Hi everyone,

On 10 day Mahasi self-retreat the following experiences occurred:

1. I've been in Equanimity for about a day. During walking meditation I've noticed the space. Soon after, during sitting meditation the body disappeared, any boundary between everything disappeared, everything merged (no boundary), "it" became one color (light gray - white) like a very dense fog but without a space! Even space seems to disappear.

2. Sitting with my eyes open I've noticed how the entire visual field started to warp: extreme right and left ends of the visual field lifted up, center also went up, while area between center and ends went down. A horizontal straight line would be transformed into something like "3" twisted 90 to the right / clockwise (looks like a rounded "W").The process of visual field warping happen fast (0.5 second?), but not instantaneous. I remember noticing how the image was changing, the distortion grow. Once it reached the final warped form it stayed like this for a several seconds until I moved the head to the side, at which time the warping disappeared. Several seconds later I've moved my head back, the warping reoccurred! I went for a walk and about 15 minutes later returned to the same spot, warping reoccurred again. After that no more warping happen.

Does anyone experienced something similar, or does anyone know what is it?

Thanks a lot,
Radim

I'd say that's what happens when you really crank up your concentration while you are in EQ

Depending on whether you experience other phenomena at the same time (and what those phenomena are), your 1st point might be an incomplete description of 5th or 6th jhana.

Anyway, just more phenomena to be objectified. And the reaction to it is just another phenomenon to be objectified. And your judgment that you are in EQ is just another phenomenon to be objectified. And the attempt to explain and understand what it is is just another phenomenon to be objectified.

Hi Radim,

I think changes in sense perception --- how our mind perceives afferent sensations efferently?--- is a very, very natural and predictable outcome to extensive and gentle refocusing of the mind (aka: meditating) The chatty verbal habits of mind are starting to reduce or become a little muted and now sense perception often comes up in another form of "chatty" mental activity: eye-sight: wonky! Hearing-sound: wonky! Wow, what's this? And all on a "natural" brain, no drugs.

And this "new" perception stuff can be fun. I like how you described awareness of space and that fun change. Sometimes I think in this area of settled mind maybe we're just getting a flashback of what it was like to be a new infant, when we were just starting to see and feel and extend...

But this stuff can be exciting and deflating just like the arc of an energetic conversation's highs and lows. Similar to what the other respondent wrote, if you can ride that excitability out and not get stuck on that stuff nor wanting/missing funky sense perception to happen nor fabricating some diminished imitation of that mental activity (it can be very natural to try to make that sort of thing happen), thenthe mind is going to settle further and further.

When that new settling happens, that can ALSO suddenly be excitable to a practitioner. But then, again, the mind settles, and gets to become familiar with this state and what mental activity arises and passes here, too, and so on.


Good luck =]

Katy, Nick,
Thank you very much