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Difference between revisions of "The First Jhāna (Paṭhama Jhāna)"

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[[File:Buddha4u4ia.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Buddha4u4ia.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
<poem>
 
<poem>
  The standard [[jhāna]] formula in the context of the development of [[meditative]] composure through [[mindfulness]] of {{Wiki|breathing}} (ānāpānassatisamādhi) is stated in SN 54.8 Padīpopama [[Sutta]]:
+
  The standard [[jhāna]] [[formula]] in the context of the [[development]] of [[meditative]] composure through [[mindfulness]] of {{Wiki|breathing}} (ānāpānassatisamādhi) is stated in SN 54.8 Padīpopama [[Sutta]]:
  
     Therefore, [[monks]], if a [[monk]] wishes, “May I, quite secluded from sensual [[pleasures]], secluded from unskillful [[phenomena]], enter and remain in the first [[jhāna]], which includes directed [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}}, as well as [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion,” this same [[meditative]] composure through [[mindfulness]] of {{Wiki|breathing}} should be closely attended to.
+
     Therefore, [[monks]], if a [[monk]] wishes, “May I, quite secluded from {{Wiki|sensual}} [[pleasures]], secluded from [[unskillful]] [[phenomena]], enter and remain in the first [[jhāna]], which includes directed [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}}, as well as [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]],” this same [[meditative]] composure through [[mindfulness]] of {{Wiki|breathing}} should be closely attended to.
  
The progression from focusing on the internal felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]] to focusing on the arisen [[mental factor]] of [[joy]] (pīti) and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] ([[sukha]]) represents our movement toward and into the [[first jhāna]]. As this is a subjective [[experience]], the [[mental]] and [[bodily]] qualities that we’re about to discuss will vary somewhat from [[person]] to [[person]] and even from sitting to sitting. Nevertheless, there are some general indicators that we can become aware of as we progress from a discursive [[mind]] involved in external sensory impingement, to a unified [[mind]] characterized by internal [[happiness]] and well-being, and beyond that, an [[experience]] of serene [[tranquility]].
+
The progression from focusing on the internal felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]] to focusing on the arisen [[mental factor]] of [[joy]] ([[pīti]]) and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] ([[sukha]]) represents our {{Wiki|movement}} toward and into the [[first jhāna]]. As this is a subjective [[experience]], the [[mental]] and [[bodily]] qualities that we’re about to discuss will vary somewhat from [[person]] to [[person]] and even from sitting to sitting. Nevertheless, there are some general indicators that we can become {{Wiki|aware}} of as we progress from a discursive [[mind]] involved in external sensory impingement, to a unified [[mind]] characterized by internal [[happiness]] and well-being, and beyond that, an [[experience]] of [[serene]] [[tranquility]].
  
While the {{Wiki|phenomenal}} factors of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] may seem to be similar, there are subtle and distinctive differences that we can become aware of. And as [[joy]] (pīti) is the coarser of the two qualities, we first turn our [[attention]] to it.
+
While the {{Wiki|phenomenal}} factors of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] may seem to be similar, there are {{Wiki|subtle}} and {{Wiki|distinctive}} differences that we can become {{Wiki|aware}} of. And as [[joy]] ([[pīti]]) is the coarser of the two qualities, we first turn our [[attention]] to it.
 
[[File:Buddha6.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Buddha6.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
Remaining unified with the entire internal felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]], [[experienced]] in its totality, we begin to focus on the [[mental]] quality of [[joy]] when it arises. This [[joy]] is [[mental]] (i.e. not [[bodily]]) and is more than just the bare [[mental]] [[feeling]] (vedanā) of [[pleasure]] associated with the [[contact]] between the settled [[mind]] and the inner [[body]] [[sphere]]. Synonyms for this [[joy]] include: gladness ([[pāmojja]]), [[delight]] ([[āmodanā]]), [[joyfulness]] ([[pamodanā]]), [[shining mirth]] ([[bhāsa pabhāsa]]), [[felicity]] ([[vitti]]), elation ([[odagya]]), [[satisfaction]] ([[attamantā]]), and [[mental uplift]] ([[cittassa]]).1
+
Remaining unified with the entire internal felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]], [[experienced]] in its {{Wiki|totality}}, we begin to focus on the [[mental]] quality of [[joy]] when it arises. This [[joy]] is [[mental]] (i.e. not [[bodily]]) and is more than just the bare [[mental]] [[feeling]] ([[vedanā]]) of [[pleasure]] associated with the [[contact]] between the settled [[mind]] and the inner [[body]] [[sphere]]. Synonyms for this [[joy]] include: gladness ([[pāmojja]]), [[delight]] ([[āmodanā]]), [[joyfulness]] ([[pamodanā]]), [[shining mirth]] ([[bhāsa pabhāsa]]), [[felicity]] ([[vitti]]), {{Wikidictionary|elation}} ([[odagya]]), [[satisfaction]] ([[attamantā]]), and [[mental uplift]] ([[cittassa]]).1
  
So what we’re talking about here is an affective [[mental]] quality that can range from a [[sense]] of internal [[satisfaction]] ([[openness]] and [[joyous]] ease) to ecstatic [[bliss]]. Again, the [[experience]] will vary from occasion to occasion and [[person]] to [[person]]. But whatever this quality is for each of us individually, it arises as a direct result of the unification of [[mind]] with the inner felt-[[sense]] of the entire [[body]]. There’s [[nothing]] necessarily ecstatic or blissful about this [[experience]]. The [[mind]] simply enjoys paying [[attention]] to the [[body]] and being free from the [[hindrances]] and all associated [[worldly]] concerns. By {{Wiki|breathing}} mindfully, paying [[attention]] and surrendering to the whole felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]], and thereby allowing the breath to [[calm]] itself, a [[sense]] of ease, lightness, and [[happiness]] spontaneously arises. It’s the basic goodness of not being preoccupied by any concerns, which then leads to a [[sense]] of [[openness]] and [[joy]] as the [[mind]] continues to settle.
+
So what we’re talking about here is an affective [[mental]] quality that can range from a [[sense]] of internal [[satisfaction]] ([[openness]] and [[joyous]] ease) to {{Wiki|ecstatic}} [[bliss]]. Again, the [[experience]] will vary from occasion to occasion and [[person]] to [[person]]. But whatever this quality is for each of us individually, it arises as a direct result of the unification of [[mind]] with the inner felt-[[sense]] of the entire [[body]]. There’s [[nothing]] necessarily {{Wiki|ecstatic}} or blissful about this [[experience]]. The [[mind]] simply enjoys paying [[attention]] to the [[body]] and being free from the [[hindrances]] and all associated [[worldly]] concerns. By {{Wiki|breathing}} mindfully, paying [[attention]] and surrendering to the whole felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]], and thereby allowing the [[breath]] to [[calm]] itself, a [[sense]] of ease, lightness, and [[happiness]] spontaneously arises. It’s the basic [[goodness]] of not being preoccupied by any concerns, which then leads to a [[sense]] of [[openness]] and [[joy]] as the [[mind]] continues to settle.
  
That said, powerful [[experiences]] of ecstatic [[bliss]] and profoundly delightful [[experiences]] of the [[heart]] area spontaneously opening and being saturated with [[feelings]] of [[universal]] [[love]], or strong vibrational currents within the [[body]] causing it to tremble or spasm uncontrollably, or other similar occurrences can certainly arise. This is usually more common when one sits for long sessions in [[retreat]] (1.5 to 4 or more hours per sitting). Although some of these powerful [[experiences]] of pīti can be very [[pleasurable]], some of them can be so enticing that the [[meditator]] gets stuck trying to recreate the [[experience]] in every sitting. Such [[experiences]] can also overwhelm one’s [[mental]] [[calm]]. And so these very powerful types of pīti can actually be more of a [[hindrance]] than a help if not worked with skillfully. Therefore, it’s appropriate to consult with an [[experienced]] [[meditation]] [[teacher]] should these types of [[experience]] arise.
+
That said, powerful [[experiences]] of {{Wiki|ecstatic}} [[bliss]] and profoundly delightful [[experiences]] of the [[heart]] area spontaneously opening and being saturated with [[feelings]] of [[universal]] [[love]], or strong vibrational currents within the [[body]] causing it to tremble or spasm uncontrollably, or other similar occurrences can certainly arise. This is usually more common when one sits for long sessions in [[retreat]] (1.5 to 4 or more hours per sitting). Although some of these powerful [[experiences]] of [[pīti]] can be very [[pleasurable]], some of them can be so enticing that the [[meditator]] gets stuck trying to recreate the [[experience]] in every sitting. Such [[experiences]] can also overwhelm one’s [[mental]] [[calm]]. And so these very powerful types of [[pīti]] can actually be more of a [[hindrance]] than a help if not worked with skillfully. Therefore, it’s appropriate to consult with an [[experienced]] [[meditation]] [[teacher]] should these types of [[experience]] arise.
 
[[File:820084 n.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:820084 n.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
Returning now to the less extreme [[experiences]] of [[joy]]: by intentionally focusing on this open [[sense]] of internal [[satisfaction]], this quality of [[joyous]] [[happiness]], the concomitant [[experience]] of the inner felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]] may begin to intensify into tingling [[sensations]] throughout the [[body]] (often along the spine and scalp), or the [[mental]] [[happiness]] itself may open into a [[sense]] of either subtle or very profound well-being (the profound type of well-being can [[feel]] like passing through an invisible “membrane” wherein all [[sense]] of constriction is simply gone). It may be blissful (colored or white lights can appear before the closed eyelids) or it may just be an [[experience]] of internal [[joyous]] [[pleasure]].
+
Returning now to the less extreme [[experiences]] of [[joy]]: by intentionally focusing on this open [[sense]] of internal [[satisfaction]], this quality of [[joyous]] [[happiness]], the concomitant [[experience]] of the inner felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]] may begin to intensify into tingling [[sensations]] throughout the [[body]] (often along the spine and scalp), or the [[mental]] [[happiness]] itself may open into a [[sense]] of either {{Wiki|subtle}} or very profound well-being (the profound type of well-being can [[feel]] like passing through an {{Wiki|invisible}} “membrane” wherein all [[sense]] of constriction is simply gone). It may be blissful (colored or white lights can appear before the closed eyelids) or it may just be an [[experience]] of internal [[joyous]] [[pleasure]].
  
Regardless of what presents itself, the idea is to continue to unify [[mind]] and [[body]] by paying [[attention]] to and acknowledging the [[mental factor]] of [[joyous]] well-being present, and not trying to [[manufacture]] or force something that isn’t there. The [[suttas]] describe this [[joyous]] ease and [[pleasure]] permeating and pervading the entire [[body]] in the following terms:
+
Regardless of what presents itself, the [[idea]] is to continue to unify [[mind]] and [[body]] by paying [[attention]] to and [[acknowledging]] the [[mental factor]] of [[joyous]] well-being {{Wiki|present}}, and not trying to [[manufacture]] or force something that isn’t there. The [[suttas]] describe this [[joyous]] ease and [[pleasure]] permeating and pervading the entire [[body]] in the following terms:
  
     He drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very [[body]] with the [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion so that there is no part of his whole [[body]] that is not permeated by [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion.
+
     He drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very [[body]] with the [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]] so that there is no part of his whole [[body]] that is not permeated by [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]].
  
 
The Sumaṅgalavilāsinī commentary on the [[Sāmaññaphala Sutta]] explains this passage as follows:2
 
The Sumaṅgalavilāsinī commentary on the [[Sāmaññaphala Sutta]] explains this passage as follows:2
  
     “This very [[body]]:” this [[body]] born of [[action]] [i.e. born of [[kamma]]]. “He drenches:” he moistens, he extends [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] everywhere. “Steeps:” to flow all over. “Fills:” like filling a bellows with air. “Permeates:” to touch all over.
+
     “This very [[body]]:” this [[body]] born of [[action]] [i.e. born of [[kamma]]). “He drenches:” he moistens, he extends [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] everywhere. “Steeps:” to flow all over. “Fills:” like filling a bellows with [[air]]. “Permeates:” to {{Wiki|touch}} all over.
 
[[File:Buddha7.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Buddha7.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
     “His whole [[body]]:” in this monk’s [[body]], with all its parts, in the place where acquired [material] continuity occurs there is not even the smallest part consisting of skin, flesh, and blood that is not permeated with the [[pleasure]] of the [[first jhāna]].
+
     “His whole [[body]]:” in this [[monk’s]] [[body]], with all its parts, in the place where acquired [material] continuity occurs there is not even the smallest part consisting of {{Wiki|skin}}, flesh, and {{Wiki|blood}} that is not permeated with the [[pleasure]] of the [[first jhāna]].
  
Even though these descriptions make it [[sound]] like this practice requires some amount of exertion, [[experience]] reveals that this is actually quite a passive process. The only [[volitional]] quality required here — over and above [[attention]] to the [[mental factor]] of [[joy]] presently occurring — is to simply attend to this [[joyous]] ease and [[pleasure]] permeating and pervading the entire [[body]]. MN 119 [[Kāyagatāsati Sutta]] describes this [[experience]] with the following simile:
+
Even though these descriptions make it [[sound]] like this practice requires some amount of {{Wiki|exertion}}, [[experience]] reveals that this is actually quite a passive process. The only [[volitional]] quality required here — over and above [[attention]] to the [[mental factor]] of [[joy]] presently occurring — is to simply attend to this [[joyous]] ease and [[pleasure]] permeating and pervading the entire [[body]]. MN 119 [[Kāyagatāsati Sutta]] describes this [[experience]] with the following simile:
  
     Just as if a [[skilled]] bathman or bathman’s apprentice would heap bath powder into a brass basin and, sprinkling it again and again with water, knead it together so that the moisture wets his ball of bath powder, saturates it and permeates it within and without, yet the ball does not ooze; so too, the [[monk]] drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very [[body]] with the [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion so that there is no part of his whole [[body]] that is not permeated by [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion.... This too, is how a [[monk]] develops [[mindfulness]] immersed in the [[body]].
+
     Just as if a [[skilled]] bathman or bathman’s apprentice would heap bath powder into a brass basin and, sprinkling it again and again with [[water]], knead it together so that the [[moisture]] wets his ball of bath powder, saturates it and permeates it within and without, yet the ball does not ooze; so too, the [[monk]] drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very [[body]] with the [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]] so that there is no part of his whole [[body]] that is not permeated by [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]].... This too, is how a [[monk]] develops [[mindfulness]] immersed in the [[body]].
  
Here we recognize that this [[mental]] [[joy]] isn’t something separate from the [[awareness]] of the entirety of the felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]]. As [[joy]] pervades the entire [[mind]], it simultaneously permeates the entire [[body]] because the [[mind]] is aware of the entire [[body]]. It’s that straightforward. And with dedicated practice, this [[experience]] naturally and spontaneously opens into a much vaster [[awareness]] than words can adequately describe.
+
Here we [[recognize]] that this [[mental]] [[joy]] isn’t something separate from the [[awareness]] of the entirety of the felt-[[sense]] of the [[body]]. As [[joy]] pervades the entire [[mind]], it simultaneously permeates the entire [[body]] because the [[mind]] is {{Wiki|aware}} of the entire [[body]]. It’s that straightforward. And with dedicated practice, this [[experience]] naturally and spontaneously opens into a much vaster [[awareness]] than words can adequately describe.
 
[[File:Buddhanew12.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
 
[[File:Buddhanew12.jpg|thumb|250px|]]
When [[mental]] [[joy]] and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] are sufficiently developed and refined there spontaneously occurs an opening and vast expansion of the [[mind]]. An entirely new panorama of [[experience]] opens up. The [[mind]] and the concomitant [[jhāna]] factors of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] expand beyond the limits of one’s [[physical body]]. This is what is designated as an expansive [[liberation]] of [[mind]] ([[mahaggatā]] [[cetovimutti]]). All the [[jhāna]] factors align in complete [[harmony]] in what DN 9 refers to as the actual refined [[recognition]] of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of seclusion ([[vivekajapītisukhasukhumasaccasaññā]]). Again, it’s difficult to put this [[experience]] into words in a text. To say the least, conventional states of [[awareness]] are constricted in comparison to this vast, expansive [[mind]] filled with [[joy]] and [[pleasure]]. When this sweet fruit of the [[ascetic]] [[life]] is [[experienced]] one understands what the terms listed as [[jhāna]] factors actually refer to.
+
When [[mental]] [[joy]] and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] are sufficiently developed and refined there spontaneously occurs an opening and vast expansion of the [[mind]]. An entirely new panorama of [[experience]] opens up. The [[mind]] and the concomitant [[jhāna]] factors of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] expand beyond the limits of one’s [[physical body]]. This is what is designated as an expansive [[liberation]] of [[mind]] ([[mahaggatā]] [[cetovimutti]]). All the [[jhāna]] factors align in complete [[harmony]] in what DN 9 refers to as the actual refined [[recognition]] of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] born of [[seclusion]] ([[vivekajapītisukhasukhumasaccasaññā]]). Again, it’s difficult to put this [[experience]] into words in a text. To say the least, [[Wikipedia:Convention (norm)|conventional]] states of [[awareness]] are constricted in comparison to this vast, expansive [[mind]] filled with [[joy]] and [[pleasure]]. When this sweet fruit of the [[ascetic]] [[life]] is [[experienced]] one [[understands]] what the terms listed as [[jhāna]] factors actually refer to.
  
But this is not a non-perceptive state of [[trance]]-like absorption. Employing clear seeing ([[vipassanā]]) one still knows the various concomitant [[mental phenomena]] arising in [[jhāna]] one by one as they occur ([[anupadadhammavipassanā]]). As the [[Buddha]] says in MN 111 [[Anupada Sutta]] (speaking of Ven. Sāriputta’s [[jhāna]] practice):
+
But this is not a non-perceptive state of [[trance]]-like [[absorption]]. Employing clear [[seeing]] ([[vipassanā]]) one still [[knows]] the various concomitant [[mental phenomena]] [[arising]] in [[jhāna]] one by one as they occur ([[anupadadhammavipassanā]]). As the [[Buddha]] says in MN 111 [[Anupada Sutta]] ({{Wiki|speaking}} of Ven. Sāriputta’s [[jhāna]] practice):
  
     Whatever [[phenomena]] there are in the first jhāna: directed [[thought]], {{Wiki|evaluation}}, [[joy]], [[pleasure]], singleness of [[mind]], [[contact]], [[feeling]], [[recognition]], {{Wiki|intention}}, [[mind]], [[desire]], decision, [[energy]], [[mindfulness]], [[equanimity]], and [[attention]]; he defined them one by one as they occurred. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided.
+
     Whatever [[phenomena]] there are in the [[first jhāna]]: directed [[thought]], {{Wiki|evaluation}}, [[joy]], [[pleasure]], [[singleness]] of [[mind]], [[contact]], [[feeling]], [[recognition]], {{Wiki|intention}}, [[mind]], [[desire]], [[decision]], [[energy]], [[mindfulness]], [[equanimity]], and [[attention]]; he defined them one by one as they occurred. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided.
  
 
And as AN 9.36 informs us, one need progress no further than the first [[jhāna]] in order to discern [[phenomena]] and thereby give rise to nonfashioning ([[atammayatā]]) and incline toward the [[death]]-free ([[amatadhātu]]).
 
And as AN 9.36 informs us, one need progress no further than the first [[jhāna]] in order to discern [[phenomena]] and thereby give rise to nonfashioning ([[atammayatā]]) and incline toward the [[death]]-free ([[amatadhātu]]).
  
Nevertheless, if we so choose, we are free to develop [[jhāna]] to a more refined stage of unification and [[calm]]. To do this we simply continue to intentionally focus on the concomitant [[mental factors]] of [[joy]] (pīti) and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] ([[sukha]]). Over time, as we develop this practice, the [[mental factors]] of directed [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}} will begin to subside as the [[mind]] grows increasingly satisfied and [[calm]]. When this stage is reached these factors of [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}} no longer receive the fuel that they need to sustain their operation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that at this point there are never any [[thoughts]] arising whatsoever. But it does mean that the [[mind]] has reached a state of unification which it realizes is superior to any state of even subtle discursive movement. The [[mind]] has abandoned [[attention]] to apperceptions associated with directed [[thought]]. It has [[realized]] the [[satisfaction]], stillness, and internal clarity of the [[silent]] [[mind]].
+
Nevertheless, if we so choose, we are free to develop [[jhāna]] to a more refined stage of unification and [[calm]]. To do this we simply continue to intentionally focus on the concomitant [[mental factors]] of [[joy]] ([[pīti]]) and [[bodily]] [[pleasure]] ([[sukha]]). Over [[time]], as we develop this practice, the [[mental factors]] of directed [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}} will begin to subside as the [[mind]] grows increasingly satisfied and [[calm]]. When this stage is reached these factors of [[thought]] and {{Wiki|evaluation}} no longer receive the fuel that they need to sustain their operation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that at this point there are never any [[thoughts]] [[arising]] whatsoever. But it does mean that the [[mind]] has reached a state of unification which it realizes is {{Wiki|superior}} to any state of even {{Wiki|subtle}} discursive {{Wiki|movement}}. The [[mind]] has abandoned [[attention]] to apperceptions associated with directed [[thought]]. It has [[realized]] the [[satisfaction]], stillness, and internal clarity of the [[silent]] [[mind]].
  
This stilling of directed [[thought]] is a natural process and doesn’t need to be intentionally willed during [[meditation]]. We just surrender completely to the [[experience]] of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] and allow the [[path]] of practice to take its course. As SN 48.10 [[Dutiyavibhaṅga Sutta]] states, the development of the faculty of [[concentration]] involves understanding that letting go is our [[object]] ([[vossaggārammaṇa]]). Over time — weeks, months, years, decades — the [[mind]] settles and lets go of discursive conceptualization during sitting [[meditation]]. This is aided by our ongoing development of [[sense]] restraint ([[indriya]] [[saṃvara]]), clear seeing (vipassanā), and the increasing integration of the entire [[eightfold path]]. Together with a committed daily [[meditation]] practice, preferably in conjunction with regular [[retreat]] periods, our integrated [[path]] allows us to be able to relinquish coarse [[thoughts]] which we realize are often a [[cause]] of further [[stress]] and becoming, and by so doing we begin to enter into the stillness of the [[silent]] [[mind]].
+
This stilling of directed [[thought]] is a natural process and doesn’t need to be intentionally willed during [[meditation]]. We just surrender completely to the [[experience]] of [[joy]] and [[pleasure]] and allow the [[path]] of practice to take its course. As SN 48.10 [[Dutiyavibhaṅga Sutta]] states, the [[development]] of the {{Wiki|faculty}} of [[concentration]] involves [[understanding]] that [[letting go]] is our [[object]] ([[vossaggārammaṇa]]). Over [[time]] — weeks, months, years, decades — the [[mind]] settles and lets go of discursive [[conceptualization]] during sitting [[meditation]]. This is aided by our ongoing [[development]] of [[sense]] restraint ([[indriya]] [[saṃvara]]), clear [[seeing]] ([[vipassanā]]), and the increasing {{Wiki|integration}} of the entire [[eightfold path]]. Together with a committed daily [[meditation]] practice, preferably in {{Wiki|conjunction}} with regular [[retreat]] periods, our integrated [[path]] allows us to be able to relinquish coarse [[thoughts]] which we realize are often a [[cause]] of further [[stress]] and becoming, and by so doing we begin to enter into the stillness of the [[silent]] [[mind]].
 
</poem>
 
</poem>
 
{{R}}
 
{{R}}
 
[http://measurelessmind.ca/anapanassatisamadhi.html measurelessmind.ca]
 
[http://measurelessmind.ca/anapanassatisamadhi.html measurelessmind.ca]
 
[[Category:First Jhana‎]]
 
[[Category:First Jhana‎]]

Latest revision as of 18:54, 4 April 2016

Buddha4u4ia.jpg

 The standard jhāna formula in the context of the development of meditative composure through mindfulness of breathing (ānāpānassatisamādhi) is stated in SN 54.8 Padīpopama Sutta:

    Therefore, monks, if a monk wishes, “May I, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful phenomena, enter and remain in the first jhāna, which includes directed thought and evaluation, as well as joy and pleasure born of seclusion,” this same meditative composure through mindfulness of breathing should be closely attended to.

The progression from focusing on the internal felt-sense of the body to focusing on the arisen mental factor of joy (pīti) and bodily pleasure (sukha) represents our movement toward and into the first jhāna. As this is a subjective experience, the mental and bodily qualities that we’re about to discuss will vary somewhat from person to person and even from sitting to sitting. Nevertheless, there are some general indicators that we can become aware of as we progress from a discursive mind involved in external sensory impingement, to a unified mind characterized by internal happiness and well-being, and beyond that, an experience of serene tranquility.

While the phenomenal factors of joy and pleasure may seem to be similar, there are subtle and distinctive differences that we can become aware of. And as joy (pīti) is the coarser of the two qualities, we first turn our attention to it.

Buddha6.jpg

Remaining unified with the entire internal felt-sense of the body, experienced in its totality, we begin to focus on the mental quality of joy when it arises. This joy is mental (i.e. not bodily) and is more than just the bare mental feeling (vedanā) of pleasure associated with the contact between the settled mind and the inner body sphere. Synonyms for this joy include: gladness (pāmojja), delight (āmodanā), joyfulness (pamodanā), shining mirth (bhāsa pabhāsa), felicity (vitti), elation (odagya), satisfaction (attamantā), and mental uplift (cittassa).1

So what we’re talking about here is an affective mental quality that can range from a sense of internal satisfaction (openness and joyous ease) to ecstatic bliss. Again, the experience will vary from occasion to occasion and person to person. But whatever this quality is for each of us individually, it arises as a direct result of the unification of mind with the inner felt-sense of the entire body. There’s nothing necessarily ecstatic or blissful about this experience. The mind simply enjoys paying attention to the body and being free from the hindrances and all associated worldly concerns. By breathing mindfully, paying attention and surrendering to the whole felt-sense of the body, and thereby allowing the breath to calm itself, a sense of ease, lightness, and happiness spontaneously arises. It’s the basic goodness of not being preoccupied by any concerns, which then leads to a sense of openness and joy as the mind continues to settle.

That said, powerful experiences of ecstatic bliss and profoundly delightful experiences of the heart area spontaneously opening and being saturated with feelings of universal love, or strong vibrational currents within the body causing it to tremble or spasm uncontrollably, or other similar occurrences can certainly arise. This is usually more common when one sits for long sessions in retreat (1.5 to 4 or more hours per sitting). Although some of these powerful experiences of pīti can be very pleasurable, some of them can be so enticing that the meditator gets stuck trying to recreate the experience in every sitting. Such experiences can also overwhelm one’s mental calm. And so these very powerful types of pīti can actually be more of a hindrance than a help if not worked with skillfully. Therefore, it’s appropriate to consult with an experienced meditation teacher should these types of experience arise.

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Returning now to the less extreme experiences of joy: by intentionally focusing on this open sense of internal satisfaction, this quality of joyous happiness, the concomitant experience of the inner felt-sense of the body may begin to intensify into tingling sensations throughout the body (often along the spine and scalp), or the mental happiness itself may open into a sense of either subtle or very profound well-being (the profound type of well-being can feel like passing through an invisible “membrane” wherein all sense of constriction is simply gone). It may be blissful (colored or white lights can appear before the closed eyelids) or it may just be an experience of internal joyous pleasure.

Regardless of what presents itself, the idea is to continue to unify mind and body by paying attention to and acknowledging the mental factor of joyous well-being present, and not trying to manufacture or force something that isn’t there. The suttas describe this joyous ease and pleasure permeating and pervading the entire body in the following terms:

    He drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very body with the joy and pleasure born of seclusion so that there is no part of his whole body that is not permeated by joy and pleasure born of seclusion.

The Sumaṅgalavilāsinī commentary on the Sāmaññaphala Sutta explains this passage as follows:2

    “This very body:” this body born of action [i.e. born of kamma). “He drenches:” he moistens, he extends joy and pleasure everywhere. “Steeps:” to flow all over. “Fills:” like filling a bellows with air. “Permeates:” to touch all over.

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    “His whole body:” in this monk’s body, with all its parts, in the place where acquired [material] continuity occurs there is not even the smallest part consisting of skin, flesh, and blood that is not permeated with the pleasure of the first jhāna.

Even though these descriptions make it sound like this practice requires some amount of exertion, experience reveals that this is actually quite a passive process. The only volitional quality required here — over and above attention to the mental factor of joy presently occurring — is to simply attend to this joyous ease and pleasure permeating and pervading the entire body. MN 119 Kāyagatāsati Sutta describes this experience with the following simile:

    Just as if a skilled bathman or bathman’s apprentice would heap bath powder into a brass basin and, sprinkling it again and again with water, knead it together so that the moisture wets his ball of bath powder, saturates it and permeates it within and without, yet the ball does not ooze; so too, the monk drenches, steeps, fills, and permeates this very body with the joy and pleasure born of seclusion so that there is no part of his whole body that is not permeated by joy and pleasure born of seclusion.... This too, is how a monk develops mindfulness immersed in the body.

Here we recognize that this mental joy isn’t something separate from the awareness of the entirety of the felt-sense of the body. As joy pervades the entire mind, it simultaneously permeates the entire body because the mind is aware of the entire body. It’s that straightforward. And with dedicated practice, this experience naturally and spontaneously opens into a much vaster awareness than words can adequately describe.

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When mental joy and bodily pleasure are sufficiently developed and refined there spontaneously occurs an opening and vast expansion of the mind. An entirely new panorama of experience opens up. The mind and the concomitant jhāna factors of joy and pleasure expand beyond the limits of one’s physical body. This is what is designated as an expansive liberation of mind (mahaggatā cetovimutti). All the jhāna factors align in complete harmony in what DN 9 refers to as the actual refined recognition of joy and pleasure born of seclusion (vivekajapītisukhasukhumasaccasaññā). Again, it’s difficult to put this experience into words in a text. To say the least, conventional states of awareness are constricted in comparison to this vast, expansive mind filled with joy and pleasure. When this sweet fruit of the ascetic life is experienced one understands what the terms listed as jhāna factors actually refer to.

But this is not a non-perceptive state of trance-like absorption. Employing clear seeing (vipassanā) one still knows the various concomitant mental phenomena arising in jhāna one by one as they occur (anupadadhammavipassanā). As the Buddha says in MN 111 Anupada Sutta (speaking of Ven. Sāriputta’s jhāna practice):

    Whatever phenomena there are in the first jhāna: directed thought, evaluation, joy, pleasure, singleness of mind, contact, feeling, recognition, intention, mind, desire, decision, energy, mindfulness, equanimity, and attention; he defined them one by one as they occurred. Known to him they arose, known to him they remained, known to him they subsided.

And as AN 9.36 informs us, one need progress no further than the first jhāna in order to discern phenomena and thereby give rise to nonfashioning (atammayatā) and incline toward the death-free (amatadhātu).

Nevertheless, if we so choose, we are free to develop jhāna to a more refined stage of unification and calm. To do this we simply continue to intentionally focus on the concomitant mental factors of joy (pīti) and bodily pleasure (sukha). Over time, as we develop this practice, the mental factors of directed thought and evaluation will begin to subside as the mind grows increasingly satisfied and calm. When this stage is reached these factors of thought and evaluation no longer receive the fuel that they need to sustain their operation. This doesn’t necessarily mean that at this point there are never any thoughts arising whatsoever. But it does mean that the mind has reached a state of unification which it realizes is superior to any state of even subtle discursive movement. The mind has abandoned attention to apperceptions associated with directed thought. It has realized the satisfaction, stillness, and internal clarity of the silent mind.

This stilling of directed thought is a natural process and doesn’t need to be intentionally willed during meditation. We just surrender completely to the experience of joy and pleasure and allow the path of practice to take its course. As SN 48.10 Dutiyavibhaṅga Sutta states, the development of the faculty of concentration involves understanding that letting go is our object (vossaggārammaṇa). Over time — weeks, months, years, decades — the mind settles and lets go of discursive conceptualization during sitting meditation. This is aided by our ongoing development of sense restraint (indriya saṃvara), clear seeing (vipassanā), and the increasing integration of the entire eightfold path. Together with a committed daily meditation practice, preferably in conjunction with regular retreat periods, our integrated path allows us to be able to relinquish coarse thoughts which we realize are often a cause of further stress and becoming, and by so doing we begin to enter into the stillness of the silent mind.

Source

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