Toward a Unified Account of Advanced Concentrative Absorption Meditation: A Systematic Definition and Classification of Jhāna
Terje Sparby, Matthew D. Sacchet
Mindfulness May 22, 2024 DOI: 10.1007/s12671-024-02367-w (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Systematic review Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Topics | Meditation |
| Key findings | Argues that while modern meditation manuals disagree in their descriptions of the jhānas, they share enough common features to support a general definition, three types of jhāna, and a unified phenomenological account. Contends that scientific rigor in jhāna research requires attending to both commonalities and differences among existing accounts. |
Abstract
The jhānas are series of advanced concentrative absorption meditative (ACAM) states brought about by meditation. While previously cultivated mostly in monastic settings, a series of modern meditation manuals both openly discuss the jhānas and describe how they may be attained by laypeople. Simultaneously, the phenomenological and neuroscientific investigation of the jhānas is advancing. Although the descriptions of the jhānas in contemporary jhāna manuals to some degree overlap with one another, there are also significant disagreements. Here our objectives are to identify common features of jhāna in meditation manuals, to identify and discuss disagreements, and to offer an account of jhāna that is both comprehensive and consistent. A literature search and review was conducted. The search resulted in eight meditation manuals that provide phenomenologically rich accounts of the full range of the jhānas. Common characteristics and discrepancies in the different accounts of the jhānas have been identified by comparing terms and descriptions. We offer a general definition of jhāna, distinguish three types of jhāna, and investigate phenomenological dimensions that may be necessary to address in order to comprehensively articulate the experience of ACAM. To ensure scientific rigor, the study of jhāna needs to be informed by both commonalities and differences in the existing accounts of jhāna. While differences exist, these may also be systematically unified in a way that yields a comprehensive account of ACAM.
Comparable studies
Other systematic reviews and meta-analyses on meditation, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Meditation Programs for Psychological Stress and Well-being Diverse adult clinical populations | 2014 | Meta-analysis | n = 3,515 |
| Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Stress Management in Healthy People: A Review and Meta-Analysis Healthy subjects | 2009 | Systematic review and meta-analysis | |
| The psychological effects of meditation: A meta-analysis. Nonclinical groups of adult meditators | 2012 | Meta-analysis | n = 163 |
| Efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy in Prevention of Depressive Relapse Adults with recurrent depression in full or partial remission | 2016 | Meta-analysis of individual patient data from randomized controlled trials | n = 1,258 |
| Mindfulness‐Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness‐Based Cognitive Therapy – a systematic review of randomized controlled trials | 2011 | Systematic review |
Citations in the library
Cited by 28
- Pattern Theory of Selflessness: How Meditation May Transform the Self-Pattern Mindfulness August 1, 2024
- The Third Wave of Meditation and Mindfulness Research and Implications for Challenging Experiences: Negative Effects, Transformative Psychological Growth, and Forms of Happiness Mindfulness June 11, 2025
- Investigating the complex cortical dynamics of an advanced concentrative absorption meditation called jhanas (ACAM-J): a geometric eigenmode analysis. Cerebral Cortex February 5, 2025
- Neurophysiological mechanisms of focused attention meditation: A scoping systematic review Imaging Neuroscience 2025
- Mindfulness, cognition, and long-term meditators: Toward a science of advanced meditation. Imaging Neuroscience 2025
and 23 more in the library
Cites 10
- A Framework for the Empirical Investigation of Mindfulness Meditative Development Mindfulness April 13, 2023
- Defining Meditation: Foundations for an Activity-Based Phenomenological Classification System. Frontiers in Psychology 2021
- Intensive whole-brain 7T MRI case study of volitional control of brain activity in deep absorptive meditation states. Cerebral Cortex January 14, 2024
- Uniting Contemplative Theory and Scientific Investigation: Toward a Comprehensive Model of the Mind Mindfulness April 10, 2023
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