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<aside> 📋 Navigate Here 👇🏼
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<aside> 📌 THE IDEA OF
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According to this 2013 research paper by Michael R. Hagerty of University of California, Davis and Wellspring Institute, jhanas are “Altered States of Consciousness (ASC) that imply major brain changes based on subjective reports: (1) external awareness dims, (2) internal verbalizations fade, (3) the sense of personal boundaries is altered, (4) attention is highly focused on the object of meditation, and (5) joy increases to high levels.” Their findings revealed that experienced meditators entering jhana exhibit significant changes in brain activity across eleven regions and suggest a novel method of self-stimulation.
Here’s the kicker—the altered states of the jhanas are incredibly difficult to access because they often require specific instruction, hundreds of hours of practice, and, in some cases, significant trial and error. According to meditation teacher and author Lee Brasington:
“Don’t try to do the jhanas. You can’t. All you can do is generate the conditions out of which the jhanas can arise.”
The more you try to cultivate and maintain these states, the more elusive they become. By surrendering the notion of "doing" the jhanas and instead fostering the right conditions—intense concentration—skilled practitioners may find themselves immersed in euphoria, ecstasy, and delight.