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How do I properly attain jhāna?

Win Thu Wun

Before answering this, one must first understand that attaining jhāna is ONLY possible when one has been successfully practicing one of the forty samatha meditation objects laid out by Buddha that can lead to the attainment of jhāna. The object can be ānapāna, mettā, asubha, 32 body parts or one of the ten kasiṇā, to name a few. Without proper practice of one of the objects, then one CANNOT achieve jhāna.


Even if an individual has been practicing meditation on objects that can potentially lead to jhāna attainment, it is important to note that jhāna cannot be achieved solely by immersing oneself in the feelings of joy (pīti), bliss (sukha), or other mental or bodily sensations experienced during meditation. The primary object of jhāna is the (paṭibhāga) nimitta, the counterpart sign: a mental object that is attained through meditation. Merely immersing oneself in the sensations alone without proper focus on the nimitta and claiming it a state of jhāna does not align with the guidance provided in the Visuddhimagga or by the Buddha Himself.


To truly experience the jhāna factors and progress towards the first jhāna, one must skillfully and properly absorb in the paṭibhāga-nimitta for at least two or three hours continuously. This skilful and focused absorption allows for the emergence of the five jhāna factors, including the sensations of joy and bliss. Therefore, any feelings of joy and bliss experienced without entering jhāna or focusing on the nimitta can be simply said as byproducts of the near-jhāna state of access concentration or just pure mindfulness.


Attainment of jhāna can be characterised through these five jhāna factors:


- Initial application (vitakka)

- Sustained application (vicara)

- Joy (pīti)

- Happiness (sukha)

- One-pointedness (ekaggata)


We can discern if we have achieved jhāna by discerning these five jhāna factors in our mind door (bhavaṅga). There are intricate step-by-step methods to check this, which I will not mention here at this moment. If one can successfully discern these factors, then it can be sure that one has achieved the first jhāna. This is then followed by further practices of five masteries in the jhāna practice, which are the masteries of adverting, entering, sustaining through resolution, emerging, and reflection (of jhāna factors). Only after one has followed these steps successfully, then the practitioner is said to have mastered and successfully attained the first jhāna. The same applies for all eight jhāna.


To recap, for a meditator to properly and skilfully attain jhāna, one must be:

- practicing one of the forty samatha meditation objects laid out by the Buddha that can lead to jhāna attainment

- focusing on the nimitta: for concentration

- discerning the five jhāna factors in the mind door (bhavanga): for confirmation and reflection

- perfecting the jhāna through five masteries: for skilfulness


May you realise the four noble truths in this lifetime.

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