John H:
The first time this happened the sensations gave way to an immense fear, uneasiness and dread, not of anything in particular but it felt as if something really bad was about to happen. The background and periphery seemed very intense, unfamiliar and spooky, it was unlike 'normal' fear somehow. It felt as if my world was wound so tight that it could shatter into a million pieces at any second. This was really unsettling at the time to say the least. Noted fear, dread, intense etc.
The second time it happened the meditation timer went off during the 'made of stone' phase so I didn't get to see what came next.
Any thoughts?
Papañca, pure and simple. What is papañca, you ask?
papanca (papa~nca): Complication, proliferation. The tendency of the mind to proliferate issues from the sense of "self." This term can also be translated as self-reflexive thinking, reification, falsification, distortion, elaboration, or exaggeration. In the discourses, it is frequently used in analyses of the psychology of conflict.
Papañca is the mind's conditioned susceptibility to proliferate thought (in many cases negative distortion and exaggeration) about the arising of any phenomenon. When you are able to reach that point in the path of your progress where this kind of conditioned thinking ceases, you have reached a measure of nibbana.
FEAR = False Evidence Appearing Real.
Next time it occurs, just realize the FEAR factor and note its occurrence. Don't let this false evidence affect your calm and composure. Break it up by realizing it is just the mind's struggle to maintain control over your thought process and hence your affective reactions. When you are able to dispel these delusive thoughts with wisdom (insight) into this process, you are reaching toward nibbana. Dispel ignorance (
avijja) with wisdom (
panna).
An excellent book on this process of the mind has been made available by Bhikkhu Nanananda entitled
Concept and Reality in Early Buddhist Thought]Concept and Reality in Early Buddhist Thought. Well worth reading at some point in your training.