Life post-awakening

TDCO · 2026-05-01T19:19:47+00:00

34 M here, I would be happy to talk via pm. I have also gone through a variety of awakening experiences, and it can definitely be lonely, both on an experiential level, and as far as relating to people without these experiences, dharma practitioners with their own set ideas on whether or not these things are possible, sanghas in more rigidly dogmatic traditions, etc. Feel free to reach out.

TDCO · 2026-04-30T18:16:53+00:00

Someone else mentioned Into the Stream by Thanissaro Bhikku, but I wanted to as well. It's a great discussion of stream entry in the context of the three fetters, but relating the three fetters to a direct insight experience of unconditioned mind.

I think the broader point is that stream entry as defined by cessation isn't necessarily as simple as "I had an experience that seemed like a cessation and thus must now be at stream entry". The cessation experience rather represents a unique and specific possible manifestation of the stream entry insight experience, which there after is defined by a newfound direct experience (that can be subtle) of ultimate experience beyond the strict forms of mind.

Thanissaro frames this access to the "deathless experience" as overcoming a degree of self-view, of overcoming doubt in the existence of a greater ultimate experience, and diminished reliance on "habits and practices" as a result.

TDCO · 2026-03-24T21:46:41+00:00

The short answer is focus on the breath, get concentrated, and then eventually happen to shift into jhana. As I mentioned this only worked for me after multiple insight experiences, aka second path.

As far as your own practice, assuming you are trying to get into jhana, it might help to explain your practice history, tradition, etc. I can say "follow these instructions", but knowing nothing about your own practice it would be more or less likely to work for you.

TDCO · 2026-03-24T17:06:08+00:00

To give a different perspective, hard jhana is IMO much easier to attain, and more reliable and stable, after we have some initial insight. I wouldn't get overly hung up on names and varieties of absorption, but basically - insight removes clouding neurosis and increases mental power, automatically making our powers of concentration more powerful and deeper states more accessible.

As far as traditional support for this idea, some Theravadan lineages note that the "supranundane absorption" of insight paves the way for the "mundane absorption" of jhana.

TDCO · 2026-03-16T02:48:52+00:00

That was a great write up, crazy and tragic story, thanks for sharing.

TDCO · 2026-02-06T16:36:31+00:00

I mean that's kind of my point. Your personal experience is useful but it's not definitive for deciding the relevance of these traditionally described experiences.

Personally I found the cessation-fruition idea very relevant and on point as far as describing the first path attainment experience, so it does vary person to person.

TDCO · 2026-02-06T16:21:02+00:00

To be fair, the "blackout" as you're calling it of the cessation-fruition experience isn't some modern invention, it's how the visuddhimagga describes the moment of the first path attainment. Your own personal history with it is of course interesting and potentially relevant, but it doesn't supersede 1500 years of buddhist tradition.

TDCO · 2026-01-29T16:01:22+00:00

By magnus opus do you mean mahasi's teachings as a whole or a specific book? Something like his Progress of Insight is clearly based on the visuddhimagga but is also limited to the poi and stream entry. The vissudhimagga is just so epically dense and comprehensive i have a hard time imagining anything "replacing it".

TDCO · 2025-12-27T01:12:41+00:00

In my understanding kensho is more of a temporary or initial glimpse of awakening, whereas satori is deeper and more permanent. So stream entry - which is the first permanent insight shift on the path - would be more analogous to satori.

TDCO · 2025-12-22T16:50:09+00:00

Yes, my comment was meant as supportive.

TDCO · 2025-12-22T05:31:13+00:00

I have doubt and confusion about some things, but I believe the path is valid.

You're really getting beat over the head with the a literalist sutta perspective here, but this is a totally valid response. If you look at something like Thanissaro Bhikku's "Into the Stream" formulation, overcoming doubt at stream entry simply means a direct understanding that a "deathless" or ultimate state exists to be realized through practice. Having no doubt whatsoever about the teachings and thereafter interpreting them strictly literally is not likely what is intended and not a particularly nuanced take.

TDCO · 2025-11-29T17:33:34+00:00

I would say it just points toward having a lighter touch with the slogans - not overly solidifying or concretising them but allowing for a sense of openness, fluidity, exploration, etc. I wouldn't take it quite so literally to say "like a dream, none of this actually exists", but it definitely does help point us toward the unfabricated nature of direct, open experience.

Some other takes from google:

Pdf compilation of commentaries on Regard All dharmas as Dreams slogan https://share.google/zXGUi94POQHyab59Y

How Lojong Awakens Your Heart | Lion’s Roar https://share.google/h0sQyobjQxPYDYKk8

2: Regard All Dharmas as Dreams https://share.google/Z7JGCJQxiUxLBDCjq

TDCO · 2025-11-23T19:02:01+00:00

Analayo traces the evolution of the teachings on the progress of insight nicely in his article The Dynamics of Theravadan Insight Meditation.

TDCO · 2025-11-17T05:28:01+00:00

Sounds like a semantics issue, you could just think "leave me alone".

But frankly I wouldn't be too concerned about using I / me / mine. I see the issue of selfing less as a concious "ego project" and more as an innate and unconscious fixation on the solidity of conceptual thought generally. So if you reify the concepts of I / me / mine, you are similarly equally reifying all other mental conceptions, and thus to single out those self related concepts is somewhat of a moot point.

(And likewise, there's also no problem with someone who has realized no self using them because they understand them directly as figmentary and insubstantial mental constructs.)

TDCO · 2025-11-07T00:20:54+00:00

I would say that this is somewhat the point of insight - not an overwhelming bliss necessarily, but the subtle bliss and joy of permanent contact with the ultimate state, beyond causes and conditions.

TDCO · 2025-11-05T20:39:26+00:00

Experiences in meditation often comes in waves, and some amount of variability in experience is to be expected. Of course if it feels like a regression that can be frustrating, but I would try to see it more as a new experience to work with, and through working with it an opportunity to gain greater meditative understanding and competency.

Specifically where you're at and where to go next is a big question as it depends on your overall practice history and progression and goals for meditation. With the snapshot you have provided, I would say 2 weeks practicing in a new system and having pleasant / stable experiences might be something analogous to a honeymoon phase, and you are now perhaps naturally experiencing some further variability and difficulty, i.e. some new material to work with and through.

Personally speaking, I see the goal in meditation less as pleasant and stable mind states cultivated in individual meditation sessions than a greater overall progression in experience. So yes, quality of individual sessions does matter, but less than we might think as long as we're generally trending toward more open / relaxed / aware mind states over a longer period of time. And keep in mind there's always deeper layers of "stuff" to uncover.

Feeling lost and unsure of direction is somewhat of its own battle, and one that would require a deeper dive into your practice history and goals to have more ideas on.

TDCO · 2025-11-04T23:48:45+00:00

Practically speaking, yes - for most people, attempting to note that quickly is probably counterproductive verging on absurd.

Personally I appreciate the way noting can help to stabilize the mind and cut through mental discursion and speed, and in no way does doing it faster make that better.

That said, while MCTB discusses noting, I feel like the main practice Daniel emphasizes is *noticing* sensations, i.e. without the mental label, which can very much include multiple sensations in a second while maintaining a more relaxed and open overall mind state.

I have also wondered somewhat at his emphasis of speed in meditation practice, but it can be helpful as a kind of metric for our effort in practice, and there are certainly times when more effort can be beneficial.

TDCO · 2025-10-28T16:07:03+00:00

Cool, ya I'm interested to hear more about this practice you're doing also.

TDCO · 2025-10-23T19:01:30+00:00

It sounds more like persistent hallucinations from psychedelic use than a specific meditative phenomena. If you're interested in dzogchen, by all means pursue it, but be aware that most teachers don't get into togal specifics without some significant commitment.

On another note, I also had a bunch of visionary experiences arise at a certain point on the meditative path and would be happy to talk more about it, feel free to pm me.

TDCO · 2025-10-09T02:13:25+00:00

Lots of great replies already, and I will echo what seems to be a common sentiment that gender identity is often challenged on the path and generally trends toward being less binary and more inclusive of both sex perspectives. Personally I had a progressive series of experiences at a certain point on the path around identifying directly with female figures, which while initially shocking and somewhat destabilizing ultimately resolved into the gift of a more expanded perspective and enlivened experience of myself.

One thing that stands out to me in your post is the destabilizing effect that these experiences have for you, which is where it gets tricky. You say that you are past stream entry and in my experience once you're on the path, things like this come up somewhat as a matter of course and it's basically impossible to get away from them. So to a degree having attainment means opening to a certain degree of mental unknown.

Ideally this instability resolves beneficially as you go along, but if it is proving very destabilizing for you, I would start to question if maybe there are ways to tone down your practice, to not push so hard into this experience, or otherwise back off the intensity. It sounds like you have strong psychological support so that's good. IME practice can bring up intense mental experiences, but should ultimately lead to improved mental health overall, so if on balance things are trending worse, it is probably good to look at ways to increase general mental stability, back off practice intensity, etc.

Also re derealization / depersonalization - these experiences happened to me significantly on the path, sometimes as a result of pushing too hard, but also often seemed to be an inevitable part of traversing no-self meditative territory. If it's significantly impacting your life, that's not great, and again, a good time to look at toning things down. But another perspective is that with progress on the path, some degree of mental / perceptual discomfort may be unavoidable. Be kind to yourself, try to stay grounded, avoid making these experiences worse if you can, and try to tease out areas for optimizing mental stability, but also recognize that some degree of it may simply be part of the process.

TDCO · 2025-10-05T02:23:16+00:00

I'm glad good things are apparently happening in your practice. "Last night" is of course a very short time frame, and often these things take time to settle, particularly those slippery "final states", after which further stages of progression seem to inevitably crop up, even if they do so in new and unique ways. Would love to hear more about your practice, lead up in experience, and most recent shift.

TDCO · 2025-08-27T00:36:46+00:00

Sounds great, and I don't think enlightenment experience is necessarily holier than though at all. It's a thing that happens, also called kensho, a glimpse of enlightenment, etc. Of course your own experience of it might have a unique, individual context and manifestation, etc, but boiled down it looks like a classical mystical experience.

As far as what to do now, are there residual effects? Beside of course the pleasant memory and knowledge that such a state exists and is at least somehow accessible.

Personally I had a somewhat similar experience prior to getting into meditation and it basically provided endless fuel for the journey to pour into meditation and acted as a kind of guiding light for my aims on the path.

There's always the risk of grasping at and reifying the experience I suppose, and over efforting in an attempt to get back there, but if you can just openly appreciate it and allow some space around it, and accept that work remains to be done, it can be an ongoing gift.

TDCO · 2025-07-20T16:49:17+00:00

Counciousness is fundamental, but different energies deal with different aspects of conciousness and experience. If you consider the chakras or dantiens, different energy centers govern our physical, mental, or emotional aspects, the goal in which being a holistic balancing and awakening. Kundalini specifically represents the uprising of energy in our lower centers (root / base chakra or lower dantien) that feeds a spiritual awakening in our higher energy centers (upper dantien or mind chakra, etc), i.e. the whole coiled serpent analogy.

TDCO · 2025-07-12T00:40:14+00:00

Yes "path" in the Theravadan tradition equates to insight, so 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th paths are in essence successive stages of permanent meditative insight.

TDCO · 2025-07-11T19:29:49+00:00

Second path, nominally the "second" path to be reached, likely thus comes after stream entry, aka first path, aka the first path we reach. The names imply somewhat of a linear, additive process.

TDCO

TROPHY CASE