A Concise Map to the Inner Journey:

From the 5th Century Buddhist text, "Visuddhimagga" (the Path of Purification)

The PATH of CONCENTRATION: (also see "The Path of Insight", below)

ACCESS STATE:

Hindering thoughts overcome.  Other thoughts remain.  Awareness of sensory inputs and body states.  Primary object of concentration dominates thought.  Feelings of rapture, happiness, equanimity.  Initial and sustained thoughts of primary object. Flashes of light or bodily lightness.

FIRST Jhana (meditative state of absorption):

Hindering thoughts, sensory perception, and awareness of painful bodily states all cease, initial and unbroken sustained attention to primary object of concentration. Feelings of rapture, bliss, and one-pointedness.

SECOND Jhana:

Feelings of rapture, bliss, one-pointedness. No thought of primary object of concentration.

THIRD Jhana:

Feelings of bliss, one-pointedness and equanimity. Rapture ceases.

FOURTH Jhana:

Equanimity and one-pointedness, bliss. All feelings of bodily pleasure cease.

FIFTH Jhana:

Consciousness of infinite space, equanimity, and one-pointedness.

SIXTH Jhana:

Objectless infinite consciousness. Equanimity and one-pointedness.

SEVENTH Jhana:

Awareness of no-thing-ness. Equanimity and one-pointedness.

EIGHTH Jhana:

Neither perception nor non-perception. Equanimity and one-pointedness.

 

The PATH of INSIGHT (Wisdom):

ACCESS Concentration:

Previous attainment of the access state on the path of concentration.

BARE Insight:

Achievement of ability to notice all phenomena of mind to a point where interfering thoughts do not seriously disturb practice.

MINDFULNESS:

Mindfulness of body function, physical sensations, mental states, or mind objects.

STAGE of Reflections:

These processes seen as neither pleasant nor reliable. Experience of dukkha, unsatisfactoriness. These processes are seen to raise and pass away at every moment of contemplation. Experience of anicca, impermanence. These dual processes are seen as devoid of self. Experience of anatta, not self. Awareness and it's objects are perceived at every moment as distinct and separate processes.

The Ten CORRUPTIONS (aka Pseudo-NIRVANA):

With the clear perception of the arising and passing of each successive mind moment, there may occur:

• The vision of a brilliant light or luminous form.

• Rapturous feelings that cause goose flesh, tremor in the limbs, the sensation of levitation, and the other attributes of rapture.

• Tranquility in mind and body.

• Devotional feelings toward and faith in the meditation teacher, the Buddha, his teachings including the method of insight itself and the sangha, accompanied by joyous confidence in the virtues of meditation and the desire to advise friends and relatives to practice it.

• Vigor in meditating, with a steady energy neither too lax nor too tense.

• Sublime happiness suffusing the meditator's body, and unprecedented bliss that seems never-ending and motivates him to tell others of this extraordinary experience.

• Quick and clear perception of each moment of awareness.

• Strong mindfulness so the meditator effortlessly notices every successive moment of awareness; mindfulness gains a momentum of it's own.

• Equanimity towards whatever comes into awareness; No matter what comes into mind, the meditator maintains a detached neutrality.

• A subtle attachment to the lights and other factors listed and pleasure in their contemplation.

REALIZATION:

Realizations of the dreadful, unsatisfactory, and wearisome nature of physical and mental phenomena, physical pain, arising of desire to escape these phenomena. Perception of vanishing of mind objects, perception fast and flawless. Disappearance of lights, rapture, etc.

 

EFFORTLESS Insight:

Contemplation is quick, effortless, indefatigable, instantaneous knowledge of anatta, anicca, dukkha.

 

NIRVANA:

Consciousness ceases to have an object.

 

NIRODH:

Total cessation of consciousness.

 

Think on that for a while, ha!