Yogi: I’m stuck.
Sayadaw: This whole experience starts from the mistake of thinking that there is a pulling sensation because pulling shows a sense of direction and direction is a concept. There is a sensation there, but you’re not taking it as a sensation. You have given it a meaning – pulling.
Pulling, pushing, pressing, up and down and side to side; all this is direction, all this is concept. At that time, you should already realize that your mind is paying attention to concept – try not to do that – and see whether you can just know the sensation without following the direction.
Yogi: The pulling sensation sometimes lands up as stars; and they merge into a cooling moonlight.
Sayadaw: Stars and moonlight, all these images you use to describe something to yourself, are concepts. When you use images and words to describe something to yourself, they are concepts.
This is happening because you’re focusing. When you focus, the mind needs to describe its experience to itself. And when you describe, you’ll get all these imagery.
In our past practice, we’ve spent so much time focusing, using a lot of energy to focus.
[Yogi’s note: Don’t focus on your bodily sensations, or the mind can get carried away with the meaning it gives to the sensations]