Jhanon's Blog

[Jhanon]

This may not make sense yet. But, I don't think it's just about being present, being absorbed. Yes, that gets you to some profound places.

We always say "let go." But maybe more appropriately, it is to dance. I don't mean physically dancing, or at least not just.

I mean when you hear a good song, or experience fractal kasina, or get a sudden surge of tactile, or whatever--you don't just let go. You go with it. You embrace it, and you flow with it like a dance partner. This is to resonate with.

A dance will not be beautiful if the follower is trying to push their own agenda in the dance. A following dance partner would look stiff and resistant. The dance would look and feel awkward. But if the following dance partner lets go, goes with and resonates with the lead, it will look--and feel beautiful.

And in the supernatural powers list I'm working on, I see this over and over. The higher abilities are just a deeper resonance, a deeper letting go and going with the always present and normally subtle forces that lead the way.

I think it is foolish to assume the same language will work for every person. Because each word points to a slightly different meaning for each conditioned individual.

And so for me, humorously, despite my aversion to what most people mean when they say "dance"--finding joy, bliss and ecstasy in life is a dance. It's like getting swept off your feet.

This is why stiff stoicism and intellectualizing can never work. There has to be an artistic approach and appreciation for all forms life takes--whether it's a kundalini blast or flat tire.

[Jhanon]

Something's wrong. Lately, I've been indoctrinated by television, even though I know so thoroughly it's a waste of time and debilitating. I have almost no shred of discipline left. Since I began with so little in the first place, that means there is hardly any. I avoid writing this in my journal because I'm concerned it is self-indulgent. Yet the cycle continues. So, I take a chance and write it here.

Somedays I wake up when my medications haven't been taken for 12-16 hours, and I actually FEEL things. Even something that makes me cry, feels good. And yet I take the medications. Some archaic conditioning from childhood says, indirectly "You need to take me. You'll feel better." Except FEELING things is so much better than what the medications do. They numb. They turn me into a zombie. None of this is new. I've known this since I was 7 and first forced to take them. And yet, it remains.

I go to bed and tell myself I will wake up early and go for a run. I know I need to exert myself to the point of being out of breath and sweating. Yet I wake up and grab the tablet and begin watching television. It's like I'm trapped in a prison. I have a burning in my throat chakra as I write this.

The kids next door make so much noise. Part of me wants to yell at them. The other part knows there's no point.  I put some earbuds in to muffle all the disruption, or distract myself more with a television show that I barely learn from. At least my heart is still in the right place, of wanting to learn and overcome all this conditioning.

No one contacts me anymore. Maybe it's because of fall and winter, as it seems these seasons have such an effect. Or maybe it's because I am not as vibrant as I was in the summer. Maybe it's because I've regressed to a state in which I am of no help to others. It feels like limbo or stasis. Neither of which are the words I was looking for. My mind is mushy and soft from it's low level of interactivity lately.

It's not really despair. Or sadness. Anger or frustration. More like inaction. Almost like awareness has checked out for the time being. Leaving the inner-dog to do what was and has been done the day before. Perhaps an unconscious effort to avoid all the suffering of this world. It's been trying to build for so long. Trying to suck me back into old ways. But I don't quite go there, either. Just barely, I avoid the familiar extremes of the past.

It feels like waiting. Why? Why am I waiting? There is no need to wait.

Numbness is not equanimity. Carelessness is not equanimity. Evasion is not equanimity. Equanimity is equanimity.

it's so sad, that something so simple to everyone else can be the bane of your existence. As simple to others as "Well, just take a breath. And remember to take another after that." And yet you forget. Over. And over. And over. Instead you hear "Don't breathe. Don't Breathe" interspersed with the rare and occasional "BREATHE."

No one needs to respond to this rambling. It probably belongs in a private journal, but it refused to go into it. Maybe, at least, it will serve as an indication of honesty. Or, it will help someone in the future.

[Michel]

Sorry to see that you are uninspired these days, Jhanon. I get my inspiration from reading the suttas everyday.

If was in a high noise environment, I would seriously consider building a do-it-yourself soundproof box where I could meditate and do my studies.

Something like this: http://www.directindustry.com/prod/studio-box/acoustic-doors-26379-1552837.html

I hope this helps.

[Jhanananda]

Numbness is not equanimity. Carelessness is not equanimity. Evasion is not equanimity. Equanimity is equanimity.

Mindful self-awareness can be quite painful at times, but we have to be honest with ourselves, as you are doing, if we are going to develop the level of self-awareness necessary to walk the talk, drop our addictions, and consistently meditate deeply.

You may also be suffering from seasonal disorder from lack of sunlight.  Perhaps installing a grow light in a comfortable space in your living space will help?

[Jhanon]

Numbness is not equanimity. Carelessness is not equanimity. Evasion is not equanimity. Equanimity is equanimity.

Mindful self-awareness can be quite painful at times, but we have to be honest with ourselves, as you are doing, if we are going to develop the level of self-awareness necessary to walk the talk, drop our addictions, and consistently meditate deeply.

You may also be suffering from seasonal disorder from lack of sunlight.  Perhaps installing a grow light in a comfortable space in your living space will help?

Yes, it is painful. It's such a subtle pain. Like the physical discomfort that causes us to change posture in our sleep. But it's not a physical sensation. It's mental, and subtle.

It's like I'm out of gas. I know what needs to be done. I know it is good to do it. But instead I unconsciously choose stasis. When I finally check back in, like I did an hour ago, I get rushed with so much. Missing my daughter. Missing my companion. Wondering if something is wrong. Trying to persuade my self to just drop all the drugs, and risk seizure or whatever. I miss the ecstasy from two years ago. One moment, of probably only a few minutes.

It's true that every year, it seems, I dive deep into stasis during the cold months. Like an involuntary hibernation. Even when the sun is shining and go outside for a walk, I feel shelled off. Like I'm in a cave, alone, in purgatory. I take the Vitamin D. I get out when the sun is out. Maybe it's the cold. Or the short days.

I've thought about seasonal affective disorder for many years. After trying so many things, I've come to wonder if it's simply just natural. Everything in nature is dying or going to sleep. A human is part of nature, are they not? Why is it so unusual for a human to also go through it? It's like I get starved of human contact. If I get some, then I begin to feel better. Slowly. But somehow my life has consistently resulted in being alone during the cold months.

Both me, and my sister whom I am very similar to, have considered moving south for a long time. Somewhere that it doesn't really get cold. Where there isn't really a defined winter or fall. But I'm still north.

I used to have one of those "mood" lights. I don't remember using it much, or getting much use of it. The only times I've felt myself lately have been when I've had the pleasure of being in a warm house, with other people, or the sun shining into the warm room. I don't live in a house.

Sorry to see that you are uninspired these days, Jhanon. I get my inspiration from reading the suttas everyday.

If was in a high noise environment, I would seriously consider building a do-it-yourself soundproof box where I could meditate and do my studies.

It's not so much the noise as it is the energies around me. I'm very sensitive to them. I tend to be heavily influenced or bothered by the energies at my present home. That's why I spent most of spring and summer in the parks.

I used to get inspired by quality spiritual writings. I read some last night. Before I even finished a paragraph, I found myself writing something that made me feel pleasant. Then the next day came, and I was immediately back to the old cycle.

I wish I could just pick up my girls and move somewhere warm. With redwoods. Just us, or anyone else needing the same.

[Jhanananda]

Both me, and my sister whom I am very similar to, have considered moving south for a long time. Somewhere that it doesn't really get cold. Where there isn't really a defined winter or fall. But I'm still north...I wish I could just pick up my girls and move somewhere warm. With redwoods. Just us, or anyone else needing the same.

The redwood forests of Northern California this time of year will be in fog most of the day, and it will be raining, cold and dark for the next 9 months, so you might want to think about palm trees, or saguaros, instead.

[Jhanon]

Miscellaneous Hypothesis, Considerations, and Intuitions Regarding Union, Brahma-Vihara, Psychedelics, and Jhana

• Brahma-Vihara (Heavenly Abodes) are states of being which must be continuously cultivated in daily life and any jhana beyond the 1st. In both psychedlic/entheogen and meditation traditions, and in my experience, they are considered the ideal "set and setting" for absorption.
• Past experience reveals that intense and ceaseless cultivation of mindfulness and absorption in brahma-vihara are the most important practices when one is not in formal meditation. These have been the greatest tool, outside jhana, for breaking cycles of depression and anxiety.
• Brahma-Vihara can sometimes seem impossible to cultivate when one is in an ordinary human mind state. Recalling memorable past experiences of brahma-vihara can function as a "flashback" does in psychedlia. Recreating such experiences in the mind can give the individual the fuel needed to begin generating and absorbing thoughts in-line with Brahma-Vihara states. It may seem fake, or stupid at first. But very soon it becomes the state of being. These states are far more blissful than ordinary, unkempt mind states.
• As far as my personal experience goes, an individual not absorbed in the Heavenly Abodes (brahma-viharas) will be highly unlikely to reach beyond the ordinary OOB experiences and phenomena that occur in the transitional phase between 4th jhana and 5th jhana. Experience of God or Union (jhana 5-8) has only occurred in my experience when ample absorption in brahma-vihara is present. Also in my experience, the state of Union in jhana 5-8 is far more profound and beneficial than an ordinary OOB experience which occurs in the transitional phase. Below is the GWV resource revealing this distinction.
  
  http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/jhana.html
• Dimethyltryptamine, or DMT, is the only psychedelic chemical known to be endogenous--meaning that the human brain naturally contains DMT and the ability to release/produce DMT. This chemical can also be extracted from various plants. Vaporization of the plant-extracted DMT is capable of producing powerful absorptive states, some of which seem almost identical to jhana.
• It seems that DMT is naturally released from the very center of the brain (the pituitary gland) when entering absorptive states like jhana, dream, and death.  In other words, every human is on this Schedule 1 drug. It is not advisable to ingest/inject extracted DMT, since it's far more beneficial and legal to simply learn jhana. If you're into psychedelics or any psychoactive substances, I highly recommend making the switch to jhana. So far I've found that jhana is capable of reproducing the same experiences of almost any psychoactive substance without the negative side-effects.
• Once an individual has left the 1st jhana and entered the self-sustaining jhana beyond it, I've found it helpful to treat it as one would sit on a beach, gazing on the sun rising over the horizon. The experience will then unfold naturally, with the awareness resting on the brightest and most pleasant phenomena, while other phenomena also slowly enter the awareness naturally and simultaneously. There's no point in attempting to force a sunrise.

These have only been recorded for sake of recording them, as they seem significant. Being significant doesn't necessarily mean they are entirely true.

[Michel]

• Brahma-Vihara (Heavenly Abodes) are states of being which must be continuously cultivated in daily life and any jhana beyond the 1st. In both psychedlic/entheogen and meditation traditions, and in my experience, they are considered the ideal "set and setting" for absorption.
• Past experience reveals that intense and ceaseless cultivation of mindfulness and absorption in brahma-vihara are the most important practices when one is not in formal meditation. These have been the greatest tool, outside jhana, for breaking cycles of depression and anxiety.
• Brahma-Vihara can sometimes seem impossible to cultivate when one is in an ordinary human mind state. Recalling memorable past experiences of brahma-vihara can function as a "flashback" does in psychedlia. Recreating such experiences in the mind can give the individual the fuel needed to begin generating and absorbing thoughts in-line with Brahma-Vihara states. It may seem fake, or stupid at first. But very soon it becomes the state of being. These states are far more blissful than ordinary, unkempt mind states.
• As far as my personal experience goes, an individual not absorbed in the Heavenly Abodes (brahma-viharas) will be highly unlikely to reach beyond the ordinary OOB experiences and phenomena that occur in the transitional phase between 4th jhana and 5th jhana. Experience of God or Union (jhana 5-8) has only occurred in my experience when ample absorption in brahma-vihara is present. Also in my experience, the state of Union in jhana 5-8 is far more profound and beneficial than an ordinary OOB experience which occurs in the transitional phase. Below is the GWV resource revealing this distinction.
  
  http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/jhana.html

Interesting, Jhanon. Could you go into more detail on how you cultivate loving-kindness, compassion, sympathetic joy and equanimity?

[Jhanon]

(This was my effort to address the core of your question. It took a lot of external processing. Reading it may be useful to see how the simple answer to the core of your question was genuinely arrived at. The answer is below in bold.)

Sure! You know how I was depressed and stuck in a rut until just recently? A decent meditation put things in perspective and restored mindfulness. After leaving the meditation, I began cultivating noble intentions, even though they felt fake and fabricated. Then reflecting on noble actions of the past which immediately caused a shift. The shift made the initial noble intentions feel real. This lead to noble thoughts, then to visualizing new noble intentions which lead to noble actions. Reflection on the noble action resolved the depression and put me into a state of brahma-vihara. This is why I became active on the form again, and why I am writing this post.

There are many variables at play, such as psychoactive drugs/medication, weather, and other set and setting. Regardless, you could try this right now. Think of something noble you did relatively recently. Maybe it's a post you made on here to help welcome a newcomer. Then think about how much good came from you finding this forum and feeling welcome here. Take that and allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to feel it. So that's the fuel, even if it feels weak at first.

Now you ask the mind "where do I have an opportunity to be noble?" It will come up with something, and the more often you do this, the easier it becomes. Maybe just identifying a message or post given to you on the forum where the intention was to be helpful, and thus wanting to return or pass along the gift. Something will pop up. Then you do it, reflect that it was noble, and allow yourself to feel it and visualize how it feels for the recipient. Allow that feeling to fulfill you.

In my experience, brahma-vihara is like anything else practiced. Like muscles, or jhana, they grow stronger everytime they are used. But they can improve far quicker than muscle strength. The more time you spend with the mind in some area of that cultivation process, the more it will grow. That's the gist of it.

In my experience it is possible to cultivate multiple brahma-vihara simultaneously. So for example, you can throw gratitude into the cultivation process, and it will lead to altruistic joy or loving-kindness. You're free to come up with your own cultivation in every moment. Three years ago I had such an established Heavenly Abode that I often cried of joy, and had blasts of kundalini--even just walking down the street as I cultivated. I was blissed out on virtue. Establishing in the many wonders of jhana caused me to forget about the heavenly abodes until YOU posted about it. Your action brought me back.

I don't focus on specific brahma-viharas like altruistic joy or loving-kindness. I just cultivate in any noble way I can think of or the conscience brings to mind, as I described above. It's the cultivation process that seems most important, not the names of each abode. Personally, my biggest hurdle is allowing myself to feel, recognize, and honor my actions and intentions enough to impact me. It's the combined impact of numbing or regulating medications along with a heavy conscience. But once that's overcome, the ride sure does become awesome again.

Any questions or obstacles?

[Jhanon]

I'm sorry if my response was lengthy and confusing. I'm working on communicating better. But it is taking time.

[Jhanon]

Some Additional Considerations:

• "Religion is the opiate of the masses." Actually, more precisely, mindful cultivation of virtue is the opiate of the masses. I've recently realized that I've been using more medication than usual because I've been cultivating wholesome mindstates less than usual. Any kind of mentally regulating, restrictive or numbing substances will reduce the fulfillment and pleasure which can be felt from cultivating a wholesome mind. This includes primarily opioids, anti-psychotics, and anti-convultants. The fulfillment, healing, and liberation of cultivating brahma-vihara's is far beyond that of the medications. Instead of reaching for the medication, I intend to cultivate brahma-vihara's like I used to.
• I've found that ACTIVELY cultivating a wholesome mindstate/brahma-vihara's/virtue is necessary to reduce the impact and presence of fear. Thus enabling more fulfillment and depth in life and meditation. The key word is ACTIVELY cultivating it. I have developed virtues that have stuck, but I stopped cultivating them.
• The first time I began ACTIVELY cultivating wholesome mindstates was very simple. I merely thought to myself throughout the day "May all beings find happiness." Every person I walked past, every person I talked to or thought of, I would say this sincerely in the mind. That seed organically sprouted into a beautiful ongoing process of cultivation.
• But, through a busy worldly life I slowly forgot to actively cultivate. Jhana establishment consumed me. But allowing something to be automatic is to not be fully present. Therefor a mostly automated virtue loses most of it's power.
  

[Jhanon]

So, Michel, I would suggest finding a mantra like "May all beings find happiness." Something that resonates with you. Something noble. And you just remember to mindfully think, reflect, and contemplate that mantra throughout the day. You'll begin to relate it to you, to friends, to family, to strangers, to your current situation, to your meditations.

From there will soon sprout your own cultivation process as you begin to feel it more deeply resonating within.  From here, I KNOW it is possible for all 4 brahma-vihara's to develop organically. Don't be afraid to let it develop organically, instead of "by the book." Because nothing truly develops "by the book." It's like planting a seed. At first it doesn't look like anything at all. Just a patch of dirt. But with enough attention and care, it begins to sprout in its own unique way. In very little time there will be many branches and fruit.

I know Jhananda said "In my experience the seven enlightenment factors and the four heavenly abodes (brahmavihāras): boundless lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity all come from mastering the 8 stages of the religious experience (samadhi)". I think because Jhananda was on his own in most of his practice that this is true. But that has not exactly been the case for me as you've seen.

I think that at least one jhana experience is necessary to begin developing the brahma-viharas. But I also think if we are fortunate, we can skip some suffering with a refresher course from a spiritual friend. Just like you did for me today, and I've tried to repay. Otherwise, why did the Buddha teach the Brahma-Vihara's? Why didn't he just teach jhana and tell everyone "just keep meditating?" Why did he stress the importance of spiritual friendship?

We have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to Jhananda and the GWV

[Jhanananda]

Miscellaneous Hypothesis, Considerations, and Intuitions Regarding Union, Brahma-Vihara, Psychedelics, and Jhana

Brahma-Vihara (Heavenly Abodes) are states of being which must be continuously cultivated in daily life and any jhana beyond the 1st. In both psychedlic/entheogen and meditation traditions, and in my experience, they are considered the ideal "set and setting" for absorption.

I read through your thoughts to the end and found that you had apparently succeeded in working your way through your unpleasant emotional states and established pleasant emotional states.  Since you mentioned psychedlics/entheogens I just wish to point out that I have never met anyone who was successful at cultivating or establishing religious experiences, and/or the pleasant emotional states via the use of psychedlics/entheogens.  A lot of people try it.  None of them seem to succeed, but they keep trying.

[Michel]

I'm sorry if my response was lengthy and confusing. I'm working on communicating better. But it is taking time.

This is all useful information. I understand what your saying.

[Michel]

I know Jhananda said "In my experience the seven enlightenment factors and the four heavenly abodes (brahmavihāras): boundless lovingkindness, compassion, altruistic joy, and equanimity all come from mastering the 8 stages of the religious experience (samadhi)". I think because Jhananda was on his own in most of his practice that this is true. But that has not exactly been the case for me as you've seen.

Back in the days of the Buddha you needed a sangha to learn the Dhamma which was transmitted orally. Today we have books and the internet with forums such as the GWV. But it is not the most ideal situation. Jhananda managed somehow on his own to walk the entire path.

I guess Jhananda's experience is unique since he acquired the brahma-viharas after mastering the 8 stages of Samadhi. So, since you can arouse the wholesome states of the devine abodes and you have not mastered the 8 stages of Samadhi then I conclude that there are more ways than one to skin the cat.

I have also noticed that I feel in an emotional state more conducive to meditation when I practice the Brahma-Viharas.

I think that at least one jhana experience is necessary to begin developing the brahma-viharas. But I also think if we are fortunate, we can skip some suffering with a refresher course from a spiritual friend. Just like you did for me today, and I've tried to repay. Otherwise, why did the Buddha teach the Brahma-Vihara's? Why didn't he just teach jhana and tell everyone "just keep meditating?" Why did he stress the importance of spiritual friendship?

That's a good point. But late in his life the Buddha advised Ananda that he should take no other refuge other than the Dhamma. Now Ananda did not need a sangha since he had learned the Dhamma from the Buddha.

We have a lot to be grateful for when it comes to Jhananda and the GWV[/b]

Yes, we certainly do.

I appreciate your detail response to my question Jhanon. I hope that you write your heart out on this topic. We should start a thread on the Brahma-Viharas and their practice.

I wonder if Sam and the others practiced that Brahma-Viharas before they attained awakening?