Spontaneous Laughter

Hi,
I seemed to have a bit of a shift today and was wondering if anyone could just explain what happened.

Had a great day, sat in the morning and kept a general sense of presence going most of the day. Was feeling calm and grounded. As the day went on a mild sense of wellbeing seem to settle on me. Anyway decide to sit for 30 mins. Very shortly in I experienced amazing happy feeling in the pit of my stomach and base of my spine. As I was breathing it felt like I was being tickled and I just started laughing for about 2mins or so. Anyway laughter subsided but glow at base seemed constant.

When I got up I kept smiling, It felt great but also a little bit much. Maybe like it had an a emotionally unstable quality to it. I still sense it now about 3hrs later. I feel like I could easliy tap into it again. But im a bit reluctant and dropped all noting.

It definitely felt different and stronger than meditation experience I have to date. But I didn't really seem to come from the mediation, It was more like it had built through the days mindfulness and the meditation just gave it room to grow?!

Feedback would be great, its great to know people who know all about this stuff!

Sounds like you are getting into jhana territory...

I definitley resonate with what you're saying:

Check out this thread I posted a while back (one of my first on here)
kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/thread/39...t+Jhana+%26+Laughter

Have a look at this:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P%C4%ABti

and this:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukha

"It felt great but also a little bit much"

-- this sounds like piti to me. Piti is not as soothing as sukkha (it has an agitating quality to it that sukha doesn't have). Once you are aware of a deeper joy, you'll want to tune into that.

1st jhana has subtle exhilaration, deep joy, chilled out bliss, and equanimity (here piti is more predominant).
2nd jhana has deep joy, chilled out bliss, and equanimity (here sukkha is more predominant).
3rd jhana has chilled out bliss and equanimity (here piti is gone and sukkha remains).
4th jhana has equanimity (here there is no sukkha).

Double post....

eep

Thanks Mumuwu,
Great links, defintly more Piti that sukkha. Felt a little burned out afterwards, it seems a bit like having drunk too much champagne or something! I had to go to work straight afterwards and sort of felt like I had to put a lid on it!
Anyway, its probably just because its a new experience. Still shows something is happening! = )

Yes, it's definitely a sign of concentration.

After Kenneth guided me up and down the 1st four Jhanas for the first time I was having fits of hysterical laughter that lasted at least an hour or more. To me, the quality that the Jhana states are basically arbitrary happiness completely unhinged me for a bit - I think my body had to get used to the idea that some types of happiness are available just by simply inclining the mind, which went against all of my prior experience.