Right concentration
by Leigh Brasington · first published 2015
86% recommend14% critical
Why HN recommends it
Practical, step-by-step guide to jhana meditation, the deep absorption states in Buddhist practice. It is the best introduction to the subject and is suited to those with a solid meditation foundation.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"The Buddhist jhanas--successive states of deep focus or meditative absorbtion--demystified. A very practical guidebook for meditators for navigating their way through these states of bliss and concentration. One of the elements of the Eightfold Patʼh the Buddha taught is Right Concentration: the one-pointedness of mind that, together with ethics, livelihood, meditation, and so forth, leads to the ultimate freedom from suffering. The Jhanas are the method the Buddha himself taught for achieving Right Concentration. They are a series of eight successive states, beginning with bliss and moving o
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…Burbea's jazzy, improvisational approach. Also, currently I'm working on the jhanas, which are a lot of fun, and I'm excited to work on them at a 10-day retreat starting in a week. Leigh Brasington's Right Concentration is the best intro, or for a thread see https://twitter.com/nickcammarata/status/1471300341232668679
on “Ask HN: What is your spiritual practice?” ↗…philosophy on life detailed in: Flow The Evolving Self There’s the ‘awakening’ thing you can do, which might give a fresh perspective: The Mind Illuminated - Culadasa Seeing That Frees - Rob Burbea Right Concentration - Leigh Brasington
on “Ask HN: Books for Reevaluation of Life” ↗I can recommend 2 books for those who want to try to learn, but tbh i think a retreat is still required to reach them: 1. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Concentration-Practical-Guide... 2. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators... Leigh Brasington reports that people he's spoken to who have studied kundalini yoga say the strong piti of the first…
on “EEG Study of Buddhist Jhāna Meditation (2019)” ↗…bad and good angels on your shoulders. You start responding and not reacting to life. There comes a point where you dive into the Jhanas. Then you buy an at home EEG to become an expert at meditation. Right concentration by Leigh Brasington explains all. Then you go through some stuff and end up a christian suddenly. Realizing that christianity is a buddhist sect; or really that all religions are trying to explain an…
on “Ask HN: What's Your Spirituality?” ↗…1st year Med School curricula and then the rest from there. Some big parts of medicine is relatively useless - psychology for example. Would recommend learning meditation ina real way and reading “Right Concentration.”. Learning about jhanas and mental states. I remember as a kid when they asked me what I wanted to do, I never understood why I couldn’t do all of the above.
on “I should have loved biology” ↗…immersive. It's called jhana/dhyana practice in Buddhism and you can get more detailed instructions in books like these: https://www.amazon.com/Focused-Fearless-Meditators-States-Cl... https://www.amazon.com/Right-Concentration-Practical-Guide-J... https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators-H...
on “The effect of meditation on brain structure (2012)” ↗So anyone curious to try, I recommend first understandings how to properly meditate. After you have good experience with this can you move onto the jhanas. I highly recommend: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Right-Concentration-Practical-Guide... If you know how to do step 1 and then follow this book to the T. You will experience the jhanas. I however caveat, you don't want to do this. It's a bad decision. You don't want to…
on “Highlights from the Comments on Jhanas” ↗…in an anachronistic spirituality, with sources, even modern ones, that are largely incomprehensible*, and gurus/guides that are terribly unappealing and look like they are living outside this world. *Right Concentration was recommended for understanding jhanas, but I found it a very challenging reading. I mean, we teach general relativity to ambitious high school students, I am sure we can do better with meditation/jhanas…
on “Can you warm yourself with your mind?” ↗