>I’ll inevitably encounter entities at some point, scads of memories, thoughts, emotions, unresolved tendencies will surface and burn off, all sorts of somatic energetic nonsense, and a diverse, merry menagerie of other visionary phenomena
Are there clear cues for distinguishing this from the dreamy imagery born of dullness? I am working through TMI on your reccomendation and especially stage 5 there is a big emphasis on being vigilant to dullness.
Is it just about having enough awareness to know whether or not one's awareness is sharp at any given point?
I guess ultimately the idea is to let them come, let them be, let them go without following, but whether or not to pull the "fix dullness" levers is the practical question.
Yes, quite different from drifting into dullness and hypnagogia. There's a brightness, clarity, and energy to awareness and attention, and an absence of any physical cues of tiredness/sluggishness. One test is if you open your eyes, do you find yourself more alert than before? If so, you were drifting and/or sinking. But, you have to develop a sensitivity to all this over time, yourself.
"At deepest access concentration on the cusp of jhana, and in the state itself, there’s no voluntary exit." Did you find this scary? If not, why not? Simply because you had gotten quite used to altered states? Because you expect them to be impermanent?
Thank you! I already get a fair amount of anxiety at what I believe to be a transition from a sutta j1 to j2, when thoughts are decreasing substantially. Fascinating how many people including you seem to able to approach these novel experiences with a lot of trust
Similar to the breath totally disappearing, there were the first few times little tingles of bodily anxiety at that threshold, but they went away. No narrative around it. Habituation to altered states and a pretty altered baseline is what accounts for it, I would guess. “You” don’t get to enter or experience jhana at that depth. Have to let go of every thing, including oneself. Same goes for cessation and awakening, I might add!
Rest in the very one that is having these meditative experiences and you will cut through all the thought construction. You don’t need to let go anything it will happen naturally once you “attain” Samadhi. Your grasping at thoughts will stop
Great write up thank you.
>I’ll inevitably encounter entities at some point, scads of memories, thoughts, emotions, unresolved tendencies will surface and burn off, all sorts of somatic energetic nonsense, and a diverse, merry menagerie of other visionary phenomena
Are there clear cues for distinguishing this from the dreamy imagery born of dullness? I am working through TMI on your reccomendation and especially stage 5 there is a big emphasis on being vigilant to dullness.
Is it just about having enough awareness to know whether or not one's awareness is sharp at any given point?
I guess ultimately the idea is to let them come, let them be, let them go without following, but whether or not to pull the "fix dullness" levers is the practical question.
Yes, quite different from drifting into dullness and hypnagogia. There's a brightness, clarity, and energy to awareness and attention, and an absence of any physical cues of tiredness/sluggishness. One test is if you open your eyes, do you find yourself more alert than before? If so, you were drifting and/or sinking. But, you have to develop a sensitivity to all this over time, yourself.
delightful read, much mudita, thank you for this report :)
🫡
"At deepest access concentration on the cusp of jhana, and in the state itself, there’s no voluntary exit." Did you find this scary? If not, why not? Simply because you had gotten quite used to altered states? Because you expect them to be impermanent?
Thank you! I already get a fair amount of anxiety at what I believe to be a transition from a sutta j1 to j2, when thoughts are decreasing substantially. Fascinating how many people including you seem to able to approach these novel experiences with a lot of trust
Similar to the breath totally disappearing, there were the first few times little tingles of bodily anxiety at that threshold, but they went away. No narrative around it. Habituation to altered states and a pretty altered baseline is what accounts for it, I would guess. “You” don’t get to enter or experience jhana at that depth. Have to let go of every thing, including oneself. Same goes for cessation and awakening, I might add!
Rest in the very one that is having these meditative experiences and you will cut through all the thought construction. You don’t need to let go anything it will happen naturally once you “attain” Samadhi. Your grasping at thoughts will stop