I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/9/22 3:11 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. José Roux 12/9/22 8:00 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/10/22 3:23 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/10/22 12:53 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/10/22 3:30 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/10/22 6:18 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/21/22 2:44 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/22/22 10:33 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/22/22 1:58 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/22/22 4:02 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Chris M 12/23/22 8:10 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/23/22 12:03 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Dream Walker 12/14/22 7:14 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Freya . 12/20/22 6:59 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Daniel M. Ingram 12/10/22 5:31 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/11/22 5:55 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/12/22 12:43 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/12/22 3:42 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/12/22 4:34 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. A B 12/11/22 4:19 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Chris M 12/11/22 4:46 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Adi Vader 12/11/22 7:47 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. A B 12/11/22 5:37 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Isak Tougaard 12/12/22 5:20 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/12/22 3:40 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/12/22 3:44 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/13/22 12:23 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/15/22 7:22 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Chrollo X 12/15/22 5:14 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Martin 12/16/22 1:00 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/16/22 2:59 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Isak Tougaard 12/17/22 11:49 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/17/22 2:34 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/17/22 3:06 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö 12/18/22 6:27 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Isak Tougaard 12/18/22 6:09 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/19/22 3:13 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/20/22 2:02 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/24/22 12:48 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Chris M 12/24/22 7:56 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/24/22 12:34 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/24/22 3:47 PM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. George S 12/25/22 7:56 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Aviva HaMakom 12/25/22 10:11 AM
RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path. Asaf M 12/25/22 1:51 PM
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/9/22 3:11 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/9/22 3:11 PM

I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Hello Dharma Friends.
I am going for stream entry.
I could use a friend or two on this journey.
I am reaching out in hopes that someone who has entered the stream is willing to accompany me in this process.
If you are such a person and may be willing to communicate with me in some form, please get in touch.
I will glady elaborate on my history and other details upon request.
José Roux, modified 1 Year ago at 12/9/22 8:00 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/9/22 8:00 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Post: 1 Join Date: 9/24/22 Recent Posts
Hello friend,

finally reaching out to a teacher (Mooji) after years of seeking in solitude, was, I believe, a big part of what made it happened for me 3 years ago. I'm not a teacher, but I came to realize how simple it all is in the end, and would surely help guide anyone on the path, given they're past the love of concepts…

​​​​​​​Otherwise, I recommend you listen to contemporary spiritual teachers beyond/outside Buddhism, like Adyashanti, Mooji, Papaji, Ramana Maharshi, Nisargadatta etc. and even, yes: Eckart Tolle. Take wisdom wherever it is. And what about Abraham Hicks! I know, this is heresy… But it's like they each teach different facets of Buddhism in their own way, with a more modern language. Don't be stuck in the past, like people with their Bible! The truth is living and breathing right now all around us.
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 12:53 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 12:53 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Hi Asaf,

It's great to hear about your goal. Go for it!

I have been reading on this site for quite a while and I notice that the more specific and detailed questions are, the more replies they tend to get. On this site, it is very common to be seeking stream entry. For people to be able to offer help, they would need to know a bit about things like your practice so far, your reasons for practice, why SE is a specific goal.

If you talk about these things, people who have something useful to say may respond, then you may have a conversation, and some of that may be useful. I have learned a ton of useful things here. I found a teacher through this site, got all kinds of feedback and encouragement, was exposed to ideas, and books, and videos, and podcasts, etc. It was super useful. And it all came about through conversations.
​​​​​​​
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 3:23 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 1:29 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you for reaching out Jose.
I have explored the teaching of many of the names that you listed above. Indeed there is wisdom out there in many forms.
As one of my tai chi teachers used to say "there are many paths up the mountain, he who thinks he has found THE path, is not even on the mountan!"
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 3:30 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 3:23 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Hi Martin,

I very much appreicate your response and encouragement!

Here is some background on what led me to write this post:

I read Daniel's MCTB book and found it quite life chanigng in terms of the complete perspective that its given me. I found it both sobering and inspiring. Pragmatic, as advertised. Pragmatism is exactly what led me to narrow down my focus into practice oriented buddhism in the first place, after searching through a large spectrum of spiritual traditions since my teenage years.
The day I wrote this, post, I had read this article about resoltuons on the hamilton project website. I decided to make my resolution then and there. 
Making that reslution led me to join this forum and post my intentions here. I generaly avoid social media, yet in this case, Its important to connect with the right people so I am using this tool to make it happen.

Some backround about how I got here:
Spirituality and exploring states of conciousness has been a central focus of my existence since an early age. 
Around age 10,  while lying in bed at night I would concentrate  on creating the sensation that my body is swinging from side to side, as if rocking in a hammock. I suppose you could say I was contentrating on creating kinesthetic hallucinations.
A bit later I started practicing relaxation techniques and reading the I ching.
Age 14: In response to the suffering of life, and out of curiosity about the cosmos, I began experimenting with a variety of traditions. Read a bunch of books and tried a wide range of practices. Had some brief out of body experiences and lucid dreams.
After cycling though alot of stuff, around age 16 I started narrowing down my practice to what actually seemed to work, things that were methodical and apparent here and now. My main daily practice became tai chi, along with direct mindfullness of six sense doors with no labeling.
At this point I stumbled across this sort of koan practice I would do where I would ask myself "isn't this strange?" and then hyperfoucus on the strangeness of awareness examining itself as if I am repeatedly being born into this moment with no story to identify with, with an acute sense of awe. This is something I can only mintain for a few seconds. It produces a strong sense of release and relief. It feels very much like awakeing out of a dream. It takes alot of energy to sustain and I only do it evey so often. It does not seems like someting I can follow very far and I am not sure if it leads anywhere useful. Mentioning it here because its quite powerfull and may be significant.
Age 19 I was in college in washington state. On my way to a sweat lodge the guy in the front seat spontaneously asked "are you from vispassana?" I told him I had no idea what that was. he said "you look like you are from viapssana"
I soon found myself sitting and then serving at a a 10 day goenka course, where I finally took a deep dive into intensive meditation, and narrowed my focus on theravada buddhism. This led to me spending a week at metta forest momenstary in san diego around 2002.
Around 2010 I attended several  seven day retreats in the chom tong version of the mahasi sayadaw courses. 
My last reatreat was a 10 day goenka course around 2015. I had done alot of preparation beforehand and practiced quite intensely there. 
It was blissfull and intense in many ways with strong concentration and evergy, as well as powerful emotions of al sorts coming up in a background of equanimity. I have not yet attended any  more reatreats since then due to becoming a father, currently of  three small children.

Back to the present moment:
My working hypothsis is that stream entry is real and attainable, and the only way I am going to find out is by repeating the experiment diligently within my own life. The reason why I want to attempt this is because I have followed the path far enough to get a sense of where It goes. The insights I have had so far into the workings of the mind, into the three charactersits, have been powerfull and life changing. Honesly, I dont think I have much choice in the matter. I 'took the red pill' a while ago and the only way to go from here is forwards. 

My practice options are not optimal at the moment. I am goign to do the best with what I have got. I am inspired by accouts of people who entered the stream in daily ife as parents with a full time job. If anyone reading this is such a person, please get in touch, I would love to learn from you!

Since I am practicing the daily life, I am putting the main emphasis on clear awareness of whatever is predominant in the six sense doors, with emphsis on seeing the three characterstics. I am leaving out the noting during most moments right now. Noting seems to hog brain CPU and make me agitated in a way that does not work well for me during complex daily activites. I am still fine tuning my use of noting to find the most skillful recipe. This is one area that I could use some input on.

My resolve is to observe the six sense doors during all waking momements, in hopes of gaining enough momentum to progress through all the stages of insight. 
For formal practice, I have redently been dong more walking meditation (with noting), or while sitting in a chair, to give my knee a rest as I have some post surgey knee issues that seem to be aggravated by sitting crossed legged on the floor. Slow walking meditation seems to be benefitical to the knee.

M focus right now is to consistently make the present moment matter. The present moment is the moment of investigation. Its not a preparation for some future moment where I will be practicing.
I am working on shortening the gaps, shortening the lapses in investigation, and to direct energy towards actual practice, rather than towards thinking about, planning to, or getting exited about practice.
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Daniel M Ingram, modified 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 5:31 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 5:31 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 3268 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
Yep, that focus on this moment being it, thought of future occuring now, fluxing tension related to driving wish for stream entry as interesting object, etc. is key. Stumble towards this moment as best you can! ;)
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 6:18 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 6:18 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Wow, best reply ever!

My guess is that this will get good responses. I don't have a POI-based practice, so I cannot be helpful in that regard there but others here probably can. You might also want to consider getting a teacher who you can check in with on a regular basis (or, for that matter, even talk to once). In my experience, teachers make a big difference. It's their job, after all, so they are often good at it. It's not entirely different from working with a coach if you want to excel at a sport. It works more often than it does not, especially in the first big step up.

Here are some lists of professional teachers.

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/21564331

Also, have you tried a kneeling bench? I have knee troubles too, and I love the rock-solid stability of a properly-sized kneeling bench.
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 5:55 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/10/22 11:09 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you Daniel. 
This golden nugget you shared is a classic example of situations where  I find that attentively reading practice instructions is a practice in and of itself, rather than mere preparation for what to practice later. 'Practicing later' sucks,  untill we note it, thereby killing the 'later' aspect of it! 
'Thinking about practicing later' 'obsessing over the path...' Resolving to keep shooting these relentless aliens as the pop up.

Thank's Martin for your suggestions. I ordered a meditation bench, and will be looking into the teaches list as well.

An approach thats been working well for me in complex, attention demanding activities is 'watching the movie of life'
This resonated when I stumbled upon the peripheral awareness angle by culadasa, in the comments section of this article.  
Maintaing peripheral awareness seems to be a valuable piece of the puzzle here. 
There is also somethign to be said for allowing things to be 'messy,' for lack of a better word. Swimming in senstate soup without some solid control over it.
We are allways in the middle of this practice somehow. No clear begining or end. Since the practice is allways on, at any point in time its a matter of noticing the lapse in investigation, investigating the next thing that comes up, and so on...
A B, modified 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 4:19 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 4:19 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 6 Join Date: 12/11/22 Recent Posts
Hi Asaf
Congratulations on this aspiration.
I felt that if I did not come to at least Stream Entry in this life I would have wasted this precious birth.
13 years ago on a solitary retreat at Tathagata Meditation Center, I realized that aspiration.  It has been the 
crown jewel of my life.  I have a long way to go and while it changed me in many ways, there are many ways
that it did not change me as well.

Here is my advice to you.  I believe it is highly unlikely to realize Stream Entry without doing many, long, intensive 
retreats.  While I don't practice in the Mahasi Sayadaw tradition any longer, that is the tradition that helped me realize Stream Entry.
I would strongly encourage you to practice in that style as it is very intense and direct and cuts right to the heart of insight practices that open up the development that Daniel discusses in his book.   Also, I believe that one element that helped me realize S. Entry was doing long 
retreats in Thailand.  One is encouraged to practice for 20 hours a day there which I did for 7 months.  While retreat centers in the US are good - 
Spirit Rock, IMS and others - they tend to be much gentler with less hours or practice and shorter sitting and walking periods.  If you are committed to
this goal, find a way in your life to do long retreats in a very intensive setting.  If you want to do that in the US, Tathagata Meditation Center in San Jose is good b/c it is a Panditarama affiliated center is is about as close as you'll get to the intensive Asian style practice that you'd find in Burma or Thailand.

Those are a few of my suggestions and thoughts and I hope they are helpful.  I'm happy to dialogue with you further, answer any questions, etc...  I'm not a teacher per se but I've done dozens of retreats and have had some fruition.  Happy to be of help if I can.
AB
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Chris M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 4:46 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 4:46 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 5117 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
There are practitioners here on DhO whose practice arc contradicts the idea that stream entry is almost impossible without going on many long retreats and practicing 20 hours a day. Practice varies for everyone, so we should probably be careful concluding anything like that from just one example. My guess is that taking retreats does increase one's chances, but that's not the only viable path.
A B, modified 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 5:37 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 5:36 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 6 Join Date: 12/11/22 Recent Posts
I do agree with what Chris says - that there are others who have attainments without lots of retreat experience.  Indeed, there are many stories of individuals on no path of practice at all that have deep enlightenment experiences.  However, that is fairly rare and, in my view, intensive practice is the best way to set oneself up for Stream Entry.  And, one of the realizations of Stream Entry is that rites and rituals do not lead to awakening but it is one's own efforts and practice itself that is the path leading to freedom.  This is just my view of course, and others are free to disagree.  

Keep in mind that the Buddha himself on his deathbed encouraged practitioners to strive diligently toward awakening
Adi Vader, modified 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 7:47 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/11/22 7:47 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 268 Join Date: 6/29/20 Recent Posts
Completely agree with Chris.
My own practice has been entirely at home, meditating for 1-2 hours everyday on weekdays, more on weekends. There were periods of time when I meditated for 6 hours plus for a few days in a row.
Different people require varying amounts of time to be devoted to practice. If we have a consistent daily practice we start to develop an intuitive practice sense. It is through that intuition that we have to figure out what would work best for us as individuals. 
Isak Tougaard, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 5:20 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 5:20 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 17 Join Date: 11/9/22 Recent Posts
Hi Asaf, I am curious if you have any plans in place on how to handle the dark night (DN), if it should occur?

I too desire stream entry, but I have had to put it off for a while, because of mental health issues that keep popping up during insight meditation.
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 3:44 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 12:02 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Since appreciation to all who have respnded so far. 
Its wonderfull to not be going at this alone.

Indeed, I plan to do as much formal practice as possible, and attend as many retreats, of as long duration as I resonably can. My current family obligations do not permit retreats and limit formal pratice time. Under the current constraints, daily life practice is the main focus.
There is only one time when I need to practice, and that that time is now. There are no 'in between' moments. There is just one contiuous practice with varying degrees of intensity. When I am able to sit and do nothign else, intensity goes up. frame rate goes up.

The way I see it, many people appear to have suceesfuly repeated the experiement of multiple, long mahasi sayadaw style retreats leading to stream entry. Less examples are available on succcess via nothing but daily life practice. Given that daily life is my only option at the moment, I might as well put this situation to good use by contributing data to the 'daily life to stream entry' experiment, for the benefit of others who find themselves in the same situation.

Here is some data that I gathered so far:
Shortly after making the resolution, I found myself doing walking meditation in a dream, with surprisingly clear awareness of the sensations in the upper legs. Weather 'practicing' in a dream contributes to the progress in insight is debateable. The encouragement here lies in the fact that the mind responded by taking it upon itself to dedicate the least accesible/controlleable time, dream time, to practice!
A resolution can be understood as being a skillfull sankhara,  a volitional formation that is introduced into this rather involuntary constellation of ephemeral phenomena we call a mind, influencing the trajectory of this 'mind' towards, in this case, stream entry.

Regarding 24/7 pratice, there are of course many gaps. There are wide lapses that are a challenge to shrink. My job is to conquer increasing amounts of  daily life territory, converting it to insight territory. Dish washing territory is much easier to conquer than sofware engineering. Yet the intention is to conquer all of it. Mentally involved tasks may have to be dealt with using broader strokes, lower frame rate.  

Fortunately, the benefits of aiming for stream entry in daily life do not depened on the end result. Today I had an immeditately beneficial insight. It came about by investigating the parts of the body (hair, skin, veins on hand) of the person in front of me while waiting for food to arrive. The dukka of a physical body (pain, ageing, sickness and death) that this person is subject to became vividly apparent, and compassion naturally arose.
At this time we were in the dynamic of this person being upset with me. I had sunk into an unpleasant mood as a result. I was investigfating that mood before the idea to investigate the body in front of me popped up. In the past, shifting to investigation of my feelings during conflict caused this person to feel alienated, so I knew I needed to be focusing on them this time around.
The genuine compassion that arose effortlessly cleared up the resentment.  Skillfull speech came up naturally, and my companion responded favorably. We enjoyed the meal and the trajectory of our day returned to a positive direction.
All this happened as a 'side effect' of striving to use every available moment to attend ot the conditions that lead to stream entry.
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 12:43 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 12:43 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Thanks for introducing me to the Hamilton Project. I had not seen it before. I agree that ongoing awareness is key. When I got serious about progress, my teacher told me that, from that moment on, my job was to be paying attention all the time. The habit of choosing an operating mode for the mind, just by itself, and almost regardless of the mode chosen, is transformative. But, as you say, all control, all the time, is not a recipe for progress or happiness.

I hope the bench works for you. I use a firm foam block on top of mine, and a mat underneath. When my knees are bad, I use a second cushion. Sometimes my thighs are close to vertical. It works.

 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 3:40 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 3:40 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
This is a very valid concern.
Building relationships here is part of my peraparation for hitting dark night territory. 
Morality, as in really tight, consistent adherence to the five precepts and healthy lifestlye habits are my main insurance policy. 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 3:42 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 3:42 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Glad you found it usefull emoticon   this artcle I found particularly insightful, including some of the comments.
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 4:34 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/12/22 4:34 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Good stuff! Bings to mind Shift Into Freedom, by Loch Kelly, who goes a very long way with this sort of approach. 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/13/22 12:23 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/13/22 12:10 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Martin,

Thank you for introducting me to Lock Kelly! This guy is awesome. His skill at communicating via metaphor, body language, etc.. is legendary!  
I'm diving into this efforless focus approach


"What's here now when there is no problem to solve?"  Good stuff!!!
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Dream Walker, modified 1 Year ago at 12/14/22 7:14 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/14/22 7:14 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 1657 Join Date: 1/18/12 Recent Posts
Asaf M
Hi Martin,

I very much appreicate your response and encouragement!

Here is some background on what led me to write this post:

I read Daniel's MCTB book and found it quite life chanigng in terms of the complete perspective that its given me. I found it both sobering and inspiring. Pragmatic, as advertised. Pragmatism is exactly what led me to narrow down my focus into practice oriented buddhism in the first place, after searching through a large spectrum of spiritual traditions since my teenage years.
The day I wrote this, post, I had read this article about resoltuons on the hamilton project website. I decided to make my resolution then and there. 
Making that reslution led me to join this forum and post my intentions here. I generaly avoid social media, yet in this case, Its important to connect with the right people so I am using this tool to make it happen.

Some backround about how I got here:
Spirituality and exploring states of conciousness has been a central focus of my existence since an early age. 
Around age 10,  while lying in bed at night I would concentrate  on creating the sensation that my body is swinging from side to side, as if rocking in a hammock. I suppose you could say I was contentrating on creating kinesthetic hallucinations.
A bit later I started practicing relaxation techniques and reading the I ching.
Age 14: In response to the suffering of life, and out of curiosity about the cosmos, I began experimenting with a variety of traditions. Read a bunch of books and tried a wide range of practices. Had some brief out of body experiences and lucid dreams.
After cycling though alot of stuff, around age 16 I started narrowing down my practice to what actually seemed to work, things that were methodical and apparent here and now. My main daily practice became tai chi, along with direct mindfullness of six sense doors with no labeling.
At this point I stumbled across this sort of koan practice I would do where I would ask myself "isn't this strange?" and then hyperfoucus on the strangeness of awareness examining itself as if I am repeatedly being born into this moment with no story to identify with, with an acute sense of awe. This is something I can only mintain for a few seconds. It produces a strong sense of release and relief. It feels very much like awakeing out of a dream. It takes alot of energy to sustain and I only do it evey so often. It does not seems like someting I can follow very far and I am not sure if it leads anywhere useful. Mentioning it here because its quite powerfull and may be significant.
Age 19 I was in college in washington state. On my way to a sweat lodge the guy in the front seat spontaneously asked "are you from vispassana?" I told him I had no idea what that was. he said "you look like you are from viapssana"
I soon found myself sitting and then serving at a a 10 day goenka course, where I finally took a deep dive into intensive meditation, and narrowed my focus on theravada buddhism. This led to me spending a week at metta forest momenstary in san diego around 2002.
Around 2010 I attended several  seven day retreats in the chom tong version of the mahasi sayadaw courses. 
My last reatreat was a 10 day goenka course around 2015. I had done alot of preparation beforehand and practiced quite intensely there. 
It was blissfull and intense in many ways with strong concentration and evergy, as well as powerful emotions of al sorts coming up in a background of equanimity. I have not yet attended any  more reatreats since then due to becoming a father, currently of  three small children.

Back to the present moment:
My working hypothsis is that stream entry is real and attainable, and the only way I am going to find out is by repeating the experiment diligently within my own life. The reason why I want to attempt this is because I have followed the path far enough to get a sense of where It goes. The insights I have had so far into the workings of the mind, into the three charactersits, have been powerfull and life changing. Honesly, I dont think I have much choice in the matter. I 'took the red pill' a while ago and the only way to go from here is forwards. 

My practice options are not optimal at the moment. I am goign to do the best with what I have got. I am inspired by accouts of people who entered the stream in daily ife as parents with a full time job. If anyone reading this is such a person, please get in touch, I would love to learn from you!

Since I am practicing the daily life, I am putting the main emphasis on clear awareness of whatever is predominant in the six sense doors, with emphsis on seeing the three characterstics. I am leaving out the noting during most moments right now. Noting seems to hog brain CPU and make me agitated in a way that does not work well for me during complex daily activites. I am still fine tuning my use of noting to find the most skillful recipe. This is one area that I could use some input on.

My resolve is to observe the six sense doors during all waking momements, in hopes of gaining enough momentum to progress through all the stages of insight. 
For formal practice, I have redently been dong more walking meditation (with noting), or while sitting in a chair, to give my knee a rest as I have some post surgey knee issues that seem to be aggravated by sitting crossed legged on the floor. Slow walking meditation seems to be benefitical to the knee.

M focus right now is to consistently make the present moment matter. The present moment is the moment of investigation. Its not a preparation for some future moment where I will be practicing.
I am working on shortening the gaps, shortening the lapses in investigation, and to direct energy towards actual practice, rather than towards thinking about, planning to, or getting exited about practice.aA
Are you still in washington state?
Several great people in seattle if so - http://seattlespuds.org/

I did a couple paths with a couple kids, I'd be fine to chat with you about it...message me
Good Luck
D
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/15/22 7:22 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/15/22 7:22 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Update: 

I now release this resolution of 'resolving to attain stream entry.'
Having made it, I release it, as an arrow, once aimed, is shot and released.
Now diving deep into Loch Kelly's effotless mindfuless way of being.
Fruition, cessation, a gllimpe of nibaana, whatever we want ot call it, is invited to occur, or not occur as a possible outcome of this exploration. Diving into timesless awareness, while at times discerning the three Characterstics. With our without noting, at times homing in on the pulsating nature of sensate phenomena.There is no rush to get somewhere or make anything happen.
Chrollo X, modified 1 Year ago at 12/15/22 5:14 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/15/22 5:14 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 65 Join Date: 1/11/22 Recent Posts
Asaf M
Update: 

I now release this resolution of 'resolving to attain stream entry.'
Having made it, I release it, as an arrow, once aimed, is shot and released.
Now diving deep into Loch Kelly's effotless mindfuless way of being.
Fruition, cessation, a gllimpe of nibaana, whatever we want ot call it, is invited to occur, or not occur as a possible outcome of this exploration. Diving into timesless awareness, while at times discerning the three Characterstics. With our without noting, at times homing in on the pulsating nature of sensate phenomena.There is no rush to get somewhere or make anything happen.
Yeah man. Just remember reading ain't going to do shit for you. Practice trumps everything. Practice as much as you can. Reading isn't practice, ever. Buddha taught about dukkha and the end of dukkha. Dukkha is always there for you to recognize in your experience making the practice natural, kinda like what Loch talks about. 
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/16/22 1:00 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/16/22 1:00 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
When you mentioned that you liked Unfabricated Awareness and then Loch Kelly, I thought about posting this link:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL0B_nCqhjA&ab_channel=GuruViking
because Michael Taft talks (at 57 minutes in particular) about a way in which the Unfabricated Awareness/Loch Kelly/AF/Mahamudra side of things can be seen as covering the same ground as POI, but approached from the other end of the process. I did not post the link because Michael Taft is critical of overly reified understandings of the POI and I did not want to disturb your intention. But as you have released that resolution, I don't have that concern. For me, both of these approaches have been very helpful. One good thing about the goal of stream-entry is that it aims for a deep, fundamental shift in understanding, rather than a simple shift in state. So, no matter which end you are moving from, keep in mind that what is possible with diligence is quite literally unbelievable. If you get somewhere that can be described or explained, then there is still more available. 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/16/22 2:59 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/16/22 2:59 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you Martin,

I will look into this video you shared.
Indeed, I am totally into this mode of integrating both approaches. By integrating I mean not treating them as inherently different. The perspectives used by the  'non-duality' folks fit well into developing a fine tuned, energy efficient approach to the path of insight. 
Thing I've foud helpful include asking  'what is here is now where there is no problem to solve'  as well as sensing the breath from the place that the breath is occuring rather than as if contentrating on it from the direction of my head.

What I am doing now, feels more like exploring the experience of insight as it unfolds naturally, rather than striving to attain.
I released this resoution, yet did not abandon it. During formal practice times, I do mainly noting practices.
Releasing the tension assosiated with resolving to attain does not mean slacking. I've been  pushing the boundaries of wha I thought was possible with regards to the level of complexity of activity while noting. Today I experimented with noting while reading a book to my daughter. I found myself reading out loud in hebrew while internaly noting 'reading' in english. My reading seemed actually smoother as a result. It's satifying to discover that I dont have to accept wide gaps in the practice to poperly attend to daily life stuff. 
Isak Tougaard, modified 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 11:49 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 11:49 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 17 Join Date: 11/9/22 Recent Posts
I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavor to attain stream entry.

How come you decided on that specific goal? You could have chosen other things like jhanas, compassion, powers and what not - why is SE most important to you?

And what is the idea with releasing an intention? I have heard of that being done, but never understood why.
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 2:34 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 1:52 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Hi Issac.

The reason why I chose to create a resolution for stream entry over the other worthy goals you mentioned  is that it from my understanding it a milestone in terms of long term reduction of  suffering and liberating insight into the nature of phenomea. I decided to post my resolution here as a way of formalizing it, thereby increasing my level of commitment to it, and in order to reach out and connect with people who have enough experience with and underatanding of these matters.

The reason why I felt complelled to communicate my 'release' of this reoslution was  in order to free my mind from being stuck on the goal rather than on the practice itself as it unfolds in this moment.
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 3:06 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/17/22 3:06 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Martin,

I am loving this video that you shared (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oL0B_nCqhjA&ab_channel=GuruViking)
Indeed the part near the 1hr mark where he talks about 'running it backwards'  really sheds light on how the direct apporaches fit into the picure.
Michael taft is really impressive. Seems like a really solid teacher to work with. Its no surprise and a bit of a bummer that its not even possible to get on a waiting list for his coaching these days.
Isak Tougaard, modified 1 Year ago at 12/18/22 6:09 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/18/22 6:09 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 17 Join Date: 11/9/22 Recent Posts
Hey Asaf, I came to think of you a while ago.

I gather you have problems sitting for meditation? I don't know if this is useful to you, but it might be.
Kit Laughlin has a free one hour follow along video that aims to teach how to stretch to become able to sit comfortably in the burmese position.
https://vimeo.com/441924316

Another thing I came to wonder is, have you considered how concentration might factor into your attainment of SE?
The way I understand it is, if we strengthen concentration first, insight is that much easier - like drilling with a powertool instead of a manual screwdriver.
Especially for an absentminded, social-media-focus-defiled ditz like myself, concentration practice has paid off in spades.
Could be this doesn't apply to you, if you have an intellectual job where "focus-muscles" are maintained naturally.
I have faith in you attaining SE either way, just thought I would add it anyway, in case it could stack the deck even more in your favor.
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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 1 Year ago at 12/18/22 6:27 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/18/22 6:27 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
Hi there! Yes, there seems to be a great demand for Michael Taft's teaching these days. I'm one of the lucky people who have had the privilege of getting to work with him. A ten lesson scholarship got me to stream entry. Nowadays I'm part of his Reversing the stack class, the first cohort which is a tight little group. I hear that the Vast Sky Mind course is great too, with far more participants. I tagged him on Slack to ask him if he plans to release any more classes the upcoming year. It does seem like he would be a great fit for you, but yeah, he's fully booked, and now that he has become a father I imagine that he prefers to spend more time with his family as well. I hope you'll find someone to guide you. All my best wishes for your practice and wellbeing. 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/19/22 3:13 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/19/22 3:13 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you Linda and everyone else for your resposnes so far.
Things are picking up speed and getting really interesting lately.
I may be tuning into this thread less often now as I am priotritizing time for practice.
I think it would be awesome to meet via video chat with someone who has traveled deep into insight territory.
If ayone here is interested in joining me in such a conversation, please send me a message and we can take it from there.
Freya , modified 1 Year ago at 12/20/22 6:59 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/20/22 6:57 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 64 Join Date: 8/15/21 Recent Posts
My practice options are not optimal at the moment. I am goign to do the best with what I have got. I am inspired by accouts of people who entered the stream in daily ife as parents with a full time job. If anyone reading this is such a person, please get in touch, I would love to learn from you!     

I am a single parent, two kids, have been in work (although part time) and also homeschooled throughout lockdown and managed SE. During lockdown, I used to get up at 5am meditate for 2-3 hours and then the day started. 
​​​​​​​
I did 2 retreats before getting SE, one 10 day silent and 5 months later an 8 day retreat where SE happened. I did have a consistant daily practice off retreat. People experiences are very different.  
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/20/22 2:02 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/20/22 2:02 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thanks for sharing your experience Freya. 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/21/22 2:44 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/21/22 2:43 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Martin
Wow, best reply ever!

My guess is that this will get good responses. I don't have a POI-based practice, so I cannot be helpful in that regard there but others here probably can. You might also want to consider getting a teacher who you can check in with on a regular basis (or, for that matter, even talk to once). In my experience, teachers make a big difference. It's their job, after all, so they are often good at it. It's not entirely different from working with a coach if you want to excel at a sport. It works more often than it does not, especially in the first big step up.

Here are some lists of professional teachers.

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/21564331

Also, have you tried a kneeling bench? I have knee troubles too, and I love the rock-solid stability of a properly-sized kneeling bench.

Kneeling bench arrived yesterday! Loving the full body ergonomic upgrade. breath, spine, lower back, neck. It makes a big difference.
easier to sit after mealtimes with more room for digestion and brethign to occur. 
I am using two bricks under the bench legs to raise it to a comfortable height.

Regarding teachers, That is excellend advice and I will be reaching out to teacher once I complete with the  time/task management  course that I  am enrolled in right now.

I resonate with the appraoch of not over emphasizing the POI map. I am using it as general reference when doing so appears to be relevant. I could interpret my experience as recently having  passed though  A&P, dukkna nanas and perhpas into equanimity today. Either way, the practice takes on a life of its own. Its continual, so no need to fuss over the maps.

If anyone here wants to meet over google hangouts for an actual conversation, pease get in touch. 
I have not gotten response to a few PM's that I sent to people who had reached out offering to converse, 
so I am sending a general invite here instead.
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 10:33 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 10:33 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
I don't think the PM function on this server works. I have never received one and I think someone else mentioned that it didn't work. 

As a test, I sent you a PM yesterday. Did you receive it?
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 1:58 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 1:57 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
I don't think the PM function on this server works. I have never received one and I think someone else mentioned that it didn't work. 

As a test, I sent you a PM yesterday. Did you receive it?

Message received. Reply sent. Thanks again Martin!
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 4:02 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/22/22 4:02 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Excellent! Glad to hear the function works.
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Chris M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/23/22 8:10 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/23/22 8:10 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 5117 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
The DhO private messaging system (PMs) was fixed last summer by the magnificent Siavash.
Martin, modified 1 Year ago at 12/23/22 12:03 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/23/22 12:03 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 746 Join Date: 4/25/20 Recent Posts
Thank you, Siavash! 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 12:48 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 12:48 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Speaking of techincal fixes, I will be happy to contribute to fixing/improving features on this site as needed.
Would it be appropiate to open a thread on tecincal issues/feature requests, or is there a preffered way to handle such communication?
For example, one feature that could be handy is the ability to share a link pointing to a specific post in a thread rather than to a whole thread. This is already possible, though the UI does not support this.

example
link to thread:
https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/24696860
link to specific message:
https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/24696860#_com_liferay_message_boards_web_portlet_MBPortlet_message_24707319
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Chris M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 7:56 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 7:49 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 5117 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
Asaf, please PM me directly about your offer to work on the technical aspects of the DhO. You can find me on the messaging system as "Chris M." 

- Chris

Chris M
DhO Moderator

​​​​​​​Specific post links: It's just a matter of copying and pasting from a browser address bar. Here's a test of simple copy and paste of a specific post URL, the third post in this thread:

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/view_message/24696860#_com_liferay_message_boards_web_portlet_MBPortlet_message_24698551 
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 12:34 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 12:34 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank's Chris for pointing this out.
I did not realize that the url is updated when clicking on the blue message title.
​​​​​​​I sent you a PM
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 3:47 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/24/22 3:47 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
I figure now is as good a time as any to loop back to my orignal post here and update with regards to what has transpired so far.
I am happy to report that this experiemet has been a sucess, and it all happened quite fast once I set my mind to it and declared my intentions.
I think a key thing was believening that it is possibe, relatively common, believening that I can do it, and commiting to it 100%

What Changed
there appears to be a massive upgrade in basically everything.
Family relationships are very much upgrated. That's a huge plus. I see this as a good barometer, a reality test of sorts.
Having people close to me frequently pushing my buttons during this process, making annoying noises or whatever, has been helpfull.
Sense of self is dissolved. not completely, yet significantly. There are other perceptual shifts. Space is different somehow. 
There is less inhibiton, less clinging. Emotions pass through more fluidly now.
There are moments with a sense of love for all beings, or for specific beings. A sense of inteconnectedness, from the sun down to the soil microbes.
There's a sense of freshness.
Pain and pleasure are less of a problem.

What I Did
I compined noting and concentration practices, and directed the mind using questions. 
For a while I was combining fire casina on a candle while listening to a tibetan singing bowl.
I incroprated fire kasina into many moments thoughout the day, using tiny led lights works well.
Lookign out at something, while loking though the looker seems to work well. kind of like being john malkovich.
Did many variations of noting and asking questions throught the day.
example questions are:
What makes this moment less of of a moment than any other moment?
what makes this moment an 'in between' moment?
I baked the three 3C's into the noting  by using fill in the blank sentences, such as:
____ is not self.
_____ is subject to change, transient
____ is difficult to endure.
Early on, just 'see, hear feel' noting was usefull. especially using 'hear' on the internal dialogue. Currently, more abstract noting is beneficial.
When obessive thoughts are an issue, I play the cat and mouse game of waiting to catch them as soon as they pop up.
Used all postures: sitting, standing, walking, lying down.
  • Emphasizing the three charterstics.
    • aniccā,
      • Exploring how things pulasated, following sensations untill they disappear (sound of tibetan bowl in particular)
    • dukkha
      • seeing that it is all diffcult to endure, especially the blissfull stuff.
    • anattā
      • Really got into exploring this sense of self as a fabrication, similar to how AI in science fiction movies fabricates a sense of self.
Eventually the practice took on a life of its own. The energy level has been much higher with reduced need for sleep, and thus practice time increased in the evenings/early mornings. Things basically took off from there. I was carefull to not 'burn the fire kasina candle at both ends' so to speak, so as not to fry myself. Seems like practice in daily life rather than on retreat has a buffering effect, where activities such  as playing with kids moderate the level of intensity. 

I decided not to fuss over the POI map that much. Either way the same general principles seem to apply  no matter what stage we think we are on.
What did help me was keeing in mind that hard foucs is not desireable at every statage, and that allowing things to be nebulous is often a  good approach.

So, in summary,
Was this SE? not sure, either way, whatever this is is good. Pretty freaking awesome actually.
Is this a 'permament' upgrade? Hard to use the word permanent on anything.

Now its just a matter of following this further, and sharing what I can with other beings.
George S, modified 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 7:56 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 7:56 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 2722 Join Date: 2/26/19 Recent Posts
Nice!
Aviva HaMakom, modified 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 10:11 AM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 10:11 AM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 101 Join Date: 12/17/22 Recent Posts
Congratulations on your shift. Your report gives me hope- I feel majorly benefited.
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Asaf M, modified 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 1:51 PM
Created 1 Year ago at 12/25/22 1:44 PM

RE: I have resolved to attain stream entry. I seek guidance on the path.

Posts: 47 Join Date: 12/9/22 Recent Posts
Thank you for celebrating with me, George and Aviva. 

Aviva, it warms my heart to read that you feel benefited from reading what I shared.
Feel free to PM me if you'd like to connect on a more personal level.
I look forwards to reading about your amazing awakeing experiences as they occur. Just believe it. Go for it! Apparenly this is much more common than we think.  

Right now I am working on getting grounded. Developing the earth element. 
Energy is plentfifull now. It's tempting to give in to music, dancing and singing, as these things are super ultra enjoyable now that the mind percevies the details so much more clearly and simultaneously, and with the emotional supeconductivity.  That is, untill i wake up after and realize that the 'enjoyment'  I was gorging myself on is full of craving and suffering, leaving this sort of residue of craving/restlesness  in the system. Perhpas that's the disgust nana.
I am learning to settle more into tranquility, to let things be. To take it slow, to maintian balance of  the seven factors.
It seems wise to settle int the sublime bliss of being attuned to sensate experience, slowing savoring the sutchess of phenomea as it unfolds, rather than jumping into it like a kid splashing in the water puddle of sensuality (music) as I have been doing for a large portion of today, having decided to let myself loose, giving myself permission to do that, as a celebration.
So much is diffeent now.
Hunger and thirst are not what they used to be.
I dont get irritable when hungy, I just become more windy, less grounded, mor restless if I dont eat much. 
All the previosly unbearable stuff is just much more bearable.
Digestion is different. Food seems to vaprozie as it enters my system. 
seeing the rain todayt, I coudl see the movement of drops so much more clearly. it was mezemerizing. flashes of lines shooting thoght he air in rapid succession. the way the ind keeps up with exerience, the speed and detail of it, its wonderfull.
The slowess of sensate experience is also wonderfull. Temperature has a slowness to it, the way it pulses.
This is all just a small part of whats going on on a daily basis now.
There is 'dark night' stuff though its all bearable and conducive to compassion.

I am functioning at much higher level as a parent and spouse now. there is so much love,  skilfulness in speech, humour, generosity, lack of resentment, 
sympathetic joy, etc..

Hopefuly what I have written here encourages others who are living a householder life with childred and other obligations to go for it 100%, smack in the middle of daily life. Daily life is really beneficial to spiritual practice when we treat it as such!
I believe its importnat to mention that I have been keeping the sila, the morality aspect super tight, and following a healthy lifestyle.
If anyone reading this feel inspired to repeat the experiment, keep this in mind as well. 
Ok, enough writing, time for formal practice. Time is precious!

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