Practical Jhānas: Right Concentration and the Suttas

sbc2013.udb Page 1

Practical Jh ānas: Right Concentration andand thethe Suttas

Secular Buddhism Conference Barre Center for Buddhist Studies 26 March, 2013

Leigh Brasington

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1) Dukkha Happens 2) Dukkha Happens Dependent on Craving 3) Dukkha Ceases when Craving Ceases 4) The Path of Practice Leading to the End of Dukkha sbc2013.udb Page 3

The Four Noble Truths andand thethe Eightfold Path

1) Dukkha Happens 2) Dukkha Happens Dependent on Craving 3) Dukkha Ceases when Craving Ceases 4) The Path of Practice Leading to the End of Dukkha Right View Right Intention Right Speech Right Action Right Livelihood Right Effort Right Mindfulness Right Concentration sbc2013.udb Page 4

The Four Noble Truths andand thethe Eightfold Path

Right Concentration

"Perhaps no aspect of the the Buddha's teaching has been both more misunderstood and neglected than Right Concentration (Samma Sam ādhi )."

Leigh Brasington, Practical Jh ānasnas, (forthcoming) sbc2013.udb Page 6

Right Concentration

What is Samma Sam ādhi? sbc2013.udb Page 7

Right Concentration

What is Samma Sam ādhi? Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first Jh ānana, which is accompanied byvitakka and vicara and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. Further, with the subsiding of vitakka and vicara, one enters and dwells in the second Jh ānana, which is accompanied by inner tranquility and unification of mind and is without vitakka and vicara and is filled with piti and sukha, born of concentration. Further, with the fading awayof piti, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. Thus one enters and dwells in the thirdthird jhjh ānana, of which the noble ones declare: 'One dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness.' sbc2013.udb Page 10

Right Concentration

What is Samma Sam ādhi? Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first Jh ānana, which is accompanied by vitakka and vic āra and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. Further, with the subsiding of vitakka and vic āra, one enters and dwells in the second Jh ānana, which is accompanied by inner tranquility and unification of mind and is without vitakka and vic āra and is filled with piti and sukha, born of concentration. Further, with the fading awayof piti, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. Thus one enters and dwells in the thirdthird jhjh ānana, of which the noble ones declare: 'One dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness.' Further, with the abandoning of sukhassa and dukkhassa, and with the previous passing awayof somanassa-domanassanam, one enters and dwells in the fourth jh ānana, which is adukkham-asukham and contains mindfulness fully purified by equanimity. sbc2013.udb Page 11

Right Concentration

What is Samma Sam ādhi? Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first Jh ānana, which is accompanied by vitakka and vic āra and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. Further, with the subsiding of vitakka and vic āra, one enters and dwells in the second Jh ānana, which is accompanied by inner tranquility and unification of mind and is without vitakka and vic āra and is filled with piti and sukha, born of concentration. Further, with the fading awayof piti, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. Thus one enters and dwells in the thirdthird jhjh ānana, of which the noble ones declare: 'One dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness.' Further, with the abandoning of sukhassa and dukkhassa, and with the previous passing awayof somanassa-domanassanam, one enters and dwells in the fourth jh ānana, which is adukkham-asukham and contains mindfulness fully purified by equanimity. This is Samma Sam ādhi.

DN 22, verse 21; MN 141, verse 31; SN 45.8 sbc2013.udb Page 12

What IsIs AAJhJh āna?

Jh āna = ? sbc2013.udb Page 13

What IsIs AAJhJh āna?

Jh āna = A specific altered state of consciousness generated via concentration and yielding even more concentration. sbc2013.udb Page 14

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

a 4 b 8 c 9 d 12 e 16 f 20 g 24 h 33 sbc2013.udb Page 15

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

a 4 4Jh ānas ( + 4 Immaterial states ) – Suttas b 8 c 9 d 12 e 16 f 20 g 24 h 33 sbc2013.udb Page 16

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

a 4 4Jh ānas ( + 4 Immaterial states ) – Suttas b 8 4rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Abhidhamma and Vsm c 9 d 12 e 16 f 20 g 24 h 33 sbc2013.udb Page 17

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

a 4 4Jh ānas ( + 4 Immaterial states ) – Suttas b 8 4rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Abhidhamma and Vsm c 9 5rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Abhidhamma d 12 e 16 f 20 g 24 h 33 sbc2013.udb Page 18

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

1. Thanissaro, Bucknell, Shankman, Brasington sbc2013.udb Page 20

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

1. Thanissaro, Bucknell, Shankman, Brasington sbc2013.udb Page 21

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

a 4 4Jh ānas ( + 4 Immaterial states ) – Suttas b 8 4rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Abhidhamma and Vsm c 9 5rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Abhidhamma d 12 4rupajh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas + 4 path moments – Abhidhamma and Vsm e 16 4Jh ānas + 4 Immaterials + 4 rupa jh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas – Suttas + Vsm 1 f 20 4Jh ānas + 4 Immaterials + 4 rupa jh ānas + 4 arupa jh ānas + 4 paths g 24 4Js +4Is+4rupajs+4arupajs+4paths+4Vipassanajh ānas h 33

1. Thanissaro, Bucknell, Shankman, Brasington sbc2013.udb Page 22

How ManyManyJhJh ānas AreAre There?

1. Thanissaro, Bucknell, Shankman, Brasington sbc2013.udb Page 23

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna? sbc2013.udb Page 24

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka, vic āra, piti, sukha, ekaggat ā. sbc2013.udb Page 25

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka = initial attention, vic āra = sustained attention, piti = glee, sukha = joy/happiness, ekaggat ā = one-pointedness. sbc2013.udb Page 26

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka, vic āra, piti, sukha, ekaggat ā.

Quite secluded from (vivicc'eva ) sense pleasures, secluded from (vivicca ) unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first jh āna, which is accompanied by vitakka and vic āra and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. (DN 2.77) sbc2013.udb Page 27

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka, vic āra, piti, sukha, ekaggat ā.

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka, vic āra, piti, sukha, ekaggat ā.

Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first jh āna, which is accompanied by vitakka and vic āra and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with this piti and sukha born of seclusion, so that there is no part of ones entire body which is not suffused bythis piti and sukha. (DN 2.77)

The phrase "drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses" is an example of synonymous parallelism , a rhetorical device, which occurs veryfrequentlyin the suttas. sbc2013.udb Page 29

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka, vic āra, piti, sukha, ekaggat ā.

Quite secluded from sense pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells in the first jh āna, which is accompanied by vitakka andand vic āra and filled with piti and sukha born of seclusion. One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with this piti and sukha born of seclusion, so that there is no part of ones entire body which is not suffused bythis piti and sukha. (DN 2.77)

The phrase "vitakka and vic āra" is yet another example of synonymous parallelism , a rhetorical device, which occurs very frequently in the suttas.

There is a very interesting note under the definition of vitakka in the Pali Text Society's dictionary:

Looking at the combination vitakka+vic āra in earlier and later works one comes to the conclusion that they were once used to denote oneone &&thethe same thing: justjust thought,thought, thinking,thinking, only inin anan emphatic wayway(as they are also semantically synonymous), and that one has to take them as one expression, ... without being able to state their difference. With the advance in the Sangha of intensive studyof terminology they became distinguished mutually. Vitakka became the inception of mind, or attending, and was no longer applied, as in the Suttas, to thinking in general.

Footnote 611 in Maurice Walshe's translation of the Dīgha Nik āya reads:

611611 Vitakka-vic āra. .... I have used the rendering mentioned at n.80 ['thinking and pondering'], instead of the more usual 'initial and sustained application'. In a private communication, L.S. Cousins writes: 'The words simply do not mean this...Suttanta does not distinguish between access and absorption – hence the terms used do not have their momentaryAbhidhamma sense. In the case of vic āra this is not even the Abhidhamma sense, since the Dhammasa ṅga ṇī clearly explains vic āra as "investigating".'

Vitakka is a much more commonly occurring word in the suttas than vic āra – in fact, in the PTS sbc2013.udb Page 30 Pali-English Dictionary by T. W. Rhys Davids under vic āra we find

Hardly ever byitself (as at Th 1, 1117 manovic āra), usually in close connection or direct combination with vitakka.

Footnote 436 in Bhikkhu Bodhi's translation of the Numerical Discourses mentions that "vic āra originally meant 'travelingtraveling aroundaround.'" 1 This certainly gives much more of a sense of "examining" or "pondering" or "turning over in the mind" and really seems to be the opposite of "sustained attention."

1. Bodhi (2012) note 436. on page 1649 sbc2013.udb Page 31

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka and vic āra, piti, sukha.

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka and vic āra, piti, sukha,

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vivicca = seclusion, vitakka and vic āra = thinking, piti = glee, sukha = joy/happiness.

1st1st Jh āna

How many factors qualities are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vivicca = seclusion, vitakka and vic āra = thinking, piti = glee, sukha = joy/happiness

1st1st Jh āna

How manyfactors are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vitakka = initial attention (incorrect translation), vic āra = sustained attention (very incorrect translation), piti = glee, sukha = joy/happiness, ekaggat ā = one-pointedness (not even mentioned).

How manyqualities are there for the 1st Jh āna?

vivicca = seclusion, vitakka and vic āra = thinking piti = glee sukha = joy/happiness

2nd2nd Jh āna

The traditional factors of the second jh āna: piti, sukha, ekaggat ā.

Further, with the subsiding of vitakka and vic āra, one enters and dwells in the second jh āna, which is accompanied by inner tranquilitytranquility and unification ofof mind and is without vitakka and vic āra and is filled with piti and sukhasukha, born of concentration.

A listing of the qualities of the second jh āna would be ajjhattam sampasadanam, ekodi-bhavam, piti, sukha. sbc2013.udb Page 37

3rd3rd Jh āna

The traditional factors of the third jh āna: sukha, ekaggat ā.

Further, with the fading away of piti, one dwells in equanimiequanimity,ty mindful and clearly comprehendingcomprehending, and experiences happiness with thethe bodybody. Thus one enters and dwells in the third jh āna, of which the noble ones declare: 'One dwells happily with equanimity and mindfulness.' One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with sukha free from piti, so that there is no part of ones entire body that is not suffused by this sukha.

A complete listing of the qualities of the third jh āna would be (ajjhattam sampasadanam), (ekodi-bhavam), upekkh ā, sati, sampaj āna, sukhañca kāyena, sukha. sbc2013.udb Page 38

4th4th Jh āna

The traditional factors of the fourth jh āna: upekkha, ekaggat ā.

Further, with the abandoning of sukhassa and dukkhassa, and with the previous passing away of somanassa-domanassanam, one enters and dwells in the fourth jh āna, which is adukkham-asukham and contains mindfulness fully purified by equanimityequanimity. One sits suffusing ones body with a pure bright mindmind, so that there is no part of ones entire body not suffused by a pure bright mind.

A complete listing of the qualities of the fourth jh āna would be (ajjhattam sampasadanam), (ekodi-bhavam), (sampaj āna), adukkham-asukham, upekkh ā, sati, parisuddhena cetas ā pariyod ātena. sbc2013.udb Page 39

How Much Concentration IsIs Required ForFor Jh āna?

One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with piti and sukha piti and sukha sukha free from piti One sits suffusing ones body with a pure bright mind.

body = kaya –» There is body awareness in all of the 4 Jh ānas. sbc2013.udb Page 40

How Much Concentration IsIs Required ForFor Jh āna?

One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with piti and sukha piti and sukha sukha free from piti One sits suffusing ones body with a pure bright mind.

body = kaya –» There is body awareness in all of the 4 Jh ānas.

Further, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and grief, one enters and dwells in the fourth jh ānana, which is neither pleasant nor painful and contains mindfulness fully purified byequanimity. One sits suffusing ones bodybodywith a pure bright mindmind. Suppose a man were to be sitting covered from the head down by a white cloth so there would be no part of his entire bodybodynot suffused by the white clothcloth. sbc2013.udb Page 41

How Much Concentration IsIs Required ForFor Jh āna?

One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses ones body with piti and sukha piti and sukha sukha free from piti One sits suffusing ones body with a pure bright mind.

body = kaya –» There is body awareness in all of the 4 Jh ānas.

Further, with the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and grief, one enters and dwells in the fourth jh āna, which is neither pleasant nor painful and contains mindfulness fully purified byequanimity. One sits suffusing ones bodybodywith a pure bright mindmind. Suppose a man were to be sitting covered from the head down by a white cloth so there would be no part of his entire bodybodynot suffused by the white clothcloth.

Answer: Enough concentration so that bythe fourth jh āna that you generate a bright white visual fieldfield, yet don't lose body awarenessawareness. sbc2013.udb Page 42

The Jh āna Summary

When one sees that these five hindrances have been abandoned within oneself, gladness arises. From gladness, rapture arises. When ones mind is filled with rapture, ones body becomes tranquil; tranquil in body, one experiences happiness; being happy, ones mind becomes concentrated. sbc2013.udb Page 43

The Jh āna Summary

Abandoning the Hindrances = Access Concentration* = Quieting the Default Mode Network

*The phrase "Access Concentration" does not occur in the suttas – nonetheless it is a useful phrase for describing the state of "being fully with the object of meditation and, if there are thoughts, they are in the background and do not lead to distraction." sbc2013.udb Page 44

The Jh āna Summary

Abandoning the Hindrances = Access Concentration = Quieting the Default Mode Network

From gladness, rapture arises = From focusing on a pleasant sensation, a positive feedback loop of pleasure is generated which spirals out of control and evolves into the experience of rapture, glee, piti . sbc2013.udb Page 45

The Jh āna Summary

When one sees that these five hindrances have been abandoned within oneself, gladness arises. From gladness, rapture arises. When ones mind isis filled with rapture, ones body becomes tranquil; tranquiltranquil inin body, oneone experiences happiness; being happy, ones mind becomes concentrated.

Abandoning the Hindrances = Access Concentration = Quieting the Default Mode Network

When ones mind is filled with rapture, ones body becomes tranquil; tranquil in body, one experiences happiness; being happy, ones mind becomes concentrated = J1 –» J2 –» J3 –» J4 sbc2013.udb Page 46

The Jh āna Summary

Abandoning the Hindrances = Access Concentration = Quieting the Default Mode Network

When ones mind is filled with rapture, ones body becomes tranquil; tranquil in body, one experiences happiness; being happy, ones mind becomes concentrated = J1 –» J2 –» J3 –» J4

Hypothesis

J1 = norepinephrine overload, opioids elevated J2 = calm the system with a decrease in norepinephrine, opioids still elevated J3 = norepinephrine level returns to normal, opioids still elevated J4 = opioid level returns to normal Overall Effect = Significantly more concentrated mind. sbc2013.udb Page 47

The Path toto Enlightenment

The Buddha-to-be's teachers taught that what we refer to as the seventh and eight jh ānas were the goal of the spiritual path. Master Gotama understood that neither the seventh nor eight jh āna answered his questions or lead to the end of dukkha, so he left each of his teachers. He then tried austerities practices, but "by this racking practice of austerities I have not attained any superhuman states, any distinction in knowledge and vision worthy of the noble ones. Could there be another path to enlightenment?" 1

He then remember an incident from his childhood where he had spontaneously entered the first jh āna when seated in the cool shade of a rose apple tree while his father was working. He wondered "CouldCould that bebe thethe path toto enlightenment?enlightenment?" Upon more reflection he decided "ThatThat isis indeedindeed thethe path toto enlightenment.enlightenment."2 In other words, he realized that the jh ānas were part of the path, not the goal. He then used them as a preliminarypractice 3 before gaining the insight that led to his awakening and becoming the Buddha.

1. MN 36.30 2. MN 36.31 3. MN 36.34 sbc2013.udb Page 48

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

When ones mind is thus concentrated, pure and bright, unblemished, free from defects, malleable, wieldy, steady and attained to imperturbability, one directs and inclines it to knowing andand seeingseeing. One understands thus, this is my bodybody, having material form, composed of the four primary elements, originating from mother and father, built up out of rice and gruel, impermanent, subject to rubbing and pressing, to disillusion and dispersion and this is my consciousnessconsciousness, supported by it and bound up with it.

body = kaya consciousness = viññ āṇa sbc2013.udb Page 50

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānasr

o Insight into the nature of your body: dependentlyoriginated, impermanent, subject to dukkha o Insight into the nature of your mind, including your mind's dependence on your body sbc2013.udb Page 51

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body sbc2013.udb Page 53

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

Just as though a man were to pull out a reed from its sheath and think thus: ‘This is the sheath, this is the reed; the sheath is one, the reed is another; it is from the sheath that the reed has been pulled out’; or just as though a man were to pull out a sword from its scabbard and think thus: ‘This is the sword, this is the scabbard; the sword is one, the scabbard another; it is from the scabbard that the sword has been pulled out’; or just as though a man were to pull a snake out ofits slough and think thus: ‘This is the snake, this is the slough; the snake is one, the slough another; it is from the slough that the snake has been pulled out.’ sbc2013.udb Page 54

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

o being one, one becomes many; having been many, they become one; one appears and vanishes; one goes unhindered through walls, through enclosures, through mountains, as though through space; one dives in and out of the earth as though it were water; one walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-legged, one travels in space like birds; with ones hands one touches and strokes the moon and sun so powerful and mighty; one wield bodily masteryeven as far as the Brahma-world. sbc2013.udb Page 55

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body= WILD = Wake Induced Lucid Dreaming

Anguttara 3.60: "onlythe one who performs this wonder experiences it and it occurs only to him." sbc2013.udb Page 56

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

o Various Kinds of Supernormal Power

o Divine Ear

o Understanding the Minds of Others sbc2013.udb Page 57

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

o Various Kinds of Supernormal Power

o Divine Ear } } = ESP (whatever that is!) o Understandingthe Minds ofOthers } sbc2013.udb Page 58

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

o Various Kinds of Supernormal Power

o Divine Ear

o Understanding the Minds of Others

o Recollecting Manifold Past Lives

o Divine Eye sbc2013.udb Page 59

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o The Mind Made Body

o Various Kinds of Supernormal Power

o Divine Ear

o Understanding the Minds of Others

o Recollecting Manifold Past Lives } } = ???? o Divine Eye } sbc2013.udb Page 60

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o intoxicated with sense pleasures, o intoxicated with becoming, o (intoxicated with views), o intoxicated by ignorance.

Āsava – technical term for certain specified ideas which intointoxicatexicate the mind (bemuddlebemuddle it, befoozlebefoozleit, so that it cannot rise to higher things). (PTS's PED) sbc2013.udb Page 62

The Purpose ofof thethe Jh ānas

o intoxicated with sense pleasures, o intoxicated with becoming, o (intoxicated with views), o intoxicated by ignorance.

"Sa ṃsāra isnot a wheel – it's a drunken partyin a casino. Our job isto sober up, find the exit, and get out!" Eric Kolvig

What we are drunk on is the āsavas. sbc2013.udb Page 63

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, sbc2013.udb Page 64

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors,

The findings support the idea that, after extensive FA [Focused Attention] meditation training, minimal effort is necessary to sustain attentional focus. Expert meditators also showed less activation than novices in the amygdala during FA meditation in response to emotional sounds. Activation in this affective region correlated negatively with hours of practice in life. This finding may support the idea that advanced levels of concentration are associated with a significant decrease in emotionally reactive behaviors that are incompatible with stability of concentration. Collectively, these findings support the view that attention is a trainable skill that can be enhanced through the mental practice of FA meditation.

Richard J. Davidson and Antoine Lutz, Buddha’s Brain: Neuroplasticity and Meditation, IEEE Signal Processing Magazine September 2007, pp173-6 sbc2013.udb Page 65

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, o reduce your automatic fear response, sbc2013.udb Page 66

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, o reduce your automatic fear response,

The amygdala appears to be the brain structure which is at the verycenter of most of the brain events associated with fear. Just an 8-week mindfulness meditation program appeared to make measurable changes in brain regions associated with memory, sense of self, empathy and stress. The studyassociated with this 8-week program found decreased grey-matter density in the amygdala.

Massachusetts General Hospital. "Mindfulness meditation training changes brain structure in eight weeks." ScienceDaily, 21 Jan. 2011. sbc2013.udb Page 67

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, o reduce your automatic fear response, o move your emotional set point in the positive direction,

In his book Destructive EmotionsEmotions, Daniel Goleman discusses research that shows that negative emotional states are correlated with increased activity in the right prefrontal cortex and positive emotional states are correlated with increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex. He also states that the baseline activity of the prefrontal cortex provides an "emotional set point." Furthermore simply byspending increased amounts of time in positive emotional states and less time in negative emotional states, your emotional set point can be altered towards increased left prefrontal cortex activity – in other words, you can intentionally create a more positive emotional state as your default state.

Daniel Goleman, "Destructive Emotions" 2003, chpt 8, esp. p 194 and chpt 14, esp. 334-346. See also Daniel Goleman, "Finding Happiness: Cajole Your Brain to Lean to the Left", New York Times, February 04, 2003, available at http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/04/health/ behavior-finding-happiness-cajole-your-brain-to-lean-to-the- left.html?pagewanted=all&src=pm sbc2013.udb Page 69

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, o reduce your automatic fear response, o move your emotional set point in the positive direction, o provide pleasure more desirable than worldlypleasures, sbc2013.udb Page 70

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

In the Cūḷadukkhakkhandha Sutta (MN 14), the Buddha's cousin Mah ānāma the Sakyan says he understands, "‘Greed, hate, delusion [are] imperfections that defiles the mind.’ Yet while I understand the Dhamma taught bythe Blessed One thus, at times states of greed, hate, and delusion invade my mind and remain. I have wondered, venerable sir, what state is still unabandoned byme internally, owing to which at times these states of greed, hate, and delusion invade my mind and remain."

The Buddha replies "when a noble disciple has seen clearly as it actually is with proper wisdom that sensual pleasures provide little gratification, much suffering and despair, and that the danger in them is still more, and he attains to the rapture and pleasure that are apart from sensual pleasures, apart from unwholesome states, or to something more peaceful than that, then he is no longer attracted to sensual pleasures." In other words, understanding the drawbacks of greed, hate and delusion is not enough; the experience of rapture and pleasure that are apart from sensual pleasures, apart from unwholesome states are needed as well. This higher pleasure is available in the first and second jh ānas, and the higher jh ānas provide "something more peaceful than that." Thus the jh ānas serve as an antidote to getting lost in the pursuit of worldly pleasures. sbc2013.udb Page 71

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

...the four jh ānas that constitute the higher mind and provide a pleasant abiding here and now. (MN 6.9) sbc2013.udb Page 73

Other Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

Benefits ofof Jh āna Practice

Long Term o reduce effort necessaryto sustain attentional focus, o decrease emotionally reactive behaviors, o reduce your automatic fear response, o move your emotional set point in the positive direction,

Short Term o provide pleasure more desirable than worldlypleasures, o provide a pleasant abidinghere and now. o mind is concentrated, pure and bright, unblemished, free from defects, malleable, wieldy, steady and attained to imperturbability, o youyou cancan more powerfullypowerfullydirectsdirects andand inclines your mind toto knowing andand seeing what's actuallyactuallyhappeninghappening o WILD mind – directlyinduce lucid dreams where you can fly, walk on water, etc.

Ultimate Benefit o helpful for gaining the insights necessaryto end the āsavas = Liberation sbc2013.udb Page 75

Third Jh āna --EpilogueEpilogue

Further, with the fading awayof piti, one dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly comprehending, and experiences happiness with the body. ThThusus oneone enters andand dwells inin thethe thirdthird jhjh āna, ofof which thethe noble ones declare: "One dwells happily with equanimityequanimityandand mindfulness."

Since the noble ones are the awakened ones, does this mean that the third Jh āna feels something like full awakening?

Is the equanimitythe balanced state of mind between the extremes of dopamine activity and amygdala activity?

Does the mindfulness replace the default mode network activity?

Can we rewrite the description of the third jh āna as the following?

With the fading of norepinephrine generated bythe breakdown of the dopamine coming from the reward center, remaining equanimous, mindful & clearly aware – with continued opioid-based liking system activation, one experiences happiness throughout ones being. One enters & remains in the third jh āna, of which the Noble Ones declare, "With a balanced state of mind between the extremes of dopamine activity & amygdala activity and with mindfulness replacing default mode network activation, one has a pleasurable abiding."

Does this mean awakening is rewiring the mind so it is balanced between the extremes of dopamine activity & amygdala activity and with unrelenting automatic mindfulness replacing default mode network activation? sbc2013.udb Page 76

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