| | Howdy Zach, welcome!
So to your question: If these Dark Night Yogis have stopped practicing, or stopped practicing effectively why do they stagnate and not 'fall back down' to some state below the A&P?
If one is pre path, by definition, each meditation session starts "below" A&P.
If one is consistantly practicing or on retreat one can stay bouyantly above the A&P from session to session. I think the reference to "falling back" refers to equanimity.
It takes a bit of effort to work one's way up to that level and it is very common to spend much time and energy getting up to that point. If after all that work, in retreat for example, one doesn't close the deal (Stream Entry), falling back to below the dark night stages is very common.
I write from my personal experience.
I hope this helps.
tom |