In my experience, meditation is a very unattached behavior. Unless I'm already in the motion of just getting things done generally, I will not meditate. There is not only no compulsion, but lots of resistance to meditating. Very pleasant experiences from meditating are very rare (albeit significant) for me, and if they do occur it's because I patiently waited 45 minutes.
I've gotten into 1st (maybe 2nd) jhana multiple times. There definitely can be a desire to get into the 1st jhana, but the chance that I get into first jhana is near 0 if I chase that desire (or even if I try to supress that desire).
Best combo I've found for getting into jhana is:
1. Be sleepy (especially in the middle of a they day, when usually you might nap)
2. Be exposed to psychedelics. Will increase trait openness. Too much skepticism leads to not even attempting it (I certainly used to believe jhana was some woo woo non-sense).
3. Be in an emotionally neutral or happy (not excited) state of mind. Negative mind-state is jhana-killer.
4. Do Metta (loving-kindness) meditation. Idk why, but this dramatically increases the probability of entering jhana for me.
5. Let go of as much as you can, especially including meta attachments (things you identify with) you are usually unaware of. Objectify everything you consider to be self, and then just wait.
Eventually some threshold snaps and you enter into an unmistakably different mind-space. I'd bet my life a brain scan would pick up on it. It is anything but subtle.
If you listen to ajhan brahm, he says (I have no reason to think he's lying) that it is possible to get into jhana while walking. You just have to make a meditation of walking. I have tried this, but my walks are always too short (I really should just put in more effort).
In my experience, meditation is a very unattached behavior. Unless I'm already in the motion of just getting things done generally, I will not meditate. There is not only no compulsion, but lots of resistance to meditating. Very pleasant experiences from meditating are very rare (albeit significant) for me, and if they do occur it's because I patiently waited 45 minutes.
I've gotten into 1st (maybe 2nd) jhana multiple times. There definitely can be a desire to get into the 1st jhana, but the chance that I get into first jhana is near 0 if I chase that desire (or even if I try to supress that desire).
Best combo I've found for getting into jhana is:
1. Be sleepy (especially in the middle of a they day, when usually you might nap)
2. Be exposed to psychedelics. Will increase trait openness. Too much skepticism leads to not even attempting it (I certainly used to believe jhana was some woo woo non-sense).
3. Be in an emotionally neutral or happy (not excited) state of mind. Negative mind-state is jhana-killer.
4. Do Metta (loving-kindness) meditation. Idk why, but this dramatically increases the probability of entering jhana for me.
5. Let go of as much as you can, especially including meta attachments (things you identify with) you are usually unaware of. Objectify everything you consider to be self, and then just wait.
Eventually some threshold snaps and you enter into an unmistakably different mind-space. I'd bet my life a brain scan would pick up on it. It is anything but subtle.
If you listen to ajhan brahm, he says (I have no reason to think he's lying) that it is possible to get into jhana while walking. You just have to make a meditation of walking. I have tried this, but my walks are always too short (I really should just put in more effort).