Hi everyone! First time posting here. I've been obsessively reading on AF for a few weeks now. Formerly did vipassana, attained to stream entry last December which helped bring a lot of peace to my life. Thank you, Dr. Ingram, for giving such a clear introduction to Buddhism.

I became interested in AF after reading descriptions of PCE's, which sound remarkably like a few drug-based experiences I remember having at the beginning of my "quest": one, from taking DMT, where I felt as if I had "died and been reborn" and when I re-entered the world, everything had a pristine, pure quality to it - along with the sensation that I was looking at the spaces "around things" beyond the things themselves. Another from taking a low dose of LSD, although in this one my "affective faculties" kept dipping in and out and saying hello, so it wasn't as impressive. (It was my first time attaining to 4th jhana though, which was nifty!) I was afraid I'd never be able to re-experience this world, as it was what I had been looking for this whole time. When I discovered that other people had purposefully brought about this way of being, I was overjoyed.

I have a few questions which have been popping up repeatedly in my head lately, I'd love to hear from anyone who is currently practicing, especially people who have attained to AF.

• My primary question is regarding learning. As I understand it, one's existence is (essentially) reduced to the function of the sense gates alone. With this in mind, how do you learn? What is your EXPERIENCE of learning? I'd be especially interested to hear from any AF person doing school or a mentally intensive job. I am fascinated by science, but I always regarded contemplation and visualization to be of central importance to learning and understanding concepts. Are you better/worse at learning now? Also applicable is skill development, such as playing an instrument, a new game, or mentally based activities, such as reading a book.

• How long did you have to go before attaining your first *voluntary* PCE?

• If you happen to know, how does the effect of drugs change after AF? Especially: Alcohol? Caffeine? THC?

• What is the essential difference between AF and PCE?

Thanks! If you have answered these already, let me know and I'll go dig it up.

Welcome Kevin! I'm not AF but working on it; here are some of my thoughts until an AF person chimes in.


On the contrary, you need never have that fear, since that world is always here!


Well functioning in high-pressure environments is definitely easier (from this thread):



I don't see why removing your self would impact learning. First of all, you already only learn through your sense gates, since you have no other way of getting info. Secondly, it seems learning would be easier as there seems to be practically no mental friction when AF. Your memory doesn't seem to lose any capabilities. Though I suppose I should let them speak for themselves.


Two main ones:
* In a PCE there is a self, though it is in abeyance. When AF there is no self.
* A PCE is a temporary experience. AF is not really an experience. Think, A&P : Stream Entry :: PCE : AF.
An interesting point Richard brought up is that when AF, you don't have PCEs, since to have a PCE you need to have a self.

Thanks! That helps.

I had another question, more off-the-wall this time, but it could be interesting...

How has AF affected your luck?


The reason is, during both PCE's that I can remember, I seemed to have a bizarrely increased predisposition towards small lucky moments. I only realized it when I went back and evaluated the events that occurred... It was as if I was in some kind of perpetual 4th-jhana experience wherein i could... "intend" things to happen in a certain way and they would continually do so. As I improve my jhanic abilities, this type of lucky-coincidence thing happens more and more (along with lots of other bizarre psychic-type shit, most of which i simply ignore). Except that I wasn't actively "considering" it, I just sort of flowed into it. If at all possible, how would you evaluate the "luck" component of your daily events pre / post AF?

I dnno. People have always said I'm lucky and that things always go my way. I don't intend anything, though - they just seem to work out for me. I don't think it's a matter of I'm just a lucky SoB and I get whatever I want. I think it's that I usually don't complain or detest what is happening or seek out particular things.

When would you say you're unlucky? When something terrible happens to you that makes you feel bad. Seeing as how it's impossible to feel bad in a PCE or while AF, you could conclude that you're always lucky. I think it's just a matter of how you react to things happening around you. In PCE, or closest I can think of being in PCE, everything's just there, and why would it be anywhere else?

A more mundane way to look at it: when I'm in a great mood, everything just goes my way! It's easy to work, to interact with people, make jokes, etc. When I'm in a bad mood, work is difficult, filled with problems and annoyances, people don't treat me well, etc. Does my mood have such power to change the universe, or is it something else?

Well, I'd say a majority of it could be chalked up to that, such an exceptional mood and dispassion making everything smooth and effortless (flowing with the tao?), and then there's things where strong intent seems to actually affect things happening... I've played with some magickal practices before, and... well, things are still usually a surprise, but there certainly does seem to be SOMETHING going on behind the scenes. I grasped the fruitlessness of these pursuits a long time ago, but i still love to ponder the mechanism at work here...

Oh! oh! I thought of another one.

In the question "How am I experiencing this moment of being alive," is it better to think of the "How" in the literal sense or the colloquial sense?

I.E.

"How, actually, is it that 'I' am experiencing 'this moment of being alive'?" (seems to provoke wonder)

or

"What is it, feeling-wise, that's going on inside me in this moment of being alive?" (seems to provoke self-investigation)


Or should I just keep repeating it, mantra-like, and letting my brain shift back and forth between the two naturally?

It's the casual/every-day sense. It's a down-to-earth, simple common-sense question rather than a mantra.

Like 'how am I feeling?'or 'how good is my experience of this moment of being alive'?

Although whatever provokes wonder should probably be followed too.