These are deeper than the whole-body or pleasure jhānas, and are called “luminous” because the object of meditation used for entering the first jhāna is the illumination phenomenon. This inner light is often called a nimitta,10 and the sensations of the breath are abandoned in favor of this luminous nimitta. Because it is mind-generated, rather than being a true sensory object, it allows all sensory content to be completely excluded from consciousness.
