Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö:
I’m wondering... Is it possible to go through some of the challenges and quirks of a certain jhana without actually going into jhana? Are there pre-jhanic qualities that accompany certain vipassana stages even if the concentration, energy etc is too poor for the meditator to actually reach a jhanic state?
Hmm, I think this is what you are asking...Actually the answer is very simple: if you do not have strong centering and relaxing (i.e. concentration) then you will experience the progression as the vipassina NANAS, i.e. the nanas (mind and body, cause and effect, three characteristics, arising and passing, dissolution, fear, disgust, misery, desire for deliverance, reobservation, equanimity).
If you have strong concentration, then you experience vipassina JHANAS, i.e. 1) mind and body, cause and effect, and three characteristics will also have aspects of the first vipassina jhana, 2) arising and passing will have aspects of the second vipassina jhana, 3) disolution, fear, disgust, misery, desire for deliverance and reobservation will have aspects of the third vipassina jhana, and 4) equanimity will be equanimity which is basically the fourth vipassina jhana.
If you have very strong concentration, then you experience the samatha jhanas.
What happens in practice is we move in and out of concentration as we go up and down the nanas, so it can be a confusing mix of nana and jhana... but in time it becomes more obvious.
Hope this helps!
Here's links and cut and pastes of Daniel's write-ups:
At the bottom of this page --- http://integrateddaniel.info/book/ -- there is a
11x17 handout of the stages of insight and awakening with a detailed table of defining criteria may be found below: Cut and paste from page 2:
The Samatha Jhanas (Pure Concentration States) Basics: These states are temporary, enjoyable, conducive to developing strong concentration and emotional balance. They are also potentially addictive and can fool people into thinking they are ultimate insights. 1st: applied and sustained attention (aiming and rubbing), rapture, happiness, and concentration. 2nd: aiming and rubbing dropped, so rapture, happiness and concentration predominate. 3rd: rapture dropped, so mindfulness and equanimity predominate with “bodily” bliss present. 4th: equanimity predominates, with neither pleasant nor unpleasant feeling predominating, basis for jhanas 5-8. 5th: Boundless Space, equanimity 6th: Boundless Consciousness, equanimity 7th: Nothingness (out of phase with phenomena), equanimity 8th: Neither Perception Nor Yet Non-perception 9th: Nirodha Samapatti: Cessation of Perception and Feeling, only attained by Anagamis with good samatha skills. Note: the siddhis/powers arise from pure concentration states. They are not related to wisdom. Explore with caution, and good guidance from experienced teachers. Avoid long side-tracks into this territory.
The Vipassana Jhanas These are like the samatha jhanas in some ways, but they involve direct perception of the Three Characteristics of sensations: impermanence at a very fine level (many times per second), no-self (that things arise on their own and are not an observer), and suffering (the fundamental painful tension created by how the mind holds itself to prop up the illusion of a self, center-point, agent, observer, doer, etc.). Each jhana has its sub-jhana aspects, like finer parts of a fractal.
The Ñanas These are stages of direct and heightened perception of aspects of how sensate reality actually is. As our concentration and investigation improve, insight develops in a fairly predictable pattern regardless of tradition. Each ñana has its specific perceptual thresholds, intensities, levels of clarity, emotional and physical side effects, and raptures. That said, some stages are similar to each other, such as the 3rd and 10th, and the 4th and 11th. It is easy to confuse these.