The suttas of the Pāli Canon tell us that the Buddha taught his monks to practice vipassanā while in the state of jhāna. Historically, this practice has become neglected, mainly due to the recent promotion of vipassanā to the global, lay community. But now, with many lay people taking longer meditation retreats, under ideal conditions, it has become possible to practice vipassanā in the same manner the Buddha originally taught his monks, namely while in states of jhāna.In this book, Gary Buck recounts his own attempts to practice vipassanā in jhāna. While adhering strictly to the standard instructions given by the leading teachers in the U Ba Khin tradition, Gary shows that, given sufficient time and effort, vipassanā as taught by both Goenkaji and Mother Sayama leads naturally to jhāna.Gary draws upon fifty years of personal vipassanā experience, the work of well-known vipassanā teachers, and the use of historical Buddhist sources, to describe the challenges, the insights and the considerable benefits encountered along the way. He offers a clear and accessible account of how to attain jhāna, and how to integrate that into vipassanā practice.Part memoir, part practical guide, and part reflective study, Vipassanā in Jhāna encourages readers to integrate jhāna into their vipassanā practice, with profound and transformative results.
