Researchers at Hong Kong’s Center of Buddhist Studies have published findings that point to a connection between the heart and the mind. Buddhism has long asserted a connection between the heart and the mind. The Sanskrit word citta and the Japanese word kokoro each translate to English as both “heart” and “mind.” Now, Buddhist researchers are trying to identify that [...]
Entering the Jhanas
Entering the jhanas is not easy—the harder you try, the more difficult it becomes. But as Leigh Brasington explains, you can make yourself ready for them to open up to you. Perhaps no aspect of the Buddha's teaching has been both more misunderstood and neglected than right concentration. Yet right concentration is obviously an integral part of the Buddha's path to awakening: [...]
How Jhana Quells the Five Hindrances
If you think you’re seeing things as they really are, think again, says Ajahn Brahm. Unless you’ve had the deep experience of letting go known as the jhana states, there is only a myriad of illusions. Meditation is the way of letting go. First you let go of all perceptions of time to enter the timeless present moment. Then you let go of inner speech to rest peacefully in [...]
The Taste of Liberation: The Jhanas
The jhanas, says Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, are powerful mental states offering practitioners a window into the experience of enlightenment. Here he explains the benefits of jhana and how even relatively new practitioners can start to enter these states through deep concentration meditation. The jhanas are states of mental function that can be reached through deep [...]