Nikolai .:
The same practice that brought you thus far can take you further down the road. If the 'wanting to know' where you are on a map is a constant theme, then perhaps taking it as the object of curiosity and discernment will get things moving once again. Everytime that desire comes up, become aware of it. When it is not paid attention to, that is when the content/proliferation of mind runs the show.
I think kids are taught to run past the plate in baseball in the united states. Keep running past the plate. Don't inadvertently slow down perhaps before you have crossed it. If you have crossed the plate already, still keep running. Investigate some more into what 'you' seem to be made up of. This is fertile soil for further baseline shifts which trump SE without question. Playing with cessation can lead to discernment too, but I have found the I am conceit/me-ness/selfing process to be the most progressive territory to explore and take apart. All my post 1st path shifts have had this in common.
Nikolai, can you clarify what you mean by baseline shift? There are times for me, like right at and after A&P event, where something very strong happens that is always accompanied by a great release or experience of energy. The first after-effect that is always prominent is how all the strong sensations in the head have been annihilated, usually left with only very subtle or no sensations at. And then there's the change in perception of objects. Is this what you mean? This happened to me 3 times so far, A&P, somewhere in DN (Re-Obs?), and EQ.
The other thing that I do find important about the four Paths, and I do want to make a separate thread on this eventually, is that the possibility of a hard limit on the number of lives in Samsara, seven, one, zero, for example, is very important to me, even if we dub it dogma for now. Knowing that I don't have to attain Arahatship each and every life (if you believe in many lives) to reduce suffering is relieving.
And thanks Nikolai, I will take your advice seriously and attack the self any chance I get. Even before my A&P event, I always felt intuitively that if I can just permanently separate that feeling of self from me, that I would attain enlightenment or at least all my "problems" would be solved.
Jason B:
Even at 2nd path I can't say I experienced a complete cessation of sensation. But I definitely experienced Review. This for me was very distinct from everything that came before. Especially the speed of ascending to EQ, feeling that pulling and popping sensation at the crown, the bliss wave, and back around. What else could that be? And, like I said, the sudden ability to go into jhanas, and distinguish them. And in general I just suffered a lot less in a lot of big and small ways.
Yes, this is pretty much what I am experiencing. And if you've gotten second Path then that means my Review stage will end and I will get a chance at it too. Strange though that there is no cessation, I wonder what makes our experiences different.
Oh and btw, you didn't happen to have the after-effect of having these bouts of compassion (or sympathy or whatever) where tears were rolling down your eyes as you're thinking about some pitiful ant (or living beings of the world), or anything like that did you? Man, that was unexpected.
Teemu H.:
I found descriptions only for your unknown stages. Which part was describing your experience in equanimity and re-observation?
Oh my bad, I read through your reply a little too quickly. For me the sensations in Re-observation are spread out evenly and pop in and out steadily. However, they are just sharp causing slight aversion with each one. It's like if someone to hundreds of toothpicks and start lightly poking your face many times per sec. Sensations also feel local, located somewhere on or all over the body. In Equanimity, the sensations become much lighter and spread out, giving a feeling of spaciousness. The don't feel as local, but feel all-pervasive. High EQ feels like either they spread out more and/or move to a high location. Sensations are lighter and pop in/out extremely fast. In both EQs feels like they emanate from the forehead since there's always more sensation there than usual.
But, like I said, I am absolutely certain this isn't A&P.