Bindi

If there is an overwhelming childhood fear that hasn’t been dealt with, then every fear reaction currently will be informed by the early fear. A child’s fear response is made without a fully developed frontal brain of course, so it’s unlikely to be a mature and reasonable response, but it remains as the ‘blueprint’ for all current and future fear situations until it is resolved. Personally I would regard finding and facing childhood fear to be the start of the journey towards authentic mental health.

I can see the logic of believing I am not my physical body nor my subtle body, and I can see how this belief will logically lead to the belief that developing the subtle body is a waste of time. It’s actually quite a hard belief to dispute once the first premise is taken on. I guess the alternative is to say that I am actually my physical body, and I am also my subtle body, I am all of it (I include my spirit as part of the subtle me). This premise certainly leads in a different direction, because both of these levels become valuable. In my experience I have found that following what my spirit wants seems to lead to the latter perspective. My subtle body is slowly developed, and my physical body is used in various ways to affect my subtle energies. The result of all this development so far is that I now feel happier, but also I have developed (and continue to develop) the ability to heal on both the physical and the subtle level. Of course this result would be meaningless if we are not the physical or subtle layers, but it has value if the physical and subtle is all that we are.

Yes, to an extent. Chakras and channels already exist but are most likely to be blocked, whilst dantians exist only as a potential space. From my perspective once aware of any part of this blocked or potential system, I feel compelled to unblock and develop it. Methods to do this vary considerably. Following prescribed methods may well develop the subtle body in ways that the master or school deems worthwhile or true, but I believe all prescribed methods fall short of what is actually possible. I have consistently found that developing the subtle body in the way my spirit wishes is a very long and complex endeavour. It’s not my addiction to complexity though, rather it’s the immense complexity of the elephant.

Regarding what is complex and what is simple, developing the subtle energy body is a very complex and difficult endeavour, having a ‘non-dual’ realisation re the Self I believe requires extreme simplicity. I think these two approaches are comparing apples and oranges, they simply aren’t comparable. I am reminded of the blind men all touching a different part of the elephant and believing they know the whole from the part they are touching. I like freeforms graphic, so much that we don’t even know we don’t know.

A Buddhist’s perspective on this saying, Here. Unfortunately I can’t copy and paste it.

Does this mean the goals are different? If so, do different goals still lead to the same outcome? What specifically are you trying to say with this link?

Except... A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of water. (Wikipedia)

What would be the goal of Buddhism? How is ‘eternal life in Jesus’ to be understood? I think Christians are after an eternal afterlife in the presence of God rather than immortality as conceived of by the alchemists, which may be longevity, return to youth, spiritual immortality or actual immortality depending on their view.

different goals such as coming to realise that there is no self, vs producing the elixir of life within, vs becoming one with Jesus/God - I agree with you the differences are deep and quite frankly insurmountable, and the Path that is followed leads to entirely different outcomes.

Perhaps the most unifying feature of all religions and paths is the underlying problems that they are trying to solve. I would suggest these problems are either unhappiness, or fear of the void within, but starting with the same problems all paths then take different routes in trying to solve these ubiquitous problems, which they manage to a greater or lesser degree depending on which path is followed.

We have to see shi shen clearly and detach from it, but to cultivate Yuan Shen requires Yuan Qi to be formed first? Comments?

I read somewhere, I think Damo Mitchell, that early on the three Dantians were considered to be below the navel (lower), above the navel/the solar plexus (middle), and the heart (upper dantian). The above quote makes sense if it refers to what was originally the middle dantian above the navel/at the solar plexus.

I see it as your first option, “Light = awareness, and it's going for a deep state of inner reflection” - but a deep and subtle actual shift where awareness prefers to rest in inner awareness than external awareness, because the inner is valued at least as much if not more than the external. In effect instead of us being centred in external awareness and visiting inner awareness, we become centred in inner awareness and become visitors to external awareness.

If the Self might be termed my Spirit, and that’s already a big if, but if it can, then it can get our attention quite early on. Then it needs to find a way to communicate what it needs us (our conscious self) to do, and how to do it. I have found that in general my Spirit wants my subtle energy channels to be clear, I can’t say why because it’s not my conscious mind that makes this decision, but I’d say this is what there is to do once our Spirit has been recognised, a lot of clearing and cleaning from emotional and mental to karmic issues. This is what makes it as good as a lifetime job. Recognising you are the Self and that there is nothing left to do is in my mind a false conclusion, yes you may be the Self, but your conscious mind is not actually aligned with the Self in any true fashion, which is why this error can be made.

Shi Shen runs the daytime, Yuan Shen runs the dream time. Every night the Yuan Shen tells the body what needs to be done. - Master Chen

Unfortunately I do believe that metaphorically the deadwood does need to be removed for the Self to have room to flourish. IME wood is the barrier substance in the central channel, akin perhaps to karma. Removing this is the only way a metaphorical tree of life can be given room to grow.

I don’t much like the accept it all as it is model in general, nor the phenomenal universe acceptance of all just as they are. My mind immediately goes to all the terrible atrocities that have been committed by people I have no intention of accepting just as they are, nor accepting that that is just how it is.

Two stories I have come across regarding an unusual level of acceptance, the first a robbery at Ramana Maharshi’s Ashram, the second a robbery at the hut of Saint Seraphim of Sarov. Thoughts?

No, there is no other option really, unless someone just feels like being obtuse and for instance becoming a flat earther. So if acceptance of a situation is already inevitable, why make a point of saying we need to accept the situation? Learning to accept situations that can’t be changed is wise, but there seems to be a concept that comes through from new agers and neo-advaitans and dzogchen practitioners that everything should be accepted, actually everything, and there’s no qualifier saying ‘accept everything and then change what needs to be changed.’ The Serenity prayer makes more sense to me with regards to acceptance: God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,Courage to change the things I can,and Wisdom to know the difference.

I disagreed with this concept specifically: “accept IT as it is, with all of its perceived flaws.” Does this suggest take appropriate action (or not)? If I accept myself as I am with all my perceived flaws, would I be inclined to change anything about myself? Spiritual growth to me is fundamentally changing things, not just coming to a greater acceptance of who I am as I am in this moment. I can change the state of my subtle body by clearing subtle channels, and non-acceptance of my current state is required to begin this action.

The few to date are nearly one and a half million people. In Australia and a few other countries lockdowns have proven to be very successful when done early.

I just wanted to add, to put things in a positive frame, that what I do find important is to accept my feelings. I find myself sometimes trying to hold a feeling that is unpleasant at bay, and most often I remember to tell myself to just allow the feeling. This has been a very valuable process for me.

It is about contradictions, but not really relevant to me on this issue because I don’t have any internal contradiction, I know I don’t agree with the concept of accepting everyone and everything as is.

It is a little ironical that you say I am not comprehending a foreign spiritual term from dzogchen or Bon or Buddhism, when your end quote specifically states don’t choose a spiritual method. Actually, this is the better approach for me, I don’t choose a spiritual method, I follow where I am led by an internal insistence that draws me.

This is being fully informed, perceiving clearly, not being rash, all of which are good and reasonable requirements to act correctly, but they aren’t covered by the word ‘acceptance’, at least to my knowledge. Acceptance means the process or fact of being received as adequate, valid, or suitable. I am specifically rejecting acceptance as the appropriate first response to any and all circumstances and actions. Where straw dogs are concerned the sage is impartial at best, ruthless or heartless at worst depending on the translation. Elsewhere sages might be referred to as compassionate, but in this particular verse to see the impartial/ruthless/heartless sage as compassionate seems a long stretch to me. The DDJ wouldn’t be the first holy book to offer two seemingly alternative perspectives. Did Jesus come to love, or create division with a sword, did Muhammad propose fighting or care?