Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayada w

I've had the privilege of working with the authors on retreat. They're effective and deeply intuitive teachers, and it's clear that their experience with the samatha practice has deeply transformed their lives. Jhana is an experience that can arise during the samatha path (samatha being one of the three important components of Buddhist practice, along with Sila and Vipassana). It is not, however, the only reason, or even the most important reason for pursuing this practice, and Snyder and Rasmussen do an excellent job of explaining why jhana, while important and useful, may be less rewarding to many than the purification of mind that comes along with the work._Practicing the Jhanas_ is definitely not short on practical information for those hoping jhana will arise, however. It combines a detailed explanation of the samatha path as taught by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw (their root teacher for this tradition), with a detailed and personal account of the authors' experience working with this path on retreat. They present what worked for them and what didn't work, from their commitment to complete outer silence, to the daily schedule of meditation they each pursued, helpful techniques, etc. One fun aspect is that they each worked independently for about two months without communicating with one another, but made very similar progress. This gives them a perfect opportunity to compare notes and share common threads, or different perspectives, with the reader. This path follows the Visuddhimaga's presentation of concentration practice, and is quite elaborate; the authors relate doing literally hundreds of hours of intense jhana work, in order to reach the level of mastery from which they write. That mastery is additionally visible in the various helpful analogies they craft, bringing some of the challenges and characteristics of the practice into easily understandable realms.Other reviewers have expressed a preference for some of the other available books that describe jhana work. If you're really interested in exploring this path it is indeed useful to read a variety of them. I've found valuable ideas in all of the ones listed. This one is a very important addition to the literature, however. It is true that the Sayadaw's book is available online, and can be studied for some of this information. It is substantially less accessible than this very readable guide, however, and Snyder and Rasmussen spend a healthy amount of time detailing what worked for them on the critical first stages leading up to the arising of jhana. That area of the practice is dealt with in just a few paragraphs in the Sayadaw's book.My understanding is that the Sayadaw was very pleased to have the authors complete this path, and eager to have them teach, as he believes them to be unusually well-suited to bring this path to the West with clarity, humor, and compassion, while forsaking none of the traditional structure and detail. This book is a testimonial to his confidence.

Despite it's slender volume, Practicing the Jhanas provides some very extensive and clear information on concentration (i.e., jhana) practice. It's worth noting that the instructions it provides are meant to be used alongside those given in the book Knowing & Seeing by the principal teacher of the authors, Pa-Auk Sayadaw. The jhanas he teaches and are described in the book are sometimes called "hard," perhaps because they're both challenging to enter and because the bar for recognizing them as having been achieved is quite high.However, the book thorougly stands on its own. And even for those who are unable to go on retreat to learn and practice these very deep jhanas (this reviewer included), it provides some very valuable pointers for samatha practice. This includes very straightforward and practical instructions for developing an ethical/moral practice (sila) that's an essential prerequisite for achieving stable, highly focused attention (I especially liked the reminder to persistently work on silencing inner speech--most other instructions emphasize outer speech). And it concludes with a brief discussion of samatha versus vipassana practice (including a succinct primer on the latter).I found it to be a great complement to Shaila Catherine's two books, Focused and Fearless and Wisdom Wide and Deep (the latter is based on her work with the Sayadaw), and in my view, although its target audience are probably mainly very experienced meditators, it's even of interest to casual practitioners exploring different meditation practices. Highly recommended. May your practice flourish.

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.

A reasonable book on the concepts and ideas around working with the jhanas as supposedly taught in classical Buddhism. I prefer to read this one out of academic interest, and to take it with a pinch of salt.. This is a very esoteric teaching as it is presented here and as such could serve to confuse the meditator with its concepts, symbology and stages. The authors present a prescriptive method of 'mastering' the so called jhanas. This can apparently be achieved from following mechanical instruction from a small book. Personally, I struggle to see how so much theory could apply to states of deep tranquility. Meditation arises when the mind is relaxed and spacious, and when all ideas, particularly those to do with jhana, have been let go of. I always feel, as I handle this book, that any such attempt to describe or discuss jhana defeats the very purpose of jhana: It detracts from the simplicity of stillness.I found the opening chapters to be useful on the history of jhana, its usefulness and how to prepare for it and approach it. The book loses me, personally, when it tries to lead the reader through the jhanas. The language is too sure, too mechanical, and the approach too prescriptive. This is at odds with my experience of meditation which is highly subjective and has more to do with sensing and releasing than thinking and categorising.Perhaps a more useful book on jhana would utilise a more poetic approach, to communicate to the student on a more visceral level. I believe that the Buddha often utilised simile and metaphor to give students a flavour of jhana. I would definitely welcome a book that references the Buddha and ties it all together with reflections, musings and illustrations that will inspire and help to incline the reader to jhana rather than attempt to school him/her in it.This is perhaps why there is such a scarcity of literature on jhanas; these are practices that involve letting go totally and letting the mind fall silent.For inspiration on Jhana, I would recommend watching online talks on youtube by ajahn brahm on the jhanas who I feel handles the topic in a lighter and much more straight forwardly.

I have practised samatha meditation on a daily basis for 40 years, so have some experience by which to judge this book. I found it an incredibly precise and lucid account of the authors' experience. The thoroughness of the approach is a luxury afforded to very few who are not monastics, but that is not a criticism, just a fact of life. The task of rendering such profound experiences in plain English is not easy, and indeed, was not possible in some cases, but this book is the most successful attempt and highly recommended to all those who wish to seriously explore this important part of the Buddha's teaching and practice.

I have been practising shamatha for a few years and this book as helped to reinvigorate my practise. Clear and encouraging.

Good inspirational guide . Though it gets repetitive later on.

A wonderful read pre doing a concentration retreat with a master in Myanmar