The Cool Fire of Jhāna
December 22, 2020
When the Buddha told the monks to go meditate, he used the verb jhayati, which means to do jhana. But the same verb also means to burn. Pali has lots of verbs for burning, and this is a verb that means to burn with a steady flame. Ordinarily, our minds burn like bonfires. The flames lick here, flicker there, flame up, and then die down, flame up again. If you tried to read by a bonfire, it would be really hard because the light’s flickering too much, which is why you have to change the way it burns. You want the fire to still be burning, but steadily. Jhayati is the verb they use for a steady flame, like the flame of an oil lamp. That’s something you can read by.