Is this particular practice useful/correct?

Luke R Hope, modified 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 5:30 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 5:30 AM

Is this particular practice useful/correct?

Posts: 9 Join Date: 10/9/11 Recent Posts
I guess I'd like some feedback on what I'm doing right now. Half hour meditation sessions usually.

1. Sit, close eyes. Almost immediately I get flickering white lights while my eyes blink rapidly.

2. I settle in 5-10 minutes. Breathe and focus on that for a time. Soon I get flickering (10hz?) in my vision which I focus on. I also hear oscillations in the same frequency with my tinnitus and after a while vibrations in my hands and sometimes face at the same time.

3. During this, I do have background narrative 'chatter' which I acknowledge and then let pass. I try to focus on the flickering and see where it also exists in my consciousness/watcher.

4. My timer goes off and I get up and continue about my day. During the day, if I focus on my vision I see flickers up to even full black. As much as I can, I attend to the present and/or breath and gently (non-judgementally) suppress my inner narrative when it arises.

That is the bulk of my current practice at the moment. Suggestions?

Peace.
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Tommy M, modified 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 5:43 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 5:43 AM

RE: Is this particular practice useful/correct?

Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
1. Sit, close eyes. Almost immediately I get flickering white lights while my eyes blink rapidly.

Possibly nimitta?

2. I settle in 5-10 minutes. Breathe and focus on that for a time. Soon I get flickering (10hz?) in my vision which I focus on. I also hear oscillations in the same frequency with my tinnitus and after a while vibrations in my hands and sometimes face at the same time.

3. During this, I do have background narrative 'chatter' which I acknowledge and then let pass. I try to focus on the flickering and see where it also exists in my consciousness/watcher.

Possibly access concentration leading into 1st jhana, try focusing on those vibrations in your hands and face, I'm assuming that they're being experienced as pleasant sensations at this point. Don't worry too much about identifying the wavelength of the flickering unless you feel it's useful to your practice, other than that just work on paying attention to the pleasant bodily sensations and 1st jhana will appear naturally.

What is that you're looking for from meditation practice?
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Luke R Hope, modified 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 9:01 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 10/10/11 9:01 PM

RE: Is this particular practice useful/correct?

Posts: 9 Join Date: 10/9/11 Recent Posts
Tommy M:
1. Sit, close eyes. Almost immediately I get flickering white lights while my eyes blink rapidly.

Possibly nimitta?


Thank you for the very informative link, though I think it is unrelated to my original post. Lately (and separately to the experience I described above) I have been trying to understand contemplative jhanas properly. I read the Path of Serenity and Insight which was highly recommended on the topic. I went so far as to do a few sessions of candle meditation (fire/light kasina) so I could understand what sort of visions I should be seeing along with the breath! Your link tells me that I really should just be focusing on the breath's tactile sensation and a feeling 'as of silk', while ignoring visual lights/visions. I have definitely felt and described and understood that feeling, but I did not properly identify it as jhana factors.

Actually it changes my opinions of how I achieved my (I believe) stream-entry experience. I was very strongly with the tactile feeling of the breath, went through bliss up to a highly equanimous state (still on tactile feeling), and then fell into a no-self/impermanent/unsatisfactory state which I now believe was fruition. I almost dismissed the event as a non-event, but it seemed to be some sort of climax and my abilities improved sharply thereafter (but that is another story).


2. I settle in 5-10 minutes. Breathe and focus on that for a time. Soon I get flickering (10hz?) in my vision which I focus on. I also hear oscillations in the same frequency with my tinnitus and after a while vibrations in my hands and sometimes face at the same time.

3. During this, I do have background narrative 'chatter' which I acknowledge and then let pass. I try to focus on the flickering and see where it also exists in my consciousness/watcher.

Possibly access concentration leading into 1st jhana, try focusing on those vibrations in your hands and face, I'm assuming that they're being experienced as pleasant sensations at this point. Don't worry too much about identifying the wavelength of the flickering unless you feel it's useful to your practice, other than that just work on paying attention to the pleasant bodily sensations and 1st jhana will appear naturally.


I was describing the frequency just to give a feel for the experience in the post.


What is that you're looking for from meditation practice?


With respect to the above practice, I was trying to directly see reality as it really is, with an eye to achieving awakening. :-)

I wasn't seeking to solidify anything into a concentrative jhana, I was trying to use bare/dry insight directly to see into direct reality.

Honestly, I'm not really sure what path I should take here. I can spend time developing my contemplative skills now I can recognise breath-based jhana (thanks again for the link!!), or I can continue on the path I described here, which is meant to be for dry insight.
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