dwai

MODERATOR NOTE: What you did, by editing another member’s post in a quote is grounds for suspension from this forum. The moderator team will be responding to this after discussion, but please never do that again. And please do introspect on why we don’t allow such things.

I think the point is that "Ego" is not really a thing. It appears to be, due to ignorance about our "true nature" -- which is awareness/luminous clarity/clear light (however one might call it). So, if we say "I do have an ego", it is okay. But that ego is known to something else. Whatever you (can) know, you are not that. Therefore, you are not your ego. So what are you then? Ego is not to be "defeated", "destroyed", or "vanquished" (or any other such destructive things). Before we realize our true nature, we take the ego to be the self (which is what ego's job is -- to attach identities to being). Once realization occurs, it becomes evident that there is no such entity called the "ego" -- it is simply a process of the mind. When that happens, a whole bundle of issues that relate to suffering simply fall away (or at the very least, loosen their vice-like grip over the mind).

A very meaningful thread. Thanks for sharing. Just a few thoughts/questions — Did you notice a qualitative shift in your mind once you started volunteering/helping with the patients? Did it (serving others) change your relationship with the pain/fears you were experiencing? best, dwaI

This is not correct. Don’t waste your time on such ridiculous claims!! Find a good teacher/system and stick with it.

In meditative systems, there are really no shortcuts. There is no substitute for putting in the necessary work needed to prepare the mind (and body). Only when the mind is purified and the body is stabilized can true knowledge arise. This is a series of “rules of thumb” I’ve been mulling over, along the lines of the “meditate better” video I shared in the Hindu sub-forum. An unstable body leads to an unstable mind. And vice versa. So both need to be worked on, whether one starts from the body and then the mind, or starts with the mind and then the body (albeit, the latter is more difficult to achieve). There are no shortcuts in this process. No clever tricks that will help “game the system”, or cheat codes available. Each person is different in terms of their karmic tendencies, and therefore their body and mental conditioning. So while it might seem that some seem to “get it” very fast, it is not evident to onlookers that there must have been enough preparatory work done in previous lifetimes to enable them to “get it”. There is no substitute for consistency — pick a practice and stick with it, preferably at a fixed time window on a daily basis. Jumping between practices are counterproductive until one gets to a degree of proficiency in one (or are born with the “right” karmic patterns). Simple is better — don’t pick complex systems without doing the preparatory ground work to be able to understand and actually be effective in them. Foundational practices are usually very simple — watch the breath, breath right, hold a posture correctly, move correctly. These are all simple things but take dedication and focus to achieve some degree of proficiency in. If a system involves complex mental and movement/postural components, odds are it is not right for you in the beginning stages. Along with a practice, learn the “view” that goes with it. For example, If you learn yoga asanas and pranayama without learning the yoga sutras, you run the risk of becoming a “loaded weapon” with nothing to aim towards. This is what leads to all sorts of psycho-spiritual problems often associated with internal practices. There are both knowledge as well as practical components to any complete system. Doing one while eschewing the other will result in an incomplete practitioner. Avoid comparing yourself with others. It is simply not possible (or very difficult) to gauge “levels” in the internal arts. Especially for beginners/intermediates. It’s better to keep doing the practice and your level of advancement will be directly proportional to the level of equanimity and joy you feel internally. The higher your level of advancement, the more of these you feel. Have respect for, and faith in your teacher and system. Along with the practice and theory, every proper lineage comes with a psycho-spiritual power/empowerment/blessingof the elders/teachers who’ve been part of the system. Without proper respect and faith in the teacher and lineage, you will not become open to receive the grace of the lineage.

It seems you’ve got the energy activated, but it’s difficult to say without knowing more about your background/practice

I think this is an invaluable resource anyone interested in Kundalini can reference -- http://www.adishakti.org/pdf_files/kundalini_yoga_(sivanandadlshq.org).pdf

There are sub-channels within the sushumna - vajra, chitrini and brahma nadi. When the Chit Kundalini is activated, the Brahma Nadi is activated too. There are elaborate details on different modalities of what happens when prana enters these different subtle(r) nadis.

When you say “activated” you mean ascending kundalini? I will base my answer on that assumption. There are two kinds of kundalini that are accessible to us in the embodied form. There is a third, which is not. Of the two, the one most commonly associated with “kundalini” is called the prana kundalini. The other (usually unknown to general public) is called “chit kundalini”. Prana kundalini is the “gross” form of kundalini, associated with the energetic body and usually associated with yogic practices. Chit kundalini is subtle and associated with consciousness and associated with self-inquiry type practices. I can think of 3 different categories/conditions that can raise kundalini. If a practitioner has done proper physical, mental preparation, the prana kundalini will rise easily without any effort, on its own. Such people may or may not need to do “yogic” methods. Simply performing self-inquiry, when they realize their true nature, chit kundalini will rise on its own, and will also result in prana kundalini rising. Such people tend to have good karmic predisposition for this, and the mental temperament is of satvic (purified) nature. If a practitioner is unable to do self-inquiry, if they have the right preparation - via proper diet, optimal physical health, regular practice of meditaiton etc, the prana kundalini will rise. Maybe need to just bring the system into balance using subtle pranayama, meditaiton, etc. Such people have to overcome their natural rajasik nature (kinetic nature) via some preparatory practices, to convert their minds to satvic nature. if the practitioner is unable to do self-inquiry and are of a temperament that is contrary to quiet contemplation or meditation, they can raise the prana kundalini through “forceful” means, such as pranayama, asanas, and other alchemical means. Such people have combination for tamasic (inertia laden) and rajasic nature, and have to transmute the tamas to rajas (physical activity, gross pranayama) and rajas to satva (subtle pranayama, meditation) unfortunately, in the modern world, most are of the 3rd category - driven by sense gratification, addiction to forms, the mind dulled by deep inertia (karmic and environmental). So, raising the kundalini takes a lot of effort. And in the case of inadequate preparation, results in deviations (famously known).

Here’s what Sadhguru has to say about the winter solstice (called uttarayana in India, or Northward movement) — https://isha.sadhguru.org/us/en/wisdom/article/significance-uttarayana

My Sifu called me this afternoon and we chatted for quite a bit. Some words of advise from him — One should not pray for/try to attain this or that. Meditate — go into stillness and wait for the connection. When you feel the connection, there is a divine blessing that flows to you. Be grateful for this life, for this body, for the opportunity to be where you are, right then and there. “God didn’t create us to be beggars…we are already part of him, and he is a part of us. Act accordingly.” when one practices, one must not think of it as a chore. Don’t try to “get done”, don’t look at the clock. Practice with love and joy — enjoy whatever practice you are doing, no matter how little or how long. Then, you will “level up”. One cannot “level up” by wanting (powers, or to increase one’s spiritual level) — it is a condition that is created by your love and joy. If you remain joyful, if you maintain love in your heart, your spirit will expand and the level will go up. Your “level of advancement” is known by your ability to stay centered and balanced. By how much joy and love you genuinely feel/share.

As part of Advaita self-enquiry process, there is a “falling silent” part — which involves resting (the attention) in the heart center. Slowly the mind returns to its source (the heart center) and one can enter deep silence/stillness. This is a standard practice, and is very good. But I’ve been reading/hearing about zuo wang, so decided to just sit without any objective in mind (not resting the attention to anywhere in particular). Simply resting, as it is, in the moment. It was interesting, as, just the sitting still/silent started to consolidate in the lower abdomen area. Everything seemed to flow down into the LDT region. Was a different kind of “stillness” - more “alert” but empty of mind content. Not a nirvikalpa thing (like the heart meditation does for me), but sahaja. Any thoughts?

@Indiken fwiw, I completely endorse what @freeform has expressed. DO NOT experiment with these things without proper guidance - it’s like trying to build a nuclear weapon while sitting on radioactive uranium without shielding. It will harm you. I would recommend, after stopping your current practices, and getting yourself checked out by a western medical doctor, to start a basic course (can be online if you don’t have access to a teacher in person ). You would be better off starting with a body-based approach. Don’t be in a hurry to work with qi. Prepare your body and mind first. Rest will be easier if you have a good foundation. Just my 2 cents worth.

Wish you all a very happy, peaceful, joyful 2022. May you all grow spiritually and in all your worldly endeavors. May you all stay healthy, safe, and energetic.

It happens. First few times it happened, it freaked me out when my mind realized I’ve not been “breathing” for several minutes.

Not heart stopping but breath stopping for a few minutes at a time is normal for me.

It works that way if there is such a requirement in the particular tradition. Some paths (to disambiguate from tradition) only take us to a certain point. At that point, the seeker might have "Got" the knowledge. But there still might be the requirement to properly marinate in it. Beyond that point, is a matter of wisdom/judgment. Speaking from experience, even if you give a student the "keys" to the kingdom, if they are not ready for it, they will throw it away and look to open other doors which appear "locked". On the other hand, if there are those who need just a few gentle nudges and they do all the hard work, ask the right questions, and "get" it.

That is the beauty of a genuine system. This leads me to a somewhat long-winded reverie, as follows. A spiritual mentor of mine once made a very cryptic statement -- "A teacher shares the same knowledge with two separate students. In one case it is valid and true, while in other is not." It has to do with the ability of a student to understand and assimilate said knowledge. If the student is not ready, no amount of transmissions or knowledge dissemination will be of any use. Similarly, when a student is ready, they can grasp the truth/knowledge hidden in a haystack of information. That which allows a student to do so is called "subtle intelligence". It is different from the "gross intelligence" that is typically associated with IQ tests, etc. In the Hindu traditions, it is called "adhikara bheda". Adhikara literally means qualification, and bheda means distinction. So a good teacher will only share the exact amount of knowledge/information that is required for a student's level of development. Towards that, my mentor said, "Two teachers can share the same knowledge, but in one case it is true and in another, it is not." There are also qualifications of teachers. Just because someone is an X, Y, or Z person's student doesn't automatically qualify them to teach certain things. Just because they have learned something, doesn't qualify them to teach/transmit the knowledge. It requires sitting with the knowledge/marinating in it for a long enough time, that every word uttered, every look cast by the practitioner oozes this knowledge. Then, even teaching becomes an act of grace. But this is at an extremely high level. For e.g., Ramana Maharishi - whose mere glance could transcend the right seeker to the final realization. Then there are combinations of qualified teachers with unqualified students, and unqualified teachers and qualified students. Strange is the world, that we can see all sorts of such permutations and combinations. A qualified teacher cannot uplift an unqualified student unless the teacher has exceptional spiritual power. An unqualified teacher may be able to uplift a qualified student if the student has sufficient karmic fruits in their "karma bank".

The converse is also true. At one time, the head of the Chinese Taiji Association came (secretly) to the US to train with a teacher who doesn’t share his lineage/teachers names. Just because it is in China doesn’t mean much anymore. The CCP seems to have usurped the entire narrative and planted their own stooges (like they did with Shaolin).

Very astute observation. I think for me, rather than peak experiences (which have been many), it is a sense of fulfillment/contentment that is important. Of course, there will be periods of (with varying intensity) unrest and churning in course of one’s practice. Or even periods of “boredom”. I think they are all necessary, as sometimes “junk” needs to be brought to the surface for release (during unrest) and digestion/assimilation (boredom). I wonder if the boredom aspect is related to gravitating towards experiences? My teachers tend to think so. They told me, when it seems we have plateaued, we need to persevere and continue with the practice. That’s when the sincerity/momentum of our practice up to that point is going to carry us forward. I was told (and can confirm experientially) that the spiritual path is like climbing progressively higher peaks. As we hike a series of mountain ranges, we climb uphill, downhill, walk plateaus and climb higher peaks and so on.

It can be done if there is an unquenchable thirst for liberation/the truth/God/Self and so on. If you watch the full video, he covers some basic guidelines for practice — pick a schedule and stick with it pick a place and stick with it pick a practice and stick with it Try to cultivate truth, non-violence etc try to hangout with people who will support each other in the journey …and so on.

The use of "straw dog" seems to imply the ephemeral/mirage-like nature (therefore, akin to phrases used in Hindu texts often - "horns on a hare's head", or "child of a barren woman") of "reality" as we see it.

My studied observation and consequent summarization is as follows -- Anything that takes us away from our True Nature is wrong/bad. Anything that leads us towards our True Nature is right/good. Of course, there are progressive gradations within our everyday experiences that contribute towards our trajectory in life with regards to the realization of/Being our True Nature (either towards or away from). Within each gradation are "micro-actions/events/expressions" which too can be similarly considered as "Good/Bad or Right/Wrong". I belong to the school of thought that our human existence is solely for the purpose of Realizing and Being our True Nature.