Hey J Adam G,
Very nice descriptions! I believe your concentration practice is going great.
J Adam G:
After that, I do breath counting to further stabilize the mind. By this point, the mind is inclined to happily go wherever I tell it to, and stay there much longer than usual. The stability gets disrupted whenever the tension returns, though the disturbance is minimal if I release the tension quickly.
I think this state, where the mind is happy to do what I want it to (as long as it stays relaxed), is access concentration. Its main characteristic is that the mind chills out and no longer sees any good reason to bounce off the walls like a hyperactive child.
Sounds good.. maybe even 1st jhana
J Adam G:
Next, I can dwell on happy thoughts ("It feels so nice to be away from those hindrances. I'm excited that my concentration is improving!" etc.) until the contentment is amplified into delight. Once delight is stable, I find a pleasant sensation in the body and put the mind right there. It needs to be a specific, precise location. The usual choice is the pleasant feeling of one of my cheeks lifting in a grin. (The cheeks only lift in a delighted grin, not in the quietly content half-smile.) Attention is not too stable at this point, so it must be supervised to be kept at the cheek.
I think this is already 1st jhana. It has to be specific, as 1st jhana's focus of attention is quite narrow. And as you say, attention is not too stable, and you have to work to keep it where it is.
J Adam G:
If I stay at this sensation without letting mental tension return, it slowly grows from delight to excitement. If I stick with the excitement, it becomes stronger and I eventually get "into the zone" with the excitement. This state has the mental elements of happiness and interest, and a physical sensation that is exhilarating and very alive. The sensation starts in the cheek, but can expand to fill the entire body.
I think that state is the first jhana. Its main characteristic is excitement.
Getting "into the zone" with excitement may already be the second jhana. If you no longer have to maintain the effort, that's already 2nd jhana. (As the suttas describe, with the dropping of applied and sustained thought...)
J Adam G:
After the pleasure has become stable, I can let go of the attentional supervision and effort attentional effort. The mind becomes calmer, and the bodily sensation changes from an energized rush to a more relaxed sense of enjoyment. In this state, it stops seeming like I'm creating the pleasant sensation by keeping the mind glued to it. Rather, the pleasant sensation is simply there, and the mind is automatically staying with it because there's nothing else it particularly wants to do. The meditation object can now be the pleasant sensations of the entire face grinning, or what feels like a fountain of happiness upwelling through the body.
I think that state is the second jhana. Its main characteristic is relaxed enjoyment.
Definitely 2nd jhana. Energized rush -> relaxed sense of enjoyment makes me think even 3rd jhana, maybe. Energized rush sounds like piti, and relaxed sense of enjoyment, like sukha.
J Adam G:
From there, I can let go even more. The facial expression changes from a grin back to the soft half-smile. The body feels less alive and energized, but it's still nice. This state is like sinking into a comfortable bed with soft sheets for an after-lunch nap -- pleasantly lazy. Attention is weird in this state. It's aimed at a general direction, but the clarity is higher in the periphery of that direction than in the center of it. This is perfectly fine, and not at all destabilizing, as long as I keep the mind relaxed. When focusing on bodily sensations there's something like that odd postural thing that happens in the Three Characteristics stage, where it feels like you're tilting/falling over, asymmetrical, or otherwise distorted. Unlike the 3C Posture Thing, this sensation is mildly pleasant despite its weirdness.
I think that state is the third jhana. Its main characteristic is a peaceful and lazy happiness. Everything is fine.
What makes me 99.9% sure it is 3rd jhana is what you mention about attention - clarity is higher in the periphery than in the center. It can be confusing, but you seem to have gotten the hang of it. If you were using an open-eye kasina, here, the edges would become predominant, and the center, dark. Remember this well if you're doing more insight-heavy practice - it can help you get thru the 3rd vipassana jhana. Also you seem to have lot of equanimity present here with "everything is fine", so maybe hints of 4th jhana in here... but yea as the jhanic factors drop away, the ones that remain are more prominent, so 3rd jhana sounds accurate.
J Adam G:
The next stage requires me to move from "letting go" to Really Deeply Letting Go. The mind has to be so fine with everything that it really sees no problem with letting go of the previous state's pleasure. More importantly, the mind has to let go of selective attention itself. This state feels very very restful, more than any state before it -- yet it also has more clarity and less laziness than the previous state. I won't mince words: the mind feels downright sedated, yet somehow not dull in the slightest! I don't know how that makes any sense, but that's what it feels like.
Yep, sounds like 4th jhana. A great place to begin investigation of phenomena, eh?
J Adam G:
My eyes usually open up halfway in this stage, because I can't be arsed to hold them closed anymore. If this state is very deep and stable, the eyes stay half closed. If I become curious about how my surroundings look or how visual attention is operating, the eyes will open themselves all the way. No effort is required; it just happens once the curiosity has arisen. The entire visual field can be effortlessly noticed, though not all at the same exact time. Vision somehow seems astoundingly clear, even though it's blurry because the eyes are unfocused. I can focus the eyes on the object that they're gazing at, but it's sort of pointless -- the rest of the visual field stays blurry because the eyes can only focus at one depth at a time.
This state is most stable when the meditation object is the calming and relaxing of the mind, a.k.a. the Letting Go. With open eyes, I can also stay with the wide and spacious nature of attention -- though that requires a mild touch of effort, and it doesn't let the state become as deep as the focus on Letting Go does.
I think that state is the fourth jhana. Its main characteristic is peace. Notably, the afterglow from this one blows the afterglows from the other 3 states out of the water.
I haven't had the urge to open my eyes in these states. Do what works for you! But try keeping your eyes closed - it's easier to deepen the state and get into the formless realms with eyes closed. If you go from Really Deeply Letting Go to Double-Plus Super Letting Go (of sensations relating to form, visual boundaries, physical boundaries, etc.) then those may drop away too and you'll find yourself in the Dimension of Boundless Space. Though I think it's much easier for a stream-enterer (not sure what attainments you have).
J Adam G:
So, does it look like I'm on the right track with these shamatha jhanas?
Very much so! What're you gonna do from here?
J Adam G:
Very much appreciation to all of the pragmatic dharma communities for making this information accessible to the public! Special thanks to everyone on this forum and elsewhere who has provided free, high-quality information on the jhanas.
Doh i forgot to charge for my advice again! =P.