Can We Trust Self-Reported Mystical Experiences?(superbowl.substack.com)
superbowl.substack.com
Can We Trust Self-Reported Mystical Experiences?
https://superbowl.substack.com/p/can-we-trust-self-reported-mystical
https://superbowl.substack.com/p/can-we-trust-self-reported-mystical
I think the fifth jhana, the base of infinite space, is explained best in the novel Flatland when he visits Pointland. The point beings know nothing but their own existence and their thoughts radiate a continual blissful stream of relishing infinity and unity. I guess if you're a point in space that's how it would feel. The b-o-i-s is, IMHO, a perceptual illusion that occurs when you successfully exclude external sense data, focusing your attention completely on your own body and thoughts. You become for a time a resident of Pointland. It is quite pleasant, but the life changing stuff does not happen there.