Vajrahridaya

Yup, that's because they don't study the texts, or study the Precious Vase at all. It's really wow! "Ok, you've been involved with Rinpoche for 20 years and you haven't even read his precious vase?" Well... I don't want to judge them really, as everyone has their process. But, it's really sad when people don't even read the teachings of the teacher they claim to be awakened by. When I remembered my Shaktipat experience after forgetting it for 7 years at the age of 20, I read every single Swami Muktananda book and Gurumayi book available and not available anymore, as well as every single book I could get my hands on from other traditions as well as saints of my tradition at the time. I really wanted to understand this awakening experience and the process that others went through no matter the tradition. I've always felt that the process of progress is unique and individual. Even if it's instantaneous, that's because of the gradual process of graduating degrees. The depth the person has given them-self to their path of contemplation over lifetimes in order for the conjunction of open karma and contact with a Siddha to make that huge quantum leap in personal evolution, or returning if you prefer that paradigm of conceptualizing?

He already went to a doctor. Maybe not a Cardiologist though?

What Scotty said is good advice. But, to go out on a limb here since I have experienced the exact same thing... I do feel that it's trapped emotions, pain, sadness and such that you are becoming aware of, basically all that pivots upon fear. If you can clear your heart consciousness, your emotions through practice, I feel this will go away, as this is my experience. I do also recommend some sort of energy or acupuncture healing, of which I have done both with successful outcome.

Oh man... I woke up my wife laughing... she's like, "shut up!"

Highest Yoga Tantra by Daniel Cozort is the one that I read. But, there might be better out there as this one was pretty dry, even though it related the information seemingly accurate as far as I can tell and comes highly recommended. There might be versions that are less dry scholarly out there. Anyway, it's basically all HYT stuff, or Highest Yoga Tantra, so you can do an Amazon search on that and check out what it pops up? Vajra Love/Keith Dowman You might be able to get some idea through the poetic renderings of Keith Dowmans' translations of sexual tantra poetry maybe? I found them inspiring myself. Here's a taste...

Seth. Actually, when you turn the juices back into spiritual energy, this is what happens, and yes, it feels like your spine is drinking your orgasm, and it hits your brain and fills it with this beautiful elixir. I actually learned this through masturbation first quite intentionally through reading some Highest Yoga Tantra texts before implementing it with a partner. This got super intense as she also is a Tantric practitioner with deep experience. We had incredible experiences together, like seeing into star clusters, her drinking blue light from my Ajna Chakra while simultaneously orgasming while recycling the energy through each other and consciously offering it to all sentient beings. We're no longer together though. Hmmm.

No freakin' doubt bro... no doubt at all. :lol:

Oh lordy... yeah. Believe me, I understand. You have to go through all your inner trauma. This is why it's exceedingly important in my opinion to have it awakened by a living master who knows techniques and has awareness that is deeply subtle and thus can help control it's intensity. I'm telling you, there is nothing like having a really wonderful guide who can come to you in your meditations, your dreams, and even talk to you on a psychic plain and give you guidance that is deeply necessary when traveling the intense path of spiritual cultivation. I even have my Rinpoche's email if necessary. LOL! I do hear you though... It can get crazy when you start seeing multi-dimensionally.

No, this is specifically referencing deep illumination within the unconscious. It's not any ol' illumined object, it's the vast reservoir of hidden potential hidden for endless lifetimes deep within the formless realms experienced in deeper states of meditation. It's not just seeing a past life or two. It has everything to do with that energy, though not necessarily named kundalini in different traditions. It of course gets stronger when it's deeper, it's a feeling. I really don't think that you've ever experienced kundalini GIH. Wattage is very applicable buddy. It's quite electric! Because it's not just awareness, it's illuminating all sorts of subtle processes. Like I said, it's vastly more complicated than my little nutshell of a statement. It does lots to the prana, the over all energy within all it's different ways it manifests through a person, mental capacity is brightened, sexual capacity is deepened. The wattage or energy a person gives off in general is increased due to the depth the awareness now arises from within all being in each moment is referencing a vaster amount of information, far beyond the mundane. That's because I don't think you are reading my post with any openness, as usual. I assure you, Buddhism has changed my view immensely my dear, immensely. As well as my experience of kundalini.

I feel that it's the "light" of awareness illuminating unconscious potential. For instance when a saint with deep awareness, a person who has illumined their own unconscious and made it conscious comes in contact with another person, they are able to connect to another on that level they have illumined within them self. If they have the ability to control the wattage of that powerful awareness, they can awaken through this light of awareness the hidden, unconscious potential in another person, thus "shaktipat." Basically, they illumine your closet and through penetrative awareness they take you there as well as your awareness follows that space made by them within you, starting your process and so all those hidden karmas start coming to the surface. Of course to be receptive to this as well takes some cracks in your own karmic shell that are congruently connected with the particular saint you come into contact with, otherwise... you won't experience the saint's saintliness or your own in their presence. You might even experience all your negativity hit you in the face and you might even blame the saint for it. When a person does intense practice, they bring awareness into their own unconscious and thus illumine their own hidden potential, starting the process of seemingly automatic unraveling. It's the same way that the Buddhists say the big bang happens. The dormant potential left over from the last universe after the big crunch of it, gets churned by the awareness of the first born beings, known in many religions as the "gods" or "god" who have the merit to be first born and have first sentience (self awareness) in this universe, and... bang! The universe starts it's churning from subtle energy dimensions into physical energy dimensions. It's of course a lot more complicated than this, with all the different ways awareness can illumine the unconscious and how each individual has a unique closet of hidden potential, but I think that's the nutshell. My ideas about Kundalini being an independently intelligent entity does not exist anymore after coming to understand the Buddhas teaching. So, I don't see kundalini in the same light as I used to. I think there is a much subtler process going on that one can become aware of rather than using the excuse, "it's her will", or "it's gods will." Indeed!

Yes, devotion, surrender and discipline is the way.

I've read the book about 3 to 4 times from beginning to end and attended many study courses on it. It was my bible for a while there. His kriyas were blissful unless he was having some psychological issues of confusion concerning what was happening, which were alleviated through study. He said the eye rolling was very painful though. He had many physical responses that were intense, like automatic yoga postures and what not. But, he didn't experience the psychosis, demon possession, evil voices, seeing shadow monsters, nightmares, etc. His experiences were intense but encased in bliss, love and devotion for his Guru. His awakening was not only initiated by a great Master but guided by it as well, step by step.

Yup, not merely a concept for me.

Horrendous? Where was it horrendous? He just had some trials. His Guru told him not to eat mangos for a little while even while he had to sit under a mango tree that was next to his hut. He had an issue with the shakti dancing suggestively in front of him as a women in a meditation vision, with his penis growing to an enormous size and poking his belly button as he had just taken Sanyas. But then he went to another hut and found a book on tantra and kundalini and had this psychological worry he had about that alleviated. His eyes rolled to the back of his head and rolled around which he said hurt. He didn't really have all this craziness described in many of the Kundalini Syndrome stories or yours for that matter. He followed the command and guidance of his Guru.

Well, I think it can be part of someones process for a bit, you know, detached and blissful contemplation from a birds eye view. But... it's not the ideal in my opinion.

That's exactly correct. But, at the same time, when you can shine the light at a particularly dark, and deeply hurt person with intuition and empathy, they experience healing around you or are uplifted for that time being instead of pressured or stressed out which a lot of light can do for a dark closet that doesn't want to see itself.

I think the Vajrayana idea of illuminating re-birth, being conscious of it, and even having power over it for the sake of benefiting beings is a much subtler approach with much longer goals in mind concerning enlightened realization. As, what else are you going to do once you attain enlightenment and drop off your physical body? Go sit in a cloud all day and watching everything in detached bliss? I've taken that route, and it's not as integrated and full on enlightened in my opinion.

Yes, that's true! But, I do find that those that have it catalyzed through the wizardry and magic of a siddha/saint/master lineage have an easier time with it, and even a straight up blissful time with it. It is all karmic though. Yes, this is generally the Tibetan idea as well. But, there are those movements which can be considered signs of connecting to a Bodhisattva or Buddha dimension, like spontaneous mudras or yogic postures.

Well shucks.

Yes, I don't know if I can commit to a black or white view on this myself...

No, the same term wouldn't be used as the term denotes the experience of the energy. Not that the energy is different, but the way it is awakened, understood and practiced is different, thus the term associated with it's experience would be different. Yes, it's all due to karma and view, the handling is different, but the energy is not. One is still using the creative sexual force in Buddhism and transforming it from base physical creative essence into spiritual creative essence, just through a different and more conscious process IMO. Now some actually do experience this, but they don't treat it as a sign of God, like they do in Hinduism or some forms of Christianity where they speak in tongues and have these "Kriyas" as signs of "God". Now this teacher of the 17th Karmapa might never have seen this syndrome because it is very rare to happen in Buddhism due to it's more water like and spacious approach, starting with awareness, then moving to energy, instead of starting with energy and moving to awareness like it seems much of Hinduism does, though possibly not all? Exactly and it took me a long time to finally understand what he was talking about. I always took "Kriyas" as a sign of divine will due to my previous conditioning as a life long Hindu Theist. Yes, but the energy is not different, just how it's understood, treated, and utilized, as well as practiced is different. Just like for the most part, it is also different for a Taoist.

Yes, the handling of the entire spiritual process is different, as well as the energy of inner evolution towards complete liberation is different, because the idea of what exactly liberation is, is different for a Buddhist. For most theisms, it's merely peace and bliss, love and compassion, but these are just the 4 immeasurables or Brahmaviharas which cause one to be born into a Brahma or God realm/heaven/loka. The Buddhist definition of wisdom and the experience of this wisdom is unique to Buddhism due to the fact of the difference in world view and this leads to a difference in the handling of the process. Of course there is wisdom in all paths, but the insight of emptiness is unique and leads to different experiences and insights, as well as a different definition of what liberation/moksha/enlightenment is. Yes, Swami Satyananda Saraswati. He is of the same order of monks as Swami Muktananda and Swami Chidvilasananda (Gurumayi). The Saraswait order of monks, one of orders initiated by Shankaracharya. Swami Satyanandas' Guru was Swami Shivananda of which there are two historically popular ones in Indian spiritual history and both were great beings! I do agree with his approach as far as a Hindu approach goes. Swami Muktananda just gave Shaktipat whenever and wherever to whomever and he said that he couldn't even help it... He was in constant psychic communication with his passed on Guru sitting in Siddhaloka, which exists... I've been there. Anyway, he said that Nityananda kept saying to just let it flow and give it without end, that it was time on Earth for such a thing to happen. But he did teach genuine techniques and he knew what to teach to individuals in a way specific for each person in order to help ground them and calm the effects, which only works if you listen. Many, many did and plenty did not and have kundalini syndrome. Of the many that listened that I have meet and have done the practice for 30 to 40 years, they are very well integrated and deeply realized. I would not say totally enlightened as I don't agree that their view can lead to complete liberation. But, they are very saintly, though not always conventionally so. My mother is one such person. She has never had any problems with kundalini syndrome after surrendering to her chosen path and Guru. Because she lives a balanced life, follows the command of her Guru from Muktananda to Gurumayi, eats right, does her practices unfailingly every day, exercises and studies the texts... thus, she has only really experienced the fluffy, soft side of kundalini and is very deeply peaceful and wise due to the fact of her complete surrender to her path and her Gurus. This is not easy for most people of any hemisphere of origin. It wasn't easy for her either, but she did it... though it took a little while, about 5 or 7 years of fighting it. But, once she did commit... smooth sailing!

I felt that Irina's experience was more balanced than Gopi's due to the fact of having a Hindu/Sufi Master as a guide.

First of all, I think he's wrong about a couple of things. Plenty of Buddhist Masters do know about Kundalini and they call it Chundali (which I think is more in reference to the moon) and it is utilized in our path and has been for thousands of years. ChNNR has mentioned it. We just awaken it differently and go about the process differently, precisely in order to avoid this "Kundalini Syndrome" that happens in those with more theistic tendencies in their conscious or sub-conscious. The Buddhists call it something different and don't treat it with the same type of philosophical understanding as they don't consider it a source of all things and thus because experience depends upon view, they don't experience it as an all encompassing force that takes over their life. The entire view is different because of dependent origination and the intention of the practices are different due to understanding emptiness. If someone has a wild kundalini experience, it's due to latent karmas in the system, past lives, whatever and not really due to how we go about awakening in Buddhism. There are in fact plenty of masters that know how to treat these syndromes or "kriyas" and even Tibetan Medicine doctors know what to feed someone who has these experiences. They are not treated with the same type of "aw" as theists do, as they generally think it's proof of God or a divine source or will behind everything. Buddhists just see it as personal karma meeting light and they do things to calm it down. Lappon Namdrol spoke plenty about this with me during our 3 year arguments about the blatant and subtle differences between the Hindu and Buddhist approach to the theory and experience of enlightenment. Second of all, I think Adam is quite right when he say's that Buddhism handles the phenomena of spiritual awakening with more clarity and subtlety of approach. It just seems more balanced to me. Of course, this is merely my own experience and opinion. Everyone needs something that is uniquely fitted to them. Everyone has their karma and the best path is the one that meets the person where they are at in order to unravel a specific knot.

Yes, I am finding some of your contributions here worthwhile. Thank you for sharing instead of just picking on me.