Yesterday I spent much of the evening experimenting with visual practices as outlined here http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/4219379/Accessing+Jhanas+1-4+via+Eye+Focus Accessing Jhanas 1-4 via Eye Focus

[Interestingly, I think I stumbled into 4th jhana territory in my daily practice doing something similar: I have been combining staring at objects in the room while noting and then letting the noise (mostly nada noise) in the environment open up into a spaciousness, or my body sensorium imagined as a drum head, noting each sense-contact while focused on a visual object. Doing this, I sometimes (but regularly) get strange visual ripples and blips, like movement in stationary object. These visual ripples weren't stable, as their appearance was enough to knock me out of whatever mental state I was in (excitement, confusion: "wtf was that!"), so they're difficult for me to characterize or describe these since I haven't so far been able to investigate them.]

As I went to bed last night it occurred to me that I didn't need an external kasina object, I could just visualize what I had been looking at minutes earlier. So I cycled through these visuals and associated jhanas as described in Mumuwu's post.

Over the last few days I was impressed with Bhante Vimalaramsi 6Rs technique (via Brian Eleven) and I immediately began the practice. Specifically, going to mental tension, releasing it, relaxing, and so on. I combined this with my exploration of the jhanas. As I entered into 4th jhana, I sought out any mental tension and released, relaxed, re-smiled, entered a spacious and peaceful place then BRRRRRRRUPP. Nothing. I blipped or blacked out, like everything shut down. Then back again. "BRRRRRRRUPP" is my attempt to describe a static-like noise. I wondered if I was hearing something? What happened? So I repeated the steps and I blipped out again, with a similar static-like noise. Then I realized: maybe that wasn't a noise, perhaps it was the ear-sense shutting down? (For what it's worth, I didn't get a sense that I was nodding off to sleep.) I'll try this again later when I get a chance to meditate to see if I can reproduce this.

thanks in advance,

Matt

[EDIT: spelling, grammar]

For what it's worth, perhaps this was a parasomnia phenomena?:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Exploding_head_syndrome
Exploding Head Syndrome



My emphasis. That might sound like the static I heard - close enough.

Being a beginner I don't know anything, but it sounds like the description of Stream Entry from what I have read.

Sorry to ask an unrelated question on your thread, but where did you find the 6R stuff? I keep looking for it at Dhammasukha and somehow I can't seem to find it!

Very interesting post; I too have had the same experience many times and also ended up at the page for EHS.

I don't think thats what it is; I've an alternate explanation that fits better physiologically (insight/wisdom aside; the obvious outlook from vipassana perspective is that it is just another experience to note)

Signal-to-noise ratio and tinnitus both explain this experience, either together or each on their own.

Your brain is used to being inundated with noise - but when hit with very low levels ( i.e. in a state of concentration) it still is trying to send signals so it 'amplifies' what is available: noise (from tinnitus,ambient noise, or your own body doin' work). I'm sure you've experienced a similar sensation when meditating with eyes closed and seeing dark/bright patterns emerge.

i think this is the original source

I had exploding head syndrome for about two years, looking back on it now it was a bit like cessation and, like you describe, it (almost) always happened at night as I lay meditating. It's for this reason only that I'm inclined to say that it may not have been a fruition. Then again, it could well have been if you're practice has been strong before (I've read your thread on the HP too) and certain things you describe here suggest to me that you've got some skills[1].

If you don't mind, could you describe whether or not you were aware of anything during this period of "nothing"?

Also, have you noticed anything qualitative different about your current experience vs. previous experience?

I don't really know how the criteria lines up if we're using the MCTB/Mahasi noting vs. sutta-jhana approach, which appears to be the way you've been practicing lately, when we're talking 1st path here. To me, 1st path means you can get fruition every time you sit, having access to the 8 jhanas and all the cool easter egg stuff that comes with landing stream entry so that's what I tend to use if I've giving someone my opinion. Hopefully E.I.S. could chime in and offer an opinion 'cause he's the sutta-method dude right now and knows his stuff.

Whatever happens, keep up practice and have fun!

[1]
For about three or four years prior to getting stream entry I could see things in this way by just concentrating on them, even now I can make it happen at will and see solid objects becoming flickering, pulsating forms, still identifiable as the object but perceived as vibrations. I had absolutely no idea what the fuck it was until I got into insight training but they're just vibrations, then can be investigated further and, as far as I can tell, being able to perceive them is a good sign.

Thanks for the replies. I'm inclined to go with the wonderfully named Exploding Head Syndrome (EHS) which I'd never heard of before. If this was fruition it's a bit anticlimactic haha

Because the phenomena was confounded with some wonderful meditation states and seemed to be easily repeated (immediately after), it caused me some confusion until I stumbled across EHS. [No, I actually forgot to try this again in a more awakened state yesterday, but will ASAP.] mma's comment seems spot on.



Nothing. I am additionally perplexed by not having a sense of falling asleep at the time or having been startled awake. It was as if that time is just missing. But other facts suggest EHS...



Not that I can see, which nails this as simply strange phenomena. I'm pre-path, struggling through the DN. Reaching some equanimity and having an experience like this simply got me excited

thanks,

Matt

A&P?

D