Meditation experience

A discussion on all aspects of Theravāda Buddhism
paul
Posts: 1512
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 11:27 pm
Location: Cambodia

Re: Meditation experience

Post by paul »

Thank you for the corrections. Although MN 121 lists a progression of stages towards emptiness, I think lay practitioners should confine themselves to the separation between human society and the perception of wilderness and once attained, to be not afraid of using forceful restraint in interactions to maintain a dhamma mind state when having returned from wilderness, and are again in human society:

"In the same way, there are these gross impurities in a monk intent on heightened mind: misconduct in body, speech, & mind. These the monk — aware & able by nature — abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence. When he is rid of them, there remain in him the moderate impurities: thoughts of sensuality, ill will, & harmfulness. These he abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence. When he is rid of them there remain in him the fine impurities: thoughts of his caste, thoughts of his home district, thoughts related to not wanting to be despised. These he abandons, dispels, wipes out of existence.

"When he is rid of them, there remain only thoughts of the Dhamma. His concentration is neither calm nor refined, it has not yet attained serenity or unity, and is kept in place by the fabrication of forceful restraint.” AN 100 I-X, Thanissaro.
Last edited by paul on Wed Oct 17, 2018 10:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
johnsonraider
Posts: 1
Joined: Wed Oct 17, 2018 8:58 am

Re: Meditation experience

Post by johnsonraider »

As I am reading this thread, almost meditation is a good practice. Every age of people follow this.

I am starting meditation but it probably goes gap in weekly.
justindesilva
Posts: 2600
Joined: Wed Jul 27, 2016 12:38 pm

Re: Meditation experience

Post by justindesilva »

hermitwin wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:45 am Dear friends, as I enter the next phase of my life, I will have more time for meditation. I hope you can share your experiences about meditation. Your success and "failures". What worked for you and what didn't. Hopefully this Info can help me and others who are interested in meditation. Thanks
I first started with metta meditation and also anapanasati.
While living in the real forest ( professional work) I daily did metta meditation with a result that I never confronted wild beasts ( elephant leopards or bear and serpents).
Later I daily did anapanasati for a number of years though I did not ecperience jana.
When later in life I lived in an island in south pacific close to a beach I experimented meditating on the sound of waves breaking on the sea shore when I entered a jana which I remeber as going in to a sleep . I still meditate on the non ending sound of grass hoppers and other sounds quite successfully.
apophenia
Posts: 17
Joined: Sun Feb 01, 2015 5:46 am

Re: Meditation experience

Post by apophenia »

Pseudobabble wrote: Tue Oct 16, 2018 1:46 pm
hermitwin wrote: Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:45 am Dear friends, as I enter the next phase of my life, I will have more time for meditation. I hope you can share your experiences about meditation. Your success and "failures". What worked for you and what didn't. Hopefully this Info can help me and others who are interested in meditation. Thanks
I recommend The Mind Illuminated

It's samatha-oriented technique synthesising the Theravada and Vajrayana traditions, cognitive psychology and neuroscience.

The highest praise I have for a method is that it works. This one works.
I second this suggestion. It's in a league of its own as far as meditation manuals go.
Post Reply