13 meditators and 7 staff recently finished the Jhourney March 2023 Jhana Data Collection Retreat in the Santa Cruz mountains. The retreat was led by Jason Bartlett, an instructor authorized by Leigh Brasington to teach jhanas. His interviews and question-answer sessions became highlight moments.
The event featured distinguished guest speakers. Shinzen Young addressed practice questions and discussed his work with transcranial focused ultrasound. Tucker Peck explored the intersection of psychological and meditative development, while Shamil Chandaria delivered a private presentation on "Meditation and the Bayesian Brain."
The research component yielded substantial data. Nearly 40 hours of 64-channel EEG, ECG, and GSR measurements were collected from 8 experts, supplemented by extensive respiration, pulse oxygenation, thermal imaging, and video recordings. We intentionally focused on expert-level practitioners this round, planning to incorporate intermediate and novice data subsequently.
40 hours of meditative jhana data is extraordinarily rare and valuable. Comparable emotion recognition datasets of similar size achieve machine learning classification rates exceeding 85%. If jhana detection proves analogous, neurofeedback and teaching interventions could soon become feasible.
Beyond the research, retreatants engaged in five days of Noble Silence practice. Participants found meaning in contributing to others' benefit. One intermediate meditator reported: "I can't thank you enough for including me. The jhanas have never been so accessible!" Another new practitioner created a novice guide, recognizing that recent learners often make excellent teachers.
Data analysis is underway, expected to span several months. Early findings are promising.