TL;DR: The Pali Canon describes four jhānas by the sequence of their factors: the first jhāna has applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure and one-pointedness; the second jhāna drops applied thought and sustained thought, leaving rapture, pleasure and one-pointedness; the third jhāna drops rapture, leaving pleasure and one-pointedness; the fourth jhāna drops pleasure, leaving equanimity and one-pointedness. This is a description found in Southern tradition Pali texts, not a scientific scale; how to read it and how to compare it with other traditions still leaves many points unsettled.
What are the four jhānas in the Pali Canon?
The four jhānas in the Pali Canon are four levels of concentration described in sequence by their jhāna factors (jhānaṅga). First jhāna has five factors: applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure, and one-pointedness. Second jhāna drops applied and sustained thought, keeping rapture, pleasure, and one-pointedness. Third jhāna drops rapture, keeping pleasure and one-pointedness. Fourth jhāna drops pleasure, keeping equanimity and one-pointedness. This is the description in the Pali Canon of Southern Buddhism, for example in the Discourse on the Fruits of the Ascetic Life (DN 2)[3] and the Great Discourse on the Establishments of Mindfulness (DN 22)[4].
It must be said plainly at once: this is a descriptive framework within a religious text, not a verified psychological or physiological scale. The original text only proves what that text says, not that what it says is true in a scientific sense. Modern studies of meditation do compare with this framework, but that is a separate field, and this article does not rely on those studies because the reference sources do not include them.
Why call them "levels" rather than "stages of the noble ones"?
The word "level" here translates jhāna, commonly understood as "meditative absorption." The four jhānas are four levels of mental concentration during meditation, not four stages of the path's fruition. A person may enter first jhāna and lose it, and does not thereby become a noble one. In the Pali Canon, the four jhānas belong to the concentration (samādhi) group of the Noble Eightfold Path, not the wisdom (paññā) group.
This distinction matters because many readers confuse "attaining jhāna" with "attaining fruition." In the Noble Eightfold Path framework, right concentration is one factor, not the whole path. The Pali Canon also says some attain the four jhānas yet are not liberated, and some do not attain the four jhānas yet are liberated through insight.
How is first jhāna described?
First jhāna is the first level, with five factors: applied thought (vitakka), sustained thought (vicāra), rapture (pīti), pleasure (sukha), and one-pointedness (ekaggatā). Applied thought directs the mind to the object. Sustained thought keeps the mind on the object. Rapture is uplifting joy. Pleasure is a pleasant, settled feeling. One-pointedness is the mind resting in one place.
The Pali Canon often describes first jhāna with the simile of a bath attendant sprinkling bath powder into a basin of water and kneading it so it permeates evenly. This simile conveys a state of rapture and pleasure permeating the whole body and mind, born of seclusion from sense desire. The discourse uses the formula "secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unskillful qualities"[3].
One easily misunderstood point: first jhāna is not "wandering thoughts." Applied and sustained thought here are two very strong activities of a concentrated mind, not distractions. When distractions arise, the practitioner is not yet in first jhāna but still in the preparatory stage.
How do second, third, and fourth jhāna differ?
The difference between the four levels lies in progressively dropping the jhāna factors. The table below summarises according to the Pali Canon description:
| Jhāna | Remaining factors | Factors dropped | Descriptive features |
|---|---|---|---|
| First | Applied thought, sustained thought, rapture, pleasure, one-pointedness | None | Secluded from sense desire and unwholesome states; rapture and pleasure born of seclusion |
| Second | Rapture, pleasure, one-pointedness | Applied thought, sustained thought | Inner stillness, one-pointedness; rapture and pleasure born of concentration |
| Third | Pleasure, one-pointedness | Rapture | Equanimity, mindfulness, clear comprehension; pleasure born of freedom from rapture |
| Fourth | Equanimity, one-pointedness | Pleasure | Neither pain nor pleasure, purity of mindfulness due to equanimity |
Note: this table is a presentation according to the Southern transmission Pali Canon. Other traditions, especially Northern transmission treatises analyse in more detail, adding or removing some factors, and sometimes counting a different number of factors. This article follows the Pali Canon convention and notes where differences exist.
Why is fourth jhāna considered the "basis" for supernormal powers?
In the Pali Canon, after attaining fourth jhāna, a practitioner can direct the mind to various higher knowledges (abhiññā) such as recollection of past lives, the divine eye, and the destruction of taints. This is a description in the text, not a scientific claim. Notably, fourth jhāna is described with equanimity and one-pointedness, a very still state without fluctuating rapture and pleasure. This stillness is considered a favourable condition for the mind to be "malleable, wieldy" for various observations.
But a clear distinction is needed: the Pali Canon does not say that attaining fourth jhāna automatically grants supernormal powers. It says the practitioner "directs the mind" to higher knowledges, which is a further step. And not everyone who attains fourth jhāna can take that step.
What is distinctive about the Pali Canon's descriptions?
The Pali Canon describes the four jhānas in very concrete language, with few abstract metaphors. Common similes are: a bath attendant kneading powder, a lake with a spring welling up, a lotus submerged in water, a person covered with a white cloth. This is a way of describing mental states through everyday imagery, not philosophical definitions. This feature makes the Pali Canon easier to read than treatises, but also easy to misread if one takes only the imagery and ignores the context.
Another feature: the Pali Canon usually places the four jhānas within a larger training sequence of virtue, concentration, and wisdom. The four jhānas are the concentration part. If one isolates concentration while dropping virtue and wisdom, one will misunderstand its place in the whole path.
Are the four jhānas the same in Northern and Southern transmissions?
Not entirely. The Southern transmission Pali Canon describes the four jhānas by jhāna factors as in the table above. Northern transmission treatises analyse in more detail, sometimes adding or removing factors, and counting differently. Broadly, both traditions recognise four levels with a sequence of dropping coarser factors, but details are not uniform. This article follows the Pali Canon convention and notes where comparison is needed.
How did Phạm Quỳnh and Trần Trọng Kim describe the four jhānas?
In Phật giáo đại quan (1924), Phạm Quỳnh cites the Phổ-diệu-kinh and describes the four jhānas in old Vietnamese: "Ý đã thanh-tịnh, vị-chi nhất-thiền; tĩnh-nhiên thủ-nhất, chuyên-tâm bất-dịch, vị-chi nhị-thiền; trong lòng đã bình-tĩnh, trông rõ chân-tướng mọi sự, vị-chi tam-thiền; lòng không y-thiện, cũng không phụ-ác, không khổ không vui, bình-thản như không, tịch-nhiên không biến, vị-chi tứ-thiền"[1]. This description does not use jhāna factor terminology, but mental states.
Trần Trọng Kim in Phật lục (1940) describes the four jhānas through corresponding heavens: First Jhāna Heaven, Second Jhāna Heaven, Third Jhāna Heaven, Fourth Jhāna Heaven, the first three each with three heavens and the fourth with nine, eighteen heavens of the form realm in all[2]. This is a description according to Buddhist cosmology, not mental states in meditation. The two descriptions differ in purpose: one describes meditative experience, one describes rebirth realms. Readers need to distinguish them to avoid confusion.
Does everyone attain the four jhānas?
According to the Pali Canon, not everyone attains them, and attainment is not a mandatory condition for liberation. The Canon records many cases of fruition without the four jhānas, and many cases of attaining the four jhānas without fruition. This is an important point, as some mistakenly think the four jhānas are the "only door."
It should also be said clearly: the Pali Canon descriptions are of inner experience, not of a neurological state measurable by machine. Modern scientific studies of meditation may compare with this framework, but that is a separate field, and this article does not rely on those studies because the reference sources do not include them.
Gợi ý của Nhật Nguyệt:
If you read the Pali Canon to understand the four jhānas, read within the context of the whole path: virtue, concentration, wisdom. Do not isolate the concentration part. If you practise meditation, remember that the four jhānas are a description in a text, not a scorecard for self-grading. And if you read other traditions, notice where they disagree, rather than hastily assuming one side is wrong.
A small suggestion: if you are interested in meditation, find a teacher with experience in a specific tradition, rather than reading books alone and judging for yourself which level you have attained. This applies not only to Buddhism but to many other practical fields.
