Meditation practice has been going well. I can pretty reliably enter that mental state that feels light, clear, and wide. I don't know for sure if it's Chan/jhana or whatever, but thoughts don't have much power in that state. I think this really might be the right path.
[Here, a sheet of paper is inserted between the pages of the notebook. From the odd terminology and strange metaphors, it's apparent that the notes on this paper were written for the writer's eyes only:]
Meditation object in preliminary stage: unwholesome vitakka-sankhara/mental undercurrent/"pull"
Meditation object in First Chan/Jhana: wholesome vitakka-sankhara
Meditation object in Second and later jhanas?: thought formation/sankhara.
Preliminaries:
Watching the pull (unwholesome vitakka-sankhara) of the hindrances, clearing out the hindrances, maybe piti as you see the right pulls. There's a tension to that pull, it's possible to watch that too; but it's just vitakka, and when it fades in later stages there won't be any object left to watch.
Stay patient.
First jhana: Relax and let go, paying attention (vitakka+vicara) to the resulting intention toward stillness (wholesome vitakka-sankhara). That intention can have an upright quality, or an easeful equanimous quality, or it can be an intention to cultivate and spread peaceful stillness over yourself*. However the intention manifests, watch that direction of thought (vitakka-sankhara)**. Take care not to go into a drifting state; keep directing thought to the intention to meditate. Maybe waves of piti. Stay patient.
(*This is just an object. It is not deeper mental stillness, but a mental image/imagining of the stillness. There's still the subtler tension of vitakka+vicara and wholesome vitakka-sankhara, which has to subside before deeper stillness comes.
**Vitakka-sankhara (direction toward conceptual thought object) and vitakka+vicara (a somewhat forced effort of attention) have a subtler tense quality. Less tense than unwholesome vitakka-sankhara/pull or surface conceptual thought. But focus on the direction, not the tension; not even the thought object is the center of attention. Eventually, even the subtle tension goes away. When this tension goes away, vitakka (effortful thought) has subsided. But effortless sankhara/direction is still there to be observed.)
Second jhana: Directing of thought relaxes, no need to pin it there anymore. Just watching the intention to practice, maybe waves of piti.
Third jhana: There is an intention to dwell in that comfortable ease, pleasant sukha; don't. Keep watching the (upright) intention to meditate. Conceptual thought can arise, but has little power.
Fourth jhana: Focus in on the intention to practice, lift out of that comfort, sukha subsides. Conceptual thought subsides?