Transitioning from 4th samatha jhana in to vipassana

mikko, modified 9 Years ago at 12/25/14 5:42 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 12/25/14 5:42 AM

Transitioning from 4th samatha jhana in to vipassana

Posts: 25 Join Date: 9/20/14 Recent Posts
Hi,
I remember reading somewhere that it would be beneficial to first enter the 4th samatha jhana and then start vipassana practice.
Today I was trying to do exactly that. I entered the 4th and spent a while there while the jhana deepened. After that I started to investigate bodily sensations mainly the sensations of my feet contacting the ground. I was able to discern some sensations, but this only seemed to have an effect of deepening the jhana rather leading to productive noting of that phenomena. 

In the 4th jhana the touch sensations seem so subtle it's hard to discern them. Should I first exit the jhana before starting the vipassana meditation? Do you have any good strategies for doing this? Thanks!
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katy steger,thru11615 with thanks, modified 9 Years ago at 12/25/14 10:08 AM
Created 9 Years ago at 12/25/14 8:19 AM

RE: Transitioning from 4th samatha jhana in to vipassana

Posts: 1740 Join Date: 10/1/11 Recent Posts
Two things come to mind which you could do:

1) Jhana is conditioned so it will end on its own. One may just keep doing jhana and as this suffusive object-mind merger separates back out (perhaps think of this as a completely dissolved solution precipitating out its components), then attention will naturally separate apart from the object again; and you will become aware of "your" attention while attention is still highly equanimous. At this time, attention is still strong, but not suffusive nor single-pointed (fused in object) and you can direct this non-suffusive but keen attention to the many arisings and passings.  
 
or

2) one can deliberately set the intention that when 4th jhana is suffusive that one will lift out/ back off of suffusive concentration a little (deliberately take in an environmental sound, like a clock ticking, or a sensation, like a knee) and then there will naturally be more happenings within the purview of attention because now jhana is not suffusive (attention is not fused to its object, wholly). And then here one can let attention go to the many arisings and passings.

One can really fine tune the attention to those arisings and passings to a very adept attention, very like jhana, by taking "breaks" back in 4th jhana or metta or sukkha (3rd jhana) [edit: using these jhanas (like returning to suffusive metta or 3rd or 4th jhanas) if the vipassana gets too difficult and you need a break, for example, or if the vipassana is becoming too light and you want to stay in practice. Also, getting up and walking, not overdoing sitting practice (creating needless pain, injury) is a skillfully informed decision, too].
J C, modified 9 Years ago at 12/29/14 1:24 PM
Created 9 Years ago at 12/29/14 1:24 PM

RE: Transitioning from 4th samatha jhana in to vipassana

Posts: 644 Join Date: 4/24/13 Recent Posts
mikko:
Hi,
I remember reading somewhere that it would be beneficial to first enter the 4th samatha jhana and then start vipassana practice.
Today I was trying to do exactly that. I entered the 4th and spent a while there while the jhana deepened. After that I started to investigate bodily sensations mainly the sensations of my feet contacting the ground. I was able to discern some sensations, but this only seemed to have an effect of deepening the jhana rather leading to productive noting of that phenomena. 

In the 4th jhana the touch sensations seem so subtle it's hard to discern them. Should I first exit the jhana before starting the vipassana meditation? Do you have any good strategies for doing this? Thanks!

Can you try investigating the sensations of the jhana, such as equanimity, rather than investigating bodily sensations? Or try investigating the way that your investigation seems to have the effect of deepening the jhana. Investigate the feeling that you can't do "productive noting." Investigate how subtle the sensations are, and investigate how hard it is to discern them, and what that's like. Whatever comes up, just investigate it.