A question about mental states in meditation
Upvote:1
The state was very near total quiet and peace. It was at the most peaceful place a consciousness could be within the realm of my experience. I sensed a piece material comprising a wall, and they started vibrating very hard and as it vibrated it cracked and intuitively I pressed on that and it shattered....Things completely flat lined, absolute peace, incredibly vast space, just a consciousness in space without limit....I had no sensations of my body, no pain, physical sensations, no breathing, and almost no sound. Then my mind just took itself back, I made no effort to stay or go...a whole lot of the permanent deep seated stress (PTSD) of many events events of the last 10 years were gone (2 long term unemployment experiences, complete loss of wealth, near homelessness, the drug addiction of one of my kids, and divorce). The persistent stress that was a part of my identity had vanished and has now been gone for months.
Thank you for your lovely & inspiring post.
My explanation is this was a vivid experience of the inherent purity of mind/consciousness, including experiencing the capacity/ability of the mind to purify/cleanse itself of conditioned impure emotions (refer to Pabhassara Sutta).
The peace is the Nirvana Element and the vibrations are the Suffering (Dukkha) Elements and when the Nirvana Element 'touched' the Suffering Elements, the Suffering Elements were dissolved/shattered by the Nirvana Element (just like pure water can dissolve/clean dirt).
Thus, your accumulated PTSD from the mind attaching & clinging to the vicissitudes of life was also shattered or cleansed.
I would say your experience was not 'jhana' but it was a profound cleansing catharsis (from which consciousness can get very exalted), which is a most excellent, beneficial & healthy experience to have.
The mind (rather than "you" or "ego"), after many years, itself decided to clean up the mess in its house. Its like the digestive system deciding to go to the toilet.
This video about Ajahn Chah may be relevant: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1oK4Vt_ntY
More post
- π Finding the source of a sutta
- π Ignoring thoughts vs. understanding them
- π What is the best of Jhanas and breathing meditation?
- π What is the text in which the Buddha gets a migraine?
- π What is the appeal of not Re-incarnating?
- π Looking for a book specifically about the 37 factors of enlightenment
- π Karma responsibility regarding beheadings
- π What is the difference between transcendental state of mind and Nirvana?
- π Does any Theravada Suttas / sources refer to Oozing orifices? What are the Suttas?
- π Does "married adults living with parents in parents' house" count as breaching the third precept?
- π What would one encounter at a Buddhist temple service?
- π How should one be mindful of death?
- π Buddhist Monk - Travel by air
- π How to practice ignoring identification with the body?
- π How to decrease crave in daily-life?
- π Choice-less awareness vs directed
- π Plants may be sentient beings like animals so how do you decide what to eat?
- π Sense of calmness in meditation, what is it?
- π Is peeking a "blind box" considered as stealing? Or breaking of any precepts?
- π Relationship or mapping between Jhanas ( 4 + 4) and the four stages of Enlightment
- π Egoic voice in head
- π What is ThΓΆgal?
- π Where can i find buddhist chanting and music?
- π What is Buddhist law of marriage ? Is there any?
- π What is the equivalent scientific term for samsedaja? What kind of beings on earth are born from samsedaja?
- π Is stream entry in 20 or 30 years of practice realistic?
- π Developing mindfulness doing complex activities like learning or programming?
- π Are there any comparative studies done between Ashtavakra Gita and Buddhim?
- π pranayama unsettles my meditation practice
- π metta, anxiety, and anger
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- π A question about mental states in meditation
- π I have a question about meditation
- π Overwhelming states of being reached through meditation
- π Can one practice meditation to gain knowledge about the universe?
- π Question about how to generate more motivation to meditate.
- π Is it useful (and polite) to ask a potential meditation teacher about their attainments?
- π A question about sitting, movement and mindfulness
- π Meditation "thinking" "imagining" mental note : Ven . Mahasi Sayadaw tradition
- π Sutta Question about 4 ways of debating
- π A question about DN 23 and existence of soul
- π What are Buddhist views about free will? Does the concept of free will vs determinism even apply? Is it a question with a wrong assumption?
- π Question about Dana
- π Mental illness: can Dhamma, meditation help?
- π Questions about meditation
- π Question about Vijnana and the correct view of Nama and Rupa
- π Question about the PitΔpΕ«trasamΔgama-sΕ«tra
- π Question about mind control
- π Question about Nichiren Buddhism
- π Meditation Retreat Question
- π What kind of mental state does the meditation on four elements generate?
- π About mental diseases and kamma
- π Question about going forth (while having children & wife)
- π Question about the SamΔdhirΔja-sΕ«tra
- π About the authencity of modern meditation methods
- π What are some special meditation techniques and/or objects that have been used to develop mental abilities?
- π A Question About our Aatma
- π Question about the contrast between Buddhist statements and Christian doctrine
- π my meditation practice question
- π Question about Narakas
- π Question about Vipassana