Revelations whilst meditating

meh_

Has anyone here ever discovered anything that aided them on their path while meditating?
Sorry if I sound ignorant xD

Cloud

Yeah. You know how the past is a progression of humans have children, their children having children, their children having children, and so on leading up to you? We get that in a limited sense. We also get in a limited sense that life goes on after we die. And yet the exact situation we're in is the result of everything that came before, so we can't trivialize our own part in making the future what it will be. I once saw countless generations arising and passing (not literally, it was a mental maneuver), and it gave me a stronger conviction that what I do matters.

meh_

Hmm... I should really try to meditate more often - so I can get this sort of revelation. Im currently quite lost on the idea of my/our purpose here, hopefully something relevant will come up

meh_

Yeah. You know how the past is a progression of humans have children, their children having children, their children having children, and so on leading up to you? We get that in a limited sense. We also get in a limited sense that life goes on after we die. And yet the exact situation we're in is the result of everything that came before, so we can't trivialize our own part in making the future what it will be. I once saw countless generations arising and passing (not literally, it was a mental maneuver), and it gave me a stronger conviction that what I do matters.

Also, that is very interesting - does this sort of thing come during deep meditations? or after much practice? or what?

Cloud

When the mind is calm and focused an idea may come up that is so powerful the mind grabs onto it and follows it through to conclusion, dissecting it and looking at it from every angle, without distraction. That's what it was. I hadn't been meditating for very long when it happened, so it's not something you have to be a long-time advanced practitioner or anything. It took me out of seeing just this life, a beginning and an end, to seeing beginning-less and endless arising and passing. I haven't abandoned Buddhism since, as far as it goes.

Talisman

I've had meditations where the walls around me seem to be shifting like sand and sounds ebb and flow like waves on the beach. I think it is primarily an analogy created by my mind to reflect the transient and interonnected nature of sensual phenomena, as well as an insight into the mind-born nature of objective reality.

Jeffrey

I've had a sense that I could just let things be as they are. Recently I went to the emergency room and I was just riding the cart thinking hmmmm... not 'oh its ok I don't care'.. but just 'ok whats going on? I will go onto the next moment and let it be'..

Sabre

One of them is that the stupid useless voice in my head can be silent, just being very happy and peaceful sitting on a cushion, not caring about anything, including not caring about insights. Just silently watching the breath as if it's my best friend. Much deeper insights & mental absorptions have occurred and I'm sure will come for everybody who practices enough in this way. Once the mind is silent and focused insight flows naturally.

federica

I see colours, sometimes...swirling repetitive whorls of blues, greens, reds, and occasionally, dark blue or black... It's fascinating.
But I just watch, and let them come, let them go, and breathe.

Eventually, like me, they settle down and stop being so active, and then I just watch my breath instead.

I like Cloud's post.It's very penetrating.

meh_

I see colours, sometimes...swirling repetitive whorls of blues, greens, reds, and occasionally, dark blue or black... It's fascinating.
But I just watch, and let them come, let them go, and breathe.

Eventually, like me, they settle down and stop being so active, and then I just watch my breath instead.

I like Cloud's post.It's very penetrating.

That is interesting - its what happens when you enter a dream conciously (lucid dreaming)

federica

Trust me, I'm not lucid dreaming.
I'm just sitting, watching, and getting into the zone.

I really should do it a lot more often than I do.

zombiegirl

i sometimes utilize chanting in an active fashion where i chant while i observed a specific problem in my life. i've had many revelations this way. i feel like problems tend to create emotions that cloud my judgment and when i chant, i can surpass the emotions and really observe the situation as it really is. frequently, i find that it's just my ego that makes me feel so wronged or upset because i want to think that these events are just happening TO me without any of my doing, but the reality is that i contribute a great deal to my own sufferings. i hope someday i will always have such clarity of mind.

Sabre

I see colours, sometimes...swirling repetitive whorls of blues, greens, reds, and occasionally, dark blue or black... It's fascinating.
But I just watch, and let them come, let them go, and breathe.

Eventually, like me, they settle down and stop being so active, and then I just watch my breath instead.

I like Cloud's post.It's very penetrating.

That is interesting - its what happens when you enter a dream conciously (lucid dreaming)

Hi meh_

You really opened an interesting topic

Only frederica can judge for herself, but I don't think it is lucid dreaming. It happens to me too sometimes. Its just the biological systems of the eyes doing its things, nothing really special. The mind is attached to sight and sometimes gets back to it, producing these things together with the sight system. If you encounter it too, enjoy it if you want, nothing wrong with it, but it is not really a revelation on itself. So just let it be and focus on your meditation object (breath/metta/body/whatever) again until you forget about sight.

It is the same with all senses. For example you probably experienced it with sounds, often they just disappear and they might come back again. Also your body will disappear from the mind and then slowly the mind can settle until it finally focuses on just a very tiny piece of existence, like the breath. It can start focusing on itself and that's when real cool stuff (mental absorptions) can start to come. Then you are looking at the mind from the inside out. (I personally don't think it is possible to really understand the Dhamma, the mind, without at least the experience of one such an absorption although there is some debate on this subject.)

The resulting focus, peace and experiences of meditation/absorption then can be used to really dig into the Dhamma and get insights, using it to see impermanence of all fenomena, no-self, realizing past lives and so-forth. So insight doesn't have to come while meditating! . For me it often came afterward. So when meditating, don't focus on having insights. Just forget about all this impermanence/nibbana/whatever insights kind of stuff. Focus on getting more peaceful awareness, have a good time, meditation should be joyful, that's most important.

And in the end happiness is what we're after! All insights are just steps we need to take in order to reach that. So happiness (peace) is always the real goal of meditation and should be at every moment.

Sabre

Sabre

i sometimes utilize chanting in an active fashion where i chant while i observed a specific problem in my life. i've had many revelations this way. i feel like problems tend to create emotions that cloud my judgment and when i chant, i can surpass the emotions and really observe the situation as it really is. frequently, i find that it's just my ego that makes me feel so wronged or upset because i want to think that these events are just happening TO me without any of my doing, but the reality is that i contribute a great deal to my own sufferings. i hope someday i will always have such clarity of mind.

The insights that make you more peaceful are the insights that really make meditation worth it. Well described

meh_

Some great responses here, my meditation is improving a lot - getting up to 20 mins a session in the evening, and 5-10 in the morning now, and although I havent had any amazing insights - I feel so much better !

Sabre - I have experienced a lot of the dropping off of hearing before - doesnt this ultimately, after you lose all the others - lead to jhana?

tess

Motivating and fascinating. :thumbsup:

Sabre

Hi meh_

If you can already drop hearing that is great and shows you have good progress. Now keep going! Absorption can happen when you lose all 5 senses, then only the mind is left on its own. No need to worry or crave for such an absorption, it will happen when it's needed or it may not. There is loads of insights to be gathered by just gentle focus on the breath. Everybody's path is different, some get very far without any absorption. Might want to read a bit of this if interested: http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books10/Bhikkhu_Bodhi_The Jhanas_and_the_Lay_Disciple .htm

To tell you the truth actually every meditation session can give you some insights, maybe not mind blowing or very deep, but useful non the less. After you've meditated, keep sitting for a minute to investigate what happened, what gave peace and what gave stress. If you think about this afterward, the information will be stored in the back of your mind, making it easier to overcome the same problem the next time.

Also just 1 minute meditation on the toilet at work can help. Just 1 minute to get away from it releases so much stress. Or just be mindful of walking, eating or drinking or whatever. No insight needed to be able to do that. Then you can be very happy already and happiness, that's realizing Buddhism.

Sabre

Zayl

Yes, I finally realized that I had to stp living to what others expected the path to be, and I live my own way of practicing the Dharma. I give my love and my compassion to all I meet, because these interactions are so beautiful that sometimes it makes me cry, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

tess

Hi meh_

If you can already drop hearing that is great and shows you have good progress. Now keep going! Absorption can happen when you lose all 5 senses, then only the mind is left on its own. No need to worry or crave for such an absorption, it will happen when it's needed or it may not. There is loads of insights to be gathered by just gentle focus on the breath. Everybody's path is different, some get very far without any absorption. Might want to read a bit of this if interested: http://www.what-buddha-taught.net/Books10/Bhikkhu_Bodhi_The Jhanas_and_the_Lay_Disciple .htm

To tell you the truth actually every meditation session can give you some insights, maybe not mind blowing or very deep, but useful non the less. After you've meditated, keep sitting for a minute to investigate what happened, what gave peace and what gave stress. If you think about this afterward, the information will be stored in the back of your mind, making it easier to overcome the same problem the next time.

Also just 1 minute meditation on the toilet at work can help. Just 1 minute to get away from it releases so much stress. Or just be mindful of walking, eating or drinking or whatever. No insight needed to be able to do that. Then you can be very happy already and happiness, that's realizing Buddhism.

Sabre

Thank you. It make a lot of sense.

SherabDorje

Meh, you shouldn't expect anything at all from meditation, except gradual progress. Someday you may have the realizations you seem to be seeking, but many spend years meditating without such realizations.

Excessive preoccupation with these states of realization or "getting something" from meditation can hinder progress significantly.

SherabDorje

Yes, I finally realized that I had to stp living to what others expected the path to be, and I live my own way of practicing the Dharma. I give my love and my compassion to all I meet, because these interactions are so beautiful that sometimes it makes me cry, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I am aware that my response to you is off-topic, but does that mean you "pick and choose" what to believe about the Dharma and meditation? How does this help the OP with his questions about meditation? Meh is clearly a beginner with good intentions. Might this not be confusing for him?

Zayl

Yes, I finally realized that I had to stp living to what others expected the path to be, and I live my own way of practicing the Dharma. I give my love and my compassion to all I meet, because these interactions are so beautiful that sometimes it makes me cry, and I am not ashamed to admit it.

I am aware that my response to you is off-topic, but does that mean you "pick and choose" what to believe about the Dharma and meditation? How does this help the OP with his questions about meditation? Meh is clearly a beginner with good intentions. Might this not be confusing for him?

No, I believe it is on topic, and I apologize for when I wrote it I did not mean for it to be confusing, I just meant for it to be slightly vague... what I meant was is that you need to carefully observe everything and be aware that what is correct for others, may not be correct for you, and may actually hinder you in the long run. I guess you could say I pick and choose, but I just call it knowing my own limitations and not attempting to do what is impossible for me.

tess

Meh, you shouldn't expect anything at all from meditation, except gradual progress. Someday you may have the realizations you seem to be seeking, but many spend years meditating without such realizations.

Excessive preoccupation with these states of realization or "getting something" from meditation can hinder progress significantly.

I could not agree more. I was reading many books about Buddhism /I.e. just intellectualizing them/. I was trying meditation for a short time / without ‘’success’’/ too.

Thanks to this site, I’ve realized that to go further - I need to stop ‘’reasoning’’ and hoping for ‘’ nirvana’’ of the 21 century.

I hope this understanding will help me to have a second go at the meditation.



Will my brain be so anti dogmatic, I hope so. :coffee:

meh_

Hmmm that meditation on the toilet thing sounds good, but I know I'd waste a lot more time, once I get started sometimes a reach a point where I don't want to stop xD

Also, Sherab - really, anything anyone posts about anything buddhism related is ultimately educating me in some way

You guys here are great, everyone is always encouraging and respectful and everything

fedaalis

I realized that my mind is active ALL of the time. I only just recently achieved a little bit of a calm, relaxed state during meditation. Having experienced that calmness, it is clear to me now that I am usually not relaxed, even when I think I'm relaxed.

You've heard of monkey mind? The mind that is constantly swinging from one branch to the next with no break in between? Well my mind feels like a monkey on amphetamines or something :P Or 20 monkeys constantly swinging.

On top of that I realized that my primary mode, in the back of my mind, is intense anxiety. It can be very discouraging. Because there is always so much going on. So many mental constructs. Most of which serve to protect my self identity. Apparently I am a very, very conceited person. I make up all kinds of things to protect the way I feel about myself.

But it is nice to know that I can also be calm. And that is my big revelation.

I haven't been able to bring that calm mind from meditation into daily life yet, but I really would like to.

DairyLama

Has anyone here ever discovered anything that aided them on their path while meditating?

Realising that all the stuff in my mind is just stuff, I don't have to take it all quite so seriously, or be defined by it.

P

andyZ

I think different types of meditation, produce different expereinces, at least for me personally. Just watching and concentrating on breath makes you one with it, so there's only breath. I recently started doing Shikantaza, where you just watch all your thoughts as they arise, and the experiences are totally different. It's like you're staring into this deep void, from where all kinds of stuff appears, and it's not just thoughts, it's their potential as well:) As for insights, for me at least, they usually happen after meditation.

Inji-gyo

I get revelations all the time, I just let them slip by though.