Unlocking First Jhana Through A Modern Koan

In https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/highlights-from-the-comments-on-jhanas, which I read recently (actually I sat on this blog post long enough that I read it no-longer-recently), Scott Alexander quotes commentor Steven (https://substack.com/profile/19384260-steven) who writes (https://astralcodexten.substack.com/p/nick-cammarata-on-jhana/comment/10018657, quoted in part):

> For example, I've seen people get access to Jhana 1 through a mental question "Are you aware?" "How do you know you are aware?"

> Then observe the actual mechanism by which you validate your own experience of awareness, and stay in that place. That "place" is essentially the location of Jhana 1, atleast for a good handful of people I've seen.

Being a curious lad, I tried this immediately, and several times since, and it produced (semi-reliably) a strange effect/feeling. I'm very strong at introspection, but I guess I had never forced my attention to rest on my attention itself for extended periods of time.

Since there is an effect, I think this might be first Jhana, in which case props to this guy for giving me a phrase that actually works like a koan is supposed to (blasting you into enlightenment (or one of the other sub-enlightenment states)). Usually I hear a koan and I'm like "yeah, I get it". Perhaps I'm already an enlightened being, because I understand you can't clap with one hand (well... you can,* but whatever) and you had no face before your mother and father were born, and also that perception is indirect and feelings are generated by the brain.

The only reason I have to doubt that it is first Jhana is that instead of overwhelming bliss, I just feel calm and a bit pleasant. Kind of like the feeling of doing a nice stretch. Well, this could just be my hemihedonic nature. I'm also going to probe this state occasionally to see if it's adjacent to some mind-blowing bliss.

Bliss seems like an important part of 1st Jhana, so perhaps I've achieved ½ Jhana instead.


* There are at least two methods for clapping with one hand. The first is rapidly closing your fingers, as a block, on your palm. This creates a soft, rather hollow, and unimpressive noise. It is mostly useful for answering the koan. This is also the technique I can do. For visual reference, please see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2tKRZfMv_Go " The Simpsons: What is the Sound of One Hand Clapping ? ". Uploaded by Francis Q on Jul 18, 2022. 18-second clip from _The Simpsons_ S02E06 "Dead Putting Society", beginning with: "'Bart I have a riddle for you: what's the sound of one hand clapping?' 'Piece of cake.'".

The other technique, which I cannot do, involves rapidly hinging your arm while keeping your wrist and palm stiff and your fingers loose. It creates more of a pronounced clapping sound, but I've never been able to execute it. Please see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwoq3QBaQAY " How to Clap With One Hand ". By Toby Lerone on Dec 21, 2015.