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Dhyana
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Dhyana (from Sanskrit ????? dhyana) or jhana in Pali refers to a stage of meditation, which is a subset of samadhi. It is a key concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Equivalent terms are "Chán" in modern Chinese, "Zen" in Japanese, "Seon" in Korean, "Thien" in Vietnamese, and "Samten" in Tibetan.
Dhyana in Hinduism
In Hinduism, dhyana is considered to be an instrument to gain self knowledge, separating maya from reality to help attain the ultimate goal of moksha.
The Bhagavad Gita, thought to have been written some time between 400 and 100 BC, talks of four branches of yoga:
Dhyana in Raja Yoga is also found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras.
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Dhyana (from Sanskrit ????? dhyana) or jhana in Pali refers to a stage of meditation, which is a subset of samadhi. It is a key concept in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism. Equivalent terms are "Chán" in modern Chinese, "Zen" in Japanese, "Seon" in Korean, "Thien" in Vietnamese, and "Samten" in Tibetan.
Dhyana in Hinduism
In Hinduism, dhyana is considered to be an instrument to gain self knowledge, separating maya from reality to help attain the ultimate goal of moksha.
The Bhagavad Gita, thought to have been written some time between 400 and 100 BC, talks of four branches of yoga:
Dhyana in Raja Yoga is also found in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Practiced together with Dharana and Samadhi it constitutes the Samyama. Depictions of Hindu yogis performing dhyana are found in ancient texts and in statues and frescoes of ancient India temples.
The Bhagavad Gita talks of only two main modes, Jnana Yoga and Karma Yoga (not to be confused with physical exercise, or Hatha Yoga). Meditation is a subset to attaining Jnana since you realize the one Advaita principle.
Dhyana in Buddhism
In the Theravada tradition
In the Pali Canon the Buddha describes eight progressive states of absorption meditation or jhana. Four are considered to be meditations of form (rupa jhana) and four are formless meditations (arupa jhana). The first four jhanas are said by the Buddha to be conducive to a pleasant abiding and freedom from suffering (DN 22). The jhanas are states of meditation where the mind is free from the five hindrances (craving, aversion, sloth, agitation, doubt) and (from the second jhana onwards) incapable of discursive thinking. The deeper jhanas can last for many hours. When a meditator emerges from jhana, his or her mind is empowered and able to penetrate into the deepest truths of existence.
There are four deeper states of meditative absorption called the immaterial attainments. Sometimes these are also referred to as the "formless" jhanas, or arupajhana (distinguished from the first four jhanas, rupajhana). In the Buddhist canonical texts, the word jhana is never explicitly used to denote them, but they are always mentioned in sequence after the first four jhanas. The enlightenment of complete dwelling in emptiness is reached when the eighth jhana is transcended.
Jhanas are normally described according to the nature of the mental factors which are present in these states
- Movement of the mind onto the object, Vitakka (Sanskrit: Vitarka)
- Retention of the mind on the object, Vicara
- Joy, Piti (Sanskrit: Priti)
- Happiness, Sukha
- Equanimity, Upekkha (Sanskrit: )
- One-pointedness, Ekaggata (Sanskrit: Ekagrata)
Four progressive states of Jhana:
- First Jhana (Vitakka, Vicara, Piti, Sukha, Ekaggata): The five hindrances have completely disappeared and intense unified bliss remains. Only the subtlest of mental movement remains, perceivable in its absence by those who have entered the second jhana. The ability to form unwholesome intentions ceases.
- Second Jhana (Piti, Sukha, Ekaggata): All mental movement utterly ceases. There is only bliss. The ability to form wholesome intentions ceases as well.
- Third Jhana (Sukha, Ekaggata): One-half of bliss (joy) disappears.
- Fourth Jhana (Upekkha, Ekaggata): The other half of bliss (happiness) disappears, leading to a state with neither pleasure nor pain, which the Buddha said is actually a subtle form of happiness (more sublime than piti and sukha). The Buddha described the jhanas as "the footsteps of the tathagata". The breath is said to cease temporarily in this state.
Traditionally, this fourth jhana is seen as the beginning of attaining psychic powers (abhigna).
The scriptures state that one should not seek to attain ever higher jhanas but master one first, then move on to the next. 'Mastery of jhana' involves being able to enter a jhana at will, stay as long as one likes, leave at will and experience each of the jhana factors as required. They also seem to suggest that lower jhana factors may manifest themselves in higher jhanas, if the jhanas have not been properly developed. The Buddha is seen to advise his disciples to concentrate and steady the jhana further.
In Mahayana traditions
The importance of dhyana in the Mahayana tradition can't be over emphasized. Dhyana is the fifth of six paramitas (perfections). It is usually translated as "concentration," "meditation," or "meditative stability." In China, the word dhyana was originally transliterated as chan-na (??; Mandarin: chánnŕ), and was eventually shortened to just chan by common usage.
Dhyana, usually under the related term of samadhi, together with the second and sixth paramitas are also known as the three essential studies, or threefold training, of Buddhism: moral precepts (sila), meditation (dhyana or samadhi), and wisdom (prajna). In Mahayana Buddhism no one can be said to be accomplished in Buddhism who has not successfully trained in all three studies.
When Buddhism was brought to China, the Buddhist masters tended to become more focused or primarily adept in one of the three studies. Vinaya masters were those who specialized in the monastic rules of discipline and the moral precepts (sila). Dharma masters were those who specialized in the wisdom teachings of the Sutras and Buddhist treatises (shastras). Dhyana or Chan masters were those who specialized in meditation practice and states of samadhi. Monks would often begin their training under one kind of master, such as a Vinaya master, and then transfer to another master, such as a Dharma master or a Dhyana master, to further their training and studies. At that time there was no separate school known as Chan.
Chan: The Dhyana School of China
According to tradition, Bodhidharma brought his lineage school of a line of dhyana masters from India to China. After a somewhat disappointing interview with an Emperor in the south of China, Bodhidharma went into the north and resided in relative obscurity at the Shaolin Temple until several disciples found him. As it became more and more independent, popular and politically influential, the lineage school that was attributed to Bodhidharma became known as the Chan school in China and was transplanted to Korea as Seon, to Japan as Zen, and to Vietnam as Thi?n.
Arguably the most influential figure in Chinese Chan is Huineng who, beginning with Bodhidharma, is considered the sixth in line of the founders of the school of Chan Buddhism. Huineng is credited with firmly establishing Chan Buddhism as an independent Buddhist school in China. In the Platform Sutra Huineng says:
Learned Audience, what is sitting for meditation? In our School, to sit means to gain absolute freedom and to be mentally unperturbed in all outward circumstances, be they good or otherwise. To meditate means to realize inwardly the imperturbability of the Essence of Mind.
Learned Audience, what are Dhyana and Samadhi? Dhyana means to be free from attachment to all outer objects, and Samadhi means to attain inner peace. If we are attached to outer objects, our inner mind will be perturbed. When we are free from attachment to all outer objects, the mind will be in peace. Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure, and the reason why we are perturbed is because we allow ourselves to be carried away by the circumstances we are in. He who is able to keep his mind unperturbed, irrespective of circumstances, has attained Samadhi.
To be free from attachment to all outer objects is Dhyana, and to attain inner peace is Samadhi. When we are in a position to deal with Dhyana and to keep our inner mind in Samadhi, then we are said to have attained Dhyana and Samadhi. The Bodhisattva Sila Sutra says, "Our Essence of Mind is intrinsically pure." Learned Audience, let us realize this for ourselves at all times. Let us train ourselves, practice it by ourselves, and attain Buddhahood by our own effort.
Dhyana in Jainism
is called Samayika.
See also
Sources
- Thanissaro Bhikkhu (trans.) (1997). Samadhanga Sutta: The Factors of Concentration (AN 5.28). Retrieved on 2007-06-05 from "Access to Insight" at: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an05/an05.028.than.html.
External links
Buddhist
- thesis by Ven. Henepola Gunaratana, published by BPS as Wheel 351/353 (1988). (See also .)
- by Ajahn Brahmavamso
- descriptions and similes from the Pali Canon's Anguttara Nikaya and Dhammapada, by John T. Bullitt.
- page about the Jhanas as thaught by Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw, book and free talks available
Sufi
- by Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
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