The Jhanas – States of Meditative Absorption

Last Updated on September 23, 2026 by Matthew Sockolov

The jhanas are states of deep meditative absorption that were described in early Buddhist texts. Often misunderstood to be simple relaxation or a state with the absence of thoughts, the jhanas are actually characterized by various qualities and experiences.

I don’t write much about the jhanas, or states of absorption. This is because I think there are teachers out there who have much more experience and a better ability to teach about them. I’ll include some books I recommend and have found helpful at the bottom of this post.

What is Jhana?

There are many translations of the Pali word jhana (or dhyana in Sanskrit). The most common is absorption, but many scholars point out the word actually just means meditation. Some use the simple term deep concentration. I personally use the word absorption, as it is what many of my teachers use.

The jhanas are four (or eight) states that are generally seen as progressive. Characterized by a temporary freedom from the five hindrances, the states of absorption are found through samatha practice. They take time to cultivate. Many people who practice with the jhanas sit for longer periods (hours instead of minutes) or do so on retreat.

The Five Factors

Before getting into the actual jhanas, I want to introduce the five factors as it helps in understanding the jhanas themselves. The first four factors really come from the suttas, while the fifth comes from the Visuddhimagga. These are five factors we must cultivate in order to experience the jhanas.

• Vitakka (applied or initial thought)
• Vicara (sustained application or thought)
• Piti (joy, rapture, or bliss)
• Sukha (happiness)
• Ekaggata (one-pointedness)

The first two, vitakka and vicara, are a bit of a hot topic among scholars. The Visuddhimagga and many Western teachers simply teach them as the initial thought and sustained thought. Perhaps attention is even better than thought. Vitakka is the directing of the mind toward something (such as the breath), and vicara is the sustaining of the attention on that object.

Piti and sukha are joy and happiness, respectively. I generally translate piti as joy, but it isn’t just simple and ease-ful joy. It’s often a bit more energetic and embodied. Sukha is a calmer, more refined experience that is full of ease and comfort. I often call sukha “contentment.”

And the final, one, ekaggata, is the one that is really added in by the later commentary in the Visuddhimagga. This is the unification of the mind, or what Leigh Brasington calls “indistractability.”

The Four Jhanas

The first four jhanas are the most foundational ones, offered in the original Pali Canon. These are the oldest suttas, or discourses of the Buddha. The first four jhanas are outlined most notably in the Sāmaññaphalasutta and the Anupada Sutta, but they are mentioned in countless other ones.

1. First Jhana The first jhana has all five factors present. This is the initial jhana where the five hindrances have temporarily ceased.
2. Second Jhana The second is characterized by piti, sukha, and ekaggata. Directed thought and sustained thought fall away. The jhana becomes effortless here.
3. Third Jhana The third jhana sees piti fading. With the fading of piti, the happiness of sukha becomes more prominent. This is generally a calmer and quieter state than then previous jhana.
4. Fourth Jhana Finally, the fourth jhana sees the fading of pleasure and pain, and sukha and piti. This jhana is characterized by pure equanimity and stability of mind. Jhana What changes? Dominant quality First Mind becomes unified Rapture + pleasure Second Thinking subsides Deep joy/pleasure Third Rapture fades Equanimity + pleasure Fourth Pleasure/pain fade Pure equanimity

The Four Formless Jhanas

There are also four other states often referred to as the formless jhanas. These actually predate Buddhism to some degree, coming from the ancient Indian contemplative traditions like the Upanishads. According to Buddhist scripture, the Buddha studied these with teachers before his enlightenment, including Āḷāra Kālāma and Uddaka Rāmaputta.

The Buddha rejected these formless states as insufficient for complete liberation by themselves. But they were integrated into the path that the Buddha laid out. They were generally seen as four separate states, the Abhidhamma and Visuddhimagga later grouped them in as jhanas 5-8. These are states in which perception of the physical world and body vanishes entirely.

1. Infinite Space This is a movement past physical boundaries, perceiving boundless and infinite space. This is the first movement away from something (like the breath) and into conceptual infinity.
2. Infinite Consciousness This jhana moves from space to consciousness that’s aware of the space. Instead of the space as the object, the infinite awareness that knows the infinite space becomes the object.
3. Nothingness In the third formless attainment, the infinite consciousness drops away. The absence itself becomes the object. It’s not blankness or unconsciousness; it is a refined perception of non-existence as an object.
4. Neither Perception nor Non-Perception Finally, we reach the subtle fourth formless attainment. This is when perception becomes neither present nor absent. It’s a subtle and refined state at the cusp of where perception can even operate.

What Jhana May Feel Like

One difficult aspect of writing or reading about the jhanas is that they may be experienced uniquely among different people. Experiences like piti may be described in a number of ways. The stillness and stability varies from individual to invididual. However, there are a few common experiences worth noting.

Jhanas generally have a sense of strong unification of attention. The feeling of “indistractability” is fairly universal. This comes with an increasing stillness or stability, withdrawal from sensory engagement, and strong pleasant feelings. Most people largely stop having experiences at the sense-doors. Perception of time may fall away completely. Discursive feeling falls away as well, and meditation becomes effortless.

I think it’s important to not get stuck on any one aspect or experience. The states of absorption look different from person to person. In fact, most teachings around the jhanas can give rise to some clinging in my experience. It can be useful to know what the teachings say, but we must be mindful of any attachment and clinging.

Samatha, Samadhi, Jhana, and Mindfulness

I want to offer just a clarification here of how these four terms all relate to one another. Samatha is the name of meditation practice that calms the mind. It’s useful in developing insight, and is how we develop the collected and tranquil mind needed for accessing the jhanas.

Samadhi is often translated as concentration, but that’s not quite on the nose. It’s the state of a collected and tranquil mind coming from samatha practice. It’s part of the Noble Eightfold Path, and Right Samadhi is generally understood to be the development of the jhanas.

Jhana is the specific state of absorption that arises in deeper states of samadhi. We can develop samadhi without ever accessing the jhanas. The mind can grow unified and calm, but later stages of samadhi lead to the jhanas.

Finally, mindfulness is necessary (along with clear comprehension) to quiet the five hindrances. Cultivating mindfulness allows us to both lay the foundation for jhanas, and helps us during the first jhana. In later jhanas, mindfulness really transforms into equanimity and bare awareness.

Why Jhana Practice Matters

Jhana practice can help us develop deep samadhi, cultivate tranquility, and see clearly without the presence of sensual craving or the other hindrances. We learn to find peace and tranquility internally, finding a deep rest and sense of wellbeing within our own minds.

Furthermore, the jhanas lay a strong foundation for insight practice. We can observe experience with a concentrated, bright, and malleable mind. The stability offered by jhana practice allows us the opportunity to investigate the deeper nature of reality with more clarity and less reactivity.

Early Buddhist texts seem to suggest jhana practice as necessary for insight development and liberation. Although the Buddha told some monks to practice loving-kindness or Satipatthana, he most frequently told monks to do jhana practice. It was seen as foundational for the development of insight and liberation.

How to Practice with Jhana

Jhana practice is a form of concentrative meditation. There are many ways to cultivate samadhi. We generally use the breath as the most common anchor, but you can also use a visual object (kasina), mantras, or phrases of loving-kindness. I personally find metta practice to be a useful method of developing samadhi, as I cover in both our podcast and this post. Below is a video from the podcast in which we practice metta as a form of concentration.

I don’t want to offer too much instruction here. As I said at the beginning of this post, I believe there are teachers better qualified to learn from on this topic. I’ll include some recommended resources below, but here is a video from our Mindfulness for Beginners playlist offering some tips for building concentration in meditation.

Recommended Resources

There are many teachers that teach extensively about the jhanas. Below are a few, along with an overview of what they teach. If the jhanas interest you, I strongly recommend checking some of these books out!

Thanissaro Bhikkhu

Thanissaro Bhikkhu is an American monk in the Thai Forest Tradition. His free book With Each & Every Breath focuses specifically on developing samadhi and the jhanas through work with the breath. He teaches that we can actually intervene and alter the breath to notice what is supportive, and we should seek to make the breath comfortable and full of ease.

Ayya Khema

A German teacher who practiced all over the world in various traditions, Ayya Khema eventually ordained at Hsi Lai Temple. Her book Who is My Self? is a commentary on the Potthapada Sutta, specifically discussing the eight stages of absorption. It’s a great book that focuses on the jhanas as a part of the Buddhist path and development of insight.

Leigh Brasington

Leigh Brasington is an American meditation teacher who studied with Ayya Khema. His book Right Concentration is a clear and modern look at developing concentration. It’s definitely a practice guide, but also offers scriptural analysis.

Ajahn Brahm

Finally, Mindfulness, Bliss, and Beyond by Ajahn Brahm is a direct guide to the jhanas. Ajahn Brahm offers a strong and deep absorption when compared to Leigh Brasington. His practice of the “beautiful breath” is outlined here, and the book offers plenty of tips and experiences to encourage the cultivation of samadhi.

Below is a video from our series How They Meditate in which we cover various teachers, their lives, and their teachings. The first half is about his life, while the second part covers his teachings on the jhanas.