What is "right concentration," Leigh Brasington?

Meditation Master Leigh Brasington; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Self shrank, mind grew (dreamstime.com)

The book Right Concentration is a practical, accessible, demystifying look at the meditative absorptions -- states of deep concentration described in the Buddhist sutras of the Pali Canon.

Right Concentration is the eighth limb of the Noble Eightfold Path and is often exemplified by and even defined as the [first four] jhānas.

Before Siddhartha's awakening under the bodhi tree, after rejecting both the extremes of hedonistic sensual indulgence and penance through severe austerities, he remembered an incident from his childhood:

He remembered spontaneously experiencing the first jhāna, and upon further reflection concluded, "That is indeed the path to awakening"!

Here is practical advice to meditate.

This book offers pragmatic, achievable instructions for entering these states of right samadhi, providing an expert look at the theory, history, and presentation of the jhānas in the original discourses of the Buddha.

No aspect of the Buddha's teaching seems to have been more misunderstood and neglected than "right concentration" or samma samadhi. Yet it is obviously an integral part of the Buddha's path to awakening.

This book is an attempt to rectify the misunderstandings and neglect of the crucial role of samadhi or concentration in the Buddha's teachings.

The jhānas described in the sutras are far more accessible than the states described many centuries later in the commentaries. These states turbocharge one's insight practice. They generate rapture (piti) and joy (sukha) on the spiritual path that the Buddha says is a requirement for progress.

Anyone interested in learning to enter the absorptions or jhānas as a practice will be well served by this book.

Reviews are in...

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"For those interested in exploring jhāna, Leigh brings many years of skillful teaching to this accessible, clear, and helpful guide.”

—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart

“Leigh Brasington presents a clear map of jhāna practice as he learned it from his teacher, Ayya Khema. As with many aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, different traditions and lineages have different views on what constitutes these deeper states of concentration. Leigh offers many examples from his own experience and from his reading of the Buddhist texts in providing a valuable guide to this particular way of understanding and practicing them.”

—Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening