Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

General discussion of issues related to Theravada Meditation, e.g. meditation postures, developing a regular sitting practice, skillfully relating to difficulties and hindrances, etc.
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Coyote
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Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Coyote »

Over the past couple of days I have felt hot flashes all over my body, even to the point of sweating, as my mind begins to calm down during meditation. I am in a cool room and not wearing heavy clothing - usually something light. What could be causing this?


Thanks and metta,

Coyote
"If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving & sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of miserliness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared."
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befriend
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by befriend »

sitting zazen can make you sweat.
Take care of mindfulness and mindfulness will take care of you.
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Ben
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Ben »

Greetings Coyote,
As the mind becomes less agitated and more concentrated, one becomes more aware of what is going on in the mind and body. They're just vedanas rising and falling. It doesn't mean anything. Keep your attention on the primary meditation object and keep going!
All the best,

Ben
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Cittasanto
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Cittasanto »

Coyote wrote:Over the past couple of days I have felt hot flashes all over my body, even to the point of sweating, as my mind begins to calm down during meditation. I am in a cool room and not wearing heavy clothing - usually something light. What could be causing this?


Thanks and metta,

Coyote
There are 6 elements.
have a look at the dhatuvibhangha sutta (MN121?)
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Coyote
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Coyote »

Thanks for the replies.
Cittasanto wrote:There are 6 elements.
have a look at the dhatuvibhangha sutta (MN121?)
Hi Cittasanto. I read the sutta you mentioned. Very interesting. I wonder if you could explain - do you think that this is experience of the fire element in the body that I do not usually pay attention to?

Metta,
Coyote
"If beings knew, as I know, the results of giving & sharing, they would not eat without having given, nor would the stain of miserliness overcome their minds. Even if it were their last bite, their last mouthful, they would not eat without having shared."
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Cittasanto
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Cittasanto »

I don't know if you need to understand it more than just the element being predominant?
the four great elements can be understood both through the word used and as a practicable noting as
Earth = solidity
Fire = heat
water = cohesion
wind = movement

what does come to mind is the Buddhas advice to Rahula on the elements
MN 62 Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: The Greater Exhortation to Rahula translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:"And what is the fire property? The fire property may be either internal or external. What is the internal fire property? Anything internal, belonging to oneself, that's fire, fiery, & sustained: that by which [the body] is warmed, aged, & consumed with fever; and that by which what is eaten, drunk, chewed, & savored gets properly digested; or anything else internal, within oneself, that's fire, fiery, & sustained: This is called the internal fire property. Now both the internal fire property & the external fire property are simply fire property. And that should be seen as it actually is present with right discernment: 'This is not mine, this is not me, this is not my self.' When one sees it thus as it actually is present with right discernment, one becomes disenchanted with the fire property and makes the fire property fade from the mind.
and later (which was actually what came to mind)
MN 62 Maha-Rahulovada Sutta: The Greater Exhortation to Rahula translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu wrote:"Develop the meditation in tune with fire. For when you are developing the meditation in tune with fire, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind. Just as when fire burns what is clean or unclean — feces, urine, saliva, pus, or blood — it is not horrified, humiliated, or disgusted by it; in the same way, when you are developing the meditation in tune with fire, agreeable & disagreeable sensory impressions that have arisen will not stay in charge of your mind.
Coyote wrote:Thanks for the replies.
Cittasanto wrote:There are 6 elements.
have a look at the dhatuvibhangha sutta (MN121?)
Hi Cittasanto. I read the sutta you mentioned. Very interesting. I wonder if you could explain - do you think that this is experience of the fire element in the body that I do not usually pay attention to?

Metta,
Coyote
Blog, Suttas, Aj Chah, Facebook.

He who knows only his own side of the case knows little of that. His reasons may be good, and no one may have been able to refute them.
But if he is equally unable to refute the reasons on the opposite side, if he does not so much as know what they are, he has no ground for preferring either opinion …
...
He must be able to hear them from persons who actually believe them … he must know them in their most plausible and persuasive form.
John Stuart Mill
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mikenz66
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by mikenz66 »

Coyote wrote:do you think that this is experience of the fire element in the body that I do not usually pay attention to?
I think, as has has already been said, that, yes, it is partly a matter of discerning things that you were previously not aware of.

Also note that the Pali word dhatu could be translated differently. "Elements" suggests a "thing-ness" --- a body build of little "element-thingies". Thanissaro Bhikkhu uses the translation "properties", which if more "process-oriented" and may be more useful in a meditative context:
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... l#sn27.009" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

:anjali:
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by Neinteresnayawe »

Nice posts. Keep posting such needed information. Thank's!
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by martinfrank »

Coyote wrote:Over the past couple of days I have felt hot flashes all over my body, even to the point of sweating, as my mind begins to calm down during meditation. I am in a cool room and not wearing heavy clothing - usually something light. What could be causing this?


Thanks and metta,

Coyote
The Ven. Sayadaw Sun Lun writes in his Biography:
When the practice is persisted in, the awareness of sensation such as heat or cold come to be noticed, as well as stiffness or pain of sorts. The Yogi should be aware of the particular sensation as it actually arises. A cold sensation should be noticed as cold and be mindful of that awareness of cold. Then when the mind is fully concentrated the cold sensation will disappear simultaneously with the awareness of the cold sensation.

If it is a hot sensation, that hot sensation will disappear simultaneously with the awareness of the hot sensation. The hot sensation does not linger after the cold sensation. Likewise, the cold sensation does not linger after the hot sensation. Each occurrence is quite a separate and distinct event, having a natural feature of its own. These sensations arise in any part of the body. You should not note the particular place on the body where it arises. The sensations arise by their own nature. You simply keep being aware as and when a sensation arises. This awareness coupled with mindfulness is called Sammasana-ñaaNa.
It is normal... just go on...
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shinshintoitsudo
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Re: Feeling hot/hot flashes while meditating

Post by shinshintoitsudo »

Coyote wrote: Wed May 16, 2012 10:36 pm Over the past couple of days I have felt hot flashes all over my body, even to the point of sweating, as my mind begins to calm down during meditation. I am in a cool room and not wearing heavy clothing - usually something light. What could be causing this?


Thanks and metta,

Coyote
Hi Coyote,

i have another answer for you.
During meditating (and also during other activities) where your body, spirit and mind are unified (this means busy with one and the same thing*) you feel ki / chi / prana (which is universal energy) flowing through the body. This heat is also one of the side effects of tummo yoga (ancient Tibetan meditation form) In Tummo yoga this is called inner fire.
In fact it shows you that you are now on a level where you are in balance and in proper meditation. so nothing to worry about :)
In some cultures ( I am mainly trained in Japanese forms) the people in the sanga test each other by slightly pressing on your chest. When you are unmovable, and sit as a rock, your mind, body and spirit are unified. if they easily can tip you over you are not in balance.
These sort of dynamic meditation forms can be trained throughout the day.
Here some forms of training which are famous.
-Misogi - sitting under a waterfall (or shower) with cold water. as long as you maintain in meditation you don't even notice the cold water. This technique is also used by the Dutch guy Wim Hoff better known as the Ice Man.
-Ki training - people such as O Sensei Koichi Tohei published a lot about this phenomenon.

*At last to monitor your self if you are doing the right thing during meditation here some tips.
Always make sure that your body spirit and mind are busy with one and the same thing. If one of these is doing something else you suffer. good example is that most people hate it to do the dishes. why? because their mind is busy with other tasks in the mean time. The whole experience of doing the dishes is on it self not a hard task. But because we don't like it and let go our mind we suffer and are not in balance. If we do an equal task which cost the same amount of energy but with the difference that we like it and thus our body spirit and mind are focused on one and the same thing the task is very easy and we can do it for hours without getting tired. In Japan they have the marathon monks. Yes they walk every day a marathon with a special had. As long as they are in balance they can do the marathon with ease. If the special had felt of they start over again. This way they train their body spirit and mind into the extremes.

Anyway i think you get the idea and you are on the right path.
One last tip. You will discover that the heat develops more and more over time and instead of giving up your meditation and thus your development its sometimes better to practice outside or in a cool basement or so. Once you master this and get used to the feeling you will see that you suddenly can sit for hours in a row or even longer. In my almost 39 years (i am almost 42 and started at the age of 3) of meditation experience I sometimes staid for more then 4 days in this state of meditation. In my opinion this is pretty similar as what Buddha did +-2500 years ago. (he only had more time to sit, i needed to go back to work) you will see that once you where in a state like this your life will be changed for ever.

Anyway if you have more questions please don't hesitate and contact me.
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