What is a Jhana? Commentaries vs Suttas - Meaning? 

Bhante, I had an understanding of this type of meditation years ago when I didn't have a sangha and studied suttas online alone. I achieved jhana, made such progress! Then, my practice lapsed for a few years. When I did find a local Buddhist community, I started practicing seriously again but never felt that progress or found that peace again. It is like you said about meditation teachers, it is always focused on concentrating. Recently I realized that these teachers may be wrong, and started practicing the way you teach again. What beauty! It feels like perfection, peace. The way The Buddha taught. Thank you for your teaching and confirming what I used to know about meditation.

Thank you bhante. You are the budda to me. I get tears when I listen to you. Thank to your institution I get to silence in my mind. I listen to or Delson or to David every day. I lean lot. Where I live in Europe there are not darma centers. Thank to Darma sukka mind in a good place. I hope and wish to depend my meditation. I know for sure you are in the budda field and helping everyone. Sadu Sadu.

This is one of the best talks i have listened to in recent times about meditation practices.

I come back to this talk every once in a while, and each time I always learn something new thanks to further practice. An endless fountain of happiness. Thank you so much Buddha/Bhante 🙏😁😸

Listening to this, must be what it was like for a 1920’s physicist to read Einstein‘s theory of relativity for the first time. It’s earth shaking. It turns everything I thought I new about meditation on its head, in the best possible way!!

anytime you feel tension in the body or mind it is because of craving ….. so important to release tension - clinging happens really quickly ...Wonderful dhamma talk - very clear - thank you so much - deep respect …..

At first , I watched a video of Jurgen Zieve ,and then Delson Armstrong's appeared as a related video (Viking Guru), which was really interesting . So I decided to check his teacher Bhante's website and RU-vid channel , and I was truelly amazed by what he had said about Metta meditation and Vipassana and Samatha ! I learned and paracticed Therevada Buddhism and its mediatations(Metta , Vipassana ) in Japan Theravada associaation many years ago . The teacher was a Sri Lankan monk Sumanasara . He teached Vipassana besed on Mahashi method , and metta meditation independently . But many people there ,including me , had some big questions, like :" Is it possible to get the final point only by Vipassana ? How should we practice Samatha ? We don't need it ? etc " . What Bhante said was a revolution to me ! I left Fundamental Buddhism or Theravada Buddhism many years ago ,and went through many other spiritual paths .including traditional Advaita Vedanta. But now I am very attracted by Bhante's " Suttavada" . Anyway ,thank you very much Bhante !

The more you feel love and kindness the easier it is to give it away. Thank you

This is awesome! In all the ten directions! Thank you thank you thrice thank you!

Very clear. Very direct. Very helpful.

how much merit one must have to come across this pointing that is so important, It is so simple. thank you very much

This is an AMAZING talk!

I have never heard of or listened to Bante before. This is a great talk and insightful. He clearly lays out the ground and basis of Jhana and its stages, and most important how to link Jhana with love and kindness meditation and Nirvana. Great insight 🙏🏽

This was an excellent talk. He is on point with everything here. Meditation, if done right (the way he described it) opens up so many possibilities for your life!

ave been trying various methods to treat my nicotine addiction. The method of meditation Bante Vimalaramsi explains of loving-kindness and dependent origination is the first to offer comfort and belief I can make progress and address my fear. sadhu sadhu sadhu!

I love his teachings.

I'm surprised to see that the putting a smile on your face technique really works. It had a great change in my practice. Thankyou sir for this video. I'm truly grateful 🙏🙏🙏

This is one of the most compete dhamma talks I've ever heard! Wonderful and practical. Thank you!

SADHU !.... What a wonderful teacher !.....I can't stop smiling as I listen more ! Later, I started laughing and it's so relaxing and fun !!.....with the practise... Thank You so much ! 🌷⚘🌷⚘🥳🥳🥳

Such a brilliant and important sharing of true insights and experience. Thank you Bhante :)

Thanks Bhante

So helpful! Thank you for sharing!

quite right... i am coming from a buddhist country where most people get caught in the ritual part of buddhism, these are more cultural aspect that has been added to buddhism over the years... take a few core teaching and meditation technique such as vapassana, what Bhante is saying then you can tell what buddhism is and where cultural aspect have been added. Peace!

Thank u bhante

Thank you very much Sir. I am taking the Precepts .

Wonderful Bhante Vimalaramsi Step By Step Entrance.

Vandami Bhante💐💐💐 sadhu, sadhu, sadhu 💐💐💐 It's really true, when you experience in meditation all the steps sutta is easily understand.

Sadhu Sadhu Sadhu 🙏

This was a useful and interesting talk. Thank you. To an audience member: staying in the room during a recording despite a loud persistent cough not skilled.

We all must have had some GREAT kamma finding Bhante Vimalarmsi lol, what a gem

Attachment is a poor definition of the Pāli "upadana" which means both clinging and fuel. In the Buddha's first discourse he encapsulated the definition of suffering as the five clinging aggregates (pancaupadanakhanda). In other words the aggregates are the fuel by which selfhood arises. Unfortunately the satipatthana suttas have been recreated in simplified form as vipassana meditation, a form of Buddhist modernism, as something separate from anapanasati. In actuality they are two ends of the same stick. One cannot pick up a stick without picking up both ends. Yes the hindrances are great teachers. There is much to learn from them keeping in mind that the ultimate goal is to gain a direct understanding (not an intellectual understanding) of the Four Noble Truths this uprooting the conditions from which the whole tangled skein of suffering arises.

Amai! Zeer interessant! Ik beoefen vipassana sinds 2003. Aangeleerd in 10dagen retraite maar sinds beoefend alleen. Dé stadia doorgemaakt worden hier zeer duidelijk beschreven en opgehelderd! Natuurlijk zijn er nog vragen maar ik voel bij het beluisteren alleen al inzicht groeien. Prachtig dank je wel.

Modern Zen has cut out too much and now no longer has any connection to the Buddha's original teachings. The majority of zen practitioners have no clue about jhana. The eightfold path must be practiced in it's entirety to achieve results.

🌈AUM NAMO AMITABHA BUDDHA🌟

I want to take precepts. please help

❤🙏😁

1:03:09 The only way Nibbana occurs

Bhante.......Is there ANY existent Sangha which teaches what you share besides your own? How is the Thera approach on meditation taught in Thailand vs. Myanmar vs. Cambodia? Thanks P.S. I've sent a message to you via your website address.

may i ask? in arupa_jhana, do the bodily feelings (vedana) exist? dukkha vedana, sukha vedana, and adukkhasukha vedana namely.

is an arahant continuously conscious of his/her mind? or is it that they have no thoughts which gives rise to emotions?

Jhāna is absorption samādhi is concentration

bante pls advise i have a difficult father who give my life and family great sufferring and he wont want to change.i difficult to give meeta how u advise me..

Bhante sir, How can we contact you? Is there a email address? Please reply thanks. 🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏

Im always folding my arms at 18:48

Everything you said resonates deeply with my experience. However, I just don't understand why/how it is really different than any other meditation. I have done many meditations, and they all seem to have that, or at least I have had that experience in them. Am I that unique? I have not trained formally with any teachers, though I sat with a few groups in the past.

i got here after searching first jhana in the search box

The Samadhi ( the concentrated meditation ) leading to Vipassana, ( insight) develops the stillness of your mind with observation of thoughts arise, persist and fall and letting go. The objective of the use of these techniques is to develop equanimity ( un waived and non labeling ) In the process of elevated levels of concentrated meditation this eventually unfolds; while experiencing the Jhannas which are merely the progress levels of these meditation practice. Then continue to apply to day to day life in real experiences. The 4 levels of Jhannas are described below:- The next four Jhanas are the formless meditations which are describes as: Realisation of the sphere of ‘space-infinity’ Realisation of the sphere of ‘consciousness-infinity’ Realisation of the sphere of ‘no-thing-ness’ Realisation of the sphere of neither ‘perception-nor-nonperception’ The Buddhist scholar Winston states that these Jhanic meditations are the “paradigm of meditation techniques in its highest classical Indian form” and ancestors of all the later Buddhist meditative practices. However that shall pass too in practice, and not be attached to Jhanna but learning to be unwavering and non labeling. (gain equanimity) With the elevation of this practice levels of renunciation takes place gradually as it will auto rid your cravings and cutting fetters and non realization of perception and non perception. Just alone thinking of the unwavering brings stress free joy and only bliss experiencing for real With the practice of those moments you experience bliss! Thank you and May all be Well and Happy! 🙏🏼

:) My name is Jhana

Dependent and origination here means u can see yr past life?

nan huai chin speaks about smiling to uplift and clear the mind, esp for the stereotypical pensive buddhists, as do daoist practices; yoga often begins with calming the breath, its the first step of alternate nostril pranayama.

5:39 wrong. upon reaching access concentration the hindrances cease both in and out of meditation. and the physical and mental pliancies and blisses continuously abide day n night

all the suttas + all of the commentaries are rubbish if you cannot quieten the mind + if you can achieve this tranquillity than surely you will not need any suttas or commentaries

dont read the commentaries just stick to the suttas ... concentration and vipassana are interconnected ... jhanas are states of concentration - but nowhere in the suttas have i read anything about 5 Rs

Well, Zen tries pretty much to cut out the religious crap.