Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

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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Laurens
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Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by Laurens »

I practise a form of meditation in which I focus on different parts of the body and calm them. I learnt this from a guided meditation by Ajahn Brahm. Anyway that's sort of beside the point.

I get to the point where I have calmed each body part with "loving awareness" and I start to focus on the body as a whole. After a time I start to feel a tingly sensation, it usually starts in the hands and spreads up my arms as I continue. The feeling seems to spread if I focus on it, however it can fade away if I get distracted or excited by it.

Just wondering if anyone could shed some light on what is going on, and perhaps tips for how to proceed at this stage. Should I ignore it? Is there a technique for focusing on it more fully if that is something I ought to be doing?

Regards

Laurens
"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
JohnK
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by JohnK »

You might search around for discussion of the Pali word "piti" which is one of the jhana factors and one of the awakening/enlightenment factors.
I was just reading in Shaila Catherine's Focused and Fearless about piti as a jhana factor. She emphasizes that experiencing one of the factors is not experiencing jhana, but that cultivating these factors can be valuable nevertheless. One thing she said was that piti increases by its being noticed -- interesting. She said that many long term meditators don't even notice it because there is just some feeling that they associate with meditation that they don't actually tune into as an object or identify as "piti." One of her exercises is to take a simple pleasant experience, like holding a warm cup of tea, and noticing the difference between the physical sensation that produces the pleasantness and the pleasantness itself. She also points out that there is a long continuum for piti from subtle pleasantness in meditation to "rapture" which is one of the English words sometimes used to translate piti. I'm one of those who has not paid much attention to it -- but now, after reading the chapter, am doing so a bit -- not trying to generate piti, but trying more not to gloss over it or miss it.
I hope this helps a bit -- others will probably have more explicit suggestions on how to work with your pleasant tingling.

Edit: as you got this practice from Ajahn Brahm, I bet he discusses it in Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond.
http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/mindfuln ... and-beyond
Those who grasp at perceptions & views wander the internet creating friction. [based on Sn4:9,v.847]
dhammarelax
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by dhammarelax »

Laurens wrote:I practise a form of meditation in which I focus on different parts of the body and calm them. I learnt this from a guided meditation by Ajahn Brahm. Anyway that's sort of beside the point.

I get to the point where I have calmed each body part with "loving awareness" and I start to focus on the body as a whole. After a time I start to feel a tingly sensation, it usually starts in the hands and spreads up my arms as I continue. The feeling seems to spread if I focus on it, however it can fade away if I get distracted or excited by it.

Just wondering if anyone could shed some light on what is going on, and perhaps tips for how to proceed at this stage. Should I ignore it? Is there a technique for focusing on it more fully if that is something I ought to be doing?

Regards

Laurens
If its pleasant develop it by paying careful attention to the sensation. It will develop in to the awakening factor of Joy or rapture.

Smile
dhammarelax
Even if the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, I will use all my human firmness, human persistence and human striving. There will be no relaxing my persistence until I am the first of my generation to attain full awakening in this lifetime. ed. AN 2.5
SarathW
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by SarathW »

The feeling seems to spread if I focus on it, however it can fade away if I get distracted or excited by it.
This is the crux of meditation.
Knowing it arises, knowing it stay, knowing it subdued.
Do not get distracted or excited observe the nature of arising,sustaining and passing away.
http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html
“As the lamp consumes oil, the path realises Nibbana”
Laurens
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by Laurens »

Thanks for the replies all,
JohnK wrote: Edit: as you got this practice from Ajahn Brahm, I bet he discusses it in Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond.
http://www.wisdompubs.org/book/mindfuln ... and-beyond
I did read that book some time ago, unfortunately I passed it on to friend perhaps thinking my ability to retain the information from books would last longer than it actually has.

I might pick another copy up :)

I did recall reading that these sensations of pleasantness were related to the jhanas. Whenever I first had the sensation I would think 'come on lets get into the first jhana!' or 'ooooh I'm getting somewhere' and the sensation would decline. The lesson I'm working on now is to not think of it as something happening that is going to get me somewhere, or make something awesome happen, but to just watch it.

I had a lot of trouble in the past with my view on meditation (I've discussed this in another recent topic). It has taken a while for me to get out of the view that meditation is some kind of transaction or culmination of hours (like a job) where by virtue of doing it often I'd get something special from it at the end. Which would inevitably lead to frustration. I do it to relax and relieve stress at the moment, and it works better when I simply view it in those terms. But I think I still have some residual 'something has gotta happen soon' stuff to deal with. This perhaps is a good means to develop that.
"If only it were all so simple! If only there were evil people somewhere insidiously committing evil deeds, and it were necessary only to separate them from the rest of us and destroy them. But the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being. And who is willing to destroy a piece of his own heart?"

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
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ryanM
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by ryanM »

Laurens wrote: I had a lot of trouble in the past with my view on meditation (I've discussed this in another recent topic). It has taken a while for me to get out of the view that meditation is some kind of transaction or culmination of hours (like a job) where by virtue of doing it often I'd get something special from it at the end. Which would inevitably lead to frustration. I do it to relax and relieve stress at the moment, and it works better when I simply view it in those terms. But I think I still have some residual 'something has gotta happen soon' stuff to deal with. This perhaps is a good means to develop that.
Hehe this reminds me of being a kid and whining for a toy. My parents were less willing to appease me when I threw a fit for something. For myself, the best gifts are the ones I least expect!
sabbe dhammā nālaṃ abhinivesāya

"nothing whatsoever should be clung to"
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massara
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by massara »

Since some weeks ago, while I am meditating focusing in my breathing something interesting happens.
When I get a little concentrated, I start to smile and feel a great calm all over the body, sometimes a little ecstasy. I take notice of these sensations and keep focusing the in and out breath, but when I try to observe more deeply the the calm of the body, these sensations starts to weak, so I go back to the in and out breath.
Worth to say that the smile is quite "strong", I just can't stop smiling!
It usually begins after 20 or 30 minutes of sitting and I feel very happy and relaxed after the meditation.
Could these sensations be piti and sukkha?
Thank you.
dhammarelax
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by dhammarelax »

massara wrote:Since some weeks ago, while I am meditating focusing in my breathing something interesting happens.
When I get a little concentrated, I start to smile and feel a great calm all over the body, sometimes a little ecstasy. I take notice of these sensations and keep focusing the in and out breath, but when I try to observe more deeply the the calm of the body, these sensations starts to weak, so I go back to the in and out breath.
Worth to say that the smile is quite "strong", I just can't stop smiling!
It usually begins after 20 or 30 minutes of sitting and I feel very happy and relaxed after the meditation.
Could these sensations be piti and sukkha?
Thank you.
Yes, keep the smile going, try to smile all the time, Bhante Vimalaramsi actually teaches to use the smile as an aid to the Jhanas.

Smile
Dhammarelax
Even if the flesh & blood in my body dry up, leaving just the skin, tendons, & bones, I will use all my human firmness, human persistence and human striving. There will be no relaxing my persistence until I am the first of my generation to attain full awakening in this lifetime. ed. AN 2.5
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massara
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Re: Pleasant Sensations During Meditation

Post by massara »

dhammarelax wrote:
massara wrote:Since some weeks ago, while I am meditating focusing in my breathing something interesting happens.
When I get a little concentrated, I start to smile and feel a great calm all over the body, sometimes a little ecstasy. I take notice of these sensations and keep focusing the in and out breath, but when I try to observe more deeply the the calm of the body, these sensations starts to weak, so I go back to the in and out breath.
Worth to say that the smile is quite "strong", I just can't stop smiling!
It usually begins after 20 or 30 minutes of sitting and I feel very happy and relaxed after the meditation.
Could these sensations be piti and sukkha?
Thank you.
Yes, keep the smile going, try to smile all the time, Bhante Vimalaramsi actually teaches to use the smile as an aid to the Jhanas.

Smile
Dhammarelax
Thank you, Dhammarelax. I'll follow your instructions and see what happens.
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