Meditations, Experiences, and Insights
by Chun Ko Lin
Meditate on your existence.
It seems there's an interesting connection between meditations, experiences, and insights.
There are numerous types and methods of meditation, some involving plant chemicals used by shamans, while others are chemical-free, employing various techniques.
It's also known that the strongest positive effects and acceleration occur in group meditations, when a group of people practices the same technique. This group synergy is a recognized phenomenon with significant effects on individuals beyond meditation sessions, as something energetically significant happens when people come together to work on a common task or goal. This phenomenon has been utilized throughout history and is evident today in sports stadiums, mass political demonstrations, and more.
Meditation techniques sometimes induce various experiences: images, thoughts, bodily sensations, and feelings. Some circles refer to these sensory and mental experiences as "movies" or phenomena. These experiences can vary widely in intensity.
Beginners find these experiences highly impactful, leading to a tendency to assign them great significance. However, experienced and serious seekers generally don't attribute special importance to such phenomena. These perceptual effects, whether images, thoughts, bodily sensations, or emotions, come and go, much like the well-known meditative sense of fulfilment, satisfaction, and happiness.
However, along with conspicuous experiences, noticeable insights often arise. Insights are something more seasoned seekers focus on. It's crucial to evaluate the value of insights through real-life testing.
Broadly speaking, there are two types of insights. One could be labelled as "fantasies" – insights arising from the intoxication of meditation but lacking practical value as they fail to stand up to the test of real-life application. Fantasies can carry any imaginary meaning and sometimes are merely the product of old mental constructs.
Real insights, on the other hand, arise with or without a conspicuous experience and prove themselves in the everyday test of life. They fall into the category of significant insights that broaden our horizons and propel us into further development.