[John MasseyMember]

Hi Blaz,

Thanks for the reply. Yes I did look on Culadasa’s Jhana group but it I didn’t find that much to be honest. Quite a bit regarding different Jhana entry level from stage 6 onwards but nothing I thought I could carry through to stage 8 shamatha. This is the problem with taking up something like this on your own with only written guidance and generic audio content, you can get so far but without some guidance when it matters it feels like you are fumbling around in the dark maybe wasting much precious time.

Maybe look elsewhere to complete your shamatha practice, there are dogzchen practices you can use like settling the mind in its natural state or practicing awareness of awareness and detailed instructions to guide you or continue using the excellent body scan practice Culadasa suggests, either way it would help me (and you) no end if there was a little more guidance from somewhere rather than having to backtrack when you’ve taken a wrong turn. Maybe best to find a teacher for that.

Cheers

[John MasseyMember]

Great link Paul, very Interesting noticing how he departmentalises focus, attention etc in comparison to other speakers, teachers etc. We all see it the same but we all view it differently. Very good, thanks!

[John MasseyMember]

Great, thanks Blake

[John MasseyMember]

Does anybody know if there has been any more news regarding Culadasa’s upcoming book??

[John MasseyMember]

Hi Jordan,

My apologies for not getting back sooner, the last week has been really busy and iv just not had the time to sit and type a reply.

Thanks for the detailed response it is most kind of you and it most definitely makes sense. I hope the sleeping pattern has improved a little and you are feeling a little less sleep deprived.

I interpreted what Culadasa said in the same manner as you but was unsure if my interpretaion was correct as it’s difficult to know anything for certain when you are working with these stages on your own as there is no external reference point like a fellow meditator or teacher to check back with (until I found this forum that is).

I am finding subtle dullness a toughie to totally and consistently get rid of at the moment. I use the breath/bodyscan technique daily as an accompaniment to the breath practice to try and overcome the problem and i really like it but sometimes I can feel subtle dullness creeping into the body scan too and dampening the sensations in that activity as well. Hopefully its just part of learning the skill and as I proceed further hopefully it will get better but I can see how people do get stuck at this point as dullness of both types can feel like you are carrying a ton of lead on your back at times during practice.

Thanks again Jordan, really appreciate your reply!

Cheers
John

[John MasseyMember]

Thanks tim, yes so many objects of awareness fighting for primary attention and centre stage, which one to pursue! Better to pursue none and stick with the conscious choice of the breath… until the next distraction sneaks up from behind and suddenly its time to make that conscious choice again.. and again… and again…

Couldn’t agree with you more Paul, the force element comes about through faint breath and dullness for me and my attempt to counter this by feeling the breath more (done unconsciously as I’m not trying to force the breath just feel more sensation and hopefully clear away the dullness). Im ever working on improving my full minded awareness I can see how important it is but i’m not there yet so gotta keep plugging away!!

Thanks for all the replies, I really appreciate you have taking the time to reply and a great help to me.

[John MasseyMember]

Thanks for getting back Blake. Yes, the breath control was/is largely unconscious, there is no intention to control it, it just happens when being drawn into observing it, like you said, to notice the sensations more clearly. It seems to happen more for me when there is a narrow concentration developing and less spatial/full minded awareness so it’s good to notice and not get too sucked into the object without this observing awareness. I also think I probably ‘upped the tempo’ when dullness was developing so to inject some energy into things and forgot to take my foot off the gas!!

It’s strange how I only just really noticed the unconscious intention to control the breath and then as soon as I noticed it how it just dropped away almost instantly. It’s still the same now, my breath has become so delicate and soft while meditating it feels almost absent at times, a really faint whisper with long gaps of seemingly no breath, that’s why it’s proving difficult to readjust and stay as concentrated as I previously was as the mind is wanting stimulation and seeking it elsewhere, hopefully it will adapt soon to the new surroundings.

Thanks for the body scan tips, I really get a lot from that practice it’s a powerful tool, it’s helping me lots.

…. and I didn’t mean I was actively trying for one pointedness when I sit merely I was following the practice as Culadasa set out and on occasions it is happening by itself anyway along with meditations filled with nice sensations, joy, lack of pain from dead legs and a withdrawal of outside noises etc, none of which I am actively seeking they just occasionally happen, it’s just this dropping of the breath seems to have changed things temporarily especially this stillness of the breath and the lack of sensation because of it.

Thanks again Blake really nice of you to reply with some great advice

Cheers
John

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