How to gain meditative absorption (jhana)

Pa Auk Sayadaw, Mindfulness of Breathing Meditation...; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Attaining jhana

Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw

When the Five Controlling Faculties of confidence (faith), effort (persistence), mindfulness (presence of mind), concentration (unification), and understanding (wisdom) are sufficiently developed, concentration will go beyond access-concentration up to absorption-concentration.

When one reaches jhana in this way, the mind will know the counterpart-image (patibhaga-nimitta) without interruption. This can continue for several hours, all night, or for a whole day and night.

When the mind stays continuously concentrated on the counterpart-image for one or two hours, one is ready to try to discern the area in the heart where the mind-door (bhavanga consciousness) rests, that is to say, the heart-base materiality.

The bhavanga consciousness is bright and luminous, and the Commentaries explain that it is the mind-door (manodvara).

If one practices this many times, again and again, one will easily be able to discern both the mind-door dependent on the heart-base materiality and the counterpart-image as it appears there.

When one  can do this, one is ready to discern  one at a time the Five Factors of Absorption:

1. applied thought (vitakka)
2. sustained thought (vicara)
3. joy (piti)
4. happiness (sukha)
5. one-pointedness (ekaggata).

Eventually, with continued practice, one will be able to discern them together all at once. The Five Factors of Absorption are defined as:

1. "Applied thought" means attention that directs and again and again places the mind on the counterpart-image.
2. "Sustained thought" means attention that maintains the mind on the counterpart-image.
3. "Joy" means liking (keen interest, effervescence, zest) for the counterpart-image.
4. "Bliss" means pleasant feeling or happiness associated with experiencing the counterpart-image.
5. "One-pointedness" means single-pointedness of mind on the counterpart-image. More

• Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Burma (Myanmar)