Hi David.
It doesn't really seem you have said enough to answer all you questions.
I can invoke insight and compassion and humor all day long. Large, blowout experiences have not happened in a long time.
You will need to elborate on your practice history, the qualities of your current state and the objects of its awareness and how they are percieved. How long have you been like this, when did you become like, this how did you become like this?
Anwsering these questions fully would take forever. There's no real 5-cent answer to any of it.
Equanimity is not as stable and cruisy as Arising & Passing Away/A&P can be. The practice of insight tends to build in intensity and then break through to A&P and then do the same again with the journey to Equanimity Regarding Formations. But that is a very linear way of describing a non stop roller coaster ride, played out at all different kind of speeds and lengths in the ride which goes forward and backward. The up an down of the ride represent the qualities of going up and down the insight stages.
There is no up or down, right? Those are just perspectives. It's all perfect, right?
For example as you get better at A&P you may move up to it and then past it, quite quickly and then on into Dark Night/i.e. Dukha Nana's, to the point where you experience little high blissfulness from it. So you might, do a heap of Chi Gong practice or Pranayama to drag you back from the Dark Night into pleasnt subtle vibrations.
Does a "hardcore meditation practice" require specific time formally sitting each and every day?
Or can a hardcore meditation practice exist on-the-go?
Yes/No.
I like that. In German you can combine the word for no, "nein" with the word for yes, "ya" and say "yein," meaning both yes and no. That' s fantatic and I think we need a similar word in English!
It depends on your capacity. Generally for most people daily practice and retreat time are required.
I have a daily practice, a very strong one, depending on how you define "daily practice." I still go to retreats regularly.
You can Maintain Mindfulness on the go, and if you sit/practice 4 to 6 hrs your practice can progress to Stream Entry.
Why 4-6 hours? What does Stream Entry mean to you?
But in most cases this will just help you progress.
I thought there was no progress. It's all been right there forever.
You could have hit A&P and you are zoning out and bringing into focus the pleasant qualities, meaning you've turned your A&P into a more Samadhi experience.
I'm not sure what that means.
With much peace, Dave.