CobraCommander Posted August 29, 2011 In Batman #673, published a few years ago, Batman recalls how he underwent the Thogal ritual in the caves of Nanda Parbat (a fictional location). Â What follows is transcribed from that issue. Would someone know if what Batman is experiencing is based on reality? Would a real person undergoing Thogal experience anything similar? Â Â The Thogal Ritual is one of the most highly advanced and dangerous forms of meditation. During a seven-week retreat known as Yangti, the practitioner undergoes an experience designed to simulate death and after-death. Â And rebirth, too. Â [Panel shows rock being pulled in front of a cave.] Â ... Â 13th day of Thogal. Â Thirteen days of silent isolation. In a cave. In Nanda Parbat. Â Hearing voices is normal. Hallucinations from the past and present are normal. Flashing lights and imitations of mortality are normal. Â All of this is normal. Â [Pages of flashbacks to various points in Batman's career, interspersed with self-asked questions like "How long have I been in here?" "How long have I been in this cave?"] Â ... Â 23rd day of Thogal. Â Eyes. Â I can feel eyes watching me. Eyes with human intelligence watching. Always watching. Â I must be around five years old when I first sense the presence of a gaping, toppling void in the center of existence. For the first time in my life, I suddenly grasp something. Mom and Dad are going to die. Â We're all going to die. Â [More flashbacks, interspersed with internal exclamations: "Isolation chamber?" "No, this is the 30th day of Thogal. Or is it the 27th?" "When did I die?"] Â ... Â 49th day... Â Thogal ends. Â [see a panel with a rock being removed from the entrance to the cave. Sunlight enters, illuminates Batman's serious face.] Â Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Harmonious Emptiness Posted August 29, 2011 there is a similar passageway in Longmenpai Taoism. Â Rebirth also plays a role in pretty much every tradition in one way or another, including Khemetics, Freemasonry, Shamanism, and Christianity. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
