Meditative Absorption - Scientific Study
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i received this information and survey questionair from a friend, went through the website and questionair. however, there is something subtle that's not quite right...
here's the message i received:-
Please post this request at your dharma and yoga centers:
The Great Western Vehicle is conducting research into the phenomena of
meditative absorption. If you believe that you may be experiencing any
kind
of subjective phenomena that is associated with the practice of
meditation,
such as meditative absorption, then we would like to receive your case
history.
After some time of gathering case histories we hope to select a group
of
subjects who fit certain criteria who will allow us to test them while
they
are in meditation. However, wiliness to be tested is not a criterion
for
filling out our case history questionnaire.
From an exhaustive cross-cultural study of the literature of gnosis we
have
found that meditative absorption has certain common characteristics
that
nearly every subject manifests, regardless of their culture or
religion. If
you manifest any one of the following characteristics while in
meditation,
then it is very possible that you are indeed experiencing meditative
absorption, and we would therefore like to receive your case history.
Some of the characteristics of meditative absorption are as follows:
1) Tactile sensations that are associated with the chakras, such as a
tingling or a pressure at the chest, throat, forehead or crown of head.
2) Tactile sensations in the hands or feet that could be perceived as
heat,
or tingling or a pressure in the hands and/or feet.
3) Sounds that may emerge only during meditation, or at first only
during
meditation. Those sounds could be a rushing sound like the wind, a
water fall or the rain; a chirping sound like cicadas or crickets; a ringing
sound, like a bell, or a high pitched electronic sound; or, the sudden
onset
of tinnitus after the practice of meditation, and exacerbated by the
practice of meditation.
4) Sweet smells and/or tastes, such as incense or honey, that only
arise in
association with meditation.
5) Luminance or an increase of light or visual images in association
with
the practice of meditation.
6) Any sense of vertigo or the feeling of flight from the practice of
meditation.
7) Increased lucidity during the sleep cycle or occurrences of
Out-of-Body
experiences (OOBs).
If you have any of these symptoms from your meditation practice, then
please
consider filling out the GWV Meditation Questionnaire at this URL:
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/casehistories/questionnaire.htm
A service of GWV Meditation Research
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/meditation_research/
If you live in the San Francisco Bay area then this Sunday there will
be a
potluck in San Francisco to discuss the GWV's research into the
phenomena of
meditative absorption.
Oct 29th, 11am-3pm, Sunday, "Ecstatic Buddhism, where Siddhartha Gotama
meets Teresa of Avila" dialog, meditation and potluck lunch at 101
Alpine
Terrace (cross street with Duboce, one block Mission side of Buena
Vista
Park in Cole Valley), SF, 94117, Info: Yogi Hendlin at
[email protected]
or (510) 472-2948
Kindest regards,
Jeffrey S, Brooks
(sámañña Jhananda)
the Great Western Vehicle
PO Box 41795
Tucson, AZ 85717-1795
PO Box 93
Bolinas, CA 94924
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/
If you value the service of the GWV, then please make a contribution
today,
so that these services can continue.
http://www.greatwesternvehicle.org/support.html
initially it looked very interesting because i also experienced various kinds of meditative phenomena and this article was relevant enough to get my attention, interest and engagement but i slowly realised something and i didn't take part in the survey at all. but instead i wrote an email to them and expressed some understanding and enquiries. i didn't tell them that they were wrong in any way. just that, for my action - i couldn't just do nothing when it comes to authenthic dharma that's needs to be expediently right and truly beneficial to the world for genuine spiritual awakening sake. it's ok to have fun, relaxed, experiment and investigate but we cannot afford to lose our mindfulness anytime. -
"Since things neither exist nor don't exist,
are neither real nor unreal,
are utterly beyond adopting and rejecting - one might as well
burst out laughing."
- Longchenpa, 14th century Tibetan master
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Oh this jhana support group... Hehe... It caught my interest too a few years ago because of my certain meditative jhanic experiences which was quite intense... And was researching on that topic. but later i agree with you, i feel something is wrong after reading more from their group. Will elaborate more next time...
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anyway forgot to say... Welcome back
and do keep us informed on their reply. In terms of jhana im sure many of them has quite profound experiences, but from what i read i doubt that those people have seen the ultimate nature of reality. The founder claims to be a sotapanna (stream enterer), but i have to doubt that. It is also quite possible to mistake an experience of jhana as the experience of ultimate, however buddha was quite clear that all jhanas are mundane experiences. The way they interprete 'emptiness' as a form of jhana instead of ultimate truth is therefore not right. But have to re read their articles again.. You see, its been many years and i wonder if their understanding has changed and also i am using my phone to reply... Cant surf the net cos phone bill will go crazy 
update: by the way, those experiences described in that e mail are not jhanic experiences, they are only 'signs' or nimittas. They are meditation objects that may lead to experiences of jhanas. Jhana experiences are characterised by rupture and mental joy. -
sure i'll keep you all updated if they should reply at all.Originally posted by An Eternal Now:anyway forgot to say... Welcome back and do keep up informed on their reply. In terms of jhana im sure many of them has quite profound experiences, but from what i read i doubt that those people have seen the ultimate nature of reality. The founder claims to be a sotapanna (stream enterer), but i have to doubt that. It is also quite possible to mistake an experience of jhana as the experience of ultimate, however buddha was quite clear that all jhanas are mundane experiences. The way they interprete 'emptiness' as a form of jhana instead of ultimate truth is therefore not right. But have to re read their articles again.. You see, its been many years and i wonder if their understanding has changed and also i am using my phone to reply ... Cant surf the net cos phone bill will go crazy
update: by the way, those experiences describe in that e mail are not jhanic experiences, they are only 'signs' or nimittas. They are meditation objects that may lead to experiences of jhanas. Jhana experiences are characterised by rupture and mental joy.
i was actually hesitating also whether to write something to them or not since i didn't wanna do any survey but what the heck, just empty my intention.
interesting... well this the 1st time i come across such organization.
anyway, there are too many a wrong path and what can "i" or "we" do to stop them all. sometimes a hint of light appears in darkness can be quite a great help - this applies to me also. and how would i know it's a wrong path or right path if someone asks me? - investigate and see it for yourself; if it benefits you and the rest then honour it and live up to it.
yeah, anything that's worldly whether in forms of words, sounds or feelings and experiences are mundane. it is profound and difficult to penetrate into buddha's teaching in terms of theories and analysis which is possible to achieve but this is surely much much easier than really experiencing the teachings which is out of this world. the danger is when people get carried away in any stage of spirituality and get stuck in delusions and having wrong absorptions of teachings. like i mentioned, "it's only a sheer thin fine line apart". -
I just have this feeling it will be used as a weapon
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Can you be mindful of your own insignificance in life?
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The pot is calling the kettle blackOriginally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Can you be mindful of your own insignificance in life? -
hi Casino King, oops sorry i mean Herzog Zwei.Originally posted by Herzog_Zwei:Can you be mindful of your own insignificance in life?
your question is for who? any relevance to the subject here? pls explain.
(added)
because i don't understand what do u mean by insignificance in life and whose life?
sorry for my moment of folly, i dreamt that you were casino king's twin brother. i don't beat around the bush.
hope you are fine. -
I feel the described "phenomena" as mind trying to "Jump Start" or mind trying something when experience/facing silence.
OOB, better not talk much on this. Will give many people misleaded informations. Weather it's mind making it up or "actual"??
All above, it's I think "mind magnifying stuff". It all falls away. -
all phenomena are illusion, even in meditation. although they are like more inner but they are still outer. to me, no intention of misleading anyone as i feel one should discover and see it for oneself; and as observed for myself, they are a reflection of the world thats within us depending on one another to arise (conditioned) and as they are also no different from the outer material world relatively, therefore is illusion.
some of the whatever meditative experiences might have power or shakti or energy, even learning contents and thrills or maybe even overwhelms or charges you but they are also very tricky and unreliable. we don't take refuge in them or find comfort zone in them. we don't cultivate them. we cultivate towards compassion, loving-kindness, wisdom and selflessness instead.
i feel that we should not lose our right perspective and get carried away, at least for now. mind is complex, the basic vital thing is we ought to put in more effort to understand and realise "no-self" and this no-self is not physically not mentally either and the beautiful thing is it's everything. -
ok, for updating you all as mentioned i would. they replied my email.
"end of story"
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hiOriginally posted by maggot:I just have this feeling it will be used as a weapon 
well just wanna say something, not implying to u huh. totalising anything totally good or bad is illusory. things are not as black and white as they might sometimes seem. its better we drop a speculative mind and observe the causes now. -
If soldiers "can see things before they happen" then this world will be DOOM...
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Originally posted by maggot:If soldiers "can see things before they happen" then this world will be DOOM...
u can see the "future" now what by looking at what's present as in the condition, circumstances, situation, position, what preparation of food or knowledge or energy now. and this now is not just today, this hour, this minute but it's actually a state of continuation of now that is changing depending on those things i mentioned. depending on speculation with skepticism or illusory conclusion then it will be foolish enough to have caused unneccessary casualties before you know it. planning and plotting is not speculation it's observation and alertness of the present situation and like some will say it's foresight or something like that. it's not what psychic power or stuff. i don't wanna sound like a fool or a smarty and no intention to cause any waves in anyone here. each has his/her own ways most suit them. and i don't just express by anyhow pick randomly from a book or what other ppl say. it's wide and one gotta do and find out as always classic saying is. i'm a businesswoman, and i'm sure most know that business strategy and war strategy is not any different. there are bound to have loss and gain but there's no ultimate doom.