Odd effects while meditating...

conradcook

Something odd happened while meditating a
few days ago, and I wonder if anyone here
has any thoughts.

The effect was that I became whatever my
attention shifted to. A fly landed in
front of me. Looking at it, I became a
fly. Or at least I took on the head of a
fly. Like the mad scientist in the 1958
movie:

http://tinyurl.com/theflymadscientist

--Well, maybe not *quite* like that. But
you get the idea.

Then someone's cell phone rang, and I became
a cell phone. He answered and started
talking, and I became his head, arm, and
hand holding the phone.

I've been working on de-programming my false
sense of Self, as I wrote here some time ago,
and it seems to me that what happened is this--

I undid the hold of the Self on my Self, so
to speak -- I undid what I call the Gestalt
binding. So the part of me that craves
identification settled onto whatever happened
to be handy.

Or else, per Law of Dominant Effect, with
the major effect lifted, all the more subtle
effects, which were really always there, came
to light. In other words, people are just
wired (probably) to think, not only with the
portion of space bounded by their bodies, but
that outside that bound, too. Normally that
shows up as projection -- a person prone to
hostility sees others as being hostile, by
virtue of his own hostility inhabiting the
inkblot of a perceived person.

Or maybe neither one, or some combination. I'd
like to hear what you guys make of this.

Conrad.

Jeffrey

I'm sorry but that pic made me

aMatt

Conrad,

It sounds like more sense absorbtion. Just let go of the self that arises as the fly, phone, arm. If it continues, perhaps spend some time noting how the fly and the phone and the arm are as empty of self as you are.

No biggie, its common, keep going.

With warmth,

Matt

andyZ

what @aMatt said. It's still your mind working, take notice of it, let it go an come back to your breath.

Temporary_arising

If i'm understanding you correctly, and i believe i am, it was a solid experience of non duality. You directly realised that there is no you other than direct experience in the present moment.
You are the sum total of the five senses and thought here and now. Other than those there is no-thing.
Only duelistic conceptual thought causes people to believe otherwise.
Well done.han those there is no-thing.
Only duelistic conceptual thought causes people to believe otherwise.
Well done.

betaboy

Something odd happened while meditating a
few days ago, and I wonder if anyone here
has any thoughts.

The effect was that I became whatever my
attention shifted to. A fly landed in
front of me. Looking at it, I became a
fly. Or at least I took on the head of a
fly.

That's nondualism, the greatest adventure there is.

conradcook

Thanks... looking up "nondualism" on Wikipedia.

C.

abhishek_laser

Yes, such things can happen during meditation, mainly because of the reduction in attachment to perceptions of conventional reality. But usually what monks do when such experiences happen is that they use equanimity, in that when such things do happen they note it saying that "this is how it appears to be" and just let it go. Also do read ajahn chah's expeience of his body exploding an a general interest.

Out of the ordinary experiences are normal to experienced meditators so nothing needs to be made out of such things. Since even such experiences are impermanent, unsatisfactory and not-self. Also meditation is done not for the sake of getting some sort of experience but for the path that leads to the end of suffering. I wouldn't make too much out of these things.

footiam

Just observe and let go