Sitting on the top of the mountain today I noticed far off – couple hundred meters – something red on one of the trees. This was up about 800 feet off the ground, and I was over 900 feet up vertically. There was nothing but sheer cliff below the red thing, so I was looking at it intently, trying to understand what in the world was red that had gotten up there. It didn’t look like a balloon, garbage, or any animal that I could think of. It was quite a mystery.

I stared at it intently – trying to figure it out.

The visual field started changing.

Sometimes it was 3D, sometimes 2D, and sometimes there was no separation between me and what i was looking at. It was like watching a movie, but, it was coming through my eyes… or, more rightly – through my perception of what the eyes were showing. The brain was acting in a way that was different, and the “normal” 3-D realistic image that I see with my eyes when they are open – was changing over and over to other things. There were times the contrast of the scene of mountains before me – was very high… other times, split seconds later – it had changed to very low contrast. There were patterns in the trees that became evident, and then the mountain appeared bubbled out in sections – very 3D, but wrong – from what I know of the mountain – and I’ve seen it hundreds of times from that vantage point.

Next there were river like tributaries on a map flowing down the side of the mountain. No water – just the path – as if I was looking at a map show me the way the rain fell down the mountain, and where it went and pooled into bigger channels. The thing is – I was just looking at tree tops, I couldn’t have seen anything underneath – no channels where rain could have flowed.

At one point as I stared at the barely visible red “thing” I noticed that the entire picture was starting to rotate, to spiral, but, it didn’t move. I’ll edit a photo and show you what I mean. Quite odd, and I don’t remember that happening before.

Sort of like the image, but not exactly. Impossible to recreate. I could do it with my camera on a new image, but the mountain isn’t in front of me now – so this will have to do.

So, what was the result?

As I stared at the rapidly changing scene, there was a feeling that if I just let go of looking, it would all happen. It would go further.

There were people behind me coming up the stairs, and though I was concentrating for a few minutes, I wasn’t able to fully let go and let it happen.

So, maybe next time if I think of it…

If you are having strange experiences during your everyday life, after having jhanas visit during your meditation – please write and let me know what you’re experiencing…

Cheers!

There’s nothing going on in my head most times.

When I try to write a fiction book, think about something in the future, plan something – it just isn’t there. My thinking process, I mean. It’s just voidness up there. It’s like I’ve suddenly become dumb or something. I’ve always wished for this state – to be so dumb, I don’t even know it… and maybe that’s what is finally happening! lol. I despise having a mind that is always thinking, planning, creating, and analyzing. It’s tiring. It’s pointless.

As much as I try - I cannot create anything anymore. my mind is on stop speed for some reason.

I was excited for a while before this state – to start writing fiction again. I just can’t do it. I’m coming up absolutely blank when I try to think of an interesting plot for a story.

I was up the mountain today and it had rained on me hard. It was almost dark. There were clouds so thick at the top, with the rain, that I couldn’t see through far at all – 30 meters max maybe. I realized… this is what my head is going through right now too. Same thing. It’s like my head is cloudy in there and not linking up as it normally does. I feel really, tremendously dumb.

Now, if this is the endgame – the way I’ll be for many years before dying, that’s cool. Just wish I knew so I could adjust. I don’t need to write books, I’ll just sit on a step and watch the world go by.

Not at all sure what this state is…

At 5:40 he says something that hit me pretty well… All views are wrong views…

And I believe that, and yet never said it that way. I find when I watch this man he says a lot of things that are true – and yet, I never thought to put them into words… and that’s part of what makes it very interesting to watch him.

Here is the video below – basically he says that nirvana is the cessation of – the extinction of – suffering…

I was surprised that there were people willing to pay $400 and even $800 for some of the amulets, though that was what they were worth – how could they possibly know I had genuine amulets from temples in Thailand?

Unfortunately, people have to take a chance. I have seen hundreds of amulet sellers here away from the temples that are sellign junk replicas of original Buddha amulets. It’s sad, but even Thais cannot in most cases tell the difference. Or, maybe many times they can and they buy them anyway because they just can’t afford the authentic amulets.

That’s probably more like it…

We decided to start selling some of the amazing amulets we’ve found in Thailand over these few years because on vacation to the old northeast of Thailand we found a temple that had some amazing white jade Buddha amulets that we couldn’t pass up. We bought 34 of them I think, in the Somdej style, and then another 15 with Buddha in a traditional sitting meditation posture – and the white jade amulet is shaped in a triangle.

As if that wasn’t enough, they also had some petrified wood Buddhas. These are millions of years old and of the most beautiful browns that you’ve ever seen in an amulet. I’ve certainly never seen anything approach the beauty of these…

So, we have created www.AllBuddhas.com and this will be for our premium Buddha collection. All of the amulets at AllBuddhas.com will sell for over $199. They are all unique amulets, and guaranteed authentic, of course.

Shipping is free – and we will sell them with ornate solid silver cases as well, probably only adding another $50 to the price for them. We spend $50 per case to get them.

So, if you are in the market to buy a Buddhst relative or friend something that will last for generations – please have a look at our unique Buddhas and see if there is something there you cannot pass up.

Thank you…
Vern

In my small town we have 13 Thai amulet stores and an amulet market that shows up every now and then – usually on Sundays. Thai people wear the amulets for protection and good health, good luck, natural disasters protection like tsunamis and floods, and some even to bring love into their lives.

I don’t know where this aspect of Buddhism started, or if it’s primarily in Thailand and not that much in Buddha’s birthplace of northern India which is now actually, Nepal. Chinese Thais are big on amulets, and maybe that’s where the whole Thai amulet craze started. I’ve no idea. What I do know is that most Thais are wearing one or own (rent) at least one. Some wear 5 at a time. Some have whole collections of rare amulets that they keep hidden away. For what reason? Again, not sure. Good luck? To give to family as they themselves are ready to pass?

There are some monks that wear amulets. Ajarn Jumnien of Tiger Cave Temple in the south wears 20+ amulets all the times I’ve seen him. People call him the good luck monk because he gives amulets away to people, and is never seen without them. He believes in the spiritual world – and apparently that amulets have power to protect people from certain things.

Amulets are seen for sale locally for 50 THB (about $1.80 USD) up to 20,000 THB ($600+ USD). The more expensive amulets are those that Thais believe to be older or they could also be recent, but with more power. The amount of power depends on the monk that created the amulet, blessed the amulet, or according to what protection similar amulets have provided in the past.

The Jatukam Thai amulets were a Thailand-wide craze for about 3 years when someone wearing one was shot at by a gun that misfired. Twice. That has since died down and there is no new amulet that is fueling the amulet market in Bangkok or Thailand as a whole.

Do Thai amulets work? Do they have magical power? Did the Buddha say anything about this? Or, was it all created by monks that realized they could help people feel safer by creating protection amulets? At some point some capitalists became involved and turned Thai amulet making into a massive business. I have a friend that sells Thai Buddha amulets here. She doesn’t believe they work very much either – but there is that voice inside her, put there by years of observing Thai tradition in the northeast where she was raised, that says – it’s real. Amulets have power. They work.

Personally I don’t believe in the power of amulets from Thailand, or anywhere else, to help to protect me or give me good luck. What do you believe?

I can work all day on writing articles, books, solving some problem, web development, whatever it is… and then when I stop – when it’s done and I don’t choose to do the next thing – there is just nothing. The mind is there – aware… awake… ready to do something if i asked something of it – but, otherwise it’s just there in an absolutely still state.

It’s not calming to have it happen… it just is. There is no relief in that state, though afterward I can think about it and say – oh, that must be good for the me somehow. It must be stress reducing to let the mind go to that state sometimes. Often even maybe.

But, there is something about being in that state for a long time that isn’t right with my active mind.

I haven’t let it go on much past a couple minutes.

I’m trying hard now to understand why the resistance of the active thinking mind of now – with going into the thoughtless state for a long time…

1. What is the point? This seems to be a big one… is there any point to sitting there and experiencing that state? It’s nothing new anymore, it’s there every time I stop doing anything with the mind. It’s not a novelty. It just is. And, it’s just that… there’s nothing really pulling me to do it more.

2. There is some idea in my head that by going into this silence for  a long time, I’ll come out changed. I saw what happens when the mind first is transformed after experiencing jhanas… and it’s a revolutionary change. My wife and I split because I had completely changed. I wasn’t the person she married – or the person I even knew.

Is that what is on the horizon for me if I go into this silent space often?

Just doesn’t seem to be any real good that can come from it when I have responsibilities to my wife, my daughter.

So that’s how it’s all going here – how about YOU?

Vern

But few do.

When you answer that question you’re answering what it is that is most important for you to focus your entire life on – for 70 years or so. Is there one focus, or many? What are they?

I wrote a post a while back – 3 years back, in 2007 about “What is the Point of Life?” and it received a lot of attention. Apparently there is a real lack of information or conversation about this topic and some people think it’s important enough to search “point of life” in Google to see what’s out there.

My post talked more about me personally and my experience with meditation – and I think had to be rather boring for most – but still there are almost 150 comments on the article.

I decided to create an ebook about this important subject and am almost ready to publish, “What is the Point of Life?”

Add your opinion about the point of your life to this ebook - click the book for details.

If you have any interest in sharing with us your personal idea of the whole point of your life – the focus of your life you can do so, and I’ll publish it in the ebook when it’s released in April.

Write a couple sentences, or up to a couple pages – up to you!

Send to: AimforAwesome@@@gmail…com

You’ll receive a credit for your entry – if you want. You can include any info you want including link to your website. You will receive a free copy of the ebook when it’s released.

Anyway, so maybe 3 -4 times over the past month or so I’ve noticed that as I sleep – either falling asleep or actually sleeping and dreaming this happens…

I find myself doing something – anything really… and gradually i let go of the thought… and they fade out- leaving me with a oneness – a complete, pure – untainted oneness like I get with meditation at times… but it just comes during this waking moment (during sleep)…

There is more of a totalness to these dream experiences than what happens during real waking hours…

What I mean is – I feel a movement – a change of perception – of reality – where I become everything in front of me, behind me, etc… I become one with it – but actually become it. The body is completely lost – gone – and whatever “i” am – becomes the whole scene in front of me… I blend into that.

Different than what I have while awake – but, quite difficult to explain – like everything that happens – eh?

Still in Thailand. Still working hard on internet projects… when I stop “doing” – there is nothing. I’m instantly in that state of no thought – no desire – no anything… and it feels – ok – not good, not bad, not happy, not sad, not something cool – just nothng because thought is absent… there is an awareness that things have changed – but thats it… everything is fine…

again – impossible to describe…

anyone want to share anything happening with you – ? feel free…

aimforawesome@gmail.com

I notice when I sit at the computer and go half the speed I used to go. My internet connection is significantly slower and maybe that is helping the mind slow down too?

I’m attributing the reduction in ADHD – ADD symptoms mostly to meditation, and more specifically, the results of meditation since I rarely ever do it anymore. The changes have already been made inside the mind and I’m not sure that I could speed back up to the way I was in the USA – or not. Could I still be employed in the USA in this state? That’s  a funny question. But, funnier still – I don’t know the answer.

I think I’m running at about 50% of what I used to in terms of speed of understanding and producing things, and multi-tasking.

If you think you or your kids might have ADD – ADHD you should drop by this ADHD kid site and find some articles about it. It’s my site! I’m quite interested in the topic and will be growing the information there over the next few months.

Vern

No, not there… Ok, here goes…

It was a short dream. I was standing up outside. I was leaning back slightly. There was a force holding me up – as the wind would if it were very strong, but there was no wind – just  a force.

It was coming from behind and pushing through… it was as if, if I let go – it would push straight through me and blow the body apart into pieces…

There was little feeling of the body at the time – and the tiniest sense of it – was all that was left of ‘me’. I guess if that got out of the way – this force would explode through me…