Page 149 - Dhamma Practice

phenomena with a sense of self, it would be difficult to separate the ultimate truth and conventional truth.
Practitioner: What impact does falling into a trance have on concentration? Is it an obstacle to the practice of vipassana (nivarana)?
Phra Arjan: Falling into a trance, if prolonged, is an obstacle. A prolonged trance is called bhavanga-citta (Translator’s note: A passive state of mind). Some people who fall asleep, is also called falling into a trance. But, sometimes, our awareness becomes slightly weak, and we slip into a trance briefly. But, then we become aware, then, that is not an obstacle. A brief interception, then we recover awareness, and continue to contemplate. But, if a trance is in the form of an hour sleep before we come to, then that is an obstacle to our vipassana practice.
Practitioner: Light and color that we see while we are in a meditative state—do they have meanings? Do different colors have different meaning? (Only see white and black color lights).
Phra Arjan: I do not pay too much attention to the meaning of each color. But, the characteristics of the colors and lights that appear are generated by our concentration, our mind. Observe that when our mind is bright, the light is also bright. When we are comfortable and warm, then the light will glitter, providing a sense of warmth. The characteristics of our mind come from
143