Second Jhana
The second jhana represents a significant deepening of meditative absorption. Having stabilised the mind in the first jhana — where applied thought (vitakka) and sustained thought (vicāra) are present alongside joy and bliss — the practitioner now releases these initial thought formations, allowing for a more unified and tranquil absorption.
In the second jhana:
- Applied and sustained thought fall away.
- Joy (pīti) and bliss (sukha) remain, now accompanied by increasing internal stillness.
- The mind rests effortlessly on its object without wavering, free from discursive activity.
The dropping away of thought brings a deeper sense of one-pointedness (ekaggatā). The joy in second jhana is often described as more refined than in the first — less energetic, more stable, and pervading the entire body and mind with radiant tranquillity.
Entering the second jhana requires letting go of the subtle movements of the mind that initially stabilised concentration. This shift is not forced but arises naturally as confidence and familiarity with the first jhana mature. The practitioner trusts the absorption, no longer needing to actively sustain attention through effortful thinking.
Like all jhanas, the second is still a conditioned state — temporary, constructed, and ultimately impermanent. It serves as a profound training ground for stabilising attention and preparing the mind for deeper insight. The calm and clarity developed here allow for more penetrating observation of impermanence, non-self, and the conditioned nature of all experience.
“Having gone beyond initial and sustained thought, the monk enters and abides in the second jhana, which is born of concentration, filled with joy and bliss.”
— Pali Canon