General Practice Updates

"I'm not qualified to post... "

Me, either. But I keep doing it anyway. Must be the movie running itself.

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-cmarti

Okay, but to play devil's advocate (and I have asked a couple of teachers this, so I have "an answer" I'll keep to myself for the moment )...

so are you not responsible for your posting then?

Seriously then, if it's all just a movie unfolding by itself, and "you" aren't making the decisions... or are you distinguishing "doing" and "being responsible for". That's fair actually. Gotta live with what you spew.

No, that was referring to me. Your pointer about responsibility hit me strongly, as I was quite the b-tch yesterday, and on a tear grouching at various people and ranting about things. Important to remind myself that whatever the agency or lack thereof, I take responsibility for what comes out of my mouth (or any other actions). Thanks for that.

Twice I've asked teachers "So if no one is doing anything and everything just happens by itself, do we have no choices?" These were two utterly unrelated teachers from different traditions.

Both answered in almost identical phrasing (I paraphrase as I recall it): "Well, no. In the Absolute sense we don't. But in the Relative sense we feel as if we do, and we should honor that."

Just to add, I think your point about responsibility is actually distinct from this issue of choice and agency. At least I think it is at the moment. Thoughts?

"I think your point about responsibility is actually distinct from this issue of choice and agency."

Ona, I'm not sure I understand what you mean. Can you explain a little more?


-cmarti

Well, I'm pondering this - if "I" have no choice in what "I" do, am I responsible for my actions or not?

Not sure that's frustrating really. Just wise. Sounds true.

As an aside, I'm going to see Mike Monson this week and I hope he doesn't try to get me to choose between A and B!
[image]


-cmarti

(Choose D!)

I find it interesting how long this is lasting, Chris - I had assumed it was just an odd one-off event when you first described it. Always curious to see what happens next!

So, I'm getting that this felt sense of flowing energy along the spine is both pleasant and stabilizing. It sounds like it widens your base, so you aren't blown around so much when difficulties arise. Whatever it is, it sounds like it's helpful.

At a similar point in my own experience, I found myself remembering having read this, years before. [Now I know that I have a weird predilection for finding things amusing, but this bit of doggerel also conveys that exhilarating Moebius loop of the mind recognizing the arbitrariness of the boundaries it has insisted on, before... To me, anyway.]

'The Modern Hiawatha'



He killed the noble
Mudjokivis.

Of the skin he made him
mittens,

Made them with the fur side
inside,

Made them with the skin side
outside.

He, to get the warm side
inside,

Put the inside skin side
outside.

He, to get the cold side outside,

Put the warm side fur side
inside.

That's why he put the fur
side inside,

Why he put the skin side
outside,

Why he turned them inside
outside.



-- George A. Strong

Hi all,

I am a bit new to the use of forums and online tools for discussing practice so forgive me if my forum etiquette is a little socially inept. I'm just gonna jump in here under general practice updates and hope I'm in the right place. If not, let me know and I'll make the proper adjustments:)

A brief background... I've been practicing for a year or two depending on how you look at it. My longest sits were at the 20 minute mark and I felt as if I was really cruising along but now my sits seem bland and I can't keep interest for more than 10 minutes or so. On the other hand I have been using all sots of techniques (whatever works) to be in the body, be with the breath and notice the three characteristics in my daily activities and this seems to be working quite well. It isn't as rapid as I might prefer but things are still moving forward.

Over the last few weeks, what I assume to be access concentration has seemingly spontaneously arisen while lying in bed. I have shifted my sitting practice (as brief and unproductive as it seems) to trying to nail down and master access concentration. I feel like I understand in a way what I have to do but I can't seem to make it happen. I have been counting the breath and trying to allow concentration to rest between the upper lip and nose. I can force some stability but I cannot seem to rest there.

Any thoughts?

Hi Duane,



Yes, this thread is as good a place as any to post practice updates and related questions. If any specific topic comes up that you want to discuss, feel free to start a new thread.



Now, as for access concentration...



Without knowing much about your practice, I can only offer the following tips:



First, since access concentration and jhana both require the ability to stay with the object of attention, it's really helpful to be really interested in whatever you're focusing on. In this way, learning to breath in such a way as to maximize the pleasurable sensations in the body is a great strategy. The anapana spot (lip under the nose) is good for this. You can also try breathing into you toes and finger tips, and picture the breath leaving every pore of your body as you exhale slowly.



Finding a good stillness spot is helpful, too. Focusing attention at the stillness at or around the navel, in the heart or solar plexus area, and the base of the throat or back of the neck (where the back ends and neck begins) are good places to find stillness. If your attention can be simultaneously aware of both the tingly sensations on the skin and the stillness at one of these spots, you're doing quite well.



Also, different people experience different things when access concentration is reached. Some people recognize it in the feeling of their body, while others experience certain lights or other mental imagery. Every one is different. What you'll notice, though, is a shift into increased stillness and stability as well as an increase in the pleasurable feelings.



Some of my favorite concentration practice instructions are from the late Ajaan Lee, and can be found here... http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/thai/lee/eyeof.html#sect2



I hope that's helpful, and not too overwhelming :-/ I tend to go a little overboard on the advice sometimes.



-Jackson