Málaga province is scattered with “pueblos blancos” – the traditional,
picturesque “white villages” of squashed-together old houses and narrow
little streets that mark the landscape like snowflakes. Though many of
these villages and small towns are firmly-established on the tourist
scene, they have nevertheless retained their rural, Andalusian
character, as you will see if you visit any of the six below.

Antequera

Known as “The Heart of Andalusia” due to its central location and proximity to major cities such as Málaga, Granada, Cordoba and Seville, Antequera has kept its pueblo blanco style and atmosphere despite its considerable size. Its 14^th
century Moorish Alcazaba – resembling a mini-Alhambra – sits at the top
of the historic center’s tightly-packed white houses and beautiful old
churches. Like Villanueva de la Concepción – which is only a 20-minute
drive away, the other side of the El Torcal nature reserve – Antequera
is never beseiged by tourists as some destinations on the Costa del Sol
are, so it retains its traditional Andalusian character and ambience all
year round. It also boasts a collection of southern Spain’s greatest
historical monuments – the Menga and Viera dolmens and the Tholos of El Romeral. These Neolithic and Bronze age tombs are some of the most significant surviving instances of European Megalithism.

Whitewashed houses of Antequera © Stuart Pinfold/Flickr

See what we saw in a restaurant here

https://www.amazingplaces.info/…/pack-your-bags-to-get-awe-…
Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Ever wished to live in heaven and looking deep into the snow-clad
mountains while resting on the beautiful ever-flowing river? You can do
all this and much more in Manali, the heaven on earth. So pack your bags
as I get walk through various destinations and activities that can be
done in Manali. The Rohtang Pass, which acts as the Indo-Tibet border is
a beautiful place completely covered with snow gives you a chill down
the spine with its sub-zero temperature. From the culinary delight to
accommodation, sightseeing to adventure you can have it all if planned
and executed judiciously like finalizing your service provider and
booking tickets in advance. Himachal Pradesh is one of the best sought
after destinations for holiday, honeymooning and adventure in the
picturesque hills that not only provide a treat to the eyes but also act
as a wonderful destination for skiers. You can opt for a quick escapade
to the snow-capped valleys for 3 nights starting from Delhi to Manali
on a road trip enjoying the stunning visuals that are sure to be a treat
to the sore eyes. Rest for a while and take your backpack and head to
the local attractions.
Local Attractions in Manali

Solang
Valley – Located 30 minutes away from Manali, Solang valley is always
bustling both in Winter for the snow and skiing opportunities and in the
summer for other adventure sports. Between January to march visitors
throng the valley for the skiing activities that take place here.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali

Hadimba temple – The temple is for Hidimba, wife of Bhima. It is
located in a serene and peaceful atmosphere surrounded by tall pine
trees. The temple is well-known for its intricate architecture and the
idols are made of brass.
Monasteries

As Manali is situated on
the border between India and Tibet, the Tibetan population in Manali is
quite plenty. Himalayan Nyingmapa Gompa and Gadhan Thekchhokling Gompa
are the famous Tibetan monasteries that draw a lot of tourists for the
Tibetan art and craft displayed here.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali

Manu temple – This temple is located 3 kilometers away from Mall road
and is famous for the greenery and natural beauty of this region.

Clubhouse – The clubhouse is famous for the adventure activities and
the delicious food offered by the in-house restaurant. Activities
provided here include table tennis, carom, Karting, and river-crossing.

Having given you the list of best places to visit in Manali it is now
time to look at the hotels in Manali where you can sit back, relax and
enjoy the boundless beauty of this paradise
Solang Valley Resort

The resort is located in a perfect location where you can unwind
looking at the ever flowing Beas river and vertical pine forest. The
hotel is just 8 km away from the bus terminus and is equipped with 50
fully facilitated rooms. We can opt for valley facing Orchard bungalow,
river facing The river retreat or the glacier facing Glacier point to
stay.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Span Resort

Hotel span Resort and spa are just 14 km from Manali city and 510 km
from Delhi. The destination is present in the woods, which gives an
elegant look to this hotel. Away from the bustling city, this resort has
vintage cottages sandwiched between the river and snow-capped hills
making it a heaven for real.

The resort has a film library for
movie buffs and riverside spa to rejuvenate your mind and body. The
resort also provides interesting outdoor activities for its inmates.
Hotel Holiday Inn

This hotel offers compact and comfortable cottages with thatched roofs
to the visitors and is completely surrounded by breathtaking mountains
on all sides. The rooms open to the mesmerizing view of the Pirpanjal
range. The hotel also houses a spa which provides Oriental, Ayurvedic
and Traditional Spa services.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Hotel Manu Allaya

This place can very well be called a honeymoon paradise for the
jaw-dropping view of the natural greenery, snow-white mountains and the
hypnotizing aroma of eucalyptus. You feel completely out of the world
here. The hotel also boasts of classy banquet halls and extraordinary
cuisines.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Apple country resort

If you love taking a calm stroll across the foothills of the mountain
while enjoying some breathtaking visuals of snow-covered meadows, then
this place is ideal for you. The resort is just 1.5 km away from the
city of Manali. The impeccable mountains offer fresh air that penetrates
your mind and body and gives you a surreal bliss. The sweet aroma of
apple valleys makes your stay even more enchanting.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Riverside Country resort

Located at the foothills of the Himalayas, the resort is surrounded by
tall pine forest just above the Beas river. The serenity of this place
is so pure that one can feel completely unwound from the monotonous and
stressful city life. The resort not only provides a wonderful stay but
also satisfies the lust for sports by providing the inmates with various
activities and also a jogging track to keep them fit. The hotel also
offers an exercise room with a massage therapist, steam room, game room
and a pool table.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali
Hotel River Crescent

The name is attributed the mystic lullaby of the river sound, the
mind-blowing fragrance from the apple orchard and fresh air gushing from
the surrounding mountains. It is a hub for energetic youth as the
resort offers trekking, skiing, river rafting and biking to satiate
their adventurous nerves.
Hotel Banon tree

If you are looking
for a luxurious and upscale getaway, this is your destination. The
hotel is just 50 km from Kullu airport. This is a perfect romantic
destination with vast living areas, intricate wooden walls, and floors
that provide the much-needed warmth and coziness. The mini bars attract
tourists from all around the world and the restaurant offers Indian,
Chinese and European delicacies.

Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali

All that is planned well ends well. So plan your trip well in advance
to avoid confusions and mishaps. Manali has everything to cater to
people with different needs. Manali is famous not only for the
breathtaking and stunning natural beauty that the place is blessed with
but also for the various adventure sports happening here. Pack your bags
and get ready for the once in a lifetime experience of giving up your
soul to the enchanting mountains and snow-covered glaciers in Manali,
the heaven on earth.

The post Pack your Bags to get awe-struck by Visiting the Heaven on Earth – Manali appeared first on YourAmazingPlaces.com.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-rjeT-86yg
Leigh Brasington: Jhanas & Stilling the Mind

SF Dharma Collective
Leigh visits San Francisco Dharma Collective and leads a jhana meditation and dharma talk
Category
Education
License
Creative Commons Attribution license (reuse allowed)

https://www.ffmt.fr/articl…/anapanasati/jhanas/ab.jhanas.pdf

THE FOURTH JHANA Sukha has vanished! As the stillness of the knower
calms that which is known, the bliss that was the central feature of the
first three jhanas changes again when one enters the fourth jhana. Only
this time it changes more radically. Sukha completely disappears. It
vanishes.What one is left with is an absolute still knower seeing
absolute stillness.The perfection of Peace. From the perspective of the
fourth jhana, thebliss of the previous jhanas is seen as a residual
movement of the mental object, and an affliction obscuring something much
greater. When the bliss subsides, all that is left is the profound
peace that is the hallmark of the fourth jhana. Nothing moves in here,
nothing glows. Nothing feels happiness or its opposite, discomfort. One
feels perfect balance in thevery center of the mind. Like being in the
center of the cyclone, nothing stirs in the center of the mind’s eye.
There is a sense of perfection inhere, a perfection of stillness and a
perfection of awareness. The Buddha described it as the purification of
mindfulness, just looking on (upekkhasati parisuddhim) (e.g. DN
9.13).The peace of the fourth jhana is like no other peace to be found
in the world. It can only be known having passed through the experience
of theprevious three jhanas. That passage is he only way of later
confirming that he unmoving peace that one felt, was indeed that of
fourth jhana.Furthermore, the state of fourth jhana is so very still,
that one remains on its plateau for many hours. It seems impossible that
one could experience the fourth jhana for any less time.

Though
piti and sukha have both ceased in the fourth jhana, and all thatis left
is the perfection of peace, such an experience is later recognized,on
reviewing, as supremely delightful. Although all bliss has vanished,the
perfect peace of the fourth jhana is seen as the best bliss so far. It
isthe bliss of no more bliss! And this is not playing with words,
trying to sound clever and mystical. This is how it is.

Summary of the
Fourth Jhana

This the fourth jhana has the following features:

1.The
disappearance of sukha

2.An extremely long lasting, and unchanging,
perception of the perfection of peace, reached through the lower three
jhanas;

3.The same absolute rock-like stillness, and absence of a doer,
as in the second and third jhanas;

4.The complete inaccessibility from the
world of the five senses and one’s body.

THE BUDDHA’S SIMILE FOR THE FOUR
JHANAS

The Buddha would often describe the experience within the four
jhanas using an evocative simile for each (MN 39.15-18, MN 77.25-28,
etc.).Before explaining these similes, it is helpful to pause to clarify
themeaning of a key word used in all the similes, kaya. Kaya has the
samerange of meanings as the English word “body.” Just as “body” can
meanthings other than the body of a person, such as a “body of evidence”
forexample, so too the Pali word kaya can mean things other than
aphysical body, such as a body of mental factors, nama kaya. (DN
15.20).In the jhanas, the five senses aren’t operating, meaning that
there is noexperience of a physical body. The body has been
transcended.Therefore, when the Buddha states in these four similes
“…so that thereis no part of his whole kaya un-pervaded (by bliss
etc.),” this can betaken to mean “…so that there is no part of his
whole mental body ofexperience un-pervaded (by bliss etc.)” (MN 39.16).
This point is toooften misunderstood.The Buddha’s simile for the first
jhana was a ball of clay (used as soap)with just the right amount of
moisture, neither too dry nor leaking out.The ball of clay stands for
the unified mind, wherein mindfulness hasbeen restricted to the very
small areas created by the “wobble.” Themoisture stands for the bliss
caused by total seclusion from the world ofthe fives senses. The
moisture pervading the clay ball completelyindicates the bliss
thoroughly pervading the space and duration of themental experience.
This is later recognized as bliss followed by bliss, andthen more bliss,
without interruption. The moisture not leaking outdescribes the bliss
always being contained in the space generated by thewobble, never
leaking out of this area of mind space into the world of thefive senses,
as long as the jhana persists.The second jhana is likened to a lake
with no external entry for water,but with a spring within the lake
itself replenishing the lake with cool water. The lake represents the
mind. The complete absence of any waythat water from outside can enter
the lake describes the inaccessibility ofthe mind in the second jhana
from any influence outside. Not even thedoer can enter such a mind.
Such hermetic inaccessibility from allexternal influences is the cause
of the rock-like stillness of the secondjhana. The internal spring
supplying the fount of cool water representsajjhattam sampasadanam, the
internal confidence in the bliss of thesecond jhana. This internal
confidence causes complete letting go,cooling the mind to stillness and
freeing it from all movement. Thecoolness stands for the bliss itself,
born of samadhi or stillness, andwhich pervades the whole mental
experience, unchanging, throughoutthe duration of the jhanas.The third
jhana is described by the metaphor of a lotus flower thatthrives
immersed in the cool water of a lake. The lotus represents themind in
third jhana. Water can cool the petals and leaves of a lotus butcan
never penetrate the lotus, since all water rolls off a lotus.
Thecoolness stands for sukha, the wetness stands for piti. So like the
lotusimmersed in water, the mind in the third jhana is cooled by sukha
but isnot penetrated by piti. The mind in the third jhana experiences
onlysukha. In the third jhana, the mind continues to experience a
rock-likestillness, never moving outside, just as the lotus in the
simile alwaysremains immersed within the water. Just as the bliss the
third jhanasustains the mind therein, so he cool water, which represents
bliss,causes the lotus to thrive. Once again, the unique bliss of the
thirdjhana pervades the whole mental experience form beginning to end,
justas the cool waters in the simile pervade the lotus with coolness
form itsroots to its tips.The fourth jhana is likened to a man draped
from head to toe in a cleanwhite cloth. The man represents the mind.
The clean white clothrepresents the perfect purity of both equanimity
and mindfulness that isthe hallmark of the fourth jhana. The mind in
the fourth jhana isstainless, spotless as clean cloth, perfectly still
and just looking on,purely and simply. Of course, this absolute purity
of peacefulnesspervades the whole body of the mental experience, from
the start to theend just as the white cloth completely covers the man’s
body, form headto toe.This is the meaning to the four similes for jhana,
as I understand them.

https://puredhamma.net/…/power-of-…/jhana-stages-of-nibbana/
Pure Dhamma
A Quest to Recover Buddha’s True Teachings

The Jhanas
PART ONE
INTRODUCTION
In the original Buddhist scriptures, there is only one word for any
level ofmeditation. Jhana designates meditation proper, where the
meditator’s mind is stilled from all thought, secluded from all
five-sense activity and is radiant with other-worldly bliss.
Put bluntly, it is isn’t Jhana then itisn’t true Buddhist meditation! Perhaps this is why the culminating
factor of the Buddha’s Noble Eightfold Path, the one that deals with
right meditation, is nothing less than the Jhanas.The Buddha’s
Rediscovery In the ancient Buddhist texts, the Buddha is said to have
discovered Jhana (SN 2,7).

This claim is repeated with full explanation by Venerable Ananda in another Sutta (AN 9,42).

The fact that the Buddha rediscovered Jhana should not be overlooked,
for the rediscovery was a central act in the dram of the Awakenment
with Awareness.When it is said that the Buddha discovered Jhana, it is
not to be understood that no one had ever experienced Jhana before.
For instance, in the era of the previous Buddha Kassapa, countless men
and women achieved Jhana and subsequently realized Awakenment with
Awareness. But in the India of twenty six centuries ago, all knowledge
of Jhana had disappeared. This was one reason that there is no mention
at all of Jhana in any religious text before the time of the Buddha.Some
might raise and objection that the teachers Alara Kalama and Udaka
Ramaputta preached on Jhana, because the texts state that they taught
the Bodhisatta (the Buddha-to-be) the attainment of the state of
nothingness and the attainment of the state of neither perception
nornon-perception. However, those two attainments could not have been
connected to Jhana, because the Bodhisatta recalled, just prior to
sitting under the Bodhi Tree, that the only time in his life that he had
experienced any Jhana was as a young boy, while sitting under a Rose
Apple Tree as his father conducted the first-ploughing ceremony (MN
36).That spontaneous early experience of Jhana had been
untaught,unplanned and since forgotten.

If that was the only
Jhana experienced by the Bodhisatta prior to his experience under the
Bodhi Tree, then the two teachers Alara Kalama and Udaka Ramaputta could
not have taught Jhana at all.Indeed, in the Mahasaccaka Sutta (MN 36),
the Bodhisatta is shown as rejecting the experiences under those two
teachers as not leading to Awakenment with Awareness, and then
exhausting just about every form of ascetic practice before concluding
that that too did not lead to Awakenment with Awareness.

Remembering the early experience of Jhana as a boy, the Bodhisatta
thought, “Perhaps this Jhana is the way to Awakenment with Awareness
(Bodhi).”Thus the Bodhisatta realized the jhanas under the Bodhi Tree
and proceeded from there to Full Awakenment with Awareness and the
attainment of Buddhahood.One of the reasons why Jhana was not practiced
before the Buddha’s Awakenment with Awareness was because people then
either indulged in seeking pleasure and comfort of the body or else
following a religion of tormenting the body. Both were caught up with
the body and its five senses and knew no release from the five senses.
Neither produced the sustained tranquility of the body necessary as the
foundation for Jhana.When the Bodhisatta began the easy practices
leading to such tranquility of body, his first five disciples abandoned
him in disgust. Such as practice was not regarded as valid. Therefore
it was not practiced, and so Jhana never occurred.After the Buddha’s
Awakenment with Awareness, the very first teaching that he gave,even
before the famous Four Noble Truths, was the exposition on the Middle
Way, a way which had not existed before (except long ago in the eras of
previous Buddhas), a way which leads automatically to Jhana and then to
Awakenment with Awareness.It was as if, the Buddha said, that He had
discovered a long but lost path leading to an ancient city (SN 12,65).
The ancient city was Nibbana(Awakenment with Awareness) and the long
lost path was the Eightfold Path culminating in Jhana. Since the Buddha
rediscovered this path, it can be said that the Buddha rediscovered
Jhana.

Can One be Attached to Jhana?

When the Bodhisatta
had the insight that Jhana was the way to Awakenment with Awareness, he
then thought, “Why am I afraid of that pleasure which has nothing to do
with the five senses nor with unwholesome things? I will not be afraid
of that pleasure (of Jhana)!” (MN 36). Even today, some meditators
mistakenly believe that something as intensely pleasurable as Jhana
cannot be conducive to the end of all suffering. They remain afraid of
Jhana. However, in the Suttas the Buddha repeatedly stated that the
pleasure of the Jhana “is to be followed, is to be developed and is to
be made much of. It is not to be feared” (MN 66). Inspite of this
clear advice from the Buddha Himself, some students of meditation are
misled by those who discover Jhana on the grounds that one can become
attached to Jhana and so never become awakend with awareness. It should
be pointed out that the Buddha’s word for attachment, upadana,only
refers to attachment to the comfort and pleasure of the five-sensesor
world or to attachment to various forms of wrong view (such as a viewof
self). It never means attachment to wholesome things, like Jhana1

Simply put, Jhana states are stages of letting go. One cannot be
attached to letting go. Just s one cannot be imprisoned by freedom.One
can indulge in jhana, in the bliss of letting go, and this is what some
people misled into fearing. But in the Pasadika Sutta (DN 29,25), the
Buddha said that one who indulges in the pleasures of Jhana may expect
only one of four consequences: Stream-Winning, Once-returner,
Non-returner, or Full Awakenment with Awareness! In other words,
indulging in Jhana leads only to the four stages of Awakenment with
Awareness. This in the words of the Buddha “One should not fear Jhana”
(MN 66).

For Those a Long Way from Jhana

For some meditators, the Jhanas may seem to be such a long distance away that they are seen as irrelevant.
This is not so. Discussing such sublime states can create inspiration,
as well as map out the territory ahead so that one can know the right
direction. More crucial y, it gives one the information about what to
do when one gets close to any of these profound states of freedom.
Finally, it gives a deeper understanding of the Dhamma, especially into
the Third Noble Truth that is the cessation of all suffering—Nibbana.
This is because, the rapture and bliss of jhanais directly related to
the amount of Samsara which is, albeit temporary,let go of. Thus,
discussing the Jhanas is well worthwhile, even if they may seem so far
away form you.

For Those a Little Closer to Jhana

Some
readers may have already gotten close enough to be able to understand
this discussion from their own experience, and it may help them make the
last leap into the jhanas. Furthermore, when a meditator has actually
experienced a profound state of meditation, they want to find out
exactly what it was, to recognize the state in terms of the Buddha’s
accurate descriptions. So it is important to be able to
correctlyidentify the levels of depth in meditation.It is also important
to generate some inspiration in one’s achievement.Such a positive
emotion will only encourage further letting go. It is my aspiration to
show you how wonderful and profound these states of Jhana are, and to
illustrate how crucial their experience is to the event of
Enlightenment.Eventually, the seeds that are planted in you through
reading adiscussion on Jhana like this will one day bear fruit. When
one realize show the mental factor of intention actually occurs, one
understands how important it is to get information and inspiration like
this on the Jhanasform outside of oneself. The at the right time, the
mind will know automatically what it must do.For example, when nimittas
arise the mind will spontaneously know howto respond. Sometimes you
might reflect on this later, “Where did that intention come from?” The
answer is that that movement of the mind came from reading discussions
such as this. Sometimes it comes from things learned in a past
life!These are the things that generate the subtle guidance of the mind
in the still states of meditation. They do not come from you. If you
get involved and try to do something, the meditation is disturbed and
the peace falls apart.Sp please do not think that just because you are
not at this stage yet,that this discussion is of no use to you. In
fact, it will be very useful to you. But you will only realize its
usefulness after you have achieved one of the Jhanas and reflected back
to see that such instruction as given here, which you thought were
forgotten, manifest at the tight time to lead
the mind into jhana.

The Beautiful Breath:
The Beginning of the Journey into Jhanas

So far I have discovered the Jhanas from a historical and theoretical
point of view. Now it is time to explain the Jhanas in terms of their
practice. It is best to begin the description of the journey into Jhana
from the starting point of the “beautiful breath.” Before this stage
is accomplished, the mind has insufficient contentment, awareness and
stability to launch itself into the higher states of consciousness. But
when one is able to maintain an effortless awareness on the breath
without break for a long period of time, when the mind has settled into
such a rich awareness that the breath appears delightful. Then one is
ready to set off on the journey into jhana.

Do Not Be Afraid of Delight

I want to stress that one should be cautious not to be afraid of
delight in meditation. Too many meditators dismiss happiness thinking
it unimportant or, even worse, thinking that they don’t deserve such
delight. Happiness in meditation is important! Moreover, you deserve
this bliss out! Blissing our on the breath is an essential part of the
path. So when delight does arise alongside the breath, one should
cherish it like a valuable treasure, and guard it accordingly.

The Beautiful Breath and No Effort

The delight that arises at the stage of the beautiful breath is the
“glue”that holds the mind’s attention on the breath. It results in the
mindfulness staying with the breath without effort. One stays with full
attention on the breath because the mind wants to stay with the
breath.The mind, at this stage, enjoys watching the breath so much that
it doesn’t want to go anywhere else. It just remains with the
breath,automatically. It is so content being with the delightful,
beautiful breath that all wandering ceases. One remains fully aware of
the breath withoutany need to control the mind. Mindfulness of the
breath, here, becomes effortless.

Without the experience of
delight, there will be some discontent. And discontent is the source of
the wandering mind. Before one reaches the stage of the beautiful
breath, discontent pushes mindfulness away from the breath. There, the
only way to keep mindfulness upon the breath is through and effort of
will, through control. But when the stage of the beautiful breath is
achieved, when delight generates long lasting contentment, then the mind
will not wander. Then control can be relaxed, effort relieved, and the
mind remains motionless, naturally.Just as petrol/gas is the fuel
moving the car, so discontent is the fuel that moves the mind. When a
car runs out of gas, it gently comes to as top. One doesn’t need to use
the brakes. It comes to a state of stillness, naturally. In the same
way, when the mind runs out of discontent, through the arising of the
beautiful breath, it gently comes toa stop. One doesn’t need to use the
brakes of the will power. The mind comes to a state of stillness,
naturally.