“For those interested in exploring jhana, Leigh brings many years of skillful teaching to this accessible, clear, and helpful guide.”—Jack Kornfield, author of A Path with Heart
“Leigh Brasington presents a clear map of jhana practice as he learned it from his teacher, Ayya Khema. As with many aspects of the Buddha’s teachings, different traditions and lineages have different views on what constitutes these deeper states of concentration. Leigh offers many examples from his own experience and from his reading of the Buddhist texts in providing a valuable guide to this particular way of understanding and practicing them.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Awakening
Foreword
Preface
Introduction
PART I – Practical Jhānas
The Preliminaries
Access Concentration
Entering the Jhānas
First Jhāna
Second Jhāna
Third Jhāna
Fourth Jhāna
The Immaterial Jhānas
PART II – Demystified Jhānas
Vitakka & Vicāra
First Jhāna
Second Jhāna
Third Jhāna
Fourth Jhāna
The Jhāna Summary
Insight Knowledge
The Immaterial States
The Cessation of Perception and Feeling
The Psychic Powers