Hey guys,

Yesterday I achieved 3th Path. Here is my last post:

https://www.dharmaoverground.org/discussion/-/message_boards/message/25571198

From the 25th of July till the 29th I meditated maybe 4-5 hours a day plus a few hours of binging on the internet as I was trying to quit but wasn't successful. I hit what I think to be A&P on the 28th during a meditation session. It lasted, no kidding, maybe 30 seconds. Basically felt like I was slightly happier - had a thought of "Things are good", had a small uplift in mood, the type of happiness most would feel if they just ate some chocolate cake that they were craving. Nothing huge whatsoever. I went to feed my cat, came back to meditate, and that feeling was already gone. I of course noted that this was probably the A&P. 

As I said prior, when I meditate, I meditate doing "Choiceless awareness" or as I simply call it, meditation. I don't do noting. body scanning, trying to see what sense door I am feeling or any of that nonsense, stuff like that made no sense to me for sometime now. Reality is just is, you don't need to look for anything. You notice, but you don't have to notice what you noticed. When meditating on 3rd Path, it felt harder, sure, but it wasn't anything that I wasn't doing prior. It just felt slightly deeper and more slippery. 

I have no idea when I had Re-Observation, literally did not feel anything. They say 3rd Path is the Dark Night of the whole thing but not for me I guess. I finally got how to comfortably and consistently meditate on 3rd Path on the 30th and I was doing maybe 6 hours a day plus the rest off-the-cushion. I was feeling like I was getting it on the 31st but I didn't get it that day since my concentration was off and I didn't focus more often than not. On the 1st of August I had a rest day so I just laid down on the coach for 7 hours. I didn't really meditate hard for the first 4 hours but when hard later on when I realised that things were easy and I was probably close to it. At around 16:30 I tried to look in the distance to force a cessation if you will (lol) but it didn't work. I ended up just drinking a bottle of water after, put it down and got the cessation at 16:31. What followed is a classic feeling of "No way that was it" followed by happiness and bliss, just like what happened at 1st and 2nd Path.

Here are the changes I noticed: 

- When I move through space, for example, turning a corner, there would be a gap where my mind would wander somewhere for a split second as I would need to think how to turn the corner etc. Now this gap is not there so things feel extremely fluid when moving.
- Before when I opened my eyes there would be a gap where things would "turn on" so to speak and would diminish when my eyes are closed. This doesn't happen, it's like things are always on even if I am opening or closing my eyes. This is what people call luminosity but this is the way I can describe it in my own words. 
-Thoughts are so quiet but some stuff left to go. When I would binge on the internet and then leave the room my DMN would instantly turn on and I could notice it clearlly and loudly. Now it turns on but it's so quiet that it greatly diminishes my suffering. Though again not there yet.
-4th Path feels even easier than 3rd to meditate on even though supposedly you stop cycling now but since I am doing choiceless awareness it doesn't actually change anything. I expect to get it sometime this week. 

I did not do any jhana whatsoever. From the very beginning "concentration" practice to me is literally the exact opposite of meditation and I have no idea why jhanas get any attention whatsoever aside from the party trick feel that I think they can provide. Sure, it will improve your concentration, but so will proper insight meditation. You're basically just wasting your time if you spend on-the-cushion practice for this instead of insight. I never voiced my opinion on this despite the fact that it feels like common sense just because I didn't have the insights so I couldn't speak from direct experience. But now I can at least comfortably say this with confidence.

No, I do not have doubt that this is 3rd Path. It's obvious. Maybe somebody could gaslight me after a day that I didn't get 2nd Path because the effects somewhat took a few days to really notice as the reactivitylessness would only show itself at my lowest points a few days after the happiness wears off. But this is just on another level.

Attached reaction after path:


Cheers 

It's great that mediation is working for you. A lot of people find that it doesn't do anything at all or they just find it too boring or uncomfortable to do. So being able to meditate a lot and having a positive outcome right away is quite something. Going forward you might also consider that, based on your descriptions, you may be leaving most of the benefits of mediation on the table. That is good news. There can definitely be more to come.

I am curious about some things you said and would be obliged if you could answer some questions I have. Please feel free to completely ignore:

1. What does A and P mean to you, personally. What meaning do you draw from the term, and what meaning do you draw from the experience. Please note that I am not asking about 'phenomenology'. Whether your eyelids flutter, or you feel really excited and hear angels sing while your left elbow is cold and right elbow is warm - I am not asking about such things. Due to the A and P how did your 'view' change or not change. World view, self view, view of society, friends etc etc

2. Same question for cessation

3. Detailed phenomenology of cessation the event itself ... not the entry or the exit

4. When you say choiceless awareness could you give a detailed algorithmic breakdown of what you do

5. If you were required to do a slow systematic bodyscan for one hour with upwards and downwards passes like a CT scan taking slices, wherein you look for skin/flesh/bones or the elemental qualities of fire water earth wind, with each scan slow and steady and looking for only thing on each scan ..... how would it go? I am not asking whether you see value in this. I am saying will you be able to do it? Will you be annoyed/irritated/offended/pleased/equanimous?

​​​​​​​Thanks in advance, and like I said feel free to ignore.

Very motivating to read how much you are meditating. This would be true even if you had no paths.

Bump

It's fantastic that mediation is helping you. Many individuals believe that it has no effect or that it is too dull or painful to practice. So being able to meditate frequently and have immediate good results is extremely remarkable. Going forward, you should consider that, based on your descriptions, you may be overlooking the majority of the benefits of mediation. That's great news. More is almost certainly on the way. doodle jump