Hi

[Econetic]

Hi,

I am happy to have found your forum.  I meditate, having picked up more than a few things from some meditation teachers I met in my younger days, so it's nice to see people discussing the experiences which arrive from their practice/life.  Some of the other forums I've been on don't appear to have any regard at all for personal experience, and yet it seems to me that you simply can't make sense of religious writing without that human factor.   So, I read a lot, and discuss things with others when I can, and then try and tie it all together with what I know personally, and with what others also have to say.  It is quite a fun journey.

[Jhanananda]

Hello Econetic, and welcome to this forum.  About 12 years ago I had gotten fed up with the "just ignore that" from every meditation teacher I had ever studied with in 30 years of daily meditation, and joined as many Buddhist and meditation forums that I could find.  I then posted a one page description of what happens when I meditate, and got banned from 150 Buddhist and meditation groups.  So, I learned from that experience that most Buddhist priests and meditation teachers most probably do not meditate much, or if they do they get nothing out of it. SO, I started a Yahoo group to discuss meditation experiences. 

A lot of people joined my first forum and reported positive meditation experiences and receiving absolutely no support from their Buddhist priests and meditation teachers and some of them were marginalized for their meditation experiences, as I was. In about 10 years of running that forum about 1,000 people joined and posted significant meditation experiences and not one of them reported being valued by their Buddhist priests and meditation teachers. 

Along the way that forum was constantly under attack by Buddhist priests, meditation teachers and their naive devotees.  It became such a battle ground that most of the valuable members left, and the forum pretty much died.  So, I started this forum.  I hope the Buddhist priests, meditation teachers and their naive devotees leave us in peace; and I hope that those with genuine meditation experiences join this forum and at least contribute their case history, if not become regular contributors.

[Nik Pritchard]

Hello Econetic and Jeff

I do hope that there is some safeguard on the back burner in regard to attacks from people. One of the 'keys' for opening up and sharing is trust. Many people, myself included take a very long time to open up to others in regard to matters discussed on this forum. For those of us who are in the hypersensitivity phase of our practice, the last thing we need is to be ridiculed, or thought of as liars. There is such a thing called 'righteous indignation' too. For many of us I would imagine we have been alone with these types of experiences for a very long time, even if we have a loving partner, it does not mean that they have similar experiences. Which means they have no clue whatsoever what you are talking about, even though they  would like to. The further along the spiritual journey you get, the more lonely it gets I imagine, as so few people can relate.

One of the many by products of meditation experiences is an on growing sense of a  generous disposition. But like someone once said: “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you."

How to build trust within the group? How to promote and build kinship, by authentically sharing our views and knowledge? Without mutual respect it will not, cannot work. It does not mean there will be no differences of opinion or even heated debates over topics, you can debate a topic without being uncivil.  We are all unique individuals and have freedom of speech.

The definition of a forum as everyone knows is - a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.

But to be slandered or attacked, particularly for those who might be in the embryonic stages of Jhana - or/and -  in that 'I'm going crazy' phase of the process would be, ( please forgive me for saying this - but it is analogous of course), like kicking a pregnant woman in the stomach.

In my limited experience, certain phases and stages of the contemplative's journey, feels very much like that though, as if one is pregnant with a new consciousness.

And as with any young child, love them to pieces and keep them very safe, you never know what they may grow into to.

 

[Jhanananda]

Well, Nik, supporting the hypersensitivity of the budding mystic is why this forum exists, so I will do what I can for supporting those budding mystics.  However, sometimes they come here with a big chip on their shoulder, like they are the only messiah on this bus, and we are all fools, so sometimes those people have to be moderated.

I recall on the Jhana Support Group we had such a person who attempted to hijack the forum for several years.  Eventually he got that he had more to learn and we were not the deluded ones he thought we were, and he eventually became a welcome member.  But, that transition took about 3 years.  We just have to all learn some patience, and compassion, and know who needs moderation, and who needs to be allowed to ramble and rant.

[Sam Lim]

Hi Nik and welcome to this forum. I remembered when I was in the yahoo forum, there are lots of those priest and their devotees. Including some that are quite deluded and we had to moderate them.

In any case, we will definitely support those that are here, even though I don't post anything nowadays. Cheers