manitou

This is wonderful. Who is it that is thinking the thought? It is not my earthly self. The urge to express, to feel, to take in everything must be the reason for our existence. The thoughts and ideas are expressed within the confines of conditioning and genetics. And because we all have different conditioning, I think it's pretty much impossible for two people to see anything exactly the same way. I think that analyzing and investigating what can be shown through reasonings will only take you up one side of the hill. It's the inner journey that joins it all together - and when that inner knowledge, once attained, is used as the basis for understanding the analysis and investigation, then the Aha! occurs. It all clicks. Like tumblers in a lock. On this forum, it is not difficult to see who concerns themselves with inner development and who does not.

This sounds a lot like a kundalini experience to me. Mine had a similarly strange onset - completely spontaneous, as was yours. I was standing in my bedroom about to pick up a heavy tray off the floor. I heard a voice in my head say 'keep your back straight'. I bent over with my back straight, picked up the tray, and heard 3 strange snaps (horizontally) across the sacrum area. At that moment, I heard the loudest sound - like a train, right outside my bedroom patio. It was a horrible sound - I placed my hands on my ears and lay down on the bed. It was so strange. But I've subsequently read (maybe Gobi Krishna) that the kundalini awakening is often accompanied by the sound of either a train or a cyclone. I had no idea what had happened. None. I too felt the electricity in my body but I had never heard of kundalini. It wasn't until the next day when my husband and I went to a coffee house in Ojai, that a complete stranger approached me as I was fixing my coffee. She said 'I have something out in my car that you need to read'. I had no idea, but I waited until she came back in with the book. She said that she needed it back real soon, that she uses it to teach. But it was about kundalini awakening. How in the world did one complete stranger take one look at me and know that I was going through this? I took the book, read it that night, and sent it back to her. That was it - it was a kundalini awakening. There used to be a site called kundalini-gateway.org that I would frequent - lots of different types of kundalini experiences - but I don't think the site is still there. As to meditation - sure. It might be a little difficult at the beginning while your electricity is wayward and new, it might be hard to still the mind. After living with this for maybe 15 years, it does get easier to live with, although it never really leaves me alone. I wish it would occasionally. It can get a bit bothersome, the chronic electrical tingling in the back, the neck, the head. I've come to my own personal conclusion on this. I think it may prepare the way for future realizations. But the kundalini awakening in itself isn't the whole enchilada. There was much more to come, in my case at least. Not in the way of physical changes - just spiritual changes and realizations. One thing the kundalini energy did for me, was to turn me into a pianist who could only play with sheet music - into a pianist who only plays by ear now. It gave me the incredible ability to sit and arrange a musical piece on the spot and play it beautifully. I had no ability to do this prior to my awakening. It was also the development of a third eye. But the third eye needs a bit of training too, it keeps getting more finely tuned as you use it. Good luck with all this! Your life will probably take some wonderful new turns. Don't be freaked out by the horrible kundalini stories you'll read - those are at the far end of the spectrum. Chances are none of that stuff will happen to you. One poor guy's penis wouldn't hold still and did all sorts of single-minded things. Don't worry, lol. You'll probably be fine.

It amazes me when someone can describe something as abstract as this phenomena and have it make sense. To manufacture the 'out-thereness' when indeed it's all Mind.

More succinct description, as I understand it. And 'better' is pretty relative, you're right.

I do love you, you know.....

You're right. Substituting emptiness for oneness is a better understanding. I do see it. I understand that there is no there there. I understand that it cannot be spoken of, I understand the silence. I love the silence, the peace. I guess I use the phrase Oneness because it's functional in the everyday world - to realize that every other being is One with me. It makes me kinder, less short tempered, more tolerant, certainly more loving - including to myself. But I do see that the Void, the Emptiness is the basis. The void where the templates arise. Thanks for the clarification, Steve.

The quiescent extinction, although no doubt reserved for the understanding of Buddhists -- is this in some way referring to the diminishing of ego required for oneness?

LOL. I still think the rock over grass metaphor was made by one with limited imagination

I used to dream a lot. Now I don't dream at all, haven't for years - unless it is something for a healing, and occasionally I'll get a message of what to do. If there are no dreams to go to, where would the momentum of a practice end up?

An odd statement. What do you consider a real quiescent extinction to be? I interpret it to be the ability to jump from dual to singularity when observing something - the two ways of understanding it as per the DDJ. But I've never heard that expression before. Can you clarify, or what does it mean to you? They are far from realizing that is like a rock pressing down on the grass. Though for a time they become aware that the scene is cut off, nevertheless the root and branches are still there: when will they experience quiescent extinction to the full? And yet an odder statement. A rock pressing down on the grass? And then referring to root and branches? It's there, I'm sure. I'm just not seeing it.

This reminds me that we are like balloons in the sky. There's no separation of the air inside or outside - it's just contained in a temporary shape of balloon skin.

Yes, I believe I do. I have a brain which collect clues and organizes them without me even knowing. It comes from 25 years of being a career detective. I have never in my life considered a conspiracy theory as valid. Until now. The president just doesn't have the brains to have created the perfect storm that we are experiencing. Flu or no flu, we were in trouble before all this.

LOL. Maybe that's what it's all about, this virus. Ego death.

Interesting. Someone went to an awful lot of trouble to organize those from around the world. Why is it called Swiss Propaganda Research? I'm not a conspiracy theorist either, but if I were, I would be wondering if all of Congress had a mandatory flu shot this year which may have contained antibodies to a manufactured virus. And if this is the reason Trump and Ivanka are walking around without face masks. If I were a conspiracy theorist

just WOW!

So beautiful, and such good advice on merging Dharma quality into our everyday life.

Maybe the overemphasis on porn now is a reaction to the uptightness of the 50's. I agree with Michael Sternbeck. Truthfully, I think the DDJ would tell you not to fight against anything. Set your intent on what you want to be - do you want to be an enlightened one, or a porn king? There's no judgment within the Dao, merely your preference. But once you decide, just be okay with what comes at you from day to day. If you choose the path of enlightenment, then your mind and body will gradually find your place of healthy balance. Just do what's in front of you, day by day, in consciousness and in the most loving way. By trying to keep a lid on it, or feeling ashamed that it is there - those actions alone create a building pressure that will have to have its release at some point in time.

The thing about trolling and calling each other names, it that it's a direct tell about the development of the person talking. By diminishing others, sometimes folks think this elevates them. I know of a president that does that. The result is exactly the opposite. The current stage of one-upmanship on this forum is demonstrative of some large egos, which are precisely the biggest barrier to clarity. Yes, we need egos. We need to be able to get out of the way of out of oncoming traffic. But from what I've read on this thread and others, the egos have been given full rein; and humility, on this site, is becoming a thing of the past. For those who take glee in thumping their fellow Bums, your lack of character is showing. No amount of high-minded posts will ever erase the memory of your unkindness. Please be kind to each other. Your path to an enlightenment is at stake.

Thank you!

I was watching a doctor talking about COVID yesterday. He talked about how the lungs are mainly exposed to our backs. I've been doing a chest beating thing too - but I'm thinking maybe my roommate and I should beat each other's backs while laying prone with the sides of our hands - kind of like the old massages. They showed an X-ray of Chris Cuomo's lungs (has Covid) and there was something that could be seen within the lung passages - they called it something like 'exudate' or something. I'm pretty sure I have the wrong word there.....but I think the thumping might help keep the little virii (new made-up word) from taking up deep residence. 'Might' being the operative word. Another method I've recently heard is similar to Yogic breathing techniques, but without the nostril holding. To keep the lungs very aerated, by breathing deep in 5 times, holding your breath for the count of 5 each time. Then on the 6th time, rather than just exhale, make yourself cough once rather forcefully, and this dislodges stuff from the lungs. This series is repeated once more. You will enjoy the vertigo, I did.

as above below sun and heart both emitting splendrous rays of love

That is very darkly hysterical. That is truly the Dao reverting to the Dao

At this strange place in time, it might be nice to release some high vibrational thoughts into the universe. Please, with intent, emit something good feelings and love out to all of the sentient beings on this planet. The vibrational collective of The Bums would be a great laser to focus onto the healing of mankind. Here's my contribution. I quote John Lennon: Imagine there's no heaven It's easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people living for today Imagine there's no countries It isn't hard to do Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too Imagine all the people living life in peace You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will be as one Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man Imagine all the people Sharing all the world You may say I'm a dreamer But I'm not the only one I hope someday you'll join us And the world will live as one * * * * *

OMG. Mr. Looking Horse looks almost exactly like my recently deceased husband. He was an Apache man from New Mexico. I've always had the impression of 'India' when I get that snippet. It's just there. India. And strangely enough, the vision is from the knees down; above the knees, I only see a cloud or mist that they come out of.

Thanks for that. It gave me some serious laughs. But.....a spreadie on the wanker??