Hi and welcome, Stefan,
Anyway, here it goes. From an age about 14-15 years old, I discovered that I could “feel” energy (or whatever it is) between the hands and in my body. (E.g. on top of my head) In conjunction with this I also started to experience what I assume are “initiating stages” to out of body experiences. These experiences has come and gone during the years but I have always resisted exploring that experience any further.
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Enough background. Is there any way that I can use the “energy sensations” as a meditation object for realizing the three characteristics? I ask because these sensations sometimes tend to arise automatically when I meditate. Is it something to ignore or could I utilize these sensations for insight practice?
So I relate to what you've written and had a similar thing happen at that age, also beginning in the hands; then I was able to intentionally expand it around the body. When I moved it to the head area an out-of-body experience happened out of the blue (and, consequently, I have the convinction that where there is sentience there is always God (aka: pure consciousness, aka: indivisible consciousness) inherent.)
Anyway, towards the three charateristics: you may note that these sensations while very pleasant, do not last, they fade (impermanence). Sometimes they come and go on their own (not-self). Sometimes we crave them and we do not get them or we do get them and they no longer satisfy (dukkha).
Your thoughts?
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This is my raccounting. Your reading this is of course not a direct mental insight; that comes from own life and somethings so simple mental can become a powerful behavior changes when really learned personally.
In a Coursera MOOC, the class facilitator points out at the outset that there are no teachers, just learners-- that a person wants to learn and learns, and something or someone faciliates the learning moment. I look forward to hearing more of your directly learned own knowledge and thank you for your thread :]
