alfa

Greetings! Let's say we can experience a sexual urge. Either we suppress it or we indulge (throw it out through sex or masturbation). Though it's said it's possible to do neither, how is one to go about it? Do we simply stay with the urge and hope that the sexual energy would get transformed into a higher energy in time? What must be done? I am specifically talking about sublimating sexual urges, not wondering whether sex is good or bad or whatever, so I don't want anyone going off on a tangent. Alfa

Thanks, everyone, although I must say there are some posts which are not at all relevant to my query. Anyway, I'll narrow it down further: let's say I conserve semen for some time. They say after a month or so, it'll be released during sleep. So the whole thing will be wasted. So my question is, Is it possible to conserve it naturally without any violent suppression, so that one doesn't lose it in sleep?

Thanks. I am just wondering how to 'move' this urge to the whole body, since it's restricted to the genital area. Moving it consciously is not easy and I am not aware of any technique.

Hello again! It's been a while since I posted here. I am trying to practice what is commonly called 'objectless' awareness, meaning I simply try to be aware without being aware of any particular object. Thing is, nothing seems to be happening when I do this. There is only boredom, so I feel like giving up. If something could inspire me - some remarkable experience or something, anything at all - then I could keep going. Else, I find it extremely frustrating to just sit down and do nothing. What I need is results. Has anyone practiced this and how long did it take, and what did you do? Some advice, especially from those who've gone through this, would be appreciated and might keep me from giving up. Alfa

I am not expecting anything specific. I am just expecting ... at least on a subconscious level. We all do; else, practice would have no meaning. There's always motive followed by result. That's how it works.

Thanks, everyone, especially cowtao and Astral Anima. What I mean is, When you do something, you normally expect some sign - any sign - that you're progressing. That sign would at least motivate you to keep going. Without any changes at all - you are the same today as you were many months ago when you started practice- you wonder whether meditation has any value at all. This seems to be my problem - some sign of progress would at least convince me that meditation is worth the effort.

Thanks for the encouragement, MH. Yes, we're supposed to sit and do nothing else. It is meditation without an object. That way, there is only awareness through and through.

For many weeks, the e-sangha forum seems closed. Are they shutting it down?

Whenever I meditate, I fall asleep due to the sheer boredom and futility of it all. Boredom, because it isn't interesting. Futility, because nothing comes out of it, no improvement in myself, no control, no visions, no new ideas, nothing. It's simply stagnation. Put simply, there's no difference between pre and post meditation. My meditation revolves around observing myself and when I do, I simply find the same thoughts and desires coming and going. It's a monotonous process that bores me to death. If there are no thoughts, there's an empty space and that's equally boring. I am not sure what to do. Do I assume meditation isn't my thing and do something else?

Hi, After taking your advice on the other threads (reg. meditation and emptiness), I started meditating simply by letting go of thoughts. I am again faced with a similar problem, though. How long am I going to do this -- I mean this 'letting go' of thoughts? Because one can only do it for a short while, it becomes boring later on. Second, what's the result that one hopes to obtain? I know people will say we shouldn't expect anything to happen, but without a result in view, it's so hard to keep the motivation alive. So the point of this post is: can I have an idea where this 'let go' meditation will lead, so that it could keep me motivated?

Hi, I've mentioned in my previous thread on meditation that I am left with emptiness whenever I meditate. The thing is, I can keep thoughts in abeyance and remain in an empty state for quite a while. What I want to know is, do I simply observe the emptiness and hope for something to happen? Moreover, if I am observing emptiness, is there not a duality between observer and observed? So what does one do with this empty state, because people say only this state shall open the door to the unknown, to the mysterious? But in my case, I just wait in an empty state and nothing happens. So I get bored. Alfa

When there are no thoughts, there's an empty space. This is what I experience and I am not able to go beyond it. It doesn't matter if it's the false emptiness or real emptiness, point is, there's a space without thoughts. Where do I go from there?

My body feels feverish, tired, and somewhat hot. Could this be kundalini awakening? I also saw snakes in my dream . I am assuming they represent the sexual energy?

Thanks for all your replies. I feel that I am bored, because most of the time I am not physically active. I am either reading books or listening to music. Maybe, that's why meditation is also boring -- it's due to lack of physical activity. What I need is something physical, like yoga or i ching, but I want to do it by myself without a teacher (I can't go out, you see).

I try to notice that space, but nothing much happens. Soon I get distracted and thoughts occupy the mind. Again, the empty space...and again, thoughts. And so forth. It's not only boring but exhausting. So all I know is that emptiness isn't interesting, it's dull and boring, contrary to what many say (that emptiness is bliss and all that)

Why is it whenever we listen to music, we feel like dancing? What's the significance? What's it that impels us NOT to stay still but move our bodies? Is it a connection between sound and vibration?

Isn't it boring as hell to sit down and do something over and over? Meditation is so mechanical, sitting down and watching oneself is so boring and repetitive. It's mindless in the sense that we start functioning like machines. If we force ourselves to become enlightened, is it worth it? Could it be real? Shouldn't understanding or enlightenment happen spontaneously?

Thanks for taking the time to provide such useful info. Edit: Are you also familiar with NLP?

Thanks for the post, it's inspiring. Can you point to some free resources on hypnosis, nlp etc.? Most of them on the net seem to be fake, it's all about grabbing your credit card.

Sometimes, it happens. I experience a smell that can only be described as sexual. It doesn't come from anywhere/any person, it's just there and I smell it. It's very sexual in nature, I don't know why. Can someone explain this?

Thanks for the explanation. But I am not in love (or even in a relationship now), so no woman is living with me at the moment. I live alone, yet this sexual smell persists as if a woman is physically present and I can smell her. Can't make sense of it.

Normally, orgasm lasts a few moments. But in tantra, sexual energy is transformed in such a way that it lasts throughout. But how is this possible without a partner? Is tantra all about having sex to transcend it, or is there also a place for meditation?

I tried to hypnotize myself by relaxing each body part and telling myself over and over that I am tired, sleepy etc. After a while, I went into a trance, then came out of it. I didn't really have any affirmations. In fact, I only tried hypnosis because it seems to be fun. So my question is: is it okay to just go into hypnosis even when we don't have any particular goal in mind (such as to stop smoking etc.). What I mean is, I am trying to go where hypnosis would take me rather than wish for something.

Hi, I am only asking this out of curiosity. Death is the most important part of life. Without understanding death, no spiritual discipline is complete. So if a person wants to experience death directly by killing himself, what's the easiest and painless way of doing it? Alfa