Creation

I have begun to read this. I know Tamil speaking Hindus and this whole Agamas vs. Vedas has never come up in our religion discussions. This is a very polemic piece, giving the impression of exaggerating the A vs. V issue to get the point across. Of course, I do not know if how authoritative its author is. Of course, all that I have studied and all the practicing Hindus that I know could be completely wrong... It is clear that Vedic Brahminism became quite corrupt, a like a club whose notions of self importance lead to self-preservation by rejecting anything that made them feel threatened (Westerners certainly have this in their religious history as well). It is also clear enough that modern Hinduism has little to do with the four Vedas, but throwing out the Upanishads, Puranas, Mahabharata, Ramayana, etc. as extraneous and inferior as well? I can't give an authoritative POV on this issue, just trying to help out based on my limited understanding.

Thanks for the info and the video Spectrum! I have always fancied the idea of studying Natya, as dancing is one of my favorite pastimes. I'm glad to know its still alive and well. I was under the impression that devadasis were becoming prostitutes a few centuries before the British colonized India. Something about the economics and politics of running temples... But I am aware that at no point were not all of them were engaged in such a profession, and it was not the norm everywhere. Most enlightened beings have been called that at one point or another.

There really isn't any such thing as "Hinduism" per say. The range of beliefs and practices is contains something similar to just about every other religion in the world. Monotheism, polytheism, pantheism, non-theism; ritual, mysticism, analytical philosophy; physical and mental cultivation disciplines; religion for the masses, religion for the very dedicated; etc. etc. The common thread is association with some aspect of the Vedic religion of 3000+ years ago, passed down through tradition and the written Vedas. In most if not all manifestations, there is some conception of the true self (atman), karma and reincarnation, higher spiritual beings (devas), law or duty (dharma), the absolute (brahman), and union with the absolute (yoga),. But like I said, the range of views about these things and related practices are just about as varied as you will see anywhere. Actually, the common threads are more cultural than anything else. I think one scholar one said something like "Hinduism is inseparable from Indian culture." This school is perhaps the most similar to Taoism, when stripped of all the cultural baggage that comes with it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raja_Yoga

The only reason this is occurring is because Mr. Semple had a full Kundalini awakening by practicing the method he extracted from SofGF. He met Gopi Krishna, who confirmed this. But your questions are indeed the ones that beg to be answered. Also, I second all of mikaelz's questions. My reply to our esteemed guest is on it's way, but that will take time to formulate. I am rather ecstatic that we are actually getting to chat with JJ Semple on here.

Hindu tradition is serious into dance. Now you see it in Bollywood movies and whatnot, but classically dance was a very advanced form of yoga. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Natya_Yoga I don't know if there are any pure lineages around today. After all, devadasis turned into glorified prostitutes; natya yoga could have met a similar fate. But if it traces back to Narada Muni, it was the real shit once upon a time.

Thanks for the contribution, April. And thank you for helping Mr. Semple bring his message to the world. I often contemplate how, when I post on this forum, I'll never know who might read it and what effect it might have. The internet is an amazing communication tool, for good or ill. While I had entertained the idea that Mr. Semple would somehow or another come across my query, I certainly did not expect it. And yet, a reply came. How 'bout them apples? As Mr. Semple so kindly offered to answer questions about his work, please pass this along to him. Mr. Semple, My apologies about the reversing the light confusion. In my ignorance, I assumed that was the same as the, "reversing the flow", which you say is the key element of your technique, correct? I understand the linguistic difficulties inherent in such dialogue, especially in an internet forum such as this one where people of widely varying backgrounds and ability levels attempt to communicate with each other about esoteric topics. In fact, this difficulty causes no end of trouble here on thetaobums.com. My primary question to you is this: You say your method is "voluntary, safe, permanent, repeatable". Regarding repeatability, have you guided anyone other than yourself through this process? Regarding safety, did they have the same hellish experience that you did for the period that the Kundalini was traveling up the spine? Do you have methods for reducing the difficulty and pain of the experience? I also have some other questions, but answering them will no doubt bring up the aforementioned communication difficulties. Answer them as you see fit, or not at all. First, what do you find is the relationship between Kundalini and sexual energy? After all, there are Taoist methods of sublimation that do not necessarily involve a snake in the sacrum uncoiling up the spine, or anything even close. Some speak of two stages of Kundalini. First, one of "awakening", where sexual energy is sublimated from the genitals/perineum/tailbone to the crown, perhaps intentionally, perhaps spontaneously. Second, "full arousal" where the snake uncoils from the sacrum up the spine, which happens spontaneously, though there are methods of reducing the time it takes to begin and progress. Does your method have these stages? Or are the sublimating and the Kundalini arousal completely intertwined? Last, how do you consider Kundalini to be related to ordinary prana/chi, which is always flowing? These are questions that continually come up around here, where Taoist cultivators don't have anything like Kundalini on their path, or at least it is hidden under some other name and with other baggage, and the Taoists here are either not advanced enough or unwilling to pick it out. So I ask for the benefit of all the curious Taoists here who are too deep into their own practices to seek Kundalini specific practices. A good idea of target audience could be those who have some experience with chi, opening the energy channels, and sublimation of sexual vitality into energy, but not Kundalini arousal as described by the Yogis. If you decide that experience is essential and these questions cannot be answered properly in the present context I would completely understand. I know that practical experience is necessary for true understanding, and I am presently learning and practicing a method of Kundalini awakening, though of course I am very curious how you would reply. Thank you for your time and consideration. Your memoir is enthralling and informative, and I am very grateful for your efforts to share your knowledge with the world. With best regards, Tyler Jones

I'm glad that you brought this up. I often feel like a black sheep for having the wildly varied interests that I do. Notice the opposites that coexist on this list: Speak and be silent, move and be still; create, preserve, and destroy. A time and a place for all things under the sun. It is indeed quite curious that the logical/mathematical ability is absent from this list. At one time, Chinese mathematics was far beyond Hellenistic mathematics, except perhaps in geometry. But the Greeks valued mathematics as they did because it was the prime example of the power of abstraction and pure logic/reason. The idea of necessary deduction from axioms did not develop in China, to my knowledge. Anyone know otherwise? Am I alone in thinking this is a profound cultural difference? Xusheng, I agree that compassion is very important, but this is a list of skills. On a list of virtues, compassion should be right up there with humility, patients, self-restraint, and truthfulness. Off the top of my head, I think that's a good "five excellent virtues".

Hi Cat. Your experience raises some queries. What made you think they were on a recruitment drive? Did they try to communicate with you? What made you feel the need to tell them to go away? Just that you didn't want to be bothered anymore? What do you think the Kunlun spirits wanted? Did you want them to leave you alone too? Sorry if any of these questions are too personal. I am curious because the little experience I have with spirits is enough to know that I am clueless, and I'm afraid of doing something stupid. And there are plenty of spirits around that are up to no good.

I'm fairly certain Chris said a while back that it didn't matter too much which hand was on top. I don't have the patience to dig through the thousand and one Kunlun threads and post the link though But the upshot was that the point is to get the energy going and then let the body do whatever, not clinging to any hand positions. And either way works to get the energy going.

I'm not so sure about this. Have you read KAP founder Glenn Morris' description of his kundalini awakening? It certainly does not sound like ordinary prana/chi. Check it out: http://books.google.com/books?id=_meUf86FO...tcover#PPA29,M1

"Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face, stars to fill my dream I am a traveler of both time and space, to be where I have been To sit with elders of the gentle race, this world has seldom seen They talk of days for which they sit and wait, all will be revealed ... Oh, father of the four winds, fill my sails, across the sea of years With no provision but an open face, along the straits of fear" Have fun with your new toy teopakees!

Same here yinyang. Welcome and best of luck. Try not to get too distracted Regards, Tyler

Welcome to the Tao Bums, Michael. Enjoy your stay! If you didn't already know, Santiago Dobles, the guy Dr. Morris passed the KAP torch to, posts here under the name Vajrasattva. Best wishes, Tyler

Hi gossamer. What Yijing translations do you/your "Dao is Open" friend reccomend? Thanks, Tyler

Hi teopakees. How about us posting here at exactly the same time? Right when I clicked post the forum said mine was not the latest post in this thread. Synchronicity? I'm very glad to see a Jewish perspective on this site. That's not something I have gotten too deep into, other than reading a fair amount of the Tanakh in translation. Since you have quoted a him a couple times, do you follow Lord Yeshuah? If so, merry (late) Christmas. Best regards, Tyler p.s. You are welcome for the post on the quantum. I'm always eager to clear up the confusions I that I perceived being caused by the popular science media.

Truth or falsity of propositions is not the only thing at stake here. People have a lot of beliefs about the way things are and the way things should be coming from their parents, friends, cultural patterns, personality, etc. that are not reducible to x is true/false or right/wrong or good/bad. These are mental filters and obstacles that block our vision at least as much as creedal propositions. May I suggest that ancient scriptures written by wise and holy men are a great way to unmask these parts of yourself, if you let them, and don't make things about cut and dry information? The Bible, Bhagavad Gita, etc. can be just as spiritually illuminating as the Dao De Jing, if you approach them in the right way.

I think this is from 2005. That's when his book that he is basically giving a synopsis of came out. Kaku's book Hyperspace was how I discovered the discipline of pure mathematics, which I have spent the past 10 years studying. So I am in his debt. But... Data from WMAP DOES NOT prove the multiverse theory. To say so is incredible hubris. It doesn't even suggest it, unless you are groping for something to fit your theory. But that still doesn't get anywhere near proof. Perhaps that is because there is no complete and consistent mathematical model that you can extract numerical predictions from contain the multiverse idea to prove in the first place! It is painful for me to hear such things. This is all speculative. He repeatedly says, "Some of us believe...". This is a bunch of guys extrapolating highly speculative models to the very little they can infer about the depths of space-time from a little data collected from our out of the way dust speck of a solar system interpreted through other speculative (though less so) models. And the result is they are coming up with philosophical/mystical ideas that people have been bouncing around for millennia and calling it revolutionary. For example, in the cosmological model of the Bhagavata Purana, there are countless independent universes coming from the body of Maha-Vishnu, each one with countless inhabited planets. Needless to say, I am not pleased with the state of modern cosmology and how it is passed off as science. The interviewer's last question is very pertinent, and Mr. Kaku's response completely sidesteps the issue for the above reasons. But seriously, sorry if I come off as grumpy.

Oftentimes, when you let your upset out and get majorly schooled for it, you learn your lesson better. It really gets the point across. But it's not fun at all. I think that happened here. I also think that a lot of people have learned some lessons just by witnessing this affair. I sure have. Much respect to you, gossamer, for being man enough to apologize publicly. I have appreciated your posts in the past, but do what you have to do. Much respect to you, Mak Tin Si, for being so patient and gracious in sharing your knowledge with us.

"Dark night of the soul" has become a general term for any difficult phase of the spiritual journey. As such, many people have many types of experiences from following many traditions that they could refer to by this name. I haven't had the chance to look into Ingram's stuff yet to see what he is really talking about. It looks great and I will get around to it sooner or later. As far as the Christian sense of the term, the dark night is an experience of "aridity" on the emotional and mental levels. All your old patterns of though and feeling "dry up" and leave you feeling empty and hollow. Most pertinently, you feel very distant from God, usually after a period of feeling close to Him, and you don't quite know what to make of it. You thought you were doing well on your spiritual path, but the rug has been pulled out from under you, and all you previously did of a spiritual or devotional nature, what you thought was the most important part of your life, no longer "does anything" for you. The explanation being this: The spiritual aspirant begins to understand on a deep level that God is beyond all our mental and emotional states, our naming and categorizing, and the limited conceptions of our finite human minds. He or she begins to relate to God on the level of spirit, and at first this is extremely uncomfortable. When the aspirant comes out on the other end, relationship to God is rooted on a deeper level than mundane consciousness (the "soul" or "psyche"), instead it is firmly rooted in spirit. Only then can true divine love and bliss occur. Everything before that was a signpost at best, and a delusion at worst. Yet even in this more technical sense, the dark night of the soul is a necessary and important stage of any spiritual path, although it may not be phrased in terms of relationship with God. It is detaching from the ego and the constructs of the mind and the senses to arrive at a higher, deeper, transcendental base for one's being. And in all traditions it is considered a painful period and a great obstacle to be overcome. For an inspiring read, check out the anything by Thomas Merton. He was a Christian monk who immersed himself in Taoism and Zen as well as the Christian contemplative tradition.

Welcome to the Tao Bums! Thanks for the much needed review. I had hoped I could provide it but it didn't work out. So I am glad someone else stepped up. I'm glad the workshop was so positive for you. I hope I get to go to one soon. Regards, Tyler

Yes. When I said "real people" etc. I meant "realistic".

I loved the book and I hope you do too. The characters are very human and multidimensional, and there is a good selection of events that play out to motivate and illustrate the teachings. It makes the teaching real: real people having real problems being counseled by a great sage. A very fresh and inspiring presentation of the Tao Te Ching. He must have some students with literary talent. If you've seen his videos, you'll know his English is passable, but not great. But in the book action, suspense, humor, irony and more are all conveyed with excellent style. Much better writing than another book with the same type of premise, The Celestine Prophecy. A particularly memorable scene (that won't be spoiling anything for me to tell ) is when Laotzu travels to the town market. Rumor has spread about his incredible wisdom and power, so he everyone from prostitutes to martial artists try to sell him their products claiming "These secret arts were taught to me by Laotzu himself," not knowing who they are speaking to. Classic! What a dead-on social commentary. Yeah, it's overpriced. A word to the wise: if you are patient, amazon.com will put it on sale. I got mine for 30% off. Great material, and it is self published, so if you have the money to spare it is very worthwhile. His DVDs are another story. The teaching is good, but $50 for an hour long DVD that looks like it was burned off someone's desktop? I find that questionable. As far as Nine Nights is concerned, just thinking about it makes me want to re-read it. I liked it that much.

This whole back and forth about Max and Kunlun is teaching me a lot about the proper place of mental/rational faculties in understanding "the truth" of something. But Chris' direct statement here really crystallized it for me. Chris, First of all thank you for your tireless work in helping people on this forum with their Kunlun practice. Even when that means dealing with the same crap over and over again. Second, I would like point something out from my experience. Take it or leave it. Although I am about equally right and left brained, I am usually using one or the other at any given time. And which one is determined by context. For example, when reading the History chapter of the Kunlun book, I found that the first paragraph reads like it is straight out of a history textbook. The rest not so much, but because of that first paragraph I was in left-brained mode the rest for the rest of the chapter. So perhaps changing the feel of that paragraph in a future edition, should you choose to make one, would help people not take everything so literally. Regardless, I really appreciate your clarification. I reread the chapter in the new light and it was wonderful! I love stories that use symbols to convey profound truths on a level deeper than the rational mind. But at my present level I have to have some inclination that they are there to be open to them.