I am hoping some experienced meditators/jhana practitioners can help me understand something. Almost 20 years ago, I didn't really know much about the Dhamma but started reading one of Ajahn Brahm's short stories collections. My husband had overseas so I didn't have to think about cooking etc and I decided to try his way of metta meditation. I don't remember exactly how many days it took but it was less than 2 weeks, but after several sits, I experienced the utmost joy.
At the time, I had never heard of jhana and couldn't explain why I felt so happy without some reason but I loved it and would rush home after work to sit. It was short-lived because once my husband came back, I got into the mundane things of life and meditation fell to the wayside.

I am now fully committed to the Dhamma and practice an hour of breath and metta meditation every day. I have been doing this for months and still, my mind is still a chatterbox. This is not a surprise to me because I now have kids and the majority of my thoughts surround them and their wellbeing.

What I am wondering is, did I get close to a jhana at all 20 years ago? I would love some insight into what I might have experienced back then.

Also, I have heard many teachers, including Ayya Khema whose talks I listen to, say that at the very least, 2 hours a day is needed to maintain concentration and more than that is needed for jhana. This has been a little disheartening to hear because it is VERY difficult to get a 2nd hour in my day to meditate and even if I can sit for a bit, I usually get sleepy. The first hour I meditate is usually in the early morning, around 4 or 5 am, before anyone is awake.
I would also love to know your thoughts/experience in what sort of practice you had established before you experienced jhana.
Thank you, Everyone!
With Metta!

I am just discovering this, have no particular opinion yet, but I already wonder if people here know it!

https://jhourney.io/blog/how-to-practice-jhanas

It is fitting that this sub gets rarely visited. Jhana is described in simple and elegant terms. It is rare that anyone even figures out what vikara and Vitakka are - even the translators cannot agree!

My version of mapping the first 3 jhanas- I’ve read Right Concentration and practiced Rob Burbea’s jhana methods but most helpful for me was Phillip Moffits 9 bodies of consciousness, which isn’t even a jhana related text really. this is my personal experience:

Insight from the jhanas is that the mind is constantly subtly “blocking” the etheric body because etheric body triggers autophagy- and the mind “holds on”/is scared of destruction/rejuvenation power of etheric body. deeper jhanas give a sense of etheric body sinking deeper and deeper into the lower centers of the body (in the belly/pelvis) - and triggers a refreshing “renewal”

access concentration/ Jhana 1: “Sparks” of the underlying etheric/electric field of the body. still scattered, mind is still coarse/thinking. you keep redirecting attention towards these sparks. Sense of “sinking” into the body, you realize the energetic field rests just “above” the body and mind hasn’t allowed it to sink

Jhana 2: You get a feel of the whole matrix sense etheric/electric field of the body which brings joy/ease. At some point it slips into being self-sustained, you don’t have to guide the mind towards the body as frequently, the mind becomes subtle. certain enticing thoughts can still drag you into thinking so you must still be on guard however. this is throughout all the jhanas, especially the more subtle ones

Jhana 3- completely self-sustained and the body starts to sink completely downwards. Strangely this starts to give a sense that the body is “floating” and weightless. Very pleasurable state of deep rest.

Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi, co-author of the classic book, Practicing the Jhanas, will be offering a online daylong retreat Saturday, February 14, 11am-3:30pm Eastern Time.

Jhāna (absorption) concentration is the highest level of meditative concentration possible.  In jhāna our awareness and consciousness completely and seamlessly merge into, and with, the meditative object as a function of the source, the Absolute.  Steeping our consciousness and awareness in a quality of the Absolute purifies the mind while attuning us to deeper intimacy with the Absolute.

This daylong will include Dharma talks, guided meditations, 15-minute breaks, and ample time for questions or comments among the group.

This is a dāna (donation) based event.

https://awakeningdharma.org/program/practicing-the-jhanas-daylong/

Hello there! I'm a long-time meditator (10+ years) but a recent adopter of Jhana meditations thanks to Leigh Brasington's great book on the subject. Over the past couple of months I've been lucky to access the first four jhanas--the fourth jhana just this past week. Ever since accessing the fourth jhana, I've noticed that jhanas 1-3 have significantly lowered in intensity. Is this normal? To be clear, I'm not worried about it, and I've spent time meditating on the ineffable nature of the jhanas, how access to them isn't guaranteed, how I don't own them, etc. I think part of me expected that doing this would bring the first three jhanas back up in intensity at least somewhat, but it hasn't. Has anyone else experienced this? I want to stress that I don't necessarily think this is a problem or that it needs to be solved. It's more that I'd like to hear from more experienced meditators to hear of their experiences.

Today, I learned the following:

Kundalini and Chakras = Hinduism only, NOT Buddhism

Jhanas = both Hinduism AND Buddhism

But I feel drawn to both.

Is the order

- jhanas first

- kundalini second?

Meaning, do I cultivate/experience jhanas first, this opens granthis (knots/blockages), and then kundalini naturally awakens more easefully?

The reason for my question is that I had a kundalini arousal (NOT full on awakening) which scared me. So now I am trying to do the practical work of preparing my body, mind, and spirit for the process to finish itself.

For context, I have a lot of single events PTSD, as well as complex PTSD (C-PTSD) in my past.

I intuitively feel like the path is to cultivate an experience jhanas first so that the kundalini can awaken without further traumatizing me.

Gentle request:

Please only respond if you have experienced BOTH jhanas and kundalini.

Hello r/jhana !

I'm here to advertise that there are still 3 spots left in a meditation retreat, with the teachers Vince Horn and Brian Newman.

The 10-day retreat is to be held in Lisbon, Jan 2 - 11. Here is a link: The Flavors of Jhana Retreat.

Some personal words about the teachers:

• Vince Horn is part of that generation who read Mastering the Core Teachings of the Buddha in their 20s, came to believe that stream entry was a real and attainable thing, and had a go at it. He is the host of the popular Buddhist Geeks podcast, and that I know of he has trained under Daniel Ingram, Kenneth Folk, Trudy Goodman and Jack Kornfield, and I also remember him mentioning Ken Wilber at some point. There's probably others I don't know about. Vince makes a (very modest) living as a meditation teacher in the US, if you want to have a go at stream entry and beyond, this guy has taught a lot of people and can most definitely help you get there.
• Brian Newman, same generation, different path. He worked in asia for a long time, and developed his practice with the help of two very different approaches: he is authorized both by Kenneth Folk, of the pragmatic dharma lineage, and Sayalay Susīlā, a student of Pa Auk. I can personally attest that his concentration practice is super strong, and he will be able to guide you all the way to states of complete absorption in the breath nimita, i.e., the jhanas as described in the visudhimagga.

I consider it to be a rare opportunity to get two such great teachers, I've learned from both and I can say they complement each other very well, both in teaching styles and personal practices.

The retreat cost is 1500 USD + dana. There are 15 spots in total, and I learned recently that, to my disbelief, 3 spots are still available.

Maybe I'll see you there. Happy to answer any questions.

Understanding Stream Entry - a day-long meditation retreat on December 14 and will be delivered online via Zoom.

Pricing is donation based.

Stephen Mugen Snyder, Roshi began practicing daily meditation in 1976. Since then, he has studied Buddhism extensively—investigating and engaging in Zen, Tibetan, Theravada, and Western non-dual traditions. He was authorized to teach in the Theravada Buddhist tradition in 2007 and the Zen Buddhist schools of Soto and Rinzai in 2022. He is a well-known Jhana teacher and co-author of the book, Practicing the Jhanas.

MAY ALL THE LIVING BEINGS BE HAPPY AND HEALTHY

https://www.audiodharma.org/series/22033

A gradual development of the jhanas (60 guided meditations with short dharna talks).

Stephen Snyder has been teaching to make sure the heart is included in breath awareness "to keep it from becoming like a factory job". Also, in several videos he relates jhana practice to shikantaza from the Zen tradition.

He is the co-author of the "Practicing the Jhanas" book and was authorized by Pa Auk Sayadaw.

Full disclosure: I'm an active student of his and find him quite a capable teacher.

Since yesterday I managed to do 5 meditation sessions each lasting 10-11 minutes of undistracted attention. Forgetfulness during meditation is not an issue but rather the patience. I get impatient after that.

I am not a Buddhist btw. But I maintain 5 precepts except insects which I cannot stand especially kill mosquitoes.

So I usually focus on the abdominal muscles movement while breathing and focus on the Hara (one point) based on the Ki Society instructions and will sometimes combine with Vipassana noting. Got a real bad respiratory flu and focusing in the manner above, made things worse, by making more conscious of chest congestion, etc. So I switched to noticing breath at the nostrils, worked wonders and made me less aware of the crap going on below the neck. Haven’t had much luck with this technique in the past, but it was a life saver in this situation.

Is someone willing to be a teacher to me and keep me accountable for daily jhana practice to see if I’m doing things right?

I often end up getting lost during my practice and end up quitting it altogether. I really want to attain the advance jhanas this time around.

If you’re kind and generous enough, please DM me.

I’ve tried to do Jhana meditation many times without much results. Have had some insights doing Vipassana. What’s the point of Jhana in your opinion?

I’ve been trying to find instructions for the method to practice vipassana in the 4th Jhana.

I come from the body scanning tradition and am aware vipassana is not until Arising and Passing away. This has come and gone a few times and I feel am muddling along between 3rd and 4th Jhana.

I’ve looked at the visudhimagga and vimuttimagga but the list there is exhaustive. Would be nice to have bare bones approach with a prescribed technique.

If someone can point me to a teacher or a book with step by step instructions, I’d be very grateful.

Namo tassa bhagavato arahato sammāsaṃbuddhassa!

Invitation Retreat to taste the true essence of Theravada Forest

Dhamma

Course Name: Exploring the Early Buddhist teachings

Course Period: 3 July to 14 July, 2024

Course Registration time: 11.30am, 3 July, 2024.

Course End time: 12.30pm, 14 July, 2024.

How to apply, click the Registration form.

Course Fee: It’s free of charge, because Dhamma is Priceless!

Course Eligibility:

 Completion of at least 10-day Goenka ji Vipassana course or

any Buddhist Advanced course.

 Serious urge to seeking path for Nibbana.

 Open mindedness (not tightly holding any views )

Aim of this Course:

 Advanced guidance for Vipassana meditators.

 Giving rare forest dhamma to lay practitioners.

 Showing the Nibbana path to clarity.

 Meditation corrections with respect to suttas evidence.

 Clarifying questions and doubts.

 Identifying wrong practice and breaking the wrong views.

 Showing the practice, how to use in the day to day life.

3

Language of meditation instruction: English

Course Guide: Bhikkhu. Bodhi Dhamma

(Nauyana Forest Monastery, Sri Lanka)

For Further Details and Registration, Please Contact:

Course and Management Related: Mr. Vinod – 9945040916

Transport and Meditation Center Related:

Mr. Deepak Pagare - 9960901693

*Meditation Center Address & Map:

SANJEEVAN SAMADHI DHYAN YOG KENDRA

Village: Machindranath Chincholi

Taluka: Ghansawangi

Dist: Jalna

Pincode: 431 209

Maharashtra, India.

Google map:

https://maps.app.goo.gl/RFNMx2wVYX5Mo3wn7

Nearest Transport details to the Meditation Center:

 Nearest Railway Station – Jalna (60 KM)

 Nearest Airport – Aurangabad (100 KM)

* We’re temporarily using this place for our Buddhist meditation practice.

More Information links:

o For introduction retreat videos from Bhikkhu Bodhi Dhamma:

https://youtu.be/n0wHMeHhsM8

o Why is this Retreat? Click Retreat

o Review about previous retreat: Click Retreat experience

May All Beings be Happy!