Pīti in the jhānas doesn't have to be intense 'rapture', it can be a subtle mental joy

Post by frank k » Tue Jul 19, 2022 4:15 am
I wonder about that. (your assertion that pamojja is less intense than pīti).
What happens when people become skilled in all 4 jhānas, and their natural inclination is upekkha, really not prone to any strong emotion?
Is it not possible for them to have pīti sambojjhanga and do first and second jhānas anymore because we all assume pīti is intense?
I propose that pīti tends to be intense for those first learning lower jhānas, but when one is skilled in all 4 jhānas, pīti, pamojja, and mudita can all be a very subtle mental joy.

Similar to how someone who was in extreme poverty became extremely rich. There was initially intense emotional excitement, but once they became accustomed to their new normal of being rich, mental joy is just very subtle as they take it for granted as being 'normal' now.

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