1st Jhana & Laughter

Anyone else get overwhelmed with the giggles as the absorption state comes on? It feels so good / joyous it results in holy laughter..

"WHAT IS HOLY LAUGHTER?

Many churches are reporting spontaneous, uncontrollable laughter erupting from their congregations, even during times of solemn ceremony or messages from the pulpit. Some report uncontrollable weeping, falling to the floor in ecstatic trances, and animal noises such as barking like dogs and roaring like lions. Some stagger and reel like drunken people, unable to walk a straight line. For simplicity's sake, all these have come to be called "holy laughter," since laughter is the preeminent phenomenon displayed. In simple terms, it is physical manifestations in the form of virtually any expression attributed to absolute control by the Holy Spirit."

Funny, they must be having the same experience by surrendering to certain feelings in their immediate experience.

That being said, only laughter and only for a few brief moments, and I am totally aware of it (which sounds a bit different from what is being described above).

haha I have had giggles come on during meditation. Its a great feeling... Hell sometimes during just everyday mindfulness it happens...

It is quite nice. Where do you go from that point? Just continue to note everything or do you pay special attention to the pleasant physical sensations until they are penetrated?

nice experience! first time Ive heard it being related to 1st jhana.

'Holy laughter' from my understanding and experience is part of 'speaking in tongues' (christian), when the holy spirit descends into someone, which is similar (if not the same) to the latihan in Subud (kind of muslim). These seem to be top-down.

Kundalini seem to be the bottom-up version.

Perhaps kunlun is the taoist equivalent, but perhaps not the only taoist equivalent:
www.darinhamel.com/main/

With kunlun and subud a 'transmission' is required. Whereas holy spirit descent and kundalini rising can happen spontaneously under non-ordinary conditions, suchas devotional rapture.

I would be really interested to hear what Kenneths experiences were with spontaneous movement and vocalisations during his path...

I think laughter and the associated sensations should be as good as anything to note. I confess I have gotten lost in the giggles. I'll do three hail marys before I go to sleep tonight... ; )

Yeah, I kind of thought of holy laughter but it's like this...

You are sitting in meditation
You are objectifying the body and watching the breath
Things are settling down (you are getting more of a sense of spaciousness, the black in front of your eyes is getting more interesting - clearer or easier to stay with, moving nebulous stuff, the body is becoming more filled with a pleasant tingling or numbness in various parts)
You notice the pleasant sensations in and around the body (I find it quite helpful to smile at this point and feel in and around my smile) and you stay with these
They grow in intensity, there are more pleasant sensations around the body
At some point it peaks (maybe good to compare to orgasm, although it is different) and the sensations of Joy and pleasure come on in a rush and are quite nice (although very peaceful and non-aggressive)
The laughter happens at this point because it feels so good (but it feels like me laughing at something vs some kind of unconscious type behavior).

It isn't spontaneous laughter so much as laughter as a result of the onset of the pleasant feelings (although it is hard not to laugh, I think I could keep it in if I wanted).

I don't see how it is related to the other things such as movements at this stage in the game, but it does seem to me that much of what goes on in a Christian context (as described above) has more to do with the body than the spirit (i.e. becoming super concentrated on feelings of enthusiasm/joy in relation to rock music or whatever could lead to absorption).

LOL.

In that regard, I'm thinking that much of what you see in Catholicism vs. protestant practices has to do with the wants and needs of the subconscious. The Virgin Mary for example fills the needs for a mother archetype and really has effects on the deeper mind simply because of what the symbol represents on that level.

During my last Vipassana retreat, there was one single moment, when I simply understood the whole absurdity of my human drama. And then I started laughing. I really, really, couldn't control myself anymore. Luckily enough, the meditation session was over five minutes later anyway. I went to my room and laughed for the next 30 minutes.