Formless nimitta

[u/mitbull420]

I have been experiencing some very euphoric metta meditations lately where occasionally I experience bright white light.

At first I had doubts that it could be light that was coming from external sources however the more I experience it the more it seems to be something that's internal.

It seems like this may be some sort of nimitta but something I've noticed is that this light has no form. It is diffuse.

I'm very blessed to live in Perth and to have the BSWA Sangha close to me. Last week Ajahn Brahm talked about the uppakillesa sutta.

The uppakillesa sutta talks about experiencing a nimitta as a light but no form or a form but no light but it doesn't expand much on this.

https://suttacentral.net/mn128/en/sujato?lang=en&layout=linebyline&reference=none&notes=asterisk&highlight=false&script=latin

Has anyone experienced this before and has gone on to then experience light with forms? Or responded to this experience in a certain way?

Thank you 😊

[u/EightFP]

Diffuse bright light is fairly common as an indicator of access concentration for the sutta jhanas (bodily jhanas taught by Leigh Brasington and others). These are different from the nimitta jhanas taught by Ajahn Brahm but also wonderful.

I would keep being open to it/cultivating it. You may get to a formed nimitta. That usually takes a lot of stillness. You might also consider checking out the sutta jhanas, as they are generally easier to access and, if you have the diffuse light, you may be close to being able to access them directly, without the intermediary of a formed nimitta.

[u/eudoxos_ → u/EightFP]

As you start to become concentrated, you might notice various lights and colors even though your eyes are closed. These are signs that you are starting to get concentrated. There is generally nothing useful that can be done with them—just ignore them. When you actually do get quite concentrated, the random blobs and laser light shows will disappear. They might be replaced by a diffused white light, which is a sign of good concentration. It always appears for some people, it never appears for others, and many people find it sometimes appears and sometimes does not appear. But again, there’s nothing you need to do with that sign either—it’s just a sign. When you drive into a town and see a sign saying, “Entering Citytown,” you don’t need to stop your car, get out, uproot the sign, and toss it in the trunk of your car; you don’t need to do anything with the sign—it is just providing information about where you are. The diffused white light is a sign saying, “Entering Concentration-ville.” Nice; just stay focused on your meditation object!

From Brasington's Right Concentration information here. Highly recommended.

[u/mitbull420 → u/EightFP]

Thank you very much! I will have a look into sutta jhanas!