Date: 05/03/2025 05/04/2025
Location: Star Ocean Meditation Center
Teacher: Sara
Sitting Meditation
The Ten Progressive Stages of Deepening Dhyāna
Dhyāna is not a sudden attainment, but a continuous refinement of mind from distraction to clarity. The so-called “ten stages” are not fixed levels to possess, but descriptions of how attention disengages from outer conditions, purifies inner activity, and stabilizes awareness. When taken as indicators rather than goals, they guide practice without becoming obstacles.
1. Understanding the Gradual Nature of Dhyāna
1.From distraction to stability
In early practice, attention is repeatedly pulled by sensations and emotions. Gradually, the mind learns to remain present without chasing stimuli, establishing the basis of concentration.
2.From effort to ease
Initial focus often relies on deliberate control. As practice matures, stability becomes natural, maintained without strain.
3.From moments to continuity
Short episodes of stillness extend into sustained clarity, forming uninterrupted awareness.
2. The Inner Direction of the Ten Stages
1.From heaviness to lightness
As grasping relaxes, bodily tension and mental burden soften, giving rise to natural ease.
2.From sensory dominance to awareness dominance
Satisfaction shifts from external input to inner clarity.
3.From object-centered to awareness-centered
The deeper the absorption, the more awareness itself becomes central.
3. Common Misunderstandings
1.Taking stages as achievements
Claiming attainment reinforces self-view and destabilizes concentration.
2.Comparing depth and progress
Comparison breeds restlessness and obscures direct experience.
3.Chasing special experiences
Pleasant or luminous states are transitional, not destinations.
4. Relating to Dhyāna Skillfully
1.Moving with awareness, not labels
Clarity and non-attachment matter more than naming states.
2.Relaxation over force
Depth arises through letting go, not intensifying control.
3.Consistency over urgency
Steady practice surpasses the desire for rapid advancement.
5. The True Meaning of Progression
1.Subtraction, not acquisition
Each stage removes obscuration rather than adds attainment.
2.Transparency, not elevation
“Depth” refers to clarity, not hierarchy.
3.A means, not an end
All absorption ultimately serves insight.
Conclusion
The stages of dhyāna describe the mind’s gradual return to clarity. Freedom emerges when no stage is grasped.
