Upekkha100 asked:” Do these goosebumps indicate the javana of a citta(higher potency)?”
I guess upekkha’s original post was made in the Abhidhamma Forum because of the connection to javana citta. However, this is an important topic that would be of interest to anyone doing formal meditation sessions. That is why I moved it to the Meditation Forum.
In the second post upekkha quotes this from an external link:
“From that link:
“In religious literature, the prickly feeling is also mentioned as an accompanying aspect of deep contemplation and meditation..”
Yes. What upekkha is feeling could be early signs of getting into deeper samadhi. It has nothing to do with asmi mana and moha. In the contrary, upekkha is moving away from asmi mana and moha.
When one starts getting into deeper samadhi, one starts “feeling it” in the body. This may come in several different forms: goosebumps, needle pricks (not painful just heightened sensation), pressure points in the body or the head, etc. Some of these are discussed in, “Possible Effects in Meditation – Kundalini Awakening“.
When one switches from the regular metta bhavana to Ariya metta bhavana (with some comprehension of Tilakkhana), the javana power of cittas is indeed increased, as upekkha wondered. Then one’s thoughts become much more powerful, and they will affect one’s own body.
Even in anariya meditations, as long as one’s mind is temporarily released from kama sankalpana (that means not only sexual thoughts but also thoughts about any type of sense plesures), the javana power of citta are increased. It is not only kama sankalpana, but also thoughts about mundane things like worrying about job-related problems, worrying about kids, etc. This is why those ancient yogis were able to get into anariya jhanas by going into forests and staying away from sense attractions AND also interactions with other humans.
However, when we follow the Path of the Buddha, we don’t need to hide away from the society. The calming of the mind comes through understanding the true nature of this world.