Shooting for Stream Entry! - Discussion
I recently found DhO & MCTB and switched to Mahasi style noting. It's been only two days, but I know this is the road for me. 
Noting has stopped my unrelenting train of discursive thought, and I find myself with multiple moments of bare awareness during each sit, while I only experienced those moments before during the Goenka retreat, but not much after coming back home.
On a parallel track, I have a severe psychosomatic issue causing severe pain, stiffness and chronic fatigue, caused, AFAIK, due to relentless thoughts leading to muscles tensing. For the last few years I held that it was purely a physical issue, but after having tried lots of things, am now coming around to the idea that a sizeable part of it is a mental/emotional issue.
Concentration Meditation doesn't seem to be working too well, the thoughts just have too much momentum, but noting really helped concentration as well.
A few questions, provided the Yogi is pre-path & post A&P
Post A&P, is it possible to experience A&P again and again if you've lost momentum... Or had an experience on psychedelics or for any other reason?
Say I have lost momentum, then does one start from the first nana during their sit, going through them all up the stages of insight?
Going through some old A&P threads, it seems you CAN cross A&P multiple times.
Even when I do/try pure Samatha practice (anapanasati) or kasina meditation, I experience going through all the dukkha nanas, in a very exaggerated way... I am unable to make heads or tails of this experience... Though I should add my Samatha practice also has a *lot* of discursive thought, zoning out etc...
On this thread,
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/view_message/5572547#_19_message_5572547
Eric M W says "Five years of trying for jhana and not succeeding could be the result of being in the Dark Night. How are you sits now?"
I have generally horrible concentration and too much uncontrolled thinking in daily life too.
If I am indeed post A&P, which I think I am because of the experience of the dukkha nanas during each sit, then I'm aiming for equanimity first.
I posted about my most recent retreat experience here, along with some information which leads me to believe i might be in the dark night phase.
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/message/5684877
Because of my illness, I stay home with my parents, and don't have many responsibilities that normally people would have. It's like the perfect retreat situation.
I am shooting for stream entry, and I have virtually unlimited practice time at home, and I know you guys get really excited when someone here is close to path.
Also, another reason I want to go for path, is that post-path it seems you have access to the jhanas much easier, and I believe/hope that the jhanas will make a difference to my illness, though if they don't I'd still be okay with it.
Any other advice/pointers/encouragements/links to related threads of interest would be very much appreciated.
Love,
Yash
Noting has stopped my unrelenting train of discursive thought, and I find myself with multiple moments of bare awareness during each sit, while I only experienced those moments before during the Goenka retreat, but not much after coming back home.
On a parallel track, I have a severe psychosomatic issue causing severe pain, stiffness and chronic fatigue, caused, AFAIK, due to relentless thoughts leading to muscles tensing. For the last few years I held that it was purely a physical issue, but after having tried lots of things, am now coming around to the idea that a sizeable part of it is a mental/emotional issue.
Concentration Meditation doesn't seem to be working too well, the thoughts just have too much momentum, but noting really helped concentration as well.
A few questions, provided the Yogi is pre-path & post A&P
Post A&P, is it possible to experience A&P again and again if you've lost momentum... Or had an experience on psychedelics or for any other reason?
Say I have lost momentum, then does one start from the first nana during their sit, going through them all up the stages of insight?
Going through some old A&P threads, it seems you CAN cross A&P multiple times.
Even when I do/try pure Samatha practice (anapanasati) or kasina meditation, I experience going through all the dukkha nanas, in a very exaggerated way... I am unable to make heads or tails of this experience... Though I should add my Samatha practice also has a *lot* of discursive thought, zoning out etc...
On this thread,
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/view_message/5572547#_19_message_5572547
Eric M W says "Five years of trying for jhana and not succeeding could be the result of being in the Dark Night. How are you sits now?"
I have generally horrible concentration and too much uncontrolled thinking in daily life too.
If I am indeed post A&P, which I think I am because of the experience of the dukkha nanas during each sit, then I'm aiming for equanimity first.
I posted about my most recent retreat experience here, along with some information which leads me to believe i might be in the dark night phase.
http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/message/5684877
Because of my illness, I stay home with my parents, and don't have many responsibilities that normally people would have. It's like the perfect retreat situation.
I am shooting for stream entry, and I have virtually unlimited practice time at home, and I know you guys get really excited when someone here is close to path.
Also, another reason I want to go for path, is that post-path it seems you have access to the jhanas much easier, and I believe/hope that the jhanas will make a difference to my illness, though if they don't I'd still be okay with it.
Any other advice/pointers/encouragements/links to related threads of interest would be very much appreciated.
Love,
Yash
