Progress as a beginner

[Rodan]

Almost at the point where i'm not manually forcing the breath anymore though when I engage in activities it seems to require force to pay attention to.

I am wondering about something in my sessions. Generally my sessions seem to follow a particular route in: monkey brain with active thoughts and concerns invading my mind, then 30 min to an hour later my mind begins to still (not completely mind you but I am more at peace). The still mental state i'm in leaves me far more composed and leads to a cessation of restlessness. Afterwards my mental state goes in one of two directions: 1) it either begins to cultivate piti and I start entering Jhana or 2)Parts of my face begin to numb, usually on one side of my face; it begins on either my temples or cheeks. The numbing sensation is pleasant and can bevery very overwhelming  and will sometimes spread a little bit but it doesn't get far across my face before it dissipates again. It's happened to me before while going to bed but in that case it was more intense and spread throughout my entire head. Is 2) jhana as well or is it something else?

[Jhanananda]

Rodan, most o us experience cycles of mental activity durig a meditation session.  We just sit through it, and let the mind cycle however, it wants and enjoy the ride.

The numbing sensation you describe sounds like the charisms (jhana-nimitta) that are associated with the first to 2nd jhana.

[Rodan]

Rodan, most o us experience cycles of mental activity durig a meditation session.  We just sit through it, and let the mind cycle however, it wants and enjoy the ride.

The numbing sensation you describe sounds like the charisms (jhana-nimitta) that are associated with the first to 2nd jhana.

For sure, I was just mapping the general course of my sit. I like having this thread to act as a sort of journal for myself.

Interesting, but I don't believe I was experiencing any piti or sukkha. Though I did feel calm and at peace during my sit.


Beginning to notice some things that alarmed me recently outside of my sits. Initially I began to think my home was facing the beginning of a mice infestation; In the my visual periphery and sometimes even directly in my line of sight I will see a flash of a moving tiny object, often black looking but it's tough to get a sense of the colour as it's incredibly fast moving. Initially I had assumed it was a mouse since I saw it near doorways and assumed it ran under and out of my sight. Then recently I saw it again tonight and the movement ceased but there was nowhere for what I believed to have been the mouse to have escaped. This was all under heavy illumination with the lights on so I wasn't seeing things in the dark.  The closest thing to these I have seen was a few months ago when I was watching a video and suddenly in the video a black smoke puffed up into existence and then disappeared in a flash. I rewound the video and it didn't appear again. Other visual artifacts I have been seeing weren't always black shapes; last week I saw a pale yellowish orange halo in a hallway very briefly. I investigated the surroundings and could not find any light source or reflected object that could do it.

[Jhanananda]

Beginning to notice some things that alarmed me recently outside of my sits. Initially I began to think my home was facing the beginning of a mice infestation; In the my visual periphery and sometimes even directly in my line of sight I will see a flash of a moving tiny object, often black looking but it's tough to get a sense of the colour as it's incredibly fast moving. Initially I had assumed it was a mouse since I saw it near doorways and assumed it ran under and out of my sight. Then recently I saw it again tonight and the movement ceased but there was nowhere for what I believed to have been the mouse to have escaped. This was all under heavy illumination with the lights on so I wasn't seeing things in the dark.  The closest thing to these I have seen was a few months ago when I was watching a video and suddenly in the video a black smoke puffed up into existence and then disappeared in a flash. I rewound the video and it didn't appear again. Other visual artifacts I have been seeing weren't always black shapes; last week I saw a pale yellowish orange halo in a hallway very briefly. I investigated the surroundings and could not find any light source or reflected object that could do it.

The thing to nderstand about deep meditation is we are becoming aware of the spirit domain, so we might encounter benevoet spirits and harmful spirits.  Here the solution is to not pay attention to the shadows, but only the light.

[Rodan]

So interesting thing in my progress lately. I seem to be having trouble reaching Jhana lately HOWEVER, I've been able to acquire the tranquil state during each of my sessions.

So I'm certain of the jhanic factors I have:Vitaka, vicara and ekagatta. Maybe I had weak ekagatta? All that was missing was piti and suhka.

The other thing about my tranquil state is that I felt quite at peace and content in my session. I felt no restlessness or boredom during my sit and was even counting down to when I could begin meditating (I began the meditative session 15 min early out of eagerness).

[Jhanananda]

So interesting thing in my progress lately. I seem to be having trouble reaching Jhana lately HOWEVER, I've been able to acquire the tranquil state during each of my sessions.

So I'm certain of the jhanic factors I have:Vitaka, vicara and ekagatta. Maybe I had weak ekagatta? All that was missing was piti and suhka.

The other thing about my tranquil state is that I felt quite at peace and content in my session. I felt no restlessness or boredom during my sit and was even counting down to when I could begin meditating (I began the meditative session 15 min early out of eagerness).

One should keep in mind that when the jhana factors arise, one is therefore in jhana. So, when you are experiencing tranquility, peace and contentment, then you are in jhana.

I am also not sure what you mean by "begin meditating"? If you are in jhana, then you are beyond the cognitive mental exercise we call "meditation."  One should keep in mind the cognitive mental exercise we call "meditation" is described as the 7th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, and the 8th fold is described as 8 stages of samadhi (jhana) which are therefore beyond cognitive mental exercises.

[Rodan]

Oh by begin meditating I meant prior to the start of the session.

I'll need to reread your article on the definitions of piti and sukha before I comment again. I did not think that contentment/tranquility fell under piti/sukha. Normally when I feel the onset of piti it comes as a very obvious feeling of warm love or pleasant vibrations. I'm atleast happy and encouraged I can push for tranquility in all my sessions. I'm getting the hang of using the charisms that appear to 'heal' my body in a minor way. During my sits, some physical issue might flare up such as tightness in my arms or soreness or even an uncomfortable need to urinate which isn't too urgent. Instead of interrupting my sit, I will often do my best to let the charism wash over me in a sense and if the charisms haven't appeared yet I'll try to keep my focus on the meditation object until they appear and the pain/discomfort goes away.

[Jhanananda]

Comfortable sitting
Rodan, it sounds like you are doing well. Perhaps some advice on improving your sitting attire and equipment might help reduce the pain issue.  As stated elsewhere I found a daily hatha yoga practice helped me a great deal.  It mostly is just a system of stretches that improve sitting comfort.

I also found sitting on a wool blanket or carpet helped to reduce the pain associated with longer meditation sits.  Wool helps for a number of reasons.  Wool breathes so hot air is not trapped causing heat to build up at the contact surfaces.  It also cushions very well, because it compresses.

I also found avoiding cotton clothing helped with comfort, because cotton tends to trap heat and does not compress as well as wool.

I also found silk boxer shorts were especially comfortable for long sits, as silk is less abrasive to the skin than cotton. Rayon is also a comfortable fiber to wear.

Elevating the rear with wool blankets until the knees comfortably touch the floor also helps.

Some people find sitting in 'easy pose' helps, which is crossed legs, but no leg being on top of the other.

Other people find sitting on bent knees, but elevating the rear with a bolster so that the legs are not carrying the weight of the body helps them.

I hope some of this advice helps.

[Rodan]

Thank you Jhanananda, the advice is very helpful. I already do some yoga stretches mainly upward and downward dog, I will begin trying other ones like the hero pose to help the legs.

Regarding my legs, I usually sit in the half-lotus. I wish to move into the lotus position one day though.

My session tonight was quite successful. I managed to enter Jhana after only 20 min into the session. I had trouble deepening it though so I would go back to the meditation symbol once in awhile then back to the charisms. How would one increase the depth of the first jhana. I wanted to first focus on mastering entering and exiting the first jhana before moving on. I tried experimenting a few times by trying to leave jhana by moving around while seated or playing with random thoughts so that distractions would dampen the jhana and then focus on the object again to re-enter jhana. Hard to say if it worked since I felt the charisms throughout most of the session.

I am trying to follow along with this passage below

The perfecting of the first jhana involves two steps: the extension of the sign and the achievement of the five masteries. The extension of the sign means extending the size of the counterpart sign, the object of the jhana. Beginning with a small area, the size of one or two fingers, the meditator gradually learns to broaden the sign until the mental image can be made to cover the world-sphere or even beyond (Vism. 152-53; PP.158-59).

Following this the meditator should try to acquire five kinds of mastery over the jhana: mastery in adverting, in attaining, in resolving, in emerging and in reviewing.[16] Mastery in adverting is the ability to advert to the jhana factors one by one after emerging from the jhana, wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and for as long as he wants. Mastery in attaining is the ability to enter upon jhana quickly, mastery in resolving the ability to remain in the jhana for exactly the pre-determined length of time, mastery in emerging the ability to emerge from jhana quickly without difficulty, and mastery in reviewing the ability to review the jhana and its factors with retrospective knowledge immediately after adverting to them. When the meditator has achieved this fivefold mastery, then he is ready to strive for the second jhana.

In my situation, would my sign be the warmth and vibrations? I felt it primarily in a bit of my arms but mostly along my spine and head. So I'm guessing my next step would be to get the vibrations and feeling of piti to surround my entire body? I'm unsure of how to broaden such a tactile sign to expand beyond my body though.

I found the excerpt from an article on your site here http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/ati_website/lib/bps/wheels/wheel351.html#ch3.3

[Jhanananda]

Thank you Jhanananda, the advice is very helpful. I already do some yoga stretches mainly upward and downward dog, I will begin trying other ones like the hero pose to help the legs.

Regarding my legs, I usually sit in the half-lotus. I wish to move into the lotus position one day though.

Yes, I found downward dog useful for improving the length and comfort of my long meditation sits.  I also found placing the soles of the feet together and stretching the knees down also helped a great deal.

On the full and half lotus,
I have found the posture overly hyped, as comfort is critical, not posture, and those who have a reputtion of promoting posture so far have not demonstrated an understanding of depth in meditation.

My session tonight was quite successful. I managed to enter Jhana after only 20 min into the session. I had trouble deepening it though so I would go back to the meditation symbol once in awhile then back to the charisms. How would one increase the depth of the first jhana. I wanted to first focus on mastering entering and exiting the first jhana before moving on. I tried experimenting a few times by trying to leave jhana by moving around while seated or playing with random thoughts so that distractions would dampen the jhana and then focus on the object again to re-enter jhana. Hard to say if it worked since I felt the charisms throughout most of the session.

In my experience the best way to deepen the depth of the meditation experience is simply to attend to the charisms (signs, jhana-nimitta) as the new meditation object, and to forget about any cognitive effort, while working to still the mind.

I am trying to follow along with this passage below

The perfecting of the first jhana involves two steps: the extension of the sign and the achievement of the five masteries. The extension of the sign means extending the size of the counterpart sign, the object of the jhana. Beginning with a small area, the size of one or two fingers, the meditator gradually learns to broaden the sign until the mental image can be made to cover the world-sphere or even beyond (Vism. 152-53; PP.158-59)

Following this the meditator should try to acquire five kinds of mastery over the jhana: mastery in adverting, in attaining, in resolving, in emerging and in reviewing.[16] Mastery in adverting is the ability to advert to the jhana factors one by one after emerging from the jhana, wherever he wants, whenever he wants, and for as long as he wants. Mastery in attaining is the ability to enter upon jhana quickly, mastery in resolving the ability to remain in the jhana for exactly the pre-determined length of time, mastery in emerging the ability to emerge from jhana quickly without difficulty, and mastery in reviewing the ability to review the jhana and its factors with retrospective knowledge immediately after adverting to them. When the meditator has achieved this fivefold mastery, then he is ready to strive for the second jhana.

First the Visudhimagga is clealry not an authoritive discourse on jhana, but is clearly an example of apporopriation, subvertion and obfuscation, so the only value of it is as evidence of the corruption of the Buddha dhamma. Just avoid any activation of the cognitive, while seeking to still the mind, while attending to the charisms (signs, jhana-nimitta), while relaxing deeply, and stilling the mind.

In my situation, would my sign be the warmth and vibrations? I felt it primarily in a bit of my arms but mostly along my spine and head. So I'm guessing my next step would be to get the vibrations and feeling of piti to surround my entire body? I'm unsure of how to broaden such a tactile sign to expand beyond my body though.

Just submit yourself to the natural process of deepening and opening in the experience of depth, like a flower blooming.  The plant does not make the flower bloom out of effort.  It just happens.  In the same way, the contemplative should just sit everytime in meditation developing a still mind, while submitting to the depth that occurs in the experience of samadhi, which opens naturally likke the blooming of a flower in its own time.

Yes, the feeling of warmth and vibration are charisms (sign, jhana-nimitta), but it is not the job of the mystic to make it do anything, but just to observe it, and submit to it.

I found the excerpt from an article on your site here http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/ati_website/lib/bps/wheels/wheel351.html#ch3.3

The GWV website in the dhamma study section attempts to offer a broad understanding of the dhamma, so some of what we have there is not necessarily correct. So, I would not recommmend paying too much attention to the Wheel articles.  I suggest instead you pay attention to the section that is dedicated to our communitie's direct experience of the 8 stages of samadhi. the Fruit of the Contemplative Life

[Rodan]

I was having issues deepening the first jhana through simply attending to the charism's last week but I think I've made a breakthrough in the last couple of days. Last week I had issues when I would use piti as the concentration object. It's very difficult for me to attend to objects that are not visual and I usually the piti fading away when I switch to it. This week was quite interesting however, I had been able to more quickly enter jhana, sometimes in just 5-10 min. Tonight I managed to hold onto the piti for a bit longer as an object of focus without it fading away too quickly. Once it faded I was able to use vicara/vitaka with the breath to bring it back. Another great thing was as I was attending to it, for the first time I was able to increase its intensity. If my normal piti is at a 3-4/10 this time the piti grew to a stable 5-6. I was also able to cycle in and out of piti; perhaps not a complete lack of piti, maybe more accurate to say I was cycling between low levels of piti 2/10 back to a 4-6. My concentration wavered as my excitement in the piti made me lose my composure. The piti was primarily made up of warm vibrations along with a sense of love.

I had a fun experience with a two day fast recently as well. As the fast was about to end I began to experience stronger visual light shows. Sometimes when I closed my eyes I could see circular geometric patterns. These lights were far more persistent than usual. The nimitta I would see from time to time became playful at one point and began to outstretch into something that resembled a disorganized cobweb of light and as I was staring at it, it felt like it was drawing me in. A wonderful experience. I wonder if the fast helped me reach these luminous jhanic states out of my meditation because I had a lowered sense of the hindrances due to my discipline in that state.

I should also say the charism/piti that continues to persist after my sit tonight is not just the warm fuzziness but also a greater sense of energy. I feel like I had several espressos but without the jitteriness of caffeine.

[Jhanananda]

It sounds like you are doing very well, Rodan.  I can only encourage you and others to keep moving forward, and keep practicing.

Regarding your question on fasting. I fasted on water 10 days a year every year for 37 years before I was diagnosed with diabetes, and discovered that my blood sugar goes up when I fast. However, I fasted every year and used those fasts as an intense personal wilderness retreat.  I got a lot out of the fasting retreats so that is why I did them for so long.  So, I can see why you and other mystics would have fasting retreats, but one should be careful not to cause physical or psychiatric harm to one's self.

[Rodan]

Yes, I've been making sure to watch my health during those fasts, thank you for the concern Jhanananda. The last week has been amazing. The other night I managed to deepen the piti during first jhana considerably for the first time. I felt the piti in my muscles and organs. It was closely beginning to mimic the beginning of the first jhana I felt while in bed that I mentioned awhile back.

Do you ever find that your sessions are not the strongest or deepest when you've had food recently? I ate a particularly large meal that took awhile to digest, I felt quite full even hours after. I always feel 'off' when I don't have a relatively empty belly.

[Jhanananda]

Yes, I've been making sure to watch my health during those fasts, thank you for the concern Jhanananda. The last week has been amazing. The other night I managed to deepen the piti during first jhana considerably for the first time. I felt the piti in my muscles and organs. It was closely beginning to mimic the beginning of the first jhana I felt while in bed that I mentioned awhile back.

So, this sounds like fasting is helping deepen your contemplative life, which is what we are all about here.  In that case I suppose we should emphasize fasting more here.

Do you ever find that your sessions are not the strongest or deepest when you've had food recently? I ate a particularly large meal that took awhile to digest, I felt quite full even hours after. I always feel 'off' when I don't have a relatively empty belly.

Yes, I found the fullness in my belly after a meal definitely reduced the depth of my meditations so I made a daily practice of never eating after sunset and before my morning meditation session.  I found this practice gave me greater consistency in depth of meditation. So, we could add this dietary practice as a general recommendation here.

[Rodan]

The past week has been odd. Several days ago I could cycle in and out of first jhana with light piti and sukha but lately it's been tougher with both. I can get a strong sukha (bodily vibrations) but the piti/joy is more subtle and slight than usual. Tonight I was able to draw out a bit of piti then it dissipated to a low level again. To be fair my concentration has suffered for a bit the last few days but it was much better tonight.

I have another issue when I attempt to get deeper into the meditation object, as I start to lose sense of my senses (pardon the pun ha) my right or left foot will begin to convulse with a cramp. It's tough to get further into absorption due to this so far. I also had some tightness in my jaw despite feeling relaxed. Do you have any exercises for it. I did some pranayama and while the rest of my body felt loose and relaxed, the back of my jaw continued to feel tense for whatever reason.

On the positive end, I feel like I've evolved in october. I'm far more equanimous than I used to be even in the face of annoyance. I have a financial matter come up tonight that I'm waiting to have resolved and normally such a thing would leave me stressed and annoyed until it got concluded. Sometimes I think I have undiagnosed OCD as I go over matters over and over again if I'm to wait for its resolution. But tonight, I was able to perform my sit and didn't even consider the issue the entire time. Even now I'm still annoyed but I'm not particularly upset. I'm just waiting and I'm still relaxed.