dwai

Ramakrishna was an advaitin so yeah he was dharmic. Kabir was a bhakti yogin, so he was dharmic true. The unique nature of dharmic traditions is inclusive plurality. There is no need or emphasis on uniformity...diversity is celebrated. So even their pluralistic attitude is reflective of dharma. Cant comment on modern hodge-podge mystics though...

Read the book, it answers these issues quiet succinctly. Indeed western powers came to dominate the world. You know how? By parasitically looting India first. India was the unwilling bank that funded western imperialism! And do you know how they came to control india? Not by military power (that came later), they used deception and insitigated infighting among the various kingdoms, provisioned by a multinational...known as the east india company.

You assume of course that there needed to have been an intervention. Where were all the same for the west during the world wars? No, the Gods wont intervene...they leave us to our own device...we ave to make the right choices

Actually history proves that wrong. India for example was one of richest nations in the world (perhapd the most) before getting infected by foreign rulers. Its a little anachronistic but that can be extrapolated. There was no poverty then like the poor-porn films show these days...people were more or less contented. There were mutiple political systems in place then...democracy at the village level, monarchy at the state level... In fact the only recorded famines in indian history happened as a direct result of british interference in India...long story...millions starved to death.

Glad you are enjoying the material. I have too... I have interacted with the author on a personal basis in the past and he is a brilliant thinker. What is revolutionary about ths book (and a series forthcoming) is the reversal of gaze. I had often dreamt of having a framework wherein anthropology can be turned upside down...which this book provides. I know there are initiatives underwy to try and provide this famework to other eastern nations to let them ses themselves outside the colonial/colonized caricature they have come to internalize.

I think the important thing to realize is that there is a complex balance of things that maintains itself in the mundane reality we all live in. The realized masters have transcended that but one of the rules is to not create more karma. By interfering in the lives of others, karma is going to be manipulated, thus generating more karma for the masters themselves. I think as long as we have this physical body and this mundane existence, we are bound by the laws that govern this world. Sure, a transcendent Master would have broken through the "barriers" of ignorance, but what about those of us who haven't. Who knows what ramifications doing something like that will have?

Seth...nice avatar

My teacher told me once that we only "feel" the difference when there is obstructions in the flow. Once the path has been cleared, the flow will continue and the feeling becomes insignificant. I guess my question is what one does with the (newly established) smooth flow. I think it's important to consider the koshas at this juncture. Because the prana flowing is just purification at the pranamaya kosha (kundalini is prana). As it works its way through the layers, issues (or insights) relevant to each layer will come forth...darker parts of our self will be revealed (maybe, maybe not, it depends). Then consciousness will implode (and explode simultaneously)...I don't know why I'm stating these...I just feel that's what is going to happen. I'm mixing traditions here, but BKF puts it very nicely in his books (relaxing into being and the great stillness)... As stillness increases, the lightless light of true being will start shining. How does that help one live this life better? I think visions, feelings, etc are our interpretation of something that doesn't have any experiential precendence. I once saw all of creation imploding and then exploding... I was hurtling through space, speeding past stars and I saw a brilliant electric blue egg shining at a distance (I was simultaneously moving and stationary) and in that egg I saw Krishna, I saw Buddha, transforming into each other and then the egg exploded and more stars and lights were gushing out of it. The weird thing is I had just begun meditation (this was back in 1998-99) and I never had that vision, insight again. But what it did do is set the tone for my "quest". In the years since, I have fallen hard (both spiritually and morally) and then picked up the pieces and started over again...One thing it did show me (and that has stayed with me) is that there's much more to this existence than what we see and live through every day... PS. Take this post whichever way you want...while I have (and do) feel the energy rising and descending and the coolness you mentioned flows through me as well, I do know that I'm only at the tip of the iceberg...and it's a fun ride...

I am not familiar with that system. As far as i know, muni means ascetic, maha means great and swaha is to indicate offering of sacrifice. I am not aware of relations of these words with any chakra. But as i said in a prior disclaimer...since i dont know anything...

It is impractical to reject the objective, but it is intellectually irresponsible to reject the subjective as well. Each has it's place and a normal (average) individual would be well advised to not conflate the two (or reject one over the other). Object needs subject, without one there is not the other (dare I say "Dependently co-rising")

Arent you conflating buddhism into vedanta? Heart sutra is a buddhist sutra. In any case, being a native of india, i prefer sanskrit any day. While i appreciate mandarin, i dont understand it, so that simplifies my life.

Muni is the sanskrit word for ascetic. Maha stands for great. Swaha is used to indicated that an offering has been made in a ritualistic sacrifice..Sakyamuni is meant to refer to gautama buddha.

you just have keep modakas for him to eat if you do manage to invite him over... But mudras (i suppose what you mean by hand-seals) are energetic and the work on nadis and directing energy through them.

Many people use it as prayer, with proper bhakti bhaava (devotion and emotion).

The benefits are to be seen provided the mantras are incanted in the right way...right tone, inflection and meter. I can give example of one mantra that was given to me in a dream. I used it to vaporize some "inner demons"... Of course you know that I say this in the symbolic way. Moreover, it helps me relax when i dont have time to meditate and connects me with the unknown teacher who came to me in a dream and gave me the mantra. I got it when my life was in doldrums and it helped me stay sane and practically saved my life.

Ah, now I see. So, it depends on which perspective you are viewing this from. From a Tantra perspective, Ganesh is the presiding deity of the mula chakra (and his seed is Gam). He is considered remover of obstacles and the significance is in removing obstacle of starting the Kundalini process, the Mula has to be activated first. Seed of Lakshmi is "Shreem" where "Sha" is for Lakshmi, "Ra" is for prosperity and "E" is for contentment. Since Lakshmi is Shakti, she is also Kundalini. From the perspective of "vows" is concerned, I guess the various deities and their respective aspects (Ganesha is knowledge, remover of obstacles, Lakshmi is prosperity and contentment, peace in one's life), is that kind of what you were trying to identify? I don't know of any specific "vows" per se, and so I'm extrapolating based on your question. But then I don't know anything...so take what I say with a grain of salt

Kundalini is simply the phenomenon of activated chakra system, where the prana can rise up the sushumna. It feels different from other pranic flows because it drives from a fully operational system...each chakra being of opposing polarity and activated, drives energy more efficiently.

Where did come across this one? Gam is bija for Ganesha. By the looks of it this is meant to be a bija mantra but the bija for lakshmi is "om rim shrim laskhmibhyo namah"...llakshmi is the deity of love and abundance. She is invoked to make one's life and home auspicious. I susect a proper incantation in her name will do the same... Dont understand second part of your question...

She is dao...Also can feel the ida and pingala separate from sushumna? If not, how can you control where she goes? She will go where she needs to go. Imho. Dont be afraid...accept and embrace her. This where daoist background will help you...be wu wei.

1:4:2 is the right ratio, doesn't matter how long the breaths are, as long as they are in the right ratio. Did you also experience a coolness in wake of the rising, a pleasant coolness (like touching a cool metal object to your skin, but inside rather than on the surface)? I don't know how your diet is, but you might want to consider some special diet if you plan on continuing this... (this book has good suggestions -- http://www.amazon.com/Path-Fire-Light-Vol-Practices/dp/0893890979) People mention heat, but I feel coolness as the energy moves upward. Good luck on your further practices. I have one question though, did you learn anything from this experience? Somethings that just started making sense?

I can relate to that. back in 2006 I went through some harrowing personal and professional circumstances. The end result was a chronic ache right behind my left shoulder blade, radiating up through the neck, shoulder and exacerbated by TMJ. Tried many things...doctor ran emg tests (don't recollect exact term) to test for pinched nerves, x-rays of the spine, etc. They diagnosed it as slight arthiritis of the spine. 6 years fast forward and I've finally had a breakthrough in this by altering slightly my tai chi practice. The pain is reduced by 70=80% and only returns when I'm not cognizant of my physical structure. The breakthrough however came in middle of a tai chi session, when a constant "dryness/blocked feeling" in the middle dan tian started dissolving, releasing the pressure on my left arm and shoulder. I felt like the left arm got a flood of chi that was missing for years...felt like a draoght-stricken river finally getting some water... The doctors were of no use to me. The physical therapists were of no use to me. I'm going to an alternative medicine/chiropractor/accupuncture guy now and his adjustments seem to be helping as well... The funny thing is that I had resigned myself to living with constant nagging pain for so many years, because I couldn't figure out what the problem was. I think I know what it is now...but only time can tell...

THanks

Read "Beyond Bio-feedback" by Elmer and Alyce Green (the two primary researchers at the Meninger Institute in the late 60s/early 70s)