Skip to main content

A robust definition of 'jhāna': meditation with singular focus based on any postive or negative emotion or thought

 (from conversation with digital pāḷi dictionary team)

jhāna jhāyati
I know everyone translates it like what you currently have here:

jhāyati 3

pr. broods; thinks moodily; hangs the head down [√jhā + ya + ti] ✓



but I suspect it has a much more general meaning.
I show all the sutta references where "wrong" types of jhāna can be based on any of the 5 hindrances.
I propose the proper meaning should be 'an obsessive singular focus on any positive or negative emotion or mind state.'

Also, jhāna need not be calm, if it's not wrong jhana.
for example, MN 36 when buddha was trying to hold his breath, or the wrong jhanas of 'brooding' , seeking revenge (jhana based on ill will and harming), tantric sex (jhana based on kama chanda).

What's the need for jhana 1? Dhp 372 is referring to the same as jhana 2.


jhāna 1

nt. state of deep meditative calm; lit. meditating [√jhā + ana] ✓

grammarexampledeclensionroot familycompound familyfrequencyfeedback

n'atthi jhānaṃ apaññassa,
paññā n'atthi ajhāyato,
yamhi jhānañ'ca paññā ca,
sa ve nibbānasantike.

DHP 372 bhikkhuvaggo

Can you think of a better example? Add it here.

jhāna 2

nt. meditation; stage of meditation; lit. meditating [√jhā + ana] ✓

grammarexampledeclensionroot familycompound familyfrequencyfeedback

so ime pañca nīvaraṇe pahāya cetaso upakkilese paññāya dubbalīkaraṇe, vivicc'eva kāmehi vivicca akusalehi dhammehi, savitakkaṃ savicāraṃ vivekajaṃ pītisukhaṃ paṭhamaṃ jhānaṃ upasampajja viharati.

MN 39 mahāassapurasuttaṃ

Can you think of a better example? Add it here.

jhāna 3

adj. having meditation; related to meditation [√jhā + ana] ~

grammardeclensionroot familycompound familyfrequencyfeedback



meditate

verb

med·​i·​tate ˈme-də-ˌtāt 
meditated; meditating
Synonyms of meditate

intransitive verb

1
: to engage in contemplation or reflection
He meditated long and hard before announcing his decision.
2
: to engage in mental exercise (such as concentration on one's breathing or repetition of a mantra) for the purpose of reaching a heightened level of spiritual awareness

transitive verb

1
: to focus one's thoughts on : reflect on or ponder over
He was meditating his past achievements.
2
: to plan or project in the mind : intend, purpose
He was meditating revenge.
meditator
ˈme-də-ˌtā-tər 
noun



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Advice to younger meditators on jhāna, sex, porn, masturbation

Someone asked: Is porn considered harmful sexual.activity? I don't have a sex life because I don't have a partner and I don't wish to engage in casual sex so I use porn to quench the biological urge to orgasm. I can't see that's it's harmful because nobody is being forced into it. The actors are all paid well and claim to enjoy it etc. The only harm I can see is that it's so accessible these days on smart devices and so children may access it but I believe that this is the parents responsibility to not allow unsupervised use of devices etc. Views? Frankk response: In another thread, you asked about pleasant sensations and jhāna.  I'm guessing you're young, so here's some important advice you won't get from suttas   if you're serious about jhāna.  (since monastics are already celibate by rule)   If you want to attain stable and higher jhānas,   celibacy and noble silence to the best of your ability are the feedstock and prerequiste to tha
Post a Comment
Read more

SN 48.40 Ven. Thanissaro comments on Ven. Sunyo's analysis

This was Ven. Sunyo's analysis of SN 48.40: https://notesonthedhamma.blogspot.com/2024/05/exciting-news-honest-ebt-scholars-like.html And here is Ven. Thanissaro's response to that analysis: I think there’s a better way to tackle the issue of SN 48:40 than by appealing to the oldest layers of commentarial literature. That way is to point out that SN 48:40, as we have it, doesn’t pass the test in DN 16 for determining what’s genuine Dhamma and what’s not. There the standard is, not the authority of the person who’s claiming to report the Buddha’s teachings, but whether the teachings he’s reporting are actually in accordance with the principles of the Dhamma that you know. So the simple fact that those who have passed the Buddha’s teachings down to us say that a particular passage is what the Buddha actually taught is not sufficient grounds for accepting it. In the case of the jhānas—the point at issue here— we have to take as our guide the standard formula for the jhānas, a
Post a Comment
Read more

1min. video: Dalai Lama kissing boy and asking him to suck his tongue

To give more context, this is a public event,  * everyone knows cameras are rolling  *  it's a room full of children * the boy's mom is standing off camera a few feet away watching all of this * the boy initiated contact, he had already had a hug with Dalai Lama earlier and then asked Dalai Lama for another hug which triggered this segment  17 min. video showing what happened before that 1 min. clip and after, with some explanation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0qey5Ts78 16min talk from Ajahn Acalo with his thoughts on Dalai Lama kissing boy, relevance to Bhikkhu monastic code, sexual predators in religion in general, and how celibate monastics deal with sexual energy. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uK2m0TcUib0 The child's comments about the incident in a filmed interview later https://www.marca.com/en/lifestyle/world-news/2023/04/18/643eba5d46163ffc078b457c.html The child: It's a great experience It was amazing to meet His Holiness and I think it's a great ex
Post a Comment
Read more