Eckhart Tolle on 'emptiness' (shunyata)

Eckhart Tolle on Jesus: What "love" really is - Eckhart Tolle on EMPTINESS in Buddhism

Eckhart Tolle: The same thing the Buddha said: Emptiness (Shunyata) is Spaciousness

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The essence of "emptiness"

Ven. Nyanatiloka (Anton Walther Florus Gueth); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

What is the Zen enso symbol?

Suññatā (noun), suñña (adjective): "empty" ("emptiness"), "void" ("voidness").

As a Buddhist doctrinal term this word refers, in the long-preserved Theravāda tradition of the Pali language canon, exclusively to the "not-self" (anattā) doctrine of the historical Buddha -- the impersonal nature of all things, the unsubstantial nature of all phenomena:

"Empty is the world...because it is devoid of a self and anything belonging to a self" (suññam attena vā attaniyena vā, S. XXXV, 85).

This is also stated in the same text, more pertinently to the human condition, of the Five Aggregates clung to as "self" (khandha, Sanskrit skandha). See also MN 43 and MN 106.

In the ancient commentary (Cula Niddessa) quoted in The Path of Purification (Vis.M. XXI, 55), it is said:

"Eye...mind, visual objects...mind-objects, visual consciousness...mind-consciousness, corporeality... consciousness, and so on are devoid of self and anything belonging to a self, devoid of permanence and of anything lasting, eternal, or immutable... They are coreless: without a core [essence] of permanence, or core of satisfaction [fulfillment, non-disappointment], or core of self." (In other words, there are Three Universal Characteristics of All Existence).

In MN 121, the voiding of the mind of the cankers [freeing the heart of the taints] in the attainment of full enlightenment (arahantship), is regarded as the "fully purified and incomparably highest (concept of) emptiness."

See Sn.v.1119; MN 121; MN122 (Buddhist Publication Society, Wheel 87); Pts.M. II: Suñña-kathā; Vis.M. XXI, 53ff. Source

Ultimately, this is liberation

Sanskrit moksha is vimokkha ("liberation") in Pali (I. the 3; II. the 8. I.) The three "liberations" are:

1. the "conditionless" (or "signless") liberation (animitta-vimokkha)
2. the "desireless" (or "cravingless") liberation (apanihita-vimokkha)
3. the "emptiness" (or "void") liberation (suññatā-vimokkha).

They are also called "the triple gateway to liberation" or vimokkha-mukha (The Path of Purification, Vis.M. XXI, 66ff) because they are three different approaches to the paths of awakening.

See "purification" (visuddhi VI, 8. Cf. Vis XXI, 6ff, 121ff; Pts.M. II. Vimokkha-Kathā). More

Emptiness as spaciousness

Śūnyatā (shoon-yə-TAH, Sanskrit शून्यता, Pali suññatā, lit. "emptiness," "voidness" [1, 2, 3], "vacuity"[4, 5], "no-thing-ness" or "spaciousness") is an Indian philosophical concept in Dharmic traditions like Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism, and other Indian philosophical traditions.

The concept has multiple meanings depending on its doctrinal context: an ontological feature of reality, a meditative state, or a phenomenological analysis of experience.

In Theravāda Buddhism, suññatā refers to the impersonal characteristic of all states of existence, not-self (Pāli anattā, Sanskrit anātman) [Note 1] -- the true nature of the Five Aggregates clung to as "self" and the six sense spheres.

Gnostic Jesus knew?

Forgive Them, for They Are Unconscious

Pali suññatā may also be used to refer to an experience or meditative state.

• Possibly the meditative state (absorption, jhana) referred to here is the "sphere of nothingness"? For it is said: Through the total overcoming of the [previous meditative absorption called the] "sphere of boundless consciousness," with the idea "Nothing is there," a meditator can reach the "sphere of nothingness" (ākiñcaññāyatana) and abide therein. Through the total overcoming of the "sphere of nothingness," one can reach the "sphere [meditative absorption] of neither-perception-nor-non-perception" (nevasaññā-n'asaññāyatana) and abide therein. This "sphere or base of nothingness" is the seventh of the four immaterial absorptions (jhanas of the immaterial sphere). It still belongs, properly speaking, to the fourth fine-material absorption because it possesses the same two constituents. This fourth fine-material absorption is the base or starting point (pādaka-jhāna) for the attaining of the higher (special, psychic) spiritual powers (abhiññā). Source
• These meditative attainments are heavy karma and can lead to rebirth in exalted celestial, heavenly, superhuman states that last a very long time.
• However one may use the term, these two "nothings" are not the same. They are very different. I spent years believing that this base or sphere of "nothingness" was just the understanding that all things are impersonal and not-self, seeing through the illusion of "thingness." Then I was corrected by a powerful meditator able to enter this and all the other absorptions at will. Asking, "Isn't that knowing of nothingness just knowing that everything is anatta?"
• "No," I was told, "that sphere is a real place." "What's it like?" "It's like a construction zone with nothing built there, desolate, empty, unformed yet." I was blown away, asking the obvious question: "Well, that can't be 'nothing' because you're describing something, right?" I was surprised by the answer: "It may be something, but when you're there, it's eerie. There's nothing there." This meant not nothing-nothing, not literally, but in a sense of speaking, as when one leaves the city and goes out to the desolate desert.
• What can we say about it when we get back to the cluttered city? We can say, "there was nothing there." One day there may be, but now it's just nothing built up, formed, fabricated, constructed. There's sand but not bricks, sky and air but not smog and obstructions, no objects in the sky or on the ground, and so on. It's figurative.
• This bore a striking similarity to a non-Buddhist description a guest once gave on Coast to Coast AM, which oddly echoes a very Buddhist story. Where is the end of the universe? This guest, wishing to see that place, willed it, and ended up in just that sort of unbuilt up construction zone like place, a real "place" (sphere) but a desolation, not so much a nothing-nothing but rather a no-thing yet. It was not yet a thing, like an empty expanse where a mall to be built, empty real estate.

In Mahāyāna Buddhism, Sanskrit śūnyatā refers to the tenet that "all things are empty [devoid] of intrinsic existence [essence] and [self-] nature (svabhava)" [7, 8], but may also refer to the Buddha-nature teachings and primordial or empty awareness, as in Dzogchen, Shentong, or Chan (Chinese chan'na, Pali jhan', Sanskrit dhyan', Japanese zen). More

The Heart Sutra (if Eckhart translated it)

"Channeled: and imagined from Eckhart Tolle by Dhr. Seven for Wisdom Quarterly, Nov. 2026

Nothing is more powerful than right now.

Ehem. The Perfection of Wisdom is lovely and holy. An awakening person, a being moving toward enlightenment [a bodhisattva], starts moving in the deep course of a Wisdom that has gone beyond. Here and now one looks down from on high, one beholds but five groups [clung to as self], and one sees that in and of themselves they are spacious [shunyata, empty].

Here, O Wise One, this bodily form is spacious, and the very spaciousness is form. Spaciousness does not differ from form, form does not differ from spaciousness. Whatever is spaciousness, that is form [the first group clung to as self]. The same is true of feelings, perceptions, [mental] fabrications, and consciousness.

Here, O Wise One, all phenomena are marked with spaciousness. They are not made nor unmade, not good nor bad, not missing something nor complete.

Therefore, O Wise One, in spaciousness there is no form nor feeling, nor perception, nor fabrication, nor consciousness. There is no [ayatana of] eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no [visible] forms, sounds, fragrances, tastes, tangibles, nor objects of mind; no sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to: no mind-consciousness element.

There is no ignorance, no eradication of ignorance, and so forth, until we come to: There is no decay and death, no eradication of decay and death. There is no suffering, no origination, no stopping, no path. There is no cognition, no attainment, and no non-attainment.

Therefore, O Wise One, it is because of this spacious non-attainmentness that a being bent on awakening, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings.

In the absence of thought-coverings one no longer trembles. One has overcome everything that can upset, and in the end one realizes nirvana.

All fully awakened ones of the past, present, and future fully awake to the ultimate, to right and perfect awakening because they have relied on this Perfection of Wisdom.

Therefore, one should know this Perfection of Wisdom as a great mantra, a mantra of great knowledge, the ultimate mantra, the unequalled mantra, the allayer of all suffering for, in truth, what could go wrong? [For nothing could touch that part of us.]

By the Perfection of Wisdom has this mantra come to us. It runs something like this as the Buddhists would say: gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha. ("Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O what an awakening, so it is!)

This completes the Heart of Perfect Wisdom. More

Four 'altered states' (jhanas, meditations)

(Buddha's Wisdom) The first four jhanas ("meditations," meditative absorptions): from rapture (piti) to perfect equanimity

Ecstatic bliss (piti) becomes more and more refined through the absorptions

• (Vancouver Dharma and Gnosis) The 4 Jhanas
• Getting beyond the Five Hindrances to meditation
• Pa Auk Sayadaw: the great sayadaw of Pa-Auk Forest Monastery (Abbot Venerable Bhaddanta Āciṇṇa, Theravada scholar-practitioner from Burma)
• Ajahn Brahm (British monk trained in Thai Forest Tradition by Ajahn Chah, now abbot in Australia)
• Leigh Brasington (excellent lay American teacher trained by the accomplished German Jewish Buddhist nun Ayya Khema, who trained in Sri Lanka)
• Leigh Brasington on enlightenment and the jhanas

Ecstatic absorption: Bliss of the Jhanas

(Buddha's Wisdom) The Four Jhanas (meditative absorptions): From rapture (piti) to perfect equanimity (upekkha)

• Jhana: meditative "absorption" ("meditation") chiefly refers to the first four meditative absorptions of form

I want to enter that bliss, but how?

Namely, these are the form absorptions of the fine-material sphere (rūpa-jjhāna or rūpāvacara-jjhāna, see avacara). These profound absorptions are reached through full (ecstatic) stillness, samādhi, concentration (appanā).

 
At this time there is a complete (albeit temporary) suspension of fivefold sense-activity and of the Five Hindrances (pancha-nīvarana). However, this state of consciousness is one of full alertness and lucidity and, it is said, singlepointedness (ekagata) of mind/attention.

Gandhara: meditating Buddha

This degree of concentration becomes a fully absorbed state. It is generally developed by the practice (cultivation) of one of the 40 subjects of tranquility meditation (samatha-kammatthāna, see bhāvanā).

There are four higher (more refined) states of absorption called the Four Formless Attainments of the immaterial Spheres (arūpāyatana). These are called the four absorptions of the immaterial sphere (arūpa-jjhāna or arūpāvacara-jjhāna).

The usual text, often met with in the Pali canon sutras, runs as follows:... More: jhāna

• Pīti: rapture, bliss, joy
• Upekṣā: equanimity
• Pancha Nivarana: The Five Hindrances

What if there were a way to enter jhana?

The Eight Levels of Absorption

Ask a Buddhist teacher. Most will say, "There's no way to do it, so just do it." And that's pretty good advice as far as it goes, but it will only get a few there, the "naturals."

For a long time in this round, most of us are not the naturals, not inclined to even try. But when we finally "try," that is not a good sign of getting there. A person letting go, not aspiring, not striving, not anticipating, or doing nothing more than beginner's mind will is more likely to experience "beginner's luck."

That seems to be the Taoist approach advocated by Zen. How many Zen practitioners, however, ever get into a Zen state, a jhana, dhyana, seon, or absorción?

Not many. No one speaks of it, perhaps because of the threat/injunction that, "Anyone who knows doesn't speak; anyone who speaks doesn't know."

That may be true insofar as successful practitioners are not inclined to be worried about what anyone else does or does not do. But as a thinker, I am keen to figure out a practical way of teaching those cannot to be able to. There are a few ways that make sense or have some sort of logic.

First, we know that someone in an absorption has characteristics and is missing others. Things are present, and things are absent. How now if one were to include (cultivate) what is present for them and exclude (abandon) what is absent?

What is present? The Five Factors of Absorption (jhana-anga). What is absent? The Five Hindrances. Does it therefore not stand to reason that by such cultivation, one may very well fall into it? Drop away the obstacles, erect the parallels (those things present along with the wished-for state of heart-mind), and viola there it is!

Second, it is certain that what the Buddha taught was a pyramidal path with virtue (sila) as the base, stillness (samadhi) as the midlevel, and a capstone of wisdom (panna, prajna). So anyone who reaches the second level of "concentration" or singlepointedness of mind, or quietude, stillness, absorption does so on a base or foundation of Precepts and wholesome karma of skillful thoughts, words, and deeds or calm, noble silence, and restraint.

Right Concentration: A Practical
Guide to the Jhanas (Brasington)

Third, there is the powerful suggestion of Leigh Brasington that these absorbed states of ecstatic composure, concentration, focus, or coherent mindful awareness can be brought about by a method. The method is simple to understand, a little less simple to implement. Attend a retreat, smile, stay calm, slow down, be comfortable, send metta to all in all directions until the heart/mind is restful and at ease then begin to meditate. When meditating, it will be the case that some part of the body is or begins to feel blissful (piti, one of the Factors of Absorption), pleasant, pleasurable. When it does, turn attention to that and just that. Seemingly on the maxim that "where attention goes, energy flows," that bliss (joy, happiness, sukha) will expand and overtake the entire body, bringing one into absorption. Leigh Brasington teaches, or taught, on Cloud Mountain and should be consulted for the details of this method. My coauthor, Virginia Tech Prof. Lori Marsh, attended a Brasington retreat and attained it.

Now this opens up a question that is difficult if not impossible to settle. What is "jhana"? What qualifies as "absorption"? If Prof. Marsh says she attained such a state, can anyone say any different? Because it is a direct and personal experience, can she even know? Does Brasington certify that retreatants are reaching it?

Fortunately, this question can be answered to some extent, but not completely because so much will depend on self-report. The most important thing is that a meditator not be self-deluded. One can know for oneself, and one's teacher can know, but as to whether or not anyone can say, who can say? One might have to possess psychic (abhinna, siddhi) powers to know what another is thinking or experiencing. Fortunately again, we are not concerned with what others are or are not attaining, only with what we are reaching.

How can I know if I was in an absorption during my meditation? And if I can know, how can I know which absorption (Jhana 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8) I was in? There is an answer. In the teaching method of the renowned Buddhist Meditation Master Pa Auk Sayadaw, one will not know it when one is in it, but one can be sure which jhana one was just in. How? By reflecting and counting the Jhana Factors, that is, the Factors of Absorption present during the meditation, one can know which it was. As one moves up towards higher and more refined absorbed states, factors fall away.

The Five Factors are actually six when ekagata (one-pointedness) is counted. See teachers Sayalay Susila, Beth Upton, Sayalay Dipankara, Ven. Dhammadipa (now lay teacher Thomas), Shaila Catherine, Ven. Revata, and others for detailed confirmation of personal experience. The lay Buddhist teachers Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder or check out their handy guide to the jhanas first published as Jhanas Advice. The later name became From First Sit to First Jhana:

☸ From First Sit to First Jhana | Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder ☸

Bruce Lee: True meaning of martial arts

• I will kill you: Viking vs. Bruce Lee, East/West
• VIDEO: My kick ass American ZEN practice

Don't fight like fire; dance like water

Bruce Lee, what are the martial arts? Are they combat for war, a lack of peace, or something more?

Poet philosopher Bruce Lee was born Lee Jun-fan on Nov. 27, 1940, passing away at 32 on July 20, 1973. He was an American and Hong Kong mixed martial artist, teacher, actor, Hollywood superstar, and filmmaker.

He was the founder of Jeet Kune Do, a hybrid martial arts philosophy ["Lee-ism"?], which was formed from his experiences in unarmed fighting and self-defense—as well as eclectic, Zen Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian philosophies—as a new school of martial arts thought [2, 3].

Standing on the shoulders of giants (symbol)

With a career spanning the United States and Hong Kong [4, 5, 6], Lee is regarded as the first global Chinese film star and one of the most influential martial artists in the history of cinema [7].

Known for his roles in five feature-length martial arts films, he is credited with helping to popularize martial arts films in the 1970s and promoting Hong Kong action cinema [8, 9].

Bruce Lee (R), Van Williams, The Green Hornet

I will kill you, Lee! - No, you won't, Tough Guy, because you didn't see this coming. Hah!

沙田 Shatin 香港文化博物館 (HK Heritage Museum 2021)

 

Smile. It's good for body and chi.

Born in San Francisco and raised in Hong Kong, Lee was introduced to the Hong Kong film industry as a child actor by his father, Mr. Lee Hoi-chuen [10].

Lee's early martial arts experience included Wing Chun (trained under Ip Man), tai chi, boxing (winning a Hong Kong boxing tournament), and frequent street fighting (neighborhood and rooftop fights).

He moved to Seattle in 1959, enrolling at the University of Washington in 1961 [11]. More

• T&H Inspiration & Motivation (video); Pfc. Sandoval, Doggone, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

How all life began: Big Bangs by Bashar

Bashar’s shocking revelations on "God," multiple Big Bangs, multiverse, and "creation"

(Path of Knowledge) March 26, 2025: What if everything we thought we knew about God, the Big Bang, and the nature of reality were completely wrong?

🤯 In this exclusive Bashar compilation, we’ve gathered his most profound insights on the origin of the universe, the mechanics of creation, and the true nature of existence. Prepare for mind-expanding revelations that will challenge standard beliefs, ignite curiosity, and unlock a new understanding of reality itself. 👁️ Watch until the end for a perspective shift that will change how humanity sees reality forever.

Enjoyed the video? Hit "like" and subscribe for more transformative content. It costs nothing yet means a lot to the compilers of this video.

Path of Knowledge is not affiliated with the official Bashar organization of Darryl Anka and Bashar Communications. The statements and opinions expressed are Path of Knowledge's own interpretation of the information that has been shared by Bashar. The Bashar information is covered by copyright laws, so if anyone would like more information or materials, please visit this website: bashar.org. They appreciate interest and excitement about exploring the Bashar information.

DISCLAIMER: Fair Use Notice: This video contains content that is used under the Fair Use doctrine of United States copyright law. This includes content that is transformative in nature, used for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. All credit for the manifestation techniques discussed in this video are Bashar's and his team's. Path of Knowledge does not claim ownership of any of the original ideas or teachings presented by Bashar. This video is intended to share and discuss Bashar's insights on manifestation for educational and informational purposes only. For more information and original content, please visit Bashar's official channels and resources. Official website: bashar.org. Instagram: basharchanneling. YouTube channel: basharchanneledbydarrylanka.

Michio Kaku: "Time does NOT exist!" (video)

Future Space, May 26, 2023; Pat Macpherson, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Physics Prof. Michio Kaku: "Time does NOT exist! James Webb Telescope proves us wrong!"

(Future Space) Ever questioned what's truly out there in the cosmos, what mind-blowing mysteries the universe might be concealing? Well, viewers are in for a ride. Here is a revelation so colossal, it’s about to rewrite everything we thought we knew about the universe. Brace yourself, as the renowned American physicist Dr. Michio Kaku unveils a discovery that’s revolutionary. It was brought to light by the legendary James Webb Space Telescope, which proves that time does not exist. Ready to dive into a space-time riddle that turns the world upside down?

Instructions for Absorption (Leigh Brasington)

Leigh Brasington (leighb.com), Insight Journal, Fall 2002; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

These instructions have been taken from a nine-day retreat offered by Leigh Brasington [student of enlightened Western nun Ayya Khema] at the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies in April of 2002.

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Instruction for Entering Jhana by Leigh Brasington

The Pali word jhana (Sanskrit dhyana) is sometimes simply translated as "meditation," but more accurately it refers to an "absorption" into a very focused, very stable state of concentration.

In the classical tradition, there are several [eight] stages of jhana, each one more focused than the previous.

Some people will experience some of the jhanas on this retreat; some people will not. The likelihood of you experiencing a jhana is inversely proportional to the amount of desire that you have for it.

• [Reread this key line. The more desire you have, the less likely you are to experience absorption. Why? Desiring, wanting, longing for, craving jhana hurts the chances of it happening. So let go. Instead, just let it happen by persevering in practice without generating desire, however subtle and in the background.]

After all, the instructions given by the Buddha in the early texts (sutras) for practicing jhana begin with "Secluded [apart, separated] from sense desire, secluded from unwholesome [defiled] states of mind [like desire, aversion, wrong views], one approaches and abides in the first jhana."

In order to experience a jhana, it is necessary to temporarily abandon the Five Hindrances [sensual desire, ill-will, bodily sleepiness and mental lassitude, worry and flurry, skeptical doubt].

However, if you are craving a jhana, you've got sense desire [kama-tanha] and an unwholesome state of mind. You have to set those aside to be able to enter the jhana.

[The method]

Sariputta: Come, Kolita, let us leave the world.

The method for entering jhana begins with generating access concentration.

You begin by sitting in a comfortable, upright position. It needs to be comfortable, because if there is too much pain, aversion [manifesting as resistance, annoyance, or anger] will naturally develop in the mind.

You may be able to sit in a way that looks really good, but if your knees are killing you, there will be pain and you will not experience any jhanas.

So you need to find some way to sit that is comfortable. But it also needs to be upright and alert, because that tends to get your energy going in a beneficial way that keeps you awake.

If you are too comfortable, you will be overcome with sloth and torpor [sleepiness/laziness and low motivation/mental energy], which is an unwholesome state of mind that is totally useless for entering the jhanas.

[1] So the first prerequisite for entering the jhanas is to put the body in a position that you can just leave it in for the length of the sitting without having to move. If you have back problems or some other obstacle that prevents you from sitting upright, then you need to find some other alert position that you can maintain comfortably.

Now this is not to say that you cannot move. [You can move.] It may be that you have taken a position and you discover, "My knee is killing me; I have to move because there is too much aversion."

If you have to move, you have to move. Okay, be mindful of moving. The intention to move will be there before the movement.

• Notice that intention,
• then move very mindfully,
• and then re-settle yourself into the new position,
• and notice how long it takes for the mind to get back to that place of calm that it had before you moved.
• It is very important that you [move mindfully and do] not move unmindfully.

This process encourages you to find a position where you don't have to move, because you'll notice the amount of disturbance that even a slight movement generates.

And in order to get concentrated enough to have the jhanas manifest, you need a very calm mind.

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Generating access concentration can be done in a number of ways.

Today I will mostly talk about generating it using the breath, a practice known as anapana-sati.

The first word, anapana, means "in-breath and out-breath," while the word sati means "mindfulness."

The practice is therefore "mindfulness of breathing." When practicing anapana-sati, you put your attention on the breath.

It is probably better if you can observe the physical sensations of the breath at the nostrils or on the upper lip, rather than at the abdomen or elsewhere. It is better because it is more difficult to do; therefore, you have to concentrate more.

Since we are trying to generate access concentration, we take something that is do-able, though not terribly easy to do -- and then we do it. When watching the breath at the nose, you have to pay attention very carefully.

In doing so you will watch the sensations, and then your mind will wander off. [It doesn't have to, but it will...until it doesn't. When that is may be a million attempts from now or the very next breath.]

Then you'll bring it back, and it will wander off, then you'll bring it back [again], and it will wander off.

Eventually though -- maybe not in the next sitting, maybe not even in the next day -- but eventually [in its own time, not yours], you'll find that the mind sort of locks into the breath.

You've been going first to one side and then the other, and finally you're there, and you know that you're there. You're really with the breath, and the mind is not wandering off. Any thoughts that you have are wispy and in the background. The thoughts might be something like "Wow, I'm really with the breath now" as opposed to [discursive thoughts like], "When I get to Hawaii, the first thing I'm going to do is…"

When the thoughts are just slight, and they're not really pulling you away [so you are no longer distracted], you're with the sensations of the breath. This is the sign that you've gotten to access concentration.

Whatever method you use to generate access concentration, the sign that you've gotten to access concentration is that you are fully present with the object of meditation.

So if you are doing metta bhavana ["loving-kindness meditation"], you're just fully there with the feelings of metta; you're not getting distracted.

If you're doing the body sweeping practice [like on Goenka free 10-day retreats], you're fully there with the sensations in the body as you sweep your attention through the body.

You're not thinking extraneous thoughts, you're not planning, you're not worrying, you're not angry, you're not wanting something. You are just fully there with whatever the object is.

If your practice is anapana-sati, there are additional signs to indicate you have arrived at access concentration. You may discover that the breath becomes very subtle; instead of a normal breath, you notice you are breathing very shallow.

It may even seem that you've stopped breathing altogether. These are signs that you've arrived at access concentration. More: Instruction for Entering Jhana (leighb.com)

Bhikkhu Bodhi: What is NIRVANA? (audio)

American Theravada scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, Talk 6; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly



The Sphere

Bhkkhu Bodhi

The Buddha in The Udana ("Verses of Uplift or Inspired Utterances") says of nirvana that it is an ayatana ("realm or sphere"):

"There is a realm where there is neither earth, water, heat, nor air [Four Elements], neither the sphere of infinite space, the sphere of infinite consciousness, the sphere of nothingness, nor the sphere of neither-perception-nor-non-perception [the Four Immaterial Planes corresponding to the Four Immaterial Meditative Absorptions]. There is neither this world nor any other world, neither sun nor moon. This I call neither arising nor passing away, neither standing still nor being born nor dying. There is neither foothold there, nor development, nor any basis. This is the end of [all] suffering."

The Truth
"That which the ignorant take to be truth, that the noble ones, the Aryans [= the enlightened], know to be false.

"That which the Aryans know to be true, that the ignorant regard as false. That which is of an imperishable nature, that is nirvana, and that is the truth known by the Aryans."

THE MEANING OF THIS IS: That which the ignorant take to be truth, to be real, is a "self," an ego entity. And this the Aryans know to be false -- since through their insight they have realized that all phenomena are without a self, that they're all insubstantial [impersonal, selfless = anatta].

And that which the noble ones know to be truth, that is nirvana, and this the ignorant take to be false, an imaginary thing or a vain notion. But the noble ones, the Aryans, have seen nirvana. They've known through direct experience that it is real, the one ultimate reality that's imperishable.

The Permanent
In another sutra the Buddha says, "That which has a perishable nature, that is false. But that which is of a imperishable nature, namely nirvana, that is truth."

And then he says in the same sutra that, "This the supreme noble truth, nirvana, which is of an imperishable nature."

The Unborn

"[Meditators], there is an unborn, an unoriginated, an uncreated, an unconditioned. If there were not this unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unconditioned, there would be no escape* possible from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the conditioned.

"However, since there is an unborn, unoriginated, uncreated, unconditioned, therefore, escape is possible from the world of the born, the originated, the created, the conditioned."

• *Escape to Reality (Wheel 45, Buddhist Publication Society)

"Flatlining" the brain at will (video)

CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; self-proclaimed jhana expert Vern Lovic

What are the intricate workings of the mind, and how are they experienced within?

 

(Gavin Johnson/flickr.com)

Vern Lovic: I'm curious. Has anyone run MRIs (magnetic resonance imagings) of meditators that have reached a flatline mind -- no thought... stopped mind?

WQ: a flatline would seem to indicate that someone is dead. But, yes, it's been done. It is causing a wave in new medical research. There is neurotheology, where people have "GOD on the brain." There is scientific mind reading. There is at least one meditator sufficiently skilled as to directly manipulate his EEG readings. (See below). He is not a monk but can flatten his line at will, a skill of great subtlety and practice. Yet, it would seem, he must be thinking to intend it and be aware that he is getting the results he is after.

Monk's fMRI (Zoran Josipovic video still)

In a laboratory tucked away off a noisy NYC street, a soft-spoken neuroscientist (Zoran Josipovic) has been placing Tibetan monks into a car-sized brain scanner to better understand the ancient practice of Buddhist meditation. Could this unusual research unravel the secrets of leading a harmonious life and also shed light on some of the world's more mysterious diseases? Josipovic, a research scientist and adjunct professor at NYU, says he has been peering into the brains of monks. Brains of meditating monks get MRI scans.

VL: The monks are meditating, so they're doing something. There is another state -- the state of, well, "flatline" for lack of a better word. 

WQ: We tracked him down, Vern, so you could see it for yourself. A functional MRI scan would certainly show activity. "Flatlining" is for graphs with lines, which is characteristic of an EEG (electroencephalograph) machine. It is the remarkable speaker Ken Wilber, who videotaped his own flatlining to demonstrate the amazing level of self control he can exhibit. 

His proficiency is such that he can enter states that would seem to be reserved not only to arhats but wondrous masters. We covered him back in 2009. Look: "Family Guy" Meditation Master Ken Wilber!

Flatline

(IntegralNaked) Ken Wilber stops his brain, flatlines, at will.

This is incredible! (psychcentral.com)

Ken Wilber can stop his brainwaves on demand. Actually -- and in a more serious vein -- this is the famous EEG machine recording where Wilber enters various meditative states, one of which is a type of "thoughtless," "image-less," or "formless" state: 

His brainwaves come to an almost complete stop, as clearly recorded on this portable EEG machine. (This video is discussed in One Taste, April 10 entry).

Wilber was asked to do a short 10-minute commentary on these various meditative states and the corresponding brain-wave patterns that are shown on the EEG machine in the video. He enters four meditative states (nirvikalpa samadhi with closed eyes, open eyes, sahaj ["ever present awareness"], and mantra-savikalpa), each of which has a very distinctive brain-wave pattern.

In his commentary, Wilber emphasizes that the patterns shown on this machine may or may not be typical, but they do emphasize that profound states of consciousness can be evoked at will, and these show immediate correlations in brain-wave patterns.

If nothing else, seeing somebody's brainwaves flatline in about four seconds is a sight not easily forgotten! It also explains why it was once heard that Wilber's girlfriend, upon delivering news that she thought might not be happily received, "Now, um, honey, make your brain waves go to zero..."

More seriously, as Wilber often says, "If you want to know God [Brahman], you've got to get your brain out of the way first. It's just one big stupid filter...."