Sharing the Practice with Good People

George S Lteif, modificado hace 10 años at 12/10/13 4:17
Created 10 años ago at 12/10/13 4:17

Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
Hello,

I would like to share my practice session of today. Don’t have any specific questions but any feedback/thoughts are welcome and would be appreciated.

Time: 75 mins
Sitting on a chair

I started with thoughts of Goodwill to myself, to the people close to me and then to all beings. Then I resolved to sit for the entire session training my mind to find true happiness.

Started with counting the out breath 3x10 times then shifted to noting rising/falling of the abdomen.
Noting at a rate 1/3-4 secs. Scanning the body at several touching point in this sequence: rising, falling, sitting, touching (knee, feet, chest..) Following the teachings of Ajaan Tong Sirimangalo.

My mind started to become concentrated so I decided to shift the practice and focus on the nostrils trying to hit first jhana. Body started to feel light and expanding, as if I was becoming taller and bigger then felt a pleasant sensation in my hands, tried following the sensation and the pleasant feeling expanded more and then I shifted my attention to the space behind my eyelids and got immersed in this space for a few moments, then thoughts came back again and got me out.

Got distracted for several minutes.

Again I started focusing the mind, then the shaking and twisting started, this time it was very strong, neck twisting left and right. The shaking was accompanied with screaming and making some strange sounds. Then my mind focused on my teeth (strange) and I got disgusted and started crying, then saw myself crying and started laughing and entered into a cycle of crying-laughing for several rounds. First time this has happened, very strange and funny. Strong shaking followed, that forced me out of my concentration so I had to stop.

Thanks for reading emoticon
practice
Top
thumbnail
bernd the broter, modificado hace 10 años at 12/10/13 13:24
Created 10 años ago at 12/10/13 13:24

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 376 Fecha de incorporación: 13/06/12 Mensajes recientes
You received teachings in the tradition of Ajahn Tong about hitting first jhana and practicing without walking meditation? Or did you only take the rising falling sitting touching sequence and incorporated it into your own approach?
Top
George S Lteif, modificado hace 10 años at 13/10/13 4:07
Created 10 años ago at 13/10/13 4:07

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
The practice included walking which I did for some time as well. Then I had a knee injury and could no longer practice walking so now doing only sitting. The teachings even emphasis to note the abdomen not the nostrils and all conditions that arise without indulging in any of the pleasures/feeling, something that I didn't do in my session.
Are you familiar with his teachings?
Top
thumbnail
bernd the broter, modificado hace 10 años at 13/10/13 5:38
Created 10 años ago at 13/10/13 5:38

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 376 Fecha de incorporación: 13/06/12 Mensajes recientes
George S. Lteif:
The practice included walking which I did for some time as well. Then I had a knee injury and could no longer practice walking so now doing only sitting. The teachings even emphasis to note the abdomen not the nostrils and all conditions that arise without indulging in any of the pleasures/feeling, something that I didn't do in my session.
Are you familiar with his teachings?


Yes, I did a few retreats in his tradition and found the technique to be highly effective for me. It was always stressed that the walking mustn't be left out, and even when I wasn't able to walk anymore (due to knee problems...) I was told to do an alternative to that; sitting with eyes open and moving my legs, all the time noting those movements.
Also, no one ever talked about or approved of jhana, so I was quite surprised that you seem to be mixing those approaches.
Top
George S Lteif, modificado hace 10 años at 13/10/13 8:11
Created 10 años ago at 13/10/13 8:11

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
Yes jhana is never discussed. However, I have found the practice a bit dry and sometimes too difficult to build up concentration only with the noting, so I try to focus on the nostrils just to gain some momentum before starting the noting.
If I may ask, where did you attend retreats? I did only one in Srilanka with Yuttadhammo, but now he moved to Canada and that is too far for me. I have been trying to find some other retreat centers related to the tradition with no success yet. thanks.
Top
thumbnail
bernd the broter, modificado hace 10 años at 14/10/13 1:54
Created 10 años ago at 14/10/13 1:54

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 376 Fecha de incorporación: 13/06/12 Mensajes recientes
George S. Lteif:
Yes jhana is never discussed. However, I have found the practice a bit dry and sometimes too difficult to build up concentration only with the noting, so I try to focus on the nostrils just to gain some momentum before starting the noting.
If I may ask, where did you attend retreats? I did only one in Srilanka with Yuttadhammo, but now he moved to Canada and that is too far for me. I have been trying to find some other retreat centers related to the tradition with no success yet. thanks.


Yeah, I guess, it's called dry insight for a reason -D

There are a few places in Germany where his technique is taught and where you can do retreats. Which is not exactly near to Srilanka though, either..
Top
thumbnail
Daniel M Ingram, modificado hace 10 años at 12/10/13 14:39
Created 10 años ago at 12/10/13 14:39

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 3274 Fecha de incorporación: 20/04/09 Mensajes recientes
All classic first vipassana jhana stuff:

the spontaneous neck twisting: Three Characteristics ñana, also the spontaneous crying, and the feeling of disgust and also the strange spontaneous sounds

the focus on the mouth is classic subtle homunculus stuff

bodily distortion stuff is also classic first jhana stuff

all stock and standard and expected
Top
George S Lteif, modificado hace 10 años at 13/10/13 4:11
Created 10 años ago at 13/10/13 4:11

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
Thanks.
Top
thumbnail
Pål S, modificado hace 10 años at 14/10/13 5:32
Created 10 años ago at 14/10/13 5:32

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 196 Fecha de incorporación: 16/08/10 Mensajes recientes
Daniel M. Ingram:
the focus on the mouth is classic subtle homunculus stuff

What do you mean by this?
Top
thumbnail
Daniel M Ingram, modificado hace 10 años at 15/10/13 22:15
Created 10 años ago at 15/10/13 22:15

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 3274 Fecha de incorporación: 20/04/09 Mensajes recientes
The cortical homunculus first refers to the way that the brain maps the body, in which larger sections of the brain are devoted to things like the mouth and hands (which contain a lot of nerves), and less to things like the back, which doesn't contain as many per square inch.

The experience, however, is relatively commonly reported, and relates to actually having perspective shift to re-size elements of reality in accord with this mapping scheme, and in this experience, which is classic first jhana stuff, the lips and hands feel much larger than they should, and there is a very specific bodily feel and almost taste that is hard to describe but distinctly correlates with this particular way of experiencing things.
Top
thumbnail
Pål S, modificado hace 10 años at 16/10/13 6:53
Created 10 años ago at 16/10/13 6:53

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 196 Fecha de incorporación: 16/08/10 Mensajes recientes
Makes sense, myself I do get this automatic behavior where the tongue is sucked up against the teeth accompanied by mouth/gums vibrations. It's like a drainage for a dead-end energy line. Not sure if related? Or how to levitate...
Top
George S Lteif, modificado hace 9 años at 16/07/14 5:50
Created 9 años ago at 16/07/14 5:50

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
Hello,

I have been practicing consistently since my last post. One to two hours per day.

I start off with Metta then move to noting, with attention anchored at the belly.

I am quickly able to calm my mind so I would be mostly focused on the belly with some notes every now and then: thinking, pain, pleasure...
After some time, I start to feel vibrations in the chest area. A single pulse that will increase in frequency as I note it out.
Then my mind would remain calm for the rest of the session, with vibrations coming and going.

This is what has been happening for the past months. The sittings are always pleasant.

I am just wandering, what's next? Am I doing anything wrong? Should I be doing something else?

Appreciate any advice.

Thanks,
George
Top
thumbnail
Noting Monkey, modificado hace 9 años at 17/07/14 7:51
Created 9 años ago at 17/07/14 7:51

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 48 Fecha de incorporación: 24/07/11 Mensajes recientes
Hi George,

I've just red your previous posts.
Here you can find also teachers from this tradition and get contact to them as they also do interviews on skype or via email. Especially if you practiced with this technique before they can really help if you feel the need. 

http://www.risingfalling.org/

This technique (rising-falling-sitting-touching) is very strait forward. What ever sensation arise you should name (labeling (!!!)) them so if you feel calm you have to label "calm, clam, calm"; "feeling, feeling, feeling"; "liking, liking, liking" then come back to rising-falling etc. is a must.

As long you stay long with the calm sensation you stop the progress as you follow your desire for the pleasurable mind state and you avoid learning.
If you give the right effort to come back to the (rising-falling-sitting-touching) then you will realise the impermanent nature of this phenomena and your mind will move on and the progress will continue.

So everytime people feel stuck with this technique it is because they forget to name the phenomena and they stay with it. 
Whatever god or bad experience arise you should name it and come back. 
Don't follow anything and you will progress for sure.
No expectations, No doubt, only Present Moment...


hope it helps
NM
 
Top
George S Lteif, modificado hace 9 años at 17/07/14 14:22
Created 9 años ago at 17/07/14 14:22

RE: Sharing the Practice with Good People

Mensajes: 52 Fecha de incorporación: 2/09/13 Mensajes recientes
Thanks for the advice and the website!! Best wishes..
Top

Ruta de navegación