Empy space inside my head.

[K.Dhamma]

So, I have been debating on posting this for a long time. You will understand here in a moment why. But I want to mention before anything else that I am explaining this experience ONLY for the reason of understanding.

I have been meditating off and on for some years now. I was reading a book on out of body experience back about 7 years ago when I got started. It had it's own ways of inducing OBE's and all that. Well to make a long story short I read that book from front to back several times making sure I understood it all.

I meditated...a LOT. I would try during the day, but at night I would lay down in bed and meditate for a minimum of 2-3 hours a night. It did me good and it never harmed anyone and I always felt rested. But I never had an out of body experience.

However there was one experience I did have and I will never forget it for the rest of my life.

So, I followed the instructions. Breathing was the biggest thing with some minor visualizations. Everything was going good and I decided to just keep meditating this night. The visualization was to imagine there is a rope above you. On every out breath you pull up on the rope to the exclusion of all other thoughts.(the idea was to pull yourself out of your body). For those of you just curious, I never made it out of my body. But as I kept pulling, one day there was this "snap" of clarity that happened. It's so hard to explain so I am going to describe it in another paragraph. That was the method.

So imagine you walk into a room and someone shuts the door on you. There is no light. By no light, I mean NO light. Complete darkness. Not even a cat could see in this room. Suddenly "snap" my vision becomes clear. So clear that clarity is being used for lack of a better term. It was like I could see in the darkness...only clearly. All I remember is looking into it and the thought "it's completely empty and infinite." Then "boom" i'm back in my bed in my body. I don't know how long I was gone or how long it took to get there. I did not track my time.

After this experience I never tried again. I could not tell you why, but I stopped meditating and attempting obe's. Maybe I became scared or maybe I became frustrated.

I picked up the book the other day and I noticed that the same ideas and techniques used to attempt obe is almost the same as the ideas and techniques used to attempt jhana.

Anyways, i've wanted to share that for a long time. Hopefully someone may be able to use this experience to understand theirs or to help in cultivation. If you would like to know more about how I did it I can post something on it. So, anyone have any idea of what that was?

[Roland]

Are you familiar with Robert Munroe?

I've had OBE's numerous times, some before I started meditating and some after I started, all not induced intentionally. I'm not sure what it has to do with jhanas, as I have no experience in that area.

[kirk5a]

So, anyone have any idea of what that was?

Rather than hazard a guess as to "what that was" in terms of states described in the suttas, you could consider the value of that experience in terms of reducing suffering. Some, none, a little, a lot, helpful in regular life outside of that moment, pertained only to that moment alone...

[reflection]

It's hard to say judging on your description what I think it is. It could be all sorts of things. The mind can do funny things. Letting go is never wrong, though. Especially if this experience prevents you from meditating, perhaps the best strategy is to just let go of it and let it be for whatever it was.

[SarathW]

Hi K.Dhamma
According to Buddhism you can’t separate the body from the mind. However Sutta says that Arahants do it when they are in Nirodha Samapatti state. But this is not OBE.

OBE is a normal state of mind and can experience even if you are not meditating.
I think first stage of Vipassana Meditation is similar to OBE and it is called “Nama Rupa Paricheda Nana” (Knowledge of Mind matter seperation)

I may be wrong but this is what I think with my experience. I also like to hear about this from someone with more experience.

Please do not pay too much attention to these strange experiences as that can hinder your progress.

[pegembara]

"Monks, for one in whom mindfulness immersed in the body is cultivated, developed, pursued, handed the reins and taken as a basis, given a grounding, steadied, consolidated, & well-undertaken, ten benefits can be expected. Which ten?

[4] "He can attain at will, without trouble or difficulty, the four jhanas — heightened mental states providing a pleasant abiding in the here & now.

[5] "He wields manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, & mountains as if through space. He dives in & out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting crosslegged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches & strokes even the sun & moon, so mighty & powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahma worlds.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

No. 5 sounds pretty much like OBE to me which has nothing to do with the jhanas.

http://sdhammika.blogspot.com/2013/03/b ... ience.html