Mike and Bill,
This guy's three short talks appear to be very relevant to 'explaining' and 'dealing with' the sort of experiences you two describe in your messages below. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2pplFsxs7c <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2pplFsxs7c> Part 1 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHMirridSXg&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHMirridSXg&feature=related> Part 2 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSRMlvmuHCY&feature=related <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PSRMlvmuHCY&feature=related> Part 3 --ED --- In [email protected], mike brown <uerusuboyo@...> wrote: > > Bill!, > > Yes, I've read about that 'honey'-like experience a few times recently. It seems > that when the mind has been concentrated strenously (eg, working on a koan) then > that allows the 5 senses to be suspended and the mind to become pure. For some > this can be visualised (although not visualised in anyway known previously) as a > light, golden light, a blue pearl or just a feeling of bliss and with no > 'visuals'. If the practioner can still be mindful of not clinging to this state, > then the next stage is jhana. I think you'll find what you described is called > 'nimitta' in Buddhist terminology. > > Mike > Mike, > > That was quite an experience! Thanks for sharing it with us. > > I haven't had many visual sensations when sitting, and none certainly as vivid > as the one you have described. The most intense one I had was just one day > prior to my kensho while working on the Mu koan. I had just left dokusan > (private interview) with the roshi and been 'rung out' (dismissed with the bell) > again while trying to satisfy his demand to 'Bring me Mu!'. It was a very > active and loud interview and I left with a lot of disapointment. > > The head monk followed me out of the dokusan room and spoke with me privately in > the hallway. He told me I was very close but needed to take a 'break' for a > while. He advised me to just sit (clear mind) for one or 2 sitting sessions > (about 40 minutes long) too let everything just settle down. (At that time I > couldn't really sit 'clear mind' and he knew that, but I could approach that > state and calm myself down. I proceeded to do that and in the second session I > had a visualization/hallucination that I and the entire zendo (sitting room) and > everyone in it was suspended in a thick, viscuous golden light - I could desribe > it as being like honey. It was very beautiful and soothing and I sat clear > through the next kinhin (walking meditation) interval (10 minutes) and clear > through the next sitting session (40 minutes). > > I couldn't wait to get back into dokusan with the roshi to tell him about this, > but when I did and described it he just smiled and told me that was maya > (illusion), then once again sternly demanded "Bring me MU!" and promptly rang > the bell signalling the end of the interview. > > I experienced kensho the next morning and was finally able to 'bring him Mu'. > The roshi, head monk and I all cried for about 5 minutes before I was ushered > out the room by the head monk and back to the zendo - no bell this time. > > That was my most memorable experience of visualizations. > > ...Bill! > --- In [email protected], mike brown uerusuboyo@ wrote: > > > > Bill!, > > > > Actually, it's difficult to find a place where to begin. If you remember, I > > recently wrote about an experience that was responsible for me discovering Zen. > > > > Just to recap, I had a very lucid and long-lasting kensho followed by another > > long-lasting period of intense bliss and kundalini type phenonema. Of course, I > > wasn't concerned with the latter experience so much and intuitively grasped the > > > > importance of the insight gained thru kensho (hence falling into Zen and not > > kundalini or mysticism etc). I've had a number of such experiences (both kinds) > > > > since, but this weekend was quite different altogether. The first day of the > > retreat was rather so-so as I couldn't quite get into the 'groove' and I was > > also missing my girlfriend quite acutely: being 'in the moment' was hell as it > > > made me even more aware of the separation (please don't anyone tell me what I > > should or shouldn't do - I know full well what was happening). Anyway, from > > about midday until lights out, I was aware of a kind of 'fluttering' in my > >solar > > > > plexus area (which I put down to maybe being a mild emotional reaction to being > > > > separated from my girlfriend). The morning of the second day everything > >changed. > > > > I could sit very comfortably and found myself going into samadhi effortlessly. > > > The fluttering in the solar plexus had now taken on a yellowish-green colour in > > > > my mind's eye and seemed to be rotating. Then after about 6 or 7 hours > > meditating (remember that there are 11 hours of meditating a day on a Vipassana > > > > retreat) my heart stopped (as an actual fact, I don't know), my breathing was > > suspended (I really thought for a split second I was going to die right there > > on the cushion!) and an explosion of green and yellow filled my chest and shot up > > > my throat and exploded in a white firework that filled my head cavity. At the > > same time my body/mind felt like it was vibrating like it was a struck gong. > >All pain and discomfort vanished (I'd been sitting motionless for almost an hour > > when this occured) and an intense bliss took over. > > > > > > Now, I've had many experiences on the cushion that could easily be put down to > > > visual/audial hallucinations from meditating, but this was quite different > > because I've never had much regard for things like chi and chakras before. > > After doing a little bit of research since I got home I've discovered that the solar > > plexus chakra is indeed symbolised as green and yellow and an irregular heart > > rhythm is a precursor to its opening. Also, when it does open the event I just > > > described (travelling up the spine and 'flowering' in the head - or 'ajna' > > chakra) occurs. I've only discovered this information after the event. So, what > > to do about it? Part of me still has that 'just move on with it - it's just > >more > > > > makyo', but another part of me is thinking that it couldn't just be a > > coincidence that I had the exact same sensations described in kundalini > > literature. Well, if anyone's still reading this far, there you go. I'd love to > > > > hear some feedback about this (but please, I know about makyo and its > >pitfalls). > > > > Thanks. Mike
