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Strange experiences while meditating - subtle body?
it sounds like to me you're hallucinating. Especially if you hear an audible female voice.
Due to my schizoaffective disorder, i also hallucinate during meditation sometimes. Visually and auditory hallucinations sometimes make their way into my meditation now and then.
the other day i saw an orange kitten come sit next to me!
breathing in breathing out
wuh un breathing in breathing out
tuh whoo
"Oh look! a cute and cuddly orange kitten! how beautiful!"
smile
breathing in breathing out
wuh un breathing in breathing out
tuh whoo
and so on...
it's not a big deal, so long as it isn't causing you problems in your life.
when i hallucinate on the cushion, i simply smile and return to the breath....it's nothing to worry about.
@Kerome said:
It's funny, a few days ago there was a voice fragment during meditation which said the word "potassium" which reminded me I've not been taking any multivitamins over the past half year. So I bought some and yesterday and today the character of the experiences has changed, become much more mellow. I've also been having some unusual and wide-ranging dreams, quite artistic ones.
Perhaps your meditation is allowing you to make contact with your "Higher Self", as some people call it. Heightened intuition and inspiration, and improved problem solving can be the result of meditation. How to explain that, I don't know, but I do know that bringing up Kundalini tends to be an opening to all manner of intuitive knowledge.
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JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
@Kerome said:
It's funny, a few days ago there was a voice fragment during meditation which said the word "potassium" which reminded me I've not been taking any multivitamins over the past half year. So I bought some and yesterday and today the character of the experiences has changed, become much more mellow. I've also been having some unusual and wide-ranging dreams, quite artistic ones.
Perhaps your meditation is allowing you to make contact with your "Higher Self", as some people call it. Heightened intuition and inspiration, and improved problem solving can be the result of meditation. How to explain that, I don't know, but I do know that bringing up Kundalini tends to be an opening to all manner of intuitive knowledge.
That had occurred to me, or that somehow some things present in what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the 'store consciousness' are being activated. Not sure whether that is reassuring or even more disquieting because I'm not convinced I'm approaching this thing from the 'conventional, approved' direction.
That had occurred to me, or that somehow some things present in what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the 'store consciousness' are being activated. Not sure whether that is reassuring or even more disquieting because I'm not convinced I'm approaching this thing from the 'conventional, approved' direction.
Yes, it does rather seem that a very experienced teacher would be useful at this point, for guidance.
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited January 2017
Perhaps I should start planning a trip to the Far East, lol, because I'm not sure such a person is to be found locally, certainly I don't seem to be getting closer to finding one.
@Kerome said:
Perhaps I should start planning a trip to the Far East, lol, because I'm not sure such a person is to be found here, certainly I don't seem to be getting closer to finding one.
The Far East is a big place. How would you know where to start? The Sikhs seem to be the ones whose practice revolves around Kundalini. Maybe you could find a Sikh community in the US (there are a few), and ask one of their teachers?
0
JeroenLuminous beings are we, not this crude matterNetherlandsVeteran
edited January 2017
Unfortunately I'm in Europe. England has a fair number of sikhs, and Londen is not too far from where I am, I might have a look online to see what's there. Although I must say randomly travelling to Thailand to go and search also has its appeal
Today's phrase from my meditation was "you are seeking my brahmachariya", it just kind of drifted into my conscious mind. It probably refers to this concept. It was a good meditation, about 30 minutes and then as I surfaced I got an impulse of, just a little more, and I went another 15. It was quite deep and felt mindless and the lesser strands of mind dissolving into a kind of yellow glow.
When I sense that my mind drifts off on a tangent, or starts to notice something intensely, I always consider the three characteristics or the three marks of existence, and that usually keeps me grounded into a normal meditative state. I believe that is the only thing that is suppose to happen during meditation. I don't expect anything. Whatever happens it still falls in the category of the three characteristics.
Well, @lobster, poking tigers with a stick is certainly not a good idea. I have, however, by choice or not, ridden a tiger or two. The trick is to hold on tight and don't fall off.
1
federicaSeeker of the clear blue sky...Its better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to speak out and remove all doubtModerator
There was a young lady from Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
with the lady, inside -
And the smile on the face of the Tiger....
This has basically instead of being just obstacles what I'm now experiencing are some truly weird things, including some spoken fragments, that seem to tie in with physical sensations. The two coordinate, to the extent that I hear things like "now I untie this bit" and I feel something being manipulated on the sole of my foot.
Also I have had a few experiences of felt sensation deep within and around the body, in a kind of ovoid space sometimes filled with a light tinnitus which I can also hear. Sometimes also deeply below the body or in a kind of transparent space co-located with the head, but without there actually being a head there.
Anyone got any ideas what this is? Am I running into something tantric?
@Kerome I'm not quite sure I can be of help in this, as i've never come close to experiencing anything like this in my own practice. I also don't know much about your tradition and what practices you do.
The only thing I could possibly say, taken with a grain of salt, is that I've heard many respected monastics answer questions related to similar issues, and almost always the answer is basically to observe it, to not get too tied up into it, attached to it, or afraid of it, just to be aware and observe as the phenomenon come and go. It sounds like these are all sensory phenomenon that require detached examination.
I think this is valid advice so long as the phenomenon is not damaging you and you feel comfortable in doing so.
If this is related to Tantric stuff, then best to speak with someone who does tantric practice, as others have related already.
Comments
Dear @Kerome
it sounds like to me you're hallucinating. Especially if you hear an audible female voice.
Due to my schizoaffective disorder, i also hallucinate during meditation sometimes. Visually and auditory hallucinations sometimes make their way into my meditation now and then.
the other day i saw an orange kitten come sit next to me!
breathing in
breathing out
wuh un
breathing in
breathing out
tuh whoo
"Oh look! a cute and cuddly orange kitten! how beautiful!"
smile
breathing in
breathing out
wuh un
breathing in
breathing out
tuh whoo
and so on...
it's not a big deal, so long as it isn't causing you problems in your life.
when i hallucinate on the cushion, i simply smile and return to the breath....it's nothing to worry about.
Perhaps your meditation is allowing you to make contact with your "Higher Self", as some people call it. Heightened intuition and inspiration, and improved problem solving can be the result of meditation. How to explain that, I don't know, but I do know that bringing up Kundalini tends to be an opening to all manner of intuitive knowledge.
That had occurred to me, or that somehow some things present in what Thich Nhat Hanh calls the 'store consciousness' are being activated. Not sure whether that is reassuring or even more disquieting because I'm not convinced I'm approaching this thing from the 'conventional, approved' direction.
Yes, it does rather seem that a very experienced teacher would be useful at this point, for guidance.
Perhaps I should start planning a trip to the Far East, lol, because I'm not sure such a person is to be found locally, certainly I don't seem to be getting closer to finding one.
The Far East is a big place. How would you know where to start? The Sikhs seem to be the ones whose practice revolves around Kundalini. Maybe you could find a Sikh community in the US (there are a few), and ask one of their teachers?
Unfortunately I'm in Europe. England has a fair number of sikhs, and Londen is not too far from where I am, I might have a look online to see what's there. Although I must say randomly travelling to Thailand to go and search also has its appeal
Today's phrase from my meditation was "you are seeking my brahmachariya", it just kind of drifted into my conscious mind. It probably refers to this concept. It was a good meditation, about 30 minutes and then as I surfaced I got an impulse of, just a little more, and I went another 15. It was quite deep and felt mindless and the lesser strands of mind dissolving into a kind of yellow glow.
When I sense that my mind drifts off on a tangent, or starts to notice something intensely, I always consider the three characteristics or the three marks of existence, and that usually keeps me grounded into a normal meditative state. I believe that is the only thing that is suppose to happen during meditation. I don't expect anything. Whatever happens it still falls in the category of the three characteristics.
Well, @lobster, poking tigers with a stick is certainly not a good idea. I have, however, by choice or not, ridden a tiger or two. The trick is to hold on tight and don't fall off.
There was a young lady from Niger,
Who smiled as she rode on a tiger.
They returned from the ride
with the lady, inside -
And the smile on the face of the Tiger....
@Kerome I'm not quite sure I can be of help in this, as i've never come close to experiencing anything like this in my own practice. I also don't know much about your tradition and what practices you do.
The only thing I could possibly say, taken with a grain of salt, is that I've heard many respected monastics answer questions related to similar issues, and almost always the answer is basically to observe it, to not get too tied up into it, attached to it, or afraid of it, just to be aware and observe as the phenomenon come and go. It sounds like these are all sensory phenomenon that require detached examination.
I think this is valid advice so long as the phenomenon is not damaging you and you feel comfortable in doing so.
If this is related to Tantric stuff, then best to speak with someone who does tantric practice, as others have related already.