The state of concentrated meditation of the threefold learning and of right meditation in the Eightfold Path is customarily explained in terms of the four stages of dhyana. Descriptions of these four stages are largely the same in all extant primitive Buddhist scriptures, whether in Pali, Sanskrit, or Chinese. The Delectable Discourse (Pasadikasutta) of the Pali canon defines the stages as follows: In the first stage of dhyana, the meditator is free of all desire and all evil but continues to investigate and reflect while experiencing the joy (an emotional sensation) and bliss (a physical sensation) that come of being free of the five obstacles (greed, anger, sleepiness, discontent and regret, and doubt). In the second stage of dhyana, the meditator no longer investigates or reflects but enjoys concentration and experiences the joy and bliss of the previous stage of dhyana. In the third stage of dhyana, the meditator abandons both joy and sorrow but retains remembrance, wisdom, and bliss. In the fourth stage of dhyana, the meditator transcends bliss and suffering, just as joy and sorrow were abandoned, and experiences pure recollection.Basic Buddhist Concepts