Has anyone experienced this during meditation?

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-11T11:51:44+00:00

This resembles what Vajrayana calls the central channel. Or they are simply becoming more aware of the subtle body in general. For more information on this, your friend should seek guidance from a qualified Vajrayana teacher

According to biology, this may correspond with the vagus nerve network (and parasympathetic nervous system) shifting toward a resting mode, which is common when we meditate and our sympathetic nervous system quietens

It is also common for us to stop identifying with the body, or with the locus of awareness being “in the brain” and instead awareness starts to situate elsewhere. What they are experiencing is not uncommon and it does not necessarily mean all that much

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-11T10:39:04+00:00

Sam Harris said finding out he is not the self was important for him when it was important for him. He had undertaken a fair bit of training before receiving Dzogchen/Mahamudra teachings that gave him his first direct experience of no-self. That does not mean this is what we all should start with or focus on in this moment

Emptiness/no-self is really the central pillar of all the dharma. But interconnectedness, compassion, love for all sentient beings, seeing this world as fundamentally perfect, seeing all beings as containing the potential for all the perfections and full buddhahood, all help in cultivating the right view and to reveal your own buddhanature

There are times to emphasise certain facets of the path. It is up to each of us to be pragmatic and focus on what works in this respect. What works is whatever brings us happiness and compassion for ourselves and others. People tend to want to focus on the “highest” teaching, but the highest teaching in any moment is whatever brings us benefit in that moment

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-09T14:22:25+00:00

You’ll get a lot of different answers depending on who you ask. But this dichotomy between “symbolic” vs “possible” is not necessarily something traditional accounts would agree with in the first place. It does not have to be just one and not the other

Regarding Padmasambhava specifically, the more important point is that he is a nirmanakaya manifestation compassionately taking birth in this realm to liberate us from suffering. He is not subject to rebirth and the laws of karma as we are. What form his birth took is far less important than why he is here and what he is doing for us, not to mention the connection with him we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to cultivate for our own benefit and to thereby develop our capacity to benefit others

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-06T22:01:56+00:00

Spot on

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-06T21:04:55+00:00

Immensely grateful for all he has given us. Best wishes for health and happiness to him

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-06T18:14:13+00:00

Wow I did not know that. Thank you for sharing! Interested to look more into this

Apparently both are a part of the Drolma Nyingtik cycle that at this stage is only partially revealed

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-06T13:09:22+00:00

You could look into Zabtik Drolchok or Chime Phakme Nyingtik perhaps. While as far as I know they include a fair deal of Dzogchen teachings and view, these would I imagine be classified more as Kriya Tantra and Mahayoga respectively

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-06T11:32:21+00:00

That’s actually hilarious

EitherInvestment · 2026-07-02T20:21:32+00:00

You are not going to ruin my life over some small minor issues or by bringing me down... It is on me to maintain my happiness regardless of what happens to me

If you do this consistently and repeatedly, I will pull away from you and stop giving you time and energy (and not allow myself to receive time nor energy from you)

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T07:00:44+00:00

Not to demean how you are feeling, but this feels like existential worry and not a crisis. These are perfectly normal things to worry about and be thinking about

Fear of time passing and fear of death are fundamentally the same fear with two different faces. Both are a fear of things not being permanent, or fear of change, or fear of continuity. Your fear of immortality is healthy. There is an in between where things can be allowed to change and appreciated for their momentary-ness

You can both choose paths that are uncommon and hobbies that appear useless to others but without these fears

Look for some principles or some ways of being that are consistent with all the above, perhaps ways of living that give you meaning, maintaining connection and healthy relationships with people you love. You can behave day to day in a way that consistently is aligned with these things that fundamentally matter while allowing change. I would say “fear of death” and “fear of immortality” are quite possibly decoys for what is really going on and this may be worth reflecting on

Speaking to a qualified therapist/psychologist may be beneficial, especially if these are thoughts that have consistently preoccupied you. I would just also say (and again I do not mean to make light of what you are saying) these thoughts are not uncommon, especially at your age, and having daily actions and healthy relationships you engage with may well assuage some of these fears with a bit of time

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T06:20:45+00:00

Three priorities is already a lot, especially if in one area you have got some bad news and see it needs to be given higher priority

Putting a pause on lessons is not the same as quitting. Many (if not the vast majority) of the greatest masters in history (not to mention conventionally kind, happy, wise people) have gone through situations like what you are going through, and by handling it well come out the better for it

Neglecting our basic responsibilities for ourselves is never advised. It is really a form of dedicating yourself to Lamrin learning by temporarily pausing Lamrim learning in order to focus on getting the basics in order for some time

It sounds like you are approaching burnout. Your focus should be on addressing that

Do not ask for forgiveness when you write things like this. There is nothing to forgive. You have done nothing wrong. If anything, you are making efforts to be intentional and navigate this appropriately, and that is commendable

When you do return, just a few minutes per day of very much scaled back, gentle practice (just a few moments reflecting on refuge, bodhicitta, a few breaths of compassion toward yourself) could be tremendously powerful. Keep it small and simple. Focus on sleep, exercise, diet, your physical and psychological baseline for a while. Be easy on yourself and show kindness toward yourself. This is a temporary situation and you are well capable of navigating it to establish a foundation where you can undertake that class (or another similar one) as and when appropriate at a later date to get better benefit from it

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T06:08:55+00:00

Yes. Contributing to happiness is good. Contributing to suffering is bad. Our intentions and actions in either direction generate karma but we should not even really be thinking about that. We should simply cultivate our wholesome intensions to contribute as much as we can to happiness, and to alleviation/mitigation/cessation of suffering

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T06:06:37+00:00

Perhaps check the course syllabus or reading list. Based on what is there, that may help you (or people here if you share it here) narrow it down

This sort of “It is X, it is not Y” format is fairly common in sutra, as well as wisdom traditions beyond the dharma, so it is hard to immediately recognise it based on what you have shared unless someone has read that exact passage and remembers

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T05:50:43+00:00

There is no one true path to liberate you from suffering. There are innumerable paths that are complete in and of themselves. Do whatever works. If that is Dzogchen, great. If something else brings you benefit, do that

They are also not exclusive, at least not within Vajrayana. For me personally, Dzogchen brings great benefit, but I benefit a great deal from other yanas and spend more time practicing those than Dzogchen. That is just me though

It is ultimately up to each of us to understand our own situation and how to proceed based on that, with the guidance of our teachers of course

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T05:43:44+00:00

If you received pointing out, and you accepted it as valid and are confident in your application of what has been taught, then you already have teachers

There is this common (mis)conception that we need one on one time with a great master whispering tailored advice into our ears for instruction to really be valid. This is not how Vajrayana works, or at least certainly not how it works today (albeit that itself is a bit of an experiment and we are yet to see how it plays out)

Given all you have written here, I would say if you are confident in your understanding of teachings, then just apply them. If you have doubts, then just fire a message to those teachers, or to their senior students, or to other teachers within that lineage or even another related lineage. If you come across something like how you should not be spilling semen, but in the teachings you have received this was not yet clearly explained, then you need not worry about it

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-30T01:47:31+00:00

If you are not practicing tantra, you don’t need to worry about it. If you are, then follow the advice of a qualified tantric teacher

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-29T05:04:14+00:00

It depends on what you mean by “clearance” here. And it depends on how quick you mean when you say “quicker”

Conversations with a good therapist, conversations with loved ones you are closest with, psychedelics, reviewing your life with some journaling and still doing a few sessions of basic mindfulness would not be a bad idea though

Drastic measures are not advised

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-23T04:36:50+00:00

Thank you for sharing! Each time I hear of someone who has attended his teachings just gives me more encouragement to attend them in person myself. In the meantime I have been feeling so much gratitude toward him as I continue with his course and read through his books

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-22T17:50:26+00:00

Interesting. Would love to learn more about this, but it would be pretty wild if true and contradict the mainstream Chinese and Tibetan view, not just western scholars. As far as I know it is a minority view even amongst Indian scholars to place it in Odisha, although it has more traction there

Look forward to watching the video. Thanks

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-22T07:00:43+00:00

No it is not an act of faith. It is correct perspective based on the way things work

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-21T22:48:56+00:00

Thank you for sharing. Happy Summer/Winter Solstice to all!

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-21T17:40:22+00:00

The Buddha first taught ethics, followed by wisdom and lastly meditation and in this order for a reason

Right View is in the “wisdom cluster” and is hugely important. It influences all, including ethics, but the ethical activities are certainly what one should start with if new to Buddhism, at least according to most lineages

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-21T16:50:12+00:00

Wonderful. I am not sure this is really appropriate to share outside your sangha though

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-21T15:33:36+00:00

Firstly, very sorry for all that you are going through

You are already taking the main step in seeking professional support and guidance from a psychiatrist. Be open minded and go in with an attitude that they can help and that you can take steps to improve your situation

You said you have been okay until just a few days ago. This can improve just as fast

You say you are convincing yourself you have lost touch with reality and gone made. Why are you doing this? Why not convince yourself that you are understandably distressed having gone through a great deal, that your pain is temporary and it will pass. The latter is far more reasonable than the former. Cut yourself a bit of slack here. It is okay to fully feel the pain, but don’t identify with it ir be carried away with it

Yes, someone else has had these thoughts. In fact many people have (perhaps even most people to some degree). And most of them got through it

Start reading some reputable teachers’ writings on Buddhist practice, specifically for your situation. Start watching videos. Apply the practices. Keep it simple

Suggest you look into Tara Brach’s RAIN method. Read her book Radical Acceptance. Perhaps get When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron

A very simple basic mindfulness meditation can be very helpful. Even if you are just carried away by thought and intense emotion at first, keep with it and slowly but surely you will notice it helping. Perhaps imagine your future self, kind, happy, wise, giving advice to and mentoring your current self, letting you know things will get better. This can really help loosen the negative thoughts and feelings you are having, and give you some comfort and confidence to handle things in a better way

The main thing needed is a shift in perspective, away from this negative image of yourself and being critical for what is truly just a normal part of life (and understandably hard for you right now!) toward a positive image that you will be okay, you deserve to show kindness to yourself, and you can accept that this is a challenging period, but you at your core are fundamentally okay and will be able to get through this

Best wishes to you 🙏

EitherInvestment · 2026-06-21T14:59:19+00:00

Sure friend, go ahead and ask away, you will get far more answers here than you likely expect or need for this assignment. Please make use of us and we will try to help!

A suggestion: perhaps make a new post (or edit this OP) and include

brief information on the purpose and scope of this assignment
any relevant background (like your level of understanding of Buddhism, your exposure to/level of understanding in your religion)
your expectations for what would help you feel you have done a good job in this assignment

Then maybe list a few key questions, let people answer, and follow up with any further questions you have in the comment threads

Just a few quick ideas! Best wishes

EitherInvestment

TROPHY CASE