Bindi

Well I guess the Vajrayana Buddhists must have some good methods, as far as my own practices go my methods are very personalised, though I began with a commitment to psycho-therapeutic health, and my practice has grown organically from there. Certain yoga postures, certain breathing exercises, working with healing qi to shift energy, some other stuff, all in its right time and place. I gather amongst Westerners especially kundalini is often seen to be the cleaner itself, but I think this is a very unfortunate trend - confusing the queen with the chamber maid IMO - so much of value can develop that wouldn't have a chance otherwise if energies are delicately and intelligently cultivated instead of going at things randomly at a million miles an hour. In opening the heart chakra, I think of the granthi's, it's easy to say 'I've opened such and such a chakra', but to dissolve the granthis, and transmute the energies, certain steps have to be taken that will take longer than a year or two or even ten. Theories like non-duality and immediate awakening are not compatible IMO with this deeper sort of energy work.

@Jeff, so it's not a system that I follow, but this description of the Vajrayana system is pretty well how I perceive the subtle energy channels. Which channel was associated with the penis I wasn't clear on before as I have only pursued this information previously to a limited extent. Also of interest, in the last paragraph "meditating on the crown chakra is important for consciousness projection, either to another world or into anoher body" sounds like something you focus on, but this is not the only meditation which is important, and they don't mention what meditation on ajna chakra is important for. The Vajrayana system states that the central channel (avadhūtī) begins at the point of the third eye like the of Lord Shiva, curves up to the crown of the head, and then goes straight down to the lower body. There are two side channels, the rasanā and lalanā, which start at their respective nostrils and then travel down to the lower body. The apāna vāyu (down-moving wind, where "wind" means the invisible power to move) governs the lower terminations of the three channels. The lower end of the central channel ends at the rectum. The lower end of the lalanā ends in the urinary tract. The lower end of the rasanā channel emits semen. ...completion stage practices, where an attempt is made to bring the subtle airs or winds of the body into the central channel, to realize the clear light of bliss and emptiness, and to attain buddhahood (Geshe Kelsang Gyatso, Clear Light of Bliss: A Tantric Meditation Manual). ...The side channels run parallel to the center channel, except at locations such as the navel, heart, throat, and crown (i.e., the chakras) where the two side channels twist around the central channel. At the navel, throat, and crown, there is a twofold knot caused by each side channel twisting once around the central channel. At the heart wheel there is a sixfold knot, where each side channel twists around three times. An important part of completion stage practice involves loosening and undoing these knots. ...focusing on the subnavel area is important for the practice of tummo, or inner-fire. Meditating on the heart chakra is important for realizing clear light. Meditating on the throat chakra is important for lucid dreaming and the practices of dream yoga. And meditating on the crown chakra is important for consciousness projection, either to another world or into another body. Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal

No I don't follow the Dzogchen path either, I merely agree with the Tibetan Buddhist understanding of the central and 2 side channels. Kundalini released into a fully prepared system might well "burn away the dross of ignorance and ego-clinging", but this would be my sticking point, that the system has to be prepared first, otherwise the energy would likely give an empty result at best and at worst could lead to kundalini problems.

In his quoted link they say "yoga describes Tummo as the aggressive fire which ignites from below navel, pierces the chakras one by one and reaches the sky of the crown chakra." I follow the school of thought where the Tibetan Buddhists envision the central channel ending in the forehead, not the crown, which doesn't tally with this description of tummo really, but someone with more knowledge of Tibetan practices might be able to explain why there seems to be a discrepancy here.

I have never really looked into the concept of tummo so I have nothing to say about it ATM, I have tried to research the Tibetan understanding of the central channel though, in which ajna is at the end of the central energy channel, which runs up the body to the top of the head, and then over and down, terminating at the forehead. The two side channels which in the Hindu tradition are referred to as Ida and Pingala then continue inward towards the two nostrils according to their tradition and end there. It is possible that their concept of the central channel starts at the tip of the penis, my information on this is limited, but if so this would suggest they're not using kundalini energy which typically is viewed as beginning closer to the lower spine.

I find they have a good understanding of kundalini and nadi's in general, especially the central nadi, though I agree with the Tibetan Buddhist concept that Kundalini needs to exit through the forehead and not the crown. This to me is a fundamental difference between kundalini paths and neidan +Tibetan Buddhism.

@dwai

@ Dwai

I have a concept of how kundalini fits into the big picture if you want to go there in this thread, though I can't speak to your actual request. I agree with certain aspects of your story, like your perspective on the cold channel, and the idea of a diagram of the subtle energy body. I found the kundalini care website to have interesting information, lots of diagrams there too http://kundalinicare.com/kinds-of-kundalini-risings-2/

The Full article is here He doesn't think it's only relevant to Buddhism, I gather it's just where he noticed it first. Reading some Buddhist material I can see how easily it could be used to justify spiritual bypassing, and to justify it righteously so that the bypassing even becomes evidence of achievement. I've read some Buddhist psychology and I don't see it there though.

It is also true that it was a Buddhist teacher and psychotherapist - John Welwood - who introduced the term spiritual bypassing in the 1980's to describe the tendency he witnessed in the Western Buddhist movement to unconciously utilise this tactic...

I would be interested in a bit more detail regarding the use of yin and yang and the inverse use from your understanding of the texts.

For years my LDT felt 'unpleasant', my understanding is that I had unresolved emotional issues there, but staying with the 'noticing' and working through the issues it finally cleared, and what had been developed in my LDT was then ready to rise to my MDT. I personally can't imagine doing a top-down process, it makes no sense to me, but each to their own of course.

Sounds like exactly the right practice for you to 'ground' yourself, perhaps as A&P suggested just ease up on the concentration, starting at the lower dantian IME is excellent - I followed exactly this practice for years, as I was drawn to the sensation in my lower dantian, more noticing it than concentrating hard on it though. Perhaps the side effects are a response to energy being stuck here, and slowly starting to shift. If your discomfort is a response to LDT concentration only, you could always do it for a shorter time and less intensely, it depends how committed you are to this particular step. BTW if your LDT were already full, you would already be grounded and properly attached to your body.

Is a non-emotional state considered to be ideal?

Wouldn't our intent and life direction be directed by any and all authority figures since the day we're born? Or am I misunderstanding intent?

Then I have made an incorrect assumption. Is there something specific beyond energy flowing that you are working towards?

I gather you subscribe to the belief that everything is perfect just as it is right now, no matter how terrible it might appear?

Did the 12 random people poisoned by sarin gas in the subway get to decide if being poisoned was right for them and their families at that time?

If all teachings had value, then even crazy groups like Jim Jones and his cool-aid, Aum Shinrikyo and sarin gas, and Heaven’s gate hitching a ride on the spaceship hidden behind the Hale-Bopp comet would be as perfect and effective as any other teaching. Seems a bit too broad for me.

I think you have captured the essence of your path well, "just part of this rail car, which is going on a track." And this is where we differ in outlook. To me the thinking mind is important as it is the means by which I can be brought to the point where higher mind can become established and take over, and it is this higher mind within myself only that I will submit to. Higher mind is the steering wheel I am referring to, and working towards its establishment seems to be at odds with energy paths, which require submission to the energy itself. As far as I'm concerned just energy is not enough, though I gather it feels good, and it's nice to feel you have arrived. But I think there's quite lot more to it than just this.

If the group included someone who was led purely by their 'higher mind' and this person was in charge of the process then there might be no problem, but without that any decisions made about how to pursue energy are guaranteed to be flawed, it would be like driving a car with access to the accelerator but no steering wheel. It seems to me that for many people a fast car without a steering wheel is better than no car at all, because the alternative, peeling back the layers to reveal the higher mind, is an awfully long and arduous process, and unlikely to be achieved by many in this lifetime.

I believe Swamij describes a broadly Hindu tantric approach, which as I have claimed before is focused on the raising of kundalini, and requires the balancing of ida and Pingala as its starting point (here).

It is quite possible that some aspects of tantra (though not necessarily all aspects) are both helpful and maybe even necessary, and the Dalai Lama seems to negotiate this path to good effect, but it might be a limitation of the Buddha's understanding to not have recognised and taught this path. That works for me, but then I'm not a Buddhist and I'm happy to consider the Buddha as limited.

He is referred to as "the ascetic Gotama" four times in the Ambattha Sutra itself, it seems strange to me that an ascetic would be promoting a tantric method.