พระอาจารย์อธิบายว่าอาการถูกดูดเข้าไปสู่ความมืดขณะนั่งสมาธินั้นเป็นเรื่องปกติ เกิดจากยังเข้าไม่ถึงมิติที่ละเอียดพอ ให้จดจ่อกับสัญญาณข้างในต่อไป ความละเอียดจะค่อยๆ เพิ่มขึ้นด้วยอานิสงส์ของบุญที่ขจัดมลทินไปทีละชั้นThe teacher explains that feeling drawn into a calm darkness during meditation is normal — it happens because the mind hasn't yet reached a subtle enough level. Keep focusing on the inner signal, and that subtlety will deepen gradually as merit clears away layers of defilement.
A lay follower described a meditation experience: sitting comfortably, holding the image of the Buddha-jewel as a clear crystal sphere. At first it was bright, but as the sitting continued, it felt like being gently pulled inward — nothing visible, just darkness. Yet inside there was a deep stillness, almost like falling asleep but without drowsiness, and the sitting stayed steady throughout. Only afterward did the eyes open. The follower asked whether this was normal.
The teacher said yes, it's normal — it simply means we haven't yet reached the deep, subtle dimension. Once that subtle dimension is reached, the eyes are kept closed automatically, without any effort. But as long as we haven't reached it yet, the mind will still want to open the eyes, because the upekkhata (a neutral/undetermined element) nudges and holds us back from entering a dimension still full of defilements — so it prompts the eyes to open. This happens because the mind isn't subtle enough yet, so we keep training that subtlety in order to go deeper, into the space that this holding-back force cannot reach.
The senon of being pulled in is a good sign — stay focused right there. That pulling comes from an attracting force toward the center, drawing in a signal, and we sense that signal even though everything looks dark. The darkness is fine; it's simply because there are still elements covering and obscuring things. Keep watching for the signal within and stay focused on it. As those obscuring layers gradually loosen, the pulling force will be able to draw us in further. If it can't fully draw us in yet, that's simply because our subtlety isn't sufficient — so keep cultivating , subtle stillness. That subtlety grows through the power of , which gradually clears away impurities layer by layer. This is regarded as a very good sign.