Merle, Yes, absolutely. But don't take my word for it - it's available to anyone regardless of race, sex, age or belief system etc. People were doing it long before the Buddha, but he used the state to a) calm the mind b) to really inquire deeply into bodily sensation and its effect on the mind. From that enquiry he found that all phenonema arise and pass, attaching or averting leads to suffering and c) there is no solid 'self' for phenomena to happen to.
The first of these techniques (to just calm the mind) is called samattha in Pali and means tranquillity. The second, which involves insight, is called vipassana in Pali and is essential for wisdom. In samattha meditation there isn't really any insight wisdom that leads to liberation from suffering BUT the factors involved in these jhanic states is *very* pleasurable, both physically and mentally. I've tried ecstasy (the drug) and the jhanas leave it in the dark. Like drugs tho, entering into the jhanas can be very addictive and so caution is advised. Mike ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012, 3:13 Subject: Re: [Zen] hear and mind...and dare i say soul thank you mike... bliss eh?...merle Sure, I understand where you're coming from, but the practice of the jhanas is actually quite a technical practice, usually using the breath as an object of meditation. When concentration is focused and deep enough, it is possible to go into a one-pointed state of concentration where thoughts cease and there is a feeling of bliss that pervades the body-mind (1st jhana). Depending on how well/often the practioner has been practicing, there are another 7 jhanas that can be experienced. I know that probably sounds wacky to someone who hasn't experienced, or studied them, but it is what the Buddha (re)discovered and is the Right Concentration part of the Noble Eightfold Path. I think Anthony and JM would probably agree that talking about the heart and mind can be confusing in the language of Buddhism. It is now more commonly accepted that mind means the cognitive, thinking and imaginative part of experience; heart (alone) is the emotional/feeling part and heart-mind is the total experience of the personality. Of course there is an overlap of sorts, but we can see that thinking about our dead grandmother has a different effect than doing mental arithmetic. Hope that helps. Mike ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012, 1:43 Subject: [Zen] hear and mind...and dare i say soul the mind huh?..if the heart is broken how do we calm the mind and forget the heart ? all is interconnected.. heart / mind. soul merle Merle, The purpose of the jhanas is to calm the mind, for its own sake, or to make it more conducive to insight meditation (vipassana). Not really anything to do with the heart, at least not directly. Mike ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Friday, 7 September 2012, 1:30 Subject: Fw: [Zen] Jhana: heart..correction correction...sorry... were we not discussing the heart and it's "purpose"...merle note the word..... heart.... we we not discussing heart and it's purpose?...merle Merle, What are you telling us by re-posting this quote? ________________________________ From: Merle Lester <[email protected]> To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, 6 September 2012, 23:39 Subject: Re: [Zen] Jhana: heart , "we would reach the state of Jhana, where our heart would be joyful, content and loving, as well as in most of our daily lives, we would be connected to the wisdom of each moment naturally, effortlessly, automatically without thinking."
