The Waking

  Introduction I intended to move on from the previous blog to this one relatively quickly, but it took me longer to get around to this than I anticipated so you might want to have a quick look at that one before going further. It is at https://herethewaking.blogspot.com/2026/04/should-i-explore-jhana-meditation.html I ended th at previous blog with, “ In the next blog I will explore the variety of people’s subjective experience of jhana states, to give practitioners an idea of where they can take you.” The eight jhana states are usually given as: The material jhanas: 1. Rapture or Delight 2. Happiness 3. Contentment 4. Equanimity   The immaterial jhanas: 5. Limitless (or infinite) space 6. Limitless (or infinite) consciousness 7. Nothingness (or no-thingness) 8. Nether perception nor non-perception I will focus here on the immaterial jhanas. They feel deeper than the material jhanas and differ more from familiar, day-to-day states. My guess is th...

  Aaron Lee, from Facebook This blog is devoted to American Buddhist, Aaron Lee, who died on the 21st October 2017 at the age of 34. Although he was known to many for his blog, ‘Angry Asian Buddhist’, I am mainly going to cite some of the things that he told the former editor of the Buddhist site ‘Lion’s Roar’, Sam Littlefair, shortly before his death. May they sustain, inspire and encourage you as they did me. By the way, it may help you to understand the following better if you know that the Buddhist concept of a ‘refuge’ is an ultimate source of guidance and protection. In his last year, Aaron shifted his focus from activism towards creating “refuges,” which he described as spaces where someone can feel safe, supported, and nurtured. In a blog post, he wrote, “In the hospital, I found my speech and actions could become refuges for my family and caregivers — providing them with a space where they could feel calm, positive and helpful.” When I spoke to Aaron for a second time, in ...