For anyone interested in following the Buddhist paths to achieving AP, listed below is some greatly
summarized but <blockquote>key</blockquote> info:
1. Practice daily concentration meditation - called 'Samatha/Shamatha' in buddhist scriptures on the breath, mantra or any object of your choice.
2. Try to reach a minimum session of 45 mins. if you've never done meditation before, beginning with 5 mins. a day and gradually working up toward longer sessions over time. Eventually the longer the sessions the better, provided there is quality in focus.
3. Use awareness to monitor attentions focus and eliminate distractions, dullness, mental lethargy etc.
4. Reach the 4th Jhana via concentration. AP becomes a spontaneous ability once an individual has reached a stage called the 4th Jhana, explained below.
The Jhana's are flow states of concentration where attention just drops into bliss, rapture etc. and the attention seamlessly focuses on its object with minimal distractions. Any distractions are all in the background. There are 8 Jhanic states. The 1st four result from focusing attention on form objects like the breath or mantra. The next 4 jhanas are based on formless states such as infinite space, infinite consciousness etc.
<blockquote>Method to reach the Jhanas:</blockquote>
1. Gain 'acces concentration' - Access concentration is reached when attention enters the inner non physical self. Symptoms of reaching AC are: dramatic reduction in extraneous thoughts, attention almost effortlessly staying focused on object of meditation for many minutes without interruption, and most importantly noticing sensations of physical bliss in some part of the body, or even whole body. Usually the hands tend to bliss out 1st since there are so many nerve endings there.
2. Move attention away from the meditation object and focus it on the blissful sensations in the body. This will cause the bliss to increase and spread through the entire body/mind also leading to rapture.
3. Focusing attention on each stage of bliss/rapture above will lead to deeper and more profound jhanas, culminating in the 4th jhana that awakens powers of Astral Projection + other super normal powers.
The jhanic states naturally amplify mental focus and can be ridden like a surfer on the waves to deeper and deeper states. After the 1st jhana effort drops of and progress happens with effortlessness.
<blockquote>Main characteristics of the 8 jhanas?</blockquote>
1. 1st Jhana - physical bliss
2. 2nd Jhana - mental bliss or rapture
3. 3rd Jhana - tranquility
4. 4th Jhana - Equanimity (this stage is needed for Astral Projection, clairvoyancy, psychic gifts etc.)
5. 5th Jhana - infinite space
6. 6th Jhana - infintie consciousness
7. 7th Jhana - infinite emptiness
8. 8th Jhana - perception nor non perception
<blockquote>Description of AP from buddhist scriptures:</blockquote>
<blockquote>Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life (Digha Nikaya 2.85-87)
The Mind-made Body</blockquote>
"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties. Just as if a man were to draw a reed from its sheath. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sheath, this is the reed. The sheath is one thing, the reed another, but the reed has been drawn out from the sheath.' Or as if a man were to draw a sword from its scabbard. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the sword, this is the scabbard. The sword is one thing, the scabbard another, but the sword has been drawn out from the scabbard.' Or as if a man were to pull a snake out from its slough. The thought would occur to him: 'This is the snake, this is the slough. The snake is one thing, the slough another, but the snake has been pulled out from the slough.' In the same way — with his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, the monk directs and inclines it to creating a mind-made body. From this body he creates another body, endowed with form, made of the mind, complete in all its parts, not inferior in its faculties.
"This, too, great king, is a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.
<blockquote>Supranormal Powers</blockquote>
"With his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability, he directs and inclines it to the modes of supranormal powers. He wields manifold supranormal powers. Having been one he becomes many; having been many he becomes one. He appears. He vanishes. He goes unimpeded through walls, ramparts, and mountains as if through space. He dives in and out of the earth as if it were water. He walks on water without sinking as if it were dry land. Sitting cross-legged he flies through the air like a winged bird. With his hand he touches and strokes even the sun and moon, so mighty and powerful. He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahma worlds. Just as a skilled potter or his assistant could craft from well-prepared clay whatever kind of pottery vessel he likes, or as a skilled ivory-carver or his assistant could craft from well-prepared ivory any kind of ivory-work he likes, or as a skilled goldsmith or his assistant could craft from well-prepared gold any kind of gold article he likes; in the same way — with his mind thus concentrated, purified, and bright, unblemished, free from defects, pliant, malleable, steady, and attained to imperturbability — the monk directs and inclines it to the modes of supranormal powers... He exercises influence with his body even as far as the Brahma worlds.
"This, too, great king, is a fruit of the contemplative life, visible here and now, more excellent than the previous ones and more sublime.
Stages of Concentration Mastery from Mahamudra Tradition:
The 2 Attached pic. lists the 9 stages of concentration meditation. Helps create a goal for students and also know where one is currently. Painting is from the Mahamudra tradition in Tibet, but also applies to all traditions incl. christian meditation. 1st pic. can be enlarged with Cntrl + after downloading.
Elephant = mind
Monkey = distraction
Monk = meditator
Monk's rope = attention
Monks gourd or ax = mindfulness (awareness) of attention. Watching what attention is doing is key to mastery.
Rabbit on elephants back = mental lethargy or dullness
Decreasing fires = effort required decreasing over time
As progress occurs elephant (mind) becomes purified.
At certain stages monkey goes behind elephant showing distraction beginning to disappear, and concentration becoming more steady and focused.
Temple at bottom right = instruction in the teaching
Distance between each stage = relative difficulty of reaching next stage
Water and puddles = turmoil of regular mind
Mirror, fruit, cloths, conch with perfume, cymbals = 5 hindrances: sight, taste, touch, smell, hearing. In Christianity these would represent triggers that lead to the 7 deadly sins.
Cave on right = entrance into tranquility/solitude during stage 6
Baby in temple upper left corner, next to stage 9 = new birth experience of physical and mental bliss/happiness
Mountains/clouds = access of transcendent realms
Rainbow = beginning of super normal experiences/powers
Monk riding elephant = mental bliss
Monk flying = physical bliss/astral travel etc.
monk riding elephant in opposite direction with fire at back = beginning of Buddhist vipassana meditation to root out all mental defilements previously suppressed via concentration meditation. Vipassana is what makes Buddhist meditation unique compared to all other traditions. Other traditions only focus on concentration meditation (Buddhist samatha meditation) to access supernormal states/realms. Complete Buddhist path is both Samatha + vipassana that leads to enlightenment/liberation transcending all heaven world existences etc from other religions.
Flame in monks hand = insight from vipassana
2 rainbows coming from monks heart = mental dillusion and karmic patterns in the unconscious mind destroyed by flame (insight) in monks hand.
3 Buddhas at top: Adi (primordial), Amitaba (infinite light) and Manjushri (transcendant wisdom)