The Formless Attainments

The Formless Attainments are four very deep states of meditative absorption that go beyond even the refined stillness of the form jhānas, where the mind rests not on a physical or visual object but on increasingly subtle perceptions: infinite space, infinite consciousness, nothingness, and a state of neither-perception-nor-non-perception. In the early Buddhist tradition they represent the most peaceful and concentrated levels of mental calm, valued as a support for insight rather than as a goal in themselves. You might catch a faint everyday echo of the first one when, lying back and gazing at a clear night sky, the sense of boundaries softens and awareness feels like it opens into open space. }