears because the disparition seems the only phenomenon; this step is known as "bhanga nupassana". The practice will become very difficult, showing every phenomenon as terrible, dangerous, disenchanting. The desire of freedom will take place. Upekkha, equanimity, will emerge, as the state of mind of an arahant.

The only further steps are the knowledge of attaining nirvana.

Vipassana Knowledges

This unusual description of Vipassana's practice does not replace vipassana knowledge. Bhanga nupassana is one example of traditional step on the way of wisdom. The steps to nirvana were also described by Buddhaghosa as five purities following purity of discipline (sila) and purity of mind (samadhi), in his famous Visuddhimagga.

amatha and Vipassana

According to the tradition of Sayadaw U Pandita, Samatha and Vipassana are not two separate practices. Samatha or one pointed concentration leads to Jhana (mental absorption). In Jhana there is no mental discursiveness, or very little as the aim is to calm (the vibrations of thought). At this stage various physiological changes will happen in your brain, you will become very peaceful and blissful. Vipassana (insight) happens once you come out of Jhana and can last for many hours or days. All the changes that happen to the ego — and which lead to nirvana — originate in Jhana and are experienced through intuition and a connection to a deeper level of awareness that is beyond normal discursive thinking.