Seeker of Wisdom

An idea about nimitta and shen

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A theory came to me earlier linking aspects of Buddhist shamatha and Taoist neigong.

 

In some shamatha practices it is common for advanced practitioners to get a nimitta, a bright light seen in front of them, when highly focused. In 'Daoist Nei Gong', Damo Mitchell describes experiences of bright light during the conversion of qi to shen.

 

So, could the nimitta be an experience of shen? If shen is particularly related to the mind, it makes sense that shamatha would affect shen a lot.

 

I wonder to what extent the conversion of qi to shen itself leads to samadhi - though there's no way to tell, because the practice of neigong involves focusing so qi->shen and practising focus can't be looked at independently.

 

Has anyone had both experiences and found they are different?

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