Hello.
The middle paths seem pretty undocumented, and I remember that it was all I really wanted to hear about for quite some time after stream-entry, so I thought I would add some notes for myself and for others to reference and compare themselves with.

Recently I've been really seeing the three characteristics in the 7th jhana, Nothingness. I seem to have had very concrete and specific understandings with new clarity that I never had before, which are as follows:

I've reached remarkable clarity concerning what that "I" actually is, what it's habits are, and so on. I used to think that the "I" did all sorts of things that, now once I really look at it, it doesn't actually do. In fact, I uncovered some fear about being the "I" too much. I find that the "I" is actually not such a bad guy. Sure, he's the source of delusion, but he only wants what's best, and you can't kill him on the spot anyways, so you might as well enjoy him. In fact, that's the point. You can't get rid of him, but listening to him and comparing him to luminous space in order to drive home the point that what he is or is doing is fake can be enjoyed. It's like you're unconsciously identified with the "I" (I say unconsciously, because you can only ever see what he is doing with self-reflection, which is why noting practice is so powerful. It can seem like you are aware of "I" as it is happening once your noting skill get good) yet you also are also somehow identified with this open space that you can compare the mental constructs to, and as long as you favor that open space or luminosity you can feel a sense of pleasure. Yes, the "I" sucks, but when you are with the open space then there's something pleasing about it. And like I said, "I" isn't such a bad guy. Once you hit stream entry he's on a path to self destruction anyway.

Another effect of really penetrating the 7th jhana is that I find it really easy not to have a self image as I walk around and deal with people. The regular mental habit is to point at mental impressions or constructs and say: "This is where I am, this is what's happening, this is how I work, etc, etc...". It's like a mental artifact that would float through space and I would map my progress on it. Now it's easy to feel the sense of I (through rapid self-reflection or noting) without having this "other" construct to work through, or I will enjoy the mental constructs as they come before my mind's eye because I no longer doubt their unrealness. They dissolve quickly.

Another effect is that I can see that the "I" really believes what it believes. I can think conceptually that "all is one", but at the same time I'm granted the clarity to look back and say "Oh yeah, 'I' don't really believe that or act on that. 'I'm acting on this other belief." This makes it clear that I need to change my basic understanding, or what I thought was always true and never doubted, instead of adding new ideas and concepts on top of what I already have. I differentiate this from a kind of "harsh wisdom" which is wisdom that is forced upon yourself, such as demanding of yourself that you be a "good person" when you really hate someone's guts. Both of these ideas need to be seen through, but it's seeing through the basic understanding that causes fundamental changes.
(Consequently, for those interested, I'm writing out of a mix of both concepts and what "I" really believes. This is because neither is sufficient on it's own to get my points across. The interplay between them is quite interesting.)


I can't be sure if these insights are tied to being in the middle paths or if they have to do with penetrating the 7th jhana only. It feels like anything below 7th jhana is understood to be false by default and will dissolve away without any effort. This seems like a pretty high attainment and especially required for traveling further down the path. Is it possible that one needs to penetrate the jhanas for arhatship? Can anyone past this stage comment on which part of their meditation career they started penetrating the jhanas, so maybe we can figure out if this is one of those things which mediators tend to do automatically without outside influence at certain parts of the path, which is what seems to be happening to me?

Also, any advice on how to penetrate the 8th Jhana? I figure the important thing to note would be the arising and passing away of 'perception', right? There is also a certain "I" which disappears in the 8th jhana and in it's afterglow that takes some time to recover. I'm making a prediction here that once that is penetrated then I will effortlessly move back to a state without pre-8th jhana sense of "I" very effortlessly and be able to reside there.

It makes me wonder what state the arhat resides at? Does it lack perception the way 8th jhana does?

Those are my thoughts. Questions and criticism welcome

Nice pracitce notes!!

For a lot of middle paths practice notes one can go to Kenneth Folk's site and see quite a few. Mine included.

www.kennethfolk.com

Nick

In my experience of the 8th jhana, it is not really a jhana where you can start analysing and pulling it apart. It gets a bit crazy with the not registering and registering of perception blipping back and forth rapidly. Usually I come out of it if I start trying to "penetrate" it as you say. You are either in it or out of it. And the arhat state is one where all the phenomena physical and mental, which includes the formation of the sense of self, is seen as equal, no better than, no higher status for one sensation over another. The whole playing field is leveled. No king of the hill. No stickiness or clinging element there. The mind is a teflon mind. No phenomena has anywhere to land as it arises and passes away. Habitual tendencies still arise but do not stick. You do not "eradicate" the sense of self. It is seen for what it truly is and it's illusory higher status is taken away and it still arises and passes away like any other phenomena.

Hope this helps.

Nick