I posted another thread about how I sort of 'pop', into the 4th vipassana jhana. It always takes a while, it's near more the end of my sit. In effect I'm asking how I can get into a concentration state, besides the 4th jhana. I want to see the other ones. 

I've felt all sorts of rapture, and seen weird visual artifacts. But on a scale of 1 to 10, the most intense it gets in the beggining or middle of the session is maybe a 3. A 10 would be the most intense I've expeirenced. "intense", meaning pretty god damn obvious vibrations. An altered state to the somato-sensory field. The most I've experienced on retreat was a 10. And at home at least a 9, and maybe even 10. But the retreat was so long ago. The 9's I've experienced at home are my goal for the earlier jhanas.

My whole thing is like, basiclly, how I incendentally get into a concentration state later, as a side-effect of being high up in equanimity. Right now it's framed as an accident. But if I can do it there, I should be able to do the other 3.

Obviously a main goal right now is trying to get to stream entry. And I won't explain it all here, it's too much. But so it seems the path I'm on is a middle path. I'm trying to fill in the proper effortful side (work out your liberation with dilligence), and also to fill in the effortless side (be here now).

Some things that propel me into the 4th-vipassana jhana. 1 Noting a lot, throughouly, and accurately. (But balancing all the 7 factors)(And balancing effot v effortlessness), as well as, and this is key, sort of "Strong determination sitting", through the painful body postures. One a good day I'm actually quite good at the latter, and have a high pain tolerance. But this is the thing here, the thing I'm asking. As you can see, I only pop into the higher vipassana jhana because I've moved up the nyanas, and by the time I'm in equanimity, my concentration is strong.

Like, I don't see how it's possible to just sit down and within 30 minutes to an hour, enter the first jhana and/or the first vipassana-jhana. Because by definition, wihin 30 minutes, havne't I already moved well past mind and body, cause and effect, and the three-characteristics? If I had to guess it takes me anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to get to the A&P nyana.

How am I supposed to force myself to stay in mind and body? 

My whole thing is like, If I can get into the 4th vipassana-jhana, I should be able to get into the earlier ones. Like I said, the ultimate goal is stream entry, but I think it would be good for me to experience some of the earlier states. I really think it would help condition the mind. And sort of impart a feeling of healing. Not a super hard jhana. Just to the same level of intensity I've experienced with the 4th one. 

Also, one time I set out to enter a concentration state and I did indeed experience a softer version of something weird. I thought maybe it was the 3rd vipassana jhana. It felt like my head was under water. I can't remember much else. It was months ago. Which leads me to another question and hypothesis. If my center of gravity is closer to the dark night and equanimity, doesn't that mean I should be able to more easily be able to experience the 3rd vipassana jhana?

It strikes me as weird, it seems like learning the first and second jhanas is harder for me. But that's what I intuit.

Also if I'm moving through the nyanas, throughout the day, via sitting, wouldn't that mean my only shot to enter the 1st jhana is first thing in the morning?

This post feels like a mess. Partially almost getting it out on paper. But the main thing, even if I don't understand why, or what's going on, is to simply learn how to do this, ocassionally. 

It seems I'm asking two questions. 1. The mess about how I'm supposed to get into 1st or 2nd when my gravity is 3rd or 4th. 2. How do I practice shamatha/concentraiton better regardless of map theory. And Do you have any advice to calibrate my technqiue? (This part I will detail below).

I think the best path for me is to focus on the entire body as the object. So theoretically, what I want to do is just hone in on that chunk of sensations as one continuous object. To really dig in to it. Balance the 7 factors, but temporarilly delete 'invenstigation' (of the 3 C's). Also, if and when available focus on the tingling, and let it mingle with the visual light behind the eye lids. And finally, let the mind-stream calm.

I think it would be best done, lying down, in bed, near the end of the day. But again, this goes back to the cunundrum. That by the end of the day, I'm most assuredly going to be more centered in the Dark Night to Equanimity.

I must know how to do this. I can't read yet another dharma book on learning to concentrate right now. My life/mental resources are limited. I don't think I need another big treatise on the topic. Between reading TMI, MCTB1 (in full), I can't get myself to read yet another book. I can try. But I have so little time on the weekends. I actully bought the Path of Serenity and Insight. I'll start there. Ill read a few pages right now. To contradcit what I just said. You know what. What I'm trying to say here, is that it's hard for me to read a lot and digest it sometimes. Sometimes basic pragmatic summaries in english help better.

But on that note, I would be interested in pragmatic dharma links, pages, or DhO posts. And/or answers to my questions. 

I suppose what would be helpful would be to experiment with more concentration oriented practice, for a few months, see how I'm doing, and recalibrate and ask the right questions, by keeping a phenomenology log.