@stephen_zerfas - They (a) show you in an undeniable and unforgettable way

They (a) show you in an undeniable and unforgettable way that everything you do, from career choices to conduct in relationships, is in search of and response to feelings, (b) that everything you seek — the full spectrum of experience from bliss to peace — can be found within you, (c) counter the cultural narrative, pleasure and addiction are two very different things, (d) mental tension, a subtle form of internal violence faster than thought, is at the root of all your problems, (e) the solution is to learn to recursively surrender this tension at lower and lower levels of your mental habits (f) and once you do, a new mentality of abundance and clarity of your own nervous system affords new flexibility and sustainability in living out your deepest values and meaning-making, from prosocial behavior to delayed gratification All this is doable because the jhanas are a *feeling* meditation that, like yoga nidra and hypnosis, appear to work with your subconscious directly. It’s like checking out a feature branch, solving a bug, and shipping the code back to production: when wielded correctly, new mental habits last permanently off the cushion. And because you can’t crave a jhana and get into one, it’s like a zero trust cryptographic proof: you have to learn to surrender at each step of the way rather than develop clinging. Each new jhana requires subtler proof. Together, this letting-go-requirement and personality change make for a great launch pad to other practices, from Western psychotherapy to other forms of spiritual development (eg nondual). There’s a reason people like @shamilch and @nickcammarata have said it’s up there with AI and longevity as one of the most important, untapped secrets on the planet right now. I know of few things with such an importance, tractability, and neglect profile.