Categories: Spiritual Expectations
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
Today, through our collection of spiritual teachings, I wish to clarify a very important point for your meditation practice: Do not expect experiences you’ve had in meditation to happen again. I felt it was necessary to explain this because it is a prevalent mistake that many, if not most, practitioners make on their spiritual journey.
When you begin to practice meditation consistently, you will notice many things. Numerous experiences can arise, such as the building of deep concentration, which we call Samādhi. You might feel pressure between the eyebrows, or various sensations along the spine as spiritual energy, sometimes known as Kundalini, awakens and moves through the energy centers or chakras. These are just a few of the many things one can feel.
As time goes on, some may experience a profound sense of lightness that comes from concentration, or they may begin to see what are known as āloka saññā, or light signs. These phenomena, both physical and mental, can appear, and I have spoken about them in many previous teachings.
These are not just concepts; they are real experiences. For those of you whose spiritual life is developing, whether through tranquility meditation (Samatha) or insight meditation (Vipassanā), understanding this point will be an essential support that helps you until the very end of your path. It is a truth you must grasp.
The Story of the Light Sign: How Spiritual Craving is Born
Let’s explore this with a simple example. Imagine a person who is new to meditation. They begin their practice, sitting on the first day, and again on the second. Then, on the third day, as their concentration (Samādhi) strengthens, something new happens. A light sign, an āloka saññā, appears to them. It could be any color, perhaps yellow or blue. This beautiful light stays with them for their entire half-hour session.
Now, this person may have heard our teachings about the third eye and knows that seeing such a light can be a step toward its opening. They recognize it as a valuable and positive sign. However, the nature of the mind is to cling. Without even realizing it, the mind develops a liking for this experience; it becomes attached. This is where the subtle danger of spiritual craving begins.
The only way to recognize this attachment is through mindfulness, which we refer to as Sati. It is the practice of observing your own thoughts. By watching your mind, you can see how it is reacting to the light signal. You can notice the thoughts of wanting and clinging as they arise. This is the only tool that can help you see this subtle trap of spiritual craving for what it is.
The Cycle of Disappointment: Why Expectation Blocks Your Path
Because the experience was so pleasant, the meditator now feels a strong desire to have it again. They might start meditating more frequently than before. If they used to sit for half an hour, they might eat and rest quickly, eager to sit again, hoping to recapture that light. Why? Because they liked it. This is what we call spiritual craving or spiritual greed. In Pali, the term is tanhā, a thirst or desire.
Driven by this desire, the person sits to meditate on the fourth day. But this time, they are not just sitting. They are sitting with an expectation: ‘My light sign should be there. It will come today.‘ But as they close their eyes and begin their third-eye meditation, there is nothing. The light is gone. It’s not even in a corner of their awareness.
What happens now?
Disappointment arises. A sense of frustration, sadness, and grief begins to build in the mind. This feeling of dissatisfaction is a form of what we call Dukkha. The very attachment and expectation born from spiritual craving have blocked the path. The person may sit for their usual half-hour, but their mind is not in meditation; it is lost in sorrow. On the fifth day, they start again with the same heavy heart, wondering, ‘Will it come today?‘ But again, the light does not appear.
I am sure you can now see what has happened here. The excessive desire, the expectation, the attachment to using this experience to get to the next step, has become the very reason it disappears. We never teach to hold onto these things, only to use them as aids to move forward. But by holding on, the experience is lost.
Beyond the Light: A Universal Trap on the Spiritual Path
It is crucial to understand that this principle does not only apply to seeing lights. The mistake of expecting past experiences to repeat is universal. This is a trap that can appear at every stage of the spiritual journey.
This spiritual craving can attach to anything you experience in meditation, including:
- Deep concentration (Samādhi)
- Meditative absorptions (Jhāna), such as the states of infinite space or infinite consciousness
- Feelings of physical and mental lightness
- The experience of the mind’s emptiness
- Abilities associated with the third eye
- Visions of past lives
- Seeing non-human beings or inner imagery
- Astral travel experiences, like visiting the Ruwanwelisaya stupa with the mind
This applies to every single thing you see, feel, or perceive physically, mentally, and in your heart from the first day you begin to meditate. You might think this warning is only about light signs, but it is not. It applies to every milestone of progress you achieve.
So please, do not get confused about this. Don’t get tangled up. To repeatedly expect the same experience is, to put it plainly, the number one foolishness. It will cause your spiritual life to become a source of frustration. You will feel like stopping meditation; you will become disillusioned with the practice because those things do not repeat on command.
The mind gives us these experiences like bait in a trap. The wise person uses it skillfully and escapes the trap, but the one who doesn’t understand gets caught by their own spiritual craving.
How to Break Free: The Power of Letting Go and Starting Fresh
So, what is the correct way to proceed?
The solution is to change your attitude. The method is to let go.
Some people meditated years ago, had a powerful experience, but then got stuck. They couldn’t find a teacher or a teaching to explain their problem, so they gave up. Now, after finding our articles, they realize where they went wrong and wish to start again.
However, they often begin with a deep desire to relive that amazing experience from years ago. They start meditating with that one memory in their head, and because of this very expectation, they find it difficult to make progress.
To those people, I want to say this: you must begin as you did on your very first day. The old experiences, that ‘pile of garbage‘ of memories, must be thrown away completely. Practice as if that past event never happened. If you can do this, you may find yourself facing the same experience again. Or, you might have an even more profound and blissful experience. Or, you might have no particular experience at all.
But because you are not expecting anything, there is no special sadness if nothing happens, and no special attachment if something does. You have changed your attitude. This is accomplished through mindfulness (Sati). By watching your mind and identifying your thoughts, you can recognize your own mental hindrances. This expectation is a kind of wrong view (diṭṭhi), a self-imposed frame or barrier. Understand this and move forward.
Your Path Forward: Embracing Each Moment with Wisdom
I believe these few points are more than enough to help you understand your mistake, correct it, and continue progressing on your spiritual path for the rest of your life. Do not misunderstand this teaching, and do not let it cause you to misuse your meditation practice. If you fall into the trap of spiritual craving, you are only harming yourself.
Remember, the key is not to expect the same thing to happen over and over again. It is precisely in the state of non-expectation that these experiences can arise and stably remain with us. So please, take these points to heart and align your practice accordingly. Understand this issue and move forward on your path with wisdom.
I will conclude this teaching for today. May the powerful blessings of the Triple Gem be with you. May you learn to identify the thoughts of wanting and the subtle workings of spiritual craving within your own mind. By recognizing and letting go of these attachments and correcting your shortcomings, may you have the support and blessings of the Triple Gem to move forward on your path.
We invite you to walk this path with us. Read our teachings, and most importantly, apply them practically in your own life. as you practice, questions will naturally arise. Please feel free to share your experiences and questions in the comments below, via email or contact form. I will do my best to offer guidance in future talks based on your progress. For now, begin this practice with an open heart and a mind free from expectation. Cultivate it correctly, and may you find the clarity and peace you seek.
Thank you for joining us. We hope this blog will be of great benefit to your spiritual journey.
May you all be well and happy.
May the blessings of the Triple Gem be with you all!
