What are the formless attainments of early Buddhist meditation? We'll look at these deep states of absorption. First we'll look at their history, how the Buddha first encountered them and where they appear to have arisen from, then we'll turn to the practice as outlined in the early texts as well as some later material.
📙 Check out my new book, A Handbook of Early Buddhist Wisdom, with a Foreword by Ven. Bhikkhu Bodhi: https://books2read.com/buddhisthandbook
🧡 If you find this material useful, check out my Patreon page and get fun benefits like exclusive videos, audio-only versions, and extensive show notes: https://www.patreon.com/dougsseculardharma
🧡 You can also make donations through: https://paypal.me/dougsdharma
☸️ Free mini-course at the Online Dharma Institute: onlinedharma.org.
✅ Books mentioned:
Bhikkhu Ñāṇamoli (trans.), Visuddhimagga, The Path of Purification — https://amzn.to/31Ecd7s
Alex Wynne, The Origin of Buddhist Meditation — https://amzn.to/31HNzSU
✅ Videos mentioned:
Is Deep Meditative Absorption (Jhana) Necessary for Enlightenment? — https://youtu.be/D9RgTQPnG4A
Deep Meditation in Buddhism Playlist (the Jhānas) — https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL0akoU_OszRiHHGTYuHmFs3pkjbpzzWtB
Emptiness in Buddhism: Early Practice — https://youtu.be/XbHcqUnWBlc
✅ Suttas mentioned:
https://suttacentral.net/mn26/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn52/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/an11.16/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn39/en/sujato
https://suttacentral.net/mn77/en/bodhi
https://suttacentral.net/an10.29/en/bodhi
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/onlinedharmainstitute/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/dougsdharma
❤️ Thanks to Patreon Patrons:
Anonymous (2)
Scarlett Farrow
Carlos Gutierrez
Matthew Smith
Bob Snead
JC
Shantha Wengappuli
Karma_CAC
Johan Thelander
Michael Roe
Jorge Seguel
Christopher Apostolof
GailJM
Brett Merritt
David Bell
T Pham
VCR
Upayadhi
Andi and Erik
ATGuerrero686
Michael Scherrer
Michael Seefeld
khobe schofield
Alex Perdomo
Benji Forsyth
Kaine Usher
Cookie Forthecookie
Blaze Way
Sonny Flink
Steve Marlor
David W
Joy L Lee
Andrew Tom
Anthony Tucker
Karlee R
Rob Parisien
Ethan M
Billy in Singapore
Derek Birch
Matthew G Mynttinen
Theodor Bernhard
Aziz Rahman
Olivia Otter
Carl Lennartson
xiao mao
Brady Schickinger
Steve H.
Jeff Harvey
Andrew Ingrouille
Jimmy Maa
00:00 Intro
00:53 Āḷāra Kālāma
02:21 Uddaka Rāmaputta
05:15 Brahminic meditations influenced by the early Upaniṣads (Alex Wynne)
07:59 Gotama leaves them behind and becomes the Buddha
09:23 Why these attainments are “formless”
11:54 The first formless attainment
13:52 Arriving at the first formless attainment; kasiṇas
18:57 The second formless attainment
20:36 The third formless attainment; nothingness vs. emptiness
25:04 The fourth formless attainment
28:36 Visuddhimagga’s two similes
Note: as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Amazon links are affiliate links where I will earn a very small commission on purchases you make, at no additional cost to you. This goes a tiny way towards defraying the costs of making these videos. Thank you!