Question for Hamilton Project guys.

I wanted to ask about the system you all talked about in the 1st Hamilton Project recording where Nick mentioned that he uses an affirmation (a knowing/confidence that it will happen) to move to the next jhana, and on to cessation.

I find that when I try that route, the affirmation is overloaded with wanting and craving for it to happen and so it falls flat. How does one give birth to an affirmation which will have a confidence and knowing that it will happen, rather than a grasping or desire to make it happen?

This "tecnique" at accessing states and fruitions etc seems to work best for post-pathers because one seems to develop the magical ability to make resolutions that actually work without much effort once post-path. This has been my and many yogis' experience. I never did it pre-path, so I am not very knowledgable about whether it works as well for pre-pathers. Having no or little mental clinging also helps Making the affirmations work, I think, kind of depends on past success as well. Because the "knowing" bit comes from actually knowing what is going to be experienced. I think perhaps a "fake it till you make it" attitude could bring results too. And also a highly concentrated mind and the ability to let go of or handle craving without it becoming a hinderance.

Here is the set up:

a) I resolve for a jhana or cessation to occur.
b) Directly after the resolution is made either verbally or mentally (verbally seems more powerful) I drop all expectations for the resolution to come true. You could make the affirmation more powerful by making it as ritualistic as you want. But the trick is to let go of expectations.
c) I then just "know" that it will happen. There is no craving for it. There is just a state of knowing that something will occur.
d) I sometimes generate a beginner's state of mind instead of "knowing", especially for new explorations where I don't "know" the terrain. One of innocent awe and accepting whatever occurs after the resolution is made.

Seeing as you are coming up against craving and wanting the thing to occur, you may need to just co-opt those phenomena as allies and note the hell out of them. That is the best way I think if this is happening. When you note them, they will lose their power over the mind once objectified. The embedded mind is the hinderance for the jhana or cessation to arise. A disembedded mind is what you want for these things to work.

Helpful?

Nick

"Helpful?"

Banzai Banzai Hei Hei Hei.

"Helpful?"

Banzai Banzai Hei Hei Hei.