Jhanas and Samadhi

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Read below and you will see similarities to what is being actively

experienced here in this group. These are the ancient foundations of

what is being suggested on this list. This activity goes beyond

belief systems and into the approaching of a " Oneness " with God

however you experience God to be. The teachings of the Christ and

Buddha and Krishna and many religious doctrines support the themes

that are mentioned below.

 

Dhy & #257;na's beginnings are traced to Hinduism, where it is considered

to be an instrument to gain self knowledge, thereby separating maya

from reality and helping attain the ultimate goal of Moksha.

Depictions of hindu yogis performing dhy & #257;na are found in ancient

texts and in statues and frescoes of ancient India temples.

Kshatriya Siddhartha Gautama studied dhy & #257;na during his early years

away from his kingdom.

 

 

In the Pali Canon the Buddha describes four progressive states of

absorption meditation or Jh & #257;na. The Jh & #257;nas are said by the Buddha to

be conducive to detachment but they must not be mistaken for the

final goal of nibbana. The Jh & #257;nas are states of meditation where the

mind is free from the five hindrances (craving, aversion, sloth,

agitation, doubt) and incapable of discursive thinking. The deeper

Jh & #257;nas can last for many hours. When a meditator emerges from Jh & #257;na,

his/her mind is empowered and able to penetrate into the deepest

truths of existence.

 

There are four deeper states of meditative absoption called the

immaterial attainments. Sometimes these are also referred to as

the " formless " Jh & #257;nas, or Arupajhana (distinguished from the first

four Jh & #257;nas, Rupajhana). In the Buddhist canonical texts, the word

Jh & #257;na is never explicitly used to denote them, but they are always

mentioned in sequence after the first four Jh & #257;nas.

 

In East Asia, several schools of Buddhism were founded that focused

on dhy & #257;na, under the names Chan, Zen, and Seon. According to

tradition, Bodhidharma brought Dhy & #257;na to the Shaolin temple in

China, where it came to be transliterated as " chan " ( " seon " in

Korea, and then " zen " in Japan).

 

Jh & #257;nas are normally described by the way of the mental factors which

are present in these states

 

1. Movement of the mind onto the object, Vitakka (Sanskrit:

Vitarka)

2. Retention of the mind on the object, Vic & #257;ra

3. Joy, P & #299;ti (Sanskrit: Pr & #299;ti)

4. Happiness, Sukha

5. One-pointedness, Ekaggat & #257; (Sanskrit: Ek & #257;grat & #257;)

6. Equanimity, Upekkh & #257; (Sanskrit: Upek & #7779; & #257;)

 

First Jh & #257;na (Vitakka, Vic & #257;ra, P & #299;ti, Sukha, Ekaggat & #257;)

 

The five hindrances have completely disappeared and intense unified

bliss remains. Only the subtlest of mental movement remains -

perceiveable in its absence by those who have entered the second

Jh & #257;na. The ability to form unwholesome intentions cease.

 

Second Jh & #257;na (P & #299;ti, Sukha, Ekaggat & #257;)

All mental movement utterly ceases. There is only bliss. The

ability to form wholesome intentions cease as well.

 

Third Jh & #257;na (Sukha, Ekaggat & #257;)

One half of bliss disappears (joy).

 

Fourth Jh & #257;na (Upekkh & #257;, Ekaggat & #257;)

The other half of bliss (happiness) disappears, leading to a

state with neither pleasure nor pain, which the Buddha said is

actually a subtle form of happiness (more sublime than p & #299;ti and

sukha). The Buddha described the Jh & #257;nas as " the footsteps of the

tath & #257;gata " . The breath is said to cease temporarily in this state.

 

Traditionally, this fourth Jh & #257;na is seen as the beginning of

attaining psychic powers.

 

The scriptures state that one should not seek to attain ever higher

jhanas but master one first, then move on to the next. 'Mastery of

jhana' involves being able to enter a jhana at will, stay as long as

one likes, leave at will and experience each of the jhana factors as

required. They also seem to suggest that lower jhana factors may

manifest themselves in higher jhanas, if the jhanas have not been

properly developed. The Buddha is seen to advise his disciples to

concentrate and steady the jhana further

 

Samadhi in Buddhism

 

Samadhi (Buddhism)

Samadhi, or concentration of the mind (one-pointedness of mind,

cittassa-ekaggata), is the third division of the Eightfold Path of

the Buddha's teaching: pañña (wisdom), sila (conduct), samadhi

(concentration). It developed by samatha meditation. It has been

taught by the Buddha using 40 different objects of meditation,

according to the Visuddhimagga, an ancient commentarial text. These

objects include the breath (anapanasati meditation), loving kindness

(metta meditation), various colours, earth, fire, etc. (kasina

meditation).

 

Upon development of samadhi, one's mind becomes temporary purified

of defilements, calm, tranquil, and luminous. Once the meditator

achieves a strong and powerful concentration, his mind is ready to

penetrate and see into the ultimate nature of reality, eventually

obtaining release from all suffering.

 

Important components of Buddhist meditation, frequently discussed by

the Buddha, are the successively higher meditative states known as

the four jhanas which in the language of the eight-fold path,

is " right concentration " . Right concentration has also been defined

as concentration arising due to the previous 7 steps of the noble

eightfold path in the Mahacattsarika sutta/MN.

 

Four developments of samadhi are mentioned in the Pali Canon:

 

1) Jhana

2) Increased alertness

3) Insight into the true nature of phenomena (knowledge and vision)

4) Final liberation

There are different types of samadhi mentioned as well:

 

1) access concentration (upacara samadhi)

2) fixed concentration (appana samadhi)

3) momentary samadhi (khanikha samadhi)

4) " concentraion without interruption " (anantharika samadhi)

5) immeasurable concentration (appamana samadhi)

Not all types of samadhi are recommended either. Those which focus

and multiply the Five Hindrances are not suitable for development.

 

The Buddhist suttas also mention that samadhi practitioners may

develop supernormal powers (called siddhis), and list several that

the Buddha developed, but warn that these should not be allowed to

distract the practitioner from the larger goal of complete freedom

from suffering.

 

The bliss of Samadhi is not the goal of Buddhism; but it remains an

important tool in reaching the goal of enlightenment. It has been

said that Samatha/samadhi meditation and vipassana/insight

meditation are the two wheels of the chariot of the noble eightfold

path and the Buddha strongly recommended developing them both.

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Sorry about the confusing text areas. - c