Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

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SarathW
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Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by SarathW »

Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?
Say I experience Jhana at a ten-day retreat.
After I come home I have a sexual experience with my wife.
Is it possible?
According to the following video in Sinhalese, it is not possible.

“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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Nicolas
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by Nicolas »

My understanding is that attaining jhana once doesn’t automatically make one a non-returner.
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Zom
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by Zom »

Say I experience Jhana at a ten-day retreat.
After I come home I have a sexual experience with my wife.
Jhanas and sex are mutually exclusive 8-)
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Assaji
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by Assaji »

Nicolas wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 11:27 am My understanding is that attaining jhana once doesn’t automatically make one a non-returner.
Indeed, it's only Anagami who doesn't enjoy sex.

Bodhisatta had a jhāna glimpse in childhood, and this did not preclude sexual life for him.
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by santa100 »

SarathW wrote:Say I experience Jhana at a ten-day retreat.
After I come home I have a sexual experience with my wife.
While it'd be a stretch to say that one'll no longer have the ability to have sex after some preliminary jhanic experience, it's also a stretch to say jhana can easily be attained while one still frequently have sex simply due to the 2 completely opposite nature of the 2 activities. Anyway, back to the OP scenario, say one did attain some preliminary jhanic experience, chances are s/he's still able to "perform" their civic duty, but in their mind they could easily tell the difference between those 2 kinds of pleasure: a subtle, long-lasting, and far more superior kind, versus a coarse, fleeting, and of low quality one. It's just like once one's tasted a far more superior kind of food, while one can still eat the usual lower grade food but s/he'd immediately be able to tell the difference in quality between the two.
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LG2V
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by LG2V »

It's totally possible. You can attain jhana and then have sexual activity later that same day, likely with strong feelings of pleasure remaining from that morning's jhana. That being said, while possible, it's not likely. The two tend to be mutually exclusive as a general rule, although not an absolute one.
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Akashad
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by Akashad »

I don't think one can like RIGHT after Jhana.

Jhana are really refined states of mind engaging in sexual activity right after is a bit too coarse.Its possible to engage in sensual activities but i don't think one would truly enjoy it. Activities like even listening to the sound of music feels very ,jarring,and the sensation of euphoria, that feels really coarse and heavy.Unlike the happiness that one attains from jhana which is light and sublime.There are different levels of happiness and what we choose to enjoy.But once one experiences jhana one knows in the back of their minds there's a greater happiness.Much enjoyable than sex.

Also Jhana is not permanent.So it's effects can wear off.But i don't think one enjoy sex Right after Jhana.
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StormBorn
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by StormBorn »

SarathW wrote: Wed Sep 05, 2018 9:30 am Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?
Say I experience Jhana at a ten-day retreat.
After I come home I have a sexual experience with my wife.
Is it possible?
According to the following video in Sinhalese, it is not possible.
According to one venerable who seems to be well advanced in meditation: after emerging from a jhana, the mind will be in a state of no hindrances (see DN 2). How long is this period varies individually. After this no hindrance state fades away, the need for the sensual pleasures might arise.

One important thing he said was: If a meditator makes a habit of such a practise, it must improve his wisdom faculty which will make one understands the uselessness of the sensual pleasures hence the need to entertain the senses.

If you can engage in a sexual experience right after a jhana, then better investigate further what you really called a "jhana" :jumping:

Does the video talk about a time limit kind of a thing after a jhana? And who gives this talk? Thanks!
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SarathW
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by SarathW »

Does the video talk about a time limit kind of a thing after a jhana? And who gives this talk? Thanks!
The video does not talk about the time limit but your post and reasoning seem pretty good.
The video is by Ven. Kumara Kassapa.
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
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LG2V
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by LG2V »

Akashad wrote: Fri Sep 21, 2018 12:59 pm I don't think one can like RIGHT after Jhana.

Jhana are really refined states of mind engaging in sexual activity right after is a bit too coarse.Its possible to engage in sensual activities but i don't think one would truly enjoy it. Activities like even listening to the sound of music feels very ,jarring,and the sensation of euphoria, that feels really coarse and heavy.Unlike the happiness that one attains from jhana which is light and sublime.There are different levels of happiness and what we choose to enjoy.But once one experiences jhana one knows in the back of their minds there's a greater happiness.Much enjoyable than sex.

Also Jhana is not permanent.So it's effects can wear off.But i don't think one enjoy sex Right after Jhana.
I agree. Immediately after would be too much of a dramatic shift. It would feel like having sex after a good day at church or the temple.
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Alīno
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Re: Is it possible to enjoy the five sensual feelings once you experience Jhana?

Post by Alīno »

As i understand while a practitioner's mind is able to attain jhana, his perseption of pleasant vs inpleasant is shifted to perception of peace vs exitation, where peace is pleasent and all kind of sensual exitation is unpleasent.
As if someone will wear a silk clothes for a while, and then he will put a raw clothes, it will not be seen as pleasurable for him.

But as jhana is impermanent so this perception of pleasant and unpleasent can go up to that sensual raw level. So why not. imho
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