Quote Originally Posted by pwaltz View Post
. . . until I heard a ringing tone. It became increasingly louder to the point that I wasn't sure if it was coming from outside or from within. So I plugged my ears and it confirmed that I was hearing it in my head. Then I sort of lost myself in that tone, focusing my entire consciousness on just that tone. Soon it felt like I was that tone, I was a part of it, and that was all that existed. My self- my physical body and earthly existence in general- temporarily didn't exist or didn't matter I suppose. It felt like this tone was "god" (as I see it), which is all of existence.
For me this thread brought to mind a meditation exercise I read about a couple years ago. I believe it is in the book "The Five Tibetans" by Christopher Kilham. (My copy is in storage, so I can't quote it exactly.) After the 5 Tibetan yoga poses, he gives an example of a meditation or relaxation technique where, if one is advanced enough, one will hear a tone. He instructs his students to focus on the tone, and if I recall correctly, pwaltz's experience is pretty much a good description of what can happen.
Congratulations to all of you! I think I am more book smart than practice smart at this point!