W ISDOM A CADEMY

Meditation in the Theravada

Abhidhamma
BHIKKHU BODHI

Lesson 4:
The Jhānas

Reading:
“The Four Jhānas: Sutta Descriptions and
Abhidhamma Analysis”
by Bhikkhu Bodhi
 THE FOUR JHĀNAS: SUTTA DESCRIPTIONS
AND ABHIDHAMMA ANALYSIS

First Jhāna
Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells
in the first jhāna, which consists of rapture (zest) and happiness born of seclusion, accompanied
by applied thought and sustained thought (initial application & sustained application).

Five factors: applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, happiness (pleasant feeling), one-
pointedness of mind

Second Jhāna
With the subsiding of applied thought and sustained thought, one enters and dwells in the second
jhāna, which has internal placidity and unification of mind and consists of rapture and happiness
born of concentration, without applied thought and sustained thought.

Three factors: rapture, happiness (pleasant feeling), one-pointedness of mind

Third Jhāna
With the fading away as well of rapture, one dwells equanimous and, mindful and clearly
comprehending, experiences happiness (pleasant feeling) with the body; one enters and dwells in
the third jhāna of which the noble ones declare: ‘Equanimous, mindful, one dwells happily.'

Two factors: happiness (pleasant feeling), one-pointedness of mind

Fourth Jhāna
With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and
dejection, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, neither painful nor pleasant, which has
purification of mindfulness by equanimity.

Two factors: neither painful nor pleasant feeling, one-pointedness of mind

Four immaterial attainments: base of infinite space, etc.

Two factors: neither painful nor pleasant feeling, one-pointedness of mind

Abhidhamma Fivefold Method

First Jhāna
Here, secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, one enters and dwells
in the first jhāna, which consists of rapture (zest) and happiness born of seclusion, accompanied
by applied thought and sustained thought (initial application & sustained application).

Five factors: applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, happiness (pleasant feeling), one-
pointedness of mind

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Second Jhāna
Here one enters and dwells in the second jhāna, which has internal placidity and unification of
mind and consists of rapture and happiness born of concentration, without applied thought but
with sustained thought only.

Four factors: sustained thought, rapture, happiness (pleasant feeling), one-pointedness of mind

Third Jhāna
With the subsiding of applied thought and sustained thought, one enters and dwells in the second
jhāna, which has internal placidity and unification of mind and consists of rapture and happiness
born of concentration, without applied thought and sustained thought.

Three factors: rapture, happiness (pleasant feeling), one-pointedness of mind

Fourth Jhāna
With the fading away as well of rapture, one dwells equanimous and, mindful and clearly
comprehending, experiences happiness (pleasant feeling) with the body; one enters and dwells in
the third jhāna of which the noble ones declare: ‘Equanimous, mindful, one dwells happily.'

Two factors: happiness (pleasant feeling), one-pointedness of mind

Fifthe Jhāna
With the abandoning of pleasure and pain, and with the previous passing away of joy and
dejection, he enters and dwells in the fourth jhāna, neither painful nor pleasant, which has
purification of mindfulness by equanimity.

Two factors: neither painful nor pleasant feeling, one-pointedness of mind

Four immaterial attainments: base of infinite space, etc.

Two factors: neither painful nor pleasant feeling, one-pointedness of mind

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Strengthening the Jhānas
(from Vism chap IV)

123. And when he recaptures those modes by apprehending the sign, he reaches
absorption, but is not yet able to make it last long. It lasts long when it is absolutely purified
from states that obstruct concentration.
124. When a bhikkhu enters upon a jhāna without [first] completely suppressing lust by
reviewing the dangers in sense desires, etc., and without [first] completely tranquillizing ill will
by the appropriate means, and without [first] completely removing dullness and drowsiness by
bringing to mind the elements of initiative, etc., and without [first] completely stilling
restlessness and worry by bringing to mind the sign of serenity, etc., and without [first]
completely purifying his mind of other things that obstruct concentration, then that bhikkhu soon
comes out of that jhāna again, like a bee that has gone into an unpurified hive, like a king who
has gone into an unclean park.
125. But when he enters upon a jhāna after [first] completely purifying his mind of things
that obstruct concentration, then he remains in the attainment even for a whole day, like a bee
that has gone into a completely purified hive, like a king who has gone into a perfectly clean
park.
When a beginner has reached the first jhāna in this sign, he should enter upon it often
without reviewing it much. For the first jhāna factors occur crudely and weakly in one who
reviews it much. Then because of that they do not become conditions for higher endeavour.
While he is endeavouring for the unfamiliar [higher jhāna] he falls away from the first jhāna and
fails to reach the second. Before attempting to reach the second jhāna, the meditator should attain
the five kinds of mastery over the first jhāna: mastery in adverting, mastery in attaining, mastery
in resolving (steadying the duration), mastery in emerging, and mastery in reviewing.

Passing on to the higher jhānas

131. Therefore he should acquire mastery in the five ways first of all with respect to the
first jhána. Herein, these are the five kinds of mastery: mastery in adverting, mastery in attaining,
mastery in resolving (steadying the duration), mastery in emerging, and mastery in reviewing.
“He adverts to the first jhána where, when, and for as long as, he wishes; he has no difficulty in
adverting; thus it is mastery in adverting. He attains the first jhána where, when, and for as long
as, he wishes, he has no difficulty in attaining; thus it is mastery in attaining,” etc.
137. When he has once acquired mastery in these five ways, then on emerging from the
now familiar first jhāna he can regard the flaws in it in this way: “This attainment is threatened
by the nearness of the hindrances, and its factors are weakened by the grossness of the applied
and sustained thought.” He can bring the second jhāna to mind as quieter and so end his
attachment to the first jhāna and set about doing what is needed for attaining the second.
138. When he has emerged from the first jhāna, applied and sustained thought appear
gross to him as he reviews the jhāna factors with mindfulness and full awareness, while rapture
and happiness and unification of mind appear peaceful. Then, as he brings that same sign to mind
as “earth, earth” again and again, [his mind enters the second jhāna].
[A similar procedure is used to advance to the higher jhānas: to go to the third, rapture
appears gross, and a state with happiness free of rapture appears peaceful; and to go to the fourth,
happiness appears gross, and neutral feeling peaceful.]

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Attaining the immaterial (formless) attainments
(from Vism chap X)

[(1) THE BASE CONSISTING OF BOUNDLESS SPACE]

5. So when he has become indifferent to the kasiṇa, the object of the fourth jhāna, and
wants to get away from it, he achieves mastery in the five ways. Then on emerging from the
fourth jhāna of the fine-material sphere, he sees the danger in that jhāna in this way: “It is still
involved with a perceived form,” and “It has joy as its near enemy,” and “It is grosser than the
peaceful liberations.”
6. When he has seen the danger in that [fine-material fourth jhāna] in this way and has
ended his attachment to it, he gives his attention to the base of boundless space as peaceful.
Then, when he has spread out the kasiṇa to the limit of the world-sphere, or as far as he likes, he
removes the kasiṇa by giving his attention to the space occupied by it, [regarding that] as “space”
or “boundless space.”
7. When he is removing it, he neither folds it up like a mat nor withdraws it like a cake
from a tin. He simply does not advert to it or give attention to it or review it, but gives his
attention exclusively to the space occupied by it, [regarding that] as “space, space.”
8. And when the kasiṇa is being removed, it does not roll up or roll away. It is simply that
it is called “removed” on account of his non-attention to it, his attention being given to “space,
space.” This is conceived as the mere space left by the removal of the kasiṇa.
9. He adverts again and again to the sign of the space left by the removal of the kasiṇa as
“space, space,” and strikes at it with thought and applied thought. As he adverts to it again and
again and strikes at it with thought and applied thought, the hindrances are suppressed,
mindfulness is established, and his mind becomes concentrated in access. He cultivates that sign
again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it.
10. As he again and again adverts to it and gives attention to it in this way, consciousness
belonging to the base consisting of boundless space arises in absorption with the space as object.
11. When the immaterial-sphere consciousness has arisen in this way, the bhikkhu, who
has been formerly looking at the kasiṇa disk with the jhāna eye finds himself looking at space
after that sign has been abruptly removed by the attention given in the preliminary work thus
“space, space.” He is like a man who has plugged an opening in a pot with a piece of blue, red,
yellow, or white rag and is looking at that, and then when the rag is removed, he finds himself
looking at the space it occupied.

[(2) THE BASE CONSISTING OF BOUNDLESS CONSCIOUSNESS]

25. When he wants to develop the base consisting of boundless consciousness, he must
first achieve mastery in the five ways over the attainment of the base consisting of boundless
space. Then he should see the danger in the base consisting of boundless space in this way:
“This attainment has the fine-material jhána as its near enemy, and it is not as peaceful as the
base consisting of boundless consciousness.” So having ended his attachment to that, he should
give his attention to the base consisting of boundless consciousness as peaceful, adverting again
and again as “consciousness, consciousness” to the consciousness that occurred pervading that
space [as its object]. He should give it attention, review it, and strike at it with applied and
sustained thought.
26. As he directs his mind again and again on to that sign in this way, the hindrances are
suppressed, mindfulness is established, and his mind becomes concentrated in access. He

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cultivates that sign again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it. As he does so,
consciousness belonging to the base consisting of boundless consciousness arises in absorption
with the [past] consciousness that pervaded the space [as its object].

[(3) THE BASE CONSISTING OF NOTHINGNESS]

32. When he wants to develop the base consisting of nothingness, he must first achieve
mastery in the five ways in the attainment in the base consisting of boundless consciousness.
Then he should see the danger in the base consisting of boundless consciousness in this way:
“This attainment has the base consisting of boundless space as its near enemy, and it is not as
peaceful as the base consisting of nothingness.” So having ended his attachment to that, he
should give his attention to the base consisting of nothingness as peaceful. He should give
attention to the [present] non-existence, voidness, secluded aspect, of that same [past]
consciousness belonging to the base consisting of boundless space, which became the object of
[the consciousness belonging to] the base consisting of boundless consciousness. How does he
do this?
33. Without giving [further] attention to that consciousness, he should [now] advert again
and again in this way, “there is not, there is not,” or “void, void,” or “secluded, secluded,” and
give his attention to it, review it, and strike at it with thought and applied thought.
34. As he directs his mind on to that sign thus, the hindrances are suppressed,
mindfulness is established, and his mind becomes concentrated in access. He cultivates that sign
again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it. As he does so, consciousness belonging to
the base consisting of nothingness arises in absorption, making its object the void, secluded, non-
existent state of that same [past] exalted consciousness that occurred pervading the space.

[(4) THE BASE CONSISTING OF NEITHER PERCEPTION NOR NON-PERCEPTION]

40. When, however, he wants to develop the base consisting of neither perception nor
non-perception, he must first achieve mastery in the five ways in the attainment of the base
consisting of nothingness. Then he should see the danger in the base consisting of nothingness
and the advantage in what is superior to it in this way: “This attainment has the base consisting
of boundless consciousness as its near enemy, and it is not as peaceful as the base consisting of
neither perception nor non-perception,” or in this way: “Perception is a boil, perception is a dart
… this is peaceful, this is sublime, that is to say, neither perception nor non-perception” (M II
231). So having ended his attachment to the base consisting of nothingness, he should give
attention to the base consisting of neither perception non non-perception as peaceful. He should
advert again and again to that attainment of the base consisting of nothingness that has occurred
making non-existence its object, adverting to it as “peaceful, peaceful,” and he should give his
attention to it, review it and strike at it with thought and applied thought.
41. As he directs his mind again and again on to that sign in this way, the hindrances are
suppressed, mindfulness is established, and his mind becomes concentrated in access. He
cultivates that sign again and again, develops and repeatedly practices it. As he does so,
consciousness belonging to the base consisting of neither perception nor non-perception arises in
absorption making its object the four [mental] aggregates that constitute the attainment of the
base consisting of nothingness.

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THE SUPERNORMAL POWERS

(1) "He wields the various kinds of psychic potency: having been one, he becomes many;
having been many, he becomes one; he appears and vanishes; he goes unhindered through a wall,
through a rampart, through a mountain as though through space; he dives in and out of the earth
as though it were water; he walks on water without sinking as though it were earth; seated cross-
legged, he travels through the sky like a bird; with his hand he touches and strokes the moon and
sun so powerful and mighty; he exercises mastery with the body as far as the brahmā world.
(2) "With the divine ear element, which is purified and surpasses the human, he hears
both kinds of sounds, the divine and human, those that are far as well as near.
(3) "He understands the minds of other beings and persons, having encompassed them
with his own mind….
"He recollects his manifold past abodes, that is, one birth, two births, three births, four
births, five births … a hundred thousand births, many eons of world-dissolution, many eons of
world-evolution, many eons of world-dissolution and world-evolution… Thus he recollects his
manifold past abodes with their aspects and details.
(5) "With the divine eye, which is purified and surpasses the human, he sees beings
passing away and being reborn, inferior and superior, beautiful and ugly, fortunate and
unfortunate, and he understands how beings fare on in accordance with their kamma.

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