New Change

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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/29/12 12:17 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/28/12 10:35 PM

New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
I have begun having experiences in my meditations where I feel my perceptions widening like something is almost there but I have not yet reached the point where this elusive "thing" resides. Something feels like it is trying to open up but is hard to open like one's eyes after a long night's sleep. In my daily life, outside of meditation, my perception (not physical perception, but perception of Reality through the Three Characteristics) feels kind of the way one physically does when he/she has been sitting at a computer all day and develops eye strain then takes his/her eys away from the screen and begins to feel relief from the strain. I should also note that these experiences have no solidity associated with them and occur during my regular vipassana meditation sessions as well as when I steal a few moments to do vipassana practice throughout the day.

According to the Theravada models of Enlightenment, I have attained First Path. I believe that I may have attained Second Path a few months ago, but have been subjecting it to reality testing before saying that for sure, and then these perceptions began to happen.

I do not want to prematurely assume that I have already attained Third Path, but I thought I would bring this to the DhO and get others' thoughts on this. Any takers?
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Pål S, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 5:16 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 5:16 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 196 Join Date: 8/16/10 Recent Posts
Matthew C Allen:
I have begun having experiences in my meditations where I feel my perceptions widening like something is almost there but I have not yet reached the point where this elusive "thing" resides.


What is this "thing"?

Why cant you reach it?

Are you asking if the experience is characteristic of 3rd path or if it leads to 3rd path?
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 10:28 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 10:28 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
I am not sure what this thing is. It feels like something is missing in my practice. Like something is not yet finished.

I am wondering if this might be characteristic of Third Path.
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Tommy M, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 5:53 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 5:53 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
Hiya Matthew, welcome to the DhO,

According to the Theravada models of Enlightenment, I have attained First Path.

Interesting. On what do you base this claim?

I believe that I may have attained Second Path a few months ago, but have been subjecting it to reality testing before saying that for sure, and then these perceptions began to happen.

What causes you to believe that you may have attained 2nd path?

Your description doesn't sound like 3rd path but it's difficult to say much more without knowing your background in meditation, how your practice is right now and what sorts of things you're observing during a sit.
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 11:07 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 11:03 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
I should actually correct myself and say that this claim is based upon the Revised Four Path Model in MCTB.

Here is an explanation of my practice thus far:

I hit my first A&P several years ago before really understanding insight practices and just really beginning my spiritual path. I further investigated this and began practicing insight meditation. During this time I also joined a Buddhist lineage and began working toward ordination as a priest.

On January 17, 2011 I was doing insight meditation on the Mikkyo practice of Kuji-In which is primarily taught in my Buddhist tradition of Mahajrya. This happened after going to visit my wife's mother who was dying of cancer. This event coupled with my meditation the day after helped me to finally understand the characteristics of Impermanence and Suffering. Then I had this blip and then my perception was different and I felt this "lightness". Afterwards I was opening my refrigerator and noticed the non-duality of phenomena as I was opening the door. I continued my insight practices and further investigation of the Three Characteristics. I had also received my copy of MCTB and began reading it for the first time a few weeks before this happened and was read the Revised Fourth Path Model and subjected my experience to reality testing. I progressed through the cycles though they were somewhat subtle to me as I did not have that much experience yet with having awareness of these phenomena.

In October of last year, I had a lucid dream where I was in the temple of my mind doing intense Insight meditation on a large flame in the center of the room when my body and the flame merged together and I vibrated apart at the atomic level. I came back to myself and realized that I had another major A&P event and began to investigate this experince further. In my dream I was sitting inmeditation for several months investigating the Three Characteristics then I woke up in a way that there was no perceptual difference between waking and dreaming reality. In bed, I immediately continued where I left off in my dream about investigated the arising and passing of phenomena from the A&P I experienced and then I had another blip and then had a more fine sensation of my perception of reality as I had when hitting First Path. I knew this could be Second Path but wanted to put it to reality testing first so I have been doing that since.

About two days before posting this thread, I was doing my regular insight meditation. I was doing regular insight practice, and then I suddently had this widening perception of phenomena and was able to feel a great deal of my sensate reality as vibratory phenomena arising and passing on their own, and that there was a part of this perception that was not yet available to me. There was no gradual happening of this perceptual feeling -- it was not there on moment and then it was -- very much like a fruition. Since that time I have been able to immediately go into insight meditation in my daily life and I am able to notice the non-dualistic nature of reality throughout the day. Before this point I could concentrate and be able to perceive reality as 3D Snow in real time and do indight meditation when I had a few moments to do so. Now, I can see this 3D Snow effect at all times without effort like it is in teh background and the perceptual sensate reality as seen from the physical eyes is transposed over it.

With regards to my meditation practice, I spent two hour per day doing Insight practices -- either basic sitting vipassana meditation, walking meditation, or insight meditation upon the mantras and ritualistic meditation practices taught within the Buddhist tradition in which I am currently ordained as a Bhikku (Priest). I also spent most (roughly 80-90%) of my day doing noting practice while still going about my daily routine. I currently live in the mundane world and have a job working at a local grocery store to pay the bills so I am unable to go on meditation retreats as much as I would like, but I take about two consecutive days out of the month and spend the entire 36-48 hour period doing nothing but insight meditation and noting practice. During my insight practice I usually stick to the vibratory patterns of physical sensations as I have found these to be best to my staying focused on them without any extraneous thought patterns arising. During my daily routine, I do noting and focus on all major sensation that arise in my perceptual faculties.

Here is the layout of my practice as it has been for the past three years, and what I am currently doing.
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Tommy M, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 4:41 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 4:41 PM

RE: New Change

Posts: 1199 Join Date: 11/12/10 Recent Posts
Thanks for that, Matthew. That's some excellent practice, I have no reason to doubt you're where you think you are based on what you've provided so hopefully you'll find something on here that helps flips it.

Try looking at sensations implying space, dimensionality, subtle perceptual distortions, attention itself and what's still not being seen clearly enough. It's like there's that one thing you're missing and you keep skipping back over it like a broken record, somehow missing something about it but then, all of a sudden, it all unties and it's there; this, just this.
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 1:05 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 1:05 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
Thank you for your response and ideas about my experience. I will investigate those sensations you talk about and see what happens.
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 11:52 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 11:52 PM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
I believe you have answered my question for this post, however, I am going to keep this open in order for others to also offer their input. I'm also going to pur all of my experiences together and repost in the claims to attainments area.
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tarin greco, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 6:23 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 6:23 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 658 Join Date: 5/14/09 Recent Posts
Matthew C Allen:
I have begun having experiences in my meditations where I feel my perceptions widening like something is almost there but I have not yet reached the point where this elusive "thing" resides. Something feels like it is trying to open up but is hard to open like one's eyes after a long night's sleep. In my daily life, outside of meditation, my perception (not physical perception, but perception of Reality through the Three Characteristics) feels kind of the way one physically does when he/she has been sitting at a computer all day and develops eye strain then takes his/her eys away from the screen and begins to feel relief from the strain. I should also note that these experiences have no solidity associated with them and occur during my regular vipassana meditation sessions as well as when I steal a few moments to do vipassana practice throughout the day.

do you notice suffering and no-self here?

tarin
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 11:08 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 11:08 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
Yes. I notice all of the Three Characteristics within these sensations.
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tarin greco, modified 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 1:38 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/30/12 1:38 PM

RE: New Change

Posts: 658 Join Date: 5/14/09 Recent Posts
Matthew C Allen:
Yes. I notice all of the Three Characteristics within these sensations.

in which case, i would say the type of experience inspiring what you wrote earlier - the metaphor of beginning to feel relief from eye strain - should be investigated and calmly developed further. looks good, thanks for checking in to share your experiences and provide more data points.
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Matthew C Allen, modified 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 1:03 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 1/31/12 1:03 AM

RE: New Change

Posts: 12 Join Date: 1/16/12 Recent Posts
Thank you for the response. I will continue my investigation of this phenomena.