forestofclarity

There is a pattern on this forum where some one says they've discovered the true path, most or all other paths are bunk. It often requires an initial investment, it is only open the select few, and promises to unlock various spiritual powers. There is typically some secret or series of secrets that this person or organization possesses that has been lost to the public. Some have gone further, claiming that all this would be proven in the upcoming years scientifically. An interesting point of comparison: if you replace internal work with financial knowledge, and superpower or mundane siddhi with wealth, it is almost exactly the same formula as American financial scams. It has also been adopted to spiritual schemes--- there was one well-known scam online following this almost exactly from a person pretending to be "the real" Jed McKenna. I would also point out that some one sitting on $50,000 is either an investment expert like Warren Buffet, extremely wealthy, and/or hasn't realized the value of proper investment, IMO. A lot of people who have paid these do not strike me as financially savvy individuals.

Not to mention a thread dedicated to defining what one of these terms means. My impression is that people are all over the place, which leads to a lot of confusion and arguments.

Welcome back. Fitting name? ☠️

My advice would be to see how the teacher embodies awareness, kindness, compassion, joy for others and equanimity, and if the teaching tends to develop these qualities in my body-mind, even incrementally. If so, that is the right way to go. Trust the process, and let it unfold. I've tended to let go of teachings when I've found that they foster greed, ignorance, or hatred. Are these things measurable? Actually, yes, and the evidence is sufficiently compelling that the people doing the measuring are showing up on more and more retreats.

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Some of the older neidan texts suggest that there may be different methods and results for different purposes. For instance, the Book of Balance and Harmony lists many different side paths and auxiliary techniques, Nathan Brine lists at least 9 lesser pills in Wang Liping's system, Eva Wong's translation of the Chung Lu Chuan Tao Chi indicates different methods and levels of immortality.

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It also clouds what is seen or allowed to manifest, IME.

Welcome to another edition of Thunderdome!

Granted, but the thread is currently locked for mod review.

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Your post is absolutely heartbreaking. I was going to write that sometimes people feel like they are visited in dream or a vision, so yes, I would think this is it. Sometimes it is just a sort of release in the heart. Please remember to have compassion for yourself as well. Much metta to you in this painful time. I would add that in addition to any practice, it is always ok to seek out grief therapy or other help as needed.

I don't think you have to do anything with it. Intentionally trying to guide or direct the energy is generally conducted by the ego-habits or acquired mind and will probably just distort it or give false ideas about what should happen in my opinion. Others may disagree. There is a time for effort, and a time for effortlessness. I share when I think it is appropriate. Most of my practice is Buddhist based.

A flaming swastika rotating counterclockwise in your abdomen. These are usually produced by a series of intentional techniques and/or visualizations, for example. An intense blast of energy spontaneously rising up your spine and shooting out of the top of your head followed by a non-dual experience.

Harder than most of us realize, I would wager. Conditioning runs very deep, impacting how we see, feel, sense, think, etc. As far as imagination, I'm surprised at how things unfold for people across traditions, and in people who have no knowledge about subtle bodies, qi, kundalini, etc. It seems to me to follow a pattern. Which makes sense, because the mind is the mind and reality is reality. What I am suspicious of are reports that are not universal. The more specific something is, the more likely in my view that it is individual and not based on a universal process.

Om Mani Padme Hung and chanting the name of Amitabha/ Amitofo are practices you can do without empowerment. Dedicate the merit to the departed.

I would think it would get simpler as it gets more refined. Complexity seems to be plunging into the 10,000 things.

The Book of Balance and Harmony, trans Cleary: See also the Taiyi Jinhua Zongzhi, aka in English, the Secret of the Golden Flower which is full of such references.

From Liu Yiming's Commentary on Wang Mu's Awakening to Reality: trans Pregadio: trans Cleary: This should sound familiar to Zen/Chan students.

No, my error. I cloned the wrong thing, sorry! Still adjusting to mod tech. Should be good now.

Same in Western alchemy, except in the West, external alchemy was focused on transform base metals into gold rather than immortality. The process was to revert matter into its primordial form, or hyle, and then form this in the philosophers stone. In internal alchemy, the primordial form is the union of male/female, or the hermaphrodite in some traditions. Of course, the West tends to be more externally focused, so this would make sense. IMO, these are not two different things from an inner point of view. IIRC, gold was considered to be an eternal metal, and the metal closest to God/heaven (it's been a while since I studied Western alchemy). So transmuting oneself from a base being to a divine one is essentially turning lead into gold.

Should be good to go. Let me know if there are issues.

It is interesting that the character dan also refers to the color red, which in Western alchemy is the earthward manifesting (i.e. rubedo) of pure heavenly energies. Purity is generally represented by gold. I wonder if there is a different meaning depending on whether one is cultivating health, longevity, spiritual power, or realization.