Hi
Beo
I think it can happen a lot in a day
Yeah, me too. I think you are only limited by the speed, accuracy and precision of your practice.
Beo
Then I'd kind of flounder in Equanimity and not be able to pop a fruition too naturally. After a Fruition, though, I would immediately go into A&P again and start over. It is confusing that the stages can go in other orders, and also confusing that I could will a Fruition without any cycle at all. Not sure how that all fits in. I think I messed up my ability to naturally Review by forcing the Fruitions though so I've kind of given up on Reviewing, now..
Is all this happening on the cushion? I ask because I've been very relaxed about my post path practice and my experiences are rather different. I've done very little formal sitting (an hour or so a day) but all the components of the cycle have turned up fairly reliably, and almost always off the cushion. The only thing that I have to return to the cushion for is the fruition. Saying that, yesterday's was on the street putting my key in the car door. Sounds like you've maxed-out your post path practice. I, on the other hand, am just too tired to push anything. Physically I feel fine, better than ever in fact but spiritually and emotionally I am drained. I would like to do less practice and if I would I could, but this subject matter has always been the most interesting thing in my life. I just can't resist peeking into the box.
I can well understand your confusion. I think one of the problems with pushing the practice, post path, is that, shall we say, "will directed" events are much more likely. The mind is a powerful thing and post path you are much more likely to notice this. So when significant stuff happens there is always the issue of "was that me or was that just the cosmos doing its thing." As human beings we chuck out all kinds of requests to the cosmos. Most of them we don't notice or think of them as being "right" or "fair" and therefore, justified, what ever the hell that means. My own theory, for what its worth, is that the cosmos does its level best to answer each and every one of these requests no matter how partial or ill advised. Ergo confusion.
I'm not suggesting for a moment that you are making partial or ill advised requests, I was stating the general case. However if you are doing lots of practice in a post path environment, your intentionality will be strong. So you will get lots of strong feedback. Very easy for this to become overwhelming. If your response is to practice more.... you can see where this is going.
The problem with accepting my premise, that we are in a conversation with the cosmos, is that there then arises the risk that we start to see significance in every little thing. This may be the case, but dwelling on this is just a short road to the same old confusion. Which is why I have found Daniel's and Tarin's advice so useful. Gentle, careful, open practice with not too much agenda.
See what is and gently notice your place within it.
That was a rant. Oh well. You may have noticed that my perspective is not very Theravadan. This is mainly because most of my practice history has been Tantric and/or energy based. When I say Tantric, I mean auras, chackras, astral temples and whatnot. Intentionality is implicit and often very explicit in lots of this stuff. I used to go to a drop-in Ti-chi class were the guy used to teach a very interesting and simple technique to sense somebody's intentions. You could argue that all of the martial applications of Ti-chi are about sensing intention. If you go up against some of the senior teachers it can be very spooky.
Beo
And the 2nd question, I don't know! I've been told that after SE, our minds will notice insights automatically (that is, aspects of the 3 Chars), so we just have to focus on looking at the right things to get insights that will lead us to the next path. Again with me also forcing particular stages it didn't feel too automatic, but I suppose it could have been.
Hmmm... Its all no-mind. Insight happens or it doesn't, you have no control, especially post path. But you do need to "turn up" for it to happen, so if you are off somewhere doing some very intense practice and being very disciplined etc. then you may not be as receptive as you need to be to see it.
For example, a lot of what I am writing now I am discovering for the first time as I write it. This is my way of "turning up." Its feels lovely, but the quality control may not be the best. Hope you understand that.
Lovely to chat,
Howard