Sometime later I studied with Venerable Pa-Auk Sayadaw, whose methodology explicitly employs the nimitta as an essential tool for jhāna. I found these techniques to be astonishingly efficient and effective. The stability of concentration that had previously taken me several weeks to accomplish, now, aided by the visual expression of the concentrated mind, could be easily attained in a matter of days. So if you don’t have several extra weeks to devote to leisurely meditation, learn to incorporate the power of the nimitta. Proper tools make any task easier. These techniques have been used successfully for thousands of years and there is no reason they won’t also work for you.
A SINGLE OBJECT
Central to the issue of the presence or absence of the nimitta is the question: What is the object of attention? Are you successfully screening out extraneous distractions and exclusively aware of the basic occurrence of breath? If you are thinking about yourself breathing, or imagining yourself developing concentration, such active visualizations will inhibit the formation of the nimitta. Even though the breath is known initially through touch, excessive fascination with ever-changing physical sensations—such as coolness on the skin, flaring of the nostrils, or tingling in the nasal passages—can disrupt the potential for unification with a fixed focus. Know the breath as it occurs, but with minimal embellishment or interpretation. Maintain continuous attention to just the basic occurrence of the breath. The subtle transformation of perception will occur as attention shifts from involvement with physical sensations to a mental sign of the breath.
One common distraction that leads many meditators astray is the perception of impermanence—although usually considered an insightful perception, here it is a potential obstruction to jhāna. If you shift your attention from the directed focus on the breath to observe the arising and passing of calmness, equanimity, rapture, or joy, you have effectively abandoned your meditation object. Consciousness can receive only one object at a time, so it is not possible to be absorbed in jhāna while simultaneously observing changing perceptions. Having a number of different meditation objects will stall the momentum of the single-pointed focus of jhāna practice. Each particular change of object breaks the one-pointed focus that characterizes jhāna, whether it is contact with sound, smell, physical sensations, other thoughts, or fascination with rapture, fluctuating feelings, or various mental factors that interfere. The Buddha taught that “dependent on the mind and mind-objects, mind-consciousness arises; the meeting of the three is contact, with contact as condition there arises a feeling.”83 Repeated contact of three aspects of cognition—in this case, a functioning mind, an object (the breath nimitta), and mind-consciousness (consciousness of the breath nimitta)—create the conditions for absorption. Therefore, in this training we postpone the investigation of mental and material phenomena in order to establish stability and concentration. In later stages of this training, fully invigorated by the clarity of a sharp, steadfast, and concentrated mind, you will emerge from absorption and contemplate impermanent formations.
WHEN YOU THINK NOTHING IS HAPPENING
Until the jhāna factors are strongly developed, attention can easily slip away from the nimitta and linger in a dormant state of consciousness—in Pali language this state is called bhavaṅga. The Abhidhamma identifies this state as the life-continuum consciousness that arises between every cognitive process. Everyone has uncountable moments of this life-continuum consciousness, although they usually occur below the threshold of awareness. Slower minds will have longer lapses between sensory processes; sharper minds will have relatively brief excursions into the bhavaṅga consciousness because attention will readily engage with the next moment of perception and rapidly process cognitive data. To the meditator, a lapse into the bhavaṅga state may seem as though everything has stopped and nothing particular is known. Meditators describe this as being “aware of nothing” and may mistakenly allude to it as an experience of emptiness, yet they will not possess clarity regarding the object of attention. Sometimes it can seem as though time is just lost. The posture may remain upright; hence, it does not have the obvious features usually associated with sleepiness or dullness. It is usually a very pleasant state, and overconfident meditators may presume it is an accomplishment, or perhaps even the attainment of nibbāna. In reality, however, the mental faculties are not yet strong enough to discern the subtle functioning of this state of consciousness that links cognitive processes. If a meditator enjoys the pleasant but unclear state of bhavaṅga and repeatedly dwells in it, the meditation will stagnate and soon the mind will dull into complacency.
Extended lapses into bhavaṅga are likely to happen prior to jhāna. These commonly occur as the meditator approaches the threshold to jhāna but will not happen while actually absorbed in jhāna. These lapses are compared to a child who is learning to walk—at first the toddler takes just a few steps and then falls down, tries a few more strides, and again collapses. The mind in jhāna, by contrast, is stable and adroit, and the jhāna factors are strong. It is likened to a healthy adult who can walk whenever, wherever, and for however long she desires, without stumbling or hesitation.84
IS IT REALLY JHĀNA?
Teachers do not all agree where to draw the line between the conditions that precede jhāna and full absorption in the first jhāna. Some teachers require a deep absorption that allows no thought beyond the initial directing of attention toward the meditation object, so that a single stray thought or engagement with sensory perceptions would constitute a breach of jhāna. Other teachers accept quite light states of tranquility as the first jhāna, permitting fleeting thoughts as long as they do not progress into a rambling train of association. And still others may liberally apply the term jhāna to states in which the jhāna factors arise along with bodily impressions, and accept only a basic detachment from corrupting reactions of desire and aversion as the defining feature of the first jhāna.
In this book I use the term jhāna for rather deep states of absorption that can be sustained for a significant duration—twenty minutes, thirty minutes, one hour, two hours, or more—without the intrusion of any thought, sound, or sensation, and without the weakening of the supportive jhāna factors. When students report that they have attained jhāna, I expect that the absorption would easily be repeated sitting after sitting, again and again, unless the conditions were dramatically altered, such as by leaving the retreat or experiencing an interpersonal conflict. To support the depth that is possible, I have usually opted for language that describes a rigorous and steady experience of absorption. You may, however, attain genuine but briefer jhāna states.
When practicing in distracting environments, some meditators may choose to lower the standard of duration to fifteen or twenty minutes, or accept tiny intrusions, to help bring the tranquility of concentration into experience. It is certainly possible to experience a deep absorption, momentarily breach, and then moments later easily plunge back into the absorption. This will often occur when practicing in a noisy environment. Even when the hindrances have been set aside and the jhāna factors are growing, if a stranger unexpectedly entered the room, a delivery truck unloaded outside your window, or a radio was suddenly turned on, the mind might naturally break the continuity of absorption with the meditation object in order to register the various sounds, determine if conditions remain safe, and then settle back reassured that the disruption requires nothing from you. You don’t need to wait until you have pristine retreat conditions; such disturbances will not thwart your efforts. By quickly returning to your meditation object without entertaining aversive reactions, those environmental sounds will soon fall away from your field of interest, and your concentration will continue to develop. With repeated practice and the support of somewhat conducive conditions, the brief and unstable absorptions that beginners first experience will become durable and refined.
There are some meditators who have a strong disposition toward insight and wisdom and successfully develop strong concentration and attain jhāna, but
find that their absorptions cannot last for very long. Hindrances and distractions do not disrupt the absorption, and yet the mind periodically emerges to reflect upon the state, reenters, and emerges again. In this book I emphasize the importance of stability and therefore encourage longer durations to support the cultivation of deep concentration. It should be noted, however, that character type and personal disposition can influence what a reasonable degree of satisfaction and success might be for each individual meditator.
There is no need to quibble over exactly how many minutes you must remain in each jhāna before the concentration is worthy of the label of jhāna. I simply encourage you to establish strong and stable absorptions. Exactly how long you need to remain absorbed without a single intrusive thought before you can call it an authentic experience of jhāna is a question you will answer for yourself. Later, when you have mastery in jhāna practice, you may sustain jhāna for whatever length of time satisfies your purpose. By training the mind carefully and systematically in the beginning of your practice, you will lay a stable foundation that will support a broad range of options for further development.
ON THE THRESHOLD OF JHĀNA
When the hindrances are absent and jhāna factors are well developed, concentration grows noticeably stable. The Buddhist tradition has introduced the term upacāra samādhi—translated as neighborhood concentration, threshold concentration, access concentration, or access to jhāna—to refer to a nonabsorptive experience of concentration that begins with the arising of the counterpart sign and endures until consciousness enters into full absorption.85 Upacāra samādhi implies concentration that is in the vicinity of jhāna, close to jhāna, or on the threshold of jhāna and describes the experiences that precede absorption, but it does not necessarily lead to jhāna. It may refer to the conditions that precede jhāna; it may refer to experiences that are reminiscent of first jhāna mental factors, but without the seclusion of absorption; and it may describe the mature concentration that accompanies those meditation subjects (such as the discernment of the body parts, and various recollections) that do not have the potential to reach full absorption. The Vimuttimagga likens the manifestation of access concentration to a discourse-reciter who had stopped reciting for a long time and so forgets and falters, as compared to a discourse reciter who “keeps himself in training always and does not forget what he recites.”86 Similarly, prior to the genuine absorption into jhāna, a meditator may periodically struggle with distraction, dullness, or hindrances. After jhāna is established, however, the meditation will develop smoothly. Some meditators use the term upacāra samādhi so loosely that it merely describes the feeling of being concentrated and a mind that is stable and happy during meditation. For the development of these practices I find it useful to avoid marking this phase as a distinct state, but simply strive to attain the maximum benefit that each meditation subject offers.
ESTABLISHING THE FIRST JHĀNA
Secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered and dwelt in the first jhāna, which is accompanied by initial and sustained application of the mind, with rapture and happiness born of seclusion.
—Bhikkhu Sāriputta87
The feelings of pleasure associated with jhāna are deeply healing and positive, and they can be developed systematically. This energized happiness, called “a joy born of seclusion,” floods the experience of the first jhāna and highlights the profound relief known when the mind is separated from hindrances. Each of the four jhānas is matched with a traditional description of the saturation of feeling in that state. Illustrating the first jhāna:
And with this delight and joy born of detachment, he so suffuses, drenches, fills, and irradiates his body that there is no spot in his entire body that is untouched by this delight and joy born of detachment. Just as a skilled bath man or his assistant, kneading the soap powder which he has sprinkled with water, forms from it, in a metal dish, a soft lump, so that the ball of soap powder becomes one oleaginous mass, bound with oil so that nothing escapes—so this monk suffuses, drenches, fills, and irradiates his body so that no spot remains untouched.88
MEDITATION INSTRUCTION 4.2
Entering the First Jhāna
To establish the first jhāna, continue to observe the breath as it appears in the area just in front of the nostrils. As the nimitta becomes stable and vivid, in a mind free of hindrances, you will reach the threshold of jhāna. Now sit with the repeated and quiet determination to remain attentive to only the nimitta; turn your attention away from competing interests and diligently sustain attention with the mental sign of the breath for a long time. The exact duration will depend upon circumstances, but a meditator on the threshold of jhāna will easily remain attentive to just the nimitta for most of every meditation session throughout the day, and likely be sitting for sessions of one, two, or three hours at a stretch. Patiently permit the nimitta to mature as you resist any temptation to rush into jhāna. Eventually the conditions will ripen as the controlling faculties mature, the jhāna factors grow strong, the nimitta becomes stable and compelling, and all hindrances and distractions fade away. Then lean into this vivid and stable perception of the nimitta with the resolve to enter absorption—release your mindful attention into this single perception. Students have likened this event to diving into a refreshing pool of cool water, submerging in a comforting warm bath, stepping into a safe sanctuary, or entering into the bond of matrimony. As the first jhāna is obtained, energy increases and consciousness coheres in a unified perception of the meditation object. Mindfulness will remain vivid in absorption; the mind will be bright, and the meditation object will be continuously known.
The subtle activity of applying and sustaining attention (vitakka and vicāra) will continue, but these mental factors function so seamlessly that the attention will never fall off the object. Pleasure and happiness (pīti and sukha) will flood the state, but you will not divert your attention from the nimitta to analyze these qualities of rapture and joy. Allow the attention to remain fully and deeply absorbed in the first jhāna for as long as possible. It is best to establish jhāna many times before reflecting upon the characteristics of the mind in absorption. Examining the jhāna factors can weaken concentration.89 Beginners may enter the first jhāna with a determination to stay for short stretches, such as ten to fifteen minutes, then gradually increase the time with an intention to remain absorbed for twenty minutes, then thirty minutes, forty-five minutes, one hour, two hours, or longer. Practice entering the first jhāna until you can remain undisturbed for at least one hour if you wish. Allow the mind to rest, deeply unified with the object of the breath nimitta.
Are you in a hurry, eager to move on? The Buddha warned that meditators should be neither complacent with achievements and coast passively along nor arrogant and rush superficially through the sequence. Rushing through these states before they mature is a common error.90 The Buddha compared this to a cow that hopes to find a better pasture and so leaves its field in search of greener terrain. If she does not take the time to know the trail and remember the way, she may get lost. She may neither discover a better patch of grass nor find her way home.91 If you are overconfident and race ahead from the first jhāna to the second, you may later discover that your path is unclear. Higher attainments may be correspondingly uncertain or unstable, and it may become difficult to reestablish the lower jhānas. Patience, perseverance, and steadfastness are needed in this practice to systematically establish each level of attainment with skill and adeptness. Develop each attainment with care and precision until you gain mastery; permit each attainment to mature until you can repeatedly maintain these practices without any trouble or difficulty.
How long should you remain in the first jhāna? The answer will depend upon your aim. Stabilization of first jhāna is more important for someone who wants to develop the remaining jhānas, whereas deep experience of the first jhāna is less important if the practitioner intends to shift immediately to the insight meditation practi
ces introduced in chapter 12. In the latter case, briefer explorations of the first jhāna, or merely neighborhood concentration, might provide sufficient concentration. Both long, slow immersions as well as quick shifts between jhānas have value. In this practical approach to jhāna practice, I recommend that you first establish facility with longer absorptions and then later, when you are confident with the process, you might choose to move quickly through the lower jhānas to preserve more time to deepen higher attainments.
ESTABLISHING THE SECOND JHĀNA
With the subsiding of initial and sustained applications of the mind, I entered and dwelt in the second jhāna, which has internal confidence and unification of mind, is without initial and sustained applications of the mind, and has rapture and happiness born of concentration.
—Bhikkhu Sāriputta92
Although the first jhāna is blissful in comparison to the states in which you did battle with hindrances, the directing (vitakka) and sustaining (vicāra) factors will eventually begin to wear on the mind. At this juncture you begin a remarkable process that is integral to the successful implementation of jhāna as a basis for insight. Not only have you developed wholesome factors, but you will also relinquish those same jhāna factors. You are cultivating useful tools, yet remaining free of attachment. After each factor has served its purpose, you let it go without hesitation.
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