Vipassana Jhanas - Samatha and Vipassana

Samatha and Vipassana

According to Sayadaw U Pandita, samatha and vipassana are not two separate practices. Samatha, or concentration, leads to jhana (mental stabilisation). In jhana there is no mental discursiveness, or very little, as the aim is to calm the vibrations of thought and mental activity. At this stage the meditator becomes very peaceful and blissful. All the changes that happen to the ego, and which lead to nirvana, originate in jhana and are experienced through intuition and a connection to a deeper level of awareness that is beyond normal discursive thinking.

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