John Zen

durkhrod chogori says, in the thread Not to be the 100th guy... "Semen retention if you live in society is wrong. Ejaculate as often as your body tells you as long as you cultivate properly, but I will have advice you to have sex (if you possibly are able to) rather than non-partnered sex since you gain nothing out of it. Sex with the opposite sex will give you plenty of Yin energy." How can one hope to cultivate Qi while not practicing retention? Please discuss on what you think the relationship between Modern Day Society and True Semen Retention should be. Please indicate your level of experience with qigong/energy work/retention

Great post! Great, great, great!! Thank you!

There are approximately 100 billion neurons inside the skull of every human being. That means that there are 100 billion light bulbs, most of which are firing in every instant of every day. 100 billion lamps that turn on every single time we think a thought; every time we sing a song to our self, and every time we recall a memory; when a fragrance reminds us of an associated feeling, and every second of every hour of every day we spend day-dreaming, visualizing what does not exist. Sometimes these lamps, upon their lighting, make us feel emotions. Our endocrine system creates hormones, our circulatory system pumps them, our respiratory system works harder to facilitate this function, and it all originates from one thought, one association, or one lamp lighting which activates the chain reaction of a billion more. There are approximately 100 billion lamps inside the skull of every human being, and each and every one is connected to every cell in our body, and also to every external object that comes into our lives through the 5 senses and common experience. ====== Now, you would be truly amazed to see what happens when you learn how to quiet your mind, and through this elevated consciousness, come to understand the benefits of turning off those un-necessary lamps. You would be amazed because you cannot really contemplate just how much energy is required to light 100 billion lamps, nor can you understand how the body, mind, and spirit begins to naturally and automatically use this extra energy for higher purposes.

Be careful. Samael Aun Weor's Gnosticism deals in absolutes. And if Obi-wan ever taught me anything, it's that only a sith deals in absolutes "It is absolutely wrong to ejaculate or reach orgasm", "You are doomed to eternity in hell so long as you continue to ejaculate". I'm paraphrasing, but only a little bit, which is the scary thing. I do believe, though, that great spiritual advances can be made through sex, karezza, and tantra, however. Be careful, though.

"The system broke down" ??

The Ego becomes sad and depressed when it realizes that it's not the most important thing anymore. True happiness comes only from having a positive attitude and doing good to others. This is a drive that comes from the divinity inside of you, your higher self. Not everyone develops this, and it can't live side by side with the Ego. Basically, your higher self wants to come out, but it needs to push the Ego out of the way. It is natural for the Ego to experience some pain and attachment as it gets pushed out the door. The Dark Night of the Soul will fade away like the night gives way to the morning. A strong light develops slowly like the sun rises in the morning -- slowly.

Seth, How long do you hold the locks before exhalations?

While you are answering questions, I have a couple 1. How does sexuality relate with Kundalini? Does it require abstinence? "Sexual Alchemy"? If not required, do they help? None of the above? 2. I've never had an awakening experience, but I desire it. Is there an effective method you would suggest? How long does it take? Namaste John Zen

No, don't do it, absolutely not. Salvia is a hallucinogen. You smoke it, and will experience visions. I tried it once, and this was my experience. I lost all motor control, I was standing when I smoked it, then I grabbed a tree, swung around, and fell on the ground. As quickly as it started, it was over. It wore off after a couple minutes, then 30 minutes later it was as if it never happened. Sitting in meditation will likely have no effect on your experience. If you want a psychedelic meditative experience, try Cannabis. You will at least have control over your musculoskeletal system.

Further evidence that Enlightenment is an attitude: How you choose to look at objective reality affects your subjective experience.

"Breathe in deeply and fast through your nose" You mean one deep fast inhalation and then let it out slowly? Or do you mean breathe deeply, rapidly, for an amount of time, and then let it go slowly after several "reps" ?

Any Bums have some experience with Tantra? Even if not, have any good book recommendations? The topic has sparked my interest. I'm concerned with understanding exactly what it's about. That is, what is the purpose? What are the methods? What are the outcomes of practice? Namaste JZ

Enlightenment is an Attitude A post I wrote a little ways back. I think it fits with this quote.

Yes, I agree. The theory is this: -Population, and therefore Demand for Oil, rises exponentially. -The only thing keeping Oil prices steady, all other things equal, is when Oil Supply rises at the exact same rate as Oil Demand. - As soon as Oil Supply begins to slow down, prices will skyrocket. Supply has been growing at an accelerated rate. In fact, Supply can still grow, just at a decelerated rate, and prices will still skyrocket. Even if this is not the case, Oil will run out, or become VERY scarce, within the next 50 years, COMPLETELY changing Civilization as we know it...

What is the difference?

I average about 1 Lucid Dream per month. Good work, everything. For me, whenever I catch myself day-dreaming, I will just tell myself: "Nick, you're dreaming". The trick is that I'm day-dreaming a lot of the time, and it's not always easy to remember to tell myself that I'm dreaming.

You seem to be placing value on memories. Memories are good because they are experiences of prior experience. You experience joy from recalling your marriage, for example, but it's nothing compared to the joy of the actual marriage. The experience itself that creates the memory is infinitely more valuable than the memory, because without the experience there is no memory. So I don't know why you think it is a problem that you not remember good experiences, when the good experiences themselves hold all the inherent value... This life becomes, then, infinitely more important when you believe that there is no afterlife! When you know that this experience of life is all you get, you immediately gain incentive to maximize your happiness inside of it. I'm sorry if I cannot explain it better -- it is just something that you have to accept to understand. I don't care if I recall any of this. I experience it every day. When I die, the pleasant experience will be gone, so I may as well maximize my pleasure and eliminate my suffering while I'm here. Ataraxia, it is called.

In response to my statement: "I think that consciousness requires a brain." I say that because there is not anyone who has ever existed that can tell us about their consciousness before their brain had developed. Mind requires matter, that's just my experience.

I've realized this, more and more, as I start to observe my life. I have been sort of chasing enlightenment for some 4 years. I was always a perfectionist. I wanted to be the fastest, the smartest, the best. I left Catholic High School, a single-minded environment where I was fed Dogma and Doctrine day after day, and took an introductory Philosophy class in a liberal, secular institution, where I was introduced to Spinozism and Pantheism. It clicked for me: "Anything that God created must have existed already, because nothing comes from nothing. Something cannot come from nothing. All of this stuff must be God". I discovered Epicurus: "Is God willing but not able to prevent the evil in the world? Then why call him omnipotent. Is he able but not willing? Then why call him benevolent?. Is he neither able nor willing? Then Why call him God?". My conceptions were turned upside down. I became Athiest. If I was to be Catholic, it was going to be because I rationally came to that decision. I would not rationalize why I was Catholic. I began searching. Pantheism and Monism were intriguing, but they did not offer answers. I wanted to be Enlightened like the Buddha. I wanted to be wise. I wanted psychic powers. So over the past 4 years I have been meditating. But I was still convinced there was some sort of secret that the ancient sages knew that I was left out of. I thought that the Bible and its myths were some code for a more esoteric doctrine that only the rich or initiated knew. Samael Aun Weor says that the myths represent the truth that coitus reservatus (karezza; sex without ejaculation/orgasm) provided fuel for the solar astral body, and that with enough time, astral projection, lucid dreaming, and a developed astral body will lead to salvation. Similar to Mantak Chia's "immortal fetus". This all sounded so right to me. The stories in the bible felt so right with his theories. All of Jesus' parables seemed to represent this hypothesis. It integrated East and West. I was convinced that enlightenment required this rigorous, scientific, self-denying approach. If I just give up orgasm, I will be able to travel around in my dreams for what seems like hours every night and have all sorts of desirable psychic powers. But then I began to think. Even random songs on the radio seem to echo the "truth" of sexual alchemy. The Lord of the Rings can be interpreted in light of sexual alchemy. S.A.W.s "Gnosticism" is like Freud's Psycho-Analysis. Really, anything can be interpreted in terms of Sexuality. It's not that hard to do. It is possible that I am just gullible, and this self-proclaimed "Master" is just another guy who was born with an uncanny ability to "astral project". He thinks that it is a holy ability, and now I think he's just wired different. Because what really is the benefit of Lucid Dreaming and Astral Projection? It's a little virtual reality for a few minutes a night. Enlightenment isn't having powers. Enlightenment is an attitude. It is seeing the world objectively. I walk now through my college campus and see all the beautiful trees and flowers and all of the healthy, energetic people walking in harmony, and I think "this experience is perfect. It is as heaven". Yeah, there are car accidents and death, and bad weather. How will you react to these negatives? How much will you appreciate the neutral moments? How will you celebrate the positive ones? How you react to the negatives, neutrals, and positives: this to me is the measure of enlightenment. And Love, as Jesus taught, is the attitude. Cheer in bad times, appreciation in neutral times, and ecstasy in positive times are all manifestations of love. Meditation has helped me immensely get closer to this attitude. Meditation is developing the Stillness/Silence/Peace that exists always within me. So when I find myself in tough or uncomfortable times, I can retreat to this place that I know is always there. When I find that I have come into incredible luck, I am thankful, but I attach to the success less, I grip it less tightly. I even out the highs and the lows, and achieve emotional stability. Qi Gong, Tai Chi, Chakra Meditation, Yoga, these are all good things, yes, and I try them here and there. I think that they are sort of ways to augment meditation. Maybe some of these things will lead to a Kundalini Awakening which opens up the third eye and gives you a spiritual experience. But in the end, the experience is transitory. The ecstasy ends. You can have Chi flowing all over the place, or you can raise your Kundalini every day, but it means nothing for your spiritual advancement unless you use that experience to better your interactions with other people. How you take that experience and apply it to every-day life is the key. Kundalini or Astral Projection or Sexual Alchemy are all terms that are associated with "enlightenment", and maybe they are. But if they are, it is only because these experiences most dramatically change your attitude. Out of Body Experiences seem to increase a sense of spiritual connection to the cosmos, and consequently to other people. I guess my point is that all of these "advanced esoteric" practices/experiences are not enlightenment themselves. They are usually responsible for jump-starting and catalyzing an attitude change; but they are not necessary for enlightenment when the slow metamorphosis of Meditation takes a practitioner to the exact same end. "Happily ever after" is the end. Happiness in good times and in bad. Someone strikes you on the cheek? Give them the other, because nothing can hurt you. Your skin can be bruised, but your emotions are immune. If you can reach that point, whether you need years of sexual alchemy, kundalini yoga practice, or just plain meditation to reach it, you are enlightened. There is no, one, secret formula. And that is a very liberating thought for me. I hope it is for you. Namaste

I think that when you die, you go back to the place you were before you were born: Oblivion! I think this because consciousness requires a brain. It'd be easy to think that you go to heaven when you die. It's easy to believe, because it's what you want to believe. But when you reach a point where you look at things rationally instead of rationalizing the way you look at things, you will understand why heaven is a silly idea. That's why it's so important to live a full and happy life!

I don't think this is an accurate portrayal of Buddhism, though. Buddhist's aim to have detached emotions. Not to detach themselves from the world. That's how I see it anyways...

I agree completely. Meditation (Or Kundalini or Yoga or whatever) are not the only means. Simply deciding to change your attitude and deciding to love will get you there too.

Thank you for the kind words CowTao.

No, I do not want to escape. If some stroke of ill fortune just hits me suddenly, I more just aim to remember the peace that I've found through meditation. I don't need to leave the moment, in fact I try to get more inside of the moment. Leaving the moment is what causes the pain (you begin thinking and thinking and thinking about all the ways that this bad luck erases your past work or makes the future less desirable now). Escaping is not how I try to cope. But sometimes I still do. I'm not claiming to be enlightened. Sometimes I will just escape the moment. I aim not to, and meditation will help me do that more easily...

LOL