How long do I have to meditate to reach first Jhana?

[martinfrank]

Because every person is born with a different backpack of old karma there can be no general rule. There are meditation prodigies who reach first jhana without formal instruction simply by forgetting to think, and there are those of us who struggle a lifetime. The same holds true for further progress.

Years of fruitless efforts don't make an experienced meditator nor a good meditation teacher.

Progress on the Path depends on Sila - Morality, Samadhi - Meditation, and Pañña - Insight or Understanding. If we get stuck in Meditation it may be that we neglect Morality and Wisdom.

(It may also be that we need a teacher or another teacher. We are not all at the same milestone on our karmic path. What works for crossing a mountain pass doesn't work to cross a river.)

Before Morality, Meditation and Understanding come Faith, Compassion and Effort: Without Faith into the Teaching, we will not understand. Without Compassion we will not let go. Without Effort we will fall asleep.

[wolf1]

how long time it is very hard question ..... i think that we can make our practice to be faster if we live right and meditate enought. the pure life is very important. (keep the 5 rules) and our actions and our thoughts are very important. i mean we should control all bad thoughts - for example we should do metta and karuna when we are angry or unhappy, we should do upekkha when we are envious and et cetera. and meditate one hour daily is very good, but if you can more then it is better. meditate less than one hour is not so good because we all need more than 30 minutes to reach deep levels. (for the persons who haven't got jhanas yet.)

[wolf1]

how long time it is very hard question ..... i think that we can make our practice to be faster if we live right and meditate enought. the pure life is very important. (keep the 5 rules) and our actions and our thoughts are very important. i mean we should control all bad thoughts - for example we should do metta and karuna when we are angry or unhappy, we should do upekkha when we are envious and et cetera. and meditate one hour daily is very good, but if you can more then it is better. meditate less than one hour is not so good because we all need more than 30 minutes to reach deep levels. (for the persons who haven't got jhanas yet.)

And of course PRACTICE TRUSTING is very helpful to reach STREAM ENTRY (the first 3 jhanas):

http://what-buddha-said.net/drops/The_Three_Jewels.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/No_Fear.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/III/Fine_Faith.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/The_6_Keys.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/The_4_Doors.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Internal_Bath.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Divine_Tracks.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/How_to_Enter.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Going_Upwards.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Stream-Enterer.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Ex ... _Fruit.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/V/Entry_Emergence.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/St ... trance.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/St ... _Tools.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/As ... nation.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Im ... ration.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Fruit ... le_Way.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/Li ... _Entry.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Fr ... eagues.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPP ... apanna.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/library/DPP ... uggala.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/II/He ... _Entry.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/Enter ... upreme.htm

http://What-Buddha-Said.net/drops/IV/Th ... -Entry.htm

And training celibacy - live celibacy life for longer periods makes our practice to be faster i think.

[martinfrank]

how long time it is very hard question ..... i think that we can make our practice to be faster if we live right and meditate enought. the pure life is very important. (keep the 5 rules) and our actions and our thoughts are very important. i mean we should control all bad thoughts - for example we should do metta and karuna when we are angry or unhappy, we should do upekkha when we are envious and et cetera. and meditate one hour daily is very good, but if you can more then it is better. meditate less than one hour is not so good because we all need more than 30 minutes to reach deep levels. (for the persons who haven't got jhanas yet.)

And of course PRACTICE TRUSTING is very helpful to reach STREAM ENTRY (the first 3 jhanas):

And training celibacy - live celibacy life for longer periods makes our practice to be faster i think.

Thank you, Wolf, for your wonderful advice! I agree with you 100%. The Pure Life and Faith are the foundation of Meditation and Understanding. I will study your links. Thank you and may all beings be happy!

[culaavuso]

And of course PRACTICE TRUSTING is very helpful to reach STREAM ENTRY (the first 3 jhanas):

What relationship between stream entry and the first 3 jhānas is asserted above?

It is noteworthy that the texts on the realization of stream-entry make no mention of any prior accomplishment in jhāna as a prerequisite for reaching the path. In fact, several texts show the breakthrough to stream-entry as occurring to someone without any prior meditative experience, simply by listening to the Buddha or an enlightened monk give a discourse on the Dhamma.
...
The contention between the two parties in the contemporary debate might be recapitulated thus: Those who assert that jhāna is necessary for the attainment of stream-entry usually insist that a mundane (or form-sphere) jhāna must be secured before one can enter the supramundane path. Those who defend the dry-insight approach hold that a mundane jhāna is not indispensable, that a lower degree of concentration suffices as a basis for the cultivation of insight and the attainment of the path. Both parties usually agree that jhāna is part of the actual path experience itself. The issue that divides them is whether the concentration in the preliminary portion of the path must include a jhāna.

To decide this question, I wish to query the texts themselves and ask whether they show us instances of stream-enterers who are not attainers of the jhānas. Now while there are no suttas which flatly state that it is possible to become a stream-enterer without having attained at least the first jhāna, I think there are several that imply as much.
...
It thus seems that the type of concentration typically available to a lay noble disciple at the stage of stream-entry or once-returning is access concentration. This, of course, does not mean that stream-enterers and once-returners don't attain the jhānas, but only that the standard doctrinal structure does not ascribe the jhānas to them as essential equipment.