Buddhadharma ON BOOKS

THE SANSKRIT TERM dhyana is translated as “meditation.” As Buddhism has spread across Asia, different communities have come to interpret dhyana practices in various ways. Theravada Buddhists, for example, understand dhyana—translated into the Pali language as jhana—as a fundamental aspect of right concentration on the noble eightfold path: when the jhanas are practiced sequentially, they can transform the mind, and eventually lead to awakening. Shaila Catherine skillfully unpacks and explains this process in The Jhānas: A Practical Guide to Deep Meditative States (Wisdom). Catherine describes the jhanas as “states of happiness that can radically transform the heart, reshape the mind, imbue consciousness with enduring joy and ease, and provide an inner resource of tranquility that surpasses any conceivable sensory pleasure.” The Jhānas, previously published in 2008 as Focused and Fearless,…