Liberation Mutual

On Page  One Hundred and Twenty four (and part of page 123),  Sayadaw tackles the question, If when a person is dying they have strong mindfulness, can they prevent a nimitta of previous unwholesome or wholesome karma from arising?  

It seems like a tedious and only somewhat relevant, and so relevance is what I'm looking for in the answer.

One thing he says is that the yogi could have a stable jahna which can prevent unwholesome signs, and also could have insight-knowledge, the Knowledge of Equanimity Toward Formations, which and produce rebirth as a deva.  As such, all formations will appear clearly in their mind.

He tells the story of three men who were musicians/dancers, and reborn in the deva realm, meeting there a person they danced for when they were in the human realm, who was especially holy.

Sayadaw says that thus, there is no need for life insurance.

Interesting stuff, but hard to prove.  Inspiring but only for a while unless investigated further.

More Nimitta-type info

On Page One Hundred and Twenty three (and part of 122), the questions are:

When a person dies, a nimitta may arise because of past wholesome or unwholesome karma; and the answer is that it is somewhat similar and that's it, and

While meditating, images of events from years back may appear, and the answer is that this is due to lack of attention.

Respect

Most of Page One Hundred Twenty two is composed of this question:

Under what conditions does a yogi drop from absorption to access and vice versa?

Answer: If a yogi does not respect the nimitta, many hindrances will arise.  Also, the yogi should say 'This is mentality, this is materiality, this is cause, this is effect, this is impermanence,' etc. rather than 'This is a man, this is a woman, this is money,' etc.

Jhana Distinctions

Two questions on page One Hundred and Twenty, first,

Under what conditions can we say that a meditative experience is access concentration or absorption concentration? 
Answer: When a yogi has bhavangas as evidenced by being distracted from the nimitta.

and second,

Is there access concentration as well as absorption concentration in each of the four jhanas?
Answer(s): There are four levels of each.  In the first three of access there are the five factors.  But in the fourth access jhana there is no bliss.  In the first of absorption there are five factors, in the second of absorption there are three, in the third, only bliss and one-pointedness, and in the fourth, only equanimity and one-pointedness.

Carry On

On Page One Hundred and Nineteen, Sayadaw reminds us that to avoid falling into negative thought formations, one must have the help of the five controlling faculties, and the meditator knows 'nothing but the pat nimitta.'

You've Got a Little Something There

The second question in this section is What is the difference between access concentration and absorption concentration?  Sayadaw explains that although access concentration is deep, the bhavangas can be there (thought formations, see previous note)

Also, in access concentration, one may believe to have reached nirvana when one has reached, well, nothing.

In the deepest knowing, Sayadaw points out, there is actually the thought formation of knowing that Nirvana has been reached. 

Radiant

On Page One Hundred Seventeen, the third stage, or 'counterpart sign', is discussed.  Here the nimitta becomes clear, bright and radiant.

Nose

On Page One Hundred Sixteen, Sayadaw gets into the first two types of nimitta, concentration and meditation.  First,

Preparatory sign:   The natural breath is a nimitta, also the touch point of nostril and upper lip are nimitta. He says when the concentration begins to get strong, a smoky grey appears around the nostrils.  BUT as we remember, it could also be an umbrella.

Taken up sign: The grey becomes like cotton wool, and then whiter, and it may change shape or object depending on perception.