dwai

The assumption is that there is an "other" Self that you need to discover, apart from your "current self". The other Self is awesome, wonderful, peaceful, blissful and enlightened. The current self is ridiculous, pathetic, weak, always suffering, etc etc There is no other self. There is only the Self. Liberation is not anywhere else but right here. Liberation is not in some other time, but right now. Right here, right now. That should be the mantra. If someone smokes pot and realizes this (and it is possible to do so, but the realization doesn't last as the old habits of the acquired mind come back after the "high" is gone), they will eventually have to turn on to a more wholesome path. I personally know one who went down this path and eventually stopped all that and now leads a wholesome life, does selfless service etc. Eckhart Tolle is perfectly capable of pointing the seeker to that which he/she is seeking. I think what is being missed is that not every one is born with the same karma. Some have had enough "doing" in their previous lifetime(s), that just a little nudge is sufficient. Others have to work a bit hard to clean up that acquired mind. All the work is only for cleaning up the mind. That is all. Realization is already there. Clean up the mind, realize what you truly are. Simple formula. And it works too...if one is sincere in their seeking, and has an empty cup. Many people get irritated, some even incensed upon reading what I just wrote. But it doesn't change the fact that it is the truth...

Excellent post. Thanks for sharing. BTW, when I said pratyāhāra, I didn't mean to make it sound like it is difficult. For me, pratyāhāra started on its own when I was starting off in yoga practice, with a simultaneous study of Patanjali's yoga sutra. I know now that it was due to past life samskāras. It is as simple as letting the senses fall back inward. There is a similar taoist meditation too, where we turn the senses back into the lower dan tien (explained like this to me -- see the dan tien, taste the dan tien, feel the dan tien, hear the dan tien, smell the dan tien). Eventually it results in a deep samādhi, and a cessation of thought complete. Though we like to categorize these things, it is never a clear distinction between the stages, though there is a bit of a sequentiality, there are more overlaps. Between pratyāhāra, dhāranā and samādhi, though there is a chronology initially, they sort of blend into each other, ime. When it comes to the senses, I like the Daoist adage - "The five tastes dull the tongue, the five colors dull the eyes, the five sounds dull the ears and so on...". More we are caught up in pravritti (outer manifestation), the farther we go from nivritti (returning to the inner source). Even with the internal experiences, getting caught up in phenomena is a certain way to bondage of a higher kind. Therein lies the traps with Siddhis etc. Of course, there are generic disclaimers meant for the general public, and another set of directions/guidances for adhikārīs (qualified individuals). This is excellent and congruent with my intuitive understanding of the kriya process. The key is then to completely recognize one's identity (and after recognition, remain as such) as the pure awareness, and actions (or non-actions) spontaneously manifest as needed. This is sahaja samādhi. BTW, this is also the way of the advaita vedāntic tradition, as well as the daoist tradition I belong to. Nirvikalpa is the means by which the mind is dissolved. Becoming the samādhi is the what is needed. That is jivanamukti (liberation while embodied). Of course, there are levels of understanding depending on the maturity of the practitioner. At one point, people think Nirvikalpa is all. Then we realize that there is something else too called sahaja state (or turiyāvasthā). I truly appreciate the insights into Kriya Yoga.

From the Advaita point of view, there are five attributes to any thing. Three contribute to what is called "brahma rupam" (or the nature of Brahman) and two that contribute to "jagat rupam" (or the nature of samsara/transactional reality). Brahma rupam comprises of "Asti, Bhāti, Priyam" (or Beingness, Illumination and desirability). Jagatrupam comprises of "Nāma, Rūpa" (or Name and Form). To apply the above information to understanding "form is empty and emptiness is form", consider the following -- The Names and Forms are many and ever-changing. So "Form is empty" alludes to fact that names and forms lack self-nature (Svabhāva shunya), and therefore are "empty". The flip side of it is "Emptiness is Form", alludes to the fact that the underlying stuff "awareness" is empty, yet forms and names appear in/from/to it. Thus, Names and Forms are nothing but appearances of the same emptiness (which is not empty). To extrapolate further, when stuck with the understanding that duality (name and form) is somehow permanent and real, samsara is bondage. When understanding that the underlying reality of duality is emptiness (Pure objectless awareness/consciousness), Samsara is Nirvana.

In my experience, single pointedness only comes from the yogic method of pratyahara (sense withdrawal) followed by dharana (concentration on an object of meditation). Sensory experiences can be a hurdle in the path of attaining single-pointedness. I've seen this both from the Yogic as well as the Taoist meditation perspective. I found that there is a "kill-switch" (i'm not sure how else to describe it), which is a mental thing really. As the energy swells and builds up, literally sending wave after wave of pleasure through the body, by switching to witness mode instead of experiencer mode, the energy gets transmuted into something far more powerful than sexual energy. The hard part is to let go of the experiencer mode. It is so ingrained in us, and the drive for gratification is so high, that it is hard to do so. However, after being able to do this one time, it can easily be repeated, and eventually it becomes the natural thing. +1 Yes. It becomes the natural space eventually.

There is more than one way to approach things — this is wrt ahem...Daoist “Tantra”. While I don’t agree that Daoist path is tantric par se, there are many overlaps between the Daoist alchemical path (specifically nei Dan) and classical Hindu tantric path. I learnt and practiced Tamil Siddhar Yoga for a while, and have had an almost 2 decade long practice in Daoist meditation practices. I found a lot of overlaps. wrt the OP, there is something to be the said about “pleasure-oriented” vs “misery-oriented”. I personally find the pleasure oriented personalities can miss the point, so to speak. Especially when there is an explosion of sexual energies which leads one to spend hours (sometimes better part of a day) in a state which I can only express as orgasmic. Only it is like an orgasm x 1000,000 (or more). It is hard to explain in words A less discriminative practitioner might start seeking that experience. But if transmuted properly, it can fuel the growth by quantum leaps and bounds. Imho, the key is whether the individual is grounded in and as pure awareness (as opposed to personality/mental identities). The “misery” way is an excellent way to enter the spiritual path, but it can’t be a case of crushing, constant misery. There needs to be sufficient suffering for an individual to want to seek its cessation (e.g., the Buddha). Usually, pleasure seekers can’t understand this, unless they are addicts caught in an ever deepening spiral of their habit. in my experience and opinion informed therefrom, most pleasure seekers lack the maturity to really break through to what I consider enlightenment.

About feeling stuck. It is a good idea to find a cause for which you can volunteer in selfless service. Maybe help out in a soup kitchen, or something of that nature. Serving others (humans, animals or plants) is a great medicine for this stuck feeling ime. Being effortless and wu wei is easy when we can let go of the need for “something more”. We all go/have gone through phases where the acquired habits and tendencies of the mind make us feel restless in circumstances when we should enjoy the stillness (and lack of any apparent objective whatsoever). When we are used to stormy nights and days, even a brief interlude of calm skies can become disconcerting. Try and see if the source of your unrest lies in your mental patterns/habits. wrt your girlfriend thing. Some people don’t yet realize that their source of happiness and joy lies within them, and not some other person. Encourage her to cultivate her own hobbies and a spiritual pursuit, if you can. Maybe the selfless service you take up can be to help her by signing up for joint classes at a yoga place or a taiji class or a meditation course. Hang in there.

This too is a phase, and shall pass. Awakening is not a cold, lonely thing. It can seem that way to the mind. But then it is because the mind is never awakened. Awakening is a transcendent serenity that observes all the good and bad that seems to happen to the personalities but is completely unaffected by either. When you get that lonely feeling, inquire “who is aware of that feeling?” See if that too feels lonely and cold.

Let AI make things easy for us. I’m all for an AI and robots doing all the work. I’d much rather that human beings focus on cultivating real skills such as taijiquan, art, music, etc, and work along the lines of Bodhisatva vows

These are not meant for stretching. These are principles to adhere by in your qigong/taijiquan practice. With time the concepts will become internalized and it will take you to greater depths in your practice.

What I mean is, when focusing on one, also focus on the other. Start by becoming conscious of how both feel, first one at a time in succession and eventually simultaneously. It goes towards being able to clearly differentiate between substantial and insubstantial. So when you relax the elbow, also relax the knee, wrist-elbow and so on. Hardest will be the kua and birds nest imho.

From a taijiquan perspective, the shoulders nests and Kua, elbows and knees, wrists and ankles, palms and soles of the feet (specifically laogong and yong quan points) are pairs that need to be addressed together. They are the yang and the yin respectively.

Very insightful. Imho, the “doing” part is just turning in the right direction and unfurling the sail. The “not doing” is maintaining course and sailing with the winds.

Yes and no the sun is shining all the time. But the earth needs to rotate for the night to turn to day. That’s what I mean by “seeker needing to be ready”...

Grace is constantly available. Only seeker needs to prepare himself to receive it. That’s where effort plays a role. Sri Ramakrishna used to say that Grace is like the wind that is constantly blowing on the river, the seeker is like the boat which needs its sails raised to catch the wind.

Temple style Daoist meditation.

One practice we do in our tradition is to evoke a sense of purest love we ever felt for someone (as close to unconditional as possible) in the heart and let it spread all over. It carries through in all our interactions.

What blows my mind is how awareness illuminates everything the mind can grasp, and yet, we look for meaning and understanding in things that are illuminated, instead of that which does the illuminating

This is an excellent and humorous explanation of the Ocean-wave analogy often used by Advaita Vedanta circles

The Princess of Kashi There was once an ancient kingdom adjacent to the kingdom of Kashi (Varanasi). The royal couple of that kingdom had a young boy, a little prince who was very cute. One day, the Queen and her courtiers decided to have a play enacted about an even more ancient story which involved Kashi, in which one of the characters was the young princess of Kashi. As the courtiers looked for a suitable young actress to play the little princess, they were unable find one who was cute enough to fit the description. The Queen suggested that the young prince be dressed up as a girl and play the role of the Princess of Kashi. The show was a resounding success and the King set the royal artists to capture the event in a series of paintings. Of which, one was of the Princess of Kashi. Soon, life moved on and everyone forgot about the play, and the paintings were relegated to the cellar of the Palace, replaced by those more relevant to the times. The prince grew up into a wonderful and handsome young man, intelligent, kind and brave. One day, as he was rummaging through things in the cellar for his childhood memories, he saw the painting of the Princess of Kashi. He found her very attractive and slowly fell in love with the princess. As days rolled into weeks, the King, Queen and other courtiers found the prince to have become very despondent and melancholy and were rightly concerned. The prime minister, who was also very close to the prince decided to take the prince on a walk and asked him if everything was okay. The young prince responded that he was in love with a young girl. The Prime minister was delighted and said "that is a wonderful thing! Who is she? Does she live in our kingdom?" The prince replied "No she is from Kashi." The Minister said "My prince, that is excellent news. What's her name? Where does she live?" The Prince said "I've not actually met her in person, only seen her portrait, but she is the Princess of Kashi!" The Minister said "Where did you see the portait your highness?" The Prince replied "In the cellar. I saw her portrait there, and it was dated around the same time that I was 3-4 years old..." The Minister understood what had happened. He told the Prince..."your highness, you might want to sit down for this..." And then proceeded to explain the situation to the young Prince. The Prince's mind reeled from the news for a moment, and then he laughed out loud. Gone was the yearning for the Princess of Kashi, for she was none other than he himself.

Just stopping the clinging/shirking is enough. The mind is a fine and useful tool.

The irony of Maya is that our minds attach to percepts and concepts very easily, which take us outwards, and away from our true nature. When the mind turns back in, it finds its source is exactly what it was looking for all along, and it is always present, even during the periods of seeking. Thus, there was never a moment when we were not complete. Yet, there is the "traversal" that seems to take place from outward attention to inward attention. Eventually we realize that both the outward and the inward attention is observed by the one who is always complete

https://www.medhajournal.com/children-of-immortal-bliss/ Enjoy

Excellent article that covers the relation between Vedic and Tantric concepts of Light and Energy (Jyoti and Shakti) -- https://www.vedanet.com/vedic-light-and-tantric-energy-yogas-2/ To quote an excerpt of the wonderful article --

I’ve even tried keeping my books under the pillow before exams. I only woke up with a sore neck , didn’t do much towards the exams... For me, the key was in my being able to write down about the subject without referring to any material. Multiple iterations. Each time adding more and more details. It is a very time consuming way to learn, but served me well.

This might sound clichéd, but the one who needs to understand is just the personality. The awareness in which memory, metaphysical or intellectual understanding rises and dissipates, remains unchanged. I can sort of relate to what you're going through, as forgetting is a side-effect of letting go. I find myself often forgetting people, faces, names etc etc. I just attribute that to growing old(er)... FWIW, I think you are awesome and bring a serene beauty and tranquility whenever we interact. That is not the personality, that is what shines forth from behind the personality. That is the "Vajra" (the Diamond).