Now, i'm going to claim that there is some sort of link between kenneth folk's direct mode/the PCE and the flashlight-in-the-head method of attaining nirodha samapatti. I'm not sure about this, but my experiments seem to point in that direction, and since it would be interesting and possibly useful if true, i decided to make a post about about it.
After experimenting with the "sunspot" method of going into direct mode, where you rest your attention on a disruption in the "energy body", i was able to get into some sort of direct mode, being much more in the world, with no, or nearly no emotions present. This happens with the fading of the "energy body" into a directly physical sense of the body
However, in this state, i discovered that there was another source of emotions and disruptions in the shape of the physical body, located in the middle of the skull, and connected to the pressure i feel in the third eye.
I have been able to make these fade away as well, by resting my attention on the outside of the body at the third eye, in the same way as i did for direct mode step 1.
Now, today i discovered that i can find the "power-down" buttons on the inside of the body that some people use to get Nirodha Samapatti. This is not a claim of actual Nirodha Samapatti. I get a very clear powering down, but i can't get all the way yet, and might need some further attainment before i'm able to.
However, the powering-down process i experienced seemed to have some strange resemblance to the falling-into-the-physical-world i experience when i do the extra direct mode practice and make the emotion-sensations inside the head fade.
Thus interested, i experimented further. It now seems to me that the places inside the skull that lead to powering-down will lead into direct mode and perhaps PCE if you focus on the outside of the skull. Comparison also seemed to confirm that the processes whereby some things power down/fade away are similar.
IF i'm right, there might be some interesting avenues of experimentation, and some interesting possible conclusions. Of course, i could also be totally wrong. It's been known to happen ;)
Seeing it for yourself:If you can find one of the "power-down buttons" for NS, try to focus on the outside of the body instead. I suggest focusing in a gentle way, in a spirit of renunciation, but that might just be me.
If you can use the sunspot method to get into direct mode, try to focus your attention on the same spots, but from the inside of the body. This led me to power-down (i had success with both a spot in the neck, and a spot near the heart).
Further experimentsFocusing both on the inside and the outside of the skull at one of these points seem to do something strange, but i'm not sure what.
Guessing at what this could meanFirst, that Direct mode/PCE and cessation/nirodha samapatti somehow are two sides of the same coin. This appeals to me for reasons of elegance, and might help figure out new tricks.
There might be some link between being able to get a proper PCE, and being able to get nirodha samapatti.
Resources:Kenneth folk. Direct mode -
text videoFlashlight method for NS - couldn't find link.