@ AEN, thanks very much, your pointers are always useful and Ive been working on this stuff since your last post in my concentration practice thread, notably the 2 stanzas which seem to work well with basic paying attention.
End in Sight:
What's the difference between this experience and when you focus on your senses normally? Look for any remaining blurriness, or vibrations or negative stuff in your body, and you should be able to decide whether what you're describing is IT, or whether IT is even further beyond what you're describing...
Well as you probably know from my other descriptions that normally I do in fact experience a sort of mild version of the above. Sometimes its so pleasant that I ask myself "is this the BIG experience I have sometimes?" But the answer is always no, there is definitely a fundamental difference.
Firstly, When Im having THE experience as layed out above, there is no question whatsoever whether its THE experience or not, whereas when Im having something close to it, there is always that little niggling question, even if it feels like there is great clarity. So to answer your question more directly, whats the difference? I would have to say, normally, there is still those very subtle, very background "feelings" and tension in the head and throughout the body, still an interpretation and seperation, very very very subtle suffering, whereas when Im experiencing what I described above, its like a total flush out, an absolute zero, nothing BUT the senses, a sort of total silence and freedom which only becomes really apparent when it actually happens.
Could it go even further when Im having the experience? Possibly, but Im not sure how to answer that now because it would only be based on memory and it happens so rarely (and in circumstances like post alcohol etc), that my answer would be vague and inaccurate.
Like every single thing is connected in the most perfect way, self, no self, all irrelevant, deep deep deep deep peace and nothingness.
This may also be diagnostic. Does it
feel that way to you (as in, these experiences are a bunch of mental states that you are happily subject to), or is this what experience is like once some mental processes have disappeared?
I remember the last time it was happening, I tried to decipher the factors that made it what it is, with the intention of writing this post (although I should have wrote it sooner), and the clear thing that stood out to me was the total lack of "mind" getting in the way in ANY way whatsoever, a complete flushing of the mind, complete silence, so maybe thats a description of what you are saying there "or is this what experience is like once some mental processes have disappeared"
That said, Id be lying if when I was having that experience, I wasnt thinking "wow this is great, this is what its all about, this love, freedom, silence , the universe is absolutely perfect etc etc", and surely all that is mind,lol!!
Even something as silly as standing in a room and enjoying it is total freedom . So maybe Im just contradicting myself there.
Wylo: you can also take this as diagnostic. During your experience, do you have the ability to look and observe "no self!" in the way you might now (intuitively examining your experience to measure a "self"), or do you temporarily lack that ability, or something in-between?
Well firstly im trying my hardest to get away from "no self" as a sort of state or dogma or belief anyway. Although, admittedly, just trying, not 100% succeeding. But to answer the question Id have to say there is a lack of ability, because self or no self doesnt even make sense, its kind of a "its all one anyway" feeling. Almost like saying theres no red dragon in this room. Its completely irrelevant.
I could probably say that about my current experience as well, but there is definitely a fundamental obvious difference between the two. And the one Im trying to describe above is pretty indescribable in a literal sense. Whereas currently I still experience a lack of self but not totally 100% either.
But yea, the ability to look and observe no self is completely diminished to a point of "There is so much no self that its a non-issue".
I have to admit Im only going by memory here, next time Im experiencing IT, Im going to write out descriptions straight away to try and be as accurate as possible.
The big difference seems to be the lack of mind tbh. Just that mild mild tension in the body is completely and utterly gone, and for some reason that makes everything look amazing and beautiful, and it seems to result in the strongest happiness and seeming clarity Ive ever experienced.