For those new to E’s rave culture, it is not an innocent stimulant. The mortality exceeds 40%. But we are not talking about the consumption of E, perhaps arriving at the bliss without having the pharmacological effects via a more conscious act of meditation. To many, it concludes to bullshit, but a heap of studies identifies Jhānas from Theravāda Buddhist tradition as a way of sustaining feelings of pleasure in the body.
So, what are Jhānas?
Unlike the never-ending Fast Saga, a series of meditative states with 8 levels.
| First jhāna | Delightful sensations | A laser beam of intense tingly, pleasurable electricity, often likened to the moment of orgasm but prolonged. |
| Second jhāna | Joy | More laid-back. |
| Third jhāna | Contentment | More laid-back still. |
| Forth jhāna | Utter peacefulness | More restful than pleasurable. |
| Fifth jhāna | Infinity of space | Progressive deemphasis on the sensations. |
| Sixth jhāna | Infinity of consciousness | Deemphasis continues. |
| Seventh jhāna | No-thingness | Deemphasis continues. |
| Eighth jhāna | Neither perception nor non-perception | It’s a state of consciousness so minimal that you can barely call it consciousness. |
But there seems to be some disagreement about how long it takes to reach the jhānas. One Theravāda interpretations suggest you can quickly enter the first stage, while others suggest hours of sitting to get anywhere close.
The Jhāna instructions suggest that once you have achieved a stable level of concentration, possibly by focusing on your breath or chanting some mantra, you will start to feel a growing and stable tingling sensation called pīti(feeling of goosebumps). This is the moment where you usually think you’re losing concentration and shift your posture to get back in the rhythm. Instead of ignoring when you feel the sensations are becoming stronger and more stable, redirect your attention to the pīti.
But the problem with meditation is concentration keeps knocking you off. And sometimes, getting a little too excited and losing concentration makes it hard to practice in the early days of practicing jhāna.
Cofounder of Jhourney, Stephen Zerfas, adds if you manage to keep cool while the jhāna ramps up, at some point, it can just take off like a rocket. Grant Belsterling(an engineer at Nielson) explains his first experience:
“I felt like I got dropped off a roller coaster, that sense of full-body exhilaration.”
And lastly don’t confuse mindfulness, on which n’ number of startups are churning money, with meditation. Mindfulness is about being fully aware of the present moment, while meditation is a method used to reach mindfulness, a specific state. Secondly, mindfulness involves paying attention to the present moment, while meditation involves focusing the mind on a particular object or activity. And lastly, mindfulness can be practiced in daily activities, while meditation is usually done in a dedicated setting.
P.S. In Theravāda tradition, meditation practice encompasses two essential aspects: samatha (or “concentration,” incorporating the jhānas) and vipassanā (or “insight”).
References-
1. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15369207/
2. https://academic.oup.com/cercor/article/34/1/bhad408/7369445?login=true
3. https://tricycle.org/beginners/buddhism/inside-the-theravada-tradition/
4. https://sashachapin.substack.com/p/pure-pleasure-isnt-what-you-want
5. https://www.jhourney.io/
grewal 