Pay meticulous attention to your immediate sensate reality (sights, sounds, physical sensations, thoughts) to directly perceive their arising and vanishing multiple times per second. This practice can “up the resolution of your brain,” increase clarity, and show thoughts and feelings as fleeting blips, leading to powerful emotional consequences.
Intentionally tune your attention to observe that intentions and actions arise on their own, causally and naturally, rather than being controlled by a separate, stable self. This deconstructs the “inherently painful illusion” of a stable self, upgrading function by removing the “virus” of constantly trying to make permanent what is not, leading to increased clarity and direct experience.
Observe the mind’s tendency to create a central “watcher, doer, knower, controller” and how this illusory process causes additional suffering, like a “vague nausea” or “irritating background noise.” Understanding this reveals that much suffering is due to the mind’s laboring under a false illusion of self-control, leading to freedom.
When practicing meditation, avoid striving for future attainments; instead, focus entirely on noticing sensations in the present moment, recognizing that “it is this moment or it isn’t.” This “very mature, skillful relationship to the problems with the maps, with striving and with the goals” is more effective for gaining insight and leads to a “delightful” and powerful practice.
Practice Mahasi Sayadaw’s noting technique by mentally labeling sensations (e.g., “rising, falling” for breath, “seeing, hearing, thinking” for mental events) as they occur. This simple technique, when done well and consistently, can lead to powerful insights and help people get in touch with what’s going on in their experience.
Even with a hectic life, dedicate yourself to meticulous daily mindfulness, noticing the arising and passing away of sensations in every activity (walking, eating, brushing teeth, waiting). While not as easy as retreat practice, consistent and dedicated daily mindfulness can lead to deep insights and “paths.”
When doing emotional work, engage with emotions as emotions; when doing pure insight practice, dissect emotions into impermanent data blips. Learn when to do one or the other, as both approaches are needed for well-integrated growth but don’t tend to mix well.
If you experience dramatic or unusual meditative phenomena (e.g., explosions of consciousness, intense energy, out-of-body sensations), understand that these can be part of the “arising and passing away” stage. Normalization helps prevent confusion, fear, or misinterpretation, allowing one to better navigate these experiences.
Be aware that after intense meditative experiences like the “arising and passing away,” difficult “dark night” stages (knowledges of suffering) can follow, potentially causing psychological distress or life disruptions. Having maps and understanding these stages helps in navigating them without “wrecking your life” or being thrown by strong negative emotions.
During challenging meditative stages, have faith in the tradition and technique, and continue to note whatever is happening, no matter how bad it seems. This trust and continued practice can help one move through difficult stages towards equanimity.
To achieve deep insight, cultivate extremely strong concentration, aiming for “100% capture” by perceiving every single sensation (including space, consciousness, memory, intentions, sights, sounds) to arise and vanish on its own. This “incredibly crazy thing to attempt” can “shred your reality” and lead to profound shifts in perception.
Practice insight diligently and long enough to hardwire your brain to automatically perceive things as impermanent, not-self, and causal, similar to how reading becomes automatic. This leads to a permanent shift in perception, where things “auto-translate to empty, auto-translate to impermanent, auto-translate to not-self, auto-translate to causal, auto-translate to clear.”
When engaging in meditation, consider balancing the use of structured “maps” of meditative stages with an open, non-conceptual approach to experience, as different traditions offer different benefits. This can provide both the guidance of maps and the freedom of direct experience, preventing over-reliance on concepts.
If engaging with maps or discussions of attainment, cultivate a “mature sportsmanship” attitude, akin to athletes who play hard but congratulate opponents, rather than allowing competition to cause irritation or suffering. This approach allows for inspiration and playful challenge without the negative downsides of neurosis, judgment, or agitation.
If intrigued by claims of meditative attainments, engage in personal practice and “do the experiment” to see for yourself, rather than relying solely on skepticism or criticism. Direct experience is the ultimate verification, as the Buddha and others encourage, and it can reveal realities that challenge existing paradigms.
Recognize that achieving insight or “enlightenment” does not automatically erase all biological, cultural, or childhood conditioning (e.g., arrogance, hypomania, irritability). This prevents unrealistic expectations and acknowledges that “the sun shining brightly doesn’t mean all the snow melts at once,” meaning personal growth continues beyond insight.
Look for teachers and resources that offer spiritual guidance freely and honestly, without seeking money, power, or formal students. This aligns with a tradition where teachings are passed on without financial relationship, opening horizons and allowing for personal transformation.
Consider openly discussing meditative attainments and stages, acknowledging the potential downsides (competition, comparison, neurosis) but also the benefits of normalization, guidance, and appropriate “treatment” for practitioners. This approach, while controversial, can help normalize experiences, provide clarity, and offer a “diagnosis” for applying “appropriate treatment” to challenging stages.
Join online forums like Dharma Overground (dharmaoverground.org) to connect with other practitioners who openly discuss meditative experiences and attainments. This provides a free community for sharing experiences, gaining support, and normalizing phenomena that might otherwise feel isolating or confusing.
If seeking deep meditative attainments like stream entry, cultivate intense dedication, letting go of other concerns and being fully committed to the practice. This level of commitment (having “no hindrances” and no other agendas) can make one “ripe for really just cutting through delusion.”
If visualization is difficult, intentionally practice visualizing colors and shapes, observing what appears and modifying your intention iteratively. This iterative process helps learn about your mind and can improve visualization clarity and stability.
Before sleep, visualize specific scenarios or objects (e.g., flying) to potentially influence dream content. This can lead to more vivid or desired dreams.
Engage in guided visualizations like body scans (squeezing/relaxing body parts, visualizing light) and imaginative expansion (getting bigger/smaller). These can be an enjoyable way to engage with inner experience and develop visualization skills.
Practice daily silent meditation, even without specific guidance, to build basic discipline. Consistent practice, even if initially irritating, can build foundational meditative discipline.
Encourage simple breathing practices in children. This can lead to peaceful and equanimous feelings, and some people rediscover these experiences later in life.
Investigate using a candle flame as a meditation object for deep concentration and insight practices. This can lead to “interesting reports” and deep experiences for those who go deep in that practice.