Stage Five: Overcoming Subtle Dullness Flashcards
What do meditators confuse subtle dullness with?
Meditative joy
What is the goal of stage five?
To overcome subtle dullness and increase the power of mindfulness?
What is subtle dullness?
A slight dullness that makes the meditation object less vivid and intense and causes peripheral awareness to fade.
What are some signs that you’re in a state of subtle dullness?
The field of consciousness shrinks, sounds and bodily sensations fade, and thoughts are fewer. You will often have a sense of comfort and ease, clarity will decrease, and your peripheral awareness will fade. If you are startled by a deep breath or sound, that’s a sign of subtle dullness.
What’s a sign that you are in a state of subtle dullness after you finish your practice?
You will feel sluggish or spacey after practicing.
How can you detect subtle dullness?
The best way to detect subtle dullness is introspective attention. Hold the intention to remain continuously aware of what’s happening in the mind, moment by moment. Be vigilant and aware of the activities of the mind.
How do you overcome subtle dullness?
- Hold the intention to be aware of the activities of the mind.
- Following and connecting.
- Expand the scope of your intention to include the body.
What’s the first step in a body scan?
Shift your attention to the surface of your abdomen. Observe the sensations associated with the in/breath and out/breath, not the breath itself. Notice the changing of the sensations. Continue until your attention is stable.
What’s the second step in a body scan?
Choose an isolated part of the body where you wouldn’t expect sensations of breathing. Shift your attention to this area while keeping the sensations of breath at the abdomen in your peripheral awareness. Investigate the sensations thoroughly. Then slowly move around the body from this point, doing the same process.
What’s the third step in a body scan?
Slowly expand your awareness to whole regions of your body. You’ll eventually feel breath sensations. Make sure to thoroughly investigate them. Once you feel comfortable, shift back and forth between larger and smaller areas.
What’s the fourth step in a body scan?
When your perception is much more sensitive, shift your focus back to your breath. Notice how much sharper your perception is.
What’s the key to increasing the power of mindfulness?
Increasing the number of perceiving moments of consciousness through intention. Each moment of consciousness with the intention to make peripheral awareness stronger or attention more intense creates such moments in the future.
