boeuf f:
I haven't been sure how to take the calming (as a reflection that I'm losing absorption? settling down?). At first I was frustrated and then realized I just needed to be present to whatever was manifesting. I do get that pressure in the forehead thing. Now I seem to ride a few rapture waves and then focus on the sensation throughout the body in relation to the breath, in time--sometimes a full 20 mins--it settles into that very broad, laterally extended state I described. It's very settled and my concentration is very broad, wide--easier to focus on the whole field of mind-state-sense-impression (if that makes any sense) and then to work to stay tuned in to the very moment as it manifests.
When you are working at deepening
samatha (calm or tranquility) in order to arrive at the fourth jhana, calming is measured by the degree to which the mind settles down, stilling movement. When rapture is present there is still movement. When sukkha is present there is still movement. That is why these two jhana factors need to subside, so that a sublime stillness remains as the mind settles into the mindfulness and equanimity of the fourth jhana.
Once you experience the unification of the mind in the second jhana, this is where inner tranquility begins (accompanied by both the affective factors of
piti and
sukkha). When
piti subsides, leaving only
sukkha, clear awareness, equanimity, and mindfulness, you have reached the third jhana. As Leigh Brasington has described it: "The first jhana is a very intense, agitated state, the second jhana is more soothing. The third jhana is more of a motionless, quiet contentment." You shift from the second to the third by letting go of the physical pleasure and changing the emotional pleasure from joy to contentment, almost like turning down the volume control on your emotional pleasure. The transition to the fourth jhana from the third takes a bit more effort and a bit more letting go than any of the previous transitions. The contentment of the third jhana is still a positive state of mind. This contentment is refined into a very equanimous, quiet, stillness. There is no positive or negative feeling in either mind or body. There is just an all pervading, deep peacefulness, with of course mindful awareness. The breath, by this time, has become very shallow, almost imperceptible. The fourth jhana is hard to miss; once you've experienced it, you
know you've been there.
boeuf f:
I have also been attending to what comprises the sensation of that calmness. There is still effort involved. I can't say that concentration has taken over on it's own, which is why I am asking if any of this is jhana. All the same, the concentration is much less effortful, deeper, wider and more steady and I don't drift very far when thought arises.
Jhana just means that the mind has become absorbed in either an object (such as the breath) or a subject (such as a Dhamma theme) to the exclusion of all else. This doesn't mean that you can't be aware of phenomena on the periphery; you can. It just means that you are able to fix the mind on either the object or subject with little problem (quite steadily) while not becoming distracted. The practice of jhana is one method of assisting the mind to develop concentration. If you can look at it in this way, without becoming over interested in all the "bliss and joy and stuff," you will be able to bypass one of the major hindrances to the practice of absorption.
boeuf f:
Is it necessary to "rise up" through the jhanas sequentially, each time in every sitting in order to get to equanimity? Or do you just cut to equanimity after awhile? I have been assuming I needed to cultivate each state in turn in each sitting, like going up a steps. But maybe I just focus on the "stillness/calmness" when that starts to manifest.
No, it is not. But most people, when they are first learning this need some sign posts to lean on. So, in the beginning you may want to "cultivate each state in turn" in order to become more familiar with them. But, don't make too big a deal about this if it is still too difficult to discern these states. As concentration grows and becomes cultivated, discernment will also develop.
boeuf f:
Yes, I need to find a teacher/guide. I am currently sitting at the local Zen temple and what is talked about at the DhO is so not what they do there. It's a quandry in a way, because I'm very drawn to the Theravada teachings and practices,but there is a vast amount that I am learning from Zen practice simply from being at the temple and learning how to move, bow, stand, sit, eat--it's really amazing.
What you are learning from the Zen practice is mindfulness practice (the "how to move, bow, stand, sit, eat"). It's all good and useful. I'm familiar with Zen as I have read, studied, and practiced in a Zendo myself. But I found their understanding of meditation and ability to explain it to be lacking. At least in the contacts I had at the time. But there are some Zen roshis who have an understanding of samadhi and its uses in the practice. The translated Pali suttas are more precise about instruction. And, they make sense once you understand the phenomena they are addressing.
Having someone experienced, who you trust, that you can sit down to discuss your practice with is just an expedient way to cut through all the misunderstandings and inquiries that can arise and normally accompany something that is terribly subjective (like meditation practice) while being able to obtain clarification on subtle points of practice. Ideally, it would be nice. But there is still a lot you can pick up and learn asking questions in forums. Although there is still nothing better than having that one on one contact with someone who is living the life.
boeuf f:
I saw the book you suggest, Satipatthana, The Direct Path to Realization, the other day--I have been trying to determine what to read next. I was thinking of diving into the Nikayas. I'm definitely an original source text kind of scholar, but the Nikayas seem so vast I have put off jumping in since it's hard to know where to start. So considering the overview book, In the Buddha's Words, trans and edited by Bhikkhu Bodhi.
You can try out Bhk. Bodhi's
In the Buddha's Words if you like. The best part of that book are the chapter introductions. It is worth having for that alone. Bodhi is very well versed in his understanding of the Dhamma as it is presented in the discourses. And he has a knack for being able to explain things well. You really can't go wrong reading his material. I was a little disappointed in the translations of the suttas in that book and much prefer his edited version of Bhk. Nanamoli's translation of the
Majjhima Nikaya and his own translation of the
Samyutta Nikaya with their footnotes. The footnotes are where you find much of the subtleties of the Dhamma explained.
When you are ready to tackle the Nikayas, I would suggest obtaining the Wisdom Publications edition of Bhk. Nanamoli's translation (edited by Bhk. Bodhi) of the
The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, The Majjhima Nikaya as this volume of discourses is relatively easy and insightful reading. This volume also gets into much instruction about meditation, offering clarifications that are difficult to find elsewhere, which is one of the reasons I'm recommending it first. After that, Nyanaponika Thera's translation of
The Numerical Discourses of the Buddha, An Anthology of Suttas from the Anguttara Nikaya, can be an excellent second volume to read. It's only about one tenth of the whole Anguttara (which Bodhi is apparently still working on his translation of for Wisdom Publications) so it is relatively short (330 pages) in comparison to the
Majjhima, while still possessing great and insightful footnotes. Bodhi edited this book also, so he has maintained the thread of explication of the Dhamma which was started with the
Majjhima. These two volumes contain a great deal of important and valuable discourses while still being relatively accessible to most readers.
Then, if you are really interested to read as much as possible of the discourses,
The Connected Discourses of the Buddha, The Samyutta Nikaya and
The Long Discourses of the Buddha, The Digha Nikaya have both also been translated and published through Wisdom Publications, the former translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi and the latter translated by Maurice Walshe, a noted lay practitioner. Of the two, the footnotes and explanations are better in the former, although the latter has some important doctrinal clarifications that I personally found very helpful in my own practice. Walsh knows his stuff; I just prefer Bodhi's more thorough knowledge and explication of the Dhamma.