Jhana Joy

This is a talk given at the Blooming Heart Sangha on September 15, 2022.

Cultivating the state of Jhana joy – take two

Last week, Karla gave a lovely talk on breathing.

Moreover, she gave us the guided experience of what it feels like to breathe and become aware of our breath.
Pause to be aware of our breath…….
I expect that we all have experienced moments of joy, pleasure and delight.
I want to talk about my practice of cultivating and expanding those moments if joy. Based on breath.
It is the practice of the 5 jhana factors, the precursors and precondition for the deep state of absorption: Jhana
The 5 Jhana factors are the path of deep concentration leading to: Jhana, samadhi.
I talked about this several years ago, and said I had a 6 month plan to explore the 5 jhana factors.
I’m still exploring. I’m still on the path, I’ve experienced lot, but still practicing. I now see the path differently. This is my current experience.

Summary: The 5 Jhana factors are steps along the path to cultivating deep concentration.

A path of deepening joy.
I’ve seen Thay refer to Jhana, but I haven’t seen him discuss the 5 steps I’m talking about.
He talks about the factors and about the state of absorption.
I have relied on authors like Shaila Catherine for identifying the path as the 5 steps.

First Step: Connecting

I direct attention to a chosen object: the breath as known
Connecting begins with the intention to know and become aware.
Connecting relies on relaxed, natural awareness of the physicality of the breath.
A focus on the breath as known. On the occurrence of breath.
Equivalent: the striking of the bell.

Second Step: Sustaining

Sustained attention on the chosen object: sustained attention on the breath as known
Starts getting harder
This sustaining of attention allows concentration to deepen
Equivalent: the reverberating bell, the steading hands of a potter.
Next step is easy: do nothing

Third Step: Rapturous interest

Surrender to inner bliss; allow it to happen naturally.
Natural feeling of lightness and pleasure when the first two steps occur.
I said it is easy, BUT: the first time it happened to me it scared me so much I was in my Doctor’s office the next day talking about the possibility of a stroke.
I’ve decided that this surrender to rapture is a developed skill; I now do it multiple times a day, without fear. It is easy.
Not some kind of random rapture; it is rapture out of attention to a specific object (for me: breath as known or some other tactile experience as known: eg. Momentary touching the chair fabric)

Fourth Step: Joy

Fifth Step: One-pointedness

These five are the 5 Jhana Factors

Set the stage, are prerequisites for Jhana absorption……absorption that can support insight or action, but it is not the same as insight or action.
I linger on these 5 factors; They are where I am; still working on them, getting familiar with them.
Jhana absorption is mostly out of my reach, though I sometimes think I see it in a distant mist.
I talked about the five as steps, and some authors, like Shaila, present them that way.
In true Thay fashion: I think if you really experience any one of them, you experience them all. All at once. And that is very nice.
Like 5-sided dice.

The 5 Jhana factors are a way of deep concentration; also a way of deep joy.

5 Jhana factors rely on awareness of the breath that Karla taught us about.
In my practice, I add other tactile experiences that I become aware of as known.
However, for most, the breath is pivotal, the breath is foundational.

This is how I use the breath; What about you?