first signs ... ???

[bertvdb]

I've been doing a 1 hour meditation in the past month. Trying to go deep and letting the contemplative eye emerge. The past days, i got visions like what one experiences just before sleep, and what is called in literature hypnagogic. Only, this is not hypnagogic, since sleep is not coming, and moreover, there seems to be a recall of the experience in brain memory, what in hypnagogic state is rather difficult.
What should i do with this? Let it come and go?
Is this a step in the right direction, or is this just luggage to be lost?

On a different level, life problems/solutions seem to be speeding up.

Any suggestions?

[jhananda]

Hello bertvdb, deep meditation tends to parallel sleep, so, yes, hypnagogic phenomena does appear, and it sounds like your experience was hypnagogic. Just sit in meditation through it. Sitting in meditation is about being self aware, deeply relaxed, conscious and observant of the all of the phenomena that arises during meditation. Eventually you will learn to detect the phenomena that is characteristic of absorption and select it over sensory and hypnagogic phenomena. The Buddha called the characteristic of absorption 'jhana-nimitta.' Here is a quote from the suttas that refers to jhana-nimitta.

Satipatthana Samyutta (SN eight) (eight) “The Competent Cook,”
“Suppose, contemplatives, a wise, competent (and) skillful cook were to present a king or royal minister with various kinds of curries…that wise…cook observes the sign of his master’s preferences.”

“So too, monks, here some wise, competent, skillful monk dwells contemplating the physical body, ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he (or she) dwells contemplating the physical body, his (her) mind becomes absorbed (jhana), his (her) corruptions (nivarana) are abandoned, he (she) picks up the sign (nimitta). He (she) dwells contemplating the (5 Skhandas) body (rupa)… sensations (vedana)… perception (sañña)… mental states (sañkhara)… cognition (viññana)… ardent, clearly comprehending, mindful, having removed covetousness and displeasure in regard to the world. While he dwells contemplating phenomena, his (her) mind becomes absorbed (jhana), his (her) corruptions (nivarana) are abandoned he (she) picks up the sign (nimitta)” of absorption (jhana).

You may also find it useful to you on this subject to read the essay Jhana-Nimitta The characteristic manifestations of absorption.

Best regards, Jhananda

[bertvdb]

thank you for this great help!

[roamer]

bertvdb,
I believe that I too have on occasion experienced similar phenomena in my meditation. I believe that it is in part becoming aware of the subconscious. From personal experience I can only echo Jhananda's advice and recomend that you learn to tune into the charisms more deeply and let them guide your meditation. This takes skill and I'm certainly still working on it, in the meantime there are a couple of practice considerations I have made to accomodate the hypnagogic phenomena you mention.

1.) If you notice that into your session about 30mins that the charisms are not broadcasting loud and clear, you may wish to abort attempts at deeper absorption levels. Sometimes I then work on mindfulness, reflection and contemplation upon why I am engaging in this path.

2.)After a session that did not end in deeper absorptions I find it often useful to dispassionately review my life and see if diet, unwholesome activity ect is interfering.

3.) Sooner or later you got to traverse this state, as you push deeper in meditation i believe it becomes more and more important to excercise dilligent mindfullness in your daily life. This is especially true if you are navigating through portions of the subconscious. You mention difficulties in your life, it could be in meditation you are now dredging up subconscious material and are not completely aware of the effects it is bringing on in daily life. If you attempt to maintain awareness of your emotional state outside of meditation you can see if a new emotion or thought pattern is now affecting your day to day life and then avoid having its negative patterns play out.

Those are just some thoughts, I hope that you find the liberation you seek in your practice.

[bertvdb]

thank you roamer
light to you all
bert