The disappearance of rapture from jhanas

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This topic contains 1 reply, has 2 voices, and was last updated by  Andrew S 5 years, 8 months ago.

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  • #3091

    Vitaliy
    Member

    I’ve been practicing by TMI for the last 10 months. My meditation typically falls in between stages 6-7. I was able to reach pleasure jhanas for the last ~2.5 months, somewhat inconsistently initially.

    My current issue for the last ~3 weeks is that I started to experience very little pleasure from piti in my pleasure jhanas (I can reach first 4 fairly reliably). In the first 2 jhanas piti is mostly manifested for me as a physical sensation but there is no “rapture” anymore.

    My session typically goes like this: I reach access concentration in the initial few minutes, continue focus on my breath (A&P, vibrating breath) with very rare subtle distractions. I put my attention on sukha and get to the 3rd jhana. Last few days I was able to get to the 4th jhana from the 3rd (the transition is unmistakable). When I come up to the 2nd and 1st jhana from the 3rd I feel pleasure from sukha and strong physical manifestations of piti but very little pleasure from it. Same happens if I go directly to 1st/2nd jhana from access concentration.

    I don’t believe that hindrances have increased lately, if anything I would say that they’ve diminished. No additional stress/trauma occurred recently.
    Thank you for any advice.

    #3095

    Andrew S
    Member

    Hi Vitaliy,

    I believe what you’re experiencing is inherent to the practice. Traditionally (at least with the luminous jhanas – the meticulous distinction between the three jhana levels was something I hadn’t seen before TMI), piti can become increasingly unsatisfying and even feel “coarse”, and drop away, paving the way for the transition to the third jhana and its greater level of refinement. I’ve noted (in high access concentration, IIRC) what has felt like a subtle attachment to the pleasure of piti, and have subsequently felt that affect disappear, leaving just the physical energetics of piti.

    I’m very curious to hear what other practitioners have to say…

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