| re: cian (6/1/15 9:47 AM as a reply to Small Steps.)
That which you described at length sounds like a conventional TCM qigong – stance often used to end various kinds (forms) of practice, or used by itself.
(Pardon if I use the PinYin terms for 'moving meditations' qigong (for chi gung) and taijiquan (for tai ch'i chaun), as that's what I'm used to.)
When learning any moving meditation, there's lots to keep aware of, esp with taijiquan – precise balanced slow movements – as you've expressed very well. with practice – mastery, much becomes automatic, one can focus on each of the classical 3 levels – jing bodily movement, qi breath, shen mental awareness –this can result in khanika samadhi – momentary concentration (as Small Steps mentions).
"At ease, enjoying it. The mind kind of settles in to it, like my mind is interested and engaged by enjoying all the sensations and directing the motion to be smoother and more effortless."
"So first off its perhaps not such a typical samatha jhana exercise in that there's SO MUCH to be aware of at any one time (would i be right in saying that one would typically have a single point of focus to bring attention to? - for your standard samatha jhana practice)"
Need to clarify what kind of jhana you are referring to, what kind you've learned about. The single-pointedness focus mentioned above goes with traditional Visudhimaggajhana system, which is not possible simultaneously with bodily motion.
"Even still there'll be a tendency to focus on one aspect of all those 10 things for a long stretch at a time…" khanika samadhi, when strongly focused on on aspect, or even several in an all-together sense.
"Practice at the temple" was that qigong, or taijiquan. If qigong, did you do just that stance you describe (working the qi at the dantien), or also moving forms?
"… I'm sometimes doing some hypnotised grooving away in 3rd&4th jhanas…" and earlier "…occasional experiences that are best described by 5th and 6th jhanas…" "So it seems nowadays I'm hanging around a lot in 2nd jhana, but I've probably been in 3rd often enough (in ideal practice conditions)"
Talking about jhana-s in these ways would not fit with the Visudhimagga (Vism) jhana-s, but perhaps more the Brasington-Bucknell-MartinFox (BBMF) jhana system. This appears used by many people in DhO, and, as far as I cantell, is also the basis for the "pure-land" version.
The BBMF system postulates a series of 8 jhanas (spelled out by Rod Bucknell), relatively easy to find with some instruction and imagination, and can be done together with movement, even speech, but lacking the distinctive 'absorption' that's characteristic of the Visudhimagga jhana-s. According to Bucknell (who was following one Martin Stuart-Fox, and whom Brasington follows) the 8th BBMF jhana can be seen as roughly equivalent to the 1st Vism jhana. (Some argue the Vism jhana-s are next to impossible for any one other than a dedicated monk, but many authorities (from Thai, Burmese traditions, and people like Ayya Khema, Ajahn Sujato, etc.) maintain that anybody can do them, with proper training and sustained practice.)
"If I want to really get into cultivating strong concentration states, would this tai chi practice be sufficient, or would you recommend a kasina-esque practice that isolates one single point of focus?"
Moving meditation (taijiquan orqigong) can perhaps be used with the BBMF jhana system, but not get you into absorptive jhana. On the other hand, kasina practice is exactly where the Vism system starts its discussion of absorptive jhana, involving seclusion from all sensory input other then the object of focus (e.g. the kasina image), and with bodily motionlessness (not meaning rigidity, but rather equipoise), except for breath, heart-beat, blood-qi circulation, etc.
Actually in two of the most memorable Daoist qigong (aka 'daoyin') systems I have studied, trained in*, there were two phases: 1) 'forms' of programed movement, not unlike taijiquan forms, and followed by sitting, stationary meditation. In fact, in the 'Circling hands' method, the teacher emphasized that the sitting meditation was more important than the moving form, and his description of it was virtually identical to Theravadan anapanasati samadhi practice.
So you might investigate the differences, strengths / weakness of each of these jhana systems, and decide which conforms to your inclination and goals. Both have pragmatic value, but in different ways. If you want to go for really strong concentration, use kasina (e.g. steady flame as object – well documented here in DhO threads) or breath object, both as in the Vism. system. Moving meditation can still be used, perhaps as an initial phase, warm-up to calm and synchronize the jing-qi-shen (and using momentary concentration) before switching to sitting concentration practice.
There are a couple of quite good youtube talks by Ajahn Sujato on the (classical) jhana-s, and a good, relatively brief book by his teacher, Ajahn Brahm, on-line.
* 'Circling hands' form taught by Share K Lew (of San Diego, now deceased), and 'Wu Xin Lian Dan Fa' ("Five Hearts Smelt the Elixer Method") form, taught by Wu BaoLin (still teaching, in Santa Monica, CA) |