《Eight Jhanas and what are they?》

In this modern days, there are many 'fake Jhanas '.

Because The mind of people nowadays keep wandering around, it is hard for them to be concentrated or be still.

So what is it like when being in a real Jhana?

Ajahn Brahm teaches that for all Jhānas

1. There is no possibility of thought;

2. No decision-making process is available;

3. There is no perception of time;

4. Consciousness is nondual, making comprehension inaccessible;

5. Yet one is very, very aware, but only of bliss that doesn't move;

6. The five senses are fully shut off, and only the sixth sense, mind, is in operation. In Short , only the mind left, the body has disappeared

These are the features of jhāna. So during a deep meditation, if one wonders whether it is jhāna or not, one can be certain it is not! No such thinking can exist within the stillness of jhāna. These features will only be recognized upon emergence from a jhāna, using reviewing mindfulness once the mind can move again.

【First Jhana】

First Jhana has five characteristics: Vitakka, Vicāra, piti, sukha, equanimity (upekkha)

some people may wander what is Vitakka and Vicāra.

As Ajahn Brahm described, in the first jhāna, there is some wobbles and movements discernible.

The bliss of first Jhana is so delicious that it can generate a small residue of attachment. The mind instinctively grasps at the bliss.

Because the bliss of the first jhāna is fueled by letting go, such involuntary grasping weakens the bliss.

Seeing the bliss weaken, the mind automatically lets go of its grasping, and the bliss increases in power again. The mind then grasps again, then lets go again. Such subtle involuntary movement gives rise to the wobble of the first jhāna.

This process can be perceived in another way. As the bliss weakens because of the involuntary grasping, it seems as if mindfulness moves a small distance away from the bliss. Then the mindfulness gets pulled back into the bliss as the mind automatically lets go. This back-and-forth movement is a second way of describing the wobble.

Vitakka is the automatic movement back into the bliss

vicara is the involuntary grasping of the bliss.

Describing vitakka and vicāra as "initial thought" and "sustained thought." are essentially incorrect, because one can never think in Jhanas! In Jhanas, vitakka and vicāra are only subverbal actions of the mind.

But of course, outside of jhāna, such movements of mind will often generate thought, and sometimes speech.

The Mind is in a state of oneness, because it sharply focuses on the bliss of Jhana, together with the first Jhana wobble. It is not aware to the world of the five senses and one's physical body

【Between First Jhana and Second Jhana】

As the first jhāna deepens, the wobble lessens and the bliss consolidates. One comes to a state where vicāra is still holding on to the bliss with the most subtle of grasping, but this is not enough to cause any instability in the bliss. The bliss doesn't decrease as a result of vicara, nor does mindfulness seem to move away from the source.

The bliss is so strong that vicăra cannot disturb it. Although vicāra is still active, there is no longer any vitakka, no movement of mind back to the source of bliss. The wobble has gone. This is a jhāna state described in the suttas as without vitakka but with a small measure of vicara (MN 128 , AN8.63).

【Second Jhana】

As the bliss strengthens into immutable stability, there is no purpose for vicāra to hold on anymore. At this point, the mind becomes fully confident, enough to let go absolutely. With this final letting go, born of inner confidence in the stability of the bliss, vicāra disappears and one enters the second jhāna proper.

The mind has no longer any movements. Luang Por pramote describes that upon entering the second Jhana, the mind let go of its initial object, and go reversely to find itself. We can gain an incredibly strong knower in the second Jhana.

【Third Jhana】

In the Second Jhana; the mind, the knower becomes still.

Now, upon entering the third Jhana, the object of the mind gradually becomes still.

In Second pīti-sukha come together as bliss, but now only sukha left. The bliss becomes more refine. pīti is a more exciting happiness, sukha  is a more serene happiness.

Buddha describes Third Jhana with 'mindfulness (sati), clear knowing (sampajañña), and equanimity (upekkhā)' , although these qualities are said in the Anupada Sutta (MN 111) to be present in all jhānas. But in this very deep jhāna , one is exceрtionally mindful, very clear in the knowing, and so still that one looks on without moving, which is the root meaning of equanimity (upekkhā).

【Forth Jhana】

Upon entering the fourth Jhana, even the sukha (happiness) disappears, leaving only an extremely long-lasting and unchanging, perfection of peace. Ajahn Brahm describes it as 'contentment' and 'supremely delightful'.

【mind base of infinite space】

This attaintment is entered by imagining expanding something in your mind infinitely, focus on that outward expansion , especially the edge of expansion. Then replace the whole thing with empty space. Ajahn Brahm describes this attaintment also as having 'mindfulness, powerful, still, and purified'

【mind base  of infinite consciousness】

Then shift your attention  from the space to your consciousness of the space. Being conscious of your consciousness , being aware of your awareness.

It feels like that you become absorbed into the space and your mind now becomes as big as the space; as Leigh Brasington describes it.

【mind base  of nothingness】

Then be aware that the content of that consciousness is nothing, as the sense of space is long gone. So we put our attention on this sense of nothingness

Then we can enter this Jhana.

【mind base  of neither perception nor nonperception】

Pak Auk Sayadaw then instructs to focus on the mind of nothingness as 'peace, peace' . Ajahn Brahm describes this kind of perception lies within the perception of nothingness , it is the perception of not even nothing .

Once we can pereceive that ,and then the nothingness collapses and come to rest in front of us, the perception of nothingness disappears and is replaced by the perception of neither perception nor non-perception

Luang Por Pramote describes that the perception becomes weaker and weaker, dimmer and dimmer; but mindfulness is still there.

《何謂四禪八定？》

現今社會充斥著許多「假禪那」。由於現代人的心不斷散亂，要定下來極為困難。

那麼，真正的禪那究竟是什麼樣的呢？

Ajahn Brahm 教導，所有禪那皆具備以下特徵：

1.不可能有任何念頭；

2.無法進行決策或思考；

3.失去時間感；

4.意識處於非二元狀態，無法概念化理解；

5.卻又極度清醒，僅覺知不動搖的極樂；

五種感官（眼耳鼻舌身）完全關閉，只有心還在運作——簡言之，僅存單一的心，身體的感知已完全消失。

這些是禪那的標誌。若在定中思考「這是禪那嗎？」，即可確定那並非禪那！禪那中不容許任何念頭，唯有出定後以「省察的正念」回顧時，方能辨識這些特徵。

【初禪】

初禪具五種組成要素：尋（vitakka）、伺（vicāra）、喜（pīti）、樂（sukha）、捨（upekkhā）。

許多人困惑何謂「尋」與「伺」。Ajahn Brahm 解釋：初禪中仍有細微的「晃動」。

初禪的至樂如此美妙，會引發一絲執取（心本能地抓取樂受）。但禪樂源自「放下」，執取反而削弱極樂→心自動鬆開→極樂再度增強→又再度抓取……此循環形成初禪的「晃動」。

這種現象亦可描述為：

尋（vitakka）：心自動回歸極樂的動作

伺（vicāra）：心不自覺依偎極樂的慣性

將二者譯為「思考」是錯誤的，因禪那中根本無法思考！它們僅是心不構成言語的動作。

此時心處於單一的狀態，專注於那個極樂與微細的晃動，對五感官所體驗到的世界（包括身體）毫無知覺。

【初禪與二禪之間】

隨禪定加深，晃動減弱，那個極樂趨於穩定。抵達一種狀態：

伺（vicāra）仍以最微細的方式依偎樂受，但已不足影響其穩定性

尋（vitakka）完全消失（對應經文MN 128所述「無尋唯伺」）

【二禪】

當樂受堅固到無法動搖，心絕對地自信，連「伺」也放下，進入純粹的二禪。

隆波帕默尊者形容：此時心放下所緣，逆流來找心，獲得非常強大的「知者」。

【三禪】

在二禪中，「知者」已靜止；進入三禪後，「所緣」也逐漸靜止。

二禪的「喜和樂」此時只剩下樂，三禪則僅餘更精微平靜的「樂」（sukha），不像喜那樣具刺激性。佛陀強調此階段具備：

正念（sati）

正知（sampajañña）

捨（upekkhā）

（雖這些品質存在於各禪，但在三禪中尤為顯著）

【四禪】

連「樂」也消失，僅存持久不變的極致平靜。Ajahn Brahm 稱之為「滿足」與「至高無上的愉悅」。

【空無邊處定】

透過想像某物無限擴張，專注其邊際的擴充→然後將整體替換為虛空。此定亦具「正念，強大、清淨」。

【識無邊處定】

將注意力從「空間」轉向「覺知空間的覺知者（心）」——覺知自己的覺知（心），此時心如融入那個空間（Leigh Brasington形容「心如虛空般廣大」）。

【無所有處定】

覺知此心所包含的內容其實什麼都沒有，就算是對空間的覺知也早已離去。

專注於「一無所有」的感知。

我們就能進入這個禪那。

【非想非非想處定】

帕奧禪師指導專注於無所有處的禪心為‘平靜，平靜’；Ajahn Brahm 則描述此類‘想’ （認知）潛藏於一無所有想（認知）。這一種甚至不是對‘無’的認知。

當我們能如此認知，那種‘無’就會在我們心中坍塌，無所有的認知消失，被非想非非想所取代。隆波帕默指出：‘想蘊就會越來越弱，界定就會越來越弱，…想蘊越來越柔弱，直到有點模糊了，說有想蘊也不對，說沒有想蘊也不對。’ ‘但是正念依然沒有斷’