Michael For me to know and you to find out Kich:
I have a question about the attainment of concentration states/jhanas, but this question also ties into large, all-encompassing questions about my practice and what my methodology should be in relation to where I am on the path. . . .
. . .and I came to something in chapter 20 that, while not particularly the issue raised in the chapter, reminded me nevertheless of a general meditation question I have about concentration vs. insight meditation. At the end of the first paragraph, he says, "While reality cannot be frozen in this way, the illusion of solidity and stability certainly can be cultivated, and this is concentration practice."
On one hand I can certainly see the benefits of working towards Jhana, but on the other hand this seems to present a paradox in my mind. If the entire point of working towards the realization of Enlightenment, why would I foster a series of mental states based entirely upon the illusion of continuity, or perhaps to better rephrase, how do I know that it would be ultimately more beneficial to my eventual goal to work towards those states?
This also leads into a much broader question concerning sense desire and the impossibility of attaining Jhana while experiencing it. For some time now I've spent at least half of my total meditation time if not more trying to foster concentration, with the eventual goal of reaching the Jhanas or at least first Jhana as an indubitable sign to myself that my concentration has become well established and stable enough that I can seriously explore insight meditation territory. Of course, the paradox is that I can't have that goal in mind and expect to attain my goal. Try as I might and have, I can't will my way to progress. So for some time now, close to a year actually, I've been stuck without an answer and I have no teacher to ask.
Hello Michael,
You sound like an intelligent young man who is looking for some simple intelligent guidance. While I can't guarantee the latter, I'll leave it to your discernment to be the judge.
Whether you are of a mind to or not, the level of your intelligence strikes me as though you would benefit from obtaining and reading the discourses of the Buddha, as many of the questions you have asked might be better handled from that perspective. Once you are able to see how the Buddha handled such seeming dilemmas, you may find some wisdom in his approach to things.
With regard to the mental paradox you mentioned above, there is a sutta that addresses this very issue. It is in the
Majjhima Nikaya, and coincidentally enough, it has to do with Gotama's own practice of the jhanas. The translation is done by Bhikkhu Nanamoli and edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi, who most likely wrote the footnoted material. The passage is self-explanatory. The speaker in the passage is Gotama:
Majjhima Nikaya 36.31-32
31. "I considered: 'I recall that when my father the Sakyan was occupied, while I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered upon and abided in the first jhana, which is accompanied by applied and sustained thought, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. Could that be the path to enlightenment?' Then, following on that memory, came the realization: 'That is the path to enlightenment.'
32. "I thought: 'Why am I afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do with sensual pleasures and unwholesome states?' I thought: 'I am not afraid of that pleasure since it has nothing to do with sensual pleasures and unwholesome states.'[390]
Footnotes
390. This passage marks a change in the Bodhisatta's evaluation of pleasure; now it is no longer regarded as something to be feared and banished by the practice of austerities, but, when born of seclusion and detachment, is seen as a valuable accompaniment of the higher stages along the path to enlightenment. See MN 139.9 on the twofold division of pleasure.
While absorption concentration can be a little tricky to figure out if one is on their own, it is not impossible. Most prudent people recommend studying absorption with someone who has mastered them, someone who can oversee your progress and help you over the rough spots. This is best done in person, although I have witnessed some people who have received help over the Internet. Mostly, though, they were people with more experience in meditation than yourself. Yet, as I say, it is not impossible. If your other post is any guide, I would recommend your at least attempting to master the jhanas (the first four anyway, in the beginning) as they would be a tremendous assistance to your
vipassana practice.
By the way, calming meditation (
samatha) and insight meditation (
vipassana) are not two separate practices, but are often practiced together. The
following essay is recommended reading, and will help provide further details about this point of view. This is why the Buddha recommend developing and mastering the absorption states (if one was able to) as this will help facilitate the process of being able to smoothly move between
samatha and
vipassana.
Once you get over the fascination with being able to attain absorption and begin working with them in earnest, you will find that the stability they lend to your level of concentration is well worth the time spent in mastering them. They help to re-condition the mind, and their practice over time contains the added benefit of being an assist to your level of mindfulness outside of meditation. (It goes without saying that the level of mindfulness during meditation is also heightened.)
All the best to you.
In peace,
Ian