Hello all,

I think this message will be in harmony with the rules of the forum.

I dabbled in meditation some years ago, experienced what felt like strong piti, doubt I ever really attained first jhana.

Have resolved to practice every remaining day this year, for starters, have been good about it for the last couple weeks. Have been averaging 1.5 hours a day, up to 3 hours, as possible. Will have some extra time soon, want to do as much as I can in my practice. 

Am using Culadasa's The Mind Illuminated, working on Stage 3 (dealing with forgetting). And, no surprise, the Ingram book for an overview, as well as having a look at some other materials.

I don't know -- does using TMI to get a solid, if slow, start in concentration seem reasonable?

​​​​​​​Thank you all.

Good to have you posting here. Building a concentration practice is a wonderful endeavor with lifelong benefits for many people so it's nice to hear about someone starting out. 

TMI works well for many, but not all people. My teacher did his training in that school so I have worked with specific instructions from that practice but it was not how I learned concentration, so take my comments with a grain of salt. 

Looking at comments from people in various places, it seems that some people can go all the way with TMI, in just the way the book suggests. Others get stuck at some particular level. But everyone seems to get some benefit from learning the mechanics of the mind from that book.

If it were me, I would try sticking with TMI for at least three months and see how it goes. I would also keep in mind that there are other approaches to concentration out there, although they are all somewhat similar in terms of the basic nuts and bolts of getting used to working with the mind.

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Thanks for your reply. So far, my impression is that the instructions have been helpful to me. It seems that I've made more progress is limiting forgetting and mind-wandering than I would have expected. 

I wasn't sure a post from a rank beginner would be welcome. Already I feel that it's affected my everyday life positively. I have the summer largely off, and am hoping to make my "home life" a kind of mini-retreat, at least sometimes.

Checking my notes, I see I've been using TMI only since the 19th. 3 months sounds like a good trial period. 

Posts from rank beginners are the most welcome kind! 

Had a hard day today. I know that saying why isn't the purpose of this forum, so I'll leave it at that. 

I will say something about my practice, though. I tried to sit for an hour after the difficult part of the day. Made it 41 minutes. I let restlessness end the sit early. But while I was sitting, I tried to see the three characteristics in everything that came up. There is a lot of emotion here, and I'm not trying to block it out with concentration. But I did let myself go for a little insight into it. 
​​​​​​​That's all.

As I said earlier, I committed to practicing every day for the rest of the calendar year. That means at least one timed sit, but on almost all days has meant more than one timed sit, and for the last while, a fair bit of noting and walking practice. 

At the end of the year, I will take stock. And I'm committed to the 3-month try with TMI, as Martin suggested on this thread. That means through July 19th or so. 

I think I'm on Stage 3, dealing with forgetting. I feel frustrated at times by my progress, but I try to note that, and I do think I'm doing much better than I was before TMI. So here's to practicing.

Hey Tom - nice log so far. As someone who did a ton of TMI back in the day, my loving encouragement would be to consider the stages/'progress' as a way to understand the scenery that's around you, but not use it as a judgment. But, it's very very hard to not feel judged by the seemingly inherent judgment of the stages existing at all.

Concentration ends up being about acceptance and enjoyment, over and over, in each new moment. Try to learn to start loving practice because practice itself is enjoyable to do (even if its tough sometimes) and the journey itself is inherently worth being on, whether or not you reach the destination.

Hi Geoff, thanks for the encouragement. Yes, indeed. Instructions roughly keyed to scenery, not a measure of one's personal glory.&nbsp;<br /><br />I'm not so into attainments or accomplishments in general, but I suppose feeling displeasure with my practice at times does show a bit of that, so your point is well-made and well-taken. I will try to start loving practice.<br /><br />Just did walking practice to the next town and back, with a stop at the public library, where I made the post you responded to. Yes, my mind wandered, but I didn't give up and just talk to myself or daydream. I kept at the practice. I noticed on returning home that I felt great.&nbsp;

That's beautiful Sounds like a great walk. I'm jealous, sitting here all day chained to my desk job.

Told myself I wouldn't post too much. I guess once a month is okay.

I've been practicing (this refers only to sitting practice, which is all I track in my records) every day. Most days between 1.7 and 3 hours over several sits. Trying to sit a full hour at least once a day.

Still using TMI, as discussed. In addition to the TMI-guided sitting practice, I'm trying to keep my breath in my awareness all the time, with imperfect results (but still better than I expected).

There have been great beneficial effects on my state of mind. I'm not happy, I still have all the same problems, but I'm less tortured by my thoughts -- much less tortured. Have much greater ability to see obsessive thoughts and drop them when they arise. 

I am starting to wonder about my progress in TMI. I'm on Stage Four, where I'm supposed to be learning to deal with gross distractions and strong dullness. Dullness does not usually arise for me, thought sometimes it does, and I've been working on dealing with it when it does. The strong distractions are worse. Sometimes bad enough that I feel I'm back at Stage Three, which I guess is normal enough. I try to remember they have the three characteristics and let them go.

Sometimes it seems I have my attention on the breath and my peripheral awareness "on," but there's still a stream of thoughts that don't threaten me with forgetting but really go on for longer than I would like before I "catch" them. I'm not sure whether to classify them as subtle or gross distractions according to the TMI terms. But there they are.

Restlessness: it comes up. I try to rememebr that it, too, has the three characteristics.

Tons of emotional material comes up, no surprise there.

I feel a touch of frustration at times (three characteristics again), wondering if maybe I'm doing the whole thing wrong and I'm going to waste years on Stage Four when I should have been practicing differently so as to actually make progress. Yes, plenty of benefit already, but I'm trying to improve my concentration. Not sure how else to practice, not sure whether even to read the chapter on stage Five in the TMI book. Sometimes it does seem that I have the breath, preipheral awareness, and my introspective metacognition "on," but not for too long a time. It happens but it's not as stable as it seems it should be. But maybe I should be familiar with what the method gives for Stage Five.

Oh. Was reading a book on Tibetan Buddhism and felt, after reading a certain sentence, a change in how I see things. Everyday experience. Not a fully permanent change, but some of it seems to be lasting, at least for the last week+. I wondered if that might be a bit of insight.
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I'm not sure how to proceed. I guess I'll keep doing what I'm doing and consider reading the Stage Five material tomorrow. Would appreciate any comments or general advice.

Trying not to post too much...but here we are...

Unpleasant day today (identity theft). I think my recent practice kept it from feeling much worse than it did. Still, by the time I finally got to sit, I was very distracted. So it goes...

One of my goals is to make my practice part of my life so that I'm practicing even through disturbance large and small (which I did today, but only barely). 

I think even buddha would be a little thrown off is someone stole his credit card  

Having things be "less bad" is a great result of practice. I've never met anyone who achieved "never bad" through their practice. Life is life and there will probably always be some thing that causes negativity or worry or anxiety, but it is amazing how much better things can be if we're able to move through negativity and worry and anxiety with more flow and less friction. 

The Pali Sutta’s taught a range of techniques: dry insight, absorption with post absorption contemplation and collectedness. Otherwise known as Vipassana, Absorption Jhana and Awareness Jhana. There is a Hard and Soft Jhana, within the Soft Jhana we can have awareness and if that awareness is turned to insight Soft Jhana becomes Awareness Jhana. Once you understand these three kinds of Pali meditations, you can see what the sutta's are talking about within the four path model.  It is quite clear that the TWIM tradition takes Soft Jhana into the territory of Awareness Jhana, and that it is most likely the easiest and quickness process for most people, if it suits their disposition. Here are some solid books that articulate the map and model or paths in the same way that Mastering the Core Teaching of the Buddha articulates the stages of insight in the Vipassana Practice.

1. Mindfulness Bliss and Beyond - Ajahn Brahm: Hard Concentration/Samadhi, Absorption Samadhi (Theravade Thai Forrest Map or Model)
2. The Attention Revolution - Alan B Wallace: Hard Concentration/Samadhi, Absorption Samadhi (Tibetian Map or Model) 
3. Practicing The Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation As Presented By The Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw - Tina Rasmussen: Hard Concentration/Samadhi, Absorption Samadhi  (Theravade Map)
4. Right Concentration: A Practical Guide to the Jhānas - Leigh Brassington (Might be between Absorption and Collected Samadhi) He emphasis access concentration, but his yard stick for it may be a bit easier.
5. A Guide to Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation (T.W.I.M.): Attaining Nibbana from the Earliest Buddhist Teachings with 'Mindfulness' of Lovingkindness - David C Johnson. Delson Armstong (is the best student of Vimilaramsi) - (Soft Collected/Samadhi (Theravade Map or Model (but a new interpretation of the sutta))

I recommend TWIM because it is easier than Hard Jhana and Easier that Vipassana. Interestingly TWIM is an insight technique because you are collected and able to retain peripherall awareness, in all but the 8th Jhana. But post 8th you are in quite mind and then still mind, which is analogous to High Equanimity.

Thanks for the list. I'll see what's available. I admit some of the distinctions you make here are pretty unclear to me. Lots to learn.

I figure getting concentration in order first can't hurt me...