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but I think it would be really cool to dream and talk to people and discuss things etc does anyone do this.. that way you can sort of check up on loved ones etc this is astral projection/being a stalker right

Zeros, by dark dragon do you mean the green on that's kind of shaded out? Since I was recently pondering this question of color, before getting the answer, I thought green was my favorite ... but I usually wear black. I was wondering about the color and right away a new student volunteers they had a dream about a dragon coming to town, (I hadn't told him about dragons) so I asked what color it was and that's how I learned the color.

What if the memories are a manifestation of a negative entity? You are unsure yourself if the memories are real. Treating the manifestations as you would a dream, you regain your own power. This is a very good webpage with information. https://www.istss.org/RememberingChildhoodTrauma.htm

Ok thanks NotVoid. I train in a particular system but my dream states are very ordinary Edit: multiple tpyos

Since paper, especially newspaper makes a big target for chemicals and stuff, I'd be interested in seeing a match spontaneously light itself in video demo. In many kinds of regular chi gung during the closing they often rub hands together, often they get very hot. I can't shock anyone but I've surprised people by touching the with very hot hands. I wonder if there'd be some interesting skill in lighting a match by putting it between your hands and rubbing them together hard. Don't know if its possible and might be painful if it worked. Which brings us to candle work. People who can move the flame with there mind. I suppose it could be easy to fool yourself, gently breathing on it and thinking its your mind. Another front is dream work. From the simple, remembering several dreams a night then to lucidity. Which doesn't make for impressive demos. On the other hand if astral travel is possible then it should be easy to 'prove' it.

Hi rex. From what I could gather, the thigle experiences are experiences related to particular systems, and seem to be indicators when someone has achieved a fairly high level of accomplishment in those systems, from what I read anyway. Therefore that doesn't appear to me to be related at all to what I have been describing here. What I have been describing is a visual effect which I think most anyone may be able to see, as it appears to be an effect of the way our vision works, from what I can tell. Regarding your question, my dream state does not seem out of the ordinary.

A BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE PATH TO AWAKENING “DELUSION” is the toxic voice of your thoughts in your conscious mind… many people believe that their thoughts are somehow useful to them… and believe that the inner voice of their thoughts is there to help guide them to make better choices so that they will create a happy, joyful, comfortable, fulfilling and successful life for themselves… If this were true then they would find themselves feeling satisfied, happy, confident, relaxed, at ease, peaceful, positive, optimistic, good about themselves, successful, fulfilled and worthy… But if we consider what it really feels like to have that critical inner voice living inside our conscious mind, we will invariably notice that it makes us feel inadequate, weak willed, lacking confidence, unmotivated, risk averse, overly cautious, fearful of making mistakes, paralyzed, anxious, confused, unable to make clear and focused decisions, incompetent, sad, stuck, pessimistic about the future, unworthy and so on… which prevents us from being able to create a successful and fulfilling life… it is this voice, that creates all of our dissatisfaction and suffering…it is the voice of delusion… but don’t dislike or hate it, that is clinging to it… instead just think of it as the “voice of childish ignorance” and dismiss it as having no credibility… simply be indifferent to it... Meditation… The whole object of meditation from start to finish, is gaining control of, and permanently silencing that voice in the conscious mind… the voice that is coming directly from the subconscious mind… that voice which is the voice of your “conditioning”… that voice is not your voice, it is the voice of “mundane reality”, it is the voice of all the other people who have taught you what you should believe is “real”… that voice is how the mundane world controls your thoughts and actions… that voice is the voice of your karma, it is how your karma (conditioning) controls your life…that voice is the voice of your delusion…that voice is the source of all your dissatisfaction and suffering… when you destroy that voice permanently, your subconscious mind becomes enlightened, and “awakens” as if from a dream, and you “know” and understand “the truth of your existence”… and once you “know”, it is impossible not to “know”…and because now the voice is gone, the conscious mind becomes “empty” and “serenely peaceful”… Note…you get rid of the “voice” by systematically purifying your mind of the mundane conditioning that is creating the voice… it does not matter what method you use to purify the mind, and destroy delusion, that is of no importance… all that is important is that the method works for you… Breathing during meditation… When meditating and observing our breath, we should not control our breath with our conscious mind, but instead let our subconscious mind do our (automatic) breathing for us, then we should be aware that by observing our breath now, that we are observing our subconscious mind taking care of us, and get in sync with it, and then simply let go, and let it “lead the way”… this helps to set up “investigation”, or set up “communication”, and/or “interaction” with the subconscious mind… FIVE STEPS ON THE PATH TO AWAKENING Step (1)… Concentration (samahdi)…this is developing the ability to temporarily stop the voice in your conscious mind, so that your mind is quiet and peaceful… this is the first step in regaining control of your conscious mind… Step (2)… Getting rid of “anger” (dislike) and “greed” (like)… anger and greed are the two sides of the same coin… understanding that when someone makes you angry or greedy, that they are not only controlling you, but they are also stealing your energy…and then learning how to remain indifferent, so that you no longer respond with anger or greed… You will not be punished for your anger; you will be punished by your anger… (Buddha) Step (3)… Reaching equanimity (“live” and “let live”)… Realizing and accepting that other people have different opinions and beliefs than you, and that their opinions and beliefs are just as valid as yours… a person with equanimity is never sucked into arguments with others, about who is right, and who is wrong…nor do they become upset if they are beset by the “slings and arrows of outrageous fortune”…equanimity is a state of psychological stability and composure which is undisturbed by experience of, or exposure to emotions, pain, or other phenomena that may cause others to lose the balance of their mind… Step (4)… Body investigation… understand that you are not a body and personality with a spirit; understand that you are an ancient spirit with a new body and personality…understand that you are not your “body” or your “personality”… understand that you are an ancient immortal “spirit” with a temporary “body” and “personality”, and that you have had an uncountable number of bodies and personalities in the past… understand that the spirit that is you could not “die” even if you wanted it to, and that when your body dies, your spirit is alive in the spirit world, and if you have not attained enlightenment, your spirit reincarnates in another physical body and personality… Step (5)…”The middle path”… the “truth of our existence” is that there is no “reality… everything just “is”, nothing is good or bad… good and bad are just value judgments of mundane reality… and mundane reality is just a survival strategy created by humans to ensure the survival of the species… “the truth of our existence” is that we live in a universe of “cause” and “effect”… consider that in the physical world that if you stick your hand in a fire (the cause), the effect is that your hand will get burned… does that mean that the fire is “bad”, No!... it is just the truth of our existence... in the spiritual world, “intention” is the “cause”, and “karma” is the “effect”… if you intentionally harm another person (cause), you will create “karma”, karma that harms you (effect)… this is the truth of our existence... this is the reason why it is necessary for you to make everything (and everything means everything) “neutral” (middle path, neither good nor bad ) to reach “awakening”… consider a “screwdriver”.., is it good or bad..? No… it is neutral… it is just a useful tool if you want to drive a screw…this is being indifferent, treat everything with this kind of indifference…you must be able to hold this attitude of indifference, long enough for mundane reality to collapse and vanish permanently, to reach awakening… once you reach awakening it is permanent…when you reach awakening, you will “know”… it is impossible not to “know”… ********************************** You can search throughout the entire universe for someone who is more deserving of your love and affection than you are yourself, and that person is not to be found anywhere. You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe deserve your love and affection… (Buddha) Forgive yourself for not being perfect…realize that you are no better or worse than anybody else… be totally honest with yourself, and love yourself… otherwise you will be unable to be honest with others, or love others… accept and forgive yourself just the way you are… if you are unable to calm your mind when you sit down to meditate, forgive yourself for not being perfect and at peace, this takes the stress out of the situation so it is easier to be at peace…offer no resistance to “the way things are”, or you will set up inner conflict… whatever happens “just is”, it is not “good” or “bad”, it is neutral…”be indifferent”, don’t make “value judgments”, just let everything flow past you…you are always “here”, and the time is always “now”… Dawg

Fascinating account NotVoid. I suppose one way to fathom whether this is a physical phenomenon or some sort of thogal vision is by looking at your dreams and dream state. Do you have dreams of clarity?

I see, Mh, I had a dream last night which spoke to this idea of non-intent , and in my dream one character was 'passive knower' and the other 'obedient doer' ,, and I wonder if such personification of abstracts is really a type of simplification so that the ideas are easier to relate to. Do you think Wu wei might be well personified by either the experience of 'passive knower' or 'obedient doer' ? or perhaps you feel that the 'filling of unfinished footprints' or a 'rider of flowing stream' are more potent descriptors to you ? of following dao in a manner of wu wei. ( thusly either way there is an implied curtain between intent and experience.. ( I hope thats a clear enough presentation of the question)

I believe its the apotheosis of all vehicles. There is the myth of Atiyoga been taught in other world systems and the lineage founder himself is mythic but these things are outside my concern and understanding. I would defer to the knowledge of Malcolm a translator of Dzogchen tantras http://www.dharmawheel.net/viewtopic.php?f=48&t=8565&start=0 Dzogchen includes the meaning of all Buddhadharma, so one cannot say that by practicing Dzogchen as an independent path, one is dismissing Buddhadharma as unnecessary. One can dismiss the organized religion that has accreted around Buddhadharma i.e. "Buddhism", the corresponding socio/political/economic institutions, as unnecessary for Dzogchen practitioners. Some people are very attached to the Buddhist clothes in which they find Dzogchen. Those clothes are not so important. Dzogchen texts are relative so they reflect the culture of those they find themselves in. The principle of the three kāyas is beyond language, so it does not matter at all what you call your three kāyas. The three kāyas just express aspects of the wisdom of the basis. If we want to understand emptiness in Dzogchen, we do not need to engage in any analysis at all -- we need to merely reflect on the examples of illusion -- that is sufficient for understanding everything is unreal -- no analysis required, no fancy Madyamaka analysis, we don't even have to use the word "emptiness", "Life is but a dream...." In this way we penetrate to the real essence of the teachings.

... Peru would be far too warm. I like it here in the UK. But first seek the higher ground. Seriously though, I don't seem to get anywhere near as many insect bites as I used to. I never harm insects. Ha ha ha! From my notes earlier; The lucid dream doth beckon me, Mind's portal to Eternity. yay the wizard new version just started playing on planet rock! ...

I'd become lucid in the dream and wake up for real....

“That is strange indeed brother Raven, but it is not unusual for Man to try to understand things thus. Although obscure, we can see them struggling towards understanding of the concepts. And that reminds me … on that note … excuse me for one moment.” Centaur drew an arrow from his quiver and notched it in the bow, drew it back mightily and shot it high into the heavens. It left behind a trail of sparks that turned into a magnificent rainbow. “Just a little assistance for them to follow in this matter. Now, back to business. It appears you have comprehension of the process and now can see how one side of our worthy Hydra is that spirit in Man’s soul that may rise above and comprehend the Greater God?” “Yes.” Responded Raven “but what does this have to do with suffering ? And why does Hydra at times have many heads and not one.” “Because men sometimes cannot see it that way, they have trouble seeming unity as they live in duality, and duality spreads to triplicity and before you know it you have multiplication of forms . So sometimes it is explained in that multiplication of forms.” “How so?” asked Raven. “Have you seen the reverse of the diagram that was delivered to you?” “Reverse ? … It has a reverse? “ “Raven!” Centaur admonished. “You must really learn to pay attention, it is very frustrating to the forces that be and rule our development and spiritual growth when they drop things in our lap and we hardly notice! Turn it over and look at the other side.” “Well that IS rather strange. I am wondering what all those heads represent? I know not what in Man has many heads.” “The serpent is inside Man ... but man has another part that is enclosed and how do you think that function looks out from man and observes the physical Universe around him?” “Why, through his senses of course,’ Raven answered “ Aha! I see it!” He counted them out on his wing feathers; “ 1, the eyes for sight, 2, the nose for smell, 3, the mouth for speech and to take in nourishment, 4, the skin to feel and 5 the ears to hear. But the Hydra has nine heads does she not? There are several senses missing. Man only has 5 senses. ” “Did you not listen to the Magpies chorus? ‘The forehead of the snake is bright with one immortal star’ and ‘That star upon the serpent's head Is called the soul of man.’ “ “Ah yes!” responded Raven, “That eye on the brow that sees in spirit is its head and its tail lies in man’s reproductive organs … its all curled up together but when the snake awakens … and comes up from the depths of the water it must make sure the person is worthy to receive its blessing … “ he thinks a bit more … “ and that connects Man’s sacred creative ability with his inner vision … that’s rather clever … whoever thought of that . I see why it is not shown on the diagram as it is hidden within the body, but man, on a higher and more subtle plane sees through that secret eye. But that is only six?” “Yes,” agreed Centaur, “but we can count the sexual organs and the mystic eye as two.” “And that only gives us seven …” “That is so brother Raven … but consider other parts of the Magpie’s chorus; ‘And kindle at a livelier coal the subtler soul of light. From these soft splendours of a dream I turn, and seek the Self supreme.” And “Lighting her coils with living light, to where the nenuphar sleeps ... All darkness dreams - The thing that is not, only seems. “ “Well that is the dream world and the mirror of and the realm of Man’s soul … ah yes, that even more secret eye at the base of the back of the Man’s skull. … still, only 8 though.” “That’s right! But Man has one more opening, by which he expels all forms no longer needed once their energy is extracted. In Man, on the physical plane he has the anus. Man is an oraganism formed around a hollow tube ... so to speak. “Of course!” said Raven “ I had forgotten about that. But I am getting a little confused did not Hercules cut the heads off the Hydra in another story, thus defeating her ?” “Hercules!” cried Centaur in disdain. “Hercules’ journey is about Man’s literalist approach, and how his ego opposes lost soul. Of course soul can NEVER be defeated by ego … it may seem to be suppressed for a time but like all suppression it resurfaces in different ways and in multiples of itself. “If you remember the story, the thing that happened when Hercules cut off any of the Hydras heads was, firstly, water gushed out … he released the waters of the depths contained within the depths of Man’s psyche. And secondly each neck then grew three heads. This is because when man cannot understand singularity - the Empyrean, firstly manifests in Triplicity; the thing itself and how it manifests in the world of duality, thus the mortals always have lessons in Triplicity; Life – birth & death, Tao – Yin & Yang, Humanity – man & woman and recently electrical charge – positive and negative … and so on …” “And” Raven interrupted, ”on this diagram, on both sides we see that unity, and below are the nine heads, making the ten, and also the first three above, with the 7 below … and I assume those 7 relate to the 7 stars that wander about the sky, unfixed - in compasion to us?” “Now you are getting the hang of it.” Centaur told him. “But Man sees these things as bad things as well?” “Ah yes! But Man perceives in duality; He sees one thing as two things that are separate and then separate men decide which side of duality is reality. So then is Man in conflict; man against man. The man of Wisdom however sees One and all men as one. To some men, and in Man at some times, there is a view that these eyes, or senses, or processes of the One are hindrances. Some have called them ‘sore spots’ and are offended by their various functions. In duality they can be seen as ‘either’ levels through which Men have fallen, and hence are barriers to the One, or stages through which Man can ascend and comprehend the One. But like your parchment and diagrams, they are, of course two sides of the one parchment. If one holds it up to the Light and allow Light to pass through it and illuminate it and that same light strikes one’s eye than the One and one image can be seen.” “I see.” Pondered Raven and was silent for a moment … “But what has all this to do with me?” he asked. “Your adventures are just not happenstance. Your story is a myth to instruct Man in the way of his development, if he can and has the will to develop his ability to perceive it …. Excuse me.” Centaur shot another brilliantly plumed arrow across the sky. ‘So you see, young Raven … that is getting older and wiser before my eyes, as we continue our discourse … Man must ever develop, understand and strengthen those senses, and bring them into balance so they can rise higher up the Tree of Knowledge and perceive that one Empyrean from whence they were born and to which they shall return.” “Unto what purpose O wise Centaur?”

“I see.” Said the Centaur. “And you see this as misfortune?” “Of course,” said the Raven, “You do not?” “Well I can see it another way.” “Please go on and explain.” Said the Raven, “ I am more than willing to release myself of my entrapments and ill-fortune.” “Very well.” Said the Centaur. “First you must realise there is another level of story behind all the things that befall us, for we are, not just fixed amongst the stars, but are the patterns of the very stars themselves and this great pattern represents, not just life and events on earth but the very nature of Man’s own soul or Psyche, as represented by our sister of the same name, in truth, we are all parts of her story. I am an important part in that, as are you, so do not give yourself lack of importance for your part is, perhaps more crucial, than you realise.” “How is that?” asked the Raven. “By analogy and symbol young Raven. For example you lament about your loss of colour from pearly white to deep dark black … even blue black if I may add. Have you not noticed that it is the very colour of space itself? Have you not noticed that white reflects light, hence finds difficulty in absorbing it. While black absorbs light by not reflecting it. By being black you are absorbing the light, and light is good, warm and gives life and illumination. “ “ I see,” agreed the Raven. “You seem quiet wise in your observation, so what is your function in the psyche of Man?” “I shoot my arrows aloft and leap up after them, this gives man inspiration to follow his lofty ideals, but, for once, brother Raven, this conversation IS all about you, so never mind me for the moment. “Let us move on to the feast for Jupiter and see if we can unfold more of your purpose and hence your illumination.” “Very well.” Agreed the Raven. “Firstly the spring and pool is deep water, that is a symbol of the Psyche, the deep soul of man, of which he only perceives the surface, deep within lies the many headed Hydra, which at times, can have one head and at other times many heads. It is the same thing, do not be confused, in the world of Psyche, things can be one thing and many things at the same time. Mostly men are not aware of Hydra, but occasionally she surfaces as her duty IS to protect the cared for sacred spring from those who are not ready nor worthy to receive its waters.” “But if the pool or lake or deep water IS Man’s psyche, then Hydra being a part of that is part of Man’s psyche or soul?” asked Raven. “That is exactly right,” answered Centaur, “ And what might that part be? What is like a snake in the soul of Man that reaches up its head through the spheres of heaven to the vast Empyrean. Yet, when Man thinks he is suffering it persecutes him on the Cross of the Elements? “ “I know not.” Responded the Raven. “Come now Raven, you seek water, do you not? Do you not realise this burning thirst in your throat is not for mere physical water? For what you thirst and what you seek and what is contained within the Sacred Cup is the Water of Life, and to drink from it is to gain knowledge of the soul. That is your function! To drive Man along , to seek the sacred wisdom and to gain knowledge of the soul, by observing the acts and lives of the Gods and their companions … which Man calls ‘myth’.” “I see.” The Raven contemplated. “Does not man have a force inside him that is curled up and sleeping in water, and due to certain circumstances, may arise and ascend, returning through the vast spheres which gave his incarnation form when previously descending FROM that original source and this, like a rearing serpent may return and pierce the veil into that very Empyrean?” “Yes, that is so … and tell me, how Raven, did you come to that knowledge?” “Well , it is still my duty to watch. The ravens on Earth do that for me and still report to me. Some time back one of them delivered unto me a strange document and in it, it had a diagram … I will show it to you.” But just as he began to unroll it the Magpies returned and alighted again in a row upon a string of stars. “Oh, not again! What now?” Raven lamented. “Peace brother Raven, they portend sacred events, hear out their Chorus if you would learn.” First Magpie: “Lift up this love of peace and bliss, The starry soul of wine, Destruction's formidable kiss, The lamp of the divine: This shadow of a nobler name Whose life is strife, whose soul is fame!” Second Magpie: “ I rather will exalt the soul Of man to loftier height, And kindle at a livelier coal The subtler soul of light. From these soft splendours of a dream I turn, and seek the Self supreme. Third Magpie; “ This world is shadow-shapen of The bitterness of pain. Vain are the little lamps of love! The light of life is vain! Life, death, joy, sorrow, age and youth Are phantoms of a further truth.” First Magpie: “Beyond the splendour of the world, False glittering of the gold, A Serpent is in slumber curled In wisdom's sacred cold. Life is the flaming of that flame. Death is the naming of that name, All Magpies: “ The forehead of the snake is bright With one immortal star, Lighting her coils with living light To where the nenuphar Sleeps for her couch. All darkness dreams The thing that is not, only seems. “ First Magpie; “That star upon the serpent's head Is called the soul of man. That light in shadows subtly shed The glamour of life's plan. The sea whereon that lotus grows Is thought's abyss of tears and woes. Second Magpie; “ Leave Sirenusa! Even Greece Forget! they are not there! By worship cometh not the Peace, The Silence not by prayer. Leave the illusions, life and time And Death, and seek that star sublime, All Magpies; “ Until the lotus and the sea And snake no longer are, And single through Eternity Exists alone the Star, And utter Knowledge rise, and cease In that which is beyond the Peace!” They fly off. “ They are eloquent … I will give them that. Now, where was I? Oh yes, this diagram one of my raven’s bought to me.” Raven unfolded it and showed it to Centaur.

Nice post (as are all the posts of yours that I've read so far...). In Vajrayogini's quote "The earth outside, the stones, mountains, rocks, plants, trees and forests do not truly exist. The body inside does not truly exist. This empty and luminous mind-nature also does not truly exist. Although it does not truly exist, it cognizes everything.", if all does not "truly exist," what "everything" is there to be cognized? Our use of language to discuss these concepts is inherently inadequate and necessarily leads to confusion. I like Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche's comments from "The Tibetan Yogas of Dream and Sleep" (and everything else he has written, but I'm admittedly biased) in referring to the base (khunzi) - "The essence of kunzhi is emptiness (sunyata). It is unlimited, absolute space; it is empty of entities, inherent existence, concepts, and boundaries. It is the empty space that seems to be external to us, the empty space that objects inhabit, and the empty space of the mind. Kunzhi has neither inside nor outside, cannot be said to exist (for it is nothing), nor not to exist (for it is reality itself). It is limitless, cannot be destroyed or created, was not born, and does not die. Language used to describe it is necessarily paradoxical, since kunzhi is beyond dualism and concept. Any linguistic construction that attempts to comprehend it is already in error and can only point to that which it cannot encompass."

I had an incredible dream featuring a white dragon some years ago: it still gives me shivers when I recall it. I become lucid when I realize I'm standing in a long line which is looping through a shadowy basement/warehouse space. The queue snakes through something of a maze of empty metal shelving units. I can peer through the empty shelves to the center of the room and the front of the line where a single overhead bulb, illuminates a simple metal table holding a large white egg. Each person in line has an opportunity to hold the egg and try to hatch it. As I'm standing in line I am almost oblivious to the other people in line, seeing no faces. My focus is the egg. As I begin to near the front of the line, I start to trill softly to the egg in my mind. A soft, loving, comforting sound. As I approach the egg, I hear a second harmonizing trill in my mind coming from the egg. As the egg is placed in my hands the sounds merge and crescendo... at their peak the egg shell vibrates and evaporates in light and sitting in my hands is a white dragon. Her mother-of-pearl scales shimmering with lavender and blue highlights as she breaths. She is staring at me with emerald eyes, so bright with love, they shine with light. As the harmonic sound of our connection peaks again, I wake up. I can see her bright eyes in my mind's eye as clearly as if I just awoke.

Hello there! Thank you for reading. My name is Joe, I am 25 years old and I reside in the Hudson Valley, a beautiful and fertile area north of NYC. I have lived in this area my entire life. Life here is strange, as the people here are very complacent with the area and the normal workings of life. Questioning of the status quo is frowned upon, (from my experience) and it is the social norm to "go with the flow"... I am not one of those people who can accept this sort of life, as i always had a feeling that there was much more to existence than folks cared to realize. My venture into the realm of the unknown started without my concious knowledge when i was 4. I awoke one morning to see 2 pearlescent older white haired women standing in my doorway. 1 in a wheelchair, the other using a walker moving towards me. I can still see the image in my mind today.. I ran to my parents room, and told them what i saw, and upon my explanation, my mother let me know that they were both of my great grandmothers and reassured me that they were there to protect me. My experiences did not end there, for most of my childhood life, I was plagued by entities that would show themselves to me, in real life, and in my dreams. Some were non threatening, I assume just attempting to show themselves, yet some were malevolent, attacking me in my dreams, leading to night terrors which lasted well into my middle teens. The worst thing is no one would believe me. My parents discounted my tales of battling demons at night, as they said these things were fictitious, elements which i had made up in my subconscious, yet i was the only one who knew the truth. I spent most nights, wide awake, watching these things move through my room, following me into my dream state to terrorize me, I eventually became stronger, my soul grew, my power over them grew, and i gained the ability to fight them, to cast them out of dreams. Lucid dreaming became a nightly reality, waking up deep within my sleep to do whatever i wanted, fly wherever i wanted, visit distant lands, and explore the cosmos. With this, physical activity grew within my home, lights would click on and off, the television would turn on and off, and the closet doors in my room would shake violently, eventually so badly that my mother actually began to accept what had been happening to me for years, which helped me greatly. The activity never ceased, even with going to college, i had experiences in my dorm room, where drawers were opening and shutting, and apparitions would show themselves in the early hours of the morning, scaring the hell out of my room mate, yet barely phasing me. Now I had all of this contact with a realm that I could not understand for a great time, and I had realized that this is not something everyone had the ability to sense and communicate with, so I had an idea that there was something more to life. something that most people did not want to see or acknowledge. Now there was always something strange about my hands that I could not understand. My hands are very quick, and very strong. I am not a large man, only 5'8, yet in the late years of high school, where testosterone reigned in the hallways, i could not be beaten in mercy, even going par with the largest guy in our school who was 6'3, 270 lbs of muscle. So i always knew there was something "not normal" about them. Fast forward a few years to when i get a steady girlfriend, and I realize that my hands are more than just strong, they are almost able to heal..? I dont know. All i know is that my hands almost have a power, like a heat that they emit, i can feel it, a warm energy. Others can feel it too, as i bring them near to them, animals sense them as i can take an energetic animal and coerce it into calming down, putting it almost into a trance state.. Same goes for humans. It could all be fake, i could be imagining all this, but i have tested my theory quite a bit, attempting to disprove myself but its hard to. I have searched for a long time for some answers, to all of this. Studying various religions, reading as much as i could regarding the paranormal, divulging greatly into the metaphysical, only to have more questions in the end, not truly finding what i was looking for. On top of all of this I am quite vocal about the standing of our civilization, and the shortcomings of our government, which i will not get into here, but i know there is an answer, and I believe I have a pretty firm grasp on what exactly needs to be done in order to start the rebuilding process. Anyway, as you can see, I am not complacent, nor am I happy, nor have I really had many questions answered, until now. Only in the last 2 years did i begin to find out about eastern philosophy and practices through a friend. Something about the eastern way of thinking catches me, grasps me tightly, and gives me such a thirst for knowledge. The first book I read was the Tibetan Book of the Dead, which in my opinion made a lot of sense regarding reincarnation and mediation. I then read a bunch of books ranging from embracing the tao to books by edgar cayce and everything in between, opening me up to an understanding i never thought possible Finally, last year I had the change to meet Grandmaster Yuanming Zhang. I scheduled an appointment with him in the suburbs of NYC and he balanced my energy. I have never felt as good as I did after he did his work, I was essentially drunk, my eyes were the purest blue they had been in years, and my mind was smooth and my thought flowed like water afterwards. I was then hooked. Earlier this week, I had another great opportunity to meet another renown master, Master Katsumi Niikura. This was different than Grandmaster Zhang, because this time, I could somehow feel Master Niikura's energy when I walked into the room. It radiated off of him, as heat radiates off of a stove. It was incredible. He noticed many things regarding my body, noticed that I had eye issues (i got an extremely rare surgery for my age, cataract surgery which they did not replace my lens because my natural lens was actually too thick and they were able to trim it) He knew this within a minute of meeting me which impressed the hell out of me because there is no physical way of noticing this unless you had my eye under a microscope. After the treatment, I was again feeling drunk and amazing, My mind was beautifully quiet, an energy issue i was feeling within my back had subsided, and an ankle pain i had been having for a month had gotten 10 fold better. I was impressed to say the least. My buddy, who had gotten me into all of this, gave me a book to read recently, The Magus of Java, which i whole heartedly enjoyed. I truly believe that Neikung is the path for me because of the natural energy I feel within me. The teachings within the book made sense, and helped make sense of things that I could not make sense of for 20 years. I know that the teachings within neikung are extremely advanced, and that this practice would take years of dedication, I understand that. But at this point in my life, after what i have seen, and what direction the world is going in, I firmly believe that the teachings of neikung could save the world. I believe that it is my destiny and karma to learn this ancient knowledge and practice it with everything my soul has to offer. Yet I dont know where to begin on this search. So I start here. I hope you enjoyed my story and please, any advice, insight, information you could send to me would be greatly appreciated. I am willing to learn and certainly willing to compromise and accept other thoughts and beliefs, Thank you for your time

True and of course I didn't really concern too much about the black coal symbol or the Berlin Golden Bear Award. It was nice a Chinese film won it but I am not a big movie fan. Given with my track records of dreaming about foreign head of states and their foreign minsters and the Middle East conflicts and even the Chinese aircraft carrier before the world knew about its debut, I have high confidence that the dream was making a reference to the movie.

I think I have one...precognitive dreaming. One of the powers I have is precognitive dreaming. They are pretty accurate when dealing with external events, especially with international politics and the NSA scandals. Hehehe... Not so when dealing with myself. Go figure. 2 weeks ago I had this dream or vision. Is another one of my train or subway dreams. What was unusual about it was that I saw a locomotive or a steam engine train stopping at the platform, in front of me. The train's cargo was black coals. So, this train was all black and it has that industrial feel to it. The train symbol represents a path or "train of events" being unfolded. The thing with the precognitive dreaming is that many of these visions do not have a context or you aren't aware of the context. Is like you are thrown into a situation and things happen. Now, few days later, the Chinese film "Black Coal Thin Ice" won the Berlin International Film festival. http://news.yahoo.com/diao-yinan-39-39-black-coal-thin-ice-190341293.html Personally, I always get my daily dosage of German news and news from China and so I am "connected" to what is happening in both countries. However, I didn't know which films were being nominated.

I’ve just reread my copy of Stefan Stenudd’s translation and commentary of the Tao Te Ching. Here’s his version of chapter 80. Let the country be small, And the inhabitants few. Although there are weapons For tens and hundreds of soldiers, They will not be used. Let people take death seriously, And not travel far. Although they have boats and carriages, There's no occasion to use them. Although they have armor and weapons, There's no occasion to wear them. Let people return to making knots on ropes, Instead of writing. Their food will be tasty. Their clothes will be comfortable. Their homes will be tranquil. They will rejoice in their daily life. They can see their neighbors. Roosters and dogs can be heard from there. Still, they will age and die Without visiting one another. I was reading his commentary on this chapter and this is a small part of it- I have some problems with this chapter. It describes what Lao Tzu regards as a dream society, but I find it kind of boring. No travel, no visions, no aspirations, and no curiosity. Nothing but the routine of everyday life. It's certainly peaceful and secure, but isn't it also dull? What Lao Tzu is describing is almost my lifestyle! And I love it! I live on acreage in the sticks, near a very small country town. I lived here for almost a year before I knew the name of any neighbour. We had a very bad flood event thirteen months ago and the people from the district would go to the local sport ground beside the pub to meet and share information about food drops, road conditions, weather reports and communication issues. I met other people from my street that I had not even seen in the four years I had been here! And they were saying they were meeting neighbours for the first time in years! Everyone keeps to themselves but will give a hand whenever it’s asked for. Now I’m great mates with one neighbour, even though we only speak to each other every few months. My wife, on the other hand…well, she sometimes agrees with Stefan! You can find a PDF copy of his book on his site, http://www.stenudd.com/

It is a particularly intense "mechanical" practice that I very much enjoyed. I first experienced it by treating myself to several private sessions at the end of a 23 day fast. I was in an excellent space and had no expectation and very little idea of what I would be doing - other than intense breath work which I was comfortable with particularly in what was my state at the time. During my first session by the end my hands were contorted into an odd twisted shape and my mouth and cheeks needed to be slowly worked open again - totally unexpected! I did three private sessions and decided to take a 6 week class. We paired up in class and each week one person did the breathing and the other facilitated - ( helped the breather stay awake and breathing) very little else was done except that after the breathing session we all talked about what had happened. During one of my sessions I went into a clear and vivid scene from an Indian life - three of us were riding our paints in the sage brush - I was completely there! During another session I suddenly had to go into an old inverted yoga pose I had not done in years and did not know I could do anymore. It is the one where you are fully arched with your belly pointing to the sky, hands backward. I found myself breathing through my chakras and they were all opened up very large with a surging flow of energy - they were opened up way beyond their ordinary settings - it was a very powerful experience of power -,I was surprisingly grounded - the Qi force was a moderated explosive flood but unlike any other Kundalini experience I have had. On another note: during the class almost all the female breathers were crying - many were great weeping sobs. I do not recall a single male having this reaction. During the after talks the female comments circled around release. The male comments around past lives, chakras, dream states and metaphysical mystical experiences. I came away seeing this was a very powerful mechanical tool for women to release a ton of pain pictures in a very short time. It recommend it highly to all healthy individuals.

A practitioner of Secret Mantra Vajrayāna and particularly of the Great Perfection will study and practice the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra as an enhancement [’bog ’don gyi tshul du] for his practice and also as a method for clearing away obstacles [bgegs bsal gyi tshul du] that arise in the course of his practice. Thus, the gradual path of sūtra and the instantaneous path of Secret Mantra can be practiced as a perfect unity, seamlessly integrated with one another. The teachings of the Great Perfection train you in the perfect view while at the same time the Bodhisattva-caryāvatāra educates you in the perfect conduct of the six transcendental perfections. Sūtra or Sūtrayāna is also called the ’causal vehicle of (the six) transcendental perfections’ [rgyu pha rol phyin pa’i theg pa], while tantra is called the ’resultant vehicle of mantra’ [’bras bu sngags kyi theg pa]. The Buddhist tradition actually speaks of ’three causal vehicles’ [rgyu mtshan nyid kyi theg pa]. These refer to the śrāvakayāna, the pratyekabuddhayāna [rang rgyal ba’i theg pa], and the bodhisattvayāna. The followers of the causal vehicles [rgyu’i theg pa / rgyu mtshan nyid kyi theg pa] practice as their path the causes (for enlightenment), which are the six transcendental perfections [phar phyin drug rgyu lam du byed pa]. The followers of the resultant vehicle, also called the ’vehicle of secret mantra’ [gsang sngags kyi theg pa], practice the fruition as the path [’bras bu lam du byed pa]. As Düjom Rinpoche explained: Therefore, in the vehicle of attributes [mtshan nyid kyi theg pa], mind nature is merely perceived as the causal basis for buddhahood. Since it is held that buddhahood is obtained through the condition that the two accumulations increasingly multiply, and since the purifying teachings [rnam byang gi chos] which form the causal basis of nirvāṇa are made into the path, it is called the causal vehicle. Therein, a sequence in which cause precedes result is admitted. According to the vehicle of mantra, on the other hand, mind nature abides primordially and intrinsically as the essence of the result [’bras bu’i ngo bo], endowed with kayas and wisdom [sku dang ye shes kyi bdag nyid can]. Since the aim [thob bya], (mind nature), thereby exists within oneself from the very present moment, it is the ground. By recognizing it, temporary and momentary stains are removed. Thus, the recognition is the path [ngo shes par byed pa’i cha nas lam]. When this ground is actualized [mngon du gyur pa’i cha nas], it is the fruition. Since the sequence in which cause precedes result is not really distinguished therein, it is called the resultant vehicle. After genuninely recognizing the essence of one’s own mind, practicing the commitment [dam bca’ ba] of bodhicitta becomes a reality. Growing increasingly confident in one’s bodhicitta commitment also greatly enhances one’s practice of the buddha nature. One’s bodhicitta commitment and the recognition of buddha nature mutually enhance one another. Genuine recognition of buddha nature is the practice of knowledge [shes rab] or wisdom [ye shes] and gives rise to a natural compassion [snying rje]. Knowledge and compassion inspire and enhance one another. This mutually enhancing quality of knowledge and compassion sets in motion the natural turning of the wheel of dharma. Great compassion allows knowledge [shes rab] to dawn; great knowledge [shes rab] allows genuine compassion to dawn. This illustrates very clearly the interdependent nature [rten ’brel] of knowledge and compassion. The teachings of the Buddha all point to emptiness, and emptiness [stong pa nyid] is recognized by wisdom [ye shes]. Yet within this recognition of emptiness, there is no distinguishing or focus upon any subject [yul can] or any object [yul]. It is a non-dual wisdom [gnyis su med pa’i ye shes], a wisdom unconditioned by perceptual constraints of a subject-object dichotomy. As long as a perceptual dichotomy of a subject and an object exists, emptiness [stong pa nyid] has not been recognized. A teacher of sūtra must know the distinction between the provisional meaning [drang don] and the definitive meaning [nges don]. Düjom Rinpoche provides a very clear definition of these two levels of teachings: The reality of all phenomena, the expanse of just what is [de bzhin nyid dbyings], the luminous realization of mind-nature—naturally pure and unchanging, beyond birth, arising, ceasing, and abiding—this space-like essence is the definitive meaning. All the teachings [bka’] and treatises [bstan bcos] which reveal it are subsumed [khongs su bsdu ba] within the definitive meaning. All apparitions of reality [chos can snang tshod] that appear dream-like and manifesting as diverse, successive forms such as those of arising and ceasing, coming and going, purity and impurity, aggregates [phung po], elements [khams], and sense fields [skye mched], which are all appraised and exaggeratedly indicated [sgro btags] by a succession of words, thoughts and expressions are called the provisional meaning. All the teachings and treatises which reveal them are subsumed within relative truth [kun rdzob]. For example, those which boast in words, expressions, and thoughts that mind-nature is space-like are relative truth, whereas the fundamental nature [gshis] of ultimate reality, the definitive meaning, is genuine [yang dag pa]. If one asks what are the sūtras of definitive meaning and what are the sūtras of provisional meaning? Then those sūtras which are taught in order that one might enter the path [lam] are called the provisional meaning, and those sūtras which are taught in order that one might enter the result [’bras bu] are called the definitive meaning. The sūtras which teach of emptiness [stong pa nyid], of that which is signless [mtshan ma med pa], aspirationless [smon pa med pa], not manifestly conditioned [mngon par ’du mi ’byed pa], uncreated [ma skyes pa], unoriginated [ma byung ba], insubstantial [dngos pa med pa], without a self [bdag med pa], without sentient beings, without life itself, without individuals, without an owner [bdag po med pa] and without any properties even as far as the approach to liberation [rnam par thar pa’i sgo] are called the definitive meaning. In short, the fundamental natural state [gshis kyi gnas lugs] and the sūtras which reveal it are said to be the definitive meaning and the sūtras of this (definitive meaning), while all those teachings which guide the intellect of sentient beings by many methods to the means of entering that fundamental nature [gshis], revealing the impure bewilderment [’khrul pa], its classifications and so on, are called the provisional meaning and the teachings of the provisional meaning. (Excerpts from Khenpo Chogal's Oral Explanation of the Bodhisattva-charyavatara)

The time frames below are based on what I have seen, and from what others who I have talked with have said... (others may see things differently). Definitely don't take this as any hard and fast rules, or anything more than a quick wild guess. Astral projection takes a few years of daily practice of that specifically. Read Robert Bruce. Some people never manage though. Deep into meditation at will takes about 10 years of daily practice. Lucid dreaming at will takes about 5 years of writing every single dream down. Healing, should only be done under a qualified teacher, it takes a few hundred hours of training and practice. I've seen a lot of so called "healers" mess people up pretty badly. Those are just averages, for the average person with an average amount (but some) natural talent. Though I mean proficiency at each, not mastering them. Earlier you had mentioned you want something where you can see results in... well apparently around a month or so (since you are frustrated that you can't after a month of practice). I recommend much more patience . It is a lifetime of practice.

I dislike specialization, as Robert Heinlein said, specialization is for insects. That being said my ultimate goal is to: go deep into meditation at will, lucid dream at will, astral project at will, heal others, control my energy, expand consciousness(I see this as basically seeing the truth in life), and a few other things. Now, I may seem like a glutton for power, but I couldn't really care less for how long this takes because I know that I will achieve this. I just want to know that I'm on the right path, which is why I posted this topic. Sweet, I'm doing something right. So the moral of the story is that I should help people... I do that quite often

By power, I mean able to enter deep meditation states easily, lucid dream/astral project at will and everyday, heal others especially, etc. If so, could you explain in detail how you attained this power. I'm just curios how the people around here stand and as I'm starting all of this energy stuff, I want to have a good foundation and try something that works. I know meditation is extremely helpful and I do it everyday, but I'm not really seeing any progress with meditation. Yea I'm able to calm my mind, slow my breath almost to a stop, and remember some dreams, but that's it. I sometimes do horse stance and then my body automatically starts reverse breathing and my legs shake, but I'm still not noticing any differences. I'm curious to see what actually works for people. Please don't say mo pai because I researched this and can't find any reliable information past a certain level. Also the book(The Magus of Java) although a good read, seems exaggerated. Thanks for reading this post and if you have any advice/criticism, please input your thoughts.