Mala day 5: sleepiness

 Sat on bed 2pm. Did 30 mins. Felt sleepy and dozed off at around 20 mins. Also, mind more restless. Tried lifting up beads for awhile. Not sure if it helped.

Still on covid isolation day 4 in bedroom. Dedicated merits to all beings and some metta.

Mala day 3

 9.30 to 10.00 sat cross legged on bed . Hands on legs holding mala. Took 3 refuge and 5 precepts. Have frequent itchiness in throat, and coughing  but I persisted. The undertone hum is peaceful. 

Day 2 covid isolation.

Mala day 2

 Had covid symptoms since yesterday nose pain sore throat and cough. Tested positive today. Quarantine day 1 in bedroom starting today together with wife who is also positive. 

10 pm sat on bed cross-legged. Resting hands on legs. Did 30 mins. Very peaceful.  Sonorous humming overtones. Trancelike and pleasant. 

Mala day 1: Start of Buddho Meditation Using Mala

 Today I start mala using buddho as mantra. Sat on floor cross-legged. Took 3 refuge and 5 precepts. Put cushion on legs and rested hands on cushion. Crossed the mala in infinity ♾ shape with left thumb-forefinger on 1st bead after gurubead and right thumb-forefinger on opposite side of mala. Recite bud and move left bead. Recite dho and move right bead. There is a sonorous humming undertone. Felt like in a trance state. Quite peaceful and pleasant. I did 2 sittings one at 1 am and another at 7 am.

1 am sitting : did 30 mins then realized time flew so fast. Then continued another 15 mins which also felt very fast. Total 45 mins. 

7 am sitting:  is 30 mins. Time also flew very fast.

Here is a demo of the technique:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i36GsCyeyJw

Some tips:

Do not visualize the Buddha, or, recall the Buddha's qualities - it is a hindrance. Just listen to the sound.

Do at least 20 mins each day for 6 weeks minimum.

Sit cross legged on floor, either (a) hold mala up in air, or, (b) resting hands on legs, or on (c) cushion on legs

When you reach the gurubead - don't pause, continue to recite.

Whenever you have used up a breath, take your time to breathe in normally and recite again. It can be either through the nose or the mouth.

You can move the beads in left hand and right hand simultaneously, or, left, then, right alternately.

Do no put or let the mala touch the ground during meditation.

Supposed to do 6 weeks of 30-mins each day and report to master after 1 week, then weekly reports.

PS

Today I had covid symptoms, but only confirmed with Test Kit the next day. Today is day 0 of covid.

Coincidence:

Today is 9/11 + covid + start of mala

Jhana metta and wisdom

 8 am. Sat on floor facing balcony. No wind. Took 3 refuge and 5 precepts. Then remembered yesterday when I was kind to an old lady pushing a trolley collecting cardboards. A smile came, I felt metta and after a while piti arose.  I also recalled yesterday where a kind lady at market who sold me a $28 mala. It also brought up metta.

I used relax  smile and metta constantly. When the metta no longer felt   I did wisdom by contemplating anicca, dukkha and anatta. Sukha arose and I abided in it. Piti also arose repeatedly. The background piti  kept me going for 45 mins.

Mindfulness was quite strong. It allowed me to do wisdom quite well. I could see dukkha caused by craving and also saw anatta. My suffering is self-inflicted when I wanted to control things. When I see anatta, it was a major relief.

I also saw the futility of seeking fulfillment in anything because of anicca.

Since yesterday I am able to see anicca, dukha and anatta. Last night while lying in bed to sleep, anatta was strong. My mind was so peaceful. 

My brief spiritual background and attainments

Brief Biography

 I am 59 years old and live in Penang, Malaysia. I am semi retired doing online teaching (computing).  During my younger days, I often have spontaneous out-of-body experience (astral projections?)  and also seeing apparitions (ghosts?), and hearing sounds which nobody else hears (eg footsteps on the roof). However, I learn to suppress all of those experiences  as they were quite frightening.  And today I don't experience them anymore, except for the occasional astral projection which I always suppress when it is about to begin. It always starts with total body paralysis with mind fully awake, then vibration over entire body. That's when, I would suppress it and it goes away.  I often have flying dreams which can be quite lucid at times - although I never intended them. I dream of flying and hovering over many places and it was quite pleasant. Nowadays I also often dream of places I have never seen or people I have never met before (past life?) - and these dreams could be very lucid with intimate details including the strong emotions in them as well.

Meditation techniques that I have tried:

1. TM (Transcendental Meditation) and TM-Siddhi

2. Anapanasati based on MN118

3. Vipassana based on Mahasi Sayadaw's teachings

4. Metta and TWIM (Tranquil Wisdom Insight Meditation) as taught by Bhante Vimalaramsi

5. Jhana Meditation as taught by Leigh Brasington.

6. AUM (OM) meditation as taught by Tomer Weiss

Attainments to-date:

1. 1st and 2nd Jhana.

2. Uncontrollable astral projection

Jhana 1 using 6Rs with Breath

 7.30 am

Sat cross legged on floor facing balcony. Cold morning. Using 6R and Breath. Took 3 refuge and 5 precepts. Not focused on breath, but just knowing it in the background. Foreground is the pleasure from smiling. 

Each time a distraction occurs, I relax (2-3 secs as advocated by Ven. Khanti Khema), smiled and returned to the breath. Keeping the breath always in the background and not the focus. David Johnson warns to be always just 'knowing' that you are breathing but not focusing on it.

I got piti easily and just let it be. Sat for 45 mins.

11 am

Followed Ven Obhasa on zoom where she led a guided meditation. Here is the private video:

https://youtu.be/4q__jEzV31s

She teach to visualize a lotus flower slowly opening until all its petals are opening right to the head and the top. At this point, I experienced piti on that point on the top of the head.

Then, I visualized Delson Armstrong (my spiritual friend) and wished him happiness.. And did this for some time.

Sat for about 30 mins.

3.30 pm

Sat for 45 mins. Did TWIM on breath. Got to 1st Jhana easily, accompanied by piti and some sukha. Saw a blue colored nimitta. This is first time it is blue - navy blue. Also saw black nimitta with white ring surrounding it, with white pin-points lights. Could control the piti easily.

Tricky bit trying to know the breath without focusing on it.