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Vibrations and Out of Body Experience
zen_world
Veteran
Hi Everybody...
I have been practicing extensive meditation for about 6 months (and becoming a new Zen Buddhist, in the process of taking my precepts). Typically I start with sitting meditation for about 2 hours followed by walking meditation and another one hour sitting meditation. Then I go to bed still maintaining my concentration and try to turn my sleep into meditation as well.
This stuff happens quite often. After I fall a sleep (or probably I might still be in meditation) I got very heavy vibrations. After some time, it became unberable and I feel like my head is going to explode. My intention is to continue my meditation but because of heavy vibrations (and energy) either I had to push myself from bed and loose my concentration or I have to expand my consciousness out of my body (referred as out of body experience or astral projection).
Now, I don't want to discuss OBE or Astral projection here, and frankly it is not important at all...You may believe it or not, it is up to you. My question is how do I continue my meditation when I experience these heavy vibrations. Is this normal? Or am I doing something wrong here?
Somewhere I read that vibrations are the final stage before entering into jhanas....Anyone can help me out, greatly appreciated...
David...
Thank you!
I have been practicing extensive meditation for about 6 months (and becoming a new Zen Buddhist, in the process of taking my precepts). Typically I start with sitting meditation for about 2 hours followed by walking meditation and another one hour sitting meditation. Then I go to bed still maintaining my concentration and try to turn my sleep into meditation as well.
This stuff happens quite often. After I fall a sleep (or probably I might still be in meditation) I got very heavy vibrations. After some time, it became unberable and I feel like my head is going to explode. My intention is to continue my meditation but because of heavy vibrations (and energy) either I had to push myself from bed and loose my concentration or I have to expand my consciousness out of my body (referred as out of body experience or astral projection).
Now, I don't want to discuss OBE or Astral projection here, and frankly it is not important at all...You may believe it or not, it is up to you. My question is how do I continue my meditation when I experience these heavy vibrations. Is this normal? Or am I doing something wrong here?
Somewhere I read that vibrations are the final stage before entering into jhanas....Anyone can help me out, greatly appreciated...
David...
Thank you!
0
Comments
it can also be your astral body detaching from your physical body as in an OBE or astral projection as you suggested, as i had similar vibrational experiences as well.
can also be different chakra centers activating during deep meditation/sleep.
if you're interested in jhanas check out: http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/dharma-wiki/-/wiki/Main/MCTB
i would just relax into it, i know it is hard because it's very in a way violent but just accept it. you can investigate where these vibrations are coming from. meditation can bring up a whole new world of experiences, which can be really anything. just watch it and let it be. if you're really uncomfortable and want to get out of the situation simply breathe in and out rapidly and deeply. this will force your body to wake up.
you are not close to jhana so let go of such thoughts
if the foundation of your practise is appropriate, that is, no drugs, no immoral behaviour, etc, then these vibrations are just part of the purification process and "shifts" in consciousness
any vibration is a mental formation
there are vibrations of negative mentality stored in the body, which must arise in consciousness to get purified
and there is the vibration of "rapture", resulting from the purification of negative mentality stored in the body
and there is the vibration of consciousness shifting around the body & mind as it flows into the areas that are purified & as it "awakens" deeper levels of consciousness
as i said, if the foundation of your practise is appropriate, that is, no drugs, no immoral behaviour, etc, then you must simply view these vibrations as simply sense objects with an equanimous mind
if your mind maintains its equinimity or "mere watching", these vibrations will calm down or purify
your basic practice is to "just watch", without labels of "positive" & "negative"
regards
one must take care to ensure one is not practising some kind of heavy suppression or unnatural breathing, etc
if you are practising Zen, your practise is "just sitting-just walking-just watching"
too vigorous a practise may over energize the mind & body
Buddhist meditation is just watching & just letting go
it is not pranayama or the like
regards
to me, it sounds like you have read alot of books
let go of all of this rubbish, like "jhana", "OBE", "Astral travel", etc
just learn to watch and be non-reactive
but now, your mind is reacting
regards
this is just the mind
this is normal
let it go
forget the link
And I wonder, why did you say I am not even close to jhana? Out of body experience comes after very deep concentration. I wonder how deep you need to go to get to the first jhana? And thank you so much for all your help! Thanks taiyaki....This is really great link. I am reading it... Hi chanratt, honestly this is real! No one can convince me that it is not. I think you are skeptical because you may have the experience in a very dream like state. I had them too. But my first two experience was as real as I am typing this message right now. It is not a dream or hallucination. And forget those medical explanation, they are nothing but speculations. Science can explain brain functions but they are useless when it comes to "mind and consciousness". I have read may be ten different scientific theories but none of them makes sense to me.
But, whatever, like Dhamma said: it is just mind reacting. I am not paying any attention OBEs anymore. It is just an hindrance to my meditation.
I cannot advise you definitively here, but I suggested general principles. As long as you are practising 'mere watchfulness' then it is probably very good
But if you are practising something more esoteric then possibly consult a teacher, in person, face to face You're welcome
When near to jhana, with the mind's awarenss still within the physical body (rather than just in the mind or brain), the inner (physical) body will illuminate and each neuron will vibrate in very subtle bliss. But, at this jhanic level, your mind (and body) will be very serene. There will be absolutely no sleeping problems nor any "heaviness" or "head exploding"
These symptoms you are experiencing will often occur when one is practising too hard, with too much effort. It is still a form "purification" but the vibrations are too coarse and the energy being both applied and released is too much.
Jhana is born from letting go, rather than from suppressing or burying one's mind inwards.
When an open and still mind is established, the negative accumulated emotions stored within the physical body can rise up and dissolve; like a bird that flies out of a cage once the door is opened. Jhana generates from this process.
Regards
with metta