| | Kenneth,
thanks for posting this! this is a very helpful addendum to my practice.
based on your description, it looks like my practice is primarily dry insight technique. it's one of the "5 ways" techniques via Shinzen Young which he calls "Focus on Change" (see http://bit.ly/zcQP - would love to hear your take on this technique).
with this technique, i shift my focus on the vibratory/wave/expanding/contracting qualities of the sensations, whenever they arise. when this happens, i ride the waves! then i note the experience as "flow", "expansion", "contraction", "gone" (when the waves stop). once in a while the experience just stop, cold, as you described. whenever this happens i feel like i dozed off or lost consciousness for a split second. then i lose concentration and start with breath practice again.
however, lately, even though my sitting practice is consistent (i sit for 2.5 hours a day, 1+ hour every sitting morning and evening), my awareness of the vibrations are not that strong compared to the previous weeks. not sure if i'm doing something wrong or whether this is just part of a cycle. in any case, will continue to practice and see this through.
thanks!
~C |