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I'm a spiritual and somewhat crazy person, and have been taught both zen and samatha meditation, though I rarely practice either.

I just underwent a series of short micros sleeps, which were accompanied by musical hypnagogic hallucinations. I've had both experiences many times, but never together - and it was the closest thing I can imagine to the "sound of one hand clapping".

I felt sleepier, stopped fighting, right after I closed my eyes would hear someone singing, and then immediately seem to wake up again. This process repeated itself some four or five times, until I stopped being amazed by it (see the first paragraph) and just fell asleep (- until now).

Do any sleep experiences, like hypnagogic hallucinations, micro sleeps, or even sleep paralysis, or anything else, have anything to do with meditation? It strikes me as one way that science might come to terms with the states associated with meditation.

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    Hi user. There is an example of question to avoid asking here in the help center, something like "I’m curious if other people feel like I do". Perhaps this question could be turned into a more "objective" one (at least, a question whose answers, in general, are not equally valid and that readers are able to do something close of an objective comparison).
    – user382
    Apr 21, 2015 at 20:40
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    The point to remember is that this is a site primarily for receiving informative answers to questions relating to Buddhist study and practice. It is not an open forum - the format doesn't lend well to discussion. For this type of question, one of the many online dharma forums would be more suitable.
    – yuttadhammo
    Apr 21, 2015 at 22:40
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    Agreed. I could easily "like" and discuss this on my facebook feed. On SE, however, this kind of question is not a great fit.
    – Anthony
    Apr 22, 2015 at 0:41
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    @ThiagoSilva ok i may change the question !
    – user2512
    Apr 23, 2015 at 3:56
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    @user3293056 I think a problem with a question that is phrased like, "Has anyone ever experienced anyone like this?" is that it could attract an unlimited number of people each answering "Yes, me!". Each new answer would be a bit new (different from previous answers) and as valid as any previous answer. There's no obvious way to select any best answer to that question, no way for any answer to finish answering or to provide a complete answer to the question. And it doesn't seem to describe any practical problem you have, so there's no way for anyone to help to answer/fix that problem.
    – ChrisW ♦
    Apr 23, 2015 at 13:40

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I have. The hypnagogic/hypnaponic state is known for the interesting and even intense phenomena that can arise. Here's my most vivid experience:

I woke up one morning, paralyzed. This happened before (sleep paralysis), and I knew it was a symptom of the hypnagogic/hypnaponic state. Well, I had recently read a book on out-of-body experiences (OBE), and it stated that I should simply will myself to lift out of my body. So I did.

I then felt a buzzing sensation up and down my body that grew to a fevered pitch. It was INTENSE. Then I felt myself lifting out of my body, with a static-electricity-like sensation at every point I exited. Then I saw the ceiling coming closer through CLOSED EYELIDS.

I was terrified, so terrified I wanted back in. I ended up snapping back in, and literally shivered myself to sleep.

Then I woke up again, and heard strange music. I never heard this song before, but the voice sounded like Sinead O'Connor's. I then felt the buzzing again, like it was a spontaneous OBE. I fought it hard, and it stopped.

The above was very vivid, more vivid than my waking experiences. I chalk it up to the hallucinations (or lucid dreams) possible from this state.

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  • hey that's interesting, i think i've had sleep paralysis before - but mostly try not to think about the nightmarish qualities of sleep
    – user2512
    Apr 23, 2015 at 0:58

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