Categories: Dhyana: Practical Training
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Today, we continue our exploration of the spiritual life, especially for those of you who are practically applying these teachings. We have previously introduced a meditation method we call the ‘Practical Third Eye Meditation.’ For those who have awakened the Third Eye through this practice, attaining deep states of concentration, or Jhanas, becomes remarkably accessible. We have shared teachings on the formless absorptions, the Arupavacara Jhanas, in our previous articles, covering ‘Infinite Space,’ ‘Infinite Consciousness,’ ‘Nothingness,’ and ‘Neither Perception nor Non-Perception.’
This article is intended to bring these four teachings together, creating a clear, sequential guide for those with an awakened Third Eye. I want to explain the practical steps and arrange the path in a way that is easy to follow. First, let’s briefly touch upon the nature of Jhana. In our ‘To the Brahma Realms’ series, we practically detailed the first four Jhanas, which are based on form and are known as the Rupavacara Jhanas.
These first four are the foundation, no matter which world you explore. Beyond them lie the four Arupavacara Jhanas, making a total of eight stages of deep absorption. What is unique, and something not often taught in recent times, is that those with an awakened Third Eye can access these formless states with great ease. They can attain, master, and unify their minds in these profound states. While these teachings existed in previous eras, they have become scarce. That is why we are dedicated to sharing them again.
Before we begin, I ask that you read this teaching sequentially, from beginning to end. Doing so will likely resolve any questions that arise and clarify the entire process. If your Third Eye is awakened, this will be a practical map. If not, it will provide you with a profound understanding. It is also essential to explore our previous articles on this topic, as they provide even more detail. Now, let’s begin by understanding who can undertake this practice and how to start.
The Prerequisite: Seeing the Inner Sky
The first question is, who is ready for this practice? In our earlier teaching on ‘Infinite Space’ (the tenth part of the Third Eye series), I mentioned that even those who see light signs or mental images (nimittas) could try. However, to truly and easily enter the first of the Arupavacara Jhanas, which is the fifth Jhana in the full sequence of eight, the most suitable practitioners are those whose Third Eye is fully awakened.
Why is this? The gateway to the first formless state is the perception of infinite space, which we call Akasa, or ‘sky.’ This meditation is named Akasanancayatana, meaning the sphere of infinite space. To enter this state, your mind must be significantly purified. For someone who hasn’t attained stream-entry or higher paths, this means their defilements (kilesas) must be subdued and settled.
Think of a muddy lake; only when the sediment settles does the water become clear. Likewise, the mind must be calm for these Jhanas to arise. A certain level of moral discipline (sila) and purity, especially regarding sensual restraint, is essential. This doesn’t mean you must be a long-term practitioner; even someone starting today can succeed if their mind is settled. However, if your virtue is weak, or if sensual desires and ulterior motives are still strong, you will find it difficult to generate this state.
The key indicator that you are ready is the ability to see the ‘sky’ in your meditation. This isn’t just a fleeting image. In our ‘Third Eye’ series, the final stage before full awakening involves seeing a clear, open sky. If you can perceive this sky, having moved beyond light signs and mental images, then you are a suitable candidate for cultivating the Arupavacara Jhanas. The time it takes varies for each person, it could be a few hours, days, weeks, months, or even a year. The journey is personal. If you see this inner sky, let us explore how to enter the first formless realm.
Entering the First Formless Jhana: The Sphere of Infinite Space
Once you can perceive the inner sky, the practice is straightforward. Instead of using the sky as a basis to visualize other objects like the Ruwanwelisaya stupa (as taught in other Third Eye practices), your focus will shift. Those who wish to enter the Jhanas should simply gaze at this inner sky and begin to contemplate the meditation phrase: “Akasa Anantai.”
Chant this mentally, not too fast and not too slow. Akasa means ‘sky’ or ‘space,’ and Anantai means ‘infinite’ or ‘endless.’ So you are contemplating, ‘Space is infinite.’ The sky you perceive may appear in many forms: a twilight sky, a bright morning sky, a deep blue midday sky, a sky with soft white clouds, or even a purple evening sky. It doesn’t matter. Initially, it might appear contained within a circle or as if on a screen. For others, it might fill the entire field of your inner vision.
As you continue the contemplation, “Akasa Anantai”, the perception will expand. A small patch of sky will grow larger. The clouds may disappear, leaving only a boundless, empty sky that you feel cannot be measured. A thought will naturally arise from within, a realization from the heart of your practice: “This sky I see is truly endless!” This is the core understanding. You can continue to use the Pali phrase, or a simple thought like, “The sky is infinite,” or “This space cannot be measured.” The words are a tool to focus the mind and deepen the absorption.
As you repeat this, your mind becomes more and more unified with the object. This is the beginning of the first of the Arupavacara Jhanas.
The Profound Bliss of Jhana: Beyond Worldly Pleasures
As your mind unifies with the perception of infinite space, something remarkable happens. All worldly thoughts cease. Please do not confuse Jhana with ordinary concentration (samadhi). In Jhana, sensual thoughts are completely blocked. Financial problems, family worries, your job, your possessions, your friends, thoughts of lust or anger, none of them can enter the mind. The mental stream that carries these thoughts is temporarily cut off.
Because of this cessation, you begin to experience a profound mental bliss, a happiness completely different from any worldly pleasure. It is a joy far superior to what you might seek in nightclubs, on trips, or through any sensual indulgence. This mental and physical well-being is the hallmark of the Jhanas, from the first all the way to the eighth. I’ve encountered some practitioners, often older individuals, who struggle to grasp this.
They mistake a light state of concentration. where thoughts still arise and external sounds are heard, for Jhana. They might be meditating but still thinking about the gold jewelry in their cupboard at home, yet believe they are in Jhana. This is due to a lack of wisdom (panna). They become stuck because they cannot differentiate the states. No matter how much it is explained, they fail to understand.
Let me be clear: the bliss of Jhana is so powerful that if you truly experience it, you will become ‘addicted’ to meditation in a way that is a thousand times stronger than any addiction to drugs or alcohol. This is not to encourage addiction in a negative sense, but to illustrate the sheer power and purity of this state. This is why sages, ascetics, and monks renounce the world; they have found a happiness that worldly life cannot offer.
So, as you practice with “Akasa Anantai,” you will notice the body feeling light, and you may feel as if you are rising upwards, like being in an elevator or a lift. This is the astral body or mental body aligning for Jhanic absorption. Do not be afraid. Many people get scared by this sensation, fearing they won’t be able to return, and they abandon the meditation. These are misguided fears. Allow the sensations to unfold. This is the path to a profound physical and mental peace.
Mastering the Jhanas and Progressing to Higher States
With continued practice, entering the state of ‘Infinite Space’ becomes effortless. You won’t need to constantly repeat the phrase. Your mind, having been trained, will naturally incline towards it. You could be sitting on a bus, and by simply straightening your back and closing your eyes, your mind will automatically enter this Jhana. The time it takes to reach this level of mastery is different for everyone.
As you progress through the eight Jhanas, each successive state is more powerful and refined than the last. The second is deeper than the first, the third than the second, and so on, until you reach the eighth, which is the most sublime. It’s like advancing through levels of education in the worldly sense.
In the first of the Arupavacara Jhanas, the absence of sensual thoughts is even more pronounced than in the preceding form Jhanas. The body feels incredibly light, almost non-existent. This state is profoundly healing for conditions like migraines or depression, offering a cure beyond what any medicine can provide, based entirely on your own effort and practice.
You can also intentionally extend the duration you spend in a Jhana. If you can stay for twenty minutes, you can make a resolution, an act of will (adhitthana), to stay for an hour. Simply form the intention: “May I remain in this peaceful state for longer.” You will find that the mind obeys.
From the mastery of ‘Infinite Space’, you can move to the next stage. After abiding in the first formless state for some time, a new perception will arise. You will see countless celestial beings, or Brahmas, because these Jhanas are connected to their realms.
Then, suddenly, these visions will vanish, and the experience of infinite space will be replaced by a new contemplation, the second of the Arupavacara Jhanas. The experience changes, like tasting a new food. If ‘Infinite Space’ was like eating milk rice with spicy sambol, this new state is like tasting string hoppers, a completely different flavor. This is the Sphere of Infinite Consciousness (Vinnanancayatana).
The Summit of Formless Absorption: Nothingness and Beyond
After mastering ‘Infinite Consciousness,’ you progress to the third of the Arupavacara Jhanas: the Sphere of Nothingness (Akincannayatana). The experience shifts again, like moving from string hoppers to macaroni, another new taste. Here, the focus is on the absence of everything. You abide in a state of ’emptiness’ or ‘void.’
Beyond this lies the final and most subtle of the worldly absorptions, the eighth Jhana: the Sphere of Neither Perception nor Non-Perception (Nevasannanasannayatana). In this state, there is no meditation word to repeat.
You simply abide. It is a state between sleeping and waking, with a bliss even more profound than the previous one. Thoughts of ‘being’ or ‘not being’ do not arise. External sounds are completely blocked, as if your ears have been severed. If someone were to shout into your ear, it would sound like a faint cry from kilometers away.
The body is not felt at all. Aches, pains, and even the posture itself are transcended. This is a crucial point for those with less wisdom to grasp: in these deep states, the physical body disappears from awareness. Some might mistake this profound peace for Nibbana (liberation), but it is not. It is the peak of worldly, conditioned existence.
The physical body enters a state of temporary suspension. Some practitioners report only the brain functioning; others say the brain and heart. For the one experiencing it, it feels as if only the heart is beating. This is a glimpse into the power of the mind to transcend the physical form, a power accessible to anyone regardless of race, creed, gender, or age who undertakes the practice.
This is the sequence of the four Arupavacara Jhanas. Each step is a new flavor, a deeper peace, a more powerful state of mind, felt as if you are ascending higher and higher, locking into a new level of reality.
Practical Application and the Path to Liberation
This teaching has been long because the details of the Arupavacara Jhanas are profound. Many have asked for these practical instructions, which are based on direct experience, not just book knowledge. You can read about these states in the Abhidhamma Pitaka or in the works of great masters like Venerable Rerukane Chandawimala Thero, but our goal here is to translate the lived experience into words.
These practices will greatly enhance your memory, your spiritual energy, and your psychic abilities if you have any. The development of your energy centers (chakras) and spiritual power (kundalini) is greatly accelerated, especially upon reaching the eighth Jhana. This path of Jhana is one of the ways to approach Nibbana.
Although these are worldly (lokiya) states, they can be made supramundane (lokuttara). The Buddha taught four paths to liberation, including developing tranquility first and then insight (Samatha-pubbangama Vipassana), and this practice falls under that category. Do not limit yourselves to books or what others say. Test these things for yourself. No matter what your life is like, whether filled with worldly troubles or lived in comfort, I urge you to explore these methods. They will be of immense help.
To deepen your understanding, I strongly recommend you read our previous articles in the ‘Practical Third Eye Meditation’ series, specifically parts 10, 11, 12, and 13, which cover each of the Arupavacara Jhanas in great detail. I will now conclude this practical teaching on attaining the formless absorptions for those with an awakened Third Eye.
Final Blessing
By the power and blessings of the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the Sangha, the Triple Gem, may you all be able to thoroughly understand these teachings, apply them practically, and mindfully develop your spiritual and meditative lives. With this blessing, I conclude today’s teaching.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments section below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
