[oxinsnepe]

Dear Paul 3

Hopefully, it is not too late to answer your questions in comment no. 14. Firstly, I agreed with A-D in comment no. 28. Whatever stage you got was the past, and it was not stable. It was impermanent. Even though you could reach it again, it will disappear again. You spend so much and effort time to reach it but it is not stable and will go away so quick. It would not be something worth for your to spend much lifetime and effort for. If you want something which is greater and permanent, I would suggest you to follow A-D’s comment no. 28.

My experience is not then Sunyata or Nirvana as u said, as it was only in the meditative state itself + not out of it . So i understand what u mean by being 'in' it or 'out' of it , + which state of full realisation both internally or externally ( of the meditative state )+ whilst eating , talking drinking, walking, is Sunyata or Nirvana , which Siddartha attained + taught. Is this the right interpretation?

That’s correct. For the real Sunyata (or Nirvara), no ‘in’ and ‘out’; no internal or external as both are same; no dual consciousness; and all will be one. (Due to limitation of my English skill, I may not be able to explain this in English clearly. In fact, it is very difficult to explain the Sunyata by language anyway. It is like we try to explain the taste of 'apple' by words.)

Whether eating, talking, drinking, walking, sitting, even sleeping etc. will have full awareness at all time and all are the same. (Empty from desires but have great happiness) This will be very difficult to understand or even to believe by the beginners. But by practicing for a certain period, we will quite understand it and would view that it should be feasible.)

Your suggestion 4 me to quit dissociation from all thoughts + feelings because they remove 'Sati' + dont create 'Sati' is something i dont fully comprehend right now, perhaps if u could find the time to enlighten me further i would appreciate it.

Sati means ‘awareness’. Sati is the prefix of ‘Satipatthana’. The real practice must comprise awareness. Without awareness ('Sati'), everyone is in the world of thinking or dreaming. The real practice would not occur if we are still in the world of thinking or dreaming. We have to learn and practice how to create real awareness ('Sati'). Thinking is just a dreaming during the time which we do not sleep.

As you merge yourself with your mind and body in your practice, you would never see their real working. Although you did something which made you were out of body, you were still in your mind; you still relied on your mind; and could not see the true natures of your mind as you combined yourself with your mind. In other words, you may disassociate other things from your mind and yourself. But you cannot disassociate yourself from your mind. By following/practicing the Buddha’s teaching, we will be able to do it and we will know how to do it.

I could either 'see' another persons dreams or otherworldly excursions whilst 'seeing' vistas of other civilisations around me or 'see' a friend coming roud to visit b4 they arrived , i could go into a meditative state + still retain (an extended) awareness of the external world etc,etc. i dont think i slept in the usual sense in that my awareness seemed continous thru both wakeing + dreaming , they were simultaneous. Is there a state of cons's described in the Buddhist texts that might in some way be similar to this experience? i would be v interested to know of it.

This is not unusual for those persons who did meditation. By meditation, there could be various supernatural matters. The people doing meditation can do these even before the Buddha’s era. For example, once we have concentration (‘Samadhi’) a person’s soul may go out of his/her body and see his/her body sitting or sleeping, or even go out to heaven or hell and see other worlds. A person who has concentration (‘Samadhi’) may have omen, portent or mental image/reflex which we call all of them as ‘Nimitta’. Your dual awaking and dreaming consciousness is just one of so various results from ‘Samadhi’. However, such result is not a wisdom to understand the four noble truths in order to remove ourself from the wheel of rebirth. It is just something supernatural which will deceive or keep us in this wheel of rebirth.

Lastly, using drug is a breach to the precept and is not healthy to yourself. If it is not ordered by a doctor to cure your sickness, I would suggest you trying to quit it. And spend time to try studying the Buddha’s teaching and practicing ‘Satipatthana’. You will see the difference by your own.

With my respects

Ngodngam