David Nelson:
I find it interesting that you describe your practice in these terms. I do not see myself (or anyone for that matter) as 'generating' naiveness or sincerity. When I reach down into that area in the lower abdomen with awareness, I certainly feel something. Although I've never thought of it as generating anything. In fact I would be curious to see if it could stop generating anything if "generating" was found to be its function.
When that area, just below the navel in the lower abdomen, is experienced in me the sensations are quite potent. Instead of experiencing it as some kind of energy, for me it is basically enhanced awareness throughout the body that becomes more apparent. I wonder about other actualists' experiences with this...
Hmm i've been doing it for the past few minutes after reading your post. that whole area feels kind of nice, but not in a jhana way.. it's like a kind of knotted-up tenderness, and it feels nice to focus on it. it also seems to result in pleasant sensations elsewhere in my body, not just a heightened awareness of the rest of my body. It's not like my body is filled with "naive energy" though, like during my sit, but i was much more concentrated then, so it's either a matter of concentration or maybe i was doing something else.
EDIT: ah actually a similar thing is happening. so to be more precise: i start by focusing on that area. it feels nice. a bit tender, and there's kind of like some painful quality ("hurt tenderness" seems to describe it well - like you're trying to be tender and gentle and you get hurt by someone inconsiderate and you feel it's unfair) to it that is very satisfying to break down and that dissolves as i do it more. then as i continue to do it i feel like it dissolves stuff going further up the body, so like for example that region and my stomach will feel 'dissolved' or 'naive' or whatever it is. during the sit this expanded up to the chest, so that whole region felt nice like that.
i'd be interested in any comments on this, if anyone has done something similar, etc.
I can relay their words with confidence because of my own PCE's (which happen often these days) ...
Ah fun stuff! Could you describe how you got into your first PCE?
So I have a question for you, Beo, and perhaps others in this thread. Since you were able to experience from this 'naive center', how often do you try to repeat this way of experiencing? For me it was at a certain time each day, and then more times during the day, and then none at all... etc... inconsistent. How about for you? Are you able or willing to increase your awareness of this 'naive center'? How helpful do you think it would be in the path towards AF?
I actually haven't tried repeating it much at all, but it feels so nice, i think i'll try doing it whenever i remember to. will see what happens. i'm definitely able to do it if i think about it, and i am now willing as well =P. not sure how helpful it will be; time will tell.