The formless realms never fail to impress and amaze. They can also be taken to be much more significant than they really are. The trick is to come to a balanced understanding of what they are and what they aren’t, what they are useful for and what they do not accomplish. This is not always easy.

    To attain this state, one simply continues to cultivate the fourth jhana and begins to not pay attention to the objects in the meditation space but gently to space itself. How big is reality? Tuning into the panoramic quality of attention itself when in the fourth jhana can be very helpful. This is quite a fine line, but it can definitely be done. Forms then slip away like ghosts into thin air, and the mind turns to boundless space, the fifth jhana, as the object of concentration.

    This jhana is often called “Infinite Space”, as the next one is often called “Infinite Consciousness”, but I prefer the word “boundless” because it is much closer to the actual experience of these stages. People imagine that they might simultaneously perceive the whole of space, but what actually happens is that the perceptual boundaries drop away and a very unitive openness prevails. This open quality itself becomes the primary focus rather than what is unified in that openness. This aspect was already present in the 4th Jhana, but now it comes to the fore. The same is true of the next formless realm.

    This is not necessarily as perfectly clean as it sounds, depending on how solidly one in this state, but it still quite spectacular. When this state is really cultivated, all or most images and sense of a body are gone, and almost all that is left is vastness. There is still thought and the illusion of a separate self, i.e. duality, but the mind is extremely quiet and the duality subtle. The equanimity from the 4th Jhana remains, as the formless realms use this state as their foundation. Sounds might still be noticeable depending on the depth of the state. Note, if one attains this state while meditating with the eyes open it may have a very different quality to it than if the eyes are closed.

    From this state, the meditator has a few options. They can get stuck, which may be more prone to happening if they are incorrectly practicing non-dual formless practices such as dzogchen by fixating too much on the phrase “space-like awareness.” They can also either go on to the next formless realm (boundless consciousness) or investigate this state and thus begin the progress of insight. If this last option is chosen, special care and extreme precision must be given to each and every instant that the many sensations that make up the perception of space, silence or equanimity are perceived so as to see each of these experiences arise and pass completely in each instant, not satisfy, and not be self.

    It may seem odd to think of the sensations of space arising and passing away each instant, but space is a conditioned aspect of relative reality, and is thus impermanent like all other aspects of experiential reality. This can be an important attainment, as it clarifies that awareness, that non-thing that is often described as space-like, is actually not even space, though it is not separate from space, as in the chapter called No-self vs. True Self.

    There are few things quite as odd, profound, and possibly disconcerting as investigating the first three formless realms and perceiving them strobe in and out of existence, but this is powerful practice and a very valuable and high attainment. Again, this state may be left and insight practices begun with the benefits of the residue of this state calming, opening and stabilizing the mind for a short time after it ends.

    If the meditator wishes to go further into the formless realms, then they should continue to cultivate attention to boundless space and begin to notice that they are conscious of all of it, and thus space is filled with consciousness. As some point the mind will abandon boundless space and shift to perceiving boundless consciousness, the sixth jhana. This can feel outrageously unitive, as consciousness seems to fill the whole universe. Space becomes “luminous,” and this can be confused with descriptions of the fundamental luminosity of awareness and with non-duality, though this is definitely not the attainment of the understanding of those. Again, equanimity prevails. This state has a sense of presence to it that boundless space doesn't. It is also a great staging ground for exploration of the “psychic powers.”

    From here the meditator has various options. They can get stuck, which can happen fairly easily if they are mistaking dzogchen or other non-dual formless practices for meditation on the concentration object of boundless consciousness, again due to misunderstanding or overemphasizing the phrase “space-like awareness.” They can also go on to cultivate the next formless realm (nothingness), or they can investigate boundless consciousness and then begin the progress of insight.

    For this last option, extremely careful attention must be given to each moment that the sensations that make up the perceptions of consciousness, vastness, or equanimity arise and pass away. Great precision must be given to the fact that these sensations do not satisfy and cannot be self or imply a separate self. Because of how fundamentally disconcerting (unsatisfactory) it can be to have the three illusions shattered at this level of clarity and simplicity, this is not an easy practice but can be very powerful. It is actually much more likely that such insights into the true nature of the three first formless realms will arise spontaneously due to previous skillful insight practices.

    Again, experiencing boundless consciousness strobing in and out of reality can be profoundly helpful in convincing us that even boundless consciousness that fills the vastness of space is not awareness, though awareness cannot be said to be separate from consciousness. What is observing boundless consciousness strobe in and out of reality? Now, there is a question, perhaps The Question.

    If the meditator wishes to attain to the next formless realm, that of nothingness, they simply cultivate the jhana of boundless consciousness and disenchant themselves with the vastness and luminosity of that state. Eventually, the mind will abandon these and shift to the jhana of nothingness. To imagine this state, imagine space with all of the lights completely out, so that there is no vastness, and almost no sensations other than those of nothingness. It is almost as though attention is out of phase with nearly all phenomena except those that imply nothingness. They are still there somewhere, but they are not being attended to.

    This jhana is different from the previous two formless realms in that they are quite present to reality in some way and panoramic in perspective, whereas nothingness is more turned away from phenomena and perhaps more focused in some way. There is, however, some very subtle thought and some extremely subtle sense of a separate self. Note well, nothingness is absolutely not emptiness, though it is empty, but this is not the attainment of this understanding. However, one can easily be convinced that this is emptiness due to the extreme profundity of it.

    As before, this jhana can have different degrees of intensity to it. Even when one is not strongly in it, there is a sense of being out of phase with reality, like being dissociated. Reality is there, but you have tuned it out on your radio. Note well, this is very different from just being “tuned out” in the colloquial sense.

    While equanimity prevails, this state can be a bit scary at first, and this can cause some instability of this state. Now even consciousness and space are basically gone. However, there is still awareness of this state, indicating that there can be awareness that is not particularly consciousness or space. This really helps debunk the sense that awareness is consciousness or space or even a thing, that we are our body, etc. That said, it is not nothingness either. Nothingness may be perceived, whereas awareness may not.

    From this state, the mind may get stuck, but this is not quite as likely as with the first two formless states, as this state is quite refined but not as breathtaking as the first two in some ways. The meditator may then try to move on to the next jhana, or may investigate this state. It may seem incredible that the sensations of nothingness itself could be observed to arise and pass, i.e. strobe in and out of reality, or that they could be known to not satisfy or not be self. However, this is definitely possible, if potentially quite disconcerting due to its extreme profundity and ability to really kick some sense into the mind about the truth of things. It also helps debunk the false idea that “The Void” or “awareness” is nothingness. It is not even this. Remember, no sensation can observe another, so anything you can think of cannot be said to be “awareness.”

    By simply paying close attention to every instant that nothingness or equanimity is perceived, and with precise attention to the exact arising and passing of each of these, that these transient moments do not satisfy, and that these neither can impute nor can be a separate self, the three illusions can begin to be penetrated in the highest state in which this can be accomplished. As this is a particularly subtle business, the meditator may also leave the jhana and begin insight practice in the afterglow of this state as before. Strobing sensations of nothingness are more likely to arise during the progress of insight in the stage called High Equanimity for those with very strong concentration skills.

Neither Perception Nor Yet Non-perception,
The Eighth Jhana

    If the meditator wishes to attain the next jhana, they simply hang out in nothingness until they get bored with perception entirely and understand that even perception is somehow disconcerting. Thus, the mind will eventually shift on its own to the state with the perplexing but thoroughly appropriate title of “neither perception nor yet non-perception,” hereafter “the eighth jhana” for the sake of brevity.

    This state is largely incomprehensible, but it is absolutely not emptiness. It is empty, but this is not the attainment of that understanding. The eighth jhana may very easily be confused as being emptiness, especially if it is attained through insight practices (remember that insight practices can simultaneously cultivate concentration and wisdom). There is no reasonable way to attempt to describe this state, save for that it is a mind state, and thus is not emptiness, as emptiness is not a mind state or anything else for that matter. I am tempted to say that one is simultaneously focused so narrowly that one notices nothing and yet so broadly that one doesn’t notice even that, but such a description doesn’t quite do this state justice. One way or the other, there is complete inattention to diversity. The eighth jhana is the highest of the states of concentration that can be attained, ignoring the attainment of the cessation of perception and feeling, see the Appendix.

    It is not possible to investigate this state, as it is too incomprehensible, or to move to a higher state. Thus, as this state ends, the meditator may return to lower states or turn to insight practice in the afterglow of this state. It should also be noted that, in contrast to the previous seven jhanas, the issue of “hard” or “soft” jhana that relates to how solidly one is in a state does not apply to the eighth jhana. You are either in it or you are not.

    The eighth jhana may have a certain stability that nothingness doesn’t due to the inability to make sense of it or go beyond it. Thus, the mind may move fairly quickly from boundless consciousness, through nothingness, and drop into the eighth jhana for a while, though the vaguest hint of attention to anything specific demolishes this state instantly. It is also possible to sort of drift up and down through the various formless realms, and shifting back down to lower jhanas after being up in higher jhanas such as this one can lend a great deal of intensity to them.

    The eighth jhana can be sorted out from the attainment of emptiness by a number of signs having to do with the way the entrance to the state presents itself (i.e. not being one of the Three Doors and thus not relating to the rapid and clear presentation of one of the Three Characteristics three or four times in quick succession), what came before this (i.e. not the stages of insight, see below) and the fact that there is still some subtle sense of a state and thus relative reality.

    Just to drive this point home, an important feature of concentration practices is that they are not liberating in and of themselves. Even the highest of these states ends. The afterglow from them does not last that long, and regular reality might even seem like a bit of an assault when it is gone. However, jhana-junkies still abound, and many have no idea that this is what they have become. I have a good friend who has been lost in the formless realms for over 20 years, attaining them again and again in his practice, rationalizing that he is doing dzogchen practice (a type of insight practice) when he is just sitting in the 4th-6th jhanas, rationalizing that the last two formless realms are emptiness, and rationalizing that he is enlightened. It is a true dharma tragedy.

    Unfortunately, as another good friend of mine rightly pointed out, it is very hard to reach such people after a while. They get tangled in golden chains so beautiful that they have no idea they are even in prison, nor do they tend to take kindly to suggestions that this may be so, particularly if their identity has become bound up in their false notion that they are a realized being. Chronic jhana-junkies are fairly easy to identify, even though they often imagine that they are not. I have no problem with people becoming jhana-junkies, as we are all presumably able to take responsibilities for our choices in life. However, when people don’t realize that this is what they have become and pretend that what they are doing has something to do with insight practices, that’s annoying and sad.

    To try to clearly differentiate between concentration practice and insight practice, I will now give a detailed description of the stages of insight so that the contrast will be as clear as possible. Pay careful attention to how different these descriptions are from those of the pure concentration states.