How to distinguish real Buddha's jhāna when all these teachers contradict each other?

https://www.reddit.com/r/theravada/comments/19edw82/is_there_gonna_be_absolute_lack_of_awareness_of/

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Imagine you wear permanent googles filled with muddy water.

If you pacify your movements, the mud settles down and you can see clearly.

How can you ever do vipassana/insight if you can't see clearly?

The Buddha's definition of first jhāna is the pacification of body and mind needed to be able to lucidly see, to the extent that chasing objects of sensual desire leads to suffering, and that letting go of that desire leads to physical and mental joy.

It's a huge milestone in seeing the inherent suffering in existence and how most beings pursue happiness.

Non-Buddhist and corrupt Buddhist definitions of jhāna do not address that problem. You can be a yoga master who can stay in a disembodied frozen stupor for 8 hours at a time, but when you emerge, you still have your cravings, delusions, anger, etc.

Many monks who mastered this kind of disembodied "jhana" have disrobed, married, etc.

That's how you can tell the difference between a genuine Buddha's first jhāna and false ones.

Comments

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