Meditation Progression/ Neutrality/ Unexpected Benefit of Mantra Recitation

After 8 years of practice and retreats under the guidance of Ajahn Chaiya, Abbot of Chaiya Meditation Monastery in Las Vegas, Nevada, I'm finding a plateau of relative ease. It's taken me by surprise.  I think I figured I it would always be a big struggle to train the mind.  Initially I started out by just trying to be in the present moment while practicing formal sitting and walking meditation. That brought great relief from mental distress but up until recently it was still a challenging and sometimes frustrating practice. Progression has been steady but never easy.

About 2 months ago, I uncharacteristically experimented with mantra recitation.  It's never been a practice for me but some Buddhist meditatiors mentally recite Buddho and I decided to try it out.  Buddho did not seem to produce a flow state so I tried Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha. That worked better but there still was no flow leading to mental concentration.  Then I decided to continue with Buddha, Dhamma, Sangha, but I recited each word at exactly the same mental location. That was remarkable. I discovered that by containing the mantra at a steady point in the mind, that the mind stabilized right there.  Altogether, I experimented with this for about an hour, give or take, over several meditation sessions. 

Once the mind settled at the point of mantra recitation, then the recitation naturally dropped away and I found myself in a profouond neutral energetic mind state.  I think it was a samadhi state because it sustained itself for some minutes. Afterwards I reflected on it and would best describe it as being in neutral gear like an automobile idling in neutral. The mind was not still but neither was it actively moving. It was not grasping at anything or pushing anything away, but it was positioned in a neutral mode.  

After that meditation session, I've noticed a mild and marked mental ease on and off the mat. I also stopped working with the mantra.

Now when I sit to meditate, I am usually able to access that neutral state quite easily. If the mind is wandering alot I'll focus on the breath for a minute or two and then move to neutrality. After neutrality is present, I set a firm watchful barrier in the mind which I visualise as a fence of mindfulness which serves to contain the neutral state.  If that mindful stance waivers and the mind wanders, it is usually caught quickly and I return to the neutral state and reestablish the barrier of mindfulness.  

After practicing this for some time now, a clarity is emerging in the mind.  I am able to see intentions, distractions, inclinations, thoughts, etc. They come and go within the mind and they do not mix into the mental landscape.   If I've stabilized the mind well, a clear distinction exists between the mind itself and the sensual and mental objects which arise and disappear of their own accord.

Meditation is now much more interesting and deliberate. Clarity and insights emerge in varying degrees.  The features (or perhaps adjuncts) of the mind are being sorted out.  I'm also getting a preview as to what will remain after the physical body dies and only mentality remains. I hope to be ready at that time of transition.

After years of practice, resolve and confidence in the Buddha's Noble Path, along with the support and guidance of Master Chaiya and others, I'm entering a new phase of practice. 

I sometimes remember the inSelf yogis as I practice and I hope you attain that which you wish for.