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Is this a sign of "progress"?
Zenshin
VeteranEast Midlands UK Veteran
in Meditation
I've been practicing meditation for three and a half years, recently I've got past the psychological barrier of only being able to sit for 25 minutes and unless I'm rather fatigued I can easily sit for 30 or 40 minutes.
The thing is in the last couple of days I've been getting strong feelings of happiness and joy during my sits it starts out with mild happiness and spreads upwards into more stronger joyful feelings. I'd like to ask experienced Theravadin meditators is this normal?
I know its not Jhana joy as there is no nimitta.
Basically I'm just wondering whats going on as its happening time I sit (not that I'm complaining).
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Comments
I'm clueless too - What fun!
Just observe, accept and let it run its course.
Expect nothing, just enjoy.
Yep - enjoy!
Any relief of suffering is progress. Good for you
and definitely let yourself enjoy. Also, let yourself let go of it, let yourself welcome it, say goodbye to it, and just know it is there.
Thanks for the wise words folks. I think I know what set it off, I'd been trying to allow anything that arose at the six sense doors with an attitude of metta - basically Ajahn Sumedho says that metta is an attitude of acceptance, its also something I learned when I used to talk to Jundo Cohen a bit over at Treeleaf Zendo not to negate any experience let it arise and pass without judgement.
I'd remembered something I also read by Thich Nhat Hanh about welcoming in difficult emotions with a smile. I was trying to do that whenever a thought of fear or desire arose in my mind during meditation and I think I've ended up smiling at myself.
Just sat for thirty as my GF has gone to bed and it happened again. The happiness lasts for a while after I've finished a sit. My next step is to try to not get attached to it.
And don't let ayatana distract you too much!
@anataman I had to google ayatana, I'll try not to.
Hi, @Lonely_Traveller!
I would not try to label the experience, nor overthink it too much, if I were you.
Just relax and go back to the cushion each day as usual.
The notion of progress is very tricky: today you feel elated, and maybe tomorrow some event in your life drags you a couple of squares back all over again.
A good sign, to me, would probably be how much my meditation experience reflects overall in my everyday life.
Progress to me would imply suffering slackening its hold, my being able to subdue my temper in given circumstances, or how able I am to put my beliefs into practice.
Just my thought, of course, but congratulations on your high-spirited experience!
Sometimes the cushion is sometimes just a little too soft and you will have to become more hardened to your self!
I looked at Icrontic NB sister site tonight, after looking at other threads - it really is a very cool site but now I know who I am in the make believe world AKA NBies!
I AM now SOULDESTROYER! ANATAMAN has evolved @linc please evolve, like you did for dhammamom to DhammaDragon
...\lol/...
Oh well it didn't arise during my metta sit tonight so I guess its gone, I did have strong feelings of metta and goodwill though. Oh well it was fun while it lasted.
It is not unexpected. Monkey mind is no doubt calmed and pleased with it . . . so in that sense progress. If gone and smiling still possible, then we can say progress.
I would remind us all that such experiences become more subtle, of less intensity but more depth. The important thing is to allow monkey mind to not grasp but smilingly let go . . .
What's "nimitta"?
Bliss. surpasses all understanding
When I was initiated in it - Every sell in my body just cried out "more"
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.100.11-15.than.html
It wasn't there yesterday. Maybe it's there today.
Remember that in the Enlightenment job description states: awareness that reality is always changing.
Be acceptant of whatever is today.
Make today beautiful for you and those around you.
It will be back. And it will go but be back
"It" has a mind of it's own. It's wonderful that it came at all, when ya think about it.
When you have been there you can always find it again. But do not make the cultivation about getting there. Continue as before. You are not done yet I suspect?
But no harm in enjoying a little. Just dont become a junky.
/Victor
BLISS JUNKIES! Yes I suppose they must exist!
That is "joy and rapture" or whatever you want to call it. If by nimitta you mean bright lights, this is not a universal occurrence. Some people have them and some don't.
Does this sound familiar?
I'm a firm believer that the notion of progress gets in the way of our practice.
We may think that we're pretty far into the path, until the next row with our husband or petty household problem reboots us back to prologue.
So does the attachment to whatever pleasant sensation is derived from our meditation sitting, no matter how harmless it might be.
The momentary elation is just a point in time.
What really matters, in my opinion, is how firmly we can stand in the face of affliction through the development of whatever homeshift wisdom we derive from our practice.
How our practice braces us for life on the everyday battlefield.
The rest is smoke.
^^^ Tee Hee
Outstanding.
Me iz always beginner. Ain't it the truth [lobster hangs head in shame]
Bliss or miss . . . back to the practice. It is a plan!
So true and now I know that . . . I feel some progress can be made . . .
DOH!
No matter what, it's always back to the cushion, @lobster!
I've been missing your cushions, by the way
@pegembara, alas no - I think it was just run of the mill joy.
@lobster - yeah wheres the cushions!?