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Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw Paperback – December 1, 2009


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Product Details

  • Paperback: 160 pages
  • Publisher: Shambhala; 1 Original edition (December 1, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 159030733X
  • ISBN-13: 978-1590307335
  • Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 6.5 x 0.4 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #691,041 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Finely constructed meditation manual.”—Buddhadharma

“Clear and in-depth. Practicing the Jhanas explains difficult concepts and ideas in an accessible format and enriches the reader’s understanding of meditation.”—Yoga Magazine (UK)


“Stephen Snyder and Tina Rasmussen know what they write about in this book through their own direct experience as dedicated yogis. This book serves as a bridge for Westerners, as a conduit to the traditional teachings of the Buddha.”—Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw <p style="line-height: 150%;">“This is a unique road map to the extraordinary and transforming states of mind known as the jhanas. As a psychologist and as a practicing Buddhist, I recommend this book wholeheartedly.”—Rick Hansen, PhD, co-author of Buddha’s Brain: The New Neuroscience of Happiness, Love, and Wisdom

<p style="line-height: 150%;"> “Practicing the Jh?nas is a wonderful addition to our understanding of concentration practice. Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder draw on a wealth of personal experience to clearly elucidate and fine-tune this profound meditative path. Highly recommended.”—Joseph Goldstein, author of A Heart Full of Peace and One Dharma <p style="line-height: 150%;"> “A fascinating look at the inner experience of jh?na meditation as taught by the Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw. Tina and Stephen are among a very few Western students of Sayadaw who can speak authoritatively about these profound levels of concentration. Their work is a most valuable addition to the contemporary literature of Theravadin Buddhism.”—Guy Armstrong, teacher, Spirit Rock Meditation Center <p style="line-height: 150%;"> “This book will be of interest to any dedicated meditator, regardless of their style of practice. It provides a valuable contribution to the growing understanding of jh?na and its important place in Buddhist meditation.”—Richard Shankman, author of The Experience of Samadhi

About the Author

Stephen Snyder began practicing Zen Buddhism in 1976 and has had a daily meditation practice from that time on. He has practiced for twenty years with Western Zen masters. Stephen attended a two-month retreat with Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw in 2005. He attained the eight jhanas (as well as other practices) in the span of the retreat, becoming the first American male to complete this attainment in the lineage of Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw.

Customer Reviews

This book is a great reference since it is fairly comprehensive as well as being concise.
Zentao
They provide a bridge to the teachings of Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw which will facilitate the meditator's continued progress beyond the scope of this book.
Janice
This book is very well written and it provides detailed instructions and explanations on how to practice traditional concentration meditation.
KCosta

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful By Janice on February 26, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Although I've had a meditation practice for years, I can see clearly after reading this book that my efforts have been minimal and without adequate direction. Have you ever gone to Disney World without doing some research first on how to approach the parks? You can spend an exhausting day like a salmon swimming upstream. Yet if you come prepared and follow the advice from a good guidebook, you can navigate and time the attractions at the parks in an efficient manner and have a really good experience. This book is like having a detailed road-map that has been highlighted by someone who intimately knows the area. The optimal path has been clearly marked by the authors and they've included obvious recognizable trail-markers along the way. They kindly point out common misconceptions that one might have and miss-steps that one might take that could hinder meditation progress. Skillfully chosen examples and similes are provided to help the reader connect with descriptions of experiences and practices that may otherwise seem foreign if you have not personally experienced the jhanas.

The authors speak with confidence resulting from personal experience. The tone of the book is inviting and refreshing. Instead of feeling demoralized by the relative lack of progress in my personal meditation practice to date, I feel inspired by the authors to take up this practice systematically. They have shown what lies ahead and made it clear that with proper effort it is attainable. This book is such a gift!

Practicing the Jhanas takes the beginning meditator from the first sit all the way through to what I consider very advanced meditation. But the authors haven't stopped there. They provide a bridge to the teachings of Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw which will facilitate the meditator's continued progress beyond the scope of this book. I feel gratitude to the authors for sharing their knowledge and experience of this ancient yet vibrant path to liberation.
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18 of 20 people found the following review helpful By Kim McLaughlin on January 12, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
After practicing the jhana meditation described in this book with the Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw in Burma for three months and then for 2 more months in California I still did not have a clear understanding of the technique and method of practice. This book is a wonderful bridge, accurately putting that ancient teaching into modern day language which is accessible and very helpful to the scholar and more importantly to the practitioner. I have greatly benefited in my practice from reading it and also from studying with these two fine authors and meditation practitioners. I very highly recommend it to others. I hope you benefit from reading it as much as I feel I have.
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47 of 60 people found the following review helpful By Amazon Customer on December 12, 2010
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Very little information that is useful to Jhana practice can be found in this book. The Pa Auk method of meditation is very traditional and, unfortunately, not a very effective method for Westerners.

With the correct techniques (and earnest effort!) applied, you can achieve first jhana in 3 to 6 months...while never attending a retreat. Please to not be misled that you just haven't fulfilled enough paramis in your past lives, or need to spend more time on retreat. It helps, no doubt, but it is not required.

If the Pa Auk method works for you, great. Detailed information on technique is available in the freely downloadable book by Pa Auk Sayadaw, Knowing & Seeing, which can be found here:
[...]

However, if you really want to attain jhana, look to these books instead: Focused & Fearless or Mindfulness, Bliss, & Beyond. The first can get you into jhana quicker, the latter is more in-depth & is better suited for those with more experience with jhana [and are looking to master the technique].

In short, jhana is not the big deal everyone makes it out to be. ANYONE can attain it & fairly quickly. It is only hard to achieve because so many poor techniques are taught. I have a lot of respect for Ven. Pa Auk Sayadaw & his tendency to lean more toward tradition than efficiency. This is critical when interpreting vipassana jhanas, etc.

However, the first step in getting anyone to make real progress is to get them into first jhana...
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful By Yvone Beisert on April 13, 2010
Format: Paperback
I have been practicing samatha for some years now, and I know how difficult it is to find practical and clear instructions about all the questions that arise. It is helpful for either a serious beginner or even a more seasoned meditator.

This book is now my companion and teacher, it is really, really helping me in my practice!

Yvone Beisert
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful By David D. on March 28, 2010
Format: Paperback
There are differences between the jhana instructions offered here and other manuals that I have read, specifically regarding where to focus once the jhana factors begin to arise, but the perspective offered here is of great value and made a significant difference in my concentration practice. I recommend this book wholeheartedly to those practicing this aspect of the path.
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful By James Practices Jhana on October 2, 2012
Format: Paperback
I purchased this book almost a year ago after developing an interest in traditional Buddhist meditation, Samadhi, and Jhana. Of all the books and articles I have read on absorptive meditation this one is the most practical and useful. It is written for the western meditation practitioner and I found it to be of great use in understanding and deepening aspects of my own meditative experience.

I had the great pleasure of being able to attend a one day meditation retreat with the authors. Even with only a single day of intensive practice I could feel the difference in my meditative concentration and this experience has convinced me to take up a dedicated daily practice. I often find myself meditating two or three times a day (or more) as the experience is often intensely peaceful and leads to a powerful sense of contentment around which the rest of my life revolves. No matter what occurs in my life there remains a degree of stillness that is a refuge from the storm of emotions and life stresses.

The actual practice of jhana is to me peace manifest in direct experience. Some of the experiences I have had leave me wondering how much more peace or contentment is possible and I have not attained even the first jhana. For those of you who believe that this practice is for a select few advanced meditators you should fear not because without even achieving jhana I have found this practice extremely calming and beneficial. My experiences give me both the desire and motivation to continue exploring the depths of peace, the cessation of my "monkey mind" and when the time is ripe to experience jhana.

This book lays down the framework for the experience of highly beneficial altered states of consciousness. I recommend it to all who show the slightest interest in the subject.
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