Samatha jhanas - Wiki
Samatha jhanas
The Samatha Jhanas is the Pali name for the Stages of Concentration. This list is derived from the original Theravada texts and tradition, but is a very good and accurate description of the standard, natural states that one progresses through when learning to concentrate and get into the meditative states that concentration leads to.
The standard list of states are known by their numbers, and thus are:
The next four are called The Formless Realms, and these arise from The Fourth Jhana. They are named for their overriding qualities, and are:
- Boundless Space
- Boundless Consciousness
- Nothingness
- Neither Perception Nor Yet Non-Perception or The Eight Jhana for short
These are followed by jhanas not explicitly mentioned in the Theravada Texts but occur anyway, namely:
There is also an attainment that is related to these but is not quite a concentration state called Nirodha Samapatti aka The Cessation of Perception and Feeling, sometimes simply referred to as Nirodha, though Nirodha may also mean Fruition, so clarify if there is ambiguity.