dwai

Came across this post from another discussion on Wuji. Excellent post, though I thought I'd clarify a BIG misunderstanding. Those who claim that there is an either/or proposition involved in the dharma traditions (where you will find the words samsara and nirvana or kaivalyam), just don't understand what these traditions are saying. So, are in effect victims of "pop dharma", just like you warned about "pop taoism". Samsara and Nirvana are not opposites. Samsara is living without the understanding of what the true nature of being and non-being is. Nirvana is living with the understanding of what the true nature of being and non-being is. Dharma does not glorify death and belittle life. Dharma merely asks us to understand the being that is living in samsara is ignorant of it's True Nature. When the True Nature is understood, being still lives in samsara, but now is free from pleasure and pain caused by attaching to things that are essentially ephemeral in nature.

Don't force the horse stance. It's okay to stand in a higher stance and just relax. Don't fight gravity, connect with and harmonize with it. The key in good standing practice is to not allow physical strain. That's my 2 cents worth doing standing for more than 1-2+ hours a day since past 15 years

I've found that in seated position opening and closing the joints helps pump the circulation and prevents tension. But we should not force the seated position. There are exercises to open the kua...which will allow one to sit for longer periods of time. The snake creeps down form is good for it, as is the separate and kick form of yang style tai chi. Also should do the baddha konasana (butterfly pose) and the eka pada rajakapotasana (king pegion pose). Both are great to open up the inguinal area (kua). Slowly the area will relax. Key is to not force but relax into these forms and asanas.

Any experience or "state" thereof is of the mind. The "absolute truth" is not a state to attain or an experience to gain, as One already is that. Always. All that is needed is to realize that, and let the mind do what it does without attaching to its contents.

For me there were three books -- Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramahamsa Yogananda A book on Edgar Cayce - don't remember the title unfortunately Carlos Castaneda - The Teachings of Don Juan, An Yaqui Way of Knowledge I'm adding some that I discovered much later, and helped me immensely -- Brahma Sutra Bhashyam - Shankaracharya (I have the one with commentary by Swami Dayanand Saraswati) Yoga Vasishtha (classic indian text on Advaita vedanta) T'ai Ch'i Classics - Waysun Liao Nine Nights with a Taoist Master - Waysun Liao Jnana Yoga - The way of Knowledge - Ramakrishna Puligandla

Hatha Yoga, Pranayama, various Kriyas. The Ashtanga framework is used by various traditions within Hinduism, varying from the Classic darshanas such as Samkhya (which incidentally is the root of Yoga), Vedanta, Tantric schools. The Purva Mimamsaka, Vaisheshika and Nyaya schools do not employ mind-body techniques in any significant way. However, the Purva Mimamsa school deals with external rituals along with esoteric techniques, yet are not cultivation per se. Especially the Tantric schools (Shaiva and Shakta traditions) tend to focus on cultivation in the form of Kundalini practices. The parallels between the tantric and Daoist mind-body disciplines are very interesting and some people say that Lao Tzu was in fact none other than Bogar Nath, one of the great Tantric adepts of the Natha order of sanyasis (or renunciants).

Yes and no. What is already set in motion, aka prarabdha karma has to play out even if we stop accruing karmic debt (sanchita karma). We can even negate future karma (agami karma) but cannot IMHO eliminate prarabdha, which the body has to go through. What Ramana Maharshi has said is also true because if the ego identification is dropped, you are indifferent to what happens to the body. So in that sense, karma will not affect you - The Self.

I use this a lot. A regular cotton sock filled with rice, heat for a minute or so in the microwave and use directly or wrapping in a thin towel until the skin can tolerate direct contact. Other techniques were used in India before things got all "western". and one such I have seen my grandfather use this pretty much till he passed away at the age of 95 - a little neck pillow filled with mustard seeds that he used all the time. He never had any problems with his back or neck - ever.

I think it is a constant problem and has to do with dissolving the ego vs suppressing it. What has issues with meditation? Or too much meditation? It's the mind/ego. In my experience that is overcome via letting the inquiry happen naturally instead of trying to force things, because what forces things? It's the Ego.

In Hindu/Vedic traditions there are four levels of sound (and therefore chanting). Para, pashyanti, madhyam and vaikhari. http://www.artofliving.org/wisdom-q-a-8-may-2013-qa-2 Essentially one should progress from chanting aloud (vaikhari) to para (without any sound). Try a mantra like the Gayatri to see what I mean. If you can maintain 100% focus on the mantra (each syllable) without sound, without mind wandering, your practice has matured.

Someone mentioned 108. Traditionally one can do 11, 28 or 108 or multiples of 108 after that.

Restoring Your Life Energy: Simple Chi Gung Practices to Reduce Stress and Enhance Well-Being https://www.amazon.com/dp/1590309960/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_kaJIxb7QXCXTC Follow the instructions in this book.

Thought I'd share a somewhat relevant piece of info I saw on my FB stream, right after posting the previous message.

Mind is just a stream of objects in our consciousness. Consciousness doesn't end with the body, nor does it begin with it. We all find this out, sooner or later

if only...but the mind is literally the only hurdle to altering our reality. Once we realize we are not our mind, the limits start to dissolve.

I once saw my teacher walking through walls, checking on his students once at 3:30 in the AM (we were all attending a seminar in hotel rooms adjacent to each other) Now you might say I'm a dreamer, but I was wide awake then...

I was visiting my home town Mysuru (or Mysore in it's anglicized spelling) recently and stayed at my mom's place. She lives in an apartment building with a clear line of site to the Chamundeshwari temple from the terrace. My practice was on that terrace, twice a day, as is my routine. For the first time (and I've lived in Mysuru since 1980 - 2000), I understood why it is called a shakti peetham. Adi Shankara named it (used to be called Krouncha Puri in ancient times) as the third Maha shakti peetham. There are 18 which are indisputably the same place as has been referred to in the Hindu history (puranas, etc). And Mysuru is one of them. I had many interesting experiences, but the fact that my tai chi and meditation took on an intensity I had not readily experienced without my Master's presence before. I live in the chicago suburbs and the energy there is, to use a lame analogy, 110V. In Mysuru, the energy was 440V, in comparison! The entire time I was there, I was in a more or less connected state, my upper and lower dan tiens were swollen with energy and when I practiced, it felt like I was several meters underwater, as the energy was so dense and intense. The lao gong on my right palm felt like it was on fire and the skin started peeling off the right palm. I had plans of visiting the Ramana Maharishi ashram in Thiruvanamali (Arunachalam), but due to unfortunate circumstances it was not possible. Yet, the Universe arranged it so, that several spiritual seekers, including two Kriya Yogis who are students of the direct student of Paramhamsa Yogananda's guru brother (batch mate if you may). One of them also was learning Tai chi and daoist meditation from me and we had an amazing time meditating together, practicing push hands and playing with other energetic techniques! I think I somewhat understand now, why India is so important in the Spiritual world...

Oh well in that case, thank you for your thoughts. You ARE entitled to your opinions. Maitri...

Ok...so now you're trolling on my thread. So I'll have to say buh-bye and send prayers your way

I wish I could find references that I can share with you. What I have is anecdotal, stuff I've heard from other Yogis (and I mean real yogis, not yoga asana practitioners). In any case, they also told me not to fixate on these symptoms and side-effects

Just some stuff I heard from some Indian practitioner friends...

I was referring to the fact that "Others" smell this emanating around someone with activated 2nd chakra

When the 2nd chakra is opened, it is said that the incense/etc smells etc follow.

Start practicing this --

Some additional notes. Working with my Kriya Yoga friends, we were exploring some ways to communicate with each other without vocalizing. This was taught by my KY friends -- First we listened for our own energy. It is very strange because when you don't focus on it, it is not evident; but the energy is pulsating. Just like the heart beat, the energy rhythmically expands and contracts. After knowing our own energetic vibration pattern, we listened for the others. One by one. The patterns became evident within a few seconds. Then we practiced connecting from the Lower Dan Tien, one on one. Then with the Middle Dan Tien and finally with the Upper Dan Tien. Then we sent each other messages. Mantras, imagery, etc. Sometimes the brain was interpreting mantras as imagery...once i picked up a mantra as a brilliant sun shining in my third eye. Finally we practiced sending and receiving energy...making the other person feel what we were doing to them. Pushing, pulling, turning, lifting, sinking etc. This was more familiar territory for me. But this was being done without contact. We were each sitting (three of us), at least 4-5 feet from each other. We then stood and did a Daoist meditation circle which I showed them how to do. Overall, it was so beautiful. We were exchanging ideas and energy without ego etc. I was unable to visit Ramana Maharishi's ashram, but I still got to do Satsang.