Mastering the Advance meditations states of infinite consciousness
Having maintained one-pointedness in the 4th jhana, we opened to the arising of knowledge and vision into the 3 characteristics of reality: impermanence, suffering and non-self. If we do not penetrate to Nibana at 4th jhana and the next phase begins, we enter the formless jhanas. These immaterial states of mind are experienced purely in the mind based while meditating. The names for these states are:
- 5th is called infinite space
- 6th infinite consciousness
- 7th nothingness
- 8th neither perception or feeling
- Cessation
What has gone?
- So far, thoughts have disappeared at jhana 2
- The breath and body are perceived to be gone at 5th
- Feelings and perception are gone at 8th.
If formlessness settles in as an attainment, your life is about to turn upside down in so many ways.
Limitless space, 5th
If you’ve made this far, you’re quite adept at meditation, letting go and how to absorbing yourself into an experience. The moment the body relaxes and drops, the mind would start to expand and it would go out into infinity. As it keeps expanding, the feeling is astronomical. It is not like any bliss or pleasure we have ever felt before. It is purely mind feeling. With previous jhanas, the feeling was felt in the body, but this is in the mind. This is not the kind of pleasure that you make cry. This is the ecstasy that makes you collapse and totally disappear because the self can’t contain it. There is no sense of the body or breath because the bliss is so phenomenal.
This moving out feeling, expanding to the Nth degree of bliss is called limitless space. It is similar to first jhana in that there is movement and strong feeling.
Limitless consciousness, 6th
After a while, the expansion stops, leaving only the feeling of expansiveness. The phenomenal bliss also stops, replaced with a sense of vastness and contentment. This is infinite consciousness.
Nothingness, 7th
Some time passed, all kinds of feelings stop and there is nothingness. There is nothing to perceive: no bliss, no expansiveness. This is the limit of feeling (vedena) and perception (sanna).
No feeling no perception, 8th
This state is really fascinating. Since there is no feeling and perception left, consciousness has nothing to depend on or support it; it starts to disappear. In reality, after a while in nothingness, suddenly there is a sense of energy gathering like in 4th jhana. But this time, the energy feels incredibly strong, gathering from all directions and squeezing awareness out of existence. It felt like consciousness becomes thinner and fainter. The result is like a flame goes out, extinguished, gone and we fall unconscious and the head drops When we came to, it’s like coming out of a deep sleep or anaesthesia. The falling unconscious is called cessation (nirodha samapatti).
This then gives rise to the ultimate insight and dispels the notion that we are the pure bare awareness
The characteristic of formless jhanas
Experiencing formless jhana is nothing like experiencing form jhanas. It may take years to develop form jhanas and each level could take years or months to complete. But all formless jhanas happen in one sitting and very fast one after the other; maybe within a 30-minute span. While jhana can be experienced singularly, immaterial jhanas can’t because they are just too astronomical. The sense of I’m is too faint to control or abort once it starts.
These states are extremely addictive. It’s like a dog being chained all its life and now, it is released and free to run. Consciousness’s nature is to be boundless and when it is finally released, the pleasure is phenomenal. Once arupa starts, the end result can only be cessation and eventually emptiness. Once the dam is broken, the water can’t be put back.
Almost every session ends up in cessation. This transformation phase may last a couple of years. Since it happens so regularly, for a while you might like to try out some experiment. When the energy starts to gather, resist and hold on to your perception and see what happens. I tried to open my eyes, but lifting my eyelids felt like lifting a mountain. Even when I managed a tiny peek, all I could see was blinding, white light.
Cessation
This cessation is like turning off the computer.
Imagine,
You never ceased.
Even in sleep, you dream.
Even in death, you arise in rebirth
Again, and again and again
Consciousness roaming, co-existing
Never ceasing,
So, every time our computer goes back on, it gets shut down again and again for a couple of years. Imagine what that would do to the computer (mind); all the software or programs would go haywire, glitching like crazy and eventually the computer refuses to turn on again. By programs, I mean the way we perceive, think, believe, our sense of self and memories – all become static.
Slowly you are fading out.
Being expansively boundless means that;
the way you are, how you perceive,
how you think, how you remember
are all fading at alarming rate.