Forgot how to concentrate

Sam Bartko, modified 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 11:00 AM
Created 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 11:00 AM

Forgot how to concentrate

Posts: 9 Join Date: 3/12/17 Recent Posts
Hi Everyone

So during the A&P I was really starting to get somewhere with jhana practice. I had a series of really cool vibratory A&P events with choiceless awareness and ever since then I've been unable to raise my mental energy level beyond a vaugely dull level, and at times my mind is all over the place. Is this a normal thing?  My teacher diagnosed it as dukka nana territory, which I agree with, considering that everything sucks and I constantly feel like crawling out of my skin and wanting to roll up in a ball in the corner and die.

Considering my mind seems to not be as sharp since the A&P, I don't know the best way forward. I can't get anywhere near jhana reliably, it seems like I start to get concentrated, then I get some pleasure but jhana just wont let me in. I'm doing metta and my normal TMI practice (was around stage 7 until this started-now more like stage 5). It feels like choiceless awareness could be a good place to settle down for the dukka nanas because I'm trying to see and accept every sensation clearly. 

Mostly I just want to know if this is normal to regress in concentration during DN. I hear people talking about jhanas lubricating the DN, but I just can't focus now. 
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Drew Miller, modified 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 5:50 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 5:49 PM

RE: Forgot how to concentrate

Posts: 61 Join Date: 11/22/13 Recent Posts
Here's a link to a video that might validate your experience. I experience decreased concentration during the dukkha nanas too.

https://vimeo.com/69793499
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Nikolai , modified 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 6:02 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 4/21/17 5:57 PM

RE: Forgot how to concentrate

Posts: 1677 Join Date: 1/23/10 Recent Posts
In my experience, 3rd jhana/dukkha nana territory natjurally has "attention" become more about the "edges" of the field of experience, like a donut, where the centre of attention is fuzzy, hard to hold and difficult to focus on. It's easier to play along with this warping of attention effect by letting attention be like so for however it lasts, at least until you pop out of that murky territory into a more inclusive centre/periphery viewpoint of 11th nana. 

Allow attention to be the donut. Get curious about the not-self aspect of attention. No "me" to find there. It is what it is till it isn't. Choiceless awareness would be helpful as it means attention won't be seen as something to try and "control" but just to get curious about, no matter how "it" takes shape. 
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Sam Bartko, modified 6 Years ago at 4/26/17 2:29 PM
Created 6 Years ago at 4/26/17 2:29 PM

RE: Forgot how to concentrate

Posts: 9 Join Date: 3/12/17 Recent Posts
Paweł K:


its like like trying to find and settle on lowest point in multidimensional valley
great excercise and if you manage to do it gives you more than a&p and eq combined
also teach you that central point is not awareness which disctinction is not known by novice meditators

I noticed this phenomenon as you said, trying to allow the edges of center point to become more prominent, not paying as much attention to breath sensations but everything related and peripheral to central point. Jhana arose quite to my suprise. Its a very tricky thing though as the "periphery" is sort of ill-defined. Your valley analogy I assume you mean the entire field of awareness is the valley and the sweet spot to put attention is the low point in the valley, and in that sweet spot discernment of sensation is best. 
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