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Q-13: Hi, Ven Resident Monk of Mangala Vihara Buddhist Temple. I like your section of Questions and Answers on your website. As a meditator I like your Meditation Section better. Now I have a meditation question: "Can I know myself if I attain Maga and Phala?"

All the best,

Maragno

A-13: Dear Maragno,

Of course you will know where and who you are when you achieve a certain level.

However, you are advised not to jump to  conclusions regarding meditation experiences. A meditator should be more careful when he or she has very profound concentration because it can give rise to the meditator in thinking that he or she had achieved a  special level.

There are two possible reasons –

1)   A meditator is experiencing very good and wonderful experiences which he had never experienced in his or her life before while meditating.

2)   Mental difilements such as anger, lust etc hardly arise in his mind even when he is not meditating. These two causes can cause a meditator to judge himself/herself wrongly.

And literally there are 10 situations that could lead a meditator to make a misjudgement:

1. Rays emitting  from the body on account of insight knowledge (obhasa), 2. Zest or Rapture (piti), 3. Tranquility (passaddhi), 4. resolution (adhimokkha), 5. exertion (paggaha), 6. happiness (sukkha), 7. knowledge (nana), 8. mindfulness (upatthana), 9. equanimity (upekkha) and attachment to the achievement (nikanti).

You may need proper guidance when you are in these states. I would like to give you some personal advice here. Please do not think about the names and the level of states you are at when meditating. Instead think about how much better you can and will become and how much mental weaknesses you can surpass or get rid off. Such judgment on oneself will never lead to a wrong way.

With Metta,

U Cittara

Read more.

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Dhamma Questions are answered by Bhante U Cittara, resident monk of Mangala Vihara, and his assistant monks. Questions and comments on given answers are welcome. Send your questions and comments to resident_monk@mangalavihara.org.sg.