Trial And Error:
Thanks for the reply. I think I know what you mean. I can go to 3rd Jhana (possibly by not too strict definitions). I do see in myself a fascination with and an attachment to it. The calmness is tempting. And I do see my mind wanting to get there. It's actually pretty easy for me to get there, almost like the mind falls into it.
I didn't mean to scare you off doing concentration practice. Do the jhana for however long you decide in advance and then when the time is up resolve to leave it. If you find your mind resisting leaving, start investigating the resistance. Notice the "self" that wants to stay in jhana, notice the seductive quality of it, see the 3 characteristics in all these. Go through the jhanic factors one by one and investigate each of them. Investigating all this stuff sort of de-claws the jhana's power to seduce you. It doesn't mean that the jhana won't still be pleasant and have a positive causal effect on your mind and body, it will, but this pleasure and good feeling won't feel as sticky. In my experience the investigation also helps make jhana stronger as you gain more mastery of the elements that make it up. Becoming less attracted to the jhanic factors helps you focus more single pointedly on the object in access concentration which in turn helps make the jhanas based on the object deeper. So it's all a virtuous cycle.
Trial And Error:
I do have personal issues that I'm making progress on but I don't think I'm ready to go in that hard. Although I'm closer than before. Maybe I'll ease the concentration a little bit? At the same time, I feel that the calmness and peace I get is healing to some extent. Or is it like a drug that's making me addicted to it? What do you think?
It's both. It's a drug that is also profoundly healing. Imagine if recreational drugs had positive physical and psychological side effects rather than negative ones. We might find them a lot less problematic, like people who are addicted to the endorphin rush of long distance running. Also, the addictive effects can be countered by doing vipassina on the jhanic factors. Finally, if you are early on in the path, it might not be such a bad thing to become a little bit attached to jhanic factors as this could help break some attachments to less subtle states like physical sensations and so on. You've got to trust your own experience. If going into jhana seems healing for you, then I'd say go with it. If it starts to become a problem and you find yourself beginning to cling tensely to concentration states, then start more determined investigation of those states.
Trial And Error:
Also any tips you would have about using concentration practices for personal healing would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.
In my experience, Jhana's on the Brahma Viharas are most valuable for personal healing. One tip from Shaila Catherine is that it's easier to get into jhana if you use shorter phrases. So for, example, for metta, I use, "may all beings be happy and fulfilled," rather than the traditional three separate phrases. After coming out of a B.V. Jhana you can immediately use the energy of that jhana to do personal healing work. I have a long post on strategies for this sort of work
here.Avi Craimer