Hey all,

Long time reader, first time poster. 

A question: are there any "classic" logs on this site that track a meditator's progress from the beginnings all the way up stream entry? Accounts of householder practice with no retreats especially appreciated.

Thanks!

It’s definitely not ”classic”, but my first two logs (Polly Ester’s practice log and Polly Ester’s practice log 2) fit your other criteria if you trust Michael Taft’s mapping of me as a stream enterer. I’m a householder and I had never been on any retreat. I took part of an online retreat after stream entry. My daily practice started on September 20th 2018 and my practice log soon after that (up to that moment I just sat for 20 minutes per day or did some noting according to Shinzen Young’s system for the same amount of time). My stream entry was on March 20th this year.

Noah has some practice log links on his site, which also has his own practice log on it. There's also the r/streamentry practice logs.

Michael Taft doesn't subscribe to the 4 stage model of Enlightenment. Do you know what criteria he uses to diagnose SE?

No, I’m not sure about the criteria, but it had to do with the fruitions, what led up to them and what came after them. He said to me that it was an obvious case. You don’t have to believe it, of course. It is wise not to believe anything one reads on the internet. It’s not like I got a certificate either, so you only have my word for it. With me he has been working according to the four paths model by the way (I assume that’s what you meant), because he knows that I find MCTB2 very helpful, and as I understand it, so does he.

Oh sorry, maybe I was wrong. I thought he had a more mahayanan take.

He has a great variety of takes, having done hard core meditation for 40 years or something like that.

Thanks for refering me to your log, Polly Ester. Does that mean that Shinzen-style noting was your main method?

Hm, no, I wouldn’t say that. My noting is a hybrid of Shinzen and Mahasi style. I have used both and now they have sort of merged into what I see as the advantages of either of them. I rarely use the breath as my focus now, but rather choose what senses to focus on and whether to focus ”inwardly” or ”outwardly” or both, but I mainly use Mahasi style labels because that allows me to adjust the level of specificity. I also do a lot of choiceless awareness.

Off site, from the archives of the old Kenneth Folk Dharma site on Awake Network

Some specific threads linked here

Awesome. Exactly what I was after! Thank you :-)

Hey Eric, thank you for the link!

In one of the logs it is said:
"After reading Jackson's thread I have been inspired to incorporate 2nd gear to daily life. I had a very powerful 2nd gear session on the subway on Thursday."

What do they mean by "second gear"?

Here's an explanation of second gear by none other than... Kenneth Folk:

http://kennethfolkdharma.com/2017/06/journalistic-self-enquiry-the-who-what-when-where-why-and-how-of-selfing/