4th wheel, 4th wheel buddhism, absorption, articles on ecstatic meditation, bliss, catutthayana, di.t.thadhammasukhavihaaraa, ecstatic buddhism, ecstasy, ecstatic, ecstatic case histories, ecstatic contemplative, ecstatic meditation, ecstatic poetry, field meditation, fragrance of enlightenment, fruits of the contemplative life, fourth wheel, great western vehicle, gwv, gwv pali dictionary project, jeff brooks, jeffrey s. brooks, jhana, jhana archive, jhana resource guide, jhana support group, jhanananda, jhanananda's journal, jhananda, jhana-nimitta, joy, joy of meditation, joyful home of the way, jsg, kriya, kriyas, kundalini, kundaliniheat, language of ecstasy, language of gnosis, mahaparacakkayana, mahasatipatthana, maha-satipatthana, manomaya, meet the needs of the people, meditation, meditation case histories, meditation induced neurosis, meditation induced physical ailment, meditation induced psychosis, meditation induced tinnitus, meditative absorption, meditation teacher, mind-made body, mystic, mysticism, nikayan buddhism, nimitta, oob, oobe, ordination program, out-of-body experience, pali, pali & buddhist studies, pali canon, pali dictionary project, pali language resource guide, past life, past lifetimes, patanjali, peer-level support, personal case histories, personal case histories with meditative absorption, phala, phala nikaya, phenomena of absorption, piiti, pleasure not of the senses, psychology of buddhism, psychology of ecstasy, psychology of kundalini, psychology of yoga, recognizing the absorption states, e'letter, remaining conscious during sleep, retreat, retreats, right livelihood, right meditation, saint vitus' dance, samadhi, sama-samadhi, satipatthana, shaman, shamanic, shamanism, solo wilderness retreat, sotapanna, southwest insight e'letter, spiritual awakening, spontaneous movement, stone worn to sand, stream winner, succor, sukha, three year retreat, tinnitus, tipitaka, translator bias, understanding meditation states, understanding meditative absorption, unifying theory of gnosis, western buddhism, western buddhist teachers, western vehicle, wholesome states, wilderness, wilderness retreat, yoga psychology, yoga sutras of patanjali, advaita, advaita vedanta, anagami, anapanasati, arahant, arahanta, arahat, astral projection, aura, bodhichitta, boundless states, brahma viharas, buddha, buddhism, buddhism as a religion, buddhist, buddhist criticism, buddhist philosophy, buddhist psychology, buddhist tradition, burying the shaman, chakra, characteristic manifestations of absorption, characteristics of absorption, charism, charisma, charismatic, charismatic movement, charismatic buddhism, christian contemplative, christian meditation, christian mystic, christian mysticism, clairaudience, clairvoyance, compassion, concentration, contemplation, contemplative, contemplative arts, contemplative poetry, cultivating wholesome states, dark night of the soul, dependent origination, descent into hell, dhamma, dhamma teacher, dharma, dhyana, discourses of the buddha, divine abodes, divine ear, dzikr, dzogchen, ecumenical, ecumenical buddhism, eighth fold path, engaged, enlightened, enlightenment, enlightenment in this lifetime, equanimity, ethics, ethics in buddhism, fana, former lives, forms of buddhism, four noble truths, gnosis, gnostic, hollow reed, houses of god, insight, kabbalah, karuna, kasina, kayagata-sati, loving kindness, lucid, lucid dreaming, mahamudra, meditation object, meditative, metta, mind of buddha, monastic, mudita, nama-rupa, nibbana, nirvana, non-returner, once returner, psycho-soma, rapture, reincarnation, revelation, rigpa, sakadagami, salmon-boy, sanskrit, sanskrit & vedic studies, seven factors of enlightenment, shunyata, siddhartha gotama, siddhi, signless, signlessness, sufi, sufism, supernatural powers, supranormal powers, sutra, sutra pitaka, sutta, sutta pitaka, sympathetic joy, trance, tranquility, tripitaka, tucson dharma news, two-worlds, upekkha, vedanta, vertigo, vipassana, yoga, yoga sutras,

[Great Western Vehicle] [Events] [Supporting the GWV]

[Pali & Buddhist Studies] [Tipitaka Index]  [Buddhist Timeline] [Pali-English Dictionary] [Glossary Key] [Sanskrit & Vedic Studies] [Ecstatic Meditation Archive]

A Glossary of Key Buddhist Terms and Concepts

 

Four Noble Truths

1

 Dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha) exist
2 Dissatisfaction and suffering have an origin
3 The origin of dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha) is grasping (tanhá)
4 There is a path that leads one out of dissatisfaction and suffering (dukkha). That path is the Noble Eight Fold Path

The Four Houses of God (Brahma Viharas)

Boundless States, Divine Abodes, Bodhichitta (the Buddha mind):

1 Metta Loving Kindness

2

 Karuna Compassion
3 Mudita Sympathetic Joy
4 Upekkha Equanimity

The Four Material Ecstasies, meditative absorption states (rupa jhanas) "samprajana-samadhi" where there is awareness of the material senses and they are is free from 5 things (i.e. the hindrances, nívarana, q.v.):

1- The first jhana (effusive elation) contains 6 jhana factors:

Sati

Mindfulness

Vitakka

applied or initiating attention

Vicára

sustained attention

Sukha

joy

Piti

bliss

Ekaggatha

one-pointedness

2- Second jhana (tranquility, no effort of concentration, or no Vitakka & Vicara needed) contains 6 jhana factors:

Sati

Mindfulness

Sukha

joy

Piti

bliss

Ekaggatha

one-pointedness

Passaddhi

tranquility

avitakka ca aicara

no applied or sustained attention

3- Third jhana (equanimity) contains 6 jhana factors:

Sati

Mindfulness

Sukha

joy

Piti

bliss

Ekaggatha

one-pointedness

Passaddhi

tranquility

Upekkha

equanimity

4- Fourth jhana (freedom from suffering) contains 6 jhana factors:

Sati

Mindfulness

Piti

bliss

Ekaggatha

one-pointedness

Passaddhi

tranquility

Upekkha

equanimity

Asukha ca Adukkha

no pleasure & no pain

Transitional phase absorption (nerupajhana-nearupajhana) between material (rupa) an immaterial (arupa) absorption (jhana), where OOBs and luminous orbs appear, as well as the recollection of former lives takes place.. No sensory stimuli "contact" remains.

The 8 jhana factors (jhánanga):

Sati

Mindfulness

Piti

bliss

Ekaggatha

one-pointedness

Passaddhi

tranquility

Upekkha

equanimity

Asukha ca Adukkha

no pleasure & no pain

Avedana

No sensory stimuli

viriya, vîrya, kundalini

Energy, lit. 'virility', vigor

The Four Immaterial Attainments trances or raptures (nonmaterial absorptions) (arupa-jhanas) (Jhanas 5-8) "asamprajnata" or "nirvikalpa-samadhi." where there is no awareness of the material senses:

5th jhana Sphere of Infinite Space Akasanancayatana absorption or union (yoga) with infinite space, or a God of infinite dimension
6th jhana Sphere of Infinite Consciousness Vinnananaacayatana Absorption or union (yoga) with the infinite consciousness of God, or Devekut with the Shekhinah (Kabbalah), absorption into infinite being, Indra's net of jewels (Mahayana Buddhism), Vishnu's Ocean of Milk (Hinduism), the cloud of truth (dharma meghaï) (yoga sutras).
7th jhana The Sphere of No-Thingness Akincannayatana absorption or union (yoga) with the Infinite in a non-dual state such that the contemplative cannot distinguish between either this nor that, neither self nor other, neither self nor god. "I am That" Tat Twam Assi.
8th jhana
 The Sphere of Neither-Perception-nor-non-perception Nevasannanasannnayatana Cessation (nibbana/nirvana) union (yoga) with the Infinite in which there is no sensible dimension (blackness (the full enlightenment or annihilation (fana).

Other absorption states not apparently described in the Buddha's Discourses

2 absorption or union (yoga) with infinite time, or a God of infinite time,

The five precepts:

1

Panatipata veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

 I undertake the precept to refrain from destroying living creatures.

2

Adinnadana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

 I undertake the precept to refrain from taking that which is not given.

3

Kamesu micchacara veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

 I undertake the precept to refrain from sexual misconduct.

4

Musavada veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

 I undertake the precept to refrain from incorrect speech.

5

Suramerayamajja pamadatthana veramani sikkhapadam samadiyami

 I undertake the precept to refrain from intoxicating drinks and drugs which lead to carelessness.

The Five Hindrances (nivarana) to Enlightenment

1

kamacchandra Sensual desire
2 vyapada Ill-will or aversion
3 uddhacca-kukkucca Restlessness and scruples (anxiety)
4 thina-middha Sloth and Unconsciousness
5 vicikiccha Doubt

10 Fetters (samyojana) tying beings to the wheel of existence:

5 Lower Fetters (orambhagiya-samyojana) tying beings to the wheel of existence:

1

sakkaya-ditthi Narcissism

2

vicikiccha Skeptical doubt
3 silabbata-paramasa Clinging to rules, rights and rituals
4 kama-raga Desire for sensuality
5 vyapada Ill-will or aversion

5 Higher Fetters (uddhambhagiya-samyojana)

1

rupa-raga Craving for material existence

2

arupa-raga Craving for immaterial existence

3

mana Conceit
4 uddhacca Restlessness

5

 avija Ignorance

The Five Aggregates (khandas/skhandas) of Cognition that cause the arising and passing away of mental structures (pancha-upadana-skhanda):

1

Body, matter, physical form rupa
2 Sensuality, sensory stimuli vedana

3

Perception sañña
4 Mental structures, states and objects sañkhara

5

Cognition viññana

The Five aggregates of one who is "beyond training:"

1

Virtue

 Sila
2 Absorption Jhana
3 Wisdom Panna
4 Liberation Vimuti
5 Knowledge and vision Nanadassana

The 6 Senses (áyatana) according to the Buddha:

1 Seeing
2 Hearing
3 Smelling
4 Tasting
5 Touching
6 Cognition

The Seven Factors of Enlightenment (bojjhanga), sambojjhanaga DN 22.16, n.689, 33.2.3(2):

1

 Panna wisdom  
2 Viriya energy, kundalini  
3 Passaddhi tranquility 2nd jhana
4 Sati awareness, mindfulness 7th fold of the N8P
5 Upekkha equanimity 3rd jhana
6 Piiti bliss or rapture 1st jhana
7 Samadhi meditative absorption jhana

Noble Eightfold Path:

1

samma-ditthi

right view (understanding)
2 samma-sankappa right thought
3 samma-vaca right speech
4 samma-kammanta right action
5 samma-ajiva right livelihood
6

samma-vayam

right effort
7 samma-sati right awareness (mindfulness)
8 samma-samadhi right absorption

The Twelve “fruits” (phala) of the contemplative life are Supranormal Powers (lokuttara balani) or higher types of wisdom, "knowledges."

1 Upekkha Equanimity
2   Fearlessness
3 Adukkha Beyond Pain and Discomfort
4 Jhana Meditative absorption
5 Manomaya lit. "mind-made body" (OOB), "wields manifold supranormal powers"
6 Dibba-sota "divine ear-element" (Clairaudience)
7 parassa ceto-pariya-ñána knows the awareness of other beings (mental telepathy)
8 s. patisandhi, paticca samuppada, pubbenivásánussati lit. “rethinking” or "dependent origination" or recollection of manifold past lives
9 Dibba-cakkhu lit. "Divine eye" or "sees beings passing away & re-appearing" (Clairvoyance)
10   ending of mental agitation
11 Nanadassana lit “knowledge" (nana) and "vision" (dassana)
12 vikubbaná-iddhi power of transformation

See the Samaññaphala Sutta (DN 2) or the Kayagata-sati Sutta (MN 119). The claim that some of these "fruits" are "mundane" is pure dogma with no suttic support.  They are all "supramundane" according to the Buddha.

[Great Western Vehicle] [Events] [Supporting the GWV]

[Pali & Buddhist Studies] [Tipitaka Index]  [Buddhist Timeline] [Pali-English Dictionary] [Glossary Key] [Sanskrit & Vedic Studies] [Ecstatic Meditation Archive]