Meditation and Mental/Physical Sensation

[Kubia]

Hi everyone.

During my meditation practice I notice different sensation in my head that i kinda associate with deeper state of consciousness / power of the practice.

For example, in early stages i just feel a little tingling at center of my eyes, then a more extended tingling/freshness on the forehead and then...only once in a while i've experienced a shaking sensation.

It's like my whole brain is pulsing and vibrating. It's rare that i get there, but it's crazy. I can literally feel the waves of energy in my head like it's a cup of water shaking.

I notice that the more I go in this deeper stages, the more the calmness i expansion of consciousness persist when i'm not meditating. But i got there few times in my life.

My questions are:

• Those stages that i experience are the so called jhanas? 
• Is my concentration that is getting so deep that i feel this subtle sensations or something is actually happening on brain level?
• This practice can produce a constant growth or it's just a mind state that just come and go? 

Thanks for your reply in advance.

 

 

 

Edited October 9, 2019 by Kubia

[Meditationdude]

2 hours ago, Kubia said:

Those stages that i experience are the so called jhanas?

Sounds like you’re in the first Jhana and you’re experiencing a mystical phenomena at the A&P stage (arising and passing away). I get these energy sensations sort of like you described in all my meditations now. In fact they start with them. The moment I close my eyes my whole body explodes into waves of energy, then eventually I’m off into the other Jhanas. That’s been happening for about 1.5 years now. 
 

2 hours ago, Kubia said:

Is my concentration that is getting so deep that i feel this subtle sensations or something is actually happening on brain level?

Your concentration is maturing and getting more refined yes. Crazy shit happens when the mind loses things to put its awareness on. These sensations feel very real to me and I can even feel them sometimes when I focus throughout the day or if I’m contemplating or doing self inquiry. But I’m not certain if it’s “brain level” maybe someone else can help us out here? 
 

2 hours ago, Kubia said:

This practice can produce a constant growth or it's just a mind state that just come and go? 

This is how you grow man ?? It’s crazy how far this shit goes. 
All the insights you need to self actualize and discover your true Self is right there waiting for you in the silence. Keep going man!! 

[ardacigin]

Read Leigh's book on 'The Right Concentration' to learn about jhanas.

Unless there is happiness, joy and pleasurable sensations (piti and sukha) in the body, that is not the 1st jhana. In fact, the 1st jhana is usually very intense. You must feel this as an altered state of consciousness meaning it is not subtle.

If you ask:  Is it a jhana? Then it is too subtle to be a 1st jhana. If it is subtle joy, you might have skipped and went to the 2nd jhana but that means there is no longer any thought activity. If you weren't experiencing no-mind with moderate levels of joy, then it wasn't the 2nd jhana either.

And if you drop out of it in a matter of few minutes and can't maintain it for at least 15 mins, then you don't have enough access concentration. Go back to the pleasant sensations and/or to your normal meditation object. (like the breath)

[Kubia]

@ardacigin @Meditationdude Thank you very much for your responses, I very appreciate that.

I was thinking i can had access to the 2nd Jhana, but maybe i was wrong. When i'm in that kind of pure concentration i'm like fused with the object of concentration and weird sensation arise in sync with my breath. Of course this is a very pleasurable sensation.

The best thing is is that after that intense experience, it was like all reality felt much more alive and other cool stuff, like a light trip experience. Of course that peak faded away with time.

I think i can go very deep for a short period of time, but my attention is not that steady. I'm working on that, the practice of "noting" has helped me very much. Every time i note a thought and come back to the breath my concentration grow stronger and stronger. Before it was more matter of luck, now i have a better method, hope to go further with that. 

Thanks again.