warm fuzzy feelings: demystifying Pīti & sukha from jhāna and 7 awakening factors

 

(oxford) Definition of warm fuzzies 

from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary

feelings of affection, comfort, and support, or things that give you these feelings 

example: The memories fill me with warm fuzzies.

merriam-webster defn.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/warm%20fuzzies#h1

Synonyms of warm fuzzies

: feelings of happiness, contentment, or sentimentality

got warm fuzzies from the good news

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

wiktionary: warm fuzzy

The term comes from Claude Steiner's children's story The Warm Fuzzy Tale.

Noun

warm fuzzy (plural warm fuzzies)

    (informal) A good impression; a feeling of comfort, happiness or trust. 

    I suppose they are a reputable business, but I didn't get a warm fuzzy from their salesman.

(informal, chiefly in the plural, often derogatory) A sense of accomplishment after performing an act.

    John picks up litter in our neighborhood because it gives him warm fuzzies.

(1977 children's book): The Original Warm Fuzzy Tale

Claude M. Steiner, Joann Dick (Illustrator)

When a mean witch convinces people that giving away their Warm Fuzzies will result in a shortage of the happy-making creatures, and introduces Cold Pricklies as well, people become less generous, greedier, and generally unhappy.

43 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1977

Chain of Fools (hit song from 1967)

"Chain of Fools" is a song written by Don Covay. Aretha Franklin first released the song as a single in 1967 and subsequently it appeared on many of her albums. It hit number one on the Billboard Hot Rhythm & Blues chart and number two on Billboard's Hot 100 chart. In the lyrics, the singer has been with her boyfriend for five years but realizes she's one of his "chain of fools," women with whom he's been cheating. Others tell her to leave him, but she says his love is too strong and she's too weak. Yet someday, she predicts the chain will break. 

Chain of Fools (2023)

Followers of Buddhist meditation teachers with an erroneous understanding of jhāna, thinking that only one in a million people can attain even first jhāna, or that first jhāna is a disembodied frozen stupor as redefined in Visuddhimagga and Ajahn Brahm's redefinition of "jhāna". 

Yet someday, Frank predicts, the chain will break.

(j1🌘 easy) first jhāna is easier than you think

don't give up on jhāna, 🔗until you drink from the sutta cup.

warm fuzzy feelings: demystifying Pīti & sukha from jhāna and 7 awakening factors

As you can see from above, the modern expression "warm fuzzy" feelings has been around for about 45 years, describing a relatable, common, universal human experience.

Just as "singular focus", "one track mind", "single minded", are also common terms, universal concepts to both worldly and spiritual realms. 

(Ekagga, a synonym of jhāna meditation)

Pīti in the suttas, is the same in the seven awakening factors as it is in jhāna. 

It means mental joy, derived from thinking skillful thoughts in accordance with Dharma. 

It's a positive emotion, it can be mild, intense, or anywhere in between. 

When we experience strong and sustained mental joy, it's easy to pacify the tensions that ordinary people carry around in their body and mind. 

With the body and mind pacified, we experience physical sensations of pleasure.

Warm fuzzies.

Literally and figuratively.

Heart literally and figuratively feels warmer and more expansive.

Fuzzies: Tingly, comfortable vibrations all over the body, goose bumps maybe.

You can see how that phrase "warm fuzzy" was coined.

He just described literally the physical sensations he experienced.

The same garden variety "warm fuzzy feeling" from doing a kind deed for a neighbor or coworker,

is the same warm and fuzzy sukha happiness doing first jhāna.

One develops a positive skillful thought in accordance with Dharma, such as spreading thoughts of friendly kindness and compassion to the entire world.

One does something nice for your mom, a family member.

The mind feels happy, the body feels joy, the body feels warm and fuzzy,

that's Dhamma vitakka causing pīti to arise, which relaxes and pacifies the tension out of the body, causing physical pleasure (sukha) to arise.

You experienced a moment of warm fuzzy doing that?

Then that's a genuine finger snap's moment of first jhāna, the Buddha says in Anguttara Nikaya Ones chapter.

You can get a split second of first jhāna, you're on that first jhāna spectrum.

If you work on having skillful positive thoughts all the time, then you can develop a competent first jhāna. 

Contrary to what LBT Theravada heretical interpretations of jhāna claim, I would estimate 99.9% of the 8 billion humans on the planet can get on the first jhāna spectrum and develop a competent first jhāna if they are properly motivated and have a right understanding of what the Buddha's first jhāna actually is.