Hi David,
I'm going to comment on your last post, and some of the things I'm going to go over you may not yet be able to verify from your present experience. But not to be troubled by this. Over time, and with diligent practice, you will become able to confirm what I'm describing. I'm letting you know ahead of time so that you can understand what is taking place, whether or not you're able to see and verify it at the moment.
David H. Adriance:
Ok... just finished my one hour sit. Which turned out to be about 1 hour and 15 minutes, because at the 50 minute mark or so I finally achieved absorption with the tingling sensations. Felt like a blanket of little bubbles descending over my head and part way down my chest. Very nice and I could have sat for quite a long time like that... now I really understand why they call it rapture!
That's not quite what occurred, but close. Once you are able to get your discernment more dialed in (which will occur gradually over time), you will be able to verify what I'm about to describe. It also took me several years to figure this out, so don't be too disappointed by this.
The absorption factor of rapture (
piti) usually only occurs for a few seconds until
sukkha (pleasure or joy) kicks in and takes over. That's why I like to translate
piti as "elation" as it may only last for three to ten seconds before it begins to fade, if you notice it at all. After that,
sukkha takes over as the automatic feedback mechanism which kicks in. So, you can go from the first, to the second, to the third jhana relatively quickly. But when you're just starting out, you're just trying to figure out, "Well, what does
piti feel like? And what does
sukkha feel like? And how can I tell the difference?" It just takes time, once you're able to understand the subtle differences, before your discernment is sharp enough to be able to notice and confirm those differences.
In the beginning of absorption practice, it is best
not to concern yourself overly much with these subtleties. What's important in the beginning is to figure out how you got there so that you can induce the experience once again at will. A regular practice involving entering absorption will help to recondition the mind's ability at strengthening concentration. It is this strengthening of concentration that leads to the ability of the mind to
remain mindful long after the meditation session itself has ended.
David H. Adriance:
The first 50 minutes of the sit were actually a bit of a struggle with sloth and torpor. I'm not sure what actually tipped the balance from that into absorption, I will have to investigate further next time.
Sloth and torpor were my main enemies also. So, I know what you're up against, endeavoring to fight them off. My moment of victory came when I read more closely the
Mahasatipatthana Sutta wherein the Buddha encourages the meditator to
establish mindfulness before entering a meditation sit. "Here a monk, having gone into the forest, or to the root of a tree or to an empty place, sits down cross-legged, holding his body erect,
having established mindfulness before him." That's when I realized that I hadn't been fully preparing myself beforehand.
There are several ways you can accomplish this establishment of mindfulness. You can establish mindfulness by dedicating the first five minutes of the meditation to
intensely watching the breath (if the breath is your main object of meditation; otherwise, use whatever object you use, but do it intensely). Always make sure that you are wide awake and energetic before inclining to sit for meditation. If you are not wide awake, then do something to rouse yourself out of the stupor before attempting to meditate. Otherwise you may spend 50 minutes struggling during your meditation to rouse enough alertness for actual meditation to take place.
If you're like me and you like to meditate in the morning just after rising, you can make a mental resolution the night before to "arise refreshed, alert and focused." I usually repeat this three times to myself before nodding off to sleep. If you try this, you will find out that it actually
does work. You should also notice that mindfulness should automatically be established as you arise from slumber.
David H. Adriance:
But even as I sit here, the entire head region is quite pleasantly tingling. I don't think it will be too hard to induce my mind to return to this state... but I suppose I shouldn't speak too soon!
Next time it happens, endeavor to pay close attention to the process as it is unfolding. Once you understand how you got there, it'll be a snap to achieve the next time. For me, I can use one of several entry points that I have identified from my experience in order to enter absorption. The one that I tout with others who like to use the breath as their meditation object is to just notice the "pleasantness of the breath" as you are entering meditation. Allow that pleasantness to grow inside your head. (In your case, it would be the "bubbly" sensation.) If you are anything like the rest of us, the simple act of the incoming and outgoing breath will automatically take over and associate itself with the sensation, and simultaneously you will be aware of both the breath and the pleasant sensation at the same time. This is the automatic feedback mechanism kicking in, allowing you to remain in absorption effortlessly. It is also why I encourage others to use the breath as their meditation object if at all possible, because the breath is always within one's attentive reach. In other words, it is easy to avert the mind to the breath once concentration wanes in order to
reestablish concentration.
From there, you can either intend to deepen the tranquility (
samatha practice) and head for the fourth jhana and possibly beyond. Or you can avert the mind toward some Dhamma theme and examine it for insight.
As far as not becoming addicted to the pleasant sensation of absorption, consider this passage from the
Mahasaccaka Sutta (MN 36) spoken at a moment when Gotama first realized that he was able to identify the experience of absorption (take note of the footnote to Bhikkhu Nanamoli's translation):
31. "I considered: 'I recall that when my father the Sakyan was occupied, while I was sitting in the cool shade of a rose-apple tree, quite secluded from sensual pleasures, secluded from unwholesome states, I entered upon and abided in the first jhana, which is accompanied by directed thought and examination, with rapture and pleasure born of seclusion. Could that be the path to enlightenement?' Then, following on that memory, came the realization: 'That is the path to enlightenment.'
32. "I thought: 'Why am I afraid of that pleasure that has nothing to do with sensual pleasures and unwholesome states?' I thought:
'I am not afraid of that pleasure since it has nothing to do with sensual pleasures and unwholesome states.' "
Footnote
390. This passage marks a change in the Bodhisatta's evaluation of pleasure; now it is no longer regarded as something to be feared and banished by the practice of austerities, but, when born of seclusion and detachment, is seen as a valuable accompaniment of the higher stages along the path to enlightenment. See MN 139.9 on the twofold division of pleasure.
With the application of equanimity, you should not fear falling into the trap of becoming overly entranced by the pleasure of the absorption experience. Also, after a while (meaning after having spent many times entering absorption), that pleasure can eventually even out and be experienced as a deepening of the mind's concentration ability. At least, that's pretty much how I experience it today (although I can still access the pleasure factor if I wish to).