Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jhana?

vic, modified 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 1:33 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 1:33 AM

Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jhana?

Posts: 27 Join Date: 1/15/15 Recent Posts
Im also curious on how much time and effort it usually would take for most people to enter the jhanas?
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 3:18 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 3:17 AM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Well, that sort of depends on what you mean  by jhana. There is the light end of jhana, moderately strong jhana, and then really hard jhana.

When you say "jhana", what do you mean?

Light jhana is relatively fast for many.

Moderate jhana takes more time.

Really hard jhana is not easy and some will never get there without long periods of strong training and some never even then.

Be more specific about what you are trying to do and what dose of practice you are up for?

Daniel
vic, modified 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 3:54 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/12/16 3:54 AM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 27 Join Date: 1/15/15 Recent Posts
Sorry, I was meaning for a really hard jhana. I believe I may have experienced jhana a few times within the past 3 years of practice but usually my practice was under 30 minutes or so, so im not all quite sure because most people and books would say you would need to practice for hours at a time. The experiences iv felt was an intense overwhelming feeling that caused me to burst out into laughter, which I assume was the bliss, I had complete mental clarity and I couldn't sleep for the next night because of it. If this was jhana then this is what I had experienced in 20 - 30 minute sessions, which is quite odd because I hear some people being able to experience it within a short time while others it can take years with hourly sessions to enter it.

If this was jhana then I have only experienced it a few times as my progress would have been very inconsistent for some reason.
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CJMacie, modified 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 5:23 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 5:21 AM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 856 Join Date: 8/17/14 Recent Posts
vic:

... usually my practice was under 30 minutes or so, so im not all quite sure because most people and books would say you would need to practice for hours at a time. The experiences iv felt was an intense overwhelming feeling that caused me to burst out into laughter, which I assume was the bliss, I had complete mental clarity and I couldn't sleep for the next night because of it. If this was jhana then this is what I had experienced in 20 - 30 minute sessions...

What you describe are most likely episodes of piti ("rapture", s/t also called "bliss"), which is a part of what happens with jhana, but which some people think is full jhana. It's a jhana-lite, if at all, but is an important step in the right direction – if one doesn't get too carried-away with it, or take it for the real thing.

You might try lengthening your sessions to 40, 50, or so minutes, even if gradually. (Not at all necessarily "hours at a time".) After 30 minutes or so, the mind often starts to settle down nicely by itself, and very interesting things start to happen. Very unusual, though, with only 20-30 minutes, because of the momentum of the mind's s/w jittery force-of-habit to continue imagining, worrying, etc. about stuff in one's life.

With longer periods of relative quiet, which establish more of a break with the mind's normal activity time-spans, one might well discover that it can be very enjoyable to relax, to eventually "stop" the compulsion to interpret, plan, etc. When one experiences that-- a bit of peacefulness, for a change -- even in a small way, it helps motivation to stick with it, to go further.
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Dream Walker, modified 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 10:35 AM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 10:35 AM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 1657 Join Date: 1/18/12 Recent Posts
vic:
The experiences iv felt was an intense overwhelming feeling that caused me to burst out into laughter, which I assume was the bliss, I had complete mental clarity and I couldn't sleep for the next night because of it.
If this was jhana then this is what I had experienced in 20 - 30 minute sessions

If this was jhana then I have only experienced it a few times as my progress would have been very inconsistent for some reason.
You may want to read this -
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Stick Man, modified 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 5:30 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 5:30 PM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 396 Join Date: 9/23/14 Recent Posts
You'd say that was A&P ? I thought that was just bliss in first few jhanas ? I get that after a reasonable time in meditation - spontaneous happy smiling, thought it was just typical passage though lower jhanas and cultivated piti/whatever.... I think I'm lost in multiple accounts of everything and anything......
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Dream Walker, modified 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 10:42 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/13/16 10:42 PM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 1657 Join Date: 1/18/12 Recent Posts
John:
You'd say that was A&P ?
Did I say that? I said he might read that chapter. You may infer that there is relevent information there. By the way did you bother to read it?
John:
I thought that was just bliss in first few jhanas ? I get that after a reasonable time in meditation - spontaneous happy smiling, thought it was just typical passage though lower jhanas and cultivated piti/whatever....
Well lets compare your description - Bliss/spontaneous happy smiling vs
  • Intense overwhelming feeling that caused me to burst out into laughter (which I assume was the bliss)
  • I had complete mental clarity
  • I couldn't sleep for the next night because of it.
  • I have only experienced it a few times
Does that sound like the same thing to you?

John:
I think I'm lost in multiple accounts of everything and anything......
Perhaps you should reread MCTB. I've done that quite a few times thru the years and always found it advantageous in alleviating my ignorance to many many subjects.
I highly recommend it for you.
Good luck,
~D
vic, modified 7 Years ago at 10/14/16 7:31 PM
Created 7 Years ago at 10/14/16 7:31 PM

RE: Experienced jhana users, how long did you practice before obtaining jha

Posts: 27 Join Date: 1/15/15 Recent Posts
my experience was like that but it never felt "passive" It was extremely intense, not a very calm feeling. Felt extremely good though I'll give you that.

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