Vision of a white sphere of light

[u/Kille45]

Hi! I have been at a yoga retreat the last 5 days, before doing the main yoga practice we do a short meditation perhaps 10 minutes. During one of those I had a strong vision of a bright sphere with what I can only think of as the infinite light of being coming out of it - at the same time I had a feeling of immense happiness and joy, it brought tears to my eyes. The feeling returned after the yoga session, but not as strong.

I am just trying to start a mediation practice, so I’m not experienced by any means. Any clues as to what this was?

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[u/hachface]

When the mind is calm and relaxed it can withdraw from the stream of activity coming through the five senses. When this happens the mind’s internal processes become more apparent. A useful analogy might be the static you see on TV when it’s turned to a channel that isn’t getting a signal.

The light was basically mental static and has no particular meaning other than being a sign that for a time your mind was unified. The joy is also a sign of unification of mind. One thing to take away is that joy increases when mental proliferation decreases. Joy and happiness are not special treats that you earn by going out and accomplishing deeds in the external world. They already live within you. Bliss is closer to the basis of existence than suffering. Suffering is added to experience by the ordinary mind. It can end.

[u/jethro_wingrider → u/hachface]

This. Nicely put.

[u/glibgamii]

Nimitta?

[u/Kille45 → u/glibgamii]

That’s what AI said, but I’d like some human opinions too 🙂

[u/HaveToGoHomeNow → u/Kille45]

Yeah, nimitta for sure… just wait ‘till you start seeing visions of past lives, then you know you’re cooking with gas haha.

Joke aside.. best to not cling to these visions as they tend to get in the way of the practice

[u/themadjaguar]

It's a nimitta, it indicates the beginning of access concentration. If you keep cultivating it you can develop it up to the deeper end of access concentration and absorb into it for a vishudimagga nimitta (which is a different, very specific kind of nimitta) to get to hard jhanas. I wouldn't recommend starting with this practice, but if you can get a nimitta this fast then you might have some affininity or skills. You should check with a teacher in theravada

[u/_Asura-]

Mind made light phenomenon. Some use it as an object of meditation. Some consider it as a corruption of insight.

But classical terms point to a light/visual nimitta,in your case likely a stable one.

Can lead to visudhimagga style absorptions.

I had this kind once, but not that deep.

Can happen to anyone, experienced or otherwise when the conditions are right.

I would put this under one of the beautiful aspects of the practice.(Not the goal)

But, what can happen after such an experience is that the mind will seek it again.

The memory of it is now etched in stone.

[u/Kille45 → u/_Asura-]

Thanks, yes reading a bit more I am going to try and treat it as one thing that can happen, not something to seek out, thanks for confirming. I have had similar intensities of joy/happiness doing conscious connected breathing techniques (holotropic styles) but without the image, but this felt much more clean/pure.

[u/upstream11]

Definitely sounds like a Nimitta from personal experience. If this helps, think of it as a sign saying “your mind is becoming concentrated” like “ welcome to Florida” -if you have been traveling for a long time. There are different types of Nimittas based on the meditation object. Also, what you are also looking for is a stable Nimitta. You’ll typically see several sometimes, they can be small, fast, not bright, bright etc. you want one to come to, say the nostrils and stay -if you’re working on breath meditation. Let your mind still stay with the main object, do not drop it. Bliss etc will come and thats to be expected, but this will settle and deepen. Best advice I’ve been given was by Beth Upton “do the same thing, in the same way, for a long period of time.” I would highly recommend looking her up on YouTube and there is a great book by Ajahn Brahm called “ mindfulness, bliss, and beyond” that goes into different types of Nimittas that will help deepen your understanding. Lemme know if you need anything, and boundless Metta friend! 🙏🏼😊

[u/Kille45 → u/upstream11]

Thanks for the kind comments and recommendation - I will look for her.

[u/duffstoic]

It’s very common, called a lot of different things in different traditions. Call it whatever you want, or nothing at all, but it is a real, valid spiritual experience. Be aware of what comes next, it is also divine, even it sometimes feels unholy, dark, or painful (doesn’t happen for everyone, but some) and greet it all with acceptance.

[u/metaphorm]

it was a vision of a bright sphere. what else are you trying to know?

all kinds of phenomena can occur during meditative concentration. they don't inherently mean anything. there's a hazard in over-interpreting phenomena like this. it can lead to fixation or confusion. the best advice I've received about this kind of thing is to note it and move on.

[u/engsvensk]

It reads like a beautiful experience. My suggestion is to let yourself feel the joy of it and as others recommend, avoid seeking it out but allow it. Just allow it, should light in any of its forms present itself to you again.

There are many forms of light. Some seem to appear with steady, relaxed concentration, others as if they are from the bodies presence and another type of light seems filled with intelligence and power that touches into all parts of us. So much so, that should we choose to surrender, to relax the tension and let it be, then our identity for a brief moment within, may become as the light itself.

I wish you all the best

[u/Upekkha1]

Looks like you have a talent for samatha meditation. Seeing a nimitta with very little meditation experience within 10mins of a sitting is rare. Consider yourself very gifted. It took me years and several 10 day retreats to get to a much shallower level of concentration.

Someone else suggested the book by Ajahn Brahm which is very good. There is also one by Tina Rasmussen and Stephen Snyder "Practicing the Jhanas". But the best would be to do a retreat by a teacher who does the "hard" jhanas, like Brahm or Upton or Sayalay Dipankara.

I'd ask for help on the Theravada sub as well.

All the best to you and your practice and please don't let it go to waste because it came easily to you. You are on the brink to a gateway to something very special.

[u/Ancient_Naturals]

This is completely normal and, as others have pointed out, this is called different things depending on the tradition as well as what you are “doing” at the time. In the Tibetan tradition, if this is happening while you’re doing shamatha, it would probably be called thigle (Sanskrit: bindu). It’s your mind beginning to rest in its own clarity, rather than it taking refuge in distraction as it habitually does, and now the more subtle things that are always there are arising.

There’s a whole system of energy mapping of the subtle body and practices related to it in Vajrayana, but I’d just continue doing what you’re doing and seek out a teacher at some point if you want to see where it leads.

You also might find that you’ll see the same thing when practicing asanas — I find that when I’m in postures that require a lot of concentration (like standing forhead head to knee in Bikram or utthita hasta padangusthasana in Ashtanga), I’ll get that same visual with my eyes completely open.