Author: garyrh
Forum: Dharma Overground Discussion Forum

Hi,

In concentration meditation I am getting a "vibrating" in concentrated in the throat area. Is this of any significance?
I am particalary interested in any advice to improve pratice.

Thanks
Gary

Author: garyrh


Sorry, I meant to say -
In concentration meditation I am getting a "vibrating" in the throat area. Is the vibrating of any significance?
I am particularly interested in any advice to improve practice.

Thanks
Gary

Hi Gary,

It looks like this thread got lost in the shuffle. Let's resurrect it. Say more about what's going on in your practice. The more precise information you can give us, the better our chances of diagnosing and or suggesting how to proceed from here. It's been a couple of months since you wrote; is the vibration still happening as before? What does the vibration feel like? What is the frequency of vibration? How long does it last? Does it move around? How big an area is covered? What happens to it when you observe it dispassionately? What's been happening in the last two months?

Looking forward to your reply,

Kenneth

Author: josh0

Could it be your pulse? In concentration practice I certainly at times find myself aware of my hearbeat or my pulse at various points in my body. Usually when this happens the sensation of my pulse (which is a very vibration like progression of increased and decreased pressure) is most obvious either in my legs or my neck/throat, and occasionaly in my arms near the elbows or biceps (near the major arteries, in other words).

My advice would be to, when experiencing this phenomenon, simply turn your attention towards it and observe it. Any phenomenon is an opportunity to experience the three characteristics in action.

Author: garyrh

The vibration was very localised and did not move and was at the speed of a sewing machine. It happened for about a week, when it stopped I took it as unimportant. At the time I was playing around with jhana and had attempted no insight meditation so I never investigated it.

Author: garyrh

Yes I have observed this around the armpits and head that is in time with the heartbeat. While on sensations there is a always a very light vibrating everywhere that feels like the blood running thru the veins and arteries - is this standard?

Gary, let's bring this up to date. What happened when you sat today? Any sensation is an excellent place to start, as Josh pointed out. So far, you haven't given us enough to work with. Go over to the "Spasms while meditating" thread and read it through again. Follow all of the advice given there, including the instructions for reporting. If you apply the vipassana technique systematically, you will get the results. If you are practicing and not getting results, it's because there's a subtle flaw in your technique. Tell us exactly what you are doing and we'll help you fix it. On the other hand, you may already be getting the results, but unless you give a thorough report, we can't tell that either. The fact that you are interested enough to correspond here on DhO is promising, but it has to go beyond interest to the point of systematic practice. Go hit the cushion, apply the technique for 30 or 45 minutes, write down as much detail as you can remember after the sitting, and then post your report here. This practice works! Now get to work! :-)

Kenneth

the light vibrating that feels like blood bouncing around - that's good sign your sensitivity is getting stronger, and you will soon be able - if you are not already able - to 'penetrate' objects that your mind is inclined toward and with which you are thus skillful. it can be standard for some people, yes, but dont worry about what it is or isnt, just stay on the vibratory quality or aspect and now build your concentration.

Author: garyrh

I have sat a few times since this post. Vibrations always arise, they always appear to be sensate vibrating at a guess 10 (although that may easily be 30) times per second. The vibrations appear in differing parts arm, leg head and feels a bit like the blood running after you sleep on your arm. I think I am sensing the blood flow. While mindful, I have a diminished awareness of the vibrations after meditation. In meditation investigation of the vibrations always invokes a body rapture that I note but the intensity overwhelms the investigation in that the rapture remains solid and it also changes the mind state. After the rapture I investigate the vibrations again, if feel annoyed with the rapture and note annoyed. This is the cycle.

Do I keeping going with the noting process unitl this cycle breaks?

Author: garyrh

How does the penetrating of the objects appear to the observer? Does "penetrating" mean the object breaks up; like Keneths analogy of a line of ants?
I once had this experience in meditation where I was inside the breath, however the breath was solid. Can you confirm this is not penetrating the object.

Great questions, Gary.

Yes, the object does "break up," as the anaology suggests. As you notice more and more the subtle vibratory sensations that make up the experience of a seemingly solid object, you begin to really notice the Three Characteristics (impermanence, selflessness, and unsatisfactoriness) of each fleeting sensation. This, IMO, is what it means to penetrate an object.

Regarding your experience of being "inside" a solid and fluid breath sensation, this sounds more like what happens sometimes when concentration gets really strong. We can become so fixed on the process of breathing that we move with it. From my view point, the object (in this case, the breath) is not being penetrated when this happens. If it's solid, there's more noticing to be done. When this happens again, direct your concentration (which is probably pretty strong at this point) to the particle-like sensations that the breath is composed of, and then watch them all arise and pass away swiftly. I'm confident that you can do this.

Also, if you're having a hard time noticing the more subtle sensations, you may wish to try noticing the more gross sensations that arise and pass. The rising and falling of the abdomen are great for this. When rising is happening, note "rising, rising." When it stops, note it. When falling is happening, note "falling, falling." When it stops, note it. This always helps my mind incline toward noticing the arising and passing of sensations.

I hope this helps. Good luck!

Hi Gary,

Here's an example that might help.

Take a moment to listen to a rock/metal song once through, paying no specific attention to any instrument. This is your day to day life. Listen to it through again, but this time focus on the guitar. Notice how it has many nuances that were absent or not noticed the first time you listened to the song. You may even dig deeper into this single instrument and notice every single little note, and even further by noticing the subtle vibrations which comprise each note. This is similar to what you will do with all of reality. As you walk down the path or realization, the song of life will become less and less "one solid song," if you choose to turn attention that way.

I would say this is exactly synonymous with how it "appears," as this exercise itself is an exercise in Vipassana. Concentration, on the other hand, is more about holding an object solid and maintaining unwavering attention.

Helpful?

Author: garyrh

Thanks for the input here.

The common theme in the suggestions is that concentration is strong, but it would seem I need to develop Vipassana and that will not happen via concentration! I will try the suggested exercises to improve my understanding, experience and skill with Vipassana.

Thanks again - I will report progress.

Excellent report, Gary. You are penetrating the object. Keep doing it. You are noting "annoyance" when annoyance arises. Perfect. Keep doing it. When the rapture arises, don't forget to note "pleasant." It's important that you now add concentration practice to your vipassana. This will optimize your progress while making your life smoother. You might want to try practicing with a kasina object. You can also try starting each session with twenty minutes of pure concentration using the in and out of the breath and the sensations around the nose and mouth as object. This is anapanasati, one of the Buddha's favorite practices.

When you are inside the breath, as you described, go with it. It isn't penetrating the object, but it is strong concentration and is very important to cultivate. There is plenty of time to develop both concentration and vipassana, so take advantage of your strong concentration when it arises.

Jackson, thanks for the clear instructions. Trent, thanks for the creative guitar analogy. Josh and Tarin, thanks for the encouraging words. Enlightenment is a team sport.

Kenneth

the cycle is what it is, and the nature of the cycle and how your mind interprets it in real-time will change as your meditation progresses.

what you should probably do, i think, is note whenever your concentration isnt strong enough to just follow vibrations or your mind's 'clip rate' around continuously. while keeping in mind that this is just an educated guess, my guess is that you're going into dissolution when the vibrations start diminishing, which is a great time to pick up on noting practice until the next set of vibes come along clearly.

Gary, you are already doing vipassana; that's how you penetrated the object. Continue to refine your vipassana technique as you continue to develop your concentration. Both are required.

Author: GhostLLP

The vibrations in your throat are from the activation of your throat center (chakra), This is probably one of you least developed energy centers, therefor during meditation you are feeling it's stimulation as it is being developed.

If you haven't already, learn some energy work practices and go from there.

Peace
Lucas

Was riffling around the net today and thought I would post this freebie section of the Visuddhimagga I ran into. Explains all of the formless realms in a succinct way. I especially like the analogies for explaining the 8th jhana.

http://www.abhidhamma.org/visuddhimagga%20Chapter%2010.htm