If the meditator decides to go on to the third shamatha jhana,
this can be achieved by just cultivating the second jhana more deeply and
eventually noticing that the rapture or emotional “wow factor” of that state
eventually becomes annoying, distasteful, agitating, or even boring.
and what is left is a more cool “bodily” bliss and equanimity
with a more diffuse mindfulness of what is going on.
The attention is now in broad focus,
Remember this strange widening of perspective with its central phase problem
when you get to descriptions of the “Dark Night” in the section on
the stages of insight, as the Dark Night has as its foundation the third jhana
but
adds the three characteristics.
If the three characteristics of the jhana are noticed,
this focusing on the wide periphery is a more
inclusive, broader, more sophisticated, and complex kind of concentration
than those of the first two jhanas.
Repeating patterns of some of the elements of images in the third jhana are common, sometimes to hundreds or thousands of copies.
Seeing hundreds of gently swirling lines of pale blue light:
that’s a third jhana sort of thing to see when visualizing.
If you are using the breath, it can feel very cool, subtle, wide,
and more ghostly or ephemeral.
The breath may slow down substantially in the third jhana
in comparison to the second.
The sense that we could drop far down into the breath,
like we could drop through the floor with the out-breath
and just stay down there somewhere,
is common for those using the breath as object in the third jhana.
Also,
the sensations of breathing are more likely to disappear entirely in this jhana
than in the previous ones,
though that can happen in any of the jhanas,
depending on the focus of attention.
The third jhana can also be significantly more prone to
possessing formless elements than the first two,
such as in the sense of the body falling away, sights falling away,
sounds falling away, and other similar disappearances occurring.
~~~
From this state, meditators have a few options. They can:
1) get stuck;
2) move on to the fourth jhana; or
3) investigate this state and begin the progress of insight.
This would require careful attention to make sure that
all the specific sensations that make up
peace, equanimity, subtle bliss, and spaciousness
are clearly observed to arise and pass, not satisfy,
and not be self or the property of self.
The transition from the third to the fourth jhana
is the real test of sophisticated concentration,
as it is not easy for many to make without some work and maturation.
It also benefits from a bit of direction,
as a much gentler touch is required to get across that junction.
This article was Inspired by
Buddha’s step by step instructions to obtain Enlightenment
as refined by The Arahant Daneil M. Ingram.
