Richard Jones, London Buddhist Vihara, 11/1/17; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly
5. Jhana: Attaining Higher States of Citta (Consciousness)
To attain what we call "jhana-cittas" (absorbed-mind moments, focused, concentrated higher states of consciousness) we have to practice serenity (samatha) meditation, which is wholesome one-pointedness of mind.
Jhana has two meanings. One is simply "to meditate," that is, to contemplate a particular object and examine it closely, and the other is to eliminate the Five Hindrances or burn away mental defilements.
There are at least 40 different objects of meditation a teacher might assign to a practitioner. If it is to be practiced seriously, the object of meditation should match the character of the meditator. This is why a good teacher is needed, as assessing oneself is doomed to be biased.
Buddhism recognizes six different (personality types or dominant) CHARACTER TYPES:
- lustful/passionate (raga)
- hateful/angry (dosa)
- deluded/ignorant (moha)
- faithful (saddha)
- intellectual (buddhi)
- agitated/speculative (vitakka)
A meditator's character can be assessed by a careful teacher watching how a pupil performs everyday activities and by other means. (See WQ).
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