Fruit of the Contemplative Life
Fruit of the contemplative life: => Samadhi => : Naman March 30, 2016, 01:05:57 PM
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I wanted to know of this state as what u guys wud define it as. Firstly let me tell u that I havent been able to reach this state through meditation yet cause i havent been practicing path of meditation. Except for the few times i cud reach where i seriously did concentrative meditation for 45 or so minutes.
So i wud efface into a domain where i feel, see nothing but im aware of myself as awareness or wtever u call it "the real self"? At times if, in sleep itself, i wish to go obe(assume an astral body), i have to go thru this state. I feel there is nothing beyond it to experience. Sometimes i switch back and forth into it thru astral body, when i focus back on my source (my real self , consciousness or awareness ) i feel the boundaries of astral body vanish into nothingness, its like withdrawing ur awareness even from the astral senses and remaining aware of urself only. Earlier i used to feel huge bliss when i wud enter this state, now it feels same always, even in meditation for that matter. No matter how deep meditation is, it feels same in terms of bliss. So what state of experience is this? is there something beyond this as well to experience in meditation?
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It was my experience that when I exceeded the 45 minute barrier to meditation that I began to go much deeper into the meditation experience. So, it is reasonable to me to propose that you too learn to exceed the 45 minute barrier to meditation to see what you find. Also, we have a whole thread on lucid dreaming and the OOBE (http://fruitofthecontemplativelife.org/forum/index.php/board,15.0.html) at the link.
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Thank you for your quick response. I always love that about you.
" So, it is reasonable to me to propose that you too exceeded the 45 minute barrier to meditation to see what you find."
I am planning on that for sure, but for now i start loosing crispness of meditation after 40, 45 mins. There has been times when i was sitting for more than an hour everyday two times or more but i felt that i was shifting into contemplative meditation rather than concentrative. So i have now discarded that practice altogether and restarted with pure concentration, which in time i will increase the duration of for sure.
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Good to know, rastogi97, that you are planning on increasing your meditation time.
I do feel compelled to point out an erroneous belief system that you have subscribed to, which is based upon a common translation error of the Pali Canon. The term 'concentration' is a common mistranslation of the Sanskrit term 'samadhi' and the Pali term 'jhana.' This mistranslation typically leads to erroneous meditation practice, which tends to lead nowhere.
The term 'concentration' applies to the 7th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path, where we develop skill in meditation practice (magga).
Whereas, the 8th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path is defined in the suttas with terms like the Sanskrit term 'samadhi' and the Pali term 'jhana.' If we are to read a properly translated sutta in the Pali canon, then we will see that the Sanskrit term 'samadhi' and the Pali term 'jhana' refer to an altered state of consciousness, and is not just the practice of concentration.
Understanding this critical distinction allows us to realize that the whole purpose of meditation practice is to develop an altered state of consciousness. Understanding that the 8th fold of the Noble Eightfold Path is an altered state of consciousness allows us to have the expectation that long practice strategies lead to an altered state of consciousness, which means our meditation practice is more likely to bare fruit, than a practice that is not thus informed.
It just so happens that these altered states of consciousness can often be preceded by an apparent loss of focus. We here find that meditation sessions often oscillate, and by just sticking with the session, then we find greater depth is acquired.
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I do understand that, but its been funny with me. I'd be having strong nimittas but these thots they keep coming, they wont totally subside. So after sitting for sometime mind starts giving in to thoughts and thats what i call losing crispness of meditation. Sometimes i'd just be sitting there without thoughts also, but nothing will happen for long time, no total absorption, so mind feels like getting up since there is nowhere left to go and nothing left to do.
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Finding the benefit from attending to a still mind, and the charisms just takes time.
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True. I will get onto it. My leg starts killing me after 45 mins, i suppose it will take few more days to breach 1hr barrier.
Thanks for your support and replies though :)
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I found a daily yoga practice helps to reshape the body for floor sitting. Also, I found working on my sitting situation to optimize it, helped me to break the 1/2 hour barrier.
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Thanx working on it.
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I found a daily yoga practice helps to reshape the body for floor sitting. Also, I found working on my sitting situation to optimize it, helped me to break the 1/2 hour barrier.
Okay today i meditated for more than an hour. Made slight changes in posture... And then i remained in that 4th jhana experience for another 40 mins. It feels like nothing will happen after that haha but nonethless as u adviced i will keep sitting longer n longer in that state. There was a time when i transitioned into 5th jhana in about 40 mins only perhaps i was meditating all day while "doing things". Just an update.
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What I find works is just savoring the stage that one is at, and sitting with that stage as long as one can, then the stages progress on their own.
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Thats what i have realized ! I was getting up every time early cause i was expecting to reach the next level quickly but that was increasing the anxiety rather than bringing further relaxation. :-X
Thank you for pointing it out.
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What I find works is just savoring the stage that one is at, and sitting with that stage as long as one can, then the stages progress on their own.
Hello, i now m sitting past the state where i feel no anxiety and where i feel i can sit as long as i want. It takes i think sometimes 20,30 even 40 mins to reach there. Then after that i m simply sitting in that for 1.5 or 2 hrs. I dont feel like getting up but i do cause of some work or cause of pain in leg. After getting up it still feels like im in that state and nothing has changed, even thoughts coming in mind doesnt lower that state so to speak. This is fourth jhana right? I do hear ringing all day long and i can feel tingling also if i allow that to happen (uncontrolled tingling electricity like sensations used to happen long back)
and yeah once on youtube u mentioned that it took you 6months to transcend 4th jhana and reach 5th one. So how long were u meditating those 6 months (perday).
Now im sitting more than 2 hrs , 2 times a day. Is it good enough ? :/ and yeah i do change my posture once or twice :| it feels like its not making any difference on meditative state, what do u think should i avoid doing that? Other than that i m sitting motionless.
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Hello, i now m sitting past the state where i feel no anxiety and where i feel i can sit as long as i want. It takes i think sometimes 20,30 even 40 mins to reach there. Then after that i m simply sitting in that for 1.5 or 2 hrs. I dont feel like getting up but i do cause of some work or cause of pain in leg. After getting up it still feels like im in that state and nothing has changed, even thoughts coming in mind doesnt lower that state so to speak. This is fourth jhana right?
It is consistent with my experience of a 4th level below the "normal" cognitive state, which I take is the 4th jhana.
I do hear ringing all day long and i can feel tingling also if i allow that to happen (uncontrolled tingling electricity like sensations used to happen long back)
If it is true that "we know a tree by its fruit," And, the "fruit" being referred to here are the charisms, then the fact that you are experiencing these charisms is proof that you have most certainly found some significant depth in your daily meditation practice.
and yeah once on youtube u mentioned that it took you 6months to transcend 4th jhana and reach 5th one. So how long were u meditating those 6 months (perday).
In those days I meditated at least 3 times per day, and often almost all day long in 1-2 hour intervals with breaks in between to work in my organic garden.
Now im sitting more than 2 hrs , 2 times a day. Is it good enough ? :/ and yeah i do change my posture once or twice :| it feels like its not making any difference on meditative state, what do u think should i avoid doing that? Other than that i m sitting motionless.
It is clear that you practice of two 2-hour meditation sessions per day is paying off quite well. I have found that there is benefit from meditating more, if one can fit it in. For me I found a maximum of 6 hours reaped benefit, after that my body started to experience joint and nerve pain. So, I keep it to about 6 hours per day of meditation.
Yes, at the level of meditation that you and I, and many of the people on this forum practice, we find little difference between formal practice, and chopping wood, and carrying water, etc. We can just keep our mindful, self-awareness, still mind, while attending to the charisms all day, even while engaged in the world.
Good work, and keep it up.
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Thanks, I will keep it up and keep u posted of any advancements :)
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Im experiencing that the amount of bliss or rapture, if i can call it that.. Which i was feeling the first time in 4th jhana in my long meditation sitting... It has decreased since then... But the feeling of sitting as long as i want is still there. I mean a mind without anxiety .
What should i make of it ? Is it just that first time it feels like alot of bliss and overtime as we dwell in it again n again it settles in and solidifies as peace ? Or Is it that im not able to achieve that depth again ?
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It could be a number of factors, but getting comfortable with deep states of meditation also involves getting used to them. On the other hand, in over forty years of deep meditation practice I never got used to a full kundalini blast. I found I just have to let go, and let it sweep me away. The more I let go, the deeper and more powerful it gets.
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Im officially doing sitting in meditation for 5-6hrs. Something like this is happening, other than those sitting sessions.. Whenever i sit still/unmoving for few minutes either for work or anything else, my body starts becoming numb within couple of minutes and breath slows, mind becomes placid.. Like it feels in 4th jhana and then i wud want to not even blink or move my eyeballs... And feels like i can sit there for long ,, it keeps on getting deep....
But i m still not able to get to the next level where senses efface.
Funny thing is when i offically sit for meditation those sensations come late than when im sitting without purpose of meditation.
Ps: My neck is hurting cause i don't even want to move it even when walking or talking :| Whats happening ? Shud i allow it ?
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What works for me is allowing the body to move as it wishes, while I maintain a still mind, which is inclined to depth. What I observe is a gentle oscillation of my torso and head, which I have spent many hours observing, and noticed that this oscillation is a product of the pumping of blood in my major veins and arteries.
This gentle, natural oscillation of my body during deep meditation led to a rather humorous episode at a meditation retreat that was under the auspices of a guru who had no understanding of deep meditation. I was accused of having a weak mind, and booted out on the 6th or 7th day. This is what one who meditates deeply is likely to encounter in a world that is controlled by frauds.
As for going into the Immaterial Domains. It happens when you are ready. For most people it takes a great deal of preparation, because there are both demons and angels to be encountered there. Thus, one must develop deep equanimity before stepping into the spirit domain.
In between time one can work upon developing lucidity in the sleep space by journaling one's dreams. It worked for me. So, perhaps it will work for others.
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How idiotic of that guru, i have felt those oscillations.. They even grow in intensity sometimes. Okay i will follow ur advice and let it play out the natural way.
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As for going into the Immaterial Domains. It happens when you are ready. For most people it takes a great deal of preparation, because there are both demons and angels to be encountered there. Thus, one must develop deep equanimity before stepping into the spirit domain.
In between time one can work upon developing lucidity in the sleep space by journaling one's dreams. It worked for me. So, perhaps it will work for others.
Today i was almost there ! Cause i have had reached that transition phase some years back when i was meditating, so i cud sense it coming.. That traditional heart thumping and sudden intensified buzzing sound in ear, which is way louder than what i casually hear in 4th jhana or thru the day..
One thing i wanted to ask, when u first experienced oobe was it through sleep or in meditation ? Was it as lucid as it gets ?
I mean i experience obe and lucid dream every now n then in sleep but not those hyper real ones which u get thru those transition phase. I have actually found that thru sleep the lucidity varies but not in meditation , if i consider all the experiences i had. Is it true ?
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Today i was almost there ! Cause i have had reached that transition phase some years back when i was meditating, so i cud sense it coming.. That traditional heart thumping and sudden intensified buzzing sound in ear, which is way louder than what i casually hear in 4th jhana or thru the day..
It sounds like you are making progress.
One thing i wanted to ask, when u first experienced oobe was it through sleep or in meditation ? Was it as lucid as it gets ?
I mean i experience obe and lucid dream every now n then in sleep but not those hyper real ones which u get thru those transition phase. I have actually found that thru sleep the lucidity varies but not in meditation , if i consider all the experiences i had. Is it true ?
My first OOBEs began when I was a child. I had so many OOBEs then that I was not sure which domain I belonged in, or which one was "real." I also had OOBEs as a teenager, but fewer. Then they were all during the sleep domain. I regained my facility with the OOBE from practicing meditation that leads to depth starting when I was 20.
For me sleep is just another opportunity to meditate, so my sleep is fully lucid, and mostly OOBE.
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Nowadays when i sit in meditation within 5, 10 mins i reach a state where there is stillness and breath stops effortlessly for 10 seconds or so then 2,3 breaths n cessation again.. It continues like that till the end. Bliss has almost subsided. I dont feel like ecstatic or anything but there is this deep contentment. It feels like im getting saturated in 4th jhana. What will u make of it? I just sit there n wait for my senses to efface, abiding in that stillness which seems to touch a peak in those moments of cessation of breath.
And yeah shud i something different than what im doing to progress further, which now is just dwelling into the nothingness of cessation of breath. I do sometimes switch to lights i can see in third eye area.
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http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/jhana.html
Please see the charts on jhanas.
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Nowadays when i sit in meditation within 5, 10 mins i reach a state where there is stillness and breath stops effortlessly for 10 seconds or so then 2,3 breaths n cessation again.. It continues like that till the end. Bliss has almost subsided. I dont feel like ecstatic or anything but there is this deep contentment. It feels like im getting saturated in 4th jhana. What will u make of it? I just sit there n wait for my senses to efface, abiding in that stillness which seems to touch a peak in those moments of cessation of breath.
And yeah shud i something different than what im doing to progress further, which now is just dwelling into the nothingness of cessation of breath. I do sometimes switch to lights i can see in third eye area.
You would want to confirm that your mind is still, the sense of self is greatly effaced, and the arising of intense non-physical sensations prior to movement into the 4th jhana
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Thanx Sam for the link. I guess i shud brushup my basics again.
And thankyou Jhananada for the reply, yesterday evening i tried switching to numbness in the body and then i laid down to continue meditation as i was sitting already for over an hour. Then obe happened, but it was hard to come out of body only my legs and hands were floating in the air. I cud see the roof top and everything around. I need more meditation of course cause there was some unconsciousness prevailing n it was getting hard to keep my "astral eyes" open. I have had many such experiences in past but unfortunately i cudnt continue with my practice. Also i used to see obe in sleep and samadhi in meditation as two different aspects so i never gave much credit to such experiences. I had experienced nirvikalpa samadhi in meditation before but again i cudnt continue. But three things have been ever increasing they are dispassion, detachment and desirelessness owing to the path of knwldge which i have been following more or less consistently all these years.
Lets see what comes in next few days, this time im keeping up with my meditation practice.
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yesterday evening i tried switching to numbness in the body and then i laid down to continue meditation as i was sitting already for over an hour. Then obe happened, but it was hard to come out of body only my legs and hands were floating in the air. I cud see the roof top and everything around. I need more meditation of course cause there was some unconsciousness prevailing n it was getting hard to keep my "astral eyes" open. I have had many such experiences in past but unfortunately i cudnt continue with my practice.
My early OOBEs were much like this, so I expect that if you continue your meditation practice, then you are likely to develop skill with the OOBE.
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It gives me good assurance to knw that u had similar beginning. Thank you. I will keep updating.
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yesterday evening i tried switching to numbness in the body and then i laid down to continue meditation as i was sitting already for over an hour. Then obe happened, but it was hard to come out of body only my legs and hands were floating in the air. I cud see the roof top and everything around. I need more meditation of course cause there was some unconsciousness prevailing n it was getting hard to keep my "astral eyes" open. I have had many such experiences in past but unfortunately i cudnt continue with my practice.
My early OOBEs were much like this, so I expect that if you continue your meditation practice, then you are likely to develop skill with the OOBE.
I just had the longest and lucid obe ever ! Funny thing was i kept trying to get out of my body but as soon as i will start it my rest of the body wud come off but it will be stuck at in my head area... And i wud lose consciousness fall bck again in body.. Surprisingly this time it didn end after one try.. I didn wake up in physical again,, so i re tried... Again n again.. I was able to "wake up" to the degree i wasnt able to in past.. Uk bring in more conscious.. That fight is exactly like how u r trying to remain awake in meditation when u r feeling sleepy haha.. So for few times i wud just make my hands go thru nearby wall and my legs n head.. But i was not able to cross cause this time i felt this extreme blissfull sensation which i have felt earlier, while crossing concrete or matter in general,, but this time it was intense., to the point it felt like jolt of electric bliss.. So i cudnt make it go thru all the way.. And then at the last it was getting ugly though.. In the last try, i kindof got stuck midway,, ( now only its occuring to.me that it was paralysis state: my mind tried to.panic there and even imagine horrible entities around me but i didn let those thots overcome cause it also occured that its not wise. Cause i have had bad expriences in past for thinking negative? ) it felt like i got stuck in some sheet or layer of water which was not allowing me get out of my body,,, and then i tried to wake up in physical by remembering everything i cud think of hahaha omg it literally felt like i m stuck forever. I even started thinking my people wud make take me.to hospital where my physical body will be lying in coma for idk how long time... And i wud try to recall the sensation of breath, sensation of boundary of physical body.. I was even breathing fast to make physical breath more noticeable.. But i didn realize that time that it wasnt my phsyical breath, but just a lucid sensation... Anyways so after few seconds of extreme efforts.. I kind of accepted it ( my equanimity helped alot,.which have improved alot over past few months, otherwise ik how intense a negative thot can become) so then after a second or so.. I woke up in physical again... But im just curious to knw that does sleep paralysis always ends on its own ? If u happen to get "locked" in it andim even recalling one more such incidence of past, where i felt im.inside my body and somehow my eyeballs r rolled back( that cud be cause i was not able to open my astral eyes) and i wud try again n again.. And it felt like forever and i tried for few mintues and when i stopped trying, i woke up on my own in physical.
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What exactly causes the OOBE? Is it the body being motionless for long periods of time, or the still mind? As when I meditate I move up and down the first 3 jhanas the whole time and nothing happens. :(
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I shud have mentioned, it happened when i was feeling very sleepy in my meditation so i just laid down n continued meditation.. And then i didn knw when sleep took over and next time when i got conscious it was in astral world (sleep paralysis state). These experiences happen when in meditation u manage to get to a point where body is numb and then u lie down continue like this, u shudnt move ur body and u shud drift into sleep without knwing that u did. I mean if ur too conscious sleep wont happen, and if u give in to thots andd sleep prematurely (in which u consciously give up meditation and choose to sleep) then also sleep paralysis wont happen.
Now that is about going there thru sleep, which is still not the true "yogic" way. Thats what i believe cause this thing u cant repeat at will.
Otherway is going there thru meditation only. Where u dont lose consciousness, thats like how Jhananada says, switiching over from 4th jhana to the transition state, which i experienced in past 2,3 times. So i m not at a stage where i can do it thru Jhanas directly.. Thats why im sticking to my meditation this time and achieve that ability to willfully go there. In my experience, when in meditation the already very faint breath which signifies 4th Jhana , stops effortlessly which will be accompanied by effacing of sense, u can go obe. So like Jeffrey says after reaching in 4th Jhana we cant do much but sit more n more in that state and let next state come. Practice is the only thing we can do.
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I just had the longest and lucid obe ever ! Funny thing was i kept trying to get out of my body but as soon as i will start it my rest of the body wud come off but it will be stuck at in my head area... And i wud lose consciousness fall bck again in body..
Surprisingly this time it didn end after one try.. I didn wake up in physical again,, so i re tried... Again n again.. I was able to "wake up" to the degree i wasnt able to in past.. Uk bring in more conscious.. That fight is exactly like how u r trying to remain awake in meditation when u r feeling sleepy haha.. So for few times i wud just make my hands go thru nearby wall and my legs n head..
This situation is typical of the beginning OOBE practitioner. It is caused by too much cognition active at the time of the OOBE. What one has to do is develop awareness beyond cognition, then moving in and out of body, and through the immaterial domains becomes second nature.
But i was not able to cross cause this time i felt this extreme blissfull sensation which i have felt earlier, while crossing concrete or matter in general,, but this time it was intense., to the point it felt like jolt of electric bliss..
You will find that if you just focus your attention upon the bliss factors that you will make tremendous progress as a mystic.
So i cudnt make it go thru all the way.. And then at the last it was getting ugly though.. In the last try, i kindof got stuck midway,, ( now only its occuring to.me that it was paralysis state: my mind tried to.panic there and even imagine horrible entities around me but i didn let those thots overcome cause it also occured that its not wise. Cause i have had bad expriences in past for thinking negative? ) it felt like i got stuck in some sheet or layer of water which was not allowing me get out of my body,,, and then i tried to wake up in physical by remembering everything i cud think of hahaha omg it literally felt like i m stuck forever. I even started thinking my people wud make take me.to hospital where my physical body will be lying in coma for idk how long time... And i wud try to recall the sensation of breath, sensation of boundary of physical body.. I was even breathing fast to make physical breath more noticeable.. But i didn realize that time that it wasnt my phsyical breath, but just a lucid sensation... Anyways so after few seconds of extreme efforts.. I kind of accepted it ( my equanimity helped alot,.which have improved alot over past few months, otherwise ik how intense a negative thot can become) so then after a second or so.. I woke up in physical again... But im just curious to knw that does sleep paralysis always ends on its own ? If u happen to get "locked" in it andim even recalling one more such incidence of past, where i felt im.inside my body and somehow my eyeballs r rolled back( that cud be cause i was not able to open my astral eyes) and i wud try again n again.. And it felt like forever and i tried for few mintues and when i stopped trying, i woke up on my own in physical.
In my experience the OOBEs always end on their own, so it is doubtful that anyone could get "stuck" in the immaterial domains, or half in and half out of the body.
With experience you will get more comfortable with the OOBE.
What exactly causes the OOBE? Is it the body being motionless for long periods of time, or the still mind? As when I meditate I move up and down the first 3 jhanas the whole time and nothing happens. :(
If you recall the OOBE is the next layer in depth below the 4th jhana. So, for facility with the OOBE one will find mastery to the depth of the 4th makes it all work better. It is otherwise driven by developing consciousness separate from the other cognitive processes.
I shud have mentioned, it happened when i was feeling very sleepy in my meditation so i just laid down n continued meditation.. And then i didn knw when sleep took over and next time when i got conscious it was in astral world (sleep paralysis state). These experiences happen when in meditation u manage to get to a point where body is numb and then u lie down continue like this, u shudnt move ur body and u shud drift into sleep without knwing that u did. I mean if ur too conscious sleep wont happen, and if u give in to thots andd sleep prematurely (in which u consciously give up meditation and choose to sleep) then also sleep paralysis wont happen.
Now that is about going there thru sleep, which is still not the true "yogic" way. Thats what i believe cause this thing u cant repeat at will.
Otherway is going there thru meditation only. Where u dont lose consciousness, thats like how Jhananada says, switiching over from 4th jhana to the transition state, which i experienced in past 2,3 times. So i m not at a stage where i can do it thru Jhanas directly.. Thats why im sticking to my meditation this time and achieve that ability to willfully go there. In my experience, when in meditation the already very faint breath which signifies 4th Jhana , stops effortlessly which will be accompanied by effacing of sense, u can go obe. So like Jeffrey says after reaching in 4th Jhana we cant do much but sit more n more in that state and let next state come. Practice is the only thing we can do.
This is correct, I found that the sleepiness phase in deep meditation tends to precede the OOBE, so early on I took to laying down meditation at this point, which took me right out of the body. So, I find regular lying down meditation it critical for developing the OOBE.
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Im finding that a feeling of loneliness and attachment is breaching my mind without any reason, whenever i allow myself to get close to some person.... And i shud mention that otherwise i dont have any such issues.. Infact I always wanted to be alone and do my practice, but whenever i come in contact with such people ( people who get attached to me) i feel all this undesirable baseless emotions creeping in. What is it? Is it my own unresolved emotions from past lives ? Or is it that those people r dumping their karma and emotions in me ? Is it ever possible to balance this thing, to be among Such people and not take in their negativity? Or we as a yogi always should maintain distance from people ?
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Nobody can dump their karma on somebody else. As a contemplative, one would be more sensitive or should I say more emphatic. Therefore, one should always reach the stage of equanimity so as not to be affected by somebody else's energy. Nevertheless, even a seasoned contemplative might get affected sometimes. So, it's best to avoid them if possible.
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We here have found that regular deep meditation practice develops the other superior attainments (maha-phala). One of those superior attainments (maha-phala) is insight. An aspect of insight is becoming aware of the psychological state of others. So, sometimes it is difficult to determine what psychological state is yours, or that of others.
It was not until I spent a great deal of time camping in the wilderness, far from cities, when I realized that the emotions that I was experiencing were the emotions of the herd, and were not mine. So, spending more time in the wilderness might help you decipher what is your emotional content, and what belong to the herd.
Spending a great deal of time in the wilderness cultivating deep meditation also allows one to develop equanimity, which means one can reside in an ocean of evil without being tainted by it. However, one will find that returning to the wilderness regularly is needed to restore one's depth in meditation, and the other superior attainments (maha-phala).
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Thanks for the reply. Ill try and find some alone time. The thing is this was more persisting emotion i felt, and it was getting hard to ignore it by considering it as someone else's.
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Nobody can dump their karma on somebody else. As a contemplative, one would be more sensitive or should I say more emphatic. Therefore, one should always reach the stage of equanimity so as not to be affected by somebody else's energy. Nevertheless, even a seasoned contemplative might get affected sometimes. So, it's best to avoid them if possible.
Yes im finding that when i remain passive and dont get involved with them in anyways including emotions, i feel normal again.. I wud like to mention that these r the emotions from my own past which r common to the person im relating to, does this mean that those impressions r not resolved yet ? Or its solely from the other person. Cause if its just a product of my mind then i can do away with neglecting people and rather focus on working on my own mind. This is such an impression, which u cant knw if its there unless u come in contact with some person and if u do then u r not sure if its coming from them :/
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We must always look inside and own our part in emotional entanglements. When we have fully developed equanimity, then we no longer become emotional entangled with others.
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Thanks for the reply.
I wanted to ask what u plan on doing once ur tenure in earth is over ? I always think abt resting in the final state but sometimes my mind is okay with it and sometimes there is huge resistance, like it feels that i m not done yet. How was it for u before and now? did u find any change of heart in deciding what u will do after this life overtime ?
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I will become everything and nothing.
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I will become everything and nothing.
:)
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I will become everything and nothing.
This hit me, Jeff. It honestly brought tears to my eyes. It is such a powerful reminder, thank you.
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I will become everything and nothing.
What people say abt "mahasamadhi" i.e. when u become everything after dropping body that its a place of no return. Whats ur view ? Maybe its no return for those who dont want to return, but then again who controls the desires that rise in mind.
And as far as my practice is going, i experience obes occasionally where im mostly not able detach from my body. However i havent yet experienced obes without the lapse of consciousness i.e. consciously coming n going out of body. In your experience how long did it take to reach the capability of doing obes at will (conscious in n out of body) from the point where i stand nowadays?
Thanks for all the suppport. And yes i hope ur health gets better.
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What people say abt "mahasamadhi" i.e. when u become everything after dropping body that its a place of no return. Whats ur view ? Maybe its no return for those who dont want to return, but then again who controls the desires that rise in mind.
When there are no desires one is not compelled to return to material existence; however, such a one also has the intention of the benefit of others, so one may return for such a reason.
And as far as my practice is going, i experience obes occasionally where im mostly not able detach from my body. However i havent yet experienced obes without the lapse of consciousness i.e. consciously coming n going out of body. In your experience how long did it take to reach the capability of doing obes at will (conscious in n out of body) from the point where i stand nowadays?
Thanks for all the suppport. And yes i hope ur health gets better.
It took me about 6 months of dedicated contemplative life, and discipline to gain 24-7 lucidity. That was about 43 years ago. I still have it.