Many people think you need a thick complicated abstruse meditation manual like Vism.
Actually, it's quite the opposite.
You only need to memorize a short summary that takes 37 seconds to recite,
preferably at least once a day.
That is all you need,
as far as the framework of what you need to do and how to do it.
The rest is just a matter of how much time and energy you put in.
If you keep 5 precepts and spend 2 hours a day doing this practice whole heartedly, reasonably healthy and young,
you are capable of low to decent quality first jhāna.
If you keep 8 precepts and spend 2-4 hours a day doing this practice whole heartedly (with a samatha emphasis),
and the rest of the 24 hours doing this practice maintaining sati and partial jhāna,
you can reasonably expect to have competency somewhere on the 4 jhāna spectrum.
7.0.2 - The heart of EBT meditation
SN 46.3 contains the most important set of meditation instructions in the EBT .Every meditation method taught uses this as the framework.
It works as a causal sequence,
and also as independent factors in the four jhānas.
The 4 jhānas have 7☀️ factors. Not 5.
You definitely want to memorize the synopsis,
and reflect on it many times a day.
By auspicious coincidence, it takes 37 seconds to chant in pāli. 🔗🔊
If you reflect on it frequently and understand it,
you'll be able to connect all the dots on how samādhi and jhānas work.
If you don't fully penetrate this pericope,
you'll be easily confused by various wrong views on jhāna and samādhi that are all too common.
SN 46.3 synopsis
| (implied: pamojja and pīti would result from contact with inspiring monks) | |
(0. 👂 Bhikkhūnaṃ dhammaṃ sutvā) | 0. 👂 listen to Dhamma [teaching] from a monk [and memorize it] |
(1. 🐘 Sati: taṃ Dhammaṃ anus-sarati anu-vitakketi) | 1. 🐘 that Dhamma [teaching] (he) recollects and thinks about |
(2. 💭 Dhamma-vicaya: taṃ dhammaṃ paññāya, pa-vicinati pa-vicarati pari-vīmaṃsam-āpajjati ) | 2. 💭 that Dhamma discerning; he discriminates, evaluates, investigates |
(3. 🏹 Vīriya: āraddhaṃ hoti vīriyaṃ a-sallīnaṃ.) | 3. 🏹 his aroused vigor is not-slackening |
(4. 😁 Pīti: Āraddha-vīriyassa uppajjati pīti nir-āmisā,) | 4. 😁 his aroused vigor leads to arising of rapture not-carnal (of jhana) |
(5. 🌊 Passaddhi: Pīti-man-assa, kāyo-pi passambhati, cittam-pi passambhati ) | 5. 🌊 with enraptured-mind, his body becomes pacified, his mind becomes pacified |
(6. 🌄 Samādhi: Passaddha-kāyassa sukhino, cittaṃ samādhiyati.) | 6. 🌄 with pacified body, he is in pleasure, mind becomes undistractable and lucid. |
(7. 👁 Upekkha: so tathā-samāhitaṃ cittaṃ, sādhukaṃ ajjh-upekkhitā hoti) | 7. 👁 he of such undistractable & lucid mind, thoroughly looks-upon-it-with-equanimity |
(7 types of fruits, Nirvana) | Seven different levels of awakening results from proper practice of 7sb. |
If you don't already have the bare 7 factors memorized,
just the bare names of what they are,
in proper order 1-7,
here's a handy visual aid to help.
7sb awakening factors primer (illustrated)
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