Nadav's practice notes

No vibrations in bed last night and a very different sit this morning.
45 minutes. A rising surge of cool energy right at the beginning. A little bit of tingling that subsided very quickly.
Spaced out, lots of wandering thoughts. No absorption at all during this sit. Noting missed a lot of stuff.
Restlessness, swaying and moving around lot. Frustration, doubt and later anxiety. Mind very scattered, couldn't stay with any one object consistently. Half way through, a sudden moment of relief and physical stillness, smiling. Restlessness returned after a few seconds and then doubt, anxiety, judging, etc. Heard a neighbor, felt fear. Lots of wandering thoughts and images.

(Part 1)
Kenneth and I just went on a tour of the jhanic arc. I'm going to detail it from the recording for the benefit of myself and others.

I started with strobing/fluttering in the visual field.
Kenneth described some "handles" for the 3rd jhana: coolness on the skin; relaxation, a down-welling of energy in the body; emphasis on the exhalation; feeling of bliss; a diffuse focus with the skin as the object, without anything inside. Hearing these descriptions took me there.

Scanning these handles repeatedly (like you'd scan the dashboard of your car) allows it to deepen the more you do it. This will lead from soft jhana to firm jhana and eventually hard jhana. Kenneth described it as a continuum (soft, firm, hard) at the same frequency (jhana X); the clarity of the "signal" depends on your level of concentration.

From there Kenneth led me to 4th jhana by expanding your attention to "listen to the ships in the distant harbor" (allowing in distant sounds). Handles for 4th jhana: panoramic attention, leaving behind the sweetness and bliss (sukha) of the 3rd jhana which are now clunky (the mind is quicker and more delicate here); strobing in the visual field; subtlety all over the body (delicate vibrations, strobes); lack of delineation to the body - just sensations floating in space; feel more alert; feeling of well-being without reaching out to any objects - objects effortlessly presenting themselves.
I described what was going on for me: very subtle activity all over the body all at once, strobing and fluttering in the visual field, heightened sense of hearing, difficulty articulating all of this verbally, a sense of expansion in the head.

(Part 2)
Kenneth instructed me to become interesting in the patterns of strobing in the visual field - whether it's smooth or discontinuous, and paying attention to the "packets" of pulses with a relaxed attitude of "letting the vibrations come to you." When tension is noticed ("clamping down"), release it / breathe it out. Once you've become interested in the strobing, you can let it go and return to the panoramic field.
If the eyes are drawn downwards (to the pure shamatha posture), let it happen. You can't mess this up - anything that happens is just fine. The key is to learn to trust that whatever happens is what ought to happen.

I noticed very bright light moving around in the visual field without pulsing/fluttering, an intense flow of energy within the body (almost too much), excitement and agitation/restlessness/fidgeting. This was the return to 4th nana / 2nd jhana of Review Phase A. It's very common to miss the cessation that takes you there. Again, don't fight whatever happens - just notice it as change.
Other handles here: brightness in the visual field; "deep gurgling [orgasmic] joy rising up" (as opposed to the "post-coital bliss" of the 3rd jhana).

Although the jhanas and nanas correspond, the experience is different depending on your focus. In jhana mode, you will ignore the intervening jhanas (eg, the dukkha nanas between 3rd and 4th jhana).

I soon found myself moving into the 3rd jhana (no intervening nanas here - from 4th straight to 5th). This quickly led to a less threatening experience of the dukkha nanas. Kenneth noted tension in the abdominal muscles and I noticed that I had it too but hadn't noticed it.

(Part 3)
Kenneth noted that for him, misery is associated with a grimace in the neck/mouth whereas disgust is associated with an eye grimace. Clenching the eyes together can help release the "bottleneck of energy in the 3rd eye". 10th nana (Re-Observation) can seem a relief at first, then the nastiness returns. "Whack-a-mole" itching might appear here, flashes of the other dukkha nanas and harsh vibrations in the visual field. I experienced lots of tension in the shoulders and a general sense of something pressing down on my body.

Eventually, the panoramic field will return and unpleasant sensations might become interesting (Kenneth heard a neighbor's car and noticed that the unpleasantness was OK and resulted in interesting vibrations). I picked up on my AC fan from another room. Soon, the fluttering returned. Again, the mind here is self-contained without reaching out to anything. Kenneth noted well-being, gratitude, metta, compassion, mudita, equanimity.
I noticed tension in the 3rd eye. Kenneth instructed me to see what happens when I "open to [it] and let it flutter" which resulted in more intense strobing and pulsation.

---

The tour lasted about 30 minutes. It's really interesting to hear how the tones of our voices change with the territory.

What a terrific report, Nadav! Very clear and detailed. Thanks for sharing this.

Nadav, your thread is extraordinary and truly helpful to this community. If someone wants to understand the difference between phenomenological and storyline-oriented reporting, they can be pointed straight to your thread for a fantastic example of how to take a "just the facts" approach. Now, we have this excellent distillation of how to start working with the jhanic arc. Thanks so much, Kenneth and Nadav, for putting this out there. It's really great!

I too found this really valuable to read. Thanks for taking the time to write this up and post it!

Thanks for the kind words. I felt extremely blissed out for a couple of hours after yesterday's session so some of the writing is sloppy.

I am almost certain that I got path on Friday/Saturday. I sat last night and, after starting at 2nd jhana, noticed at least one jump from equanimity/2nd jhana (subtle) to A&P (coarse). I think it's especially easy to miss because I'm prone to space out in equanimity. Same thing when I was lying in bed. I also tried jhana jumping again which was clearer after going through the jhanas with Kenneth. I'm not too clear on 1st jhana yet.

There's a definite feeling of being done (though I know it's temporary, of course) - like a return to normalcy and all the things I've neglected by being a bit of a meditative hermit. In its absence, the term "insight disease" makes a lot more sense.

*EDIT*: Also the shift into the witness is currently more noticeable and maybe more physical than before. There's a sense of being lifted and it's centered in the chest and the back of the head. I experimented with it while driving yesterday and it seemed to put me in 2nd jhana/A&P immediately but also made me nervous.

Amazing! Congrats Nadav!

Sounds cool!
Congratz!

Congratulations, excellent job!

Antero.

Congrats, Nadav!
It has been great to watch your dedication-in-action--noting as you wake up in bed, deal with the challenges and stresses of being in school, get pulled over by the police!--and it's so cool to see the result in the form of actual progress.
Way to go, man!

Well done man!

Congrats!

Congratulations, and thanks for the detailed report!

Congratulations!!

Thanks everyone!

Things are starting to settle down a bit. Thursday and Friday were extremely blissful. I spent many of my waking hours in varying degrees of jhanic absorption. Good times in class and backstage.

On Friday, I noticed that I was looking for jhanic factors so I would bring the attention back to sensations by asking "So what is actually happening in the body?" Most of the time the answer was vibrations, a rapturous flow of energy within the body, and joy. The Witness was also very attractive. The shift into the witness is very obvious and accompanied by tension in the throat, shoulders, chest.

Yesterday, less vibratory activity off-the-cushion. Sat for 30 minutes and became very absorbed, then 'woke up' and became very absorbed again a couple of times. I think the transition from 4th jhana back to 2nd jhana is often preceded by spacing out in thought. I wake up when things get coarse and my head jerks, open my eyes and smile/laugh. I noticed that I was getting embedded yesterday so I started to note a little bit. Whenever I would start paying attention (usually when something unpleasant was happening) I noticed that I was actually happy, calm, content. It just became easier to miss with other stuff happening on top.

As of right now, noting is no longer a chore and actually quite fun. Haven't sat yet today.

30 minute sit, noting. Lots of vibrations and pulses. Happiness, excitement, amusement, reflection, hearing, gratitude etc. So much activity in the body!

A very obvious shift: chills and a shift from inside the body to the skin. Cool tingling all over. Still very happy, but more subtle and less rapturous.

A tinge of anxiety. Quick flash of fear. Swaying. Still smiling though. Hung out here for a bit.

Suddenly, quiet and stillness. Noting stopped. Very subtle tingling all over, wide focus. Watched unpleasant sensations with curiosity. As it deepened, head felt expanded with the center behind the forehead. Thoughts and images. Asked "I wonder what my next thought will be" for a few minutes. Looked upwards and watched the internal strobing/fluttering for some time. Felt tension/'clamping down' so I let it go and shifted the focus to the whole panoramic field. Calmness. Started spacing out a little bit - resumed noting. Boredom. This stage lasted longer than the other ones.

Jolted by a surge of energy. Chills, some vibrations, excitement, amusement, calmness. Very gross compared to the previous state.

"30 minute sit, noting. Lots of vibrations and pulses. Happiness, excitement, amusement, reflection, hearing, gratitude etc. So much activity in the body!

A very obvious shift: chills and a shift from inside the body to the skin. Cool tingling all over. Still very happy, but more subtle and less rapturous.

A tinge of anxiety. Quick flash of fear. Swaying. Still smiling though. Hung out here for a bit.

Suddenly, quiet and stillness. Noting stopped. Very subtle tingling all over, wide focus. Watched unpleasant sensations with curiosity. As it deepened, head felt expanded with the center behind the forehead. Thoughts and images. Asked "I wonder what my next thought will be" for a few minutes. Looked upwards and watched the internal strobing/fluttering for some time. Felt tension/'clamping down' so I let it go and shifted the focus to the whole panoramic field. Calmness. Started spacing out a little bit - resumed noting. Boredom. This stage lasted longer than the other ones.

Jolted by a surge of energy. Chills, some vibrations, excitement, amusement, calmness. Very gross compared to the previous state. "

Nice description of what I call "review phase A."

Congratulations on a major milestone. Your efforts are an inspiration to all the aspiring. Hope you can see through to the truth of things with greath depth of insight.

Very happy this week. One or two 20-30 minute sits most days, drawn to just sitting and letting things unfold but sometimes noting too. Less involuntary off-the-cushion vibratory activity and absorption. Overall theme has been that no matter what is going on on the surface, I am still happy and content beneath when I'm paying attention.

Last night, felt a little dark night-ish: loneliness, sadness, vague malaise. I sat and it was very pleasant and blissful. I went to a classical chamber recital shortly afterward and had a blast riding the jhanic arc to Tchaikovsky.
Similar negativity tonight: self-pity, loneliness, sadness, doubt. Haven't sat today.

Congrats, Nadav!! Seems like everyone is popping lately!

Oops, did I miss this
Congratulations Nadav.

Felt general dissatisfaction most of the day. Some anger and frustration, a bit anti-social.
More of a self-hating flavor tonight.

I sat for 25 minutes this morning - don't remember any details to report but it was overall very pleasant and calming (like most if not all of my sits lately).
Took a break while working on a paper in the afternoon and noted the four foundations for 3 minutes each.
Just finished sitting: 3 minutes breath counting, and then 2 rounds of 3 minutes for each foundation... so 27 minutes total plus maybe 5 minutes after the timer went off.

It's been a while since I worked on the four foundations separately and it's funny to see to see how limited my vocabulary is for each. Somewhere Kenneth compared noting the four foundations to a musician practicing scales whereas free noting is akin to actually playing (or improvising, since I'm a jazz musician). I like this analogy. Playing scales exposes sketchy intonation.
Noting vedana (feeling tone) was felt robotic... hard to tell if I'm actually catching what's going on or just spitting out words. It can get pretty subtle. Interestingly, the first vedana round was mostly unpleasant (dark night-ing pretty bad) and the second round was mostly pleasant.
As the sit progressed I went from feeling like ***** to feeling calm and blissful to feeling lots of gratitude and metta for myself with a subtle tinge of sadness.

Speculation corner: I haven't been trying to follow where I am on the map/arc during sits but the transition to 3rd jhana was very clear in this one. I wanted to see if I could catch the looping moment after equanimity. I either missed it and only caught on when I went back up to 3rd, or I just went back down to 3rd from equanimity.

Wow this has to be one of the best practice journals I have seen. I have to say this really inspires me and helps me with my practice. I often catch myself frequenting these notes for information. Thanks! And congratulations!