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Book: Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English: An Introductory guide to Deeper States of Meditation
Quotes of Book: Beyond Mindfulness in Plain
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  1. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  2. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  3. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  4. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  5. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  6. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  7. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  8. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  9. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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  10. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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."
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  11. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    Our six senses are like hungry animals. They always look for something outside us to consume.
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  12. Henepola Gunaratana _ Beyond Mindfulness in Plain

    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.
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