พระอาจารย์อธิบายองค์ฌานทั้ง 5 คือ วิตก วิจารณ์ ปีติ สุข เอกัคตา ว่าแต่ละองค์เป็นปฏิปักษ์ต่อนิวรณ์แต่ละข้ออย่างไร พร้อมวิธีแก้ถีนมิทธะ วิจิกิจฉา พยาบาท และอุทธัจจกุกกุจจะในทางปฏิบัติ จนถึงลำดับความเข้มข้นของฌานทั้ง 4Pra Ajarn explains the five jhana factors — applied thought, sustained thought, joy, happiness, and one-pointedness — and how each one directly counters a specific hindrance, along with practical remedies for drowsiness, doubt, ill will, and restlessness, ending with how the intensity of each factor shifts across the four levels of jhana.
Someone asked: could Pra Ajarn explain the jhana factors that act as counterforces to ?
Dhamma and Its Opposite Are Locked in Constant Contest
and its opposite are locked in a constant contest, each side wielding its own 84,000 categories of teaching to counter the other. When we take up a meditation object and hold our attention on it, the opposing side brings its own tools to disrupt us.
Applied Thought (Vitakka), the Counterforce to Drowsiness (Thina-Middha)
Applied thought means holding the mind on the meditation object — a chant, an image of the Buddha, or the breath. As soon as we manage to hold our attention, the opposing side brings in drowsiness — that heavy, hazy, half-asleep feeling — to interrupt us. When defilement is heavy, the energy of wholesome struggles to compete. But side never gives up; it keeps competing to draw us back to practice, offering encouragement and inspiration. Luang Phor's remedy for drowsiness is to keep the eyes slightly open; if the hazy, drifting feeling grows strong enough to pull you toward sleep, open your eyes fully and re-establish . If that isn't enough, take up walking meditation. Some people carry so much defilement that they can feel drowsy even while walking — not because they lack rest, but because of the sheer weight of defilement. One must train to maintain awareness in every posture, throughout every daily activity. The more often we apply this thought, the stronger it becomes, drawing pure energy in continuously to purify defilement.
Sustained Thought (Vicara), the Counterforce to Doubt (Vicikiccha)
Sustained thought means examining and reflecting on whatever state has arisen. When registers that state, the opposing side brings in doubt — is this real, or not? Why didn't it work the way it did yesterday? — undermining our confidence and stalling our progress. The remedy is to hold faith together with wisdom, trusting the real progress that has occurred, however small it may seem — moving from sitting fifteen minutes, to half an hour, to a full hour. That steady, continuous development is itself genuine progress.
Joy (Piti), the Counterforce to Ill Will (Byapada)
Joy is the sense of fullness that arises once defilement has lightened to a certain degree — appearing first as small physical senons. The pleasantness of joy helps dissolve irritation and ill will, which arise from nature stirring up conflict. If joy hasn't yet arisen, Luang Phor advised recalling merit or good deeds we've done in the past, to evoke that sense of fullness and gladness — which also works to dissolve ill will.
Happiness (Sukha), the Counterforce to Restlessness and Worry (Uddhacca-Kukkucca)
With continuous, unwavering awareness, pure energy purifies defilement further, giving rise to and ease — which directly counters restlessness and worry. If happiness hasn't yet arisen, recall something that brings you comfort, or situate yourself in a clean, orderly, comfortable place, since a disorderly environment is itself a cause of restlessness. Restlessness and worry stem from defilement — both defilement in our surroundings and defilement lingering in the mind from conversations with others — so we should hold our meditation object with a relaxed, easy heart.
One-Pointedness (Ekaggata): Becoming One With the Meditative State
When we continuously reflect on and hold to a meditative state until we merge completely with it, we stop caring about sensory desire — pleasure in sights, tastes, smells, sounds, and touch. Pra Ajarn compared this to eating plain rice with no side dishes: if you pay close attention while eating warm plain rice, you gradually discover a delicate, subtle flavor of its own, quite different from the sharp, intense flavors of ordinary dishes. One-pointedness works the same way — once the mind merges with the subtle, gentle inner state, the outer world of sights, tastes, smells, and sounds starts to feel coarse and harsh by comparison, and one naturally prefers to remain with the inner Dhamma instead.
Once All Five Jhana Factors Are Complete, the Hindrances Are Temporarily Overcome
When the mind reaches absorption concentration and all five jhana factors — applied thought, sustained thought, joy, happiness, and one-pointedness — are fully present, the hindrances are temporarily suppressed, both while in jhana and for as long as the jhana state is sustained. Sustaining jhana means being able to recall and continuously maintain that meditative state, which requires ongoing until joy and happiness arise and merge us completely with that state.
The Progression of Intensity Through the Four Jhanas
The first jhana requires all five factors present in sequence. In the second jhana, applied and sustained thought are no longer needed — merely recalling the state brings immediate fullness, because defilement has already lightened considerably. The third jhana no longer needs applied thought, sustained thought, or joy — recalling the jhana factor brings happiness instantly. The fourth jhana needs none of applied thought, sustained thought, joy, or happiness — merely recalling that state brings immediate oneness with it. The intensity of each jhana reflects a different degree of ; the brightness and intensity of the stream of merit differ accordingly, affecting how thoroughly defilement is purified and how readily one reaches joy, happiness, and one-pointedness at each stage.