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Hearing the Cries of the World By Lin Ai Wei Living Beings are indeed hard to teach. Their difficulty lies in the mind of the teacher teaching, only when it comes to teaching. Their difficulty with their own life lies in their own mind. When saying "the world" it is only in reference to living beings, not the actual world. The world exists because of living beings, the minds of living beings that is. Therefore, the problems of the world are only of the minds of living beings. They are tightly attached to their views of self. Views of self create the myriad experiences they base their personality, character, behavior and habits on. When a teacher of the Buddha Dharma, or any Dharma which results in wisdom, teaches a living being, be it an insect, animal, fish, human, etc, the conditions of the one being taught are what is sought after. Sought after refers to the observing the causes and conditions within the mind, and utilizing them as an expedient to transform. Hearing the cries of the world thus refers to the observation of the minds of living beings. The world is because of living beings. No living beings, no world to experience. When there is happiness, there will be suffering. This is because the happiness sought after by unwise beings is based on the causes and conditions for happiness, which change. It is based on the relative. The happiness of Sages are not based on causes and conditions in relativity but based on the attainment of wisdom, the mind of purity. When suffering is seen, and believed to be a difficulty, the mind observing has the causes for that state to arise. Thus, the world seems unfair, living beings of the world seem ignorant, greedy, and angry, arrogant. Because these views arise in the minds of living beings, the result is just what they keep in mind. When living beings hold on to these views for a long time, they forget that good also exists, and or they perceive good to be short term, unreal, and thus imagination. What they do not realize is that what is known as imagination is just the mind; what they know as happiness, sadness, and all their experiences are too of the mind. There is no separation. Generation after generation, living beings hold on to their views so tightly that the world is just as their views are. Some people live with views of peace and goodness, but are seen as ignorant, unrealistic and not rational. Some people hold on to views of needing to struggle, connive, and cut corners through people in order to get what they want. These views are seen as the norm to an extent. Of course this is just a generalization, and they can be further discussed, but it will take up too much time to do so. In reality, actual, non-dual reality, both views are totally non-existent. They simply do not matter. The reason they do not matter, is because originally, there were none of these thoughts. These thoughts create the experience in the mind because that is their relative outcome. Thus, the world we experience is only a figment of our mind, a dream, a bubble, its not real at all..at least its not the reality living beings assume reality is. This manner leads people to question what the real reality is. And the only answer is Meditation. Living beings must meditate, clear the mind of their views in order to actually realize what true "reality" is. One can explain it, but still, living beings must come to realize it, or it will only be another false thought. Originally, we are all Buddhas. But because of our attachment to views of self, beings, other and a life span, we are not realized Buddhas, but defiled minds of the Buddha mind. The method to free oneself of attachments to views is simply to meditate and recitation. Recite the Buddha name in order to plant the seeds of your future attainment of Pure and Complete Enlightenment. Plant the seeds of your Buddhahood, of your attainment of wisdom. Meditation is the method, and so is recitation. None of it is mechanical and none of it is false. Reciting the Buddha's name is not false thinking, for our original mind is just the Buddha mind. Therefore, we are reciting our own original mind. Teachers, Sages hear the cries of the world, hear/see the causes and conditions of the minds of living beings and respond to them in accordance with these causes and conditions. This way, living beings can be taught how to cultivate, how to accept the teachings without doubt, and thus one day attain inherent wisdom which surpasses worldly wisdom.

The echoes of silence, The chimes of immortality, Ringing through the seasons of my life. A child looking out to sea, A myriad forms dancing on the waves of eternity, How I wish I could see you, you dance so beautifully, But I'm too thoughtful, And there's dust in my eyes the size of stars. But who can I be but me or am I you, Like a blossom on the tree of diamond dream reality's.

Sitting in a chair with the heels raised and leaning forward is the key to activating this energetic experience. You are holding a posture that tunes your body to the divine harmonic. When you start to get close to that state, the legs may start bouncing and then that energy may move up to your lower dan tien, after that the heart. Don't allow it to rise to the brain though because at this point you will want to allow the cooling, downward flowing energy to cascade down through the head to the heart. This is where water and fire merge and create the steam of bliss. You will feel quite magnetic at this point, as if your magnetic body is much larger than your physical body. After practicing for a while and you are able to activate your Kunlun at will, you can sit on the ground or a bed, but just make sure that your hips are higher than your knees. Of course standing is possible, but not recommended unless Max is there. In your magnetic state you can go bouncing into things that might not feel too good. What you are actually doing with this practice is freeing the spirit from the mental confines of the body. The process reveals all of the tensions in the body. Tension is created by physical or mental stress. Once recognized, the energy generated can be directed to a tense area to help open it up and release the block. When tension is released the emotion held in a block can be released and this is where the screaming and crying and laughing occur and when an emotional block is cleared, that particular issue is resolved and you won't have to experience it anymore. Once all of the tension in the body is released (all channels open), the spirit can flow freely within the body and then begin to expand beyond the body. This is where it gets interesting, but I won't say much more on that. It is for the individual to discover themselves. The fur is an insulator. You can use it or not. I like it, personally. The most important thing is that you make sure you are grounded afterward and that you have stored all of the energy that you generated into the lower dan tien. If that takes 20 minutes or 5 minutes, it doesn't matter. Just make sure you don't leave any energy in the head or you will feel bonky. The hundred days is a suggestion for older guys generally or anyone who loses their essence frequently. It is mentioned so that if you feel you have a lack of energy, you can try it to help build your jing chi and open energetic gates in the body. If you have a wet dream, just start again building the energy. Don't worry about it too much. Hatha yoga is fine. Thanks. We try to keep it simple and to the point. Hope this helps. Good luck, Chris

I highly recommend "The Woman in the Shaman's Body: Reclaiming the Feminine in Religion and Medicine," by Barbara Tedlock, Ph.D.. If you read it and still assert I've magnified the task, which in fact, quite on the contrary, I placed against a very fuzzy and very remote telescope instead of under the microscope... well, like I said, I don't have the power to change it. I did post a couple of personal examples, and was warming up to more-bigger-better... but then I was confronted by a very angry spirit in my dream, who basically yelled at me all night for trivializing the issue to satisfy idle curiosities, and was absolutely correct, so I deleted that entry and swore off any personal examples for the foreseeable future. As for the thread "devolving..." ...welcome to the internet!

Both Buddhism and Taoism target at nourshing something totally new , alive and vigorous from emptiness/nothingness, ie, attaining the Real-Void . It is a status of dynamic , not something stagnant, a ripple-less mindlessness ; Nor is it a very peaceful feeling , passive unity of oneself with the external world/ universe..etc . More likely it is an abrupt openning of an unseen door before you , a sudden appearance of a bottomless hole beneath you ....an unexpected pop-up of another new , powerful Mind ( in Buddhist term: Enlightenment )or Person ( in Taoist term : the divine fetus ) from your body , not always peaceful , sometimes even scaring ; maybe something like a small ,trivial mammal, which originally live among trees , searching for small insects and fruits so as to have itself fed on, one day suddenly wakes up from its dream , and find that itself has become a human being , with a total new consciousness and power. Pseudo-Void ,although giving people good feeling , is unproductive in the end , therefore is the main trap in the Buddhist cultivation. On the other hand, attachment to sex pleasure/practice , or those wonderful feelings of qi arising from our body at the stage of transforming jing to qi , is the main trap in Taoist cultivation.

I just got JAJ's new book "Daoist Magical Transformation Skills: Dream Magic, Shapeshifting, Soul Travel, and Sex Magic".................heavy duty stuff. It's loaded with techniques and looks like a manual that will take a lifetime of study.............. A little pricey at 80 bucks and 242 pages, but filled with concepts and teachings never seen before.........To me, well worth the investment.

Cheers for the report Mal Funnily enough, I felt the urge to write up about mine, too, after the experience. My alarm went off at 06:05 today, and I was rudely awoken from having an entertaining dream with Airbourne playing live in a casino, sitting with some friends talking about my brief venture into psychosis. I felt embarassed of my journey, but realised it was necessary for my path. Anyway, slowly roused my mind to the waking world and got up for a quick pee. My state of awareness appeared to be different - it seemed more at peace than normal. I felt the energy of the meditation ahead. A rainy, some would argue a typically of Scottish, morning ... the sun had been up for an hour already at least. Did a few rounds of SuperBrain Yoga and sat for a few minutes of spinal breathing to prepare myself for the meditation. I sat down at 06:15 It was a very strong sensation at first - a large standing wave eminating from my spine. My hips weren't happy though as I normally do a series of asanas before sitting. Whenever I found my mind wandering, I would repeat what the website encouraged, "Relax, James, until you are no longer aware of your body." At one point my spine went very cold, and I felt a twinge in my right channel (a good sign in my eyes - I always run hot and my right channel is, I believe, my next obstacle). Time seemed to pass by quicker than usual. Alarm went off at 06:42, I gave thanks and grabbed my towel for my morning shower. In the shower I went into a trance, chanting, "Om ah hung vajra guru padma siddhi hum." This lasted for the entire duration of my shower (~15 minutes... I have long hair ). Great stuff. Loved the meditation and enjoyed the strange trance afterward. There's no way I am getting up this early every morning - I go to bed late enough as it is and work two jobs... need the sleep. Toodle pip all, off for breakfast in time for BBC Radio 4's Thought of the Day Look forward to reading other reports from fellow Tao Bums this evening!! Many thanks to Mikaelz for bringing this to my attention. You're a gem. James

Time and space are not really obstacles. As most here acknowledged, space is not a factor for the transmission. Neither is time. You can experience this type of thing at any time, sometimes, like with "moms", our subtle body is already there before the actual "time". This happens with me a lot. I am not so good at tuning in to future or past events, although sometimes but not as intensely as if it was "the" time. Space is easier to get over in my experience, sounds like others here say the same. Another option would be to send your dream self at 6:30 AM and then when you wake up you will probably still be buzzing Best, Matt

Yes, the wonderful Russian conditioning to scare people away from something expanding your consciousness. Just like you, I was conditioned to be afraid of a white-doted red caps with stories of people eating it by accident and dying within hours. When I turned 18, I got this little magazine I was subscribing to, and there I learned a lot about Siberian shamans and how they used the mushrooms in their Vision quests. So my friend and I went out to a forest and got a few dozens and dried them. I ate one- nothing. Later, two- nothing special. So I decided to go on my own vision quest and took a train to my grandmother's house. 10 minutes before the train stopped at the train station I was supposed to get off, I swallowed 5 mushrooms. Got off the train- all dark at about 8pm in October. No lights, just the dark sky and a little bit of opening in the wood tops to see there supposed to be the road. I found the road alright- it takes about 45 minutes to walk from the station to the house. About halfway I realized something is going on in my head because everything I looked at was coming with comments on it. I didn't notice it first but later realized it wasn't my internal dialogue. I was more concerned with going through the forest without meeting some of the critters. Got to the house. Feel really heavy and went straight to bed. Visions of things. I looked at the wall and saw the house I was in , then went deep into the wood to the atomic and subatomic level. It's a little disturbing to be one of the molecule dancing around. It's even more disturbing if it continues for more then an hour. Got nauseous. Went to through up but nothing came out. The voices told me if I want to through up, I need to drink water. They also told me it's too late to reverse the process because it got absorbed in to the bloodstream. Got a bucket and went to the well outside. The voices were commenting on stuff but I don't remember what it was. I say "voices" but it was more like a chorus of young girls saying the same thing at the same time. Drunk some water and went back to bed. More visions. Got nauseous again. While vomiting the voice(s) told me how much more I had to go through and even showed me a diagram. That was kind of funny. Went to the out-house. For those who don't know, it's something like this: On the way there, I noticed the trees and everything else living was covered in some luminescent paint. It's not paint, the voice(s) said, it's their energy. Had to move some bushes out of my way and the minute I touched them, the plant started talking to me. Something about it's nice I'm here. A single woman's voice. Got to the outhouse. Again, the diagram popped out about how much of the fecal matter is in my colon with the voice explaining it. I'm not kidding you. Vomited again. Felt so tired. The rest of the night spent in some weird dream world. Woke up at 9am. Couldn't eat anything, couldn't think anything for the rest of the day. Went back to the train, got home and threw the rest of the mushrooms away. A few days later, I told my spiritual teacher about my experiences and he laughed so hard about it. I told him that he is from Vladivostok (Sibiria) so he should have known where i'm coming from. He said if he wasn't friends with my mother, he would say I was coming from a horse's ass and then he laughed and made me do standing meditation for an hour. That was the only experience I had with mushrooms. Psylocibine cubensis would be a better choice for this type of experience, but again, you normally are not ready for it if you have to induce it by using foreign substances.

But Taomeow, when the tao-made plants start being used in weekends for entertainment by youth who only want to get away from themselves, I would say they are being used as a drug. And is therefore no different than industry-made drugs. It dosent matter how tao-made they are when people use them to satisfy their own (subconscious) self-destructive needs. I wouldt say anything if it is being used IN context, by a real shaman, maby only once or twice in a lifetime and only for very special occations. But how often does THAT happen in this culture we are in. Most of us are weekend abusers who only dream of other realities and shortcuts, not willing to do the real work.

Me? It's a dream! Not a reality for me! (yet?) Study lot's of stuff on my own but don't stick anyone with needles! ( yet?) (no body will let me, i tell them pain is candy but ...?) Practice martial arts ... so good to know! Also work with energy all the time and so it helps a lot with communication with folks. Have to do a bunch of explaining. It's a good system with a language already in place. and understanding the elements comes natural to me so the bases of a lot of it just makes sense. Ayurvedic medicine though similar in many ways gets much more confusing for this kid!(EXPECIALY The Herbs!!!) Can understand a lot of it but So Can't speak it! Grew up in/with a Cambodian family. Was great exposer to a lot of things as a kid. They came here as refugees, they had nothing. No shoes, no warm clothes (worst winter in my memory), no medicines if they got sick. So they did what they could. The words would be different but learned some Gua sha(spoon scraping!), Tuina(gut,feet,hands,&pinching), cupping (jelly jar cupping with a candle) A form of pinching (YELP!!!) pinch-twist-pull! in rows up and down the back, up and down the legs (specific manner of doing it, not just random!) They used cooking/diet as medicine. AWSOME FOOD! Can still smell it I've never seen any charts or a meridian system that would reflect what i'd see as a child. Wish i had learned more then! energy stuff was already known so didn't speak the language but could explain it a little then,LOL. was a very weird kid A lot of the same points used though in the same manner, for the same thing. Like P6, Li4,k1,St36, and what have you. (You should all check out those points if you don't know them,LOL!) lot of face points i still use if i'm sick! Was my first introduction to "tiger in a can" aka, tiger balm! Would go into more but tend to just start rambling on and this is already long! If i go for acupuncture i tend to go for Chinese styles ... i actually like the deeper needling. ... of one well trained! Japanese is very also good! I like it all! all good! Have fun! Shon White tiger, books you like on acupuncture ? for a mediocre-wanna-be-martialartist/student?

Well that's an EXCELLENT question. I sit in full-lotus as much as possible. When the pressure gets too strong then I just point my forehead at a female -- I'll do it now and then report back.... ok that took about a minute. I didn't want to stare (although sometimes that's fine to do). Since the energy shoots out of the pineal gland from the pressure on my legs -- I just lower my forehead with my neck tucked in (a posture of submission) and the energy shoots out of the forehead. As the energy shoots out, my adam's apple pulsates along with my vagus nerve on the right side of my neck. As more energy shoots out the rate of pulsation quickens just like coming to climax -- which then happens -- an internal climax up my back. Since I shoot out electromagnetic energy (which goes through walls, floors, etc.) then the female ALSO climaxes. It takes one climax to establish the transmission connection then usually the female adjusts herself to better receive the energy. The third climax is like a normal male climax (but instead I lose just a bit of clear fluid since the rest goes up the back). That's usually the public limit for energy transmission, although sometimes I've had 5 to 7 mutual climaxes when the female adjusts herself to very easily receive the energy in her yoni. It's a free energy exchange and the rate of time between each climax lessens as the energy exchange intensifies (also I feel my testicles draining of fluid but ALSO I feel the taking in of the female electrochemical energy). So the feeling in the pineal gland gets MORE magnetic and the light energy trance gets stronger as the energy exchanges continue. A couple nights ago I had a rare full-lotus energy exchange through a wall that went on for an hour (maybe 10 mutual climaxes). The light in my head became very strong and all the tension was completely gone in my shoulders and neck and my brain channels opened up further -- then when I slept I had this AMAZING flying dream where I just kept flying and flying -- based on the power in my lower tan tien that I had taken in from the energy exchanges (the blissful heat in my belly). On a typical day I have about 20 mutual climaxes with females while I sit in full-lotus -- and this exorcises all the stress (sadness, anger, fear, worry, lust) from males who are still stuck in the sympathetic stress climax (instead of being able to do the female vagus nerve parasympathetic internal climax enabled by the full-lotus). I tend to avoid males who bounce their legs in an attempt to PULL my energy DOWN into sex fluid (and suck it into their body for their own production of sex fluid) so that they then ejaculate (without transforming and transducing their other lower emotions of the other organs into love-light). So those males are feeding off other peoples' sex energy without giving anything back and in turn are unable to use their own sex energy for healing abilities (this is of course almost all modern males). Sometimes some females are like this too -- those that identify strongly with modern male power.

the key to entering hypnosis is to enter a trance. trance uses theta brain waves, associated with heightened visualization, dream states, and shamanic voyages, and deep meditation. the trance can be useful for connecting with the unconscious. it usually speaks in symbolic language though.

Another mistake man make is they follow a common ritual in this society to sleep right next to their women. Night time is perfect to deal with unresolved personal issues, Dream yoga, recharging... but it's all almost impossible if there is another human being right next to you. You inadvertently tap into their energy and become entangled in their issues on many levels. Got to sleep by yourself even if you do the rest of the things together.

This from about twenty years ago: The echoes of silence, The chimes of immortality, Ringing through the seasons of my life. A child looking out to sea, A myriad forms dancing on the waves of eternity, How I wish I could see you, you dance so beautifully, But I'm too thoughtful, And there's dust in my eyes the size of stars. But who can I be but me or am I you, Like a blossom on the tree of diamond dream reality's. These are more recent: Say you mourn for that which was lost, Feel the stars within and hold them tight, Forget the moment that was fleeting, Stay for a while longer. Memories and dancing, Take a picture for your scrapbook, There will always be another page, Turn and turn again. Sleep within that love, Keep it safe, And forget not love, For it is eternal. And: Silent moment Empty pool

There seems to be a variety of opinions about John Chang. Is he the real deal or does he just do parlour tricks to make himself appear more powerful than he really is? I've got no problem with him having a system for energy cultivation but I don't buy into magic and tricks. The physical plane has rules which may be bent but can't be broken just as there are rules for the dream plane and mental plane. I suspect that most of these, so called, masters start out fine but then become power pissed and simply end up screwy. Even people like Ram Dass worry me as he often comes across as someone who's somewhat self deluded: <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value=" name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src=" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object> Probably the only true master / teacher I've ever heard of is Krishnamurti. I know a lot of people don't like him but I think he has immense clarity. <object width="425" height="344"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gZC_Z-BGvc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param'>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gZC_Z-BGvc&hl=en&fs=1"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-gZC_Z-BGvc&hl=en&fs=1" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" width="425" height="344"></embed></object>

Another dream of the many we have.

Many thanks for the wealth of knowledge you have shared with us openly and freely. You are living what most of us only dream of brother. You will be in our thought and in our hearts.

Ok, hear me out. I regularly practice lucid dreaming, dream yoga and meditate (full-lotus, mind you ha) each night before sleep. I'm feeling conflicted now...with all the amount of reading I've been doing, both in the form of books and online resources. I read a couple new books each week - mostly all pertaining to this "metaphysical" stuff. I'm hounding these books and have developed quite a liking to reading... I just don't know if I should be incorporating more stuff right now, like Qigong, Tai Chi or some other derivative of energy work. I bought the complete guide to chi-kung book by Daniel Reid and will read that in a few days, but its main purpose for me really is to just get acquainted with the theory of practice as I don't know if I really want to engage in something like this as praxis. What's the purpose of it and why is it stressed so importantly here? Are the things I'm doing just not enough? I happen to believe controlling one's dreams to be one of the most important things to ever do, but Qigong...I just don't feel that way about...at this time. I don't follow any religion and do not claim to be a Taoist, but I appreciate some of the Taoism wisdom - hence why I visit here and read Taoist books.

Holding fast to the center would mean forgetting about this TS seal...me personally, I look at it and see the work of people who held fast to the periphery. Why do we need stuff like this? My answer - we don't at all. I don't understand what you wrote, but that's a cool dream.

I haven't read it because I already know what it means without the words and concepts. My point was perhaps too subtle. Once across the river the boat is left on the bank. If one wishes to cross back over the river the boat will still be there to be used. The boat represents our different bodies which is also our vehicle of experience. I had a dream this morning which might explain it even better: At first I was in an old peoples home visiting and having a very enlightening time. Then I was tricked into entering a mental asylum to have some tests. I began to feel very uneasy I took my chance and ran for the exit. I was out and back in the real world although I became rather fearful and tripped-out as I realised I was simply in the bigger nut house of this world! I awoke. This was simply the experience of my conciousness crossing back (returning) to the physical. First there was the higher mind then the lower mind and then the emotion body and then my awakening in my physical body. In returning to the TS symbol I can tell you that the explanation I found and posted above only scratches the surface. It's also worth noting that you don't have to read any books to understand it and conceptualising it will probably just confuse. Having said that concepts do have a purpose in that they lead us to the threshold of our own understanding. Trees are rooted in darkness and mystery the branches in light. In endeavouring to understand the mystery we grow into the light ever perfecting our clarity, harmony and peace.

i'm really glad you asked this question! like REALLY glad! you just gave me the topic for my next article, something so simple and obvious that it never would have occurred to me without it being asked. i won't have time to really get into this until later, but for now... truth be told, you DON'T need an energy work practice. technically, ALL work is energy work (and yes, i know that comes across as semantic drivel to many folks). a lot of people get so caught up in the phenomena of qi/prana that they never get anywhere in the real journey, which is deep meditation. so i would say that you have your priorities right. however, qigong and hatha yoga share a common goal, and that's the cleanse the body of blockages and impurities that hinder the natural flow of energy. so it's not so much about energy work being necessary, as energy flow happens simply as a result of being alive. but as you evolve through your practices you will undoubtedly unlock energy gates in your body, and if your body is filled riddled with blocks and tension and impurities, it can REALLY suck! so, what type of meditation do you practice? do you get regular daily exercise, and if so, what type? your average yoga studio doesn't even address the cultivation of prana/qi, so in that sense they're not doing energy work per se. but the stretching and the breathing and the releasing of tension and emotion in the body all contribute to purifying the vehicle so that it can handle the quantum leap as you develop in your spiritual practice. the basis of TCM is that all illnesses in the body are a result of blocked energy flow. as your energy flow increases as a result of your practices (particularly emptiness meditation), the blockages in your body can become severe trouble areas that can lead to tremendous health problems, both physically and mentally. these internal arts like meditation and dream yoga are not just ethereal; they facilitate a very real evolutionary transformation in the physical body, and that can feel like hell on earth if the body is not up to the task. anywho, that's how i see it. feel free to refine and ask more questions.

Im not the expert here, but Im learning a lot by reading what the experts here on taobums say. I believe meditation and dream yoga would classify as shen gong - spiritual work. But taoists deal with the jing-qi-shen trinity, so they also need a method to cultivate qi. And therefore qi gong - energy work. What do you experts think? Am I close?

Apparently we're dealing with the astral-body / emotion-body / dream-body in this current round. I'm not sure of the technical occult processes that are at work although I suspect given time and thought I could figure them out. I think it probably has something to do with transmuting astral energy (emotional energy) into mental energy hence the heightened brain activity that is experienced. My personal experiences involved a massive outpouring of emotion together with the physical feeling of being on fire especially at the crown chakra. There's visions, sleeplessness, bizarre sounds and a general lessening of the ego which can induce extreme fear and panic. Yes basically it's an experience of psychosis which if people don't over come can cause their egos to withdrawn into a deeper state of denial of any greater reality. I survived because I was able to focus, completely selflessly, one pointedly on love and compassion for the whole world. At one point it seemed as if I was the whole world/planet but that's psychosis for you, isn't it? Anyway I had taken the vows of a Bodhisattva so I wasn't ready to become a planetary logos or what ever it's called. This process of 'straightening by fire' has happened to me a few times and seems to coincide with an expansion of conciousness although it takes me a while to descramble my mind and gain the new improved clarity. I don't consciously cause or force these events to happen it just seems to be a process that just is. My last experience was much less emotional and more abstract and conceptual. I don't particularly buy into all the new age stuff and I don't think I'm special in anyway but I do think I'm growing in a spiritual sense. Anyways my brain has been on overdrive the last couple of days so I'm going to give it a rest!

I agree!! Reliance on a technique just seems like an attatchment, when the opposite is what the lotus-ette or lotus-ee may be seeking. Unless someone persevered so hard with full lotus they drove themselves crazy at being so ridiculous and this realisation made them snap out of the dream..... But yeah, I like full lotus, nice little meditation posture!! For some reason at the age of 14 I discovered I could do it spontaneously and would sit like it very regularly. No full on enlightenment yet though!! Or any o's at a d's... haha