At times I have been accused of teaching “Jhāna Lite.” It’s certainly true that what I am teaching is “lite” compared to what is described in the Visuddhimagga, but as you’ll see in Part Two of this book, what is described in the Visuddhimagga doesn’t match what is described in the suttas. Certainly the experience of students first learning the jhānas on a ten-day meditation course is going to be lighter than what is possible on a longer retreat after they have developed skill in these states. And what students initially learn on a ten-day retreat is going to be “lite” compared to what is
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