The "Formless Attainments" of Early Buddhist Meditation

What are the formless attainments of early Buddhist meditation? We'll look at these deep states of absorption. First we'll look at their history, how the Buddha first encountered them and where they appear to have arisen from, then we'll turn to the practice as outlined in the early texts as well as some later material.
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✅ Books mentioned:
Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli (trans.), Visuddhimagga, The Path of Purification - amzn.to/31Ecd7s
Alex Wynne, The Origin of Buddhist Meditation - amzn.to/31HNzSU
✅ Videos mentioned:
Is Deep Meditative Absorption (Jhana) Necessary for Enlightenment? - • Is Deep Meditative Abs...
Deep Meditation in Buddhism Playlist (the Jhānas) - • Deep Meditation in Bud...
Emptiness in Buddhism: Early Practice - • Emptiness in Buddhism:...
✅ Suttas mentioned:
suttacentral.net/mn26/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/mn52/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/an11.16/en/s...
suttacentral.net/mn39/en/sujato
suttacentral.net/mn77/en/bodhi
suttacentral.net/an10.29/en/b...
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00:00 Intro
00:53 Āḷāra Kālāma
02:21 Uddaka Rāmaputta
05:15 Brahminic meditations influenced by the early Upaniṣads (Alex Wynne)
07:59 Gotama leaves them behind and becomes the Buddha
09:23 Why these attainments are “formless”
11:54 The first formless attainment
13:52 Arriving at the first formless attainment; kasiṇas
18:57 The second formless attainment
20:36 The third formless attainment; nothingness vs. emptiness
25:04 The fourth formless attainment
28:36 Visuddhimagga’s two similes
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