Was this significant?

William, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 4:38 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 4:25 AM

Was this significant?

Posts: 6 Join Date: 12/24/18 Recent Posts
Hello. A bit of background first.
i have only been doing insight meditation for 4 days. I read all of Daniels book MtCTotB in 1 day and began practicing immediately after.
This isn’t my introduction to the path however, as I have been receiving shaktipat once a week for the past year, and have done a decent amount of self enquiry 
okay, now the experience..
 
I stared my meditation as I normally do by noting the breath. “In” “out” , “in” “out”, also noting any sensation which distracts me. I do this for 10 to 15 minutes, or just until I intuitively feel I can stop. After this I just gently rest my attention on the pulsations in my visual field.
this time, probably the 10th insight meditation I’ve done, I really, really effortlessly got into it. I effortlessly merged with the pulsations, and the pulsations became “me,” in a sense. Then, I intuitively realized I should turn my attention to my thoughts. Before I always tried to ignore thoughts, but now I wanted to see their true nature. And what a trip this was!

basically, I was able to look at my thoughts with laser-like focus. It became truly impossible to get lost in the stories as I was deeply conscious of every single frame, and had no recollection of the previous frame. Then, the thoughts merged with my visual field and instead of experiencing the thoughts as thoughts, they moved from my skull into a box overlaying my visual field. What’s more is I could perceive 2 distinct thought-flows simultaneously. I was looking at a visual thought-flow which was occurring as part of the pulsating visual field, as well as hearing and entirely unrelated voice.
So my question, as a complete noob is... what the heck? Is this significant in any way?
edit: I should also mention 3 things. 1.) I had immediately after this the insight that “knowledge does not exist” 2.) this experience was very blissful 3.) I have doubted this because i wonder if I “tried” to make it happen too hard
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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 5:21 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 5:21 AM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
Hi there! I’m pretty new to insight meditation as well, at least the kind that is about applying a method. I have done ”do nothing” meditation before without knowing it had a name. I have started noting rather recently. So take my comments for what they are; there are so many more experienced meditators here.

Anyway, I would say that you reached at least first jhana, that is, a more developed state of concentration than access concentration. Could be second jhana, too. That is hard for me to say from your description. Also, you reached a new level of sensory clarity. I don’t know what you mean by significant, but you are developing. Congratulations! It could be that you have now entered the phase of Arising and Passing, but that’s not for me to say. It’s progress, though. That’s for sure.

It’s cool being able to sense the form of thoughts appearing without going into the content, isn’t it?

Has this experience changed your perceptions off the cushion as well? How are you feeling? How have you been feeling before this happened?
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Chris M, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 9:43 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 9:22 AM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 5117 Join Date: 1/26/13 Recent Posts
So my question, as a complete noob is... what the heck? Is this significant in any way?

Welcome, William.

It's significant in that you are seeing the mind working. These kinds of experiences are typical for new meditators as they are slowing down, getting quiet and seeing how things really work for the first time. My guess is that you didn't experience the first jhana, just your first brush with how the mind works.

Keep going - but don't expect, or try too hard, for fireworks and huge insights when you sit. Calm and steady consistency is best.

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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 9:52 AM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 9:52 AM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
Maybe I read to much into the pulsations. Could you describe them more thoroughly?
J C, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 2:39 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 2:39 PM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 644 Join Date: 4/24/13 Recent Posts
Yes, this is significant! You were able to clearly see thoughts as separate from you. This is the first nana, knowledge of Mind and Body. Continue observing sensations of thoughts and physical sensations, paying particular attention to when the sensations come and when they go.
William, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:13 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:13 PM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 6 Join Date: 12/24/18 Recent Posts
Nah no big changes in perceptions as far as I can see! But now that I’ve gotten better at the technique, I can easily become aware of the vibrations of sense phenomena whenever I need to relax, just in daily life! emoticon
William, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:14 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:14 PM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 6 Join Date: 12/24/18 Recent Posts
Cool!
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Linda ”Polly Ester” Ö, modified 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:26 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/24/18 3:26 PM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 7134 Join Date: 12/8/18 Recent Posts
William:
Nah no big changes in perceptions as far as I can see! But now that I’ve gotten better at the technique, I can easily become aware of the vibrations of sense phenomena whenever I need to relax, just in daily life! emoticon


Rightie. Probably no A&P then just yet. But you sense the vibrations. That’s cool.
Todo, modified 5 Years ago at 12/29/18 12:49 PM
Created 5 Years ago at 12/29/18 12:49 PM

RE: Was this significant?

Posts: 87 Join Date: 8/20/18 Recent Posts
No!
That was not significant... no experience ever is!
Get rid of expectations & practice with diligence...