some feeling spreading through my chest.. Why?

[centertime]

Hi,

 

A while ago, I followed a simple exercise. It consisted of watching the movement of my abdomen.

 

As I did so, I felt something was spreading from the center of  my chest. It was getting bigger and bigger as I continued concentrating.

It was a pleasant fealing quite strong.  It noticed it got strong as I breathed in.. and less when breathed out.

 

Then I stopped and I did not wait spread through my whole body. I stopped when it covered half of my chest.

When I stopped concentrating, it still persisted for half an hour at least and slowly got smaller and and disappeared.

 

My question is... what did I encounter? Does anyone know?

Is that good for something?

 

I put in this topic... maybe tao people would know something too.

I have not read about this anywhere.

 

 

Ct

 

 

[Aetherous]

Maybe zong qi.

[Tibetan_Ice]

Hi,

 

A while ago, I followed a simple exercise. It consisted of watching the movement of my abdomen.

 

As I did so, I felt something was spreading from the center of my chest. It was getting bigger and bigger as I continued concentrating.

It was a pleasant fealing quite strong. It noticed it got strong as I breathed in.. and less when breathed out.

 

Then I stopped and I did not wait spread through my whole body. I stopped when it covered half of my chest.

When I stopped concentrating, it still persisted for half an hour at least and slowly got smaller and and disappeared.

 

My question is... what did I encounter? Does anyone know?

Is that good for something?

 

I put in this topic... maybe tao people would know something too.

I have not read about this anywhere.

 

 

Ct

Hi, sounds like you attained access concentration and hit the first jhana (or came close)..

 

The pleasurable sensation is piti.

From "Right CONCENTRATION A Practical Guide to the Jhānas Leigh Brasington"

 

 

You’ll notice that the jhāna description says that the pīti and sukha are “born of seclusion.” In other words, they arise from the fact that you have become secluded from the hindrances by gaining access concentration. Access concentration, or seclusion, is what generates the pleasant sensation, and unwavering attention on it generates the pīti and sukha. It does not mean, as some people incorrectly say, that you have to go and seclude yourself in the forest. You just have to seclude your mind from the hindrances, and this is what will generate the pīti and sukha.

 

Once you have arrived at the state where the pīti and the sukha are sustained, the suttas say: “One drenches, steeps, saturates, and suffuses one’s body with this rapture and happiness born of seclusion, so that there is no part of one’s entire body which is not suffused by this rapture and happiness.” When you’re initially in the first jhāna, the pīti energy may seem to run up the spine and involve the back of the body, upper torso, and head more than anyplace else. Or maybe it’s just in the upper torso and head. Either of these is fine. Actually, when you are first learning, just get the pīti-sukha going and sustained; it doesn’t matter where it’s located or that it’s not yet throughout the body. Spreading it throughout the whole body is a more advanced practice. The pīti-sukha will probably feel like it’s centered more in the area of the face. Sometimes it’s most prevalent in the head, sometimes in the spine, but in general, it’s principally in the upper body area around the face. Then when you get skilled enough to stabilize the first jhāna, you’ll find that it is possible to move the energy into the arms and legs so that your whole body is filled with it. The method is to just move your attention from the location where the pīti feels the strongest to an area where it does not seem to be occurring, such as down an arm. You are not trying to move the energy; you are only moving your attention. Bring your attention back to the place where the pīti felt strong, and then notice whether the energy spread to the area where you moved your attention. Continue doing this in a gentle, unhurried way until the pīti and sukha fill the whole body. But please remember: this is an advanced practice; don’t worry about trying to spread the pīti and sukha immediately. Just get the pīti and sukha going, and see whether you can sustain them and sustain your attention on them.

 

For each of the first four jhānas, we have a simile. For this first one we find: Suppose a skilled bath attendant or his apprentice were to pour soap flakes into a metal basin, sprinkle them with water and knead them into a ball, so that the ball of soap flakes would be pervaded by moisture, encompassed by moisture, suffused by moisture inside and out and yet would not trickle. In the same way one drenches, steeps, saturates and suffuses one’s body with the rapture and happiness born of seclusion, so that there is no part of one’s body that is not suffused by rapture and happiness. (DN 2.78)

 

 

Also, here..

http://www.leighb.com/jhana3.htm

 

 

 

Pleasant sensations can occur pretty much anywhere. The most common place people that find pleasant sensations when they get to access concentration is in the hands. What you want to do with your hands when you meditate is put them in a nice position in which you can just leave them. The traditional posture is one hand holding the other, with the thumbs lightly touching. This is a quite excellent posture because it has the tendency of moving the shoulders back and lining up your spine nicely. When the hands are held like this, many people find that eventually there is a nice, tingly, pleasant sensation that appears in the hands. You can also put your hands in all sorts of other positions -- just place them however appeals to you. When you get to access concentration, if you notice that there's a nice pleasant feeling in the hands, drop the attention on the breath and focus entirely on the pleasantness of that sensation.

 

Another common place that people find a pleasant sensation is in the heart center, particularly if you're using metta as the access method. Just shift your attention to the pleasantness of that sensation. Other places people find pleasant sensations include the third eye, the top of the head, the shoulders -- actually, you name a body part, and I've had some student find a pleasant sensation there that they were able to focus upon long enough for the first jhana to arise. It does not matter where the pleasant sensation manifests; what matters is that there is a pleasant sensation and you're able to put your attention on it and -- now here comes the really hard part -- do nothing else.

 

You find the pleasant sensation, and shift your attention to the pleasant sensation. You observe the pleasantness of the pleasant sensation, and do nothing else. If you can do that, the pleasant sensation will begin to grow in intensity, it will become stronger. This will not happen in a linear way. It'll sort of grow a little bit, and then grow a little bit more and then hang out, and grow a little bit more…and then eventually, it will suddenly take off and take you into what is obviously an altered state of consciousness.

 

In this altered state of consciousness, you will be overcome with Rapture ... Euphoria … Ecstasy … Delight. These are all English words that are used to translate the Pali word piti. Piti is this physical sensation that literally takes you over and takes you into an altered state. It will be accompanied by an emotional sensation of joy and happiness. The Pali word is sukha, the opposite of dukkha [pain, suffering]. And, if you remain one-pointed on this experience of piti and sukha, that is the first jhana.

 

 

Further reading.. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/authors/gunaratana/wheel351.html

Edited November 21, 2015 by Tibetan_Ice

[Kubba]

.....

Edited September 9, 2019 by Kubba

[centertime]

after some time of meditation or after encountering any guru it will stay with you for longer periods. Even withouth practicing anything. It will come durring the day, then leave. Burst of laugter, and tears can come. Different people have different things. You might experience strong pain there too, but nothing to worry about.

 

 

Have you ever met any enlightened being?

The only reason is I watched my breathing to make it more natural, more smooth.

I had no intention to achieve jhāna. I had no knowledge of its existence. I do explore my body using different approaches to see how it works.

I am surprised that spreading pleasant feeling in the body has any significance. Not sure what is ecstasy good for.

Could it be used to heal illnesses?

I may met some enlightened beings, not sure if I recognized them.

What is enlightened being like? How much enlightened?

[Tibetan_Ice]

More reading...

 

http://www.dhammawheel.com/viewtopic.php?t=341

 

 

Jhanas are what the Buddha used to get enlightened.

[Kubba]

....

Edited September 9, 2019 by Kubba

[centertime]

No suprise since most spiritual practices are build around observation of breath. Heart vibrations come out of spiritual practices

 

You don't need to be concern about jhana concept nor jhana meditation - doesn't matter. You might not been there actually. Different people will tell you different advices or recommend particullar practices (which they like) but when something wrong will happend cause of this practice they won't take responsibility for your health.

 

I have simillar experience with heart area since some months but its hard to describe effects. It is different for each person. It also depands of what do you want from your practice - just having better health? Progressing spiritually? Realising who you really are?

Then, if you know the answer you may become attracted to particullar tradition or traditions or gurus and even go and meet them in real, and practice according to their guidances or no.

 

 

I just asked about enlightened people to verify weather you follow some path and how seriously. Often when people meet enlightened teachers this heart resonance happends on its own and meditation comes withouth anny effort. You seems to be talented meditator. It does not happend too often even for people who meditate for years.

 

Just out of curiosity - do you feel anything when watching him:

 

 

 

Yes, I felt something... like a radiant light of sun., a thin beam of light (not heavy) yellow energy    Also, I felt detachment and some contentment along with it. there was some happiness (a different kind than normal happiness I experienced so far)

As if these qualities (detachment and some contentment ) could be perceived... These existed for me on intellectual level only so far.

I have never felt  like that in my life. Now I see what mediating buddhists must experience.

To be exact, maybe a I felt it a little bit around some oriental temples, but I was not conscious of it.

Yet that energy is very very distantly familiar...  could it be this energy is experienced after death?

Very unusual experience.

 

Is this guy transmitting something? Is this what called "transmission"?

[Kubba]

.....

Edited September 9, 2019 by Kubba

[dwai]

Hi,

 

A while ago, I followed a simple exercise. It consisted of watching the movement of my abdomen.

 

As I did so, I felt something was spreading from the center of  my chest. It was getting bigger and bigger as I continued concentrating.

It was a pleasant fealing quite strong.  It noticed it got strong as I breathed in.. and less when breathed out.

 

Then I stopped and I did not wait spread through my whole body. I stopped when it covered half of my chest.

When I stopped concentrating, it still persisted for half an hour at least and slowly got smaller and and disappeared.

 

My question is... what did I encounter? Does anyone know?

Is that good for something?

 

I put in this topic... maybe tao people would know something too.

I have not read about this anywhere.

 

 

Ct

You just felt your heart center (or middle dan tien). What happened is you became aware of the energy there as you were doing your meditation. There are three major centers - around your navel, your heart and between your eyes (third eye). Depending on your biological and psychological traits, one is more active than the others. From what you say, your heart center (MDT) seems more active.

 

My advice to you would be --

 

• That's good.
• Cultivate that feeling and let it spread all over. 
• Don't fixate on it. Just like you stumbled upon it, let it happen on it's own. 
• Then get out of the way (don't control it/try to control it)

 

Best of luck.

[dawei]

I would say it was an awareness of Heart Qi spreading outward...  In Daoist terminology, the heart is the Supreme Commander... what it commands is a journey of discovery

 

You can try to focus on that area but be very careful... if you feel any pain at all, then shift your focus to a smile on something like the sun and transfer it else where.

 

With time, you can then connect that lower and middle energy areas... and eventually higher too.

 

Nice to hear about your practice