First signs of awakening

[Tatsumaru]

I started the SFQ Level 1 a few days ago. Since then I've been doing one 30 min session in the early morning and one 30 min session in the noon every day. I could not feel any vibrations, hotness or definite signs of Qi whatsoever but what I felt was a burning pain (not very strong) in my upper vertebraes during my last few sessions. Now that might simply be a cramp for trying to keep my back straight for prolonged period of time but it would also be nice if it's a sign of clearing a blockage. Any ideas ?

 

Thanks.

[zanshin]

Drink more water and maybe eat a banana or pink grapefruit just in case. Muscles get sort of wonky at first anyway with energy movement so could be a physical reaction.

[deci belle]

[effilang]

"Awakening" has no such bodily (physical or subtle) nor mental phenomena to speak of. If it hurts, STOP!

 

My disagreement level with the above two statements is over 9000.

 

There can be a great deal of pain associated with meditation and awakening, both physical and mental...

One who practices correctly requires great fortitude both in body and mind.

 

And to add to that. There are a plethora of common physical and subtle phenomena that are experienced by practitioners during meditative practices, which are similar and often identical in their manifestation.

 

There is an abundance of documentation covering these records.

 

OP: Tenchu fan eh?

Edited November 10, 2011 by effilang

[Tatsumaru]

Yes, a Tenchu fan.

I'll keep meditating then. A lot of books also mention pain, possible vomiting etc during clearance of the passages.

 

Thanks to all.

[Phosphor]

All sorts of sensations can occur when meditating, or engaging in any practice which sufficiently stills the mind and breath. This is in most cases not a trick of the mind, and after some practice can easily be separated from sensations caused by other factors. All systems of training will bring one through the same process of purification, and thus there will be similar symptoms which occur because of the increase of energy.

 

In the Grecian mystery schools this was known as katharsis, and mainly referred to the purification of the 72,000 nerve channels in the body, but also referred to the much longer process of purifying the spine, one samat or energy chamber at a time until Gnosis is achieved. It can also refer to the even longer goal of purifying the bodies to such an extent that they become perfect and divine, vessels of light which allow the higher energies to flow without falter even during activity in daily life. This is the creation of the rainbow body of light, the dragon body, the body of diamond, or the body of logos as it is named in various traditions.

 

That is a much later achievement however

 

Right now you are feeling the effects of the energy cleansing the 72,000 nerves in the body. The first step is to cleanse all the periphery nerves in the body, skin, organs etc. This happens naturally with meditation, it is not something you need to do consciously. However some systems of practice involve the manipulation of energy which can speed the process along. This is most commonly felt as a heat which fills the whole body causing it to sweat. Then, some students experience trembling and shaking if the process is quick enough. Finally, right before the achievement of vital purification, or Nadi Sodhana as it is called in Yoga, the student may hop or even levitate quickly. I have seen both in students under the guidance of my teacher. There will almost always be some form of shaking and trembling, and at the least an intense heat and sweating, but it will not always be intense enough to actually cause the student to jump. It depends on the amount of energy being released in the student, past life askesis or spiritual practice, and whether there is a teacher which is speeding up the process. The importance of this purification however is that once all the nerves in the body are cleansed, then the energy at the base of the spine wakes from its slumber, and the first channel in the spine opens slightly to allow some pneuma or vital force to move through. This is the start of spiritual practice.

 

After this it is a long process of gradually allowing the energy to cleanse the spine deeper and deeper until the epinoia, sophic fire, or kundalini as it is variously called has a channel it can use to flow uninhibited through the whole spinal channel to the brow point, which is when enlightenment occurs. Many naive practioners mistake the vital energy for the actual kundalini however. If you feel heat or cold sensations rising to your head, this is not the kundalini. It is the nerve force working on only one level of the spine. The kundalini is only felt for a short amount of time when it is moving into or out of an energy center. This is felt as a squeezing and pulling sensations from the nerves around the spine contracting from the electrical current. This is one reason why the kundalini is often symbolized as a snake, as it truly feels like a snake squeezing the spine. Even if only the very bottom energy center in the spine is awakened, you may still feel energy moving in the whole spine. This is because each energy center opens up a different layer of the spine, not just the energy channel up to that point in the spine where the energy center lies. So the primary teaching is to stay humble. This is why a teacher is important, he knows where you actually are on your journey and so there is no room for ego.

 

If you are feeling heat in your body, and you find yourself sweating even if it is cold, then know you are making good progress for now and are cleansing the body of toxins.

[Tatsumaru]

Thank you Phosphor. Nice explanation.

[Apech]

I agree with effilang (and phosphor).

 

Important thing is not to focus on the 'physical' sensations ... just do the practice.

[Aetherous]

Phosphor,

 

That was one of the most interesting posts I've seen here in a while. Looking forward to your future contributions.

[Ish]

My disagreement level with the above two statements is over 9000.

 

There can be a great deal of pain associated with meditation and awakening, both physical and mental...

One who practices correctly requires great fortitude both in body and mind.

 

And to add to that. There are a plethora of common physical and subtle phenomena that are experienced by practitioners during meditative practices, which are similar and often identical in their manifestation.

 

There is an abundance of documentation covering these records.

 

OP: Tenchu fan eh?

 

I reckon deci belle is refering to Awakening in terms of satori, kensho, glimpse of nirvana etc. In which case i agree with her.

This is opposed to awakening as the general process and progress of meditation and energy work.