Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English Quotes

“As you practice jhana-oriented meditation, you move over time through a series of mental states that become more and more subtle as you proceed through them. You start where you are now and you go far, far beyond. You move beyond the range of concepts and sensory perceptions.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Building concentration is primarily a matter of removing certain mental factors that hinder its application.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Once you see things as they really are, you become disenchanted with the world of suffering and with suffering itself.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Generally, the last hindrance to leave the mind is hatred. When it is gone, metta arises naturally. The void is filled with feelings of friendliness toward everyone. When you no longer push things away, you naturally feel close to everything. You feel positive toward everybody. Everybody is your friend.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“In order to give your mind a little rest, you need to “forget” things deliberately from time to time. This is like draining all the energy from your batteries in order to fully recharge them. When you drain all the energy from the battery of your electronic device and recharge it, the battery lasts longer. Give some rest to your mind. Cease to think about all those duties and responsibilities for a little while.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“When you finally overcome the five hindrances, you experience a great relief. This relief slowly increases until it culminates in piti, joy. This joy is purely internal. It does not arise dependent on worldly or household pleasure. Nothing outside you causes it. It arises through renouncing outward pleasure.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“The second type, the Dhamma-follower or Wisdom-follower, is a person whose primary vehicle on the path is a deep understanding of the Dhamma. He uses the intellect extensively. His reason leads him to the deep, wordless understanding that is true wisdom. He can attain the stream-entry path through penetrative insight alone, without attaining jhana. His insight allows him to destroy doubt.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“When you see deeply, as a real experience, with your own wisdom-eye, that all conditioned things are impermanent, your mind state changes. Your superficial understanding of impermanence becomes a deep understanding and you attain the stream-entry path.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“A mind that grabs on to things constantly is constantly swept away, distracted. It cannot stay steady and uninvolved. It cannot simply see what is there. Equanimity releases you from this distraction. It is the dominant factor in the fourth jhana and it is the reason that the jhana can yield deep wisdom.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“In Brazil there is a thrilling sight. The River Solimoes and River Negro are two tributaries of the Amazon. These two giant rivers join at Manaus to make the Amazon River. The water in the two is different in color and they flow side by side for nearly six kilometers before they mix. I have seen this for myself on one of my teaching trips to Brazil. Mindfulness and concentration work that way in the fourth jhana. They blend together to form one mighty river.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Why do you have to do all this after attaining a jhana? Jhana is like a juggling act. You keep things suspended in the air or balanced. Then you drop them. Then you start over.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Knowing this body to be like a clay pot, Establishing this mind like a fortress, One should battle Mara with the sword of insight, Protecting what has been won, Clinging to nothing.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Jhanic happiness is calm, peaceful, and smooth. It is not excitement. It is almost the opposite. Spiritual happiness makes you relaxed, calm, peaceful, and concentrated.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Concentration holds an object before mindfulness. Mindfulness then pays close attention to it. Then investigation finds that it is constantly changing, thus showing the signs of unsatisfactoriness and selflessness.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Mindfulness of impermanence in any of the four foundations is the entry point. Seeing anicca leads you to seeing dukkha and anatta. Seeing these three marks of existence leads you to liberation.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Pin your attention to the simple sensation of breath at the nostrils. Stay with it as the breath naturally slows down and becomes fine and light. Allow thoughts of the breath to drop away. Stay with the simple sensation. Just let the process happen. Don’t try to rush it.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Meditation objects are like launching pads. Once you have gained jhana, everything that follows after that is the same. The concentrated mind is on its own, alone, dependent upon nothing external. Whatever object has been used for abandoning hindrances and gaining concentration is left behind.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“In order to give your mind a little rest, you need to “forget” things deliberately from time to time. This is like draining all the energy from your batteries in order to fully recharge them. When you drain all the energy from the battery of your electronic device and recharge it, the battery lasts longer. Give some rest to your mind. Cease to think about all those duties and responsibilities for a little while. Give the mind full rest by not thinking about anything. When you practice jhana, the mind becomes fresh, clean, pure, and strong. Then you can use that mind to practice vipassana even better. And to take care of your life even more skillfully.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Our six senses are like hungry animals. They always look for something outside us to consume.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“When you begin the jhana meditation practice, you avoid anything not conducive to gaining concentration. On the cushion, you avoid the hindrances, the reactions that would pull you away from your meditation subject. Off the cushion, you practice the same skills by avoiding the thoughts, words, and deeds that perpetuate the hindrances.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“When you are totally absorbed in the subject of your meditation, when you merge with or become one with the subject, you are completely unaware. That too is not jhana, at least not what Buddhism considers “right jhana.” In right jhana, you may be unaware of the outside world, but you are completely aware of what is going on within.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“Remember, jhana happens when it happens. It cannot be forced or rushed. Every apparent failure is a step toward success. When it doesn’t happen as you want it to, use mindfulness to notice the feelings of frustration that arise. Every time you do that, you are strengthening your mindfulness and moving one step closer to the goal. You cannot lose unless you give up.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“You cannot attain jhana without a sense of peace and contentment with your life as it is. Striving to make your life radically other than it actually and presently is will interfere with steady movement toward jhana. Such striving is a form of living for the imagined future; jhana grows out of living in the now. You have to find your present conditions suitable and sufficient or you will always be yearning. You must be content with your food, clothing, and lodging. You need to find contentment in all the situations that arise in your life.”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation

“come four more stages that have almost nothing whatever”
― Henepola Gunaratana, Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation