Please Help Me

Discussion of meditation in the Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
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jsimon329
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Please Help Me

Post by jsimon329 »

Has anyone heard of the first stage of meditation in which you have a vision of a lotus flower. I think the stages go like to see, to hear, to think, and then to travel. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME
tingdzin
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by tingdzin »

There are literally dozens of ways to meditate in the various schools of Buddhism. Having a vision of a lotus flower as the first stage is not one that I personally have heard of, and must be kind of rare, or maybe it's Hindu. One usual way of describing the stages in Tibetan Buddhism goes: 1)hearing (teachings), 2) reflecting (on them),and meditating (actualizing them). The lotus is a very common symbol in Buddhism, and appears in various meditative systems, but never in the first stage that I know of. And what do you mean travel? Feel free to PM if I can help you, though I am only online about once a week.
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CedarTree
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by CedarTree »

jsimon329 wrote:Has anyone heard of the first stage of meditation in which you have a vision of a lotus flower. I think the stages go like to see, to hear, to think, and then to travel. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME
I am also very curious to what you are talking about. Please post again with more details.

It could be that your talking about a "Nimitta" for Absorption style meditation but will need more explaining from you.

Practice, Practice, Practice
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kirtu
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by kirtu »

This can vary very greatly. In the teachings (so the Pali sutras in this case) there is a reference to visions that can accompany very deep concentration. I didn't think much about them until one of them happened to me during a longer Zen retreat.

But, your vision may be something completely different.

Did you have a vision of a lotus during an intense, fairly long retreat (a few days at least). If so, then this could be a sign that you have achieved a deep state of concentration. But this doesn't happen to everyone. Like I said, it varies very widely.

At any rate you shouldn't get distracted. It's really nothing. Keep practicing.

Kirt
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
Strive
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by Strive »

jsimon329 wrote:Has anyone heard of the first stage of meditation in which you have a vision of a lotus flower. I think the stages go like to see, to hear, to think, and then to travel. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME
if u see lotus when meditating most likely u are having hallucination and should stop lol

u can also see that kind of stuff with shrooms and dmt
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Grigoris
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by Grigoris »

jsimon329 wrote:Has anyone heard of the first stage of meditation in which you have a vision of a lotus flower. I think the stages go like to see, to hear, to think, and then to travel. PLEASE SOMEONE HELP ME
What is your meditation practice?
"My religion is not deceiving myself."
Jetsun Milarepa 1052-1135 CE

"Butchers, prostitutes, those guilty of the five most heinous crimes, outcasts, the underprivileged: all are utterly the substance of existence and nothing other than total bliss."
The Supreme Source - The Kunjed Gyalpo
The Fundamental Tantra of Dzogchen Semde
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cky
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by cky »

If you are practicing shamatha, this could be a Nimitta. Lotus flower actually is a classic. Although this only appears at a very advanced stage.
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CedarTree
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by CedarTree »

cky wrote:If you are practicing shamatha, this could be a Nimitta. Lotus flower actually is a classic. Although this only appears at a very advanced stage.
I think the common is actually white light, foggy light, kind of a blueish haze in front of the vision. All of these are eyes closed.

To have a concrete Lotus Flower being held in perfect stasis like a Nimitta would be insane for the level of concentration and energy developed.

Enter that into the Jhanas and your probably gonna blast through into the Immaterials Lol!

Practice, Practice, Practice
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CedarTree
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by CedarTree »

kirtu wrote:This can vary very greatly. In the teachings (so the Pali sutras in this case) there is a reference to visions that can accompany very deep concentration. I didn't think much about them until one of them happened to me during a longer Zen retreat.

But, your vision may be something completely different.

Did you have a vision of a lotus during an intense, fairly long retreat (a few days at least). If so, then this could be a sign that you have achieved a deep state of concentration. But this doesn't happen to everyone. Like I said, it varies very widely.

At any rate you shouldn't get distracted. It's really nothing. Keep practicing.

Kirt
Kirt I really want to hear more about your experience! :)

Practice, Practice, Practice
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kirtu
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Re: PLEASE HELP ME

Post by kirtu »

cky wrote:If you are practicing shamatha, this could be a Nimitta. Lotus flower actually is a classic. Although this only appears at a very advanced stage.
This is what I was referring to in my response as well.

Kirt
Kirt's Tibetan Translation Notes

"Even if you practice only for an hour a day with faith and inspiration, good qualities will steadily increase. Regular practice makes it easy to transform your mind. From seeing only relative truth, you will eventually reach a profound certainty in the meaning of absolute truth."
Kyabje Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche.

"Only you can make your mind beautiful."
HH Chetsang Rinpoche

"Most all-knowing Mañjuśrī, ...
Please illuminate the radiant wisdom spirit
Of my precious Buddha nature."
HH Thinley Norbu Rinpoche
jsimon329
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by jsimon329 »

I had a vision of a lotus flower during analytical meditation. I was told by someone that (and by someone else) that having a vision of a lotus flower is the first stage of meditation. Then the next step is "to hear". In this stage you can hear people far away or you can hear dead people. I was in this stage jsut for a little time.
jkarlins
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by jkarlins »

Just keep sitting. Sit with a group if you can. Most meditators don't think about stages this way.

If you can remain focused on an object for a while that's really good. If you feel some kind of bliss that's good too. If you can sit for longer periods, that's a good sign potentially. You might want to read about the ethical groundwork for this training too.

Jake
White Lotus
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by White Lotus »

Only you know what this means. Its important. :smile:
in any matters of importance. dont rely on me. i may not know what i am talking about. take what i say as mere speculation. i am not ordained. nor do i have a formal training. i do believe though that if i am wrong on any point. there are those on this site who i hope will quickly point out my mistakes.
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catmoon
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by catmoon »

Take it as a gift. You have been given a free object of meditation. When something like this happens, there is excitement and agitation at first. It will pass. Stay with it.
Sergeant Schultz knew everything there was to know.
Simon E.
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by Simon E. »

catmoon wrote: Fri Feb 02, 2018 1:52 pm Take it as a gift. You have been given a free object of meditation. When something like this happens, there is excitement and agitation at first. It will pass. Stay with it.
Depending on a number of factors which we are not privy to, that could be really bad advice.
If it is a nimitta then 'staying with it' is not a good idea.
We do not know what the OP is practising and s/he did respond to the attempt to discover what practice might be.
If we assume that he/she has a practice which does not involve the involuntary imagining of decontextualised symbols then the focus should return to that.
“You don’t know it. You just know about it. That is not the same thing.”

Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche to me.
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catmoon
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Re: Please Help Me

Post by catmoon »

I think i see what you mean. Granted, one would not want to stay with a nimitta forever. But if there is still agitation and excitement, then it is the thing to do. Things will calm down and then, progress through the jhanas will resume. I think he's doing wonderfully well.
Sergeant Schultz knew everything there was to know.
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