Third Eye Meditation
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wonderful sharing, paperflower. its a good guide on meditation, though individual experience will differ.Originally posted by paperflower:i'd also love to share one of the meditative moments i experienced. readers please read with discernment or for the fun of reading. descriptions are not 100% accurate because experiences are not that easy to put into words. moderators, if this content deem inappropriate please delete.
Meditative Moments:-
What I experienced / How I practicedÂ….
1)Sat upright on a chair with feet comfortably on the floor, body relaxed, senses relaxed, thumps meet, eyes closed, facial features relaxed, counting breaths, focused on breathing, letting go of any attachment-to-self-consciousnessÂ… (ie: was I sitting properly, am I doing this right, will my hair fly around & tickles me, etcÂ…)
2)Lost track with breaths, lost count, got distracted by flashing thoughts and images.
3)I found it at times quite difficult to maintain focus on breathing and not distracted at all.
4)At times, I wasnÂ’t aware that I had started to stray from focus and had mingled around with the arising / existing / fading of thoughts and images.
5)It is still very possible to be mindful all over again and go back to my breathing.
6)It is also very possible to maintain focus as long as possible while at the same time aware of the on-going flashes of passing images and thoughts.
7)There was a sense of slowly getting into an inner compartment after a continuous period of focus / concentration (i.e. breathing). This compartment felt somewhat calm (the initial being before this was still too vague), non-distracting, one-pointedness (concentration more steadfast but still not completely fully stabilized yet), felt kinda safe as well and it was now sort of more empty of any images or vivid flying thoughts. However, they could still appear again and this state could waver if focus begins to be off-track, distracted by illusory form of drowsiness / sleepyness or even attaching to this realm thinking a “self” is experiencing.
8 )As I mentioned, I describe this area like being somewhat more tranquil than usual, like being in a safe comfortable cocoon away from the outer noisy, busy, non-stop activities thatÂ’s going on. Less activity, less attachment.
9)Self-consciousness was still subtle though, breathing felt like a distant away. Physical body also seemed somewhat stoned (numb-like but not numb, set in, kinda solidity).
10)Awareness has also become more alert & sharp without being distracted. Senses are more gathered, less discomfortable and more subtle (which I observed that itch/pain were not so vivid/distractive/domineering/influential over meditative state).
11)Prolonged stay (focus, concentration) with consistency at this area without attachment to itÂ’s features or arising a sense of self experiencing them, led to a firework-like rupture bursting and opening up to a wider area or space-like ambience.
12) This phenomena felt strangely blissful or joyful, kinda scary first few times for me but after some rounds of repeated encounters & Samadhi practices, I began to feel more “let-go” and appreciate the sensations of bliss and joy without the previous doubts or fears. It is vital to learn to spot them / observe them once they arise. Constant Samadhi practices do help in dissolving fearfulness and clearing doubts over a period. I’d like to say that those blissful joyful sensations appeared to be much purer like experiencing some much better higher qualities of happiness that’s unlike the norm of what is experienced in daily life.
13) Tranquility and calmness are rather more developed & stabilized and together infusion with bliss and joy, it was a-hard-to-define sensation at a point.
14) Breathing becomes even much further away and almost not comprehensible or doesnÂ’t even seem to be around at all.
15) Other strange and weird phenomena arose as well (at the same time or on separate occasions). If you’re meditating during daytime or with some lights on, brightness was perceived to appear extremely luminous without hidden corners or you imagine as if standing in the middle of a round stadium filled with lights in every single area. Of course I wasn’t referring it to be that limited, it was way too wider than any number of stadium together. It was described as perceived for empathizing with me. Warm flushes can be felt on the cheeks, sometimes body may feel a little warm and even started to perspire alittle. Pores seemed to feel more opened up like goosebumps. There were also tingling sensations felt on small parts of upper body and hands. Facial and body distortions were also perceived. They felt “real” though they were obvious illusions.
16) Although breathing seemed to have disappeared now, it was also easily pulled in to be the focus again. Once back to the track of continuous focus on breathing, concentration is effortless and also more rounded & fuller. This condition sometimes either led to another subtle rupture or instantly dived into further much more wider(even this sounded limited) perspective of vastness, and body began to fade away slowly and “disappear” as well. It felt as light as a feather to begin with.
17) Spreading from fingers, hands, face up to head and then together with the rest of whole body senses; they all faded and faded away to a point of even experiencing “no body” at all. What seemed to be remaining and witnessing the events or moment was like only the mind. However, the mind couldn’t be located or pointed out or identified.
18 ) Frankly. this state was another scary experience for first few times, again once fear and doubts or attachment to a self showed up (because of the disappearance of body senses), such condition could either remain a little longer that there are lurking possibilities of being lost / confused (which I did) because nothing much was really exactly understandable or comprehensible, orÂ…. all body senses returned slowly. When one is stuck either way (which I feel it is natural normal responses), it would be a waste as one have not yet able to understand such condition arising and its factors, thus misses the rare opportunity to develop further in the study of experiencing true nature. This state does not come easy all the time and is precious! It is raw, naked and direct - It comes hand in hand with contemplation and insight practice that further leads to learn about our / universal original true nature (reality). There isnÂ’t any other method more closer than close.
19) After examining & familiarizing with these characteristics, fear or doubts that lingered dropped. Letting go had never been so spectacular. With intuitive trust, the “invisible” body and air-lightness dived / zoomed or even seemed to be taking off in an invisible steadfast flight into an abyss-like massive vastness which I could only think of it like being in space or huge vast hollow. Everything around seemed to be empty, nothing seemed to be around except for a lingering wandering wondering mind but yet it cannot be pointed out. Or perhaps mind has become one with space itself. If mind cannot be found, how can it be identified with space? Nothingness is not entirely completely empty as everything pervade in nothingness. Space does not contain mind yet space pervades in mind. -
Hi Paperflower,
Thanks for the sharing. I think you are an excellent meditator.
regards -
AEN ask me to add something... so I will try
Just my expereince...
Meditation is really a process of self-discovery. Eventually, we will discovery that our experience is entirely made up of sensations, perceptions and feelings. That's it.
In fact, 'self' is the last or end result of a series of process in the formation of consciousness. This is contrary to the conventional assumed way of understanding life and things. We THINK that we(self) is experiencing the world... The fact is, the self is the 'being experienced' after a series of entirely impersonal process.
It is not the self that grasps or clings. 'Self' itself is grasping and clinging. .. and therefore is not a thing at all.
At a certain stage of progress, there is a sense of futilty in trying to 'control', grasp events. Conventional happiness comes in the fulfilling of objective. However, the joy/bliss of 'no-self' is a different type of expereince from conventional happiness... Note: I am not implying that conventional happiness is something that needs to be avioded...no. It is just that the expereince is different. Joy of no-self comes from the dropping away of grasping which is self. This is easier said that done, I can atest to the difficulty in very trying situations... there is still a whole lot of grasping at very difficult situations and mental reasoning kicks in to justified the worrying and grasping... ( i am not there yet)
regards -
Hi thanks a lot for sharing, Paperflower and Longchen
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thanks justdoit77, pathseeker, AEN & longchen for the kind words and sharing.
i'm still learning and it doesn't simply end at any point for me. i noticed a habitual tendency to grip onto some sensations and thoughts still lingers - some are mild, some are strong, some seem hypnotically hidden. i don't know if this is still the stubborn ego or self that still remains and holds onto doubts and worries. completely letting go is to renounce. but this renunciation is not really a mere act of forsaking or abandoning in a negative aspect but it is actually all emcompassing. in the state of that "just being" or whatever it is called the pure awareness or pressence or ... (as experienced in meditation), body & mind totally vanish and that is that renunciation, the letting go of the sense of self and attachment where in that complete all pervading space, it is totally free of worries, fears, grasping, thoughts or attachment to whatever we used to be associated with. but the beautiful unbelievable truth is everything is not gone or lost or disconnected nor had gained in burdens...
i'm still practicing and learning, i still have a long way to go.
thanks for the advice and encouragement...
as for justdoit77 asked "how you going to proceed further from there?"
same thing, i'm still learning and practicing. daily life is still the ordinary life; like a zen saying: sitting quietly, doing nothing. spring comes and the grass grows by itself.
as for the sharing of notes & experiences, they are quite an intimate "diary" of experiences and contemplation, however they are still very conceptual in context & expression. i'm not a fully experienced or qualified meditator. whatever was posted is just for sharing or reading pleasure. maybe it would benefit someone in times of having similar encounters or experiences as me. i'm open to listen and receive.
like pathseeker said, individual experience will differ....
or perhaps also, stages... -
Hi, you mentioned that in the state of meditation the sense of mind and body drops away and what's left is just pure mind itself... is it possible however to maintain 'just being', 'presence' or 'pure awareness' (or any other words) in daily living, in the world of sensory experience, mind and body?Originally posted by paperflower:thanks justdoit77, pathseeker, AEN & longchen for the kind words and sharing.
i'm still learning and it doesn't simply end at any point for me. i noticed a habitual tendency to grip onto some sensations and thoughts still lingers - some are mild, some are strong, some seem hypnotically hidden. i don't know if this is still the stubborn ego or self that still remains and holds onto doubts and worries. completely letting go is to renounce. but this renunciation is not really a mere act of forsaking or abandoning in a negative aspect but it is actually all emcompassing. in the state of that "just being" or whatever it is called the pure awareness or pressence or ... (as experienced in meditation), body & mind totally vanish and that is that renunciation, the letting go of the sense of self and attachment where in that complete all pervading space, it is totally free of worries, fears, grasping, thoughts or attachment to whatever we used to be associated with. but the beautiful unbelievable truth is everything is not gone or lost or disconnected nor had gained in burdens...
i'm still practicing and learning, i still have a long way to go.
thanks for the advice and encouragement...
as for justdoit77 asked "how you going to proceed further from there?"
same thing, i'm still learning and practicing. daily life is still the ordinary life; like a zen saying: sitting quietly, doing nothing. spring comes and the grass grows by itself.
as for the sharing of notes & experiences, they are quite an intimate "diary" of experiences and contemplation, however they are still very conceptual in context & expression. i'm not a fully experienced or qualified meditator. whatever was posted is just for sharing or reading pleasure. maybe it would benefit someone in times of having similar encounters or experiences as me. i'm open to listen and receive.
like pathseeker said, individual experience will differ....
or perhaps also, stages... -
yes and noOriginally posted by An Eternal Now:Hi, you mentioned that in the state of meditation the sense of mind and body drops away and what's left is just pure mind itself... is it possible however to maintain 'just being', 'presence' or 'pure awareness' (or any other words) in daily living, in the world of sensory experience, mind and body? -
Hmm.. how is it yes and no?Originally posted by paperflower:yes and no -
Definately worth rejoicing to know the merits of meditation. We get so busy in our mind so much of the time that for it to truly rest while we are awake its quite tough. I guess even when we sleep and we dream, the sub-conscious mind is still working.
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Originally posted by longchen:
Indeed! The 5 aggregates are the very buddha nature. Yet it requires the experience of non-duality to have insight to this plain truth. It is too easy to understand and not pleasing to the a complex mind so we tend to read past what the Buddha said.
Meditation is really a process of self-discovery. Eventually, we will discovery that our experience is entirely made up of sensations, perceptions and feelings. That's it.
I understand the essence of it.
In fact, 'self' is the last or end result of a series of process in the formation of consciousness. This is contrary to the conventional assumed way of understanding life and things. We THINK that we(self) is experiencing the world... The fact is, the self is the 'being experienced' after a series of entirely impersonal process.
Just to add a little. After a series of entirely impersonal process, isness is experienced. Only when the process is made 'personal', 'Self' is experienced and perhaps after the formation of perception. That is after the assigning of a label and identification done.
Fully agree.
It is not the self that grasps or clings. 'Self' itself is grasping and clinging. .. and therefore is not a thing at all.
At a certain stage of progress, there is a sense of futilty in trying to 'control', grasp events. Conventional happiness comes in the fulfilling of objective. However, the joy/bliss of 'no-self' is a different type of expereince from conventional happiness... Note: I am not implying that conventional happiness is something that needs to be avioded...no. It is just that the expereince is different. Joy of no-self comes from the dropping away of grasping which is self.
Very true and spending quality hours in 'naked awareness' in meditation each day will help. Until it replaces mental reasoning as the one antedote for all worries and confusions.
This is easier said that done, I can atest to the difficulty in very trying situations... there is still a whole lot of grasping at very difficult situations and mental reasoning kicks in to justified the worrying and grasping -
Hi Thusness,
Thanks for the sharing
regards