8 types of meditations (Jhana)
१. पहली ध्यान-समाधि -
पहले ध्यान में यद्यपि मन ध्यान के आलंबन से जुड़े रहने का प्रयत्न करता रहता है, परंतु वितर्क और विचारों का सिलसिला भी साथ-साथ चलता रहता है। साधक काम-भोग और अकुशल दुर्भावना को अपने विचारों से दूर रखता है । इस विवेक के कारण मन में प्रीति-प्रमोद जागता है और शरीर पर पुलक -रोमांच की सुखद अनुभूति होती है । साधक इस प्रीति-सुख की संज्ञा में समाधिस्थ हो जाता है । यह पहली ध्यान समाधि है ।
२. दूसरी ध्यान-समाधि –
इस ध्यान में वितर्क और विचार का सिलसिला नितांत निरुद्ध हो जाता है । वितर्क और विचारों से मुक्त हुए चित्त में जो शांति प्रकट होती है उसमें स्थित हुआ साधक चित्त के प्रीति-प्रमोद और शरीर के पुलक-रोमांच के सुख की संज्ञा में समाहित होता है । यह दूसरी ध्यान-समाधि है ।
यह जो निर्विचार, निर्विकल्प और निर्वितर्क की अवस्था है, आगे जाकर इसी को चित्तवृत्तियों का निरोध' होना कहा गया और इसे ही ध्यान की उच्च अवस्था मानने लगे, जबकि ऐसा नहीं है । वस्तुतः यह द्वितीय ध्यान की समाधि है। चित्तवृत्तियां निरुद्ध हुयीं परंतु अभी चित्त और शरीर की संज्ञा कायम है । इस ध्यान की आगे और गहन अवस्थाएं हैं ।
३. तीसरी ध्यान-समाधि –
इसमें चित्त पर महसूस होने वाली प्रीति-प्रमोद की संज्ञा भी समाप्त हो जाती है । जिस शारीरिक सुख की प्रसन्नता कायम रहती है, साधक उसी की संज्ञा में समाहित हो जाता है । यह तीसरी ध्यान-समाधि है ।
४. चौथी ध्यान-समाधि –
चित्त के सौमनस्य (चित्त-उल्लास) और दौर्मनस्य (चित्त-संताप), यानी मानसिक सुख और दुःख की संज्ञा का निरोध तो पहले ही हो चुका था । अब शारीरिक सुख और दुःख की संज्ञा का भी अंत हो जाता है । तब सुख-दुःख रहित, विशुद्ध उपेक्षा और सजगता की अवस्था प्राप्त होती है । साधक इस संज्ञा के साथ चतुर्थ ध्यान में समाधिस्थ होता है ।
५. पांचवां ध्यान –
अनंत आकाश का ध्यान - चौथे ध्यान में शरीर की ही नहीं बल्कि सभी भौतिक पदार्थों की संज्ञा पूर्णतया निरुद्ध हो जाती है । अब साधक आकाश की अनंत स्थिति का ध्यान करता है । इसके फैलाव में कहीं कोई रुकावट नहीं । कोई भौतिक पदार्थ की टकराहट नहीं । साधक इस अनंत आकाश की संज्ञा में, यानी पांचवें ध्यान में, समाहित हो जाता है ।
६. छटा ध्यान –
अनंत विज्ञान का ध्यान - साधक अनंत आकाश के आलंबन के आगे बढ़ कर देखता है कि यह विज्ञान, यानी चित्त, भी अनंत है । जितना चाहे उतना फैलाये। इसके विस्तार में भी कहीं कोई रुकावट नहीं है । अतः वह अनंत विज्ञान की संज्ञा में, यानी छठे ध्यान में, समाहित हो जाता है ।
७. सातवां ध्यान –
अकिंचन का ध्यान -साधक अनंत विज्ञान के आलंबन का भी अतिक्रमण करके आगे बढ़ता है तो देखता है । कि कोई आलंबन ही नहीं रह गया । अकिंचन-ही-अकिंचन है । शून्य-ही-शून्य है । तब वह अनंत अकिंचन की संज्ञा में यानी सातवें ध्यान में समाहित हो जाता है ।
८. आठवां ध्यान-
नेवसंञ्ञानासञ्ञायतन का ध्यान है । सातवें अकिंचन ध्यान के आगे ध्यान की ऐसी अवस्था आती है जहां संज्ञा इतनी धुंधली हो जाती है कि उसके अस्तित्व और अनस्तित्व में कोई भेद नहीं किया जा सकता । संज्ञा नामकरण का काम करती है । इस अवस्था में किस का नामकरण करे? किसे किस नाम से संबोधित करे? किसे आकाश कहे या अनंत विज्ञान कहे या अकिंचन, यानी शून्य कहे? यह अवस्था इन सबसे परे है जिसका कोई नामकरण नहीं किया जा सकता । साधक की संज्ञा किसी आलंबन को पहचानने में असमर्थ हो जाती है । परंतु साधक सर्वथा संज्ञाशून्य भी नहीं हो जाता । इस अस्पष्ट अवस्था में यह भी नहीं कहा जा सकता कि संज्ञा है और यह भी नहीं कहा जा सकता कि संज्ञा नहीं है ।
यह आठवां ध्यान सर्वोच्च अरूप ब्रह्मलोक की अवस्था है । समस्त संसरण-क्षेत्र का यह शीर्षस्थ लोक है । यहां जन्म लेकर कोई सत्त्व हजारों महाकल्पों का दीर्घ जीवन जीता है । परंतु अंततः मृत्यु को प्राप्त होता ही है । वह अमर नहीं हो जाता । सर्वोच्च होते हुए भी यह अरूप ब्रह्मलोक मृत्युलोक ही है । अनित्य ही है । यह मार का क्षेत्र ही है । मार के बंधन से मुक्त नहीं है । यहां पहुँच कर भी जन्म-मरण का भवसंसरण चलायमान रहता है । यह दु:खनिरोध अवस्था प्रदान नहीं कर सकता ।
8 types of meditations (Jhana)
The first type of meditation is endowed with vitakka (leaning of mind towards an object through respective sense organ), vicara (sustenance of mind into the object through the respective sense organ), piti (rapture), sukha (pleasure) and ekagatta (concentration).
In this context we will have to consider these words with reference to the meanings ascribed to them in the Indian society of 2500 years ago.
Today, vitakka means discussion or arguments. But at that time in the religious terminology it used to mean leaning of mind towards an object through the respective sense organ.
Let us consider these terms through a parable:
A honey bee finds a beautiful lotus flower ahead and flies towards it. Since there is a contact between the visual object "flower" and sense organ "eye" of the bee, it flies in the direction of the flower in search of honey. So the flying of the bee towards the beautiful flower is just like vitakka. Now in the next step the bee reaches up to the flower and sits over it, searches the source of honey with a hum sound. This is just like vicara. The honey bee very soon finds out the centre of honey in the flower which generates a feeling of pleasure in her as now she is hopeful of tasting the sweetness of honey. This is piti (rapture). A step further, the bee penetrates its nozzles into the centre of honey and has the first taste of honey drop. Thus she gets real pleasure of tasting the honey. This is just like sukha (pleasure). Now in the next step the bee is so indulged in enjoying the taste of honey that all its activities like hum sound etc. are stopped and she is fully unaware of all other surroundings , so much so that if the flower closes its petals at sunset, the bee doesn't take notice of that and remains confined in it for the whole night. Such a state of bee's mind can be compared with the state of ekagatta (concentration).
These different stages of meditation are attained gradually as the practice gets accelerated. The first meditation order is as under:
1st meditation: vitakka, vicara, piti, sukha, ekagatta
2nd meditation: piti, sukha, ekagatta (vitakka and vicara dropped).
3rd meditation: sukha, ekagatta (piti dropped).
4th meditation: upekkhaggata. (Sukha is replaced by uppekha, i.e. equanimity).
So when mind is concentrated, attainment of the fourth stage of meditation is completed. In such a state of mind, the practitioner feels a unique feeling of pleasure not known to him before, when mind was fickle. Further concentration over such a feeling of pleasure generated through concentration of mind over a single object eliminates the feeling of pleasure also and only the feeling of equanimity remains. But this is not the ultimate stage to stop.
The practitioner has to proceed ahead. Then he observes that the concentrated mind is a part and parcel of our body. From first to the fourth stage of meditation, the practitioner has observed gradual elimination of vitakka, vicara, piti, and sukha as mentioned above. Now at the fourth stage, mind is active. The sense organs have stopped their respective functions.
When a Vipassana practitioner observes all these four states of meditation as a witness without projecting anything out of his own mind, he finds himself into a deep feeling of immense pleasure, i.e. sukha.
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2500 years ago the language was quite different to that of ours today. Some words have got their meaning changed. Some have got new meanings, while the others have been ascribed meanings quite different to that of the ancient language of philosophy. Hence, to judge sayings of that old time with the parameter of our modern language creates confusion.
For example, 2500 years ago, the term sukha (pleasure) was used for a very high state of meditative trance.
In the modern terminology it does not signify that degree of immense pleasure.
At that time, sukha was related to the pleasurable state of mind attained at the fourth meditation level. Beyond that, on the material plane of the human existence, the type of so-called pleasurable feelings was virtually an illusion.
As has been said: "Kemi haso kim anando nicce pajalita sati."
That is, a Vipassana seeker used to find the whole of material existence burning with the devilish fire of craving, wherein the beings are pursuing desires either related to greed or avarice. Thus, they are not at all in the state of bliss but always suffering to fulfill their desires. Thus that false state of pleasure was considered as bliss at that time.
Nowadays, on the contrary, bliss is considered to be a higher state of mind obtained in trance, while the pleasure is associated with the material attainments.
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Thus, after attainment of the fourth jhana, only the mind is active and all the sense organs cease to function. The yogi now moves ahead and projects his mind in the entire universe and finds on the basis of imagination that so far , limited mind confined to his body alone was in fact an all-pervading entity and thus infinite. Prior to the attainment of the fifth meditative state, mind was confirmed to the place of heart in the body. Patanjali has given this term to the seat of mind in the body.
5) In the fifth state of meditation, the mind appears to be infinite like space.
All the gross material objects are converted into different types of vibrations. At this state, the mind perceives vibration and vibrations alone.
At this stage, the practitioner again concentrates himself to find out the reality of this infinite space. Having concentrated on this object of meditation, the practitioner tries to feel as to who is perceiving this infinity to the space. In those good old days, that element of mind which used to perceive the infinity of space at that higher level of meditative trance was termed as vinnana. This term to some extent corresponds with modern English term consciousness. Although the Hindi term vigyana is nowadays translated as science. In fact, consciousness is the volition which works at our psychic level. It cognizes the objects.
6) Thus the cognizing part of our mind when concentrates itself over the infinite space another higher state of trance termed as sixth jhana in the ancient philosophical terminology of India is attained.
At this level only super-consciousness exists which is cognized by the mind.
7) The practitioner does not stop even at this level and makes an analysis of this super consciousness level which is although not gross, but even than a solidified state of vibrations.
When this state is analysed by the practitioner , even the vibrations are eliminated and the practitioner lands at a state of voidness.
This is the seventh state of trance. At this state only voidness prevails.
8 ) At this seventh stage of trance, the practitioner further analyses his own existence with reference to the all-pervading voidness.
Then he comes to the conclusion as to which part of the mind is realizing this state of voidness. The part which realizes this state was termed as "vedana" in those old days. The word vedana corresponds with the word sensation, which means just feeling. In modern language the term vedana is used for pain only, that is, the disagreeable feeling. Thus, the terminology used by Patanjali at that time was completely distorted by the modern commentators by applying the modern meaning of those old concepts which were having a different meaning at that time when Patanjali used them in his treatise.
Again returning to the original subject, we find that at the stage of seventh jhana there exists not only vedana but sanna (sangya) also which demarcates the different objects of mind at different levels of trance like infinite space, infinite consciousness, voidness, etc.
In this process the practitioner finds that the same part of mind is functioning as sanna and vedana. It means on one hand it is feeling the object in the form of vedana i.e. sensation and on the other hand it is evaluating the object as good or bad, agreeable or disagreeable in the form of perception i.e. sanna.
As the concentration goes ahead on this very phenomenon also analysing it to perceive its reality, the practitioner finds himself landing in a realm where the perception in one moment exists while in the other it does not exist. Such a state of trance is technically called in the old philosophical language "Neva sanna na sanna yatana." That is, in this state of trance the perception has become so feeble that sometimes it is cognized, while on the other its cognition is not possible. It is called as the eighth meditative state. The person who attained Buddhahood attained all these eight states of meditation before his final attempt for enlightenment. By that time all his defilements were removed leaving only the roots at the psychic level. Even the roots in the subtlest form were a great hurdle in the path of enlightenment.
Now Siddattha Gotama was worried to root out these seeds of defilement existing at the psychic level. But apparently at that time no such practice was available beyond the 8th state of meditation.
Hence, Siddattha Gotama tried the path of utmost penance prevailing at that time with a false notion that suffering caused to the body will wash out all the defilements. Siddattha tried this method also and after causing the peak of suffering to his body by way of penance he found that the roots of defilements were still present.
Now, Siddattha gave a second thought to his way of practice and added sampajanna to his way of life leaving all other methods of austerity.