Seeing White Light in Meditation

[sgns]

Many spiritual traditions as well as new religious movements and teachers speak of a "white light". This light may also be accompanied by feelings of bliss, ecstasy, or characterized as one-ness, non-duality, ego loss, union, etc.

Are there any experiences described within the Canon, or any related commentaries, that also speak of "white light"?

I know there is some reference to colored disks as nimitta, in the Visuddhimagga, and I believe the white disc is "preferable". Obviously the nimitta is, in the commentaries, a prerequisite for jhana, and jhana would be blissful, etc, but is the actual appearance of the nimitta connected to any particular affective experience (bliss, rapture, etc.)?

[mikenz66]

Hi sgns,

Perhaps this thread will be helpful:
Suttas mentioning tranquility and concentration nimittas
viewtopic.php?t=15578


Mike

[Garrib]

I have experienced something I would describe as "white light" during meditation (not always), and I would describe it as a blissful experience, although it is limited in extent, so I definitely wouldn't characterize it as jhana. It seems to happen when the mind stops identifying with thoughts, and manages to prevent more course thoughts from arising, by being acutely aware of the "place" where thoughts originate in the mind. The white light seems to be pouring forth, or bubbling up - it is dynamic/flowing. My awareness is centered on this activity - this happens naturally because it is pleasurable - but I am still aware of other things, though they are more on the periphery. That is a clumsy way of describing my experience - I've never talked to any meditation teacher about this but I'm interested in what they might say; Probably something like, "don't worry about it - go back to your meditation subject" etc...

Sorry for the self-indulgent detour. Looking forward to hearing what more knowledgeable persons have to say about this!

[form]

In commentaries that is the countersign. Countersign is linked to luminosity, what is perceived by the consciousness when its state has been altered to a higher level. It may continue to increase in intensity and clarity if one is still progressing. It may change in form also. In Chinese context, many times they may call it the moon. The moon that appeared after the clouds went away.

In the pali canon, that is not explained in details but it should be linked to the colour kasina meditation. The clues can only be borrowed from other traditions or the commentaries. It should be also proceed to the whole body covered with a white cloth as stated by the Buddha in DN.

[pride042]

I stumbled here not by chance but because I was actually looking for answers regarding this white-light since it has happened to me a few years ago and it has stayed with me all this time most likely because of the impact it had on me. As I've said, I'm answering not because I have any explanation of what this phenomena exactly is or means, but because I thought sharing my experience would be something you would be interested in reading and also on the chance that someone reading it might have a few things to say about it.

So I was meditating one day and everything about that particular meditation experience was normal, nothing out of the ordinary was happening. I was even kind of "dazing off" into a sort of sleepy state and i had not been meditating for long, maybe around 40min. All of a sudden a soft white light begins to emerge in the darkness of having my eyes closed, in a very specific place, exactly on the upper limit of my field of vision. The light starts to become more intense and as it becomes more and more pronouncedly white, it simultaneously starts descending down and filling all of my field of vision. My eyes were completely closed, but it was as if I was being blinded by someone literaly holding a flashlight centimeters away from my eyes and pointing it directly at them.

Probably to your surprise, that was not the surprising and impactful aspect about this experience, what really was astonishing about this, is that accompanying all this process was what started as a very pleasant feeling and has the light did its thing that I described earlier, the feeling would get more and more intense. Now I'm not sure how to describe this, but at the moment the light completely filled my vision, the feeling was tremendously pleasant, my entire body was filled with, roughly speaking, can be described as heat, an incredible amount of heat that didn't burn but that was filled with a huge amount of energy that felt like pure bliss. Now this feeling of pure ecstasy was so intense that I literaly had to stop the experience right there due to not being able to contain all that pure pleasure. Just imagine a feeling so pleasant so good that it actually becomes too overwhelming to be able to contain and experience, as if I was going to explode from the inside from pure pleasure, bliss you could say. I find the most accurate description of that feeling specifically regarding only the pleasure I felt and not the heat and the light, it was as if you were having hundreds and hundreds of orgasms at the same time, in a very short span of time. This whole experience, since the appearance of the white light until the moment I had to stop, had the duration of about 6/7 secs.

[JamesTheGiant]

I stumbled here not by chance...

Have you researched "Nimitta"? That's what that light was. There's lots of information around about them on this website.

[sgns]

I stumbled here not by chance...

Have you researched "Nimitta"? That's what that light was. There's lots of information around about them on this website.

Funny that this two year old thread is revived today. I spent the day researching the white light across various traditions and experiences.

I'm not too versed in nimittas, but I usually hear the nimitta talked about purely in terms of visual disc -- James, does the nimitta have an affective experience like the one described by pride? Can you link to any threads or info that?

[pride042]

I stumbled here not by chance...

Have you researched "Nimitta"? That's what that light was. There's lots of information around about them on this website.

Can't say that I have, I'll go have a look at it, thank you very much for the reply.

[JamesTheGiant]

... does the nimitta have an affective experience like the one described by pride? Can you link to any threads or info that?

Here's what my teacher, Ajahn Brahm, says about nimitta.
It also matches with my personal experiences, which are much the same as Pride042.
https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books/Ajahn ... m#PART_TWO

[sgns]

... does the nimitta have an affective experience like the one described by pride? Can you link to any threads or info that?

Here's what my teacher, Ajahn Brahm, says about nimitta.
It also matches with my personal experiences, which are much the same as Pride042.
https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books/Ajahn ... m#PART_TWO

This is a great read - thank you!

[Volo]

Many people see different lights (including white) during meditation, but very few have real nimitta, which can lead to jhāna. The safest thing is to stick to the meditation object (i.e. breath or whatever), and not to pay attention to lights (nimitta, btw can be of any color, not necessarily white).

What concerns white kasina, this is light, which is visualized (mentally created) by a yogi "on purpose", i.e. it's not light, which appears "by itself" during, let's say ānāpānasati. If light appeared "by itself", then most probably it won't be suitable for white kasina (i.e. it will probably disappear when trying to focus on white color).

[Akashad]

I found this video on a breath nimitta on youtube. It's not always white sometimes its blue (the blue pearl).

[Spaciousness]

I felt and not the heat and the light, it was as if you were having hundreds and hundreds of orgasms at the same time, in a very short span of time. This whole experience, since the appearance of the white light until the moment I had to stop, had the duration of about 6/7 secs.

Love your analogy on the organsm. LOl

[Spaciousness]

... does the nimitta have an affective experience like the one described by pride? Can you link to any threads or info that?

Here's what my teacher, Ajahn Brahm, says about nimitta.
It also matches with my personal experiences, which are much the same as Pride042.
https://www.dhammatalks.net/Books/Ajahn ... m#PART_TWO

Thank you James. I am reading it right now.

[Vakresvara]

Dear Pride042 and users in this thread

"I stumbled here not by chance but because I was actually looking for answers regarding this white-light since it has happened to me a few years ago and it has stayed with me all this time most likely because of the impact it had on me. As I've said, I'm answering not because I have any explanation of what this phenomena exactly is or means, but because I thought sharing my experience would be something you would be interested in reading and also on the chance that someone reading it might have a few things to say about it," Pride042 Quoted.

The Lord Buddha refers to this experience in the Suttas and emphasizes that seeing bright light while meditating is the result of overcoming the hindrances. If someone has this experience, he or she is extremely fortunate. Many meditators, maybe the great majority, never get to experience it during their whole life of practice because it is not a very common experience.

The truth is that it is challenging to find information about this, and it is not well detailed on the Suttas, but the Lord Buddha refers to it as:

"Luminous, monks, is the mind.[1] And it is defiled by incoming defilements." {I,v,9}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements." {I,v,10}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is defiled by incoming defilements. The uninstructed run-of-the-mill person doesn't discern that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the uninstructed run-of-the-mill person — there is no development of the mind." {I,vi,1}

"Luminous, monks, is the mind. And it is freed from incoming defilements. The well-instructed disciple of the noble ones discerns that as it actually is present, which is why I tell you that — for the well-instructed disciple of the noble ones — there is development of the mind." {I,vi,2}

It might be very well that The Buddha refers to the state of the mind when is free of defilements and how can see with clarity the nature of phenomena: "Things as they Truly Are" Impermanent, Unsatisfactory and that it can't be taken as a self.

But The Buddha can also refer to how the mind can be perceived by someone who has reached deep meditation absorption to the point of being able to perceive the mind in its natural state.

The truth is that this is a unique experience, it is a personal experience, and I believe we can't find more information about it because Monks are forbidden to disclose such experiences with others than their teachers or more advanced monks. It is shared with the only intention to understand its kind of phenomena. Lay practitioners also experience this, but it is very rare because it is a very high level of meditation absorption that is achieved by advanced meditators with a significant amount of Sila and Samadhi practice, and it is considered a Super-Human Attainment. This is something very special, and it should be developed and cultivated, because it is possible that it comes from Past Lives Parami (Perfection of Virtues or Spiritual Accumulations).

This experience variate; some see a gradual and incremental light appearing while meditating, for others is like a switch that all the sudden appears and find oneself submerged on this bright light that appears in all directions, it seems that the one experiencing it has become part of it, because everything disappears, body and the five sense perceptions are gone, and the bliss is so strong that is almost impossible to tolerate it for too long. This bliss is sound, is sensation, and perception, and it is evident that it is not experienced with the body because only the mind can feel this way.

I know that for those who have such experience, their lives change. Faith emerges in the practitioner's heart and now can see that there is a path that exists and that he or she has had the fortune to experience it; the separation of Nama and Rupa | Body and Mind are not the same. Also, after emerging from this absorption, the practitioner experiences the attenuation of the mental defilements (Hindrances) per days or weeks and feels extremely light with a more clearer and brighter mind, ill will and anger are no longer present, and the feeling of wellbeing is unsurmountable.
Like I said, the experience is personal and two different people may have a completely different level of intensity and deepness.

To conclude, this experience is Jhanna, it is one of its manifestations, so, don't think that the person experiencing it has not reached the state of Jhanna, in fact, many meditators experience Jhanna and do not experience this intensity level, Bright Light never becomes part of their experience.

My sincere regards to all of you, and keep, maintain and further develop your practice, keeping your precepts as you will defend your own lives.

VD