Dharma Treasure Community

Dear InnerKnowledgeSeeker,

I thought carefully as to whether or not to mention people by name at start. Since I am not qualified to gauge whether or not someone is an arahant and thus it is only my uninformed opinion, I felt comfortable sharing that opinion but not going so far as to name names. These individuals have not told me directly that…[Read more]

Yes, I believe it is possible for a lay person to become an arahant now.

I do not have scriptural sources to back up my statement. However, I believe that such beings already exist quietly (and sometimes less quietly) in our world. I believe I have met at least two.

Which is more useful to believe? That it is possible, or it is not? If it is and…[Read more]

Ultimately, I’d say it’s up to your investigation to see what works best for you.

A few additional factors to consider and/or experiment with:

Eyes open is associated with less dullness, at least initially. In fact, opening the eyes is a weak antidote to dullness. After a while the mind can adjust to the eyes being open and get dull…[Read more]

Hi Michael,

I’ve used the system on myself a few hundred times. I think it’s definitely hit diminishing marginal returns. I’d say for most people that they can get 80%+ of the benefits with a 1-2 month rental. If you have someone to share the rental with, consider renting a professional system with unlimited sessions and just crank out as many as…[Read more]

Hi Peter!

I met Shinzen a couple of months ago and thought very highly of him. I am not particularly familiar with his practice, but as with Culadasa’s he is highly regarded. I’ve not been one to one of his retreats, either.

That said, if his retreats are similar to Culadasa’s former group retreats, I think they’d be well worth the price. A…[Read more]

Magnolia, a few minutes is probably okay, particularly if it isn’t too strong. If it persists or refers, change your posture to be more gentle. I have gotten some of my strongest meditations while sitting in a good upright chair.

I have heard of one person who “stuck it out” at a Goenka retreat and developed permanent nerve damage, so I don’t…[Read more]

So far, sitting in chairs and on an ergonomic meditation chair has allowed me plenty of opportunities to explore pain and work through dullness. I am currently making progress through Stage 5 and do not consider the pain to be helpful at this point, merely a distraction.

In Culadasa’s “Beginning Meditation Handout,” he states: “Note: Sitting…[Read more]

Hi Jem,

Here’s some food for thought from my own experience.

I’ve found periods in my practice, especially when focusing on vipassana, where I was inexplicably angry or upset off the cushion. I regarded them positively as indications of purifications in process due to years of repressed anger and did my best to avoid triggering situations.

It…[Read more]

As an Agile coach, this is something I think about a lot and hope to speak at more conferences about.

A few things come to mind:

* As you walk around, try to make it a walking meditation. In fact, hold the intention to be as mindful as you can in body, speech, and mind. This is somewhere we eventually get in practice anyway, so congratulate…[Read more]

I too have done a *lot* of Neuroptimal (probably north of 200 sessions) over the last couple of years. I’ve never felt any euphoria or energy currents as a result of using it, but it did bring my mood back to baseline when I was in a funk.

I agree with David that taking some time to be kind to yourself may well be the work you need to do right…[Read more]

Blake, feel free to reach out to me if interested. If you are on a modern cPanel setup, this is quite easy and likely free with LetsEncrypt.

Hi Dor K,

Yes, I have experimented with the Neuroptimal system extensively. I have found it to be of benefit, particularly in quelling strong negative emotions that interfere with sitting. I think it has also helped with gross distractions.

I would say that if the money is not a significant factor for you, renting a personal system for a month…[Read more]

Hi Dor K,

Yes, I have experimented with the Neuroptimal system extensively. I have found it to be of benefit, particularly in quelling strong negative emotions that interfere with sitting. I think it has also helped with gross distractions.

I would say that if the money is not a significant factor for you, renting a personal system for a month…[Read more]

I think the Reddit AMA would be brilliant. +1 to that suggestion.

Wonderful, thanks Jesse!

Thanks everyone! There’s a lot to digest.

I’ll break up my sits. I like the 24 minute sit idea from Alan Wallace; that feels like where I start to lose focus. I can set a goal of doing 4 x 24 minute sits a day […]