Hello


I've been practicing insight meditation. I have the feeling that I am almost at the end of a new and complete "higher" insight cycle. All I need now is to dedicate time to contemplating emptines. I also have the feeling, simultaneously, that I am cycling through the "small" cycles of the path I'm in. When I experience the cessation of the mind at the end of a "small" cycle, I have to relearn how to experience things with equanimity. So I go back to the starting point, so it seems. These could either be the cycles from 2nd to 3rd path, each eliminating deeper levels of attachment. Or could be cycles that imitate the elimination of attachment but belong just to the 2nd path experience.

I don't have enough insight and wisdom to destroy attachment and aversion yet. I need to contemplate emptiness for more time. On the other hand, the mind and body, after a cessation experience, feel very good and free. The question is: does the experience of cessation of the mind in a "small" cycle disturb the "higher" cycle? If it does disturb, I rather contemplate emptiness. If it doesn't I would like to experience that freedom that comes with it and keep progressing in the "higher" cycle.

What do you think is the best option and why? Thanks.

Hi Blue Jay,

Not in my experience. If you're in, for example, the A&P of a "new" or "higher" cycle, the time you're spending in that stage will be much greater than it would if you were still in Review from the lower cycle, no matter how many times you complete it. The one fairly negligible exception I can think of being if you're in high EQ in the higher cycle, just on the verge of the higher fruition, and you try to push it (arguably you've already fallen out of high EQ for this to be possible) and end up having the lower fruition rather than the higher one from a place of deeper release. Then your chances of achieving the high EQ of the higher cycle again are reduced for at least a few seconds. At least I've never personally had the fruition for a higher cycle directly after one for a lower cycle.

I've also had multiple lower fruitions within a few minutes while in the EQ of a higher cycle. At that stage though I wouldn't recommend much deliberate action of any kind. At earlier stages it may help. To be honest, I never really paid much heed to the nanas after SE. I just focused on insight, and once that arrived in sufficient doses the higher fruitions occurred automatically regardless of what stage I seemed to be in. They were probably quickly preceeded by sudden shifts through the remaining nanas of the higher cycle and into high EQ.

All the best