I Get It! - Discussion
I Get It!
Tommy M, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 2:49 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 2:49 AM
I Get It!
Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
Last night, for the first time, I managed to consciously enter "PCE Mode" for around ten minutes. It's the first time I've even tried this and I have to say that I'm impressed. I get it now, the direct experience is just beautiful, clean and totally pure in a way which defies description and I see how the whole "happy and harmless", something I was skeptical of, works while in the PCE.
It's given me a new perspective on AF and quashed many of the doubts I had through it's simplicity and general gorgeousness. I'm still not actively pursuing AF until I've attained 4th Path but even a brief encounter with PCE, intentional or otherwise, will convince anyone of it's validity.
It's given me a new perspective on AF and quashed many of the doubts I had through it's simplicity and general gorgeousness. I'm still not actively pursuing AF until I've attained 4th Path but even a brief encounter with PCE, intentional or otherwise, will convince anyone of it's validity.
Christian Ballhaus, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 4:23 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 4:23 AM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 59 Join Date: 9/11/10 Recent PostsTommy M:
Last night, for the first time, I managed to consciously enter "PCE Mode" for around ten minutes. It's the first time I've even tried this and I have to say that I'm impressed. I get it now, the direct experience is just beautiful, clean and totally pure in a way which defies description and I see how the whole "happy and harmless", something I was skeptical of, works while in the PCE.
It's given me a new perspective on AF and quashed many of the doubts I had through it's simplicity and general gorgeousness. I'm still not actively pursuing AF until I've attained 4th Path but even a brief encounter with PCE, intentional or otherwise, will convince anyone of it's validity.
It's given me a new perspective on AF and quashed many of the doubts I had through it's simplicity and general gorgeousness. I'm still not actively pursuing AF until I've attained 4th Path but even a brief encounter with PCE, intentional or otherwise, will convince anyone of it's validity.
Yep ! Good luck Tommy !
Beoman Claudiu Dragon Emu Fire Golem, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 7:41 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 7:41 AM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 2227 Join Date: 10/27/10 Recent PostsTommy M, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 5:38 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 5:38 PM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
Cheers! I'll talk you through it since it's impossible for me to give a simple reply....
I had taken my dog to the garden, I've got a seperate garden from the house which is kinda secluded and has a small river running past it so it's ideal for meditation and is where I do my preliminary mindfulness practice before vipassana practice. I stood and started noting slowly with my eyes closed when I felt a very light snowfall begin, at first I thought I was imagining it so I opened my eyes to see the fine flakes and then returned to noting. I became incredibly mindful of a huge field of sensation very quickly but kept bringing the attention back to the wonderful feeling of these fine snowflakes dancing across my skin like little sparks of beauty and light. There was an instant, literally a split second when I saw the chance to enter a PCE or keep noting. To explain that a bit clearer, I noted sensations of happiness and beauty which brought me to look at where these originated, from there I saw they originated in the play of the snow on my skin and at that point I saw the sensory level of awareness required to enter a PCE which occured as a mental image of Trent in his profile pic just saying "Do it" (Ha! Don't worry Trent, you're not a common factor in my meditation :lol, I decided there and then to go with it and relaxed the awareness to where it felt good. That led to a complete shift to a level of awareness, being, consciousness or whatever you'd call it where there was literally no emotion. This was a state I knew from previous spontaneous PCE's while listening to music or doing artwork and instantly recognised what everyone on the AF section was getting at with all this "happy and harmless" stuff.
This is so pure and, as Dan quite aptly described it, delicious in a way that defies explaination. Any attempt to explain it to the rational mind would be met with disbelief and skepticism, and quite rightly as the words have very little to do with what they refer to. I walked back over the bridge towards the house and every step was exquisite, just like the first time you had ever truly felt what it's like to be in this world. The sounds of the river were like streams of gorgeous noise, supple and light but full of energy and movement. I looked at the stars in the sky, they were perfect and radiant with clear gradients of rainbow colours like little badges on the sky's black velvet jacket. Yes, I'm going overboard with the poetics and ballocks but if there's something worth getting poetic over then it's a PCE.
I'm not hanging onto it, it was an important point of understanding for me and a wonderful experience but there's other work to be done. Knowing through personal experience that all the talk does indeed have substance and that PCE's, AF and whichever sub-states, aren't just a "bliss out" as there's nothing called "bliss" in that state, just an immediate perception which, based on what I experienced and expressed in my own terms here, seems to bypass all human mechanisms of emotion and suffering induced illusions. The whole experience lasted about ten minutes but I was able to maintain it so long as I didn't think about it which sounds paradoxical but probably makes sense when you've been there too. I felt it fade and there was a kinda comedic sadness experienced like "Awwww is that all I'm getting?!" The memory of it remains and practice that night was clear, precise and mindful especially after the last few weeks so the afterglow, so to speak, is still going.
Hopefully that made at least some sense. I'll be sure to post about any other related experiences but I just wanted to post about this and show others how I, like so many, started as being very skeptical of the whole thing but can state that through personal experience and complete honesty with no major interest in AF or the people involved in it's propagation, the pure consciousness experience stands on it's own. It's down to the individual to decide whether AF is their goal but for the moment I offer no opinion until a later time when other goals are acheived, namely enlightenment. I also enjoy a good Indian curry but that's of equal interest to you as my opinion is so I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide.
I had taken my dog to the garden, I've got a seperate garden from the house which is kinda secluded and has a small river running past it so it's ideal for meditation and is where I do my preliminary mindfulness practice before vipassana practice. I stood and started noting slowly with my eyes closed when I felt a very light snowfall begin, at first I thought I was imagining it so I opened my eyes to see the fine flakes and then returned to noting. I became incredibly mindful of a huge field of sensation very quickly but kept bringing the attention back to the wonderful feeling of these fine snowflakes dancing across my skin like little sparks of beauty and light. There was an instant, literally a split second when I saw the chance to enter a PCE or keep noting. To explain that a bit clearer, I noted sensations of happiness and beauty which brought me to look at where these originated, from there I saw they originated in the play of the snow on my skin and at that point I saw the sensory level of awareness required to enter a PCE which occured as a mental image of Trent in his profile pic just saying "Do it" (Ha! Don't worry Trent, you're not a common factor in my meditation :lol, I decided there and then to go with it and relaxed the awareness to where it felt good. That led to a complete shift to a level of awareness, being, consciousness or whatever you'd call it where there was literally no emotion. This was a state I knew from previous spontaneous PCE's while listening to music or doing artwork and instantly recognised what everyone on the AF section was getting at with all this "happy and harmless" stuff.
This is so pure and, as Dan quite aptly described it, delicious in a way that defies explaination. Any attempt to explain it to the rational mind would be met with disbelief and skepticism, and quite rightly as the words have very little to do with what they refer to. I walked back over the bridge towards the house and every step was exquisite, just like the first time you had ever truly felt what it's like to be in this world. The sounds of the river were like streams of gorgeous noise, supple and light but full of energy and movement. I looked at the stars in the sky, they were perfect and radiant with clear gradients of rainbow colours like little badges on the sky's black velvet jacket. Yes, I'm going overboard with the poetics and ballocks but if there's something worth getting poetic over then it's a PCE.
I'm not hanging onto it, it was an important point of understanding for me and a wonderful experience but there's other work to be done. Knowing through personal experience that all the talk does indeed have substance and that PCE's, AF and whichever sub-states, aren't just a "bliss out" as there's nothing called "bliss" in that state, just an immediate perception which, based on what I experienced and expressed in my own terms here, seems to bypass all human mechanisms of emotion and suffering induced illusions. The whole experience lasted about ten minutes but I was able to maintain it so long as I didn't think about it which sounds paradoxical but probably makes sense when you've been there too. I felt it fade and there was a kinda comedic sadness experienced like "Awwww is that all I'm getting?!" The memory of it remains and practice that night was clear, precise and mindful especially after the last few weeks so the afterglow, so to speak, is still going.
Hopefully that made at least some sense. I'll be sure to post about any other related experiences but I just wanted to post about this and show others how I, like so many, started as being very skeptical of the whole thing but can state that through personal experience and complete honesty with no major interest in AF or the people involved in it's propagation, the pure consciousness experience stands on it's own. It's down to the individual to decide whether AF is their goal but for the moment I offer no opinion until a later time when other goals are acheived, namely enlightenment. I also enjoy a good Indian curry but that's of equal interest to you as my opinion is so I'll leave it to you, dear reader, to decide.
Beoman Claudiu Dragon Emu Fire Golem, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 6:19 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 6:19 PM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 2227 Join Date: 10/27/10 Recent Posts
Truly a beautiful post! Don't forget those magical moments. Remember them next time you go lookin for a PCE - or I guess more accurately, want to allow one to happen? =).
, modified 13 Years ago at 1/9/11 12:40 AM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 6:44 PM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 385 Join Date: 8/11/10 Recent Posts
Tommy M - i appreciate your write-up.
I wanted to especially call out this:
"that PCE's, AF and whichever sub-states, aren't just a "bliss out" as there's nothing called "bliss" in that state, just an immediate perception"*
anyway, useful post!
_____
* although bliss states are inspiring/useful
Aside: my proxy for bliss state has been discursive thought...very attached to that!
I wanted to especially call out this:
"that PCE's, AF and whichever sub-states, aren't just a "bliss out" as there's nothing called "bliss" in that state, just an immediate perception"*
anyway, useful post!
_____
* although bliss states are inspiring/useful
Aside: my proxy for bliss state has been discursive thought...very attached to that!
Steph S, modified 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 8:24 PM
Created 13 Years ago at 1/8/11 8:24 PM
RE: I Get It!
Posts: 672 Join Date: 3/24/10 Recent Posts
nice one, tommy. good job on recognizing when it seemed like you were on the verge of getting into a pce. keep paying attention to that. now that you've had this taste it can be easier to get back to it.
steph
steph