Bagpuss The Gnome:
I'm a little confused over third jhana. Mostly my understanding of "rapture" and "pleasure" as in this
description:
"And furthermore, with the fading of rapture, he remains equanimous, mindful, & alert, and senses pleasure with the body. He enters & remains in the third jhana, of which the Noble Ones declare, 'Equanimous & mindful, he has a pleasant abiding.' He permeates and pervades, suffuses and fills this very body with the pleasure divested of rapture, so that there is nothing of his entire body unpervaded with pleasure divested of rapture.
My confusion is that I thought the tingly/energy/vibratory thing was rapture. And in the standard descriptions, rapture
fades in the 3rd. I have tried to subdue this feeling in favour of the joy/pleasure but it just won't do it.
My conclusion would be that I've misunderstood "rapture" and "pleasure" in this context. What do you think?
Fitter Stoke: "I take rapture to mean the excitement and energy of the first two. By contrast, the 3rd one is cooler and calmer."
Fitter Stoke has it pretty close. Especially with his second comment. The classic third
samatha dhyana is calmer, less excited, heading toward even calmer, mindful, and equanimous waters in the fourth dhyana. By the time one reaches a solid fourth dhyana, one should be impressed by the absolute smoothness and unruffledness of the experience. It could almost be mistaken for nibbana! Almost! . . . But not quite. Nibbana, true nibbana, has more to do with the elimination of sources of enturbulence than it does with the quiet, rock solid solitude of the fourth
samatha dhyana.
But what really needs to happen here is an increase in discernment of one's own experience of this process. What I mean by this is that dhyana (as it is described in the suttas and by many practitioners) is a matter of individual perception, and how well a person can translate the meaning of another person's description based upon their own first hand experience of it. Many times, perceptions get mixed up in the process of the translation of ideas about what to look for. Looking for vibrations and tingling sensations can be misleading for many.
The first step is: get a good definition of the term "rapture" in mind before you begin thinking that you have attained to it. If you can align "rapture" (
elation, my word choice) up with an experience that you have had, then you can begin to understand what those who are using this word mean by their use of it in their descriptions.
The dictionary can give us a clue where to begin: "
rapture - the state of being carried away with joy, love etc.; ecstasy. 2. an expression of great joy, pleasure etc. 3. a carrying away or being carried away in body or spirit: now rare except in theological usage. --
vt. -tured,
-turing [Now rare] to enrapture, fill with ecstasy." But now a new problem arises: what is ecstasy? And is the dictionary definition the same as what is meant by those who practice deep meditation
calming exercises such as dhyana? Here is where perception can become mislead.
What about the definition of my word choice, "elation": "
elation - a feeling of exultant joy or pride; high spirits." The word "exultant" transmits the idea of a momentary uptick spike (to my way of thinking and viewing of this word in relation to how it can be applied to descriptions of dhyana factors). That moment may last a second or two, or it may last for several seconds, depending upon the mindset of the person experiencing it. The idea here of a quick burst of joy or pleasure or satisfaction is what I am aiming here to communicate. In other words, "rapture" or "elation" can be experienced relatively quickly; or it may linger for a few seconds as one transitions into the deeper calm and satisfaction of the third dhyana. In the third
samatha dhyana, one should be clearly aware, experience equanimity, and be mindful. This is the unmistakable quality of the third dhyana.
If one understands that the purpose of practicing
samatha techniques is to
calm the mind, then, dealing with these sometimes conflicting definitions of terminology can be cleared up with some simple references to similes from ordinary daily life. One that I particularly like and respond to is the idea of being lost and thirsty in a desert and seeking respite and sustenance. If you can put yourself in that mental framework for a few moments, then imagine how you might respond to finding an oasis in the middle of the Sahara, with palm trees and a pool of water and then examine the emotional response you had at just that moment when you realized that your thirst would shortly be quenched upon reaching that oasis, then perhaps you can experience an example of rapture or elation in that moment of recognition!
That momentary uptick spike of emotion on recognition of the oasis is elation (or rapture, depending on your choice of wording). Now, translate that experience as the definition of the word "rapture" back to your effort to attain the third dhyana, and perhaps now it is becoming more clear what you have come through and are aiming at.
So, when you are confident that you are in the second dhyana (feeling
piti-rapture and
sukha-pleasure), keep seeking more mental and emotional calmness by allowing the rapture-
piti to subside. Focus on the calmness and slightness of the breath at the anapana spot as the breath becomes more and more shallow until it almost fades from recognition. Once you reach this point, you should be in third heading toward fourth dhyana.
Now, go back up to the second paragraph here and re-read the description of the fourth dhyana. That's what you're aiming for.