Culadasa December 2018 Patreon Q&A

Timestamps: 1:00- I can access jhanas I get from retreat if I practice 2-3 hours a day at home, however they are not as deep. What do you do when the jhana does not fill the whole bandwidth of consciousness? 7:56 - Do the rupa and/arupa jhanas provide a temporary shortcut from stage 7 to a higher state? How often and how long do you recommend spending in the jhanas if the goal is to move onto the higher stages. 10:47 - I found your ideas on lack of reincarnation very illuminating. In daily life there appears to be a continuity of experience (example of waking and sleeping life, plus other examples). I find it puzzling to be in this particular body. Does this continuity begin at birth and end at death? 25:17 - You’ve said the sense of self is something that is in other animals and deep in our mind. I’ve also heard you say that you’ve said the division of balance between the left and right brain that started around 5000 years ago (Culadasa corrects it to say 70,000 years). So is the sense of self related to the difference between attention and awareness? 31:53 - Where does the sense of beauty fit into this? 39:46 - Currently on stage 4/5. I found it helpful to use awareness to detect subtle dullness. I’ve found myself wanting to do body scan even though it has been interrupted by gross distraction. Do you think following these tendencies would be wise or should I stick with stage 4 practices. 48:00 - What happens after an insight experiences? It seems to me that in all kinds of texts, an insight experience is kind of the end of the story. You discern an object, you discern its origina and cessation and bam it’s gone. The process of release also takes longer than discernment. 58:47 - Question about fire kasina retreat. Do you have an update to your thinking about the meditation value of fire kasina practice? Can I adapt TMI to the practice? 1:04:18 - My questions are regarding the practices outside of meditation that best serves someone’s meditation progress. In the book you use “virtue” to describe the types of actions that will lead to the greatest happiness and progress on cushion. I’m having a hard time understanding what virtue means. Does this releat to the five hindrances. 1:18:30 - What do you mean by a mind state versus an emotional experience? Is it helpful to indentify different states? Buy Culadasa's books on Amazon: amazon.com/author/culadasa Follow Culadasa on Facebook: www.facebook.com/Culadasa.John.Yates Much more at: culadasa.com/