The traditional instruction for entering the fifth jhana, the jhana of infinite space, is to visualize infinite space until the jhana arises. A simple instruction, to be sure, but effective. As I like to say, the jhanas perform as advertised. They arise in order, just as they are supposed to, feel like they are said to feel, and jhanas five through eight, in particular, are very well named. The jhana of infinite space is best sought after emerging from the fourth jhana, while practicing all of the jhanas in order. In this way, you are using the natural sequence of events to your advantage. The fifth jhana "wants" to arise after the fourth. And if your concentration is sufficient to enter and dwell for some period of time in the fourth, chances are it is sufficient to enter the fifth, or at least to begin adverting to it as you become familiar with the territory. Early jhanas are used as a scaffold for the development of subsequent jhanas.
Perhaps the best way to enter the sixth jhana, the jhana of infinite consciousness, at least at first, is to simply exit the fifth jhana with the intention of finding out what comes next. I can tell you what happens for me. When I make the transition from the fifth jhana to the sixth, the image in my mind changes from infinite space, in which I envision straight (transparent) lines extending infinitely outward from a center point, to a situation where there is no center point and the lines curve back upon themselves in an infinite loop. Where there was peviously a "locus of awareness," or a place where I, the observer seem to be, there is now no locus of awareness. Knowing suffuses the mental landscape, rather than having a discreet location.
The sense of watcher is strong in the sixth jhana. Infinite consciousness is a very accurate description of what this feels like. It is important to note that this is not at all the same as "turning the light around," in which knowing mind turns around to take itself as object, only to find that there is no subject and no object, but just Awareness knowing itself. This latter phenomenon (or noumenon, as some prefer) is what I mean whenever I talk about mahamudra, or primordial awareness, or the unborn, or dwelling as the "I AM," or "bright virtue" (one of my favorite phrases, from Confucious!), or non-dual awareness, or "the clear light." It is not a jhana, but rather the fundamental infinity that underlies and contains the universe and all possible universes. It is the "one without a second." Mahamudra is not something I can do. I can only stand aside. I will return to this question of vocabulary later to point out that the Theravada Buddhists use the word "cessation" to refer to yet another phenomenon, which is neither a jhana nor primordial awareness. This is a crucial distinction to make, because without it we will be using the same words to express different things.
The 7th Jhana, The Jhana of No-thingness
Another perfectly named jhana is the 7th, the jhana of no-thingness. The object of attention here is no thing. As with all jhanas after the first, a good way to find it is to exit the previous jhana and see what arises next. No-thing can be thought of as the opposite of things, so you can apply a little bit of negation here, as in "not this, not this," as you focus the mind on nothing. "Nothing," of course, lacks color, so blackness is a clue that you may be on the right track. As you can see, words are proving ever more inadequate to describe the situation as we move into the higher jhanas. But once the seventh jhana has been explored and developed, it will be clear why it is called the jhana of no-thingness.
The 8th Jhana, The Jhana of Neither Perception nor Non Perception
Hmmm... What to say about this? I confess that I don't know how to describe it, although I practice it regularly. Maybe some other people have come up with a good way to talk about it, so I will do some research and see if I can find a description that does not taketh away more than it giveth. Most importantly, the 8th jhana is the one that spontaneously arises, right on cue, upon emerging from the 7th. As always, the natural progression of states is the ally of the yogi in the effort to identify said states. In fact, I just now remembered something that U Kundala said to me in Rangoon in 1995. I asked him, after attaining Second Path, whether I should deliberately cultivate any particular state. "No," said U Kundala, smiling beatifically, "you don't have to do anything. These states arise naturally, according to your merit."
Well, all right, I was properly chastened. "Merit" is a very orthodox way of talking about this, but the point is well taken. If you want to discover the jhanas, or for that matter, the ñanas and Paths, you have only to follow the instructions and see what happens. Which brings up an interesting point. Western yogis like me don't like to follow instructions. Steeped, as we are, in a culture of rugged individualism, we like to find our own way. This is our great strength and our great weakness. It is our strength because it gives us the confidence to try things that no one has suggested. It is our weakness because it results in an unwillingness to follow the recipe. The other great Burmese monk in my life, Sayadaw U Pandita, taught me this. I confess that I do not like Mr. Pandita. He is, in my observation, a mean old man. But I appreciate him very much. He has taken his basic characteristic of mean old man-ness, and channeled it into the service of his teaching. He is completely dedicated to his mission of sharing the dharma with others, and has taken a special interest in western yogis. He works dawn to dusk, in spite of his poor health, offering daily interviews to yogis from all over the world.
In one of my more memorable interviews with U Pandita in Rangoon in 1992, I reported to him that I was noting in a very systematic way, as taught by one of my western teachers. The practice I was doing had to do with noting the location of body sensations, as opposed to the nature of the sensations. I reported to U Pandita that during a recent sitting I had noted "foot, foot." U Pandita was livid. His interpreter, who had the uncanny ability to perfectly channel the affect of his interlocutors, quietly shook with rage, as he said, "Sayadaw has never instructed any yogi to note 'foot, foot.' You western yogis like to do it your way. Here in Burma, there is one way...Sayadaw's way. If you want to remain here, you must follow Sayadaw's instructions."
Ouch! It took me some months, but I eventually surrendered to the juggernaut of U Pandita's will, and embraced the project of mastering the vipassana technique. This was a very rewarding experience. If I had not had my will crushed by that cantakerous old patriarch, I would not have applied myself so completely to the technique, and I would not have found out for myself that the recipe performs just as advertised.
Well, that was a bit of a ramble, but I started with the idea that the natural order in which the jhanas arise is the yogi's ally in discovering and identifying them. Once you become familiar with a jhana, which happens through repetition, as in the case of the piano player's chords, you can go there directly. The house analogy works here; if you are in the living room and you want to go to the kitchen, you just go there. You don't have to think about it, or wonder what the kitchen is like or how to get there. You have been there a thousand times. You just go directly there. Jhanas are like that. By the way, once the jhanas are developed, you can experience them in any order, e.g. 5,1,3,8, or whatever strikes your fancy. In the beginning it is good to watch them arise in order. And later on, when you feel very familiar with the jhanas, you can let them arise in order, just as you did when you were a beginner.
Mahamudra and Jhana
There is no moment in which Awareness does not operate. Even in deep sleep, it is possible for primordial awareness to know itself. The Tibetans have a practice designed to do cultivate mahamudra while asleep. They call it The Clear Light. Similarly, mahamudra can be practiced while in jhana. The "clear light" is the component of experience that looks the same in any jhana (or any other experience, waking or sleeping). The common denominator of all experience, the quality of knowing, is everpresent. When it knows itself, it is complete. This is the moment of Realization of what is already always here. Jhana practice is an excellent time to cultivate this primordial awareness. The mind is relaxed and gathered together in one place. External distractions have been set aside. It is possible to rest in the clear light or flow smoothly in and out of it for hours at a stretch. This is the practice I do on retreat. I sometimes describe it as alternating jhana with mahamudra, but it is not so cut and dried, as both mahamudra and jhana are often happening at the same time, with Awareness knowing itself in the foreground and jhana going on in the background.
Since "completing the circuit" in 2004, my meditation practice has changed completely. Sittings are stable and consistent, unlike the roller coaster that was my practice up until that time. And I practice mahamudra nearly all the time. Although I often ask "Who?" as a pointer, more often I just remember to notice the unchanging ground of awareness that underlies and gives birth to the universe. This happens while at work, in class at grad school, at home watching television, practicing jhana, or, at times, while sleeping. It is happening now, as I write this. In the foreground of experience is this continuous awareness of... Awareness. In the background, this body is typing, and these thoughts are thinking. It feels natural. There is no need to take care of Kenneth in this moment. The constellation of thoughts and sensations that is conventionally called Kenneth is rolling along according to the conditions that create it. It is not always possible to let it be so free, of course. At times, there are things to be done, people to see, problems to solve. Often that requires contracting back into the pretense of personhood. But it is surprising how much of a day can be spent free of the illusion of individuality, even in daily life. It is mostly a matter of opening to the possibility...