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My experience in Meditation
Hey guys... Is this something common to all meditators?
Usually, I meditate in darkness(lights i that room will be switched off).I was meditating on June 18th or something at around 9:00 PM when something happened... As I was starting to become mindful on my breath,:om: I suddenly felt a person to my left side(I could only "see" a shadowy figure[I could actually SEE as if I was turning to my left, though the background was just greyish...])!! I immediately opened my eyes to check whether there was someone there, but no... So I again went back into meditation... This time also, I saw it, and now, I stayed patient... It came towards my left side(at that moment, I could feel my left ear blocking(from inside) and then, it came nearer and nearer until it actually touched my left shoulder! I felt heaviness there just at that moment and it continued... I saw it go by to my back(I could see it no longer, but I felt it, the pressure on my left shoulder)... I din't really like something that I don't know of behind me, so I discontinued my meditation immediately... Please tell me whether this is something good, or something bad, or must it have been my mind making up things[it seemed scarily real]!!! Please tell me...
And, I am not able to meditate that well after that
I have never got that again nor have I been able to reach that "State" of meditation again... I am really confused... Please tell me something.. All comments will be appreciated...
Love and Light,
Nidish
Usually, I meditate in darkness(lights i that room will be switched off).I was meditating on June 18th or something at around 9:00 PM when something happened... As I was starting to become mindful on my breath,:om: I suddenly felt a person to my left side(I could only "see" a shadowy figure[I could actually SEE as if I was turning to my left, though the background was just greyish...])!! I immediately opened my eyes to check whether there was someone there, but no... So I again went back into meditation... This time also, I saw it, and now, I stayed patient... It came towards my left side(at that moment, I could feel my left ear blocking(from inside) and then, it came nearer and nearer until it actually touched my left shoulder! I felt heaviness there just at that moment and it continued... I saw it go by to my back(I could see it no longer, but I felt it, the pressure on my left shoulder)... I din't really like something that I don't know of behind me, so I discontinued my meditation immediately... Please tell me whether this is something good, or something bad, or must it have been my mind making up things[it seemed scarily real]!!! Please tell me...
And, I am not able to meditate that well after that
I have never got that again nor have I been able to reach that "State" of meditation again... I am really confused... Please tell me something.. All comments will be appreciated...Love and Light,
Nidish
0
Comments
Let it go.
Focus more on what you do now, rather than what you did then.
It's nothing to get dinged about.
Simply continue your practice, and experience the moment.
What we're telling you, is don't sweat over it.
I will tell you a true story.
In 1997, I lived in Hampshire, UK.
A leaflet was posted through my door.
It advertised a local Psychic Fair taking place in a week from the date I got the leaflet.
I decided to go, because I knew there would be crystals, (both decorative light-reflecting ones, and natural semi-precious ones) and I wanted to buy some.
I decided while there, to see a psychic.
It was a crowded, well-attended and very busy evening, so this seemed like a good and opportune chance, to connect with someone at random.
I waited in the middle of the room, until I caught sight of one, looking at me, and smiling.
I went over to her table, and the first question she asked me, was
“Good grief, how many people have you got with you?”
Apparently she could see 9 presences accompanying me. Two, she described with startling accuracy as members of my family I knew well, and had loved. Others, I didn’t know, but she said they were probably family members I had never met, but whom knew my parents, or sometimes we had a guardian who latched onto us, because they liked our energy and attitude.
She also mentioned a very tall, very lean, shaven-headed Buddhist monk, whose robes were creamy white, who wore makeshift sandals tied to his feet with leather thongs, and who carried a long staff. He seemed to be smiling broadly.
She said this presence was extremely significant, and very important to me. While the others would come and go, as presences did, this one was stuck by me forever, and would be my mentor and Continuous companion.
Fast forward to 2002.
Now living in France, I had been teaching Qi Gong with a local Martial Arts school, the head of which was also an extremely accomplished, experienced and adept crystal therapist.
As I needed surgery to a severely herniated spinal disc, he offered to give me a crystal therapy treatment.
This took about an hour, involved no tactile contact, but merely needed him to work on my Chi, or energy, in order to stabilise it, smooth it out, replenish it and strengthen it in readiness for my operation.
I sat the whole while, in an extremely calm and relaxed state, and was faintly aware of some wonderful music. It felt like 10 minutes. It took an hour.
At the end of it, the therapist said that in all his years working on people, he had only ever seen a person’s “Internal Master” or Designated Guardian twice. Once, many years ago, and now, he had seen mine.
He described exactly the same figure the psychic had described 5 years earlier, right down to the sandals , staff, white robes and smile.
Fast forward another 4 years to 2006.
I was attending a Shiatsu weekend workshop, which taught that Shiatsu should also be intuitive and therapists should connect not only with a person’s physical body, but also their ephemeral self, and the auras enveloping people. At one point, the Course Tutor asked us all to connect with anyone or anything we felt would be a spiritual inspiration to us, and to ask them for guidance, assistance and support.
I envisaged my dear and cherished uncle, who had died about 3 years previously. I visualised him standing behind me, guiding my hands, and helping me apply a pure and well-intentioned therapy.
At the end of the weekend, the course tutor took me to one side, and excitedly confided that he had actually caught a glimpse of the Spiritual Guide I had obviously invoked and asked for guidance. He felt so privileged to have seen him!
The only thing is.....He described this Buddhist monk in perfect detail.
I don't sweat over this. I'm just comfortable and content with the essence of what this gives me.
And I agree with Simon. Maybe it's time you found someone to guide you through this.....
Breath meditation is about being focussed on the present moment, the in-and-out breaths as they happen - being fully aware and attentive of just this. Let go of previous experiences and do not have a longing for any new experiences. Just be mindfull of whatever comes up in the present moment and hold on to nothing. Trying to reach any specific "State" of meditation in your practice is a major hindrance in itself. I say this from personal experience. Just continue meditating, without worring about whether the session went "well" or not. There will be some "good" days and there will be some "bad" days... this is the nature of samsara! I wish you well in your practice.
Thank you, Federica, for sharing this... very interesting indeed.
or option two, maybe it's not a weird trick of your brain. so what if it's a spirit? it didn't seem to be harmful. and as fede's story suggests, it could be a helpful spirit guide or something. i know it can be an eerie sensation to realize that you might be sharing your space with something you didn't know about, but if it's not harmful to you, then why not make peace with it? perhaps do some metta mediation toward it.
i don't know how i feel about spirits, all i know is what i have directly experienced. once upon a time i found out a warehouse i was working in was haunted. however, i didn't find this out until i was promoted to a position that involved me working mostly alone. for a good month after the first time i saw it, i was completely terrorized, but mostly by my own stupid fears. eventually i just made peace with it and went on my way. it seemed to do the same. or at least, when it messed with me, i didn't feel threatened anymore. i rather had to laugh because it really seemed like it was trying to scare the crap out of me, haha. but i'm pretty sure i'd do the same thing if i were a spirit... at least it kept me on my toes.
Breath in - Breath out
Breath in - Breath out
Meditation is not for everyone right away. Some people have much negative karma and karmic creditors. Sometimes you need to emphasize on purification practices first.
Real teacher will also give one protection.
May i know what tradition you are practising and what you are trying to achieve from meditation?
If you don't mind chanting, you can first start with chanting Namo Buddhaya, OM MANI PADME HUNG, or Namo Amitabha... or sutras like heart sutra, whichever you prefer. This will increase your merit and purify your negative karma. At the same time, you can pray to meet an authentic teacher. When your merit is enough and ripens, you will meet your teacher.
If you just want to relax and find peace, just meditating abit everyday, i think if can't find guidance from teacher then it may be ok. But if you are seeking liberation, then it is very important to find teacher.
gd luck!