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RE: What Sam Harris Gets Wrong About Meditation, Or, How to Meditate Without Getting Weird
Sounds like somebody needs to try a meditation retreat. Though we've obviously allready talked all about this. My meditation practice never felt really "mystical" or even vaguely psychedelic until about halfway through a retreat. Even then "mystical" is a bit of a misnomer because a really important part of that experience was realizing that everyday life is "mystical" and ordinary sensations can be the portal to things that are totally extraordinary. My day to day practice rarely has a "mystical" quality, but trying a meditation retreat would very certainly give you some perspective on what "mystical" means.
Why is "mystical" a good sensation to chase tho? My hypothesis is that "mystical" feelings are perhaps a TRAP rather than useful, relevant sensations.
It relates to another topic maybe: The distinctions between meaningless but pleasant "bliss" states vs. useful but often terrifying "introspection" states... I've experienced both of these (as far as I understand it) -- but does one need to meditate for 10 days straight to dip into these experiences?
well I wouldn't say that mystical is a good sensation if you are chasing it, and it is certainly not the goal of a meditation practice, but if feeling it helps you deepen your understanding of what people mean when they say "mystical" then it's certainly useful. Moar understanding = moar good. That being said, chasing it will get you nowhere in the long run, just as chasing it before you've experienced it will make it harder to get there through meditation. To the next point, I wouldn't say that bliss states are any more or less "meaningless" than introspection states, meaning is derived super subjectively obviously, and if the "meaning" you derive is that any given moment can contain bliss that is accessible by concentration, that is certainly not a "meaningless" observation, especially if your bliss extends to the world around you.
One does not need to meditate for 10 days straight to dip into these experiences, but it certainly helps if you want todive into them. Quantity has a quality all of its own, and I don't think I'm alone in saying that the meditation you do on retreat has a certain deeper quality to it at many times. Of course there are no hard and fast rules, but I'd be surprised if you didn't feel something similiar after a retreat. In short, don't knock it till ya try it.