ॐDominicusॐ

Considering the history of acupuncture and its ties with traditional chinese medicine including chi, meridians, chakras, dan tians, taoism, martial arts, etc... ......so considering all the ties, couldn't you technically open up all the dan tians, central channel, and hasten your Enlightenment through the use of hitting certain acupuncture points? I ask cause this has been popping up via intuition as a methodology that should technically work, plus I'm going in for a session for some lower back pain and was just reconsidering these ties all over again. What say you Bums?

What's up fellow Bums? Been busy w/ work, life, and practice, but I did promise a few months back based on another thread that I would interview a Christian Monk that I am friends with, in regards to Christianity being a legit Path into Enlightenment, Tao, Union w/ God, The Supreme State, Mu, whatever you want to call it. As far as I go, I have had various experiences practicing Christianity, various forms of Buddhism, Nonduality, Zen, Koans, Vedic Techniques, Kundalini Yoga, Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and am basically a Universalist for the most part, so I am not here to impart any bias one way or another. While he wished to remain anonymous because he is from a very strict and popular Monastery, he does mention some interesting things that many of his fellow "brothers" may not have agreed with. Hence the anonymity. Is Christianity basically working on Enlightenment, Absolute Truth, Tao, Supreme, State, etc? Basically what all the Other Eastern paths are teaching/working on? "Yes. If you look at Anapanasati as practiced in some parts of Buddhism, the point of the practice is to strengthen/realize Awareness itself, as well as what lies at the bottom of the breath(that's a little hint for you by the way since I know you're also working on this). That Awareness is the key to unlock the rest of the doors. When The Ego is detached from, you remain as Awareness, and then can merge with the Source of Awareness which is what everyone is working on, the Source being the same as what everyone is calling it by different names." How does the Christian access Awareness and Detachment from Ego? "There are a number of ways, but I will cover two of the most important. The first is the ritual of Baptism, which simply activates Grace. Once Grace comes over you, it is a direct experience and a living presence that indwells you from the top of your head and instantly gives you The Timeless Now, Transcendence, Detachment, Destroys the Ego, activated divine Love, and all that's left is you as Awareness devoid of everything else. Then just surrender and let go and you as Awareness will merge with the Source. There is then no more you to be found anywhere, but are also United with everything and everywhere at the same time. As far as the first part above goes, there may still remain some fragments/pieces of ego left over that continue to stir up. With that, we do the Jesus Prayer focused on the Heart area where the access to the Source is. By doing the Jesus Prayer on this specific area, several things are accomplished. The ego is not only busy with the prayer, but also awareness learns pure concentration while ignoring all other subconscious arisings. Eventually, Awareness realizes the Source of thought and enters into it. The place is a few inches to right of the Heart. With Awareness resting at the Source of thought, eventually the whole Ego/Subconscious mechanism is pulled at the root and only Spontaneous Union and Grace remain." Do many Monks reach these states that you speak of? "Of course not. As with all institutions, there are members at various levels of growth and realization. There are also various ego games, traps, arguments, politics, and some who never reach perfection. However, with many elders deep in various levels of the perfected state, they tend to oversee selflessly the rest of the flock, and many times their own infused energies of higher states are enough to get the beginners started on their own path." So there is such a thing as Infusing others with various activations that help them along? "Yes of course. When you are in close proximity with an Elder who is far on the stage of perfection, their own Awareness is so expanded, it literally has an effect on your own. That's what Halo's are in all the Spiritual paintings, not just in Christianity but also in Hindu-Vedic depictions and also those of Buddha himself. The Halo is just the inner Awareness that is you, prior to ego and body. It eventually expands beyond the head and many times you can see it on the elders." Are all those other Paths legit as well? Why did you choose Christianity instead of other paths? "There are many Universal similarities in all the paths. Detachment, Awareness, the Source, Discipline, Wisdom, Knowledge, and an Absolute Truth that can be experienced which is the prior underlying reality of all of reality. I tried various paths as a young man and college student and ended up staying with Christianity because the direct experiences and Grace came really fast for me. It took about a year of seriously getting into it that I started to experience ego death, the Now, Transcending all things (body, ideas, thoughts, self). Everything happened really fast through Grace. Some of the other paths I tried, I was getting experiences but they were at a snails pace. All that to say, I am not trying to discredit any of the other paths." Some people say Christianity is just a go-to-Church feel good about yourself singy songy wishy washy type of Religion where the majority of followers don't get any huge internal breakthrough's. "That happens with many paths. They eventually get watered down and become a facade of their former selves. Aren't various forms of hot-room Yoga's the hottest(pun intended) pop-forms of exercise in America these days? That's just one example. The actual Yoga (meaning Union, or to Unite with the Source) is a very advanced system of remaining Aware of the Body and Mind in the midst of various poses, all leading back to strengthening Awareness. One of the benefits of Yoga is that you may come across physical attributes that are tied to the workings of the Ego such as various physical knots or childhood traumas that can be released during certain stretches. Just as well, the channel that the Ego uses to take it's place as a veil over Awareness can also be opened during Yoga practice. So in essence, many of the Christian Monasteries, or even lay hermits, are genuinely working on inner planes through various degrees, techniques, practices, and Grace...all of which eventually lead to Tao, Source, God, Supreme, Absolute whatever you want to name the Nameless direct experience. Christianity has also become a watered down fast food western version of preaching, singing, and one hour a week of service. To really have breakthroughs, requires lengthy time spent in practice, detachment, prayer, meditation, etc. When Jesus went into the Desert for 40 days, that is something every Christian should do. 40 days in any retreat or wilderness will bring out the worst of the ego, the perfect opportunity to see that it isn't you and detach from it as Awareness." Did Christ exist and are his teachings real? "When Buddha said not to take his word for it and to see if what he says is true through direct experience, the same thing applies to the teachings of Christ. We put his teachings into practice and eventually start experiencing fascinating states directly for ourselves. You yourself are the experiment, the laboratory for testing to see what happens. When you start to experience the same things Christ taught, that tends to solidify his existence. Also, many Monks adore the Gospel of Thomas. If you read that Gospel, many of the sayings there are very Nondual sounding and tends to link back to everything else in the East. He speaks about alot about Oneness that is experiential" What about faith? I had a fellow argue with me that Christians have to use Faith and that since Faith is of the Ego, it's dealing with illusions of the mind "You only use faith for a little while, say agreeing to trust in, or have faith that this path may possibly take me where I want to go. Once you do experience the things you were looking for within and without, then there's no need for Faith because at that point there's no other choice then to directly live from direct experience of the Absolute. A person who tries any other path, you can say technically, is also using a form of Faith in it. If a person looks into Zen, and all of it makes logical, reasonable, and intuitive sense, well then they take the leap of faith(again technically speaking) and jump in head first. Scientists also have Faith in the Scientific method. However it's dated and based on physicality as a rule that has its own sets of rules and limits. One of those rules being that an experiment has to be replicated/repeatable. However, some experiments, by their very nature, can never be repeated. In that case they are tossed aside as anomalies, however those anomalies can also be legitimate things. Take for example this very moment right now. If there was a room full of scientists, they would clearly be able to observe and agree on this present moment, would agree it exists, would be able to record it, examine it, and pull up tons of data on it. However, once this moment is gone, that's it!!!! They can't ever reexamine it again or recreate it. So according to their own rules of the scientific method, reality itself is a anomaly. But I digress" What about Christ saying he's the only way? "Look at the context with which he's saying that. He's talking to a bunch of jews stuck in judaism, a path that does not lead to Enlightenment. Jewish Mysticism does start to touch on some of the subjects we have already discusses, but I'm talking about the normal Judaism of the day. Jesus is telling them to leave their dead ways and that his example and teachings are the only way to find what they are trying to find. It's basically a command in the heat of the moment. If you look at what his Way is, it's a combination of ego death, enlightenment, Grace, Love, empathy, compassion, Tao, Absolute, Supreme, etc. So anyone who is working towards that goal is already following his path. One of the factors of Christianity that is interesting that is not found that much in many other paths is that of Ego-Death through Grace by the Holy Spirit entering the top of the head and opening all the channels and illuminating Awareness, while detaching all else. I believe I've come across something similar in my studies of Kashmir Shaivism. Also some people claim that Kundalini is the Holy Spirit, however I'm not to sure about that as Kundalini tends to be from the perenium and up the spine to the crown, whereas the Holy Spirit enters the head and goes down tot he feet. I would have to brush up on my studies however by researching the word Grace and it's existence in all the other paths On many occasions here during various services, you can feel the Spirit moving around the grounds and rooms of the Monastery. It enters you when you least expect it and slays or burns off any remaining ego fragments and fills you with divine transcendent Love & Bliss as a replacement. " So the Christian Path is a legit path towards Enlightenment? "Why yes of course. I understand you intend to share this discussion with a few brothers and sisters that are Buddhists and of various other paths. If they are already deep in their practice and making headway, then good for them, as it is exactly what Christ was all about. The one thing I feel is necessary to say is that Eastern Christian practice as done in the Eastern Orthodox monasteries is a complete system from beginning to end. I say that, because I found early on that in many other paths, you can merge with the Source, however there still remain ego fragments and the whole of the subconscious stirring up constantly and causing troubles for the rest of one's life. In our school, through the Jesus prayer, all of that is eventually snuffed out and there is a completion stage of perfection where even the body is transformed and filled with light flowing through all the opened channels. So there's a start and there's and end and can all be done in this lifetime. Of course the rest of life remains as a practice of making available to others the energies and Union that is within you by going out to the world and sharing the Light" End Anyway, I have a lot more to the interview, but these main q&a's were the most interesting. As far as I go, all my interest in enlightenment, health, channels, tai chi, light body, ego death, and so forth he covered for me. Some things he mentioned, I have experienced through Christianity, while other things he mentioned to have been experiencing, I came across them after battles with koans, vipassanna, nondual inquiry, zazen, etc..... just wanted to put that out there cause I personally see it as a legit path equal to that of the others. But there were some folks on here adamant that it's all bull. I think the perspective of my Monk friend who has been in the depths for a good two decades know and also comes from a similar background of having studied and tried various paths, gives us a cool internal perspective. Enjoy!!!! (sorry for spelling as everything is transcribed and quickly typed from a telephone recording!!!!)

dawg, okay friend, you win. theres more to it than meets the eye, and its never how one thinks it is, so theres no point in saying anymore when a persons mind is made up via assumptions and the lack of openness to deeper possibility. Sending Love

Yes, I understand and have accessed portions of this within myself, however Zen Buddhism does not believe in or appropriate any identifications with a self which has karma, or causality. You seem to be implying there is still identity to which karma is attached to. Makes perfect sense to me, I experience, or have experienced, a number of these things off and on But you are not the subconscious, the anger, the greed, etc, etc...there is a "you" that is aware of these things, hence the subject which see's these, is not the object (seen). So by investigating what is this seer/subject/awareness, everything is transcended, body, ego, subconscious, and the Awareness/consciousness enters and merges with the source of Consciousness in the heart, and then eventually into the unborn/unmanifest beingness in the Belly. I'm speaking from direct experience of these things. When these things are accessed, the grace that comes from accessing them get rid of and pluck out greed, anger, etc......everything dies and falls away like being a newborn baby and having to relearn to function in the world again. There are 2 ways that I know of from direct experience. !.) Find the source of all thought, two inches to the right of the heart is a nadi/channel, that the mind/subconscious uses to arise from when the body awakens in the morning, and descends into when the body goes to sleep. If your focus and concentration skills are sharpened, you can access this "source of thought" and basically pull out the taproot of the the entire subconscious structure, and by the way, it doesn't take years of mantra to do so, there are quicker ways like just being aware of the mind and no longer identifying with any of it as "I" will reveal its source. The second way, is to enter the Central channel Susuhumna/Chong Mai, and into Heart/Source, or Beingness. the whole "you obviously don't meditate" thing, is a projection of your own mind. I've been at it for quite some time, and that phrase alone reveals some things about you, though I will try not to project and stay neutral. The fact is, Awareness is aware of the subconscious, and can literally sit there all day and not buy into any of it, even going days weeks without eating, thinking, talking, or identifying with it. That's the beauty of it. I've tried these "other ways" that don't have to do with mantra, and have experienced the same and similar things to you, remembering stuff from akashic, free access out of the body, peace, transcendence, no identity, I mean the list goes on for pages of the attributes and they are permanent. There is also a universal existential angst that only becomes unhinged when identification with the physical body ceases. WHen you no longer identify with the conscious/subconscious minds, there comes a period where the mind/complex-construct keeps trying to arise to find a place to "stick" to awareness, like it once did as a filter, but because there is no longer identification with it, it simply falls away and no longer returns, permanently. It is just clarity, like a cloudless thoughtless sky. To a variety of degrees yes, however it is not static, but completely dynamic, so what permanent states there were 3-7 years ago, are absolutely so much more, richer, clearer, more profound than ever, and the changes don't stop coming. There are even channels getting purged within the body, via light, which brings me to my next point. Many of the Taoists say, what's the use of cultivating conscious enlightenment if the body hasn't been cultivated, or cultivating the body if consciousness hasn't been. Are your channels opening and becoming purged/emptied? that's not what I'm saying. A monastery lifestyle, away from everything/everyone is probably the best way to go about the "mantra method". Doing so with a 40 hour work week, a gf/wife, responsibilities, yard work, distraction, etc you're lucky if you get 2-4 hours a day for practice. That's why some of the other approaches, like no longer identifying with ego/mind/subconscious/body is better for actice folks because they can apply that to ever activity of cultivating the sense that there is no "doer" in any action. when I started meditating, I had the attitude that I would give it a try, to see if I made any progress, I came to Thailand and found the best monastery and teacher that I could find… and from the beginning I made steady progress… so I persevered and the path opened up before me… I have this now too, "neutral and indifferent, no voice in the mind, complete silent mind, and only in the present moment," but without using the mantra method. Hmmmmmm, makes one think I've been around enlightened folks who give you a transmission, and afterwords you become illuminated by the light of consciousness, or your central channel opens, or all identification collapses which opens the doors to lower dan tians and chakras, some transmissions remain with you permanently for the rest of life, there's no going back. Mostly, I'm playing the devil's advocate, to get your take on things via different angles. I'm equating Zen enlightenment, with access and merging into the absence of consciousness when entering into the void of the absolute beingness, the portal to which is via the central channel and then lower dan tian. Honestly, for me, if you do not have access to the Absolute state, then your enlightenment is partial, and biased via a particular teaching that belongs to a particular sect of buddhism. Of the teachings I have studied, various, there are situations where one can merge with their subconscious(and have it spring cleaned), reach the source of the subconscious, visit the afterlife realms, etc, but still not be fully enlightened to the Absolute State, and yet they think that this is the end and they are Enlightened. The Absolute also has a specific color light to it, as does the Ocean of consciousness in the heart, and the Absolute is pure unborn/unmanifest potentiality that is sitting in absence, or yet to manifest. If you experienced this, you would know what I am referring to and can describe the colors. But that's neither here nor there, totally your thread so keep it how you want it. If it sparks even one person to gain enlightenment, or aspects of it, then thumbs up!!!!

Hey Dawg, Just wanted to reply to a few points: The thing is, the laws of this physical universe has loopholes. You can cover your hand with a special fire-proof gel before putting it in a fire, and not get burned. Also, their is a high probability that there are other universes/dimensions that do not hold to the same rules that are in this one. There are some teachings out there that describe the place within the body where karmic seeds rest, and it is said that an awakened one who has taken Buddhas vows, can go in and pluck all the karmic seeds out, and is no longer accumulating any. So my question is, what if you haven't gotten or seen this within yourself yet? Cause it may be this way, but if one doesn't know, then they would just say that there is no way to transcend karma. There are Taoist, Buddhist, Sufi, Mystical branches of thought that say that Absolute Beingness Experience doesn't require kundalini. Others say if COnsciousness merges absolute, then subconscious is transcended, because it is entirely seen as "Not I" therefore there is nowhere for consciousness to "stick." So from what I read of your path, via through the Subconscious, some say this is the front door to Enlightenment, and that the back door is just to no longer identify with it, while merging conscious with Unity Consciousness permanently in heart, and then merging Unity with Absolute in the LDT, and this backdoor way will also purify and trasncend the subconscious resulting in it becoming very quiet. I know a Taoist master in India(also claims Enlightenment) who teaches that only by avoiding and no longer identifying with Subconscious, will the central channel and access to unity and absolute open, and that going through subconscious is something you can get stick in for lifetimes with no guarantee, and that it is the hardest path. I'm bringing this up, no offense to you, but to just to show that everybody, who is enlightened, is teaching only what they know themselves through direct experience, and there were only a few teachers (Osho) who spoke of a myriad of ways to get there, or at least 2 (front door/back door) Don't some of these spirit realm gods feed off metta though? which would mean its better not to feed them with it? Ramana Maharshi taught that to find the source of thought, or the thought 'I', would uproot the main taproot of the entire conscious/subconscious mind, and leave you in complete thoughtlessness permanently along with full awakening, subconscious purged, enlightenment, and so forth. So in that case, it would qualify as your: "Anything that PERMANENTLY destroys all delusion in your subconscious mind will make you awakened." Also, obviously it took years to get to this point, so would you agree entering a monastery full time would be the only legitimate choice to achieve this? Considering a monastic life is majority spent on practice without access to family, friends, tv, media, and other worldly distractions, it just sounds like your way there is impossible in the modern day world. Also 2 other questions I forgot to ask: 1. What's your take on Lust? It's connected also to the body/subconscious network yes? But there also stories of lust continuing in the spirit realms and some say lust is only part of the body, so I'm trying to figure out the whole Lust complex. Is it also transcended in your case or is there still some partaking in it? 2. Would someone meditating next to you gain any benefits from your own aura or state of Being? There are a lot of stories of monks gaining benefits from the auras of teachers who were enlightened

HI Dawg, So I intuitively felt that you were back on and posting, jumped on taobums, and BOOM, front page. I have some questions. 1. So what's your take on Intuition? It is also connected to Subconscious, but cannot be wrong? I've seen people on the path argue about who was right when they were both going by intuition, but choosing different. 2. Why can't karma be transcended? The seeds completely uprooted and just transcend the whole karmic system so as to not play out what's left? It seems unfair that stuff done in ignorance, and because of it, then has to be tallied up after ignorance is snuffed out. 3. Can one navigate the spirit realms to get to the Highest heaven by whatever modes, stealth, love, thought-less awareness with intention, or even some mystics say you have to keep repeating that "you are from the first and highest pre-existent realm," and that it acts as a one way ticket, then Enlightenment can be gotten at that highest realm. 4. Can you speak on Absolute Beingness, it is the state on which Unity seems to rest on, yet is prior to it, unborn, unmanifest, and seems to be linked to the Lower Dan Tian as a doorway to it. 5. Which brings up next question. 3 Dan Tian System, or Chakra system, or are they united? 6. Also what about radiating Metta to all beings? Is this vital, as it is in a number of Buddhist branches? 7. Also, it seems Adviata Vedanta can do the same as a mantra, by constantly detaching from and no longer identify with any thoughts/thinker/body, access to the source of Thought manifests, and in that source, there is no thought. So are there other legit Paths to manifest Enlightenment in the manner of what you have reached? 8. What is left for you now? Any more cultivation of any additional aspects? Much Love and respect

personally: know 2 people who manifested the lotto. The first won 18 million, his wife then left hjim and took half and both daughters became spoiled idiots, and now no one in that family talks to each other. 2nd woman won a 500k smaller lotto and everyone in her family came out of the woodworks asking for money and when she didnt give anyone anything, they all created hatred around her and refused to talk her since then. Personally, I've used techniques to get a girl I wanted, who didn't want me, and then she caved in and came to me saying, "I don't know why, but I felt the biggest urge to come to you." Well granted to say, careful waht you ask for because once I was with her, it wasn't what I thought it would be. Lots of horomonal/emotional roller coaster ride, dr jeckyl and mr hide had nothing on her. I would say a lot more cause the stuff works.....but once you get what you're aiming for, then it comes with its own set of issues. One woman I knew begged to go into Enlightenment and eventually got there via some transmissions, and the screamed and cried to give her back her "I".....and when she got her "I" back, realized she wanted nothing to with enlightenment anymore..... Careful what you ask for

Why do the work if there is no "I" to do any of the work and no such thing as gaining any reailisations about never being stuck in the first place? Especially when you say: Sure I agree its a default state, but ask a million people about this state, and you'll be lucky to find one who knows it, meaning that there still has to be energy put into motion to investigate and figure out all of this. Even Buddha after Enlightenment, cried after hearing that his family got killed in a war. These are all just a myriad of countless views, and even with your post, there are quite a few teachers (A.H. Almaas being one of them) talking about how the view in your quote belongs to the school of "Absolutists" that speak of how its "only that," and nothing else, but how in reality it is that, along with pure subjectivity, and the personhood's individuality perfectly intertwined with the Absolute. At the end, everything can be argued for or against.

TI, What I'm saying is that, no matter the approach you take, be it with what you describe above, taoist based practices, grace, advaita, yoga, christian mysticism, etc......the way Enlightenment reveals itself is by Awareness dropping into the heart or hara via central channel and merges there. Everyone is just calling it by different names and different ways there.....paths may be different, but the destination is always universally the same. We're still on the same page, just looking at it with various angles

biggest question: Are saying all this from direct experience of being enlightened yourself?........or is it all theoretical?? Majority of Paths cultivate the body as well. Enlightenment happens through, via, as part of a body...that body then communicates back to the rest the info about enlightenment and cultivation, etc. The view that "there is no one there and no problem, nothing to gain, nothing to do, is a neo-advaiata cop out). In reality, there is the nondual, the dual, both simultaneously, and none of them, all at the same time. Even in my own awakening via a zen koan, there was enough insight retained to see that there was a shift from conceptual identity to awareness, and that awareness itself then descended via the central channel, and merged with the source of awareness, yet it happens so fast to some, that they don't catch the channels, blocks, chakras, dan tians, etc....so you end up with the neo-advaita garbage that's be spewed all over the place and leaving droves of sat sangers empty handed cause, well, there's just nothing to do and no one to do it (or in a miraculous extant that someone does awaken to this, it's merely to awareness, but not its source, or the absolute beingness) But hey, if you dig deep enough to the roots of stuff like dzogchen, advaita, etc...you will see that even those masters have pictures of students cultivating the inner furnace and the three channels....but digress. The whole "acupuncture" thread came about intuitively. I see how "mind" arises via a channel that has its source to inches to the right of the heart. Its literally a nadi like tube that runs along the spine, neck, and into the head with which illusion operates within....and certain foods, full moons, hormones, and yes acupuncture, all have influences on these channels..... But hey......I'm posting this from experience and intuition, not from theories

any mindset is conceptual...the primordial is always there, self evident. "masters" is mind........."warning against" is mind.........."mindset" is mind......."dzogchen path" is mind "masters" is mind........."warning against" is mind.........."mindset" is mind......."dzogchen path" is mind

that's the beauty of dzogchen, it predates buddhism and is its own thing, and in it, you can receive enlightenment within a day via transmission.....no worries on wrong views, and countless mantras and this and that...everything is instantly seen as arising from the primordial and any views of having to enter some kind of path, do this, do that, follow this master or that one, is all just conceptual madness that's superimposed over the primordial purity. The dzogchen masters who do continue in solitude practice are merely opening up further the channels in the body, the 3 dan tiens, etc. But hey, whatever floats your boat. Some people love and are addicted to seeking, and all the charades that come with over-complicating everything..... others just ride their bike in the forest preserve and spontaneously find themselves in permanent enlightenment. For me, whats best is the fastest route there.....

no matter the path, it seems its the same function that leads to enlightenment which-ever path you use, and thats detachment from mind, which opens the central channel. The observer/awareness then descends via that channel and merges with Oneness in the heart, and eventually the absolute beingness in the belly (all three dan tians)...just dif names in dif branches. Now in my experience, being around a variety of teachers/masters in different paths has all helped me to glimpse, and then remain in longer and longer periods of these realities, including getting hands on transmissions to open things up (certain aspects which I've read take 5 years in kriya to open, I've gotten in one day transmissions)...so yes, BOOM, short cuts exist (just ask the dzogchen masters who are all about this) So same thing goes for acupuncture. Since a large number of paths agree that the central channel joins together all the chakras/dan tians, which are accessed as part of Enlightenment, then there is an equivalent point that is connected to all the main channel, consciousness and its source, and all three dan tians. By the way, this all came up intuitively during a sitting meditation, that yes, there are acupuncture points that can hasten a practitioners enlightenment.

You can have an already tamed mind from all your other practices, but still not be merged completely in the ocean via the central channel that gives access to the other dan tians. I've found that certain herbs/spices/foods, yogic exercises, etc...seem to have an influence on more vs less mind as well opening all the channels more or less...so yes, it would seem that theoretically acupuncture should have effect on your practices towards enlightenment, especially since mind also uses a certain channel (see ramana maharshi) to arise into the head space upon the body waking in the morning

Okay, so two yes's so far. So who's out there doing this, or has tried this, or any further leads. What specific points should be hit with the needles/moxi?of cou of course i was already assuming that this would enhance all other practices of meditation, tai chi, yoga, etc

Hey TI, I honestly think, that Ramana, Nisargadatta, and a few other teachers from that generation, made their teachings very absolute, i.e. this is the way it is and that's that. Whereas in Dzogchen, you have channels, five lamps, chanting letters over chakras, postures, sky gazing, etc.....all of which is designed to get you to the same place Ramana is speaking of. Its the same thing, just different words, imho. Even in some of the restricted dzogchen books they discuss one method being, the seeing of all things as concepts and unreal, with the mind having no source, which is supposed to lead to Enlightenment quickly. The most vital aspect, is to practice, and be in these states experientially. There is a lot of very dogmatic purists that I've found in all branches of study. People that get so angry if you discuss similarities in other paths. Many of those can be found on Taobums as well. And yet, there are many paths that are all leading to the same place. Let the dogmatists argue, while we remain in practice

Does alcohol eventually make people drunk? Does over eating make people's stomachs hurt? Does sexual release inside a woman eventually lead to pregnancy? Are anger, Love, Hate, jealousy, greed, sadness, grieving all universal characteristics? I do not know scorpios from Amazon, therefore cannot conclude a further theory, though I would be willing to bet $100 that once I find one, we will find many similar charachteristics. I have known a friend from Ghana who grew up in tribes there, and know another fellow who is Aboriginal tribe from Australia who is Scorpios sign, and guess what? Very VERY similar traits. Is "Scorpio" an ethnicity or race? I don't know. Is toyota or ferrari a race? Please prove that your natal chart does not influence your psyche. How the heck would you even go about that? They could very much be seen by the same psychiatrist. But would require different approaches for both. They both still have psyches, ego/mind, bodies, programming, gender, needs, wants, etc. Define "psychiatrist." There are soooooo many branches, some of which work universally with both eastern and western psyches and find universalities in common Nevertheless, the sun sign in cancer, will still have certain traits/elements of which will be filtered through the confines of the culture they are in. The astrological tendency is there first, prior to cultural programming I agree, but put Einstein in any culture in any time of the world, and he would still end up the smartest of that tribe, inventing various forms of novel irrigation and agricultural principles, adding new found breakthroughs to the built in philosophy and group knowledge of that particular culture. He would be remembered as a great contributor wherever he would be raised because of those mutations for bigger brain parts 0.1% difference in what? Genes, physical, mental, psyche, spiritual? That's so relative sounding. Anyone can make up or scientifically argue various different percentages in differences of all types of aspects. YEs they can. You can modify a toyota and drop a ferrari's engine into it. Tires, lights, components can all be modified and switched. Who's to say he wouldn't remember his original parents/culture even if taken at 6 months old? We just don't know at this point. I know certain people of various backgrounds/cutlures/ethnicity that are strongly drawn to Japan/Zen, or to Eastern Orthodoxy and Greece, or to South American Shamans.....saying that American culture has always felt alien to them. One can say that has to do with reincarnation and the elements from the last life leaving strong impressions on the soul that influence this life. Do we know this for sure? Do you have a real life example of a 6 month old raised this way that did not have "white man tendencies?" I was born and raised in U.S. and my parents told me since I was 2-3 I was looking around at them, friends, reality, TV, books and viewing it as alien to me. Have felt that my whole life, that US is not my culture and is alien to me........ that sure does throw a wrench into your theory that someone born and raised in a certain culture will take on their traits

I'm not racist, I'm just saying there are HUGE differences in people and they are different, yet all are still human, have souls, bleed red blood. Just like both a Toyota and Ferrari both need oil and gas to run If you study Einstein, he had clear cute mutations that resulted in certain parts of his brain being various percentages bigger then average, giving him an intellectual/logical advantage over others in Academia. Same goes for Athletes, of any color, who are bigger/stronger/faster than average. Ultimately, using the Einstein example, I would argue that genes alter our psychological makeup. They certainly did for Einstein. Another example is horoscopes. I was born under the Scorpio sign (considered the most sexual) and have also had to deal with an over abundance of Testosterone and Lust, more that any of my male friends, to the point that it became a problem of over indulgence. Later in life, when I looked in to the Characteristics of Scorpio, I match about 99% to a T, all the characteristic implied to scorpios. Why is that? The body is made up of a large % of water, which gets influenced by gravity, sun, humidity, pressure, altitude, vibrations, etc. So just like a fine wine will vary according to year, soil, rain amount, humidity, air pressure, gravity, etc....so too it is with the horoscope and what month/day/year the body is born on. Interview most people and ask them their sign. You will find a large correlation between the signs characteristics, and those inherent in the person. "As far as you're concerned." That relative opinion/speculation. Another example, all the scorpios I know, are so much like me in respect to Chracteristics, it's truly mind blowing. There is so much more at play here like subconscious archetypes that may be linked to specific gene mutations, culture, ethnicity, ancestors, etc. It's not all so cut and dry as saying "There is only the human race." Like I said, I agree we are all inherently operating human bodies. But there are still ferraris, toyotas, mazdas, fords, etc I agree with that, but later on you say: His roots are there in his psyche, emerging as various dreams. Just like for me, in cultivation of detachment, emptiness, letting go......no matter what culture I would be raised in, there would always remain the traits of scorpio. I have met scorpios from Ghana, Australia, Souh America and so on and have found that the over-sexuality, detective type observational skills, being quiet and untrustful of others, and many other aspects are very prevalent cross-culturally. So if there is soooo much influence based on the horoscope, how much more is there from cuture, parents, peers, and (yes I said it) various genes

From the article: http://www.livescience.com/34228-will-humans-eventually-all-look-like-brazilians.html A toyota and a ferrari are both "Cars." I think we can both agree to at least that much. Now on the other hand, the Ferrari is going to give you numerous advantages and possibilities that the toyota never could, and vice versa. Yes they are both cars, but they are also different. My point is that certain folks with have more of certain genes, based on geography, culture, and also race. Genes influence soooooo many things, not just physical features, but also psychological, logic, reason, spiritual. Now let's look at the majority of Ferrai owners will be certain types, definite psychological/cultural similarities, maybe even physical similarities. Same with the toyota owners. But what the heck, does it really matter at the end of the day? Nothing is really set in stone and this could all be one big simulation, according to science

Different bodies/races, are like different brands of cars. If you buy a ferrari, you can drive fast as heck, but you have to guzzle lot's of fuel to feed all those pistons. If you get a tiny yugo, or smart car, you'll get better mpg, but you can't drive fast. Get a toyota, it's known to be dependable. So too with human bodies and races. Look at most American Athletes and you'll notice they are black. When Slave Owners kidnapped Africans, they went for the biggest best built bodies. Asians/Indians are very intellectual/logical, and many of them in the U.S. are engineers, scientists, etc. There was one Taobum here, who discussed that he is mixed race and said that defeats my argument giving several examples. Well yeah cool!!! I have various nephews/family members that are mixed race and Scientist are saying that by the year 3000, there will only be one race, a combo of all of them combined. Regardless, each race does have specific combinations of genes/etc. There still is a soul, and it has universal aspects in all people. Peaceful, expansive, loving, understanding, etc. But the body/mind complex covers up the true/real IF you study all the different spiritual paths, that offer blueprints on realizing the soul, you'll find a vast array of Universalities

Please note, this experiment was done roughly 11-14 years ago, and the rest is a reflection: IN my Teens and Early 20's I was literally an animal. Weekend long porn fests, cheating on every Girlfriend (and an ex-fiance) I ever had, I've even paid for sex numerous times, along with the one night stands so easy to have at clubs/bars (My trick then: Stay sober, and find a drunk girl to take home. Twas a cakewalk). Please note, I am not proud of my life back then, but it was how it was. Eventually I started on the Spiritual Path and began to see and feel that I was no more than some kind of wild animal drunk with Lust, and decided to do something about it. Different diets, fastings, tons of mediation, retreats, got rid of TV and internet, got rid of all things to tempt me. But there it still was, haunting me and tricking me to go back to old ways. I would repress the lust, only to find that it came back 100 times stronger a week or two later, leading me back to old acts again. Eventually I learned masterbation with No-Thought, along with neti neti of all the old circuits and mental associations with lust. This helped a ton, but the lust still stirred up the animal in me. I would literally become drunk with lust and all logic/reason/sanity/peace would go out the window. Talk about Dr. Jeckyl & Mr. Hyde. Eventually I got to a point, where I can see that once the prostate was filled up with semen, it would trigger a nerve ending that's at the very top of the prostate, triggering subconscious thoughts about having sex and finding an outlet, in order to release the excess fluids In my desperation, I finally got a hold of some Chaste Berry herb (used by monks to work on Lust) along with prescription Testosterone blockers, and begin to small dose and ease myself in to 3 months of no testosterone, or very low levels in my body. I have to say, it was miraculous for me. I was at peace, still, equanimity, clear headed, logic and reason, could meditate for so much longer, saw the bigger picture of things, had no need to fight, argue, debate, was just still. I felt like a child again, like the time before puberty hit. It was indeed a great 3 months of my life. It reminded me about Buddha, when he remembered meditating under the rose-apple tree as a child (prior to the world ego programming and lust taking over). Or Jesus' ode to, "Be like the children." However, I realized that those who have acclimated to, or transcended lust, may not have had access to herbs/pills to do so. So gradually I returned to the former self and watched as the Lust returned over a 2-3 week period of stopping all the pills/herbs. I realized that Lust, combined with ego, is one of THE biggest causes of ignorance and all singing all dancing crap of the world we witness today. A recent study shows that over 90-some-odd % of top CEO's and Government officials suffer from Narcissistic Psychopathy, and I couldn't help but to keep in mind how a Hormone influences and changes a person by so much. Now I never knew about pulling the Semen up various channels, back into the kidney, and various other internal alchemy tricks, and still don't really practice any of that. I found the biggest thing for me was always Neti Neti....Arising & Passing of all phenomenon including lust. And found that as the body gets older, the lust isn't there s much and is much easier to work with. However, that certainly brings to mind various questions and wrestling about evolution, Krishnamurti's comment about these bodies only wanting to eat and Fu*k, why things are the way they are, the Enlightenment indeed is the only answer, and many other interesting insights that came from the 3 month experiment. Maybe the vessel/shell of a woman has it easier.....though I'll be damned to have to go through those monthly cycles.

Women also produce small levels of testosterone according to various cycles, and that testosterone does stir them up to get "frisky," for the sake of these bodies continuing to procreate. At this point, that is all scientific fact. To me, normal society with cheating, breaking up, remarrying is the fantasy world, and I don't care to have any part of that. I will say this, like TibetanIce mentioned, in my personal view Sexual energy/Lust/Body all has to be transcended, worked with, equanimity gained, and so forth. It's all part of it. To be Realized, and yet still have the stirrings arise and cause trouble, well that leads to all osrts of further interesting discussion That's sort of like being in Oneness, and yet various skandhas are still arising and have not been "taken care of" yet. Personally, I find life better and more at ease when Lust/Sexual energy is at ease. Just an observation

right on, sorry bout that, context is difficult to gauge online at times I have not raped/molested, however I have had periods of being under the influence of Lust to the point where most of my morals/ethics went out the window and I found various ways to justify one night stands or even paying for sex. 2 things I usually would not have done in the event I was level headed. For example, when there is clear level headedness, I usually have standards when it comes to women/relationships and like there to be some sort of emotion and bonding involved. Especially if she's spiritual and philosophical, that's like a million extra brownie points. But when lust is there, practically anything walking is good enough, that's why I used the term being no different than an "animal" When I was 20, I had a chance to sleep with a well developed 15-16 year old, who looked/acted much older. I Knew her age, but the lust was so strong, I was at one point getting ready to take my chance. However, logic/reason/standards prevailed and the night was won. It was at that point I realized what molesters/rapists must go through. In them, Lust is so strong, that they drop all morals/ethics/standards and then anything goes regardless of age/consent. You can see this in male teachers who sleep with female students. In many interviews, they say, "I don't know what came over me or what I was thinking, it all happened so fast." Certain Spiritual Paths can lead to similar acts. When one says that there are no universal ethics/morals/standards/laws/cultures, because they are all illusions anyway, well you can see how that can turn out. But to further stretch the point, since I believe these bodies to be forms that stem from evolution, and that science says we share 99% of dna with chimps, that's exactly what I feel the lust is, a form of arising that creates the need to procreate, a chimp/animal like need As we evolve, I don't think we will keep the lower natures. Animalism along with ego creates a massive heap of global psychological issues that are the causes of all ills

"Normal" is relative to "culture, so what's the need to be sorry? No straw man, just an interesting field report. Lust has always been Alien to me. 12 years of life with none of it, puberty, then boom I'm drunk, under the influence of it, and have to do "things" to take care of it. Of everyone I've known, friend/family wise, as far as men go, I've had the highest lust levels of all, and lust has caused me various difficulties in relationships where I really wanted, in my heart, not to cheat. Not to mention my Spiritual practice. If you've been drunk before, and done stupid things while drunk, that's how lust always was for me I never practiced harnessing. My practiced consisted of letting go, surrender, meditation, mindfulness, anapanasati, zazen, just observing the arising & passing away of lust, of course after a lengthy build up, just a fly landing on your arm is enough to, you know, etc..... A decade full of insights has led me to believe my hunch was right all along; I am inherently not this body, or superimposing mind, or lusts or needs. Problem solved. The body and everything that comes with it, is also and arising and passing away. I meant this post is field study of an experiment I did. Those 3 months with no lust, I felt like a child again, clear headed, focused, peaceful, artistic, nonjudgmental, could be friends with hot women without bringing sex into the picture, etc. Lust, induced by testosterone, which itself is caused by a number of other reactions, causes all sorts of mental illusions, psychological defects, narcissism, psychopathy, alpha-male syndrome, unethical and immoral behaviour in business and society in the name of profit....it runs so deep, I don't think many people realize how big of an impact it has on the all singing all dancing crap of the world. It's the cause of wars, rapes, molestation, pillage, I can go on and on, very easily bringing in recent news articles as exmaples But alas, in the tao bums board it'll probably be alwayson to come by and say I'm projecting this all, making it all for naught in the end. Touche What have you say about molestation and rape then? Especially the one guy on Ohio who had all those girls kidnapped for over a decade in his bassment. You want to knwo what he said? He said he's not guilty because he's sick. Something comes over him (lust) and causes him to act a certain way, all morals and ethics out the window. Lust is just as much a root of cause of terrible acts as is ego

Hello "I Am." Yes, I've come to find that every single path, religion, methodology, has it's militant dogmatic types that will refute everything that isn't like what they say. I would bet the majority of Enlightenment, is not gained through Karmamudra. But hey, I guess I'm brainwashed by judeo-christian brainwashing and have psychological disorders because I don't follow the bodies lusts which urge me to sleep with random chicks wherever I can get it. I guess I'm lost and will never be found unless I find a 12 year old virgin with whom I can do Karmamudra with in order to gain Enlightenment following specific methodologies according to specific Sutra's. The sane are the crazies. The Crazies are the sane. All is relative and everyone's individual path is THE ONLY correct path. Oh well