Mark's Practice Notes
- cmarti
- Topic Author
15 years 2 months ago #68110
by cmarti
To your question, Mark, it's possible to be thought free for periods of time but in my experience the period is measured in minutes. And that thought-less period is not a cessation. A cessation is not just thought-less. It is most often experience-less. Big difference.
Replied by cmarti on topic RE: Mark's Practice Notes
To your question, Mark, it's possible to be thought free for periods of time but in my experience the period is measured in minutes. And that thought-less period is not a cessation. A cessation is not just thought-less. It is most often experience-less. Big difference.
- mdaf30
- Topic Author
15 years 2 months ago #68111
by mdaf30
Replied by mdaf30 on topic RE: Mark's Practice Notes
Thanks Chris. I am sitting with this distinction--very useful.
Yours,
Mark
Yours,
Mark
- mdaf30
- Topic Author
15 years 2 months ago #68112
by mdaf30
Replied by mdaf30 on topic RE: Mark's Practice Notes
Did a walk and sit today at a local hiking spot. I had a shortened sit last night due to a dinner party, and was practically foaming at the mouth desperate to practice by late this afternoon, which is not normal for me.
I practiced 2nd gear on the drive over, about 15 minutes. I continued this walking. A minute or two into the walk I felt a pop out of the top of my head and my energy shot up, much like happened a few weeks back. Feeling of huge space above the head. Stayed in the witness, though when I say that I mean that from moment to moment I am distracted in and out of the witness; it isn't unbroken.
I set the intention to stay as much as possible in the present moment. After a few minutes I saw a bird flitting about on ground, and my mind went to the idea of reality breaking up. Then my eyes started blinking in vipassana mode, which has the effect of breaking up reality and self. Don't know if that was scripting or intention setting, but the feeling to blink was strong. That lasted for about 10 minutes. I noticed that I find the blinking pattern mildly irritating to my brain, and previously have sort of fought it, but did my best this time to let go into it. I felt like walking emptiness.
Got interrupted by a bathroom break and felt my concentration crash a bit. Made my way to my sitting spot and started with mantra repetition, became very focused with a kind of feeling of sacredness all around me. Reality starts breaking up in different way, not temporally (moment-to-moment) but in a spatial sense (like into particles). Eventually the witness emerges and I'm in an open-eye state. I notice that I am in and out of concentration; it seems to harder to focus on the in-breath because the breath activates the energetic centers in the belly and heart. Reality is not completely open/nondual, but is sort of waving about in between. Sat about 20 minutes and that was about the end of my concentration for the session.
I practiced 2nd gear on the drive over, about 15 minutes. I continued this walking. A minute or two into the walk I felt a pop out of the top of my head and my energy shot up, much like happened a few weeks back. Feeling of huge space above the head. Stayed in the witness, though when I say that I mean that from moment to moment I am distracted in and out of the witness; it isn't unbroken.
I set the intention to stay as much as possible in the present moment. After a few minutes I saw a bird flitting about on ground, and my mind went to the idea of reality breaking up. Then my eyes started blinking in vipassana mode, which has the effect of breaking up reality and self. Don't know if that was scripting or intention setting, but the feeling to blink was strong. That lasted for about 10 minutes. I noticed that I find the blinking pattern mildly irritating to my brain, and previously have sort of fought it, but did my best this time to let go into it. I felt like walking emptiness.
Got interrupted by a bathroom break and felt my concentration crash a bit. Made my way to my sitting spot and started with mantra repetition, became very focused with a kind of feeling of sacredness all around me. Reality starts breaking up in different way, not temporally (moment-to-moment) but in a spatial sense (like into particles). Eventually the witness emerges and I'm in an open-eye state. I notice that I am in and out of concentration; it seems to harder to focus on the in-breath because the breath activates the energetic centers in the belly and heart. Reality is not completely open/nondual, but is sort of waving about in between. Sat about 20 minutes and that was about the end of my concentration for the session.