Tibetan_Ice

Hi C T Well that was an interesting read. Yes, thought forms. tulpa I wonder how many people have unknowingly created their own versions by repeating their compulsive thoughts.. Thanks. TI

Hi Susan, Thank you very much for the information. TI

Hi ShaktiMama, Could you please tell me... In Mike MD's case (the original topic in this thread), would receiving shaktipat from you over distance heal his kundalini problems? Also, when you do distance shaktipats, do you require a picture? Thanks. TI

Hi Gatito Thanks for your reply. If you don't mind me asking, who is your teacher? Ok. I understand where you are coming from. Vedanta! The ultimate top-down approach. Yes, I think that one could accomplish self-realization like that with the help of the authentic guru. It would be so wonderful to remain in the presence of such a guru and become enlightened by contact. When a small flame is placed close to a larger flame, the small flame always get bigger burns brighter! I've got "I AM THAT" and several of Nisargadatta's books. I also have the three discourses by Krishna Menon, several John Wheeler books, Sailor Bob's book and have studied that for some time. Remaining centered in the self is quite a challenge. I can't seem to do it. The only thing Nisargadatta said about nirvikalpa samadhi is this (from I AM THAT): But that doesn't make much sense to me. How can the "I am" remain as the witness if pure consciousness is shattered? I appreciate what Alan Wallace has written in his books, and especially in his "Stilling the Mind" book. In it, he says that several famous Buddhists claims that for most people, one must practice Shamatha because it is a necessary step towards the higher practices. Without the ability to bring the mind to rest in the natural state, there can be no sustained concentration on anything. I agree. I can catch fleeting glimpses of my "I AM", my sense of being, but I can't remain there for very long. And, like Alan Wallace explained, it is very hard to sustain concentration on a visualized object. Not only does it require enormous concentration and willpower, but it renders the practitioner exhausted and increases the reluctance to continue with such a practice. However, by learning Shamatha, by learning how to rest the mind in the natural state, one gains the ablility to rest awareness on any visualized object and sustain this awareness for great periods of time. He keeps saying that the test is to be able to sit for four hours, entirely focused on the mental object. AND, he claims that after the four hours, the practitioner is blissful, refreshed and just raring to go for more. Once the state of Shamatha is realized, one is then fit to start the Dzogchen practice because at that point, the mind becomes supple, maleable and fit for practice. TI

Hi CT Thank you for that. This coincides with what Alan Wallace is saying: if you don't grasp onto it, it will not harm you. Have you been to a dzogchen retreat? If so (lucky you!!!), did you ever see anyone fall over, quit breathing and appear to be dead, and remain like that until someone revived them? TI

Hi Xabir, Wow. That first part is hard to understand. Isn't "experiencing all the sensations fully even when ur going to faint" a form of grasping? The reason for my confusion on these statements is that "to experience something fully" wouldn't that also involve the conceptual mind? Not grasping means to not use the conceptual mind. The last paragraph is somewhat clearer. Experiencing it as "just the sensations" to me is a better way to put 'non-grasping'. Thank you for affirming that the extinction of the self is put to the challenge and that the fear must become "just the sensations". I will work on it. TI

Ha Ha, Gatito Perhaps you could also ask your teacher that question. As for my questions, they are not about nirvikalpa samadhi but what happens to you just before going into nirvikalpa samadhi. TI

Hi Gatito Could you do me a favor? Could you ask your teacher what the signs that one experiences are just before one goes into Nirvikalpa Samadhi? Or perhaps describe the events and ask him/her what they are a prelude to? Characteristics are: Major swoon like a giant magnetic field has pushed or shifted your consciousness. Butterflies at the lower tan tien (lower abdomen). Sinking consciousness, like the space at the brow is moving through the center of the head/neck downwards towards the heart. Blackness appears. Very Black. Feeling of dying accompanied by fear. Increased heart rate. Top of head turns to jello and the feeling of sweat beads start appearing rapidly on the whole top of the head. I would certainly appreciate that. Thanks. TI

Hi Anamatva Thanks for your comments and thanks for the link to Mark's talk about samadhi. I've listened to that talk before. He doesn't talk about the preliminary states/signs just before the experience. He does mention the blackness, but he doesn't mention the feeling of dying, the sinking of consciousness, the increased heart rate, the fear etc.. What I am looking for is someone to confirm the characteristics that one experiences just before the onset of nirvikalpa samadhi. If you have experienced nirvikalpa samadhi, do you experience those characteristic signs before going into it? Also, just a nit-picky distinction. I've done many meditations of letting go. The difference here with what I've learned is that "letting go" can be miscontrued as a form of aversion, that is, letting go is not letting be. In my new understanding, to me, for example, letting go is seeing a vision and then realizing that a vision has appeared and then letting it go and returning to the object of concentration or awareness. Letting be is not the same. In letting be, you acknowledge that the vision is there and you are fine with that. You keep watching but you don't grasp onto it. You don't turn your attention away. You stay neutral. The vision dissolves on it's own. There is no act of turning away from the vision, nor is there any mental comment like "Oh, a vision. I must not look at. I must return to my object of concentration." See what I mean? No grasping. TI

Hi Gatito, I wasn't suggesting that you get shaktipat, I was indicating that the only way to get that 'extra long Bhuta Shuddi' was to get shaktipat from Sri Anandi Ma. From whom did you recieve shaktipat? Was the mantra you were given very long and difficult? TI PS> My new mantra is "Settle the mind, without distraction and without grasping".

Hi Gatito Those mantras from swamij are not the Bhuta Shuddhi mantra given by Sri Anandi Ma. The one from Sri Anandi Ma is over 42 sanskrit words long.. It took me 3 days to learn it. They give you a recording with the correct pronunciations as part of the shaktipat kit that they send you. Here is the English rough translation of it ( I've also omitted the extra Om's, Swaha's, and the So Ham, Hansaha.. ): OM, from the junction of being to the head by the shushumna path, I, to Shiva, in the highest Shiva place, I join in union (surrender) YAM, subtle body dry! Dry! RAM, causal body, burn! Burn! Highest Shiva, by the sushumna path to the root junction glow! Glow! Blaze! Blaze! Blaze forth! He am I, I am He. As part of the shaktipat initiation, you have to repeat this mantra 108 times every day for 10 days. If you would like the sanskrit version of the Bhuta Shuddi Mantra, I will not give it out. You would have to seek shaktipat or shaktipat in absentia (remotely) from Sri Anandi Ma in order to get it. Here is the link: http://www.dyc-nc.org/ On the other hand, here is a mantra meditation that is quite powerful, by Mark Griffin: http://hardlight.org/om_namah_shivaya.html TI

Hi Gatito, I'd be surprised too , but I wouldn't put it passed the TM org! I did find this: link: http://oshofriendsinternational.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=137&Itemid=219 and this: link: http://tmfree.blogspot.ca/2007/03/implications-of-norway-copyright.html Makes me wonder about AYP.. link: http://www.heartlandconnection.com/news/story.aspx?id=692133 TI

Hi Gatito, The Natural Stress Relief mantra sounds like "Lum". (rhymes with bum). It could be "Lam". I don't know how it is spelled because it was not written down in the manual. It was delvered via sound file. I wonder if that was how NSR circumvented the TM copyrights.. TI

Hi Seth, Thank you for your responses. So you hold the breath in to the edge of discomfort, and you hold it out to the edge of discomfort? Is there any mention of keeping the in-breath and out-breath the same length? In many similar practices they say that the inhale should be the same duration as the out breath to balance ida and pingala.. Thanks. TI

Hi Seth How long should one inhale last? And is the exhale the same length? (perhaps you can give us some ranges, like for an athletic healthy 25 yr old, and for a mid 40's person and for a 60 yr old smoker.. ) And then, how long to you hold the inhale in? And how long to you hold the exhale out? Why do you start and end at the tip of the spine? I know that the juice comes from the lower tan tien and goes to the perineum (root chakra), then it goes up the spine. Does the Cobra breath try to start and then store the energy/chi/prana in the coccyx instead? Thanks. TI

Hi K Well, during my remote viewing sessions, I think love was the key. The instructions were these: 1) Go to a place in nature that you love. In my case it is sitting by the river in a park. 2) Sit in a meditative posture. Take a good look at the nature scene and then close your eyes. 3) Next, feel the love for the scene from your heart and imagine your heart can see the scene through the love. I was doing this and then suddenly my attention was distracted by talking from sunbathers about 200 yards away. Suddenly, this round circle appeared at the brow and I could see the sunbathers like I was 3 feet away, floating directly on top of them! It was like looking through a telescope at the third eye. The detail was exquisite. I was totally amazed! About the "Bliss".. Not that I want to argue or anything, but it has been my experience that the True Self contains bliss. Lots of it. Consciousness and bliss (happiness). And yes, it is not right when someone hangs these carrots out in order to attract us. Reminds me of a story that Ajahn Brahm told in one of his discourses. There was once a Tibetan who trained his stubborn mule to pull a cart by placing a carrot on a long pole and hanging it in front of the mule's head, just out of reach. This worked fine for a while. However, being a Tibetan mule, it was much smarter than the average mule. One day the mule charged forward and then stopped and waited. The carrot, which was almost in it's grasp swung further away. But then, the carrot swung back around and plopped right into the mule's mouth! After that, it was very hard to get the mule to pull the cart.. Thanks for sharing. TI

Hi K When you had that experience, did you love the dog, or that particular breed of dog? Was the heart involved in any way? The reason I ask is because I have had remote viewing experiences that were directly caused by using love from the heart as an eye to see through closed eyelids. The heart can view great distances and it's lens is love. TI

Hi K But it isn't all scenery. That's the point. Experiences indicate that you are accomplishing things along the path. Events during spiritual practices are commonly used as a sign to change the practice or progress to the next step. In a system where one size fits all, the only thing that seems to answers everyone's questions is the reply "It all just scenery". It's the same kind of mentality that dismisses learning about chakras because they are considered to be "under the hood". For example, according to Ajahn Brahm, you do breath meditation and you refine your attention and eventually focus on the pleasureable sensation of breathing. At that point, you will start to see lights at the third eye. At that point you switch your attention over to the lights and meditate on them. The lights are called nimittas by buddhists. When you have a good strong nimitta, you penetrate it and it takes you into one of the jhanas. If the spiritual teaching regards the lights at the third eye as scenery, then where are you left? Many many gurus have used the recounting of experiences (scenery) from their students as indicators of ripeness, of readiness to move on to higher practices or blessings. While accomplishments and experiences shouldn't be dwelt upon, they are an indicator and signpost that the student is progressing. It serves to bolster their resolve and determination. It is part of the blessings along the path. Nothing worse than to have someone take that away from you by casually dismissing your experience as "scenery". Or worse yet, have someone dismiss your suffering as 'scenery'. I mean, even the Buddhists have prioritized compassion as ranking near the top of spiritual evolution. I think the overall attitude that downplays the acquisition of knowledge is a detriment and doing man/woman-kind a dis-service. TI

Hi K Yes, we all have to make a living and eat, don't we? I think that is what keeps me grounded the most.. But you know, I love to hear about weird experiences. That way I can compare them to mine and then I think that I'm not as crazy as all that. For example, I've had whole days that have seemed to disappear, like they didn't happen. I've also had experiences that I thought I created. I used to have intuition and deja vues, but I'm at the point where I'm starting to believe that they aren't intuitive processes, but that I imagined them beforehand and then created them on the fly. I'm also afraid that I'm unconsciously controlling people's behaviour, like I can mentally tell someone to do something, and very soon, they just do it. It is actually kind of scary. The number of incidents are increasing. I learned about the wishing well in the heart too, along with the stories about the dangers.. I think that I have to get absolute control over my mind, desires and ego before I get caught in some kind of absolute hell or something I can't get out of. Detachment is a good thing. Lack of interest in controlling others and the realization that life is very short also helps. Anyway, thank you for sharing. I can sense that there is allot of vapour and space in your being, and some pain too. TI

Hi K You know, you have hinted at some kind of intense experience that has affected you deeply in many of your posts. However, I could not find a post from you that indicated precisely what has happened to you. Do you have such a post? What happened to you? Did you have a kundalini experience or some experience that shook you to your roots? I would love to hear about it, if you don't mind. If you mind, then that's ok too.. TI

Hi Mike, The whole point of the Kundalini Tantra quote was to point out that kundalini doesn't necessarily 'go up the spine'. I was happy to know that increased energy flows into the once-dormant areas of the brain causes altered states. Basically, I'm just giving you some information so that you can assess your own situation. In Taoism, there are three tan tiens, one in the belly, one in the chest and one in the head. Any of these tan tiens can become overcharged and give off too much energy, which is why most Taoist practices end with putting the hands over the lower tan tien to help store the excess energy there. Have you tried Mantak Chia's exercise called "Venting"? Here it is, from his book called The Multi-Orgasmic Man": Also, to be quite honest, if I could not get my kundalini to back off and it was ruining my life, I would seek out a well-known authentic kundalini guru and have him/her ground it away. Actually, I guess I did exactly that. After my kundalini became active, I applied for shaktipat in absentia from Sri Anandi Ma and she became my guru. She is from the line of Dhyan Yogi, who as far as I can tell, was a real saint. Part of the benefit of having a guru is that she/he can help out when things get bad. I know that Sri Anandi Ma and Dhyan Yogi are authentic because I've seen them numerous times in the astral planes. link: http://dyc.org/ Other recommendations that I would have are these: I heard that Max (Kunlun) does skype sessions. Max is a very powerful healer, and although he is not selling 'healing sessions', learning Kunlun properly and learning how to ground the energy after might help allot. But I do have to say, I have found that Kunlun intensifies everything. Also, he may just tell you not to mix kundalini with Kunlun. I took the level 1 seminar and learned the techniques (including the Red Phoenix). Mixing Kunlun and kundalini didn't hurt me, just added more juice. But I also know when to shut it down, and ground, and get that energy back down. And luckily, it works for me. When I did kunlun, it blew open my third eye, to the point where I could see the surroundings through it with my regular eyes closed. People looked like they had a large flame protruding upwards from their midsections. The effect lasted about two weeks and then slowly went away. I did not pursue it because I couldn't understand what I was looking at nor could I find anyone else who could relate to it. Mark Griffin is another guru whom I believe is connected directly to the source. I can sense it. I have read many of his books and have most all of his pod casts. He is kind of like high-test though. Very powerful and experimental too. After listening to his pod casts, my kundalini becomes very hot, clear and crisp, like I was sitting on the stove, waiting for the heat vapours to float me away. You have my sympathy. I can't imagine having all the hard parts like the sleeplessness, the astral projections, the effects from lack of sleep etc on their own. So far, I have had maybe 3 weeks of sleepless nights where a larger center of awareness watches the body lie there, snore etc. This effect was produced by seeking the source during meditations, a form of self inquiry. I've also experienced the 'electric tunnel' and it is quite disconcerting. It feels like I am travelling at high speed in a tunnel with hundreds of visions and scenes whizzing past. However, when I stop the meditation, the effect goes away. Also, this effect occurs when I do pratyahara (sambhavi - eyes focused on brow) and kechari (tongue on back palate) and root lock while meditating.. This is a form of astral travel where your destination is far away or unknown. The twitching that occurs for me is when I reach the stage between regular consciousness and sleep. I believe the mind has a natural mechanism to keep the mind awake and the method used is to kick up a jolt of energy in the body somewhere. I will be mediting and suddenly, my arm will lash out and hit the wall. Or, my leg will kick. Sometimes, if I am meditating on the recliner, the jolts are so numerous and unerving that I have to sit in easy posture to stop my legs from shaking. The solution is to get past the transition from normal consciousness to sleep, by just letting go, relaxing more and surrendering.. Once I was sitting in perfect posture on a chair, I took one deep breath, closed my eyes and saw a 'moon' above the brow. Suddenly, flames started coming up the whole body accompanied by profuse sweating and heat. I had to stop. I thought I was going to instantly combust. (That all took place in less than 2 minutes). Another night, as I lay in bed after reading a Norman Paulsen book called "Sacred Science", the light above my head became very intense. As I lay in bed, the whole backside of the body melted away revealing a huge open space filled with stars. It kept drawing me out there. I was afraid to go. So, I struggled for a long time just to remain in the physical plane because it felt like I was going to die if I went in the space. ( I know this sounds stupid because that is what I've always wanted, but a part of me just didn't want to die). Actually, I've had so many experiences I could write a book about it. But I learned a few things that have helped me. Things like, use all available means at your disposal, like getting a guru, learning various grounding techniques and the principles behind them. Learn why you are doing the practices you are doing. Understand what may happen. A good thing to know is that sometimes you get the effects from a practice several days later! Stay away from teachings that tell you to do a certain practice but don't tell you about the effects of the practice or what to do if you get into trouble from doing the practice. So, in your case, you are being put in a situation where you will have to learn as much about all these practices as you can. You probably feel overloaded. Things that can help you sleep at night are: Eating carbs for the last meal of the day so that your body can produce lots of serotonin. You already know about the hands in the dirt grounding techinque. Hot baths. Drink lots of water. Keep your tongue on your palette (if you put your tongue on the palette, can't you feel a mild electric current at the tip of the tongue? ) Find an authentic guru. Some advice will work for you and some won't. Like whether or not to practice moderate sex. Examine your diet. The same nutrients that go into producing sexual fluids are used to nourish the brain. If you drain one, the other becomes deficient. Certain foods will increase the flow (like high protein, garlic, onions, omega 3-6-9). Other foods will slow it down (like high fibre raw vegetables). If you overheat, eat lots of yogurt. Stay away from drugs and alcohol, they will only makes things worse. Pray to Jesus, he is always there for anyone that needs him. Learn to watch your thoughts and realize that they are not you, and that you are actually a separate larger being in the background that remains fully detached yet aware. In a way, I envy you. What you are experiencing is something that is sought after by millions of people. Most people have to work very hard to get to the same state you are in, and some never get even close. Only, you are missing the discipline and knowledge of having had regular 'spiritual' practices and experiences before your 'awakening'. Good luck I will pray for you. TI