Jim_Smith
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This thread is for discussing meditation. It's Mod+ so please keep to the topics of meditation practices, different forms of meditation, how to do them, how to enter various states, sources of difficulties and how to overcome them, and research on meditation. If you want to discuss something else feel free to start another thread.
[UPDATE: I've added "research on meditation" to the subjects of the thread.]
To start off, here are a few links:
http://www.leighb.com/jhana3.htm
In the linked web page, the instructions suggest smiling as the pleasant sensation. Thich Nhat Hanh also suggests smiling when meditating. It sounds strange but it has a profound effect. I was re-reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh recently and tried smiling and experienced pretty much what the link describes. That led me to search the internet for an explanation of what happened which is how I found the link. It's easy to enter the state if your mind is calm, but getting the mind calm can be difficult unless you are on retreat, but this might help: Why is it so hard to concentrate? Sources of distraction and obstacles to concentration during meditation. I've experienced this state now and then without understanding what it was and I've been in deeper states without going through it first ... but I think understanding and recognizing it can be helpful as it can provide a stable base from which to go into other states. It is a way of identifying when your mind is sufficiently calm.
Also...
http://www.leighb.com/jhana2do.htm
http://www.leighb.com/jhana2a.htm
[UPDATE: I've added "research on meditation" to the subjects of the thread.]
To start off, here are a few links:
http://www.leighb.com/jhana3.htm
Instruction for Entering Jhana
by
Leigh Brasington
...
So to summarize the method for entering the first jhana: You sit in a nice comfortable upright position, and generate access concentration by putting and maintaining your attention on a single meditation object. When access concentration arises, then you shift your attention from the breath (or whatever your method is) to a pleasant sensation, preferably a pleasant physical sensation. You put your attention on that sensation, and maintain your attention on that sensation, and do nothing else.
The hard part is the do nothing else part. ...
...
In the linked web page, the instructions suggest smiling as the pleasant sensation. Thich Nhat Hanh also suggests smiling when meditating. It sounds strange but it has a profound effect. I was re-reading a book by Thich Nhat Hanh recently and tried smiling and experienced pretty much what the link describes. That led me to search the internet for an explanation of what happened which is how I found the link. It's easy to enter the state if your mind is calm, but getting the mind calm can be difficult unless you are on retreat, but this might help: Why is it so hard to concentrate? Sources of distraction and obstacles to concentration during meditation. I've experienced this state now and then without understanding what it was and I've been in deeper states without going through it first ... but I think understanding and recognizing it can be helpful as it can provide a stable base from which to go into other states. It is a way of identifying when your mind is sufficiently calm.
Also...
Essence of entering each of the 8 Jhanas:
http://www.leighb.com/jhana2a.htm
SHARPENING MANJUSHRI'S SWORD
The Jhanas in Theravadan Buddhist Meditation
by Leigh Brasington
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