Buddha R (Buddha Rūpa-jhāna) is the third of the four fine-material meditative absorptions (rūpa-jhāna), a state where the meditator abandons joy (pīti) while retaining pleasure (sukha) and one-pointedness (ekaggatā). The 'R' distinguishes this jhāna as the third in the sequence, not to be confused with the Buddha as a person or other uses of the term.

Position on the Tree of Life

In Liber 777, the Forty Buddhist Meditations are assigned to the thirty-two paths and ten Sephiroth. Buddha R falls on step 6, Tiphereth—the sphere of harmony, beauty, and the solar Self. This placement is deliberate: the third jhāna corresponds to the stabilized, balanced consciousness that has passed beyond the agitation of initial joy. Tiphereth is the heart of the Tree, the reconciled son; here, the meditator achieves equanimity (upekkhā) and mindfulness (sati), the key qualities of this absorption.

Astrological and Planetary Correspondence

Tiphereth is governed by the Sun. The third jhāna's character—steady, radiant, and equanimous—mirrors the solar principle. There is no direct planetary attribution for Buddha R beyond this Sephirah link. The correspondence is symbolic: as the sun shines equally on all, so the meditator in the third jhāna experiences a dispassionate pleasure, no longer driven by the highs of bliss.

Historical Context

The four rūpa-jhānas are central to Buddhist meditation practice, described in the Suttapiṭaka (e.g., Sāmaññaphala Sutta) and the Visuddhimagga. The third jhāna is defined as the state where the meditator 'dwells in equanimity, mindful and clearly aware, and experiences pleasure with the body.' The Buddha describes it as a 'noble silence' due to the cessation of joy. In the commentarial tradition, the third jhāna has five factors: equanimity, mindfulness, clear awareness, pleasure, and one-pointedness. It is the first jhāna where equanimity becomes dominant, preparing the practitioner for the even subtler fourth jhāna (where even pleasure ceases). The Liber 777 column 'The Forty Buddhist Meditations'—a list compiled by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn—aligns these ancient meditative states with Western Qabalah, assigning each to a specific sephirah or path. 'Buddha R' at Tiphereth suggests that the solar harmony of this Sephirah is most perfectly expressed in the equipoise of the third jhāna.

In the table of Liber 777, 'Buddha R' is the Tiphereth entry for the row 'The Forty Buddhist Meditations'. This places the third absorption directly on the central Sephirah of the Tree, indicating that the balanced, equanimous state of this jhāna is the meditative equivalent of Tiphareth's essential nature.