Bedtime Samatha Meditation and Lucid Dreaming

James E P, modified 12 Years ago at 7/11/11 1:28 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 7/11/11 1:23 PM

Bedtime Samatha Meditation and Lucid Dreaming

Posts: 31 Join Date: 6/17/11 Recent Posts
I typically get very good results when I meditate before I go to bed, in fact years before I even formally meditated, I remember obtaining, what I know now are deep concentrative states, I am unsure if they were in the formless realms, but they did involve great expanses.

One of my more recent experiences included my heart bursting with love and joy and radiating through the universe, this happened about a month or so ago, which was pretty awesome. I am pretty sure, when I meditate upon laying in bed I am experiencing Samatha type Jhanas as I even get great feeling of rapture and bliss as I am laying there.

Last night I wasn't tired at all, so I said "well I shouldn't stay up too too late, why not lay in bed and meditate?" So there I am meditating suddenly I was very conscious of my body not existing, I tried to feel my body and couldn't, like literally, it wasn't there, but it didn't concern me, as I knew what state I was in. I also was aware that I was in my room and suddenly as I realized I didn't have physical confines, thought of another place and felt as if I was there, in my mind, I didn't see the place, just felt I could get there, so to speak, and quickly came out of the state.

I was conscious and not asleep at the time, but I felt it was very similar to a lucid dream in terms of my state of mind, and similarities. It's like as in lucid dreaming (which I sporadically have - My GF, who practiced Zen when she was younger ONLY lucid dreams and can control them to the degree that they occur in chapters over the course of the night with continuity). I find it interesting when you lucid dream and "wake up" in the dream and realize that your dream is a form of consciousness, this is sort of the same, but the inverse of entering into these deep concentrative states; i.e. you realize your consciousness is the same as a dream and vica versa.

On the topic of dreams, I've had 2 powerful A&P experiences whilst lucid dreaming, one involving having no body and flying through a door at my Grandparent's old place into a bright all encompassing light and another where I got off a school bus in a desert and decided to propel myself up until the earth was far far away (not too sure if #2 was an A&P, but I think it was).

Any insights or comments or similar experiences would be appreciated.

Thanks

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