Dhamma Wheel Buddhist Forum

Ville N wrote:Dear friends in the Dhamma,

here's a question for you. Today after doing my daily ashtanga yoga practice, about 2 hours long, I was relaxing in the corpse pose as is part of the ending sequence. Just completely relaxed, not doing anything physically or mentally...after about 10 minutes or so, I sharpened my awareness just a bit to detach the mind from its usual thought-riding antics. Like many times before, the end result was a mind that became distinctly silent. No thoughts, just soothing silence...and after a while, my alarm went off, got a text message etc.

Now this is not the first time I've experienced this, so it got me wondering: is there any merit in such a meditation method that has no particular object? Is it possible to go further than the silence, or is that it? I mean all I do is just let go first, and then sharpen the awareness just a bit...

And yes, I'd appreciate advice coming from personal meditation experience, since I've already read more than enough books

Ville

Goofaholix wrote:Objectionless!...

... sustained.

Virgo wrote:People like to read what they would like to into things, but if you take a look at the Suttas I don't think the Buddha would recommend this type of meditation. For example, he never praised it once, like he praised anapanasati and listed its benefits, etc. Also, it doesn't seem like an object that you can consistently focus on, because it is born of relaxation after yoga. This does not agree with the Buddha's exhortation to constantly keeping the object in mind, etc. It is more like the meditation of an uninstructed Brahmin with stretches his body and chants the mantras of the Vedas (om, etc.).

Kevin

Theme-Less Concentration
"Further, Ananda, the monk — not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception — attends to the singleness based on the theme-less concentration of awareness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its theme-less concentration of awareness.

"He discerns that 'Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of nothingness are not present. Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' He discerns that 'This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. There is only this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: 'There is this.' And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, & pure.

m0rl0ck wrote:

Virgo wrote:People like to read what they would like to into things, but if you take a look at the Suttas I don't think the Buddha would recommend this type of meditation. For example, he never praised it once, like he praised anapanasati and listed its benefits, etc. Also, it doesn't seem like an object that you can consistently focus on, because it is born of relaxation after yoga. This does not agree with the Buddha's exhortation to constantly keeping the object in mind, etc. It is more like the meditation of an uninstructed Brahmin with stretches his body and chants the mantras of the Vedas (om, etc.).

Kevin

Actually this is an object that you can keep pretty consistently in focus with some practice. If you want a sutta based recommendation for it, look at the greater and lesser sunnata suttas. Its always there, just more noticable when one is relaxed.

Theme-Less Concentration
"Further, Ananda, the monk — not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception — attends to the singleness based on the theme-less concentration of awareness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its theme-less concentration of awareness.

"He discerns that 'Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of nothingness are not present. Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' He discerns that 'This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. There is only this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: 'There is this.' And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, & pure.

From the Cula-sunnata sutta http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Virgo wrote:

m0rl0ck wrote:

Virgo wrote:People like to read what they would like to into things, but if you take a look at the Suttas I don't think the Buddha would recommend this type of meditation. For example, he never praised it once, like he praised anapanasati and listed its benefits, etc. Also, it doesn't seem like an object that you can consistently focus on, because it is born of relaxation after yoga. This does not agree with the Buddha's exhortation to constantly keeping the object in mind, etc. It is more like the meditation of an uninstructed Brahmin with stretches his body and chants the mantras of the Vedas (om, etc.).

Kevin

Actually this is an object that you can keep pretty consistently in focus with some practice. If you want a sutta based recommendation for it, look at the greater and lesser sunnata suttas. Its always there, just more noticable when one is relaxed.

Theme-Less Concentration
"Further, Ananda, the monk — not attending to the perception of the dimension of nothingness, not attending to the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception — attends to the singleness based on the theme-less concentration of awareness. His mind takes pleasure, finds satisfaction, settles, & indulges in its theme-less concentration of awareness.

"He discerns that 'Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of nothingness are not present. Whatever disturbances that would exist based on the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, are not present. And there is only this modicum of disturbance: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' He discerns that 'This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of nothingness. This mode of perception is empty of the perception of the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception. There is only this non-emptiness: that connected with the six sensory spheres, dependent on this very body with life as its condition.' Thus he regards it as empty of whatever is not there. Whatever remains, he discerns as present: 'There is this.' And so this, his entry into emptiness, accords with actuality, is undistorted in meaning, & pure.

From the Cula-sunnata sutta http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That's called meditation on the phala citta, the sole resort of noble ones who are jhana labhis.