Material Jhana and Immaterial Jhana

Rupa Jhana (Material Jhana) is characterized by five factors, which gradually decrease as you progress from the first jhana to the second, third, and fourth. In the fourth jhana, only one-pointedness and equanimity remain. These two, one-pointedness and equanimity, are not confined to the material jhana but continue into the immaterial jhana. In the material jhana, the object of meditation remains constant throughout the first to the fourth jhana, focusing on the sensation of the breath at the philtrum.

1. Applied thought (Vitakka)

2. Sustained thought (Vicara)

3. Rapture (Piti)

4. Happiness (Sukha)

5. One-pointedness (Ekaggata)

There are two factors in the four immaterial jhanas or spheres (Arupa Jhana), much like in the fourth material jhana. In the four immaterial Jhanas, the object of concentration changes at each stage. The objects of concentration in the four Jhanas are infinite space, infinite mind, nothingness, and neither perception nor non-perception.

1. Equanimity (Upekkha)

2. One-pointedness (Ekaggata)