GENIUS FORUMS

An isolation tank is like a large enclosed bath tub which has a lot of salt in the water to allow you to float comfortably and it has a heater so the water can be heated to skin temperature. It is enclosed so it is pitch black. It basically is used to stop all sensory input into your brain and just allow your thoughts to be all you experience for a while.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isolation_tank

Has anyone here ever done this?

Does anyone think this could be beneficial to people seeking enlightenment or is it just simply another altered state of consciousness?

I have not tried it but it sounds like it would easily be beneficial as it would make one more aware of their other non-worldly mental formations and how they arise, giving them a clearer perspective on the true nature of things. I can't see any possibility for a negative effect.

Never tried one, though I am familiar with pratyahara.

Sensory stimulation via a tank would direct attention inward. Attachment to the object of attention may still occur, however.

"Sense withdrawal is a mental function: Withdrawing the senses does not mean just regulating the physical sense organs, such as closing the eyelids or sitting physically still. The senses are a mental function, and whenever that mental function is drawn to the objects of the mind field, there is active engagement of the senses. It doesn't really matter whether that mental object is coming from the outside (such as through the eyes), or arising from the memory. It is this internal withdrawal of sensory attention to the mental objects that is the process of pratyahara."

"Does anyone think this could be beneficial to people seeking enlightenment?"

I think the purpose of enlightenment is to get out of that tank.