Jhāna Consciousness: Buddhist Meditation in the Age of Neuroscience

by Paul Dennison

An interdisciplinary deep dive into Buddhist jhāna meditation and how it can transform our understanding of self and consciousness.

States of profound meditative concentration, the jhānas are central to the earliest Buddhist teachings. For centuries in Southeast Asia, oral yogāvacara (yoga practitioner) lineages kept traditional jhāna practices alive, but in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, reforms in Theravāda Buddhism downplayed the importance of jhāna in favor of vipassanā (insight) meditation. Some began to consider the jhānas to be strictly the domain of monastics, unattainable in the context of modern lay life. In recent years, however, there has been a resurgence of interest in the jhānas, and as researcher Paul Dennison shows, the esoteric and sometimes “magical” pre-reform practices of Southeast Asia hold powerful potential for modern lay practitioners living in a more scientifically minded world. Drawing on traditional Buddhist doctrine, teachings from lesser-known meditation texts such as the Yogāvacara’s Manual, and findings from the first in-depth, peer-reviewed neuroscience study of jhāna meditation, Dennison unpacks this ancient practice in all its nuance while posing novel questions about perception, subjectivity, and the nature of enlightenment.

Genres: Buddhism

304 pages, Paperback

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Nikko · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredibly fascinating book, essential, reading, for anyone involved in practice, stemming from the poly textual, tradition, and even of interest to those in the Tibetan traditions as well, as a lot of surprising parallels are raised by the author. Personally, I am not in need of scientific justification for Buddhist practice but actually what the author is done here is absolutely fascinating. I highly recommend this.


Note, I am affiliated with Shambhala Publications, but this is an honest and heartfelt review.

[Ned Holt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very disorganized book in search of a subject. Was it a technical path to the levels of Jhanic consciousness, a medical journal describing the technical impact of meditation on the brain, or a short history of Thai Buddhist politics in the 1950s and 1960s? Because it attempted to be all three and committed to none, it was a wasted effort.

[Kevin Dufresne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hi,

I hope all is progressing well.

Jhāna Consciousness: Buddhist Meditation in the Age of Neuroscience by Dr. Paul Dennison, PhD, explores parameters of Jhāna (through varying considerations, pathways, if one will, toward becoming arahat though not just to regard any type of finality of any destination than to assess Jhāna in relation to the varying pathways as well as historically) in connection with linguistics, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, spirituality, physics, and philosophy (amongst other sciences) deftly. During a walk from the gym, after a workout, I recall feeling (amazing, like I tend to feel most of the time though) a way in connection with amazing that I am seemingly only able to embrace (at the time, gratefully, joyfully, reading [a different book, at the time], praying, meditating, if one will) along my way. On the walk, I meet an individual of which I’m so glad about meeting because I learn of the term Jhāna from the individual (due to Jhāna being of the sounding of the individual’s name, though I don’t have the actual spelling of the individual’s name to even further attempt to determine the most accurate spelling of the individual’s name). Ironically, the individual’s actions seem to align symbolically with an area of Jhāna Consciousness (which I seek to learn more about after meeting the individual, which reveals defining seemingly connoting how I may be feeling, during my walk) which assists my navigating (though not limiting my navigating by attempting to determine any finality) the way of which I feel along my walk. So, I decide to buy then read, Jhāna Consciousness: Buddhist Meditation in the Age of Neuroscience by Dr. Paul Dennison, PhD, to learn more about Jhāna, and I’m really glad about reading the text because I find the explorations from the author of the pathways, regarding being, extremely valuable. The text offers strategies from considerations of roots of pathways for one to implement as well as approaches contexts of pathways without bias beyond historical assessments of determinations (though doesn’t stray too far toward contexts beyond providing more details about Jhāna) of varying pathways in relation to Jhāna. Additionally, the research the text offers is interesting and may prove valuable in determining how Jhāna may benefit healthfully, medically.

Onward and Upward,
Kevin Dufresne
www.Piatures.com
IG: @Dufreshest

[Alex Sippel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, I'm really glad I came across this book when I did. The interdisciplinary approach, mixing historical, academic/scientific, and spiritual was really refreshing. Being able to couple the detailed descriptions of the jhana states from old suttas with peer-reviewed scientific studies of experienced lay practitioners experiencing those states is astounding and for me adds a lot to my understanding. As a novice at the start of my journey, I'll be coming back to reference this and am grateful for the passion of the author to design the study and write this book.