dwai

Imho it isn't productive to try and map Hindu deities Into Christian worldview. They are unique and have unique characteristics, powers and temperaments.

I have had one incident where I was given a vision of the universe being created from empty void. I was in a dark void, and suddenly I saw a blue egg crackling with electricity. It started spinning and in it I saw interchanging the vision of Lord Krishna and The Buddha. Each rotation revealed one or the other. The spinning became faster and faster and then the egg exploded. And the galaxies and stars shot out of it and flew past me. In light of more recent spiritual understandings I guess it means something more than just the universe being created. I now understand it as the revelation that it all is nothing but an appearance to the eternal consciousness - the True Self.

For a while my friend and I would both smell marijuana though no one was smoking it around us (in different cities) while we practiced tai chi. We shared notes on this and found it strange. We both drew a similar conclusion - someone was "visiting us and was smoking pot".

Haha the more I see how patterns arise and fall, more I'm convinced that talking about this beyond a certain group of like-minded people is detrimental. Even sharing the experiences with fellow seekers can be detrimental, especially if they have not let go of the notion that there is a degree of exaltation in this (or what is "attained" is somehow "higher" than the "lower" everyday reality). In other words, it flares up the Ego and instead of inspiring makes it worse for those seekers. And this Ego flare-up is a two way street...so best to be silent and only discuss with a close group of kindred spirits (and a teacher of course).

The relevance of Anatahakarana is that it exists all the time, and starts to fully manifest from the period a child is old enough. It mainly consists of buddhi and chitta first. Then appears Ahamkara (Ego identification of the body as the Self). The Manas (or Mind, or field of thoughts in chitta - consciousness) is a result of antahakarana. The premise of the OP (quote referenced therein) is nonsensical and it tries to use terminology for the sake of jargon rather than anything meaningful, imho. When we drop the Ahamakara (identification of the body with the Self), abide in Pure Chitta (Consciousness), using our Buddhi (intellect) to discern between the Self (Pure Chitta) and the Manas (field of thought-objects), we have effectively identified our true Self (Atman).

Self realization will definitely do all the things you posit. However, there has to be a firm stabilization in the Self. Otherwise, the Ego driven identities resume their activity, and things go back to almost the same scenario as before. That's why there is the constant process of self-inquiry.

Thanks for sharing

I've been doing the song shen wu fa as presented by Master Huang Sheng Shyan (also popularized by many present day CMC stylists). I found they are very relaxing and do generate great amount of Qi in the body (or rather releases tensions, to let the qi flow freely). One that I find very interesting is the penultimate one, where we bend at the waist and turn side to side (besides the shoulder rolls). I found that doing this seems to trigger bowel movements that are border-line alarming. Is this something to be worried about? I suspect that the twisting motion is massaging the organs, thereby triggering more peristaltic movement and is effectively cleansing, but I want to be sure. I've never had problems with constipation etc, so when I do this, I end up going to the bathroom 4-5 times a day. My apologies if the question is off-putting, but i'm curious to know. So I can teach this to my students too...

I've asked my friend who showed me this and he thought I was kidding with him. When I told him I'm serious, he said he'd ask his teacher.

Master Huang Xingxiang Five Loosening Exercises - YouTube Yeah I liked the Mark Rasmus version. I have a friend who learns from Patrick Kelly's student and he showed me too.

Find a teacher. In the mean while, prepare your field so to speak, so the teacher will plant the spiritual seed. How to prepare? Do yoga or other mind body exercises, meditate, etc. also become more aware of your dreams - lucid dreaming etc. Teachers will often come via dreams. We have to be ready to accept them and ready to learn and remember when we wake up.

Once we are connected, transmissions can happen remotely. There is no qi entering your body essentially. The vibrations of a Master raise the vibrational frequency of our qi when there is a transmission. But one has to have enough spiritual power to do transmissions like that.

Yes

I'm attaching a link to a free pdf to start a discussion. Yoga Vashishtha is a great discourse on the nature of Brahman, atman, void, non-void, mind and existence. I'm reading an excellent version from which I will post relevant (according to me) sections. http://yogi.lv/files/yoga_vasistha.pdf

That is what I am reading currently (and excerpts posted here are from it)

One word of caution is sometimes if we "force" our way into standing for longer periods of time, we can freeze issues into the muscles. Better to increase standing little by little. Just push the boundary a little at a time. When we can stand without effort, we increase more. When I stand, I cycle through multiple forms (at least 4-5) besides my normal taiji single forms. My word of advise is "don't be a hero/ine...if you feel pain in the upper body (neck, shoulders, elbows, back), cycle into another form which releases the pain".

Shaking and trembling usually indicates that muscles are being tensed and engaged. The objective of standing practices is to let go of tension and become more sung. This helps focus and refine our energy. When we become more and more empty we can stand for progressively longer periods of time. Not sure I know what turbulent qi means...and have never heard it being described that way.

If you try to be Dao then it's not the real Dao. It is not possible to remain sublimated in the absolute self (or the True Self). The non-self identifies with the 10,000 things. But it is also the non-self that tries to be Dao. And sometimes deludes itself into thinking it is Dao. When you are Dao you will not need to indulge in 10,000 things or feel the fear or guilt or whatever human frailties one feels. The ridiculousness of attaching to the 10,000 things becomes evident after a point. Then we are free. If we so choose, temporarily indulge in the objects and then go back to the absolute.

Most qigong/neigong forms combine yin yang cultivation. The yang descends from "sky" and the yin rises from the "earth". They meet in the lower dan tien and combine there. Some practices focus on yin and then yang. But all the practices I have learnt always do both. My teacher now only tells us to let the heavier feeling energy go (drain into earth) and the light energy will automatically take its place as long as we maintain relaxed attention on the dan tien. I don't think it's possible to cultivate only yin or only yang as one without the other cannot exist.

And yet, each will go through the same process...

Dont dwell in conflict my friends. Let go of positions

Wait! What about alaya vijnana and pratityasamuptpada ? In between the empty and everything state, it becomes apparent that all existence is dependently arising (as that contracts), like the fabled jeweled net of Indra. How it "is" is truly difficult to articulate. When one experiences it, it becomes evident that the description of it is indeed a ghost of a ghost of the reality, millions of times over. That interconnected jeweled net of dependently co-rising everything is also part of that no thing which is everything. So when seen from that after-the-fact intellectual position that there are infinitely interconnected streams is consciousness. But they are like waves of an ocean. Did the ocean make the Waves or the waves make the ocean?

What purported Buddhists believe in internet boards should not be taken to be Buddhism. Just because one practices Buddhism doesn't mean they are Buddhas (yet). So they will tend to interpret the Buddha's teachings through their personal lenses. Your posts remind me a time in the TDB history as the buddhabum wars There really is not need to even accept the Buddhism vs Daoism (or any other ism) idea for that matter. But that isn't Apparent until one day it is. Till then we need the duality of this or that. The Buddha's teaching is really very simple. Suffering is caused by attachment to pleasure or fear of suffering. When one drops the attachment, they are free. To do that, one has to let go of the false personalities we identify with. That is anatta. When we let go of the anatta, we can see what truly exists. Initially, to some, it might seem like there is nothing independently existent, because in an expanded state, truly a void, nothing exists. Or in a in between to expanded and contracted, there is the state of everythingness - see oneself in everything. As that contracts further, it becomes all the anatta that we let go of previously. That is who most are walking around as...the ego self, the jiva. That then begs the question, who is it that is expanding (becoming nothing) or contracting (from everything becoming one thing)? That is simultaneously expanded and contracted. That begs the question - how csn something be both nothing and something at the same time? That is not possible if there is time. So time is non existent. How can one thing be both empty and full? That means there is no space. Therefore that no thing, must be free of space and time. Therefore it is eternal. As it is self aware, it is consciousness. Because it does not have any attachments, it is full of bliss. That is nirvana. And we can be that always. Because we have never "Not been" it!

Thanks for clarifying this. I was merely suggesting to you that it might be easier to understand this in the context of "effort" as in "exertion" vs "effort" without exertion. The intent was to let the OP know that it isn't necessarily about over-filling the LDT but actually draining Qi by over-striving to fill the LDT. But you are right about the process of maturation...that's why patience is so important.

When the Self is known, it is not unknown anymore. Then Dao is not unknown anymore. But then labels and words and explanations won't matter