How to Enter the First Jhana | by Ajahn Nyanamoli Thero

[@Saganism]

I'm getting captions in Hindi, the Devanagari script. Wow. Thanks. ❤

[@Lipinki.luzyckie]

These conversations are pure gold

[@cliffmilbrun2803]

Yesssssss

[@anattasunnata3498]

Thank you for these discussions. These have been so helpful and enlightening. Kind regards from Chile!

[@Oscarrrrrrrrrrr]

Poor monk. I'm happy that I can pause and rewind the video as many times as I want to.

[@Oscarrrrrrrrrrr]

Ven. Nyanamoli does have a strong tendency to not let people think their thoughts through and instead keeps piling on stuff. Helps to be able to pause, as I pointed out.

[@olga.klimova]

He is a perfect partner in these conversations I think. Calm, lets Ajahn make all his points… and he gets it…. like a clear mirror

[@FreedomandRights4US]

This is phenomenal and quite helpful. Thank you very much.

[@naftalibendavid]

Whew! So good.

[@holyvibe5]

Thank you for uploading these 🙏

[@houmous942]

Hello, has anyone who’s watched the video understood the point about mistaking speech as external to thinking? It’s obvious to me how I mistake pleasure as being "out there" for me to go and grab, however I really don’t see how speech can possibly be conceived of as being separate or independent from thinking. Obviously speech is born out of thoughts, how could it be otherwise? In other words I don’t even understand what the misconception consists in. Bhante explains this at length in the video but I just didn’t get it, at all. If anyone could re-explain differently or point me to any source, I’d be most grateful. Thanks.

[@cataliniosif6035]

Hello, the misconception is to conceive the thoughts as internal (in your mind) and speech as doing something in an external world. This creates a "you" and a world. The proper recognition is to see that speech (and even more subtler forms of action) is still inside the mind. All we experience is the "internal" representation. Things are just experienced where they are - there is no actual internal or external in experience. Furthermore, "you" cannot move your mouth to speak. Instead, you will observe a thought to speak, and you will notice the mouth acting along with this thought. You can't control actions directly, rather, actions unfold along with their respective thoughts. Hope this helps.

[@kleyyer]

There's another video here in the channel "Take Your Mind Out Of Your Mouth | "Method" for the First Jhana" where he goes more specifically about that topic

[@mindboggled1349]

I also don't understand. clearly speaking with your mouth is a different action than speaking to yourself in your head. I'm really confused

[@Seeker7891]

@@cataliniosif6035 if we consider what happens when a person sleep walks or speaks out in their sleep, this makes sense that we can see how speech and bodily action spring from the mind. A sleeping person does not have the thought "Now I will do this... I will say this...etc." A sleepwalker does not intentionally control or create speech or actions, they just happen due to whatever is going on in the mind during sleep. So it is when we are awake that delusion creates an imaginary sense of internal and external world.

[@cfsVchris]

Excellent, excellent, excellent !!! Sadhu⁹⁹⁹

[@starshiptexas]

15:00 so like, in the same way that we think that our words are the same thing our thoughts, we project the experience of pleasure onto external objects? Words are not thoughts and external objects are not pleasure?

[@Bodhipallanka]

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

[@upekakuruppu170]

🙏🙏🙏

[@NoobTube4148]

Bhante, is the experience of the Jhana the same for everyone? Ajahn Brahm speaks of the nimitta as white light that you experience as coming towards you or you fall into. Are experiences like nimitta the same for everyone?

[@matthewpaluszak9937]

Does it follow that thinking and pondering are a particular type of joy in the same sense that speech is particular type of thinking and pondering?

[@matthewpaluszak9937]

And so is joy a particular type of breath?

[@sompong2482]

noble silence in cognition

[@cluisr94]

Hello, If I could please get some help. Theres a lot of confusion for me around this topic, for what I would consider a decent amount of time I tried reaching the first jhana out of both curiosity and to seek pleasure. In my meditations however I would always reach a point where I could not “continue forward” because my body would stop breathing automatically and I’d have to conciously force myself to breathe. I remember in a different video on your channel you talk about developing the theme of the jhanas and I wondered if there was some connection between my lack of understanding of the theme of jhanas and my problem with breathing when attempting to reach the first one. If I could be pointed in the right direction I would greatly appreciate it as this problem has sullied my enthusiasm towards this pursuit.

[@karrimzz]

why does 'body would stop breathing automatically ' a problem to continuing your meditation? this is just physical response, nothing to be concerned about

[@mctenzin101]

In one of Book in Tibetan Buddhism, there is written that breath will be gone and also feeling of having the body will be gone but no need to worry, just concentrate there fully and continuously. That is a great achievement since many people hard to even reach there. I think no breath means no thoughts also since wind is the engine of mind and engine stop then thoughts stops so thats actually quite beautiful since thoughts makes us the slave most of the time.

[@默-c1r]

Ayya Khema has guidance on Jhanas and she says DO NOT take a breath when you think you have stopped breathing, you are VERY close to Jhana

[@MrJasiek07]

You haven't watched the video and/or try to understand the content have you? Watch it again and try to understand.

[@yanannara4836]

HI bhante, is it possible to post video on step by step instruction to reach jhana (as per buddha said in suttas)? the real jhana same practiced by buddha?

[@Countcordeaux]

So remembering previous habitations (rebirths) makes sense if they are all within the five aggregates, but how does one develop dibba-cakkhu and see how this principle applies to other beings being reborn in line with their kamma?

[@cariyaputta]

The Buddha has taught detail instructions on this matter, from keeping your moral conducts in check to mastering the 4 jhanas, and then, with a purified mind you can direct it toward whatever iddhi you want, included dibbacakkhu. Here is two of the suttas: suttacentral.net/mn51 suttacentral.net/mn119

[@mindboggled1349]

so the way to reach the first jhana is to think about how speech is not separate from thought? how do you do that step by step? it's so abstract, I don't know where to start

[@Bodhipallanka]

Dear Bhanthe, I have following questions: How can I focus, train, measure or know length of complete in and out breath at the tip of the nose. Is contemplaton is about seeing things in a certain way during meditation? Contemplate or Contemplation" in meditation? After emerging from 4th jhana, ” then you direct concentrated mind to destroy taints. or come out of Jhanas do concentrated mind can destroy taints? Request for your answers, bhanthe. Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu

[@popkiller5705]

It's neither breathing one way or breathing another. What are the taints one has in Samsara? Greed Hatred and Ignorance, if one is aware of these taints then one must work hard to see and destroy them within oneself. How does one do this by dwelling in a mind that has right view. How does one have right view by listening to the dhamma, one gains right view. Later one ponders on the dhamma he has heard then that is right contemplation or right effort, after one has right effort one catches the taints in ones mind by right concentration. Finally one then destroys the taints.

[@anupombarua717]

🌹🌹🌹🙏🌹🙏🌹🙏🌹🌹🌹

[@TaveosMelek]

16:00

[@crossfade4099]

Hello Ajahn, good day. I’m writing to you because I have a question regarding dhamma. Is the belief in no agency wrong view? I am starting to see that it might be, my reasons are as follows: The Buddha said that wrong views are of 6 kinds: I have no self… I have a self… I perceive self with no self… I perceive no self with self… I forget the rest but it’s along the same lines. I believe the genius of the Buddha lies in the fact that he doesn’t say there is no agency. But that the agency is fundamentally not me not mine. Is this a correct way to frame it in regards to there being no agency or agency?

[@HillsideHermitage]

Yes. One first has to accept the responsibility for the agent of self, in order to see it full extent as something impermanent and unownable.

[@crossfade4099]

@@HillsideHermitage thank you Ajahn

[@crossfade4099]

@@HillsideHermitage so when one sees it as unownable (the agency) it fades?

[@krenx]

It is wholesome because it is absorbing, slipping, sliding directionally towards the unconditioned. Suffering requires conditioner and conditions to arise. To move away from that is to move away from suffering. Thus jhanas are wholesome direction away from what causes suffering.

[@backwardthoughts1022]

cessation from craving for sense objects ceases long before 1st jhana it happens when perfect concentration in the desire realm first encounters physical and mental piti aka access concentration

[@wenzdayjane]

I love this channel. However this video frustrates me. It seems like Ajahn should have recorded this as a monologue. The attempts at dialogue are just frustrating. I wish he would just say the things rather than an hour of just interrogating and interrupting the other guy.

[@johndent5251]

I find the guy interviewing has such an aggressive energy that its quite difficult to watch. No heart.

[@kleyyer]

I understand, I started watching his videos more than a year ago and at first I was put off by that as well, but that's just his personality. At first it was very hard for me to even watch the videos, but then you realise he is not doing that out of conceit or anything, it's just the way he is, so after a while that stopped bothering me, and then I started to really listen and internalize what he was saying into my own life. It's like the saying "Don't judge a book by its cover", if you can get past that, you'll see he has many valuable things to say.

[@cfsVchris]

If the Venerable man had no heart, he would not be bringing light into this world afflicted with the deadly and near unbearable poisonous cocktail of greed, hatred and delusion. Friend, immerse yourself in these teachings and test them for their veracity yourself. Therein lies unconditional bliss; freedom. An end to all suffering.

[@cliffmilbrun2803]

Right speech isn't determined by the tone of your voice it's determined by saying what is right at the right time not saying what is right at the wrong time and not speaking false words or slander with the intention to cause harm or disharmony.

[@brianstevens5547]

that's just the Yugoslavian mannerism. so many people I've met from former Yugoslavia are like that despite being so kind and caring and full of heart

[@MountainDharma]

He’s Eastern European

[@samrt-boro]

These monks are so stoned like concentrated that is actually wrong concentration., that actually makes you angry and tight.

[@raajuuteddd2202]

Then how should you practice correctly according to you? (Genuinely asking )

[@golgipogo]

The “teacher” seems dogmatic and confident.

[@glircom]

​@@golgipogo Assuredness should not be confused with dogma - Dogma is essentially clinging to views *in spite of any contradictions*. Right view is free of contradiction, and when that is seen, one will have no need to cling to that view dogmatically - but even without clinging to it, one will also be entirely assured that right view is indeed right view.

[@MrCastleJohnny]

annapanasati sutta. start from reconignizing your wandering mind (right view) go back to the object of meditation (right effort)@@raajuuteddd2202

[@scottnichols2450]

Since speech is not outside the container of thinking and pondering, and seeking sensual pleasure in something is not outside the container of desire, I'm wondering what my next step is. Do I try to be mindful every time there is a possibility of speech in the presence of thinking, so as to always limit my speaking to times that I have decided to speak so that I am in control, and thus train myself to also be in control when desire arises so that I can decide to recognize and not act on the possibility of seeking sensual pleasure? Or am I aiming for something more automatic that will come eventually through deeper understanding? Thank you.

[@hariharry391]

🙏