The breath disappears in meditation — and what lies beyond the fourth jhāna
Summary
If the breath seems to disappear while you are sitting, do not be alarmed. It may not be a mistake but the point at which the mind is entering a subtler concentration. Many people reach the moment when the breath grows so faint it seems gone, the mind floating with nothing to hold, and pull themselves back out in fear.
The questions are: what should you do when the breath disappears, is this the fourth jhāna, and why is the fourth jhāna still not the end of the Buddhist path?
At the center of the talk is the difference between equanimity that comes from concentration and equanimity that comes from wisdom. Real stillness is not stillness with the eyes closed on a cushion. It is stillness that stays with you on the day you are insulted, gossiped about, or hit by an ordinary problem.
That is the arc of the training: from having something to hold to letting go, from calm on the cushion to freedom in the middle of life.
Key points
The vanishing breath is usually a sign, not a problem
The point where most people startle and withdraw is exactly the point where the mind is becoming subtler.
The fear comes from having nothing to hold
When the familiar anchor disappears, the first reaction is to find another — which is pulling yourself back out.
The fourth jhāna is not the destination
In Buddhism concentration is a base, not a goal. What follows is using that base to look at what is true.
Two kinds of equanimity are not the same
Equanimity from concentration is calm because nothing is striking it. Equanimity from wisdom is calm while things strike.
The test is off the cushion
The day you are insulted, gossiped about, or hit with a real problem is where it becomes clear which kind you have.