What are the stages of meditation?

Question

Lets say, you start off by watching your breath...

What happens next?

Answer 1

There are Five Universal Stages of Meditation.

Whatever Gross Object is chosen for meditation (visualized images, sensation, breath, energy, mantra, or attitudes, etc.), the process moves inward through stages (Gross, Subtle, Bliss, I-ness, Objectless). All methods of meditation, of all schools, traditions, teachers, lineages, religions, or paths are experienced in one or more of the stages described below. This is a universal framework for deepening meditation, and is extremely useful to understand, in that it allows you to see where you stand, and where you are going.

Gross (Savitarka)
There are numerous gross level objects on which one can concentrate for meditation, including physical objects or their mental forms, attitudes, and a variety of thought processes. Some schools of meditation base their practice on only one of these objects. In Yoga Meditation, these are very important practices, but are seen as preliminary preparation for the subtler practices.

Physical sensation - Chakras - Visualizations
Mantra - Friendliness - Compassion
Breath - Benevolence - Acceptance
Purity of mind - Luminosity - Thought streams
Energy - Subtle senses - Anything pleasing

Subtle (Savichara)
Beyond the gross objects of meditation above, there are subtle level objects. Because these subtle objects are either the building blocks of the gross objects, or are the mental instruments of cognition, there are far fewer subtle objects. For example, all of the objects with shape and form are built of earth, water, fire, air, and space (bhutas are gross; tattvas are subtle). All of the perceptions and attitudes are experienced by the sensing instruments, which now are themselves objects of meditation and inquiry.

- Elements of earth, water, fire, air, and space
- The subtle energy flows of the vayus and pranas
- The subtle senses (indriyas) are objects of meditation
- The four functions of mind, as objects of meditation
- The subtler essence of mantra, beyond the syllables

Bliss (Sananda)
When attention goes beyond the gross and subtle levels of meditation, these recede into the background, as one is aware of the underlying bliss, a reality far subtler than mere emotion. In this still subtler experience, there is a simplicity, in that the multiplicity has been replaced by the awareness of bliss (ananda).

I-ness (Sasmita)
Beyond all three of the above levels (gross, subtle, and bliss), there is meditation on I-ness itself. This is not an ego level, along with the many personality traits, wants, wishes, images, or forms. Rather, it is meditation on individuality itself, untainted by all of those more surface level experiences. Though very deep, it has a simplicity in that it is a single I-ness, rather than a diversity of choices of gross or subtle objects.

Objectless (Asamprajnata)
All of the four stages above have an object on which attention is focused. Thus, they are called samprajnata, which means with support. Beyond all of these levels comes objectless attention, which is without support, and is called asamprajnata. It is not merely empty-mindedness, but as a vast stillness that is indescribable to the typical level of waking state mind. -

Answer 2

You seek an explanation of the Jhanas, or the levels of consciousness reached through Mindfulness Meditation. There are four levels or Jhanas, each known simply as the first Jhana, second Jhana and so on.

After the mind is stable and concentrated on the breath,
Samadhi happens after a time. A sense of happiness even joy. Soon even these sensations disappear and there is no sensation of breath at all. After this there is a sense of a bright light or even many lights. This is a reflection of the mind, the dirtier the reflection then the dirtier the mind, the cleaner the mind the more virtuous the mind then the brighter the reflection. Once this is stable then the bright refection leads your mind into the Jhanas. There are traditionally four, each with their own characteristics. Within them there is no sense of time or possibility of thought, there is only bliss.

For an explanation of the processes involved and what these experiences entail, the Abbott of Bhodhinyana Monastery, Ajahn Brahmavamso has a detailed explanation of the complexities at the following site ... I invite you to read it...

http://what-buddha-taught.net/Books/Ajahn_Brahm_The_Jhanas.htm

I hope that this helps you...it is too big a subject to cover in any reliable detail even in a single page...

Peace from a Buddhist.....

Answer 3

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Answer 4

First concentration, then contemplation and finally meditation. Concentration and meditation are not one and the same. For doing even mundane things like cycling, reading, swimming, eating etc we need concentration. Meditation is above the senses. The final stage is when the meditator, meditation and the target of meditation coalase into one.At that stage there will be only pure awareness.

Answer 5

Five Gradations of Rapture (Happiness): As one goes down in Samatha meditation, one will experience the phenomenon of rapture (Piti). Rapture occurs in increasing intensity as one goes deeper into one-pointed concentration (Samatha). These grades are named as such:
(i) Minor: a shiver like raising the hairs on the body (goose flesh). It is the same effect as if one has suddenly seen a ghost. The itch and 'insects' crawling are due to this minor rapture.
(ii) Momentary: flashes of lightning occurring at different moments all over the body.
(iii) Showering: breaks over the body again and again like waves on the seashore.
(iv) Uplifting: extreme lightness as a physical sensation as well as a mental uplift.
This 'floating in air' sensation may lead to "bouncing" (1st or 2nd Jhana).
(v) Pervading: whole body is completely pervaded, like a filled bladder or like a rock cavern inundated by a tidal wave (2nd Jhana)

Rapture is one of the five Jhanic factors. The other four factors are:
(1) Applied thought
(2) Sustained thought
(3) Bliss
(4) One-pointedness

Answer 6

Excellent Book to learn, not only to learn all the stages on Meditation, but How To meditate Effectively is: "Mindfulness in Plain English"Costs $14.00, but is available to read, study and to download, to Practice for FREE at the website below: ~ it is such an Excellent, most encouraging Book !
http://www.vipassana.com/meditation/mindfulness_in_plain_english.php
He also has a Fantastic book out called:
"Eight Mindful Steps to Happiness"
Encourage you to start out with his book,
"Mindfulness in Plain English" first,
by: Bhante Henepola Gunaratana.

~ Put a Star at your excellent question, for those more experienced meditators, who are in my contacts, who will provide you with a much better answer.

Have a wonderful optimistic weekend.

With Metta, to everybody !

Answer 7

all do not have same stages of meditation....most of it depends upon your past karma, your environment and your zeal to advance and of course your pre-destined destination

still a rough map, drawn by my own exp, with me and my friends is as follows :

1- concentration (on breath or mantra or Trataka)
2- Feeling lightness of body or numbing of limbs
3- Losing body consciousness
4- Jerks
5- feeling of floating or inflating
6- strange lights and or strange sounds
7-?
8-?
9-?

More than this cant be written on a public board... contact me for more info.. you know my email address !

Answer 8

the main thing to bear in mind is to ignore any outside stimuli.
put your self in a happy enviorment(mine is a weird cloud about 20 miles high watching the planet turn) once you've this the next stage is the colour changes you should go through diffrent bands of colour .if it helps imagine a huge cord reaching from the heavens. flowing down to your head, surging through your body eminating out of your feet and then becoming every thing around you.......it take's practice if you have a local spiritualist church, then enquire about (open circles) they will help to develop your inner strenth.
HOPE THIS HELPED.

Answer 9

You should start off by thinking about how rare and precious this human life is. Then you should think about how you have this mind that can be directed to take various virtuous objects of observation, or topics for analysis. Then you should think about suffering - aging, dying, pain, pleasure, sickness, birth, contact, and how everyone is kind of sick - even when they claim to be well. How could they not be sick in this world? We are all racing around at breakneck speed and no better off for it - in fact, most of us are losing ground despite working longer, harder and "more efficiently." Then you look around and see how everyone, especially in the U.S., is
suffering, too. Slowly, by engaging the mind in these types of thinking one should resolve to get free of the suffering. Then - one approaches the practice of meditation. So, where do you begin? The Buddha himself proclaimed many remedies for many different ailments. The meditation on watching the breath, or counting the breath was prescribed as an antidote to excessive busy-ness of the mind. There are all kinds of meditations - other examples: one should meditate on impermanence when they get too proud, or ugliness when they feel lustful, or dependent origination when they are ignorant about the nature of reality. You could also look up Kamalasila's "Stages of Meditation" but His Holiness The Dalai Lama and many other esteemed scholars and Precious Ones have written about these very topics. Consider the "Lam Rim Chen Mo" by Lama Tsong Khapa - the "Great Treatise on the Stages of The Path to Enlightenment," - or "Liberation in the Palm of your Hand," by Pabongka Rinpoche which is a commentary on the "Lam Rim Chen Mo." All of these belong to the Lam Rim or gradual path to enlilghtenment collection of trainings and there are a lot of root texts and commmentaries dealing with these subjects at snowlionpub.com. They are shared teachings in common with beings of small, medium and great capacity. All of this is well and good but you could alleviate a lot of confusion and get off on the right foot by finding a qualified Teacher. I am just the garbageman.

Answer 10

Brainwave Entrainment Binaural Beats Exposed - http://Trust.HealthandLivings.com

Answer 11

This is information on what levels of frequencies you go while meditating

The brain is an electrochemical organ using electromagnetic energy to function. Electrical activity emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves.emanating from the brain is displayed in the form of brainwaves. There are four categories of these brainwaves. They range from the high amplitude, low frequency delta to the low amplitude, high frequency beta. Men, women and children of all ages experience the same characteristic brainwaves. They are consistent across cultures and country boundaries.

During meditation brain waves alter.

BETA - 13-30 cycles per second - awaking awareness, extroversion, concentration, logical thinking - active conversation. A debater would be in high beta. A person making a speech, or a teacher, or a talk show host would all be in beta when they are engaged in their work.

ALPHA - 7-13 cycles per second - relaxation times, non-arousal, meditation, hypnosis

THETA - 4-7 cycles per second - day dreaming, dreaming, creativity, meditation, paranormal phenomena, out of body experiences, ESP, shamanic journeys.
A person who is driving on a freeway, and discovers that they can't recall the last five miles, is often in a theta state - induced by the process of freeway driving. This can also occur in the shower or tub or even while shaving or brushing your hair. It is a state where tasks become so automatic that you can mentally disengage from them. The ideation that can take place during the theta state is often free flow and occurs without censorship or guilt. It is typically a very positive mental state.

DELTA - 1.5-4 or less cycles per second - deep dreamless sleep

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Mindfulness meditation and related techniques are intended to train attention for the sake of provoking insight. Think of it as the opposite of attention deficit disorder. A wider, more flexible attention span makes it easier to be aware of a situation, easier to be objective in emotionally or morally difficult situations, and easier to achieve a state of responsive, creative awareness or "flow".

Daniel Goleman & Tara Bennett-Goleman (2001), suggest that meditation works because of the relationship between the amygdala and the prefrontal cortex.Simply put, the amygdala is the part of the brain that decides if we should get angry or anxious (among other things), and the pre-frontal cortex is the part that makes us stop and think about things (it is also known as the inhibitory centre).

So, the prefrontal cortex is very good at analyzing and planning, but it takes a long time to make decisions. The amygdala, on the other hand, is simpler (and older in evolutionary terms). It makes rapid judgments about a situation and has a powerful effect on our emotions and behaviour, linked to survival needs. For example, if a human sees a lion leaping out at them, the amygdala will trigger a fight or flight response long before the prefrontal cortex responds.

But in making snap judgments, our amygdalas are prone to error, such as seeing danger where there is none. This is particularly true in contemporary society where social conflicts are far more common than encounters with predators, and a basically harmless but emotionally charged situation can trigger uncontrollable fear or anger - leading to conflict, anxiety, and stress.

Because there is roughly a quarter of a second gap between the time an event occurs and the time it takes the amygdala to react, a skilled meditator may be able to intervene before a fight or flight response takes over, and perhaps even redirect it into more constructive or positive feelings.

The different roles of the amygdala and prefrontal cortex can be easily observed under the influence of various drugs. Alcohol depresses the brain generally, but the sophisticated prefrontal cortex is more affected than less complex areas, resulting in lowered inhibitions, decreased attention span, and increased influence of emotions over behaviour. Likewise, the controversial drug ritalin has the opposite effect, because it stimulates activity in the prefrontal cortex.

Some studies of meditation have linked the practice to increased activity in the left prefrontal cortex, which is associated with concentration, planning, meta-cognition (thinking about thinking), and positive affect (good feelings). There are similar studies linking depression and anxiety with decreased activity in the same region, and/or with dominant activity in the right prefrontal cortex.

Meditation increases activity in the left prefrontal cortex, and the changes are stable over time - even if you stop meditating for a while, the effect lingers.


Love & Blessings
Milly