Ron's Stream-Entry Journal

Continued...

- the sense of being "done" is very real. However there is now a new sense that whatever this new psychological space is that I've stepped into, it has a lot of depth to it, a lot of rooms, and though things feel done, they also feel like I've opened up a new beginning in my practice. Like there is much more depth to explore.

- I just don't care about sitting in meditation much. I still do, but it doesn't have the same resonance for me emotionally that it once did. I used to NEED to sit each day, and if I didn't I really felt like something was left undone. Like I didn't brush my teeth or something. Now it feels like something extra. I can do it and it is nice, but it isn't necessary.

- when I do sit there is a feeling of wide-open spaciousness with no effort. The sense that "I" am meditating is gradually fading out. What is left is just a sense of openness.

This is what I know so far. We'll see what's next. I'm still dumbfounded by how simple and non-spectacular this is.

Aloha!

Mahalo!

Really cool Ron!!!!

Congrats!

Ron, your journal is almost like a complete guide. Thanks so much for posting everything! And congrats!

Congrats Ron, you rock. Can't tell you how many times during podcast breaks we were saying "Ron can't be far from 4th these days"

Ron,
Congratulations!! I've been reading over your previous thread, and it's been a great help. Thanks.

"I'm beginning to think that this is fourth path.
-Ron"

Just what I thought i was
Congrats!

Antero.

Congratulations!
4th path, PhD!

Nice work Ron!

Thanks everybody! This is all still settling in, so I'll keep updating.

Excellent Ron, that's fantastic and you're yet another person who's proving that all this enlightenment malarky is totally possible!

Your attainment is an inspiration to those of us still working towards it so thank you for your honesty, commitment and willingness to discuss things as they are at present.

I was just reading over the thread and it struck me again how much support I get here. What an amazing community! Thank you all so much for the fantastic advice and support. This whole thing would have been a slog through the darkness without you!

OK, so I'm discovering that this isn't just some sort of switch that is thrown and everything changes, rather, it's like a gradual thing that builds on itself, like a snow that starts gently with a little calm, and gets deeper and deeper.

Yesterday I had a day that put this whole development to the test. I caught a cold from my kid that resulted in a hacking cough, went to work anyway and had a few crises come up, decided to leave work early only to find that I left my lights on and needed to wait in the hot sun with a cold for the AAA guy to come and break into my car and give me a jump. So, how did I handle it? I sat down in the grass near the parking lot and got overwhelmed by how beautiful the view was. I noticed things I never noticed before. I felt sick, but the symptoms didn't seem to matter. I could just as easily focus on something totally different. By the time I got home I had a big grin on my face. This really is totally new.

Now, I've also been clued in by some more advanced folks that there are rough patches ahead. Right after fourth there are some heavy emotional ups and downs that occur, I've been told, so I'll be on the look out for those and will put them down here.

Awesome stuff, congratulations to you Ron Your progress has been really inspiring and the detailed logging super helpful. Way to go!

Interesting new things happening. I keep wobbling back and forth between a state of deep calm and a feeling that nothing happened. It is similar to what a review phase is like after path, where you go back and forth between A&P and 1st nana when you first sit. My guess is that I will settle back into a mix of normal and somewhat calmer.

The big question though is: where do I go from here? What comes next?

I talked with Kenneth and he gave me some pointers toward deepening practice in the moment that I am applying. Funny thing, in a sit with him guiding me he was able to lead me about three or four steps ahead, to an experience he calls "suchness." When I try to do it myself though, I'm floundering a little. That is the benefit of a teacher. The way ahead gets lit up for you. So now I'm practicing a mix of noting with acceptance and surrender. It is a little like the direct mode.

In keeping with tradition here at KFD, I'm going to start a new thread. Look for "Ron's 'Now What?' Journal".