In the oldest scriptures of Theravada Buddhism much attention is given to the jhanas, high levels of meditative attainment distinguished by powerful concentration and purity of mind. Ven. Dr. Gunaratana examines these jhanas within the context of Buddhist teaching as a whole and particularly within the meditation disciplines taught by the Buddha. Beginning with the ethical foundation for meditation, the role of the teacher, the classical subjects of meditation, and the appropriateness of these subjects to individual practitioners, the author traces the practice of meditation to the higher reaches of realization. The eight stages of jhana are individually analyzed and explained in terms of their relation to one another and to the ultimate goal of the teaching.

The author makes the critical distinction between the mundane jhanas and supermundane jhanas, pointing out that the lower four, while leading to various mental powers and psychic attainments, are not necessary to full enlightenment and may be developed or bypassed as the meditator wishes. The author goes on to explain the place of the jhanas among the accomplishments of an arahat and elucidate their usefulness for a dedicated meditator.

Path of Serenity and Insight, Henepola Gunaratana, Motilal Banarsidass, Paperback, 236 pp, $16.00

Venerable Henepola Gunaratana served as Hon. General Secretary of the Buddhist Vihara Society of Washington D.C. and later became President of the Society. He has taught courses in Buddhism, conducted meditation retreats, and lectured widely throughout the United States and Canada and pursued his scholarly interests as well.

CONTENTS: Path of Serenity and Insight
PREFACE					xi
I.	INTRODUCTION				1
		The Doctrinal Context of Jhana			1
		The Importance of Jhana			6
		Etymology of Jhana			7
		Jhana and Samadhi			8
		Jhana and the Constituents of Enlightenment			11
II.	THE PRELIMINARIES TO PRACTICE				15
		The Moral Foundation for Jhana			15
		Cutting off Impediments			19
		Approaching the Good Friend			20
		The Subjects of Serenity-meditation			22
		Choosing a Suitable Dwelling			26
III.	THE CONQUEST OF THE HINDRANCES				28
		The Five Hindrances			28
		Seclusion from the Hindrances			32
			Kinds of Seclusion		32
		The Causal Arising of the Hindrances			35
		The Elimination of the Hindrances			38
		The Way of the Gradual Training			39
		The Way of Mindfulness			43
		The Eradication of the Hindrances			45
		The Benefits of Abandoning the Hindrances			46
IV.	THE FIRST JHANA AND ITS FACTORS				49
		Vitakka			49
			Unwholesome Applied Thought		51
			Wholesome Applied Thought		53
		Ordinary Wholesome Thought			53
		Wholesome Applied Thought in Jhana			55
		Wholesome Applied Thought in the Noble Path			57
		Vicara			58
		Piti			59
		Sukha			62
		Ekaggata			66
		An Overview of the First Jhana			69
		The Jhana Thought-Process			52
		Perfecting the First Jhana			74
V.	THE HIGHER JHANAS				79
		The Second Jhana			79
			The Attainment of the Second Jhana		79
			Internal Confidence		82
			Unification of Mind		83
			Concentration		84
			Rapture and Happiness		85
			General Remarks on the Second Jhana		85
		The Third Jhana			86
			The Attainment of the Third Jhana		86
			Equanimity		88
			Mindfulness and Discernment		91
			Happiness		92
			One-pointedness		93
		The Fourth Jhana			94
			The Attainment of the Jhana		94
			The Four Conditions		95
			[1]	Pleasure	95
			[2]	Pain	96
			[3]	Joy	96
			[4]	Grief	96
			New Elements in the Jhana		98
		The Fivefold Scheme of the Jhanas			101
		Concluding Remarks			104
VI.	BEYOND THE FOUR JHANAS				107
		The Four Immaterial Jhanas			107
			The First Aruppa: The Base of Boundless Space		109
				With the Complete Surmounting of Perceptions of Matter	112
				With the Disappearance of Perceptions of Resistance	112
				With Non-attention to Perceptions of Variety	113
				Unbounded Space	113
			The Second Aruppa: The Base of Boundless Consciousness		113
			The Third Aruppa: The Base of Nothingness		115
			The Fourth Aruppa: The Base of Neither Perception Nor Non-perception		117
			General Remarks on the Aruppas		119
		The Modes of Direct Knowledge			122
			The Prerequisites for Direct Knowledge		123
			The Six Abhinnas		125
				Knowledge of the modes of super-normal power	125
		The Three Wonders			128
		The Second Abhinna: the divine ear-element			129
		The Third Abhinna: the knowledge of others' minds			130
		The Fourth Abhinna: the knowledge of recollecting previous lives			131
		The Fifth Abhinna: the divine eye--the knowledge of the passing away and rebirth of beings			133
		The Sixth Abhinna: the knowledge of the destruction of the cankers			135
			Other kinds of supernormal knowledge		137
		The Jhana and Rebirth			139
VII.	THE WAY OF WISDOM				143
		The Nature of Wisdom			144
		The Two Vehicles			146
		The Functions of Jhana			150
		The Seven Purifications			154
			Purification of Morality		154
			Purification of Mind		155
			Purification of View		155
			Purification of Overcoming Doubt		156
			Purification by Knowledge and Vision into the Right and Wrong Paths		157
			Purification by Knowledge and Vision of the Way		159
				Knowledge of contemplation of rise and fall	160
				Knowledge of contemplation of dissolution	160
				Knowledge of appearance as terror	161
				Knowledge of contemplation of danger	161
				Knowledge of contemplation of dispassion	162
				Knowledge of desire for deliverance	162
				Knowledge of contemplation of reflection	162
				Knowledge of equanimity about formations	163
				Conformity knowledge	163
				Purification by Knowledge and Vision	166
				Change-of-lineage	166
				The first path and fruit	166
				The second path and fruit	172
				The third path and fruit	173
				The fourth path and fruit	175
VIII.	JHANA AND THE NOBLE ATTAINMENTS				175
		Supramundane Jhana			175
		The Jhanic Level of the Path and Fruit			182
		Two Attainments of the Noble Ones			185
			The Attainment of Fruition		185
			The Attainment of Cessation		187
		The Seven Types of Noble Persons			191
		Jhana and the Arahat			198
CONCLUSION					209
APPENDIX
1.	The Thirty Seven Constituents of Enlightenment				217
2.	Forty Subjects of Meditation				219
3.	The Eight Attainments				222
4.	Kamma and Rebirth				223
GLOSSARY					225
LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS					237
SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY					239
INDEX
I	English				247
II	Pali				259