<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <rss xmlns:dc="http://purl.org/dc/elements/1.1/" version="2.0"> <channel> <title>An interesting discovery re: concentration always leading up the maps</title> <link>http://www.dharmaoverground.org/c/message_boards/find_thread?p_l_id=&amp;threadId=5606736</link> <description>An interesting discovery re: concentration always leading up the maps</description> <pubDate>Sun, 19 Oct 2014 01:42:43 GMT</pubDate> <dc:date>2014-10-19T01:42:43Z</dc:date> <item> <title>An interesting discovery re: concentration always leading up the maps</title> <link>http://www.dharmaoverground.org/c/message_boards/find_message?p_l_id=&amp;messageId=5606735</link> <description>I would like some feedback on something I just noticed today in sitting:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the past (especially post A&amp;amp;P) I have never been able to concentrate reliably in a way that leads to stronger concentration, without zipping up the maps (and my 3rd and 6-10 nanas tend to be extemely rough - even my A&amp;amp;P is rough for some reason nowdays)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;- So the issue for me tends to be then that I get stuck somewhere in the DN, everything gets sticky, etc and I never seem to be able to make progress or disembed from any of those states long enough to get up to 11th nana. My gut feeling is that either I need an x day retreat with solid noting or I need to build concentration before &amp;#039;using it up&amp;#039; so to speak. So far I have been cyling between building up some unification of mind then blowing it all on insight, which seems to allow for progress but in a very slow way... &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;So I continue to try to discover how this mind works, how I can use it more skillfully.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What I discovered today, and would like to know if this is true for anyone else (or if they noticed it) - is that when I have been &amp;#039;concentrating&amp;#039; I push into the object/raw sensations too hard and also tend to allow the self, or the feeling/belief of &amp;#039;me focusing on that&amp;#039; fade away and of course what happens is things get rough, itchy/burny/ then neck movements/contractions/shaking then eventually go non-dual and superfast (A&amp;amp;P) - and then on from there in a typical maps pattern. (although it is extremely painful to do it that way for some reason)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What I found is that I could keep myself from going that way(up the maps) and charge up the concentration better if I did NOT allow the feeling/belief of &amp;#039;I am focusing on that&amp;#039; to slip away while doing it...&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Does that make sense then? First Jhana/access still incudes the nonverbal duality while second and by association A&amp;amp;P drops it? &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;If thats the case then the reason I have been unable to concentrate for so long is that I am either allowing the duality to slip away or pushing it away enough to go in that direction. I will experiment with this more of course but does that seem to jive with other people&amp;#039;s experience?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Thanks</description> <pubDate>Sat, 18 Oct 2014 16:59:25 GMT</pubDate> <guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.dharmaoverground.org/c/message_boards/find_message?p_l_id=&amp;messageId=5606735</guid> <dc:creator>bill of the wandering mind</dc:creator> <dc:date>2014-10-18T16:59:25Z</dc:date> </item> </channel> </rss> 