Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to The Jhanas

Description

The Buddhist jhanas--successive states of deep focus or meditative absorbtion--demystified. A very practical guidebook for meditators for navigating their way through these states of bliss and concentration. One of the elements of the Eightfold Patʼh the Buddha taught is Right Concentration: the one-pointedness of mind that, together with ethics, livelihood, meditation, and so forth, leads to the ultimate freedom from suffering. The Jhanas are the method the Buddha himself taught for achieving Right Concentration. They are a series of eight successive states, beginning with bliss and moving on toward radically nonconceptual states. The fact that they can usually be achieved only during prolonged meditation retreat tends to keep them shrouded in mystery. Leigh Brasington is here to unshroud them. He takes away the mystique and gives instructions for them in plain, accessible language, noting the various pitfalls to avoid along the way, and then providing a wealth of material on the theory of jhana practice--all geared toward the practitioner rather than the scholar. Abbreviation -- Preface -- Introduction -- Part One. Practical jhanas. The preliminaries ; Access concentration ; Entering the jhanas ; First jhana ; Second jhana ; Third jhana ; Fourth jhana ; Insight practice ; The immaterial jhanas ; With a mind thus concentrated -- Part Two. Demystified jhanas. Vitakka and vicara ; First jhana ; Second jhana ; Third jhana ; Fourth jhana ; The jhana summary ; Insight knowledge ; The immaterial states ; The cessation of perception and feeling ; The psychic powers ; Ending the asavas ; Other benefits of jhana practice -- Afterword -- Appendix 1. Frequently asked questions -- Appendix 2. Helpful things to do at the beginning and end of each meditation period -- Appendix 3. Access concentration methods -- Appendix 4. In or out : the relationship between jhana practice and insight practice -- Notes -- Glossary -- Bibliography -- Acknowledgment -- Index -- About the author.