What's your favorite jhana?

Morgan Taylor, modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:14 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:14 PM

What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 71 Join Date: 5/23/11 Recent Posts
I should preface this by saying that I swear I'm not a jhana-junkie--I work on insight practices as well--but when I posted that question on my Facebook wall and no one answered (which I was actually surprised by--I thought at least ONE of my friends would have come across them), I felt the loneliness that Daniel talks about in the intro of his book. emoticon (Also, this is my first post, so sorry if I'm breaking any rules...)

SO. What's your favorite jhana and why?

I'll go first! Mine's the third, for its soothing pleasant, peaceful, sensations. The rapture of the 1st and 2nd is so intense it almost hurts sometimes emoticon and the rest of the jhanas just aren't as thoroughly pleasant to me, except for the 6th, which is a close second. Feeling one with the universe ain't bad. I always feel like I'm part of "the collective" or something lol.

It's nice to know there's a forum where you can post something like this and not have to worry if all the responses will be accusations that you haven't really attained even the first jhana. emoticon

Cheers!

-rick
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Nikolai , modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:31 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:28 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 1677 Join Date: 1/23/10 Recent Posts
Morgan Taylor:

What's your favorite jhana and why?


The 4th (12th jhana) pure abode jhana for the silk-like quality of the breath. Divine!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppRXvZFMKjE

;-)
Morgan Taylor, modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:49 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 5:49 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 71 Join Date: 5/23/11 Recent Posts
Nikolai .:
The 4th (12th jhana) pure abode jhana for the silk-like quality of the breath. Divine!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppRXvZFMKjE


Whoa, how have I not heard of these jhanas...?? I thought the ninth was basically synonymous with nirvana...?? I will definitely check out those videos, but is there anywhere else I can read about them? emoticon

Thanks for sharing! XD
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Nikolai , modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 6:37 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 6:36 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 1677 Join Date: 1/23/10 Recent Posts
Morgan Taylor:
Nikolai .:
The 4th (12th jhana) pure abode jhana for the silk-like quality of the breath. Divine!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppRXvZFMKjE


Whoa, how have I not heard of these jhanas...?? I thought the ninth was basically synonymous with nirvana...?? I will definitely check out those videos, but is there anywhere else I can read about them? emoticon

Thanks for sharing! XD


I don't think they are recognised outside of the pragmatic dharma movement. They are 5 jhanic like absorptions that belong to the territory between the 8th jhana and nirodha samapatii and they are considered only accessible by yogis who have gotten at least 3rd path as talked of in MCTB.

Here are some links.

http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/page/The+20+Major+Strata+of+Mind+and+the+Jhanic+Arc

http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/page/A+Technique+for+Attaining+Pure+Land+Jhanas
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Villum (redacted), modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:09 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:09 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 60 Join Date: 3/24/11 Recent Posts
I'm still building up my ability to recognize the jhanas

I really like what i think is fourth, it tends to come just when i assume i'm already in fourth, as it feels very peaceful and clear. Then there is a shift, and i notice that there was some bliss before that has now vanished. What i think of as fourth needs to stabilize some before it gets really good, in the beginning it can sometimes feel as if i'm not in jhana anymore, with the clear bliss having vanished.

There are some other states, what i think of as formless, that are superior, but i'm not sure which they are. I shift through a lot of different states after fourth. Actually, if it's actually fifth that i get right after fourth, and not some constructed pseudojhana, that one is one of the nice ones. Not messy, and a reprieve from the distractions of the body in my not very hard jhanic states.
Morgan Taylor, modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:27 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:27 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 71 Join Date: 5/23/11 Recent Posts
Nikolai .:
Morgan Taylor:
Nikolai .:
The 4th (12th jhana) pure abode jhana for the silk-like quality of the breath. Divine!!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppRXvZFMKjE


Whoa, how have I not heard of these jhanas...?? I thought the ninth was basically synonymous with nirvana...?? I will definitely check out those videos, but is there anywhere else I can read about them? emoticon

Thanks for sharing! XD


I don't think they are recognised outside of the pragmatic dharma movement. They are 5 jhanic like absorptions that belong to the territory between the 8th jhana and nirodha samapatii and they are considered only accessible by yogis who have gotten at least 3rd path as talked of in MCTB.


Interesting... Why aren't they recognized? Are they debatable/controversial for some reason, or just not thought to be important...?

Anyway, cool! Looking forward to tinkering with them. ^_^
Morgan Taylor, modified 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:33 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/26/11 7:33 PM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 71 Join Date: 5/23/11 Recent Posts
Villum (redacted):
What i think of as fourth needs to stabilize some before it gets really good, in the beginning it can sometimes feel as if i'm not in jhana anymore, with the clear bliss having vanished.


Haha, I've experienced that as well! Sometimes I have to wonder, wait, am I still in jhana, or am I just sitting here?, and have to kick it back into gear lol. It seems to me like a pretty subtle state.

So cool to hear your different preferences... When you meditate--or do anything!--alone, you can start to assume that everyone must like the same things. emoticon
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 12 Years ago at 5/28/11 12:13 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/28/11 12:05 AM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Pure Land One, Baby! (10th)

That perfect blend of 6th's wide open spacious ease and presence, 3rd's clean sublime bliss, and something else that just permeates all with deep appreciation like few things do except that feeling just after stream entry. Delicious in all ways. I find the ones above slightly lacking in the same definitive satisfying quality owing to their refined subtlety.

That said, the afterglow of nirodha samapatti never fails to impress upon me the feeling that something deeply awesome in it's profundity has occurred, but that is not technically a jhana, so 10th wins your contest for me.

In fact, the thought of losing those and a few other things, such as traveling OOB and a few other energetic/powersy things is one of my last holdout reservations about AF despite myself. In a PCE I could care less, but when not, they call like Sirens across the moonlit water...
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Pål S, modified 12 Years ago at 5/28/11 5:25 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/28/11 5:25 AM

RE: What's your favorite jhana?

Posts: 196 Join Date: 8/16/10 Recent Posts
Daniel M. Ingram:

In fact, the thought of losing those and a few other things, such as traveling OOB and a few other energetic/powersy things is one of my last holdout reservations about AF despite myself. In a PCE I could care less, but when not, they call like Sirens across the moonlit water...


Ah.. the last paradox, it's almost beautiful emoticon

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