Faith, Nimitta & Waiting For Jhana With Brian Newman

Executive coach and deep Dharma practitioner Brian Newman shares his journey into the Pa-Auk Sayadaw meditation lineage and the transformative power of strong samatha (concentration) practice.

Brian explains how the need for unwavering presence in his coaching work led him to meditation, quitting alcohol, and eventually discovering that the ancient maps of the mind described in the texts actually work in real life. He emphasizes the essential role of faith (saddhā) in overcoming skeptical doubt, the natural arising of thoughts during practice, and his preference for building extremely refined jhana-based concentration before intensive vipassanā.

Drawing from direct training with Sayalay Susīlā (Pa-Auk’s longtime attendant), Brian describes the two main tracks in the Pa-Auk system: the absorption-jhana path (requiring nimitta, mastery of kasinas, and rigorous three-hour resolution sits). We also talk about the broader “jhana spectrum”.