Jhana has been portrayed as some almost mythical place that resides in the human mind and is expressed only through a relentless pursuit of it, without pursuing it. Some Jhana teachers will tell you that if you seek it, you won’t find it. If you do anything to get there you won’t get there.
Jhana is a real, lucid, clear, and free of delusions state of mind that anyone can reach with the right path and process and with sustained effort over time.
Jhana probably doesn’t seem real to a lot of people because hardly anyone is reaching it. Many teachers and meditation practitioners think that if they experience some joy in their session, they’re in Jhana. Some people think the point of meditation is to get this joy “piti” and “sukkha” in their meditation session.
Some claiming to have experienced Jhana talk about astral travel and knowing the answer to everything, and other nonsense.
There is nothing magical about Jhana. There is nothing mystical. There’s nothing outside of objective reality. It’s a state of mind that few reach and while it’s odd, there isn’t anything supernatural about it. It’s just a state of mind, like REM sleep is a state of mind.
Nonsense Claims About Jhana
The practice of Jhana meditation is often described in Buddhist texts as producing profound mental clarity, joy, and concentration, but throughout history and even today, there are outlandish claims about the experiences or powers it can confer. Many of these claims are rooted in misunderstanding, exaggeration, or mystical interpretations of meditative experiences. Here are some of the more extraordinary or magical claims associated with Jhana states:
1. Levitation
• Historical accounts and modern anecdotal claims include meditators who supposedly float or levitate during or after entering Jhana states. There are monks even today perpetrating this myth and total nonsense as they use metal braces to appear as if they are floating in air, usually sitting on a mat.
• These claims often arise from devious monks intending to trick people out of their money. This practice of trickery may have arisen due to misinterpretations of the “lightness of body” feeling described as a result of meditation.
2. Omniscience
• Advanced Jhana practitioners are sometimes said to gain access to universal knowledge or an understanding of all past, present, and future events. This is linked to Buddhist descriptions of “knowing the past lives” and other “abhinna” attainments. I’ve read a lot about the Abhinnas and I don’t remember ever reading anything stating that a person has access to full knowledge about everything in the world and cosmos.
3. Manifesting Physical Light
• Stories circulate about meditators in deep Jhana who glow or emit light, their physical bodies visibly shining to onlookers. Some bioplankton emit light, and you can drag your feet all over a dry carpet in winter time in a dry place and send out a visible shock from your finger to a metal object (or your friend), but I assure you the human body on its own does not produce light.
4. Immortality or Stopping the Aging Process
• Some people claim that by entering and staying in Jhana, one can stop or dramatically slow down the aging process, effectively becoming immortal. There are some temples in Thailand, one in Ko Samui I remember seeing, where they insist that one of the monks there, usually the old founding abbot, has died and yet remains in the same condition without succumbing to decomposition like every other dead human being. What really happens is they have someone make a likeness in wax and put that on display at the temple for people to marvel over. Scam, 100%.
5. Invulnerability
• There are accounts of practitioners who claim that in deep Jhana, they are immune to physical harm—blades won’t cut them, fire won’t burn them, etc. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any more ridiculous, there’s this kind of thing. In Thailand and other countries, there are Buddhist monks pretending to sit in a boiling hot vat of oil unscathed because they have some sort of power. This kind of thing used to be quite common. I haven’t seen it in a while, but I’ll bet you can find it on YouTube if you searched.
6. Superhuman Strength or Abilities
• Stories exist about meditators developing physical powers like incredible endurance, the ability to hold their breath for hours, or feats of strength. Not hard to test these. I don’t think you’re going to find people claiming these abilities to be very open to experiments.
7. Weather Control
• In some accounts, meditators are said to influence weather patterns, such as summoning rain or dispersing storms, through concentrated Jhana states. Thailand’s famous Luang Phu Tuad was said to be able to control the weather and ocean. I’d put zero confidence in that. hah!
8. Communicating with Animals
• Some meditators claim that deep Jhana grants the ability to understand or even talk with animals, due to heightened empathy or a connection with nature. I can assure you, after spending a lot of time in the Jhanas, this ability never came to me, nor do I think this has anything to do with Jhana states, just someone’s prior mental condition.
9. Miraculous Healing
• Jhana is sometimes said to cure diseases or heal injuries by aligning the mind and body in a state of perfect balance. I still hurt myself and still had asthma throughout my time in the Jhanas. I think this is more ridiculousness.
Why Do These Supernatural Claims Persist about Jhana?
• Cultural Mythology: Stories about extraordinary feats inspire reverence and intrigue in spiritual communities, adding power and devotion to whatever religion or group is claiming this nonsense.
• Subjective Experiences: The profound inner clarity and detachment of Jhana states can feel otherworldly, leading to exaggerated descriptions in some cases. In my own case I found it impossible to state something falsely or exaggerate after experiencing Jhana states and there is no ability to talk or describe any Jhana experience while IN the deep Jhanas.
• Symbolism: Many descriptions are metaphorical but have been taken literally over time by superstitious people and groups.
• Confirmation Bias: Practitioners may interpret unusual sensations or experiences in line with their spiritual beliefs.
While the outlandish claims are fascinating, most practitioners and modern teachers emphasize the practical, transformative mental benefits of Jhana without indulging in magical thinking.
Jhana is real, 100%, and though the first through the eighth Jhana are unique experiences, they are nothing magical.