Move into the second and third jhānas by letting factors fall away
Deepen not by adding but by releasing — first the effort of holding attention, then the excitement of rapture.
Perché funziona
In the standard formula, the second jhāna comes “as the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled,” with “internal clarity and mind at one” and rapture and bliss now born of immersion; the third comes “with the fading away of rapture,” equanimous, mindful and aware, in bliss (SN 45.8). Each step releases the coarsest remaining factor — the effort of attention, then the agitation within rapture — once it begins to feel like a disturbance rather than the point. AN 5.28 pictures the second as a lake filled by a spring from within and the third as lotuses thriving entirely underwater.
Come farlo
- Within the first jhāna, notice the slight effort involved in keeping attention placed.
- Let that effort relax; see whether attention stays with the pleasant state without being held — this is the shift the texts call the second jhāna.
- Over time, notice when rapture starts to feel coarse, buzzy or tiring.
- Incline gently toward the quieter contentment beneath it, letting the rapture fade — the texts’ third jhāna.
- If you fall out of the state, return to access concentration rather than trying to jump straight back in.
Prove scientifiche
The definitions are the discourses’ own (SN 45.8, AN 5.28, gathered with related passages in Bhikkhu Bodhi’s anthology), and the Visuddhimagga advises mastering each jhāna before reaching for the next. Brasington gives modern practical instructions for each transition. The support is textual and practitioner-based. (anecdotal)
No controlled research on these transitions; how distinct they feel varies a great deal between practitioners and lineages.
Fonti
- Sujato, B. (trans.). Analysis (Vibhaṅgasutta, Saṃyutta Nikāya 45.8). SuttaCentral.
- Sujato, B. (trans.). With Five Factors (Pañcaṅgikasutta, Aṅguttara Nikāya 5.28). SuttaCentral.
- Bodhi, B. (Ed.). (2005). In the Buddha’s Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pāli Canon. Boston: Wisdom Publications.
Errore comune
Treating the jhānas as a ladder to climb as fast as possible — reaching for the next one before the current state is stable tends to produce thin, half-imagined states rather than a real shift.
Metti in pratica questo con IX Coach
Altre pratiche per The Jhānas: The Four Stages of Meditative Absorption
- Treat the fading of the hindrances as the doorway
Absorption starts less with adding something special than with noticing the five hindrances quieten — and the gladness that follows.
- Recognise access concentration and stop pushing past it
Learn the bright, steady state just before absorption — and stop adding effort once you are there.
- Let a pleasant sensation grow into the first jhāna
From access concentration, rest attention on a pleasant feeling and allow it — without forcing — to build into rapture and happiness.
- Rest in the equanimity of the fourth jhāna
Let even pleasure fall away into a bright, even stillness that leans neither toward pleasant nor unpleasant.
- Know which depth of jhāna you are being taught
Identify whether your teacher or book means the lighter “sutta” jhānas or the far deeper Visuddhimagga absorptions — and measure yourself by one map.
- Emerge deliberately and review the jhāna factors
Come out of absorption slowly, then look back at which factors were present, what led in, and what ended it.
- Use jhāna as a basis for insight, not an end in itself
Turn the steady, unified mind of absorption back on the absorption itself and see it as changing and not-self.
- Learn deep absorption with a teacher — and know the difficulties
Deep concentration is traditionally learned within a teacher relationship, and intensive practice can bring unexpected experiences that are better met with support.
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