Brick wall during meditation - Discussion
Brick wall during meditation
John, modified 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 4:39 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 4:38 PM
Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 51 Join Date: 7/11/14 Recent Posts
Hello,
I've been meditating for around 2 months, 1-2 hours each day and early on I made
some good progress. I even came to a point of absolute bliss and joy and it felt like
a light was bubbling up from within. It lasted for around 3-10 mintues and i belive that
this is caleld a meditative absoroption.
However, now I am noticing that I've hit a brick wall and nothing really is happening.
I have no problems with focusing on the breath and I can do that for an entire hour.
But I can't replicate the experience which I went through.
It's like I am focused on the breath and sensations and that's all there is.
Can someone help me out?
I've been meditating for around 2 months, 1-2 hours each day and early on I made
some good progress. I even came to a point of absolute bliss and joy and it felt like
a light was bubbling up from within. It lasted for around 3-10 mintues and i belive that
this is caleld a meditative absoroption.
However, now I am noticing that I've hit a brick wall and nothing really is happening.
I have no problems with focusing on the breath and I can do that for an entire hour.
But I can't replicate the experience which I went through.
It's like I am focused on the breath and sensations and that's all there is.
Can someone help me out?
Jake, modified 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 6:47 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 6:47 PM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 135 Join Date: 4/18/13 Recent PostsJohn:
But I can't replicate the experience which I went through.
Richard Zen, modified 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 7:36 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 7:35 PM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 1680 Join Date: 5/18/10 Recent Posts
Remember these blissful conditions appear when the conditions are right. By continuing to practice you are exercising your brain to be good at concentration. There will always be down-times where you don't get the big bliss (dopamine?). Just accepting the meditation as it is (mind-blowing or not) will reduce aversion to meditation.
Basically stress comes from the consciousness measuring what is good and bad (including meditation) in any experience (including all types of thinking). Learning to relax the negative perceptions by relaxing the body, face and relinquish negative thinking you'll recover and can continue with the concentration.
Just continuously nudge the brain back to the breath and any analyzing, judging, and blaming should be interrupted. Sometimes emptying your mind of all thinking temporarily and bringing something skillful into it is exactly what is in order.
Basically stress comes from the consciousness measuring what is good and bad (including meditation) in any experience (including all types of thinking). Learning to relax the negative perceptions by relaxing the body, face and relinquish negative thinking you'll recover and can continue with the concentration.
Just continuously nudge the brain back to the breath and any analyzing, judging, and blaming should be interrupted. Sometimes emptying your mind of all thinking temporarily and bringing something skillful into it is exactly what is in order.
Eva Nie, modified 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 8:49 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/11/14 8:49 PM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 831 Join Date: 3/23/14 Recent PostsNoting Monkey, modified 10 Years ago at 7/12/14 8:20 AM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/12/14 8:20 AM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 48 Join Date: 7/24/11 Recent Posts
Yeah, sometimes feeling no progress means that you made progress.
As Richard sad it is not good to put the experiences in good or bad category. It just cause stress. Many different kind of conditions can arise from the practice. Some of them come back some maybe not.
Don't worry about them. All conditions are impermanent. Keep going and see what is going to happen.
As Richard sad it is not good to put the experiences in good or bad category. It just cause stress. Many different kind of conditions can arise from the practice. Some of them come back some maybe not.
Don't worry about them. All conditions are impermanent. Keep going and see what is going to happen.
Eric G, modified 10 Years ago at 7/12/14 8:33 AM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/12/14 8:33 AM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 133 Join Date: 5/6/10 Recent Posts
One possibility, in the overfitting of maps/progress of insight category, is that the experience you had was A&P, and now you've moved up to equanimity (able to sit long periods). You would need to get stream entry and start a new cycle to get a solid chance at that joyful territory again.
John, modified 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 2:18 AM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 2:18 AM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 51 Join Date: 7/11/14 Recent Posts
UPDATE:
I am still meditating and still nothing is happening.
Breath in breath out, thoughts in thoughts out, observer observing and that's all.
I am still meditating and still nothing is happening.
Breath in breath out, thoughts in thoughts out, observer observing and that's all.
Karalee Peltomaa, modified 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 7:34 AM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 7:34 AM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 401 Join Date: 6/19/14 Recent PostsEric G:
One possibility, in the overfitting of maps/progress of insight category, is that the experience you had was A&P, and now you've moved up to equanimity (able to sit long periods). You would need to get stream entry and start a new cycle to get a solid chance at that joyful territory again.
Your post reminded me of what E. Tolle said when asked what did he enjoy doing and he said when he is not required to be somewhere he most enjoys sitting and just being. How elegant is that?!
Even though he still has an egoic mind -- he seems able to let it stream by without being recruited into its thoughts.
Daniel M Ingram, modified 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 10:04 PM
Created 10 Years ago at 7/21/14 10:04 PM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 3302 Join Date: 4/20/09 Recent Posts
You perhaps mean nothing dramatic is happening. Excellent.
If you can clearly observe things arise and vanish and not get caught in the drama, that is fantastic. Sensations arise and vanish on their own. This is simple and straightforward. Use this to gain insight into the Three Characteristics of all sensations, of space, of boredom, of peace, of equanimity, of everything that seems to be your body, of everything that seems to be your mind, of everything that seems to be observing anything, of anything that seems to be a mindstate, of anything that seems to be awareness, of anything that seems to be analysis or speculation or frustration or expectation or anything at all: the whole darn thing, space, this, that, all of it: see it as sensations that come and go, keep doing that, no matter how ordinary, as ordinary is a fine thing: don't let it throw you, as it is a good sign.
If you can clearly observe things arise and vanish and not get caught in the drama, that is fantastic. Sensations arise and vanish on their own. This is simple and straightforward. Use this to gain insight into the Three Characteristics of all sensations, of space, of boredom, of peace, of equanimity, of everything that seems to be your body, of everything that seems to be your mind, of everything that seems to be observing anything, of anything that seems to be a mindstate, of anything that seems to be awareness, of anything that seems to be analysis or speculation or frustration or expectation or anything at all: the whole darn thing, space, this, that, all of it: see it as sensations that come and go, keep doing that, no matter how ordinary, as ordinary is a fine thing: don't let it throw you, as it is a good sign.
masa, modified 10 Years ago at 8/29/14 12:42 AM
Created 10 Years ago at 8/29/14 12:42 AM
RE: Brick wall during meditation
Posts: 6 Join Date: 10/24/12 Recent Posts
I would add that trying to reproduce something you previously felt is a very common pit fall that will stall your practice big time. The important thing is to stick with the guidelines. In the martial arts, they call this process "going back to white belt."