1. Yes. What you experienced is probably an ‘anariya jhāna‘ or very close to it. Ariya is ‘Noble’ or ‘Buddhist’, and ‘anariya‘ is mundane.
- However, it is an excellent start. It is also a good accomplishment.
- It is possible that you may have cultivated jhāna in your previous lives. That could also be why you are attracted to Buddha Dhamma at an early stage in life.
2. What happened is the following. When you focus your mind on the breath (or any neutral inert object like a ball of clay), you are taking the mind away from the ‘kāma saññā.’
- Attaining even an anariya jhāna requires fulfilling two conditions: (i) living a moral life, and (ii) blocking the mind from engaging with a kāma saññā for an extended time.
- That temporarily moves the mind from the ‘kāma loka‘ to ‘rupa loka,‘ i.e., the mind jumps from ‘kāma saññā‘ to ‘jhānic saññā‘ associated with the ‘rupa loka.’ See “World Operates on Mind-Made Perception (Saññā).” Attaining a jhāna means one’s mind is essentially that of a Brahma for the duration of that jhānic experience.
- However, the ability to get into such ‘anariya jhāna‘ can be lost if one reverts to in immoral or even ‘sensual’ lifestyle. Devadatta attained higher jhānās, but never attained a magga phala. Later in life, he tried to take the life of the Buddha, and not only lost jhānic capabilities, but also was reborn in an apāya.
