#9 - Leigh Brasington: the jhanas and buddhist philosophy

#9 - Leigh Brasington: the jhanas and buddhist philosophy

From Salvador Podcast by Salvador Duarte

June 5, 2025 · 54 min

About this episode

Leigh Brasington discusses jhāna practice, insight meditation, and the transformative effects of meditation on life.

Leigh Brasington is a meditation teacher in the Theravāda Buddhist tradition and the author of Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhānas. He was authorized to teach by Ayya Khema and is known for his deep knowledge of jhāna practice and insight meditation. We talk about altered states of concentration, awakening without dogma, what it feels like to perceive without ego, and how practice transforms life. Topics are outlined in the timestamps below. Listen on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you get your podcasts. Support my work here and follow me on Twitter here Timestamps 00:00 – Intro 02:37 – Seeing reality beyond the ego 05:15 – Learning the jhānas with Ayya Khema 07:53 – Insight that follows deep concentration 10:31 – What real meditation absorption feels like 13:09 – Leigh’s critique of lighter jhāna methods 15:47 – Retreat environments and access to jhānas 18:25 – Teaching online vs in-person 21:03 – What helps students succeed 23:41 – Stories from students’ breakthroughs 26:18 – Is jhāna possible for everyone? 28:56 – Why we procrastinate on practice 31:34 – Insight meditation and Satipaṭṭhāna 34:12 – How meditation shapes happiness 36:50 – Is full…

People in this episode

Host: Salvador Duarte

Guest: Leigh Brasington

Topics covered

  • Buddhism
  • meditation
  • jhānas
  • ego
  • insight
  • concentration
  • awakening

Keywords

  • Buddhism
  • meditation
  • jhāna
  • insight meditation
  • ego
  • awakening
  • concentration
  • practice

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhānas

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