Getting The Most Out Of Strong Determination Sitting

[Guest]

I have completed 500 hours of strong sitting in the last three months (~5 hrs per day). I have tried tinkering with the technique and I wanted to share some of the things that I have found to be extremely effective in improving purification.

Considering Shinzen Youngs formula Purification = Pain * Mindfulness; the strong sitting technique is already fantastic, however I noticed that I reached a distinct plateau where it became quite easy for me to sit for 8 hours without much improvement in my awareness. Utilizing the formula, I realized that to improve the technique I would have to find ways to responsibly increase pain and mindfulness while sitting.

Pain:

Eat a chili immediately before sitting.

Mindfulness:

I downloaded a free workout interval timer app for my smartphone. (link below)

The app allowed me to set up an interval duration and then set a number of intervals for a session.

I typically set an interval time between 2-3 minutes and installed a simple tone to sound at the end of each interval, I set the volume very low because my sensory clarity is very high during the meditation. Adjust the interval time and volume to suit yourself.

1.  Before sitting, set a very clear intention for what you want to do subjectively during the sit e.g.: 

   "I" am going to abide as the formless source

   "I" am going to do nothing

   "I" am going to practice self inquiry

   "I" am going to practice positive thinking

2. Begin the meditation with the timer app (I turn the screen off and I don't keep track of time)

3. At the sound of each tone "stop on a dime" and directly rectify the present moment with the intention set in step 1.

4. When the meditation is over go to the mirror and check dem spiritual gainz.

I have done this for the past 2 weeks now and I have noticed that I subconsciously move into deep formless presence every few minutes automatically.

 

Timer app

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.muhanov&hl=en

I use the google hangouts message tone which came with my phone.

 

Also, to make sure I am consistent with my sitting, I meditate in front of a simple calendar that I made for the year. For each day I meditate I cross off the day in red pen. The aim is to not break the chain of red. When you sit in front of it for every meditation, the motivation to not break the chain skyrockets. Especially if you're a borderline OCD perfectionist like me. (I understand it's all in my head, but you catch my drift.)

 

In terms of realizing the no-self, this video popped my cherry. "I" hope it can do the same for someone else. (assuming causality exists, lol)

 

 

 

[ZenDog]

@Galahad holy fuck 500 hours!? and I tought I was hitting it hard lol

I sometimes have a hard time believing in the process while doing this everyday. How do you feel different than before those 500 hours? How long did you sit at the time and in which position? If I just sit in a chair I cant experience pain, I have to sit crossed legged

Edited March 21, 2016 by ZenDog

[Guest]

@ZenDog Before those hours I had never meditated, but in the preceding year I had some very intense life experiences that the meditating has allowed me to fully integrate.

I dropped out of college with a deep feeling of angst and pointlessness and I attempted to walk across Australia. I was walking between 30-70km per day and I had multiple transcendent experiences completely accidentally. As the walked progressed I became more and more aware that I was doing it from a highly egoistic internal stance. At the halfway mark I was resting in a motel, at that point I had several stress fractures and suspected tendinitis. While I was there, the movie "Into the wild" played and in the opening scenes as he is carving into a piece of wood he says: 

"and now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure; The climactic battle to kill the false being within, and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution"

I immediately understood the quote and quit the walk completely cold, I didn't tell anybody why and to be honest I thought I was going insane. It was the most painful thing I have ever done, deliberately giving up on an achievement that I literally bled for, in favor of vague notions of truth.

When I got back home I would have very intense mood swings that I kept completely internalized. I hated news, pop culture, idle chit chat etc. This was all made worse by that fact that I knew I was capable of really intense feelings of love, bliss. acceptance etc. I started researching what was happening and I came across this video by Jason Silva:
 

In there he mentions "temporarily scrambling the self"  I didn't understand what this meant and I followed the breadcrumbs to Leo's video's and enlightenment work (overcoming the self altogether). This is when I started strong sitting.

I started on a stool because I wasn't very flexible but after a few weeks of stretching I was able to do it cross legged. In the beginning I thought that higher volume of sitting would lead to more progress. It certainly helped  because I had a huge pile of subconscious tension to work through as a result of my experiences. I would have tiny glimpses of the no-self here and there and I became terrified of the "I" concept altogether. I could actually watch the "I" re-congealing (as Adyashanti describes it) < I realize the paradox of this statement but I also know that communicating this is ultimately impossible.

After 500 hours of sitting this has all been resolved. Now as "I" am typing "my" story "I" am completely aware that it is just a communicative formality. I know myself to be nothing. At the same time I "feel" as though I am just beginning somehow. I'm completely cool with news, pop culture, ordinary conversations and the like. I'm totally at ease in situations that used to take me to the edge of hell internally.

Now my focus is moving to quality meditation. I've found my concentration, clarity and equanimity to be better with interval meditating (this is what I call it) for 3 hours than just brute force meditation for 6+hours. I seem to be deeply present much more regularly. 

My hypothesis is that the interval exercising brainwashes the subconscious to bring attention back to the present every few minutes, because even while strong sitting and practicing do-nothing or self-inquiry I still had the ability to daydream or half-doze without having any ability to rectify it. Once I noticed this happening I had my doubts as to how far the technique would take me too. That's why I started tinkering with it.

I'm interested to see what the next 500 hours will bring.

Edited March 22, 2016 by Galahad

[ZenDog]

15 hours ago, Galahad said:

 

"and now after two rambling years comes the final and greatest adventure; The climactic battle to kill the false being within, and victoriously conclude the spiritual revolution"

 

Yeah when I saw that movie 2 years ago, still remember that qoute!

[Joyboy]

Hardcore approach. Thanks for sharing your progress and good luck man.

[Lauritz]

How has your practice been developing since last year?

I would be particularly interested in hearing your further results with strong determination sitting.

[askdfjnak]

 

20 hours ago, Lauritz said:

How has your practice been developing since last year?

I would be particularly interested in hearing your further results with strong determination sitting.

 

Crazy, I'm like a whole new person.

 

 

 

Sit tight and prepare to have your fucking minds blown.

[How to be wise]

On 26/07/2017 at 8:42 AM, askdfjnak said:

 

 

Crazy, I'm like a whole new person.

 

 

 

Sit tight and prepare to have your fucking minds blown.

How long did it take to become enlightened with strong sitting. How many hours.