Jhāna

Meditative absorption, deep concentration. Jhāna (Pāli, equivalent to dhyāna in Sanskrit) designates the progressive states of concentration arising from sustained meditation.

Four form jhānas (rūpa jhāna):

1. First jhāna — With thought (vitakka) and examination (vicāra), with joy (pīti) and happiness (sukha) born of seclusion
2. Second jhāna — Cessation of vitakka and vicāra; inner confidence, unification, pīti and sukha born of concentration
3. Third jhāna — Equanimity, sukha without pīti; “one who feels pleasure dwells mindful”
4. Fourth jhāna — Pure equanimity, mindfulness, neither pleasure nor pain

Followed by four formless jhānas (arūpa jhāna): infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, neither-perception-nor-non-perception.

The jhānas are not liberation, but tools: they stabilize the mind so that vipassanā can see clearly the nature of phenomena. They are the basis of samādhi in the Noble Path.

In classical yoga, dhyāna (seventh limb) is sustained meditation that precedes samādhi — a continuous flow of attention toward one object.