Mystical & Altered States of Consciousness

Jhāna (Buddhist Meditative Absorption)

mainstream Classical c. 5th century BCE (attributed to the historical Buddha's own teaching)

A sequence of progressively deeper, highly stable states of meditative absorption described in the earliest Buddhist texts, cultivated through sustained concentration practice and traditionally treated as a tool on the path to liberation rather than an end in themselves.

Proponents

Siddhartha Gautama (the Buddha)

Evidence For

Described with remarkable internal consistency across a very old and extensive textual tradition, and unlike many altered states, experienced meditators report being able to enter these states reliably and repeatedly through practice alone, making them unusually amenable to direct study.

Evidence Against

Contemporary Buddhist traditions genuinely disagree about how central jhāna is to the path — some Theravāda teachers and the modern Vipassana movement consider deep absorption unnecessary for the first stage of awakening, arguing insight practice alone is sufficient.

Real Sources

Transmissions

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