Introduction

About the manual

 

What is it?

 

This manual provides comprehensive practical guidance for developing the jhanas (profoundly serene and blissful states of meditative concentration), potentially all the way to the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha samapatti)—the highest meditative attainment possible according to the early Buddhist scriptures. The basis for developing the jhanas is the practice of mindfulness of breathing. The guidance is based on my personal experience with all the meditative states discussed in the manual.

 

The early Buddhist texts are the scriptural basis for the meditative states—the nine attainments (four jhanas, four formless attainments, and the cessation of perception and feeling). Specifically, it’s the Sutta Pitaka[1]—the “suttas” (for the sake of simplicity and consistency with the quoted suttas, I omit diacritics for the Pali[2] terms; the Pali terms are in italics, except for the frequently used terms “jhana,” “samadhi,” and “sutta”).

 

However, even the suttas say that the Buddha himself learned to enter some of the states (the seventh and eighth attainments of the nine) before awakening from other ascetics.[3] That means these meditative states are not reserved for Buddhists only and can be practiced separately from the Buddha’s teaching. I aim to provide practical advice on developing the meditative states, not to delve into the Buddha’s doctrine beyond what is necessary for the meditation training. Whether it is used secularly or as part of the Buddhist Eightfold Path is up to the reader.

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I include the most relevant information that may help progress towards and through the nine meditative attainments. The manual focuses on mind training in a retreat setting, covering both the time on and off the meditation cushion. I do not claim that following the approach here will make everyone enter the jhanas. I do claim, though, that if met with some other factors (see the Theory chapter for details), it can lead one all the way from mindfulness, through the jhanas and formless attainments, to the cessation of perception and feeling—nirodha samapatti.

 

 

Who is it for?

 

The manual is suitable for anyone (laypeople, monks, or nuns) aspiring to go beyond basic mindfulness on a meditation retreat. Beginners can start by practicing mindfulness of breathing as described here at home and use it as a basis for their first meditation retreat in the future. Intermediate practitioners with retreat experience can use the tips here to fine-tune their training and progress further. Expert meditators already mastering the formless attainments can see whether the tips for getting from the neither perception nor non-perception to the cessation of perception and feeling will work.

 

The training is tailored to developing deeper meditative states on a retreat. However, if you do not plan to go on a meditation retreat, you can still use the mindfulness of breathing techniques for your mind practice outside of a retreat setting.

 

The manual does not take into account the potential mental health issues of the meditator. I don’t have any professional education in that area. The instructions assume the meditator is generally in good health. For such individuals, I’m not aware of any potential health risks associated with the practices described here. If you have a relevant health condition, it is advisable to discuss the suitability of attending a meditation retreat with a healthcare professional.

 

 

Why did I write it?

 

The nine meditative attainments have changed my life. These states cannot compare to anything experienceable in everyday life. Calling them the utmost meditative bliss, peace, and release is not an exaggeration. I want to make them more accessible to others—that is my mission. The training is not easy, and making it to jhana is not guaranteed. But it’s undoubtedly worth trying.

 

 

Overview of chapters

 

PART 1: GROUNDWORK FOR SERENITY

 

• Chapter 1—Theory: Clarifies the key terms used throughout the manual and discusses the key factors for attaining jhana.

• Chapter 2—Training Outside of Meditation: Covers all relevant aspects of the meditation retreat practice outside of formal meditation, including a suggested daily retreat schedule.

• Chapter 3—General Meditation Tips: Practical advice relating to any level of meditation.

• Chapter 4—Mindfulness Training: Provides meditation instruction for three modes of mindfulness of breathing, the third one potentially culminating in the first jhana. Includes a table with an overview of the mindfulness of breathing techniques.

 

PART 2: ADVANCED MEDITATION

 

• Chapter 5—Jhana Training: Walks the reader through the practice of the four jhanas, lists their benefits, and provides a table summarizing the jhana practice. Realistic timeframes for getting into the jhanas are also discussed.

• Chapter 6—Beyond Jhana: Formless Attainments: Explains the meaning of the “formless,” provides instruction for transitioning from the fourth jhana to the formless absorption, and continues the journey through the meditative attainments to the edge of conscious experience.

• Chapter 7—Cessation of Perception and Feeling (Nirodha Samapatti): Detailed elaboration of the highest meditative state, including tips for attaining it, my first experience of emerging from it, some features and effects of the cessation practice (e.g., nonduality), and ways to check for oneself that the cessation is happening.

• Chapter 8—General Notes: Closes the meditation discussion with final thoughts and tips on the samadhi[4] training, especially on overestimation.

 

• Each chapter ends with a few key takeaways. Summary of Key Takeaways follows the Conclusion of the manual.

 

Chapters 2–4 will be the most practical for most meditating readers. Part 2 (chapters 5–8) deals with advanced mind training requiring more extended retreat periods. Therefore, Part 1 (chapters 1–4) will suffice for mindfulness practitioners who are unconcerned about the advanced meditation stages. Finally, chapter 7—Cessation of Perception and Feeling—might be the most interesting for readers curious about advanced meditation, as accurate information on the cessation attainment is scarce.

 

 

Who is the author of the methods described in the manual?

 

The approach described here is my method in the sense that it’s how I’ve practiced and what has worked for me. But it’s not my method in the sense that I would be the sole original author of it. It is based on the suttas; I learned most of the meditation instructions from my teacher—Venerable Ariyadhammika Mahathera; some things are probably common knowledge in the Theravada meditation circles, passed on to me by others, and the rest are my inventions.

 

Some of the tips may seem obvious to experienced meditators. I still include them as the aim is to provide a comprehensive manual helpful to beginners and advanced practitioners alike.

 

 

About the author

 

My name is Tomas. I was born in Prague, the Czech Republic, in 1987. I grew up playing tennis (and I see some parallels between training to be a professional athlete and training to attain the most profound states in meditation). I studied economics and public policy at Kenyon College (BA, Ohio), the London School of Economics, and the University of Amsterdam (MSc). Among my few jobs, I spent the longest time at McKinsey & Company in Prague as a research analyst. I also enjoyed teaching economics part-time at a high school.

 

I became interested in Buddhism when I was 16 and started meditating at 18—about 20 years ago. During my studies and work, I sometimes meditated at home and used to go to a 10–14-day retreat once a year, usually with Bhante Sujiva as a teacher (Mahasi meditation method).

 

At the end of 2018, I went to Sasanarakkha Buddhist Sanctuary in Malaysia to become a Theravada monk under the guidance of Venerable Ariyadhammika. At that time, I didn’t consider myself an especially good meditator. Long sits were uncomfortable for me (hip and knee pain), I tended to think a lot (one of my past teachers put me in the “obsessive thinkers” category), and after a few days of retreat, my mind was easily overcome by lust. The beginnings at Sasanarakkha were no different.

 

However, quite unexpectedly, I was able to get into the jhanas and even the formless attainments relatively quickly. Later, in 2022, again at Sasanarakkha, I managed to break through into the cessation of perception and feeling. After that, I maintained and developed the cessation practice for over two years.

 

Besides Malaysia, I have practiced meditation in Buddhist monasteries in Burma, Thailand, Sri Lanka, and Singapore.

 

At the end of 2024, I decided to abandon formal monasticism, return to Europe, continue my meditation practice without the monk robes, and dedicate myself to helping others on the path to jhana. I could not do it the same way as a monk since monks are not allowed to report their attainments to laypeople. Also, I delight in forest seclusion and the cessation of perception and feeling, but I cannot say the same about formal monasticism.

 

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I don’t expect all the information in the manual to be useful for everyone. But I believe most readers aspiring for the jhanas will find some valuable tips here. Sometimes, the game changers are relatively minor things. Read on to find out what the little trick was for me to break through into the cessation of perception and feeling.

 

 

Key Takeaways

 

• “This manual provides comprehensive practical guidance for developing the jhanas (profoundly serene and blissful states of meditative concentration), potentially all the way to the cessation of perception and feeling (nirodha samapatti)—the highest meditative attainment possible according to the early Buddhist scriptures.”

 

• “The manual focuses on mind training in a retreat setting, covering both the time on and off the meditation cushion.”

 

• “The manual is suitable for anyone (laypeople, monks, or nuns) aspiring to go beyond basic mindfulness on a meditation retreat.”

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[1] “Basket of Discourses”—canonical texts of Theravada Buddhism.

[2] The language of the Theravada canonical texts.

[3] The Middle Length Discourses of the Buddha, sutta 26.

[4] Unification of mind, one-pointedness of mind; the next chapter explains the term in more detail.