Gary's practice notes

Recent conversations and practice sessions with Kenneth have given me a clearer understanding of Vipassana practice. On this thread I would like to record the unraveling of confusion with practice and any developments. Please feel free make comments or discuss as you wish.

"Recent conversations and practice sessions with Kenneth have given me a clearer understanding of Vipassana practice. On this thread I would like to record the unraveling of confusion with practice and any developments. Please feel free make comments or discuss as you wish.

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Dude! Anxiously awaiting details.

Looking forward to your posts.

Often when something cannot be understood it works to dig a little deeper, things are more complicated but the matter is understood in a deeper way and conflicts are resolved. For example theories can be like this as they evolve to fit observations. I have treated the Jhana's and Nana's a bit like this. In not really understanding them and in a pursuit to make everything fit, they are conceptually complicated. Now I have some familarity with 3rd and 4th Jhana ( yes I am still working with 1st and 2nd ) I can say this is what I have done. The 3rd and 4th Jhana are just states where the various subjective descriptions are close and the insights nothing to get excited about. It is not that this conceptualization is good or bad it is just that it seems the pedulum has swung back the other way and now I am in a "keeping it simple" mode of practice that is all largely just unfolding of itself.

Insights do not neccesarly appear as anything special, maybe because when they are really known they are familar.

Often outside of practice sessions there is third eye pressure and vibrations in the crown area. Vibrations also continue over the whole body. Concentrationing the attention to an area intensifies the activity in that the vibrations appear stronger. Because attention changes the appearence of the vibrations there is a feeling of an illusionary aspect to the "experienced vibrations".

"Often outside of practice sessions there is third eye pressure and vibrations in the crown area. Vibrations also continue over the whole body. Concentrationing the attention to an area intensifies the activity in that the vibrations appear stronger. Because attention changes the appearence of the vibrations there is a feeling of an illusionary aspect to the "experienced vibrations".



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I keep thinking you are going to post regular reports on you sits. Are you? Please.

(often for me concentrating the attention on an area makes the activity weaker or disappear entirely)

"I keep thinking you are going to post regular reports on you sits. Are you? Please.

(often for me concentrating the attention on an area makes the activity weaker or disappear entirely)"

Hi Mike,

I was not going to post regular sitting reports, but with your asking I am happy to.

This mornings session I started out intending to clarify 1st and 2nd Jhana. I noted itching then concentrated on an itch. The itch turned to rapture and I shifted attention to breath at the nose and noted no sense of a nose. Continued noting, thoughts and sensations followed by shift in attention to the emptiness. The emptiness, I think is more accurately equanimity, crown tingling and third eye pressure was noted. An itch then woke me from a "micro sleep" then there were more body sensations that followed. Two more similar cycles followed except there was no sleeping.

With regards to 1st and 2nd Jhana I am not much wiser! A note on my use of the word "note", at the begining ( 2-3 minutes) of the sit it is speaking what is noticed then it is only noticing.

For me now, in a sit the attention to an area can cause a rapture and the vibrations go after the rapture. At the moment, outside of a sit attention intensifies the vibrations, I think this might be a good opportunity for clarity with them.

Nice report. Very clear and concise. Thanks, Gary. Avoid speculation about where you might be, though; later on, that will be easier to spot. For now, just the facts.

Whole body vibrations have diminished significantly overnight. Also the third eye pressure and crown activity is not that noticable.

In my sit I noted body sensations, pressure and coolness. There was an itch in the foot with a resulting rapture that concentrated in the head. Previously the resulting state from a rapture would hang around a bit, now it quickly subsides. The sit has no easily identifiable cycles. After the sit the body and head feel light with a subtle vibration that goes through the body ( not just on the surface ).

The vibrations on the body outside of the sit have returned. With the waking moments in the night, it seemed the vibrations and strobing were of perception not the body.
In my sit the vibrations intensified, out of interest I settled into noticing the detail. The degree of concentration changed the patterns, hard concentration overlays a slow ( about 1 sec ) pulse.

[edit] I realised the term "hard concentration" is not clear. it is probably better for me to say a forced concentration. There is a natural concentration that can focus and one that is focused as "an act of will" or forced.

Vibrations more noticable outside of sit, there is also a variation in intensity like a wave flowing over the whole body. Subjectively things seem more even as if all perception is the same and just morphing.
In my sit I noted body sensations and thoughts with the cycles noticable.

I have been noticing everything in "space without depth". I fell into this sense a while ago and for the pass few days have been putting attention here/there. Subjectively I often slip into a calm quiet state, this could be related to the practice.

With sitting practice I note sensations, thoughts. A new thing I have been noticing is background movement, it is stirring before a thought or sensation. Also this stirring some times amounts to nothing noticable.

I have just finished a sit where the cyclic nature of the sit was very clear. At the start the individual random body sensations are noticable, following is an itch that gets stronger, this then gives way to a whole body vibration and finally a very fast strobing sensation around the eyes. I went up and down twice in this sit.

I went up the cycle and when I got to the whole body vibration I thought, "I noted vibrations earlier that were slower and harsher around the chest". Another thought "oh that might have been 3 characteristics". Continued to note tension etc, it was as if the thought cause a shift in state to the content of the thought.

Last night I woke up several times, with uncomfortable vibrations having a various beats and fear was the common emotion in the dreams. By the time I was up the vibrations had been replaced with a light tingling.

The cycles in the sit were not so obvious, noted sensations, vibrations and thoughts. There were also a period of strobing in the visual field but the eyes did not feel like they were moving.

"The cycles in the sit were not so obvious, noted sensations, vibrations and thoughts. There were also a period of strobing in the visual field but the eyes did not feel like they were moving." ~Gary

Can you say more about this, Gary? How long did the strobing last? Did it happen more than once? If so, when?

The cycles of tension and release that you're describing sound a lot like either the transition from 3rd to 4th ñana, or 10th to 11th ñana. Vibrations in the chest is common for me at the 3rd ñana, and moving through the A&P is usually quick and sort of like a rush. Though, it may only be quick for me due to passing through it so many time.

The transition from 10th to 11th tends to be less dramatic, more like dis-ease and confusion to ease and clarity. At least that's my experience (DISCLAIMER: individual results may vary, haha). It's always a guessing game when reading someone elses practice notes.

All in all, I think you're doing wonderfully. I'm really enjoying your posts. Keep up the good work!

~Jackson

Thanks for the comments Jackson.

The strobing lasted a second or two, it came after a period of ease. In a session with Kenneth there were much longer strobing periods that continued in the visual field with the eyes open. So it is likely you are right about a transition. (Kenneth brings out your full potential... haha )

[edit] The session with Kenneth was around when I started this thread. The strobing appears for a short time in about half my sits, but this time the eyes seemed to not move although it can sometimes be differcult to know what the eyes are doing.

Before sitting the usual tingling is noticable, this is part of life now I don't tend to notice it as much a I use to, but with slight attention there it is.
My practice technique today is the same as postreptilian although I am pre-stream. Postreptilians descriptions are great so if you haven't check out his thread. I resolved not to be too interested in the cycles rather to work with the sweet spot. If the eyes are raised the mind gets more stirred or agitated, lowering the gaze slows things down.

For the sit, I noted sensations, thoughts and vibrations. I then lowered the eyes the mind became settled, raising the eyes stirs things up. Then the mind stirred again despite the eyes being lowered, I reminded myself this is okay the "wheel" is turning. I went through this cycle 3 times ( about anyway ). At one point there was the most unbearable itch it occurred to me the mind is probably too agitated so I settled into observing the agitation to know what it is.

I am little wiser, I think effort required to raise the eyes could be the cause of agitation and therefore it was helpful to be aware of this effort. I plan in future sits to keep playing with the extremes so I can know what the sweet spot is.

"At one point there was the most unbearable itch it occurred to me the mind is probably too agitated so I settled into observing the agitation to know what it is."-GaryH

Hi Gary,

If that unbearable itch returns, celebrate! Become really interested in it and let it carry you deeper. Anytime you have a good, clear, bright object, put your mind right on it and stay there. See what is does. Does it get stronger? Weaker? Does it fade in and out? Break up into vibrations? Become the world's greatest authority on the behavior and characteristics of that itch. A clear bright itch is what I call the "kiss of concentration."

Continuing with sweet spot practice...

In the sit tension is more noticable. Third eye pressure (tension) is very strong, tension in the stomach, neck, every movement of mind and body has an associated tension. At one point there was a build up and a wave that started from the stomach on up to the head. When the wave finished there was stillness for a bit. Not as much noting in this sit as there was lots happening.

On closing my eyes to sleep last night there were 3 bright flashes in the visual field followed by a wave of tension over the body. The experience was repeated later with less intensity when I was following movement in the visual field.

In the sit this morning there was a lot of agitation and I was not very concentrated. I think because I could not relax, the sweet spot practice that seemed so straight forward seemed to go nowhere.

A large part of the sit felt easy and concentrated. Noted sensations, thoughts and the sense of self. Stayed with a couple of itches the irritation went leaving the vibration, then the vibration went, then perceptual space.

Went to really fine vibrations and cool skin sensations quickly without much noting. I soak this up this state (Kenneth told me to and since it was pleasant why not). Found I could induce a rapture by "pushing" in a spot, although as I kept doing it the intensity lessened.

In the sessions since my last report I quickly move to fine vibrations and hang out for most the sit. This morning's sit was different with lots of itches, I would stay with an itch an another would appear, at times there were 3 or 4 on the go at once. The itches were strong but not irritating. After practice subjectivly everything seems fake and I am grasping for something real sort of knowing there is nothing I can hold, a bit scary.
This reminds me of a lucid dream (more like a nightmare ) the other night where I was losing "my ego", in the end the fear was such I could not let go.

Gary, what happens with one itch if you stay with it. Does it get stronger, clear and bright and then start to fade or does it fade immediately?