Hi all. I had a profound experience and I'm trying to find out if it has a place in Buddhist teachings. I was glad to find out a forum like this exists. I've tried Vipassana irregularly for 1.5-2 years. I had been meditating daily with the Hong-Sau technique when this happened.

It was kicked off after a meditation session. It lasted 2-3 days.

During this time, it was like my reality had changed. Everything and everybody looked and sounded different. There was a great sense of flawlessness. I was constantly blissful and joyful. I felt love for everything and everybody. I also became very intuitive.

There was also physiological effects. I was much more energetic than usual. I needed less sleep, ate more regularly, much better digestion etc. like a switch was turned on in my body.

This is pretty much the core of what happened, even though there is more that can be said.

I would appreciate any input about what you think this was from the perspective of your teaching. One reason I'm asking is I'd like to do more research about it. And if there is a particular direction to go in meditation after this, I'd like to find out. Thanks a lot in advance.

To clarify, 'certain states' implies a temporary condition that is being enforced by the meditator. What is claimed here is certain permanent levels of dis-embedding from live experiencing. A person of some attainment can become intoxicated with alcohol, which is a 'certain state', and due to their level of attainment, the consciousness watching from within is lucid. Rather than the experience being a dreamlike mess, they can effortlessly see the effects of the intoxication, as if it was a depiction on film.

So you had something really cool and nice happen in your meditation.



Hate to be the one to say this, and you probably know it deep down too but your problems arent gone forever. The stage you are probably at 'the arising and passing away' stage, is infamous for making one feel union with god, or the cosmos. However it is all temporary. On the other hand, getting to this stage is a big deal in terms of percentage of the population, so well done.

If you practice correctly, you'll come across more mundane territory, which is correct. And if you complete the whole insight path, you can enjoy the next a&p the same way. But don't stagnate now. Keep practicing.

Hey Joshua, thanks for the reply. It seems like the arising and passing away stage has some overlap with what I experienced. Now I'm reading that it is followed by dark night. That's interesting and a little scary to read. That also has some overlap with where I'm now, even though not as strongly. I'll read more about that and try to figure out how to navigate through it, if I really am there. Thanks again.

If this really was the arising and passing away, does that mean that I passed through the previous stages without realizing?

(I'm marking this as answered, but feel free to comment if you have anything to add)

Was it something like this?

Regarding where this stands in ancient teachings - you first have to decide on which interpretation you prefer. They are as numerous as the grains of sand in the Mississippi. The problem with putting it in a box is that you turn it into a thing. Then all you can do is try to hang onto or get rid of it. If there is wisdom in what you saw, then it will stay with you and it will inform your decisions. See how it impacts how you look at your life, how you live it, how you relate to others, feelings, thoughts, etc. If it helps you hold your experience less tightly then you are probably on the right track. As far as meditation goes - it depends on your practice. I guess from a noting practice stand point it is just another thought or feeling to be noted. I am of the Thai Forest persuasion so I might try to recall those feeling of blissfulness and joy as a gateway into the meditation practice. I would also try to reflect on the experience in daily life if it helped me to avoid conflictive behavoir.

Hello friend,

I realize that this thread is closed but I thought I would chime in. My point in summary: amazing experiences do not necessarily imply a permanent change or attainment.

I find this to be a trend in this community, diagnoses of experience, but this implicit assumption that an experience means something may be faulty.

That having been said, you may have experienced a nimitta.

http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/5.18-Anuruddha-Upakkilesa-S-m128-piya.pdf