[HHC Study] Hua Hu Ching Chapter 12

[Mal]

Do you wish to inhabit sacred space? To have the respect and companionship of the highest spiritual beings? To be protected by the guardians of the eight powerful energy rays? Then cherish the Integral Way: Regard these teachings with reverence, practice their truths, illuminate them to others. You will receive as many blessings from the universe as there are grains of sand in the River of Timelessness.

 

Walker's HHC 12

http://brianbrownewalker.com/hua-hu-ching/

 

 

The master continued his instruction. "Kind prince, if there were as

many rivers in the world as there are grains of sand in the River of

Timelessness, and if each river contained as much sand as the River of

Timelessness, do you think that would be a vast amount of sand?"

"Yes, indeed, Venerable Teacher; it would be very vast."

"Kind prince, if a person amassed a huge fortune and gave it all

away to as many people as there are grains of sand in the River of

Timelessness, would the blessing that he gained be as great as what he

gave?"

"It would be very great indeed, Venerable Teacher, because

returning an equivalent response is the nature of a subtle law of the

universe."

"That is true, kind prince, but if one practiced the truth

contained in these teachings and expounded it to others, the benevolent

grace and blessings he would evoke from the universe would be even

greater. When someone elucidates this sacred scripture to others, the

place in which he does so becomes sacred and is respected by all

spiritual beings, those with form as well as those without. Wherever

these teachings are, the Sacred Alter is. All the virtuous beings of the

universe pay homage to it, and the divine guardians of the eight

powerful energy rays protect it. All people should reverently offer

salutations and incense to it and surround it with fragrant flowers.

"Furthermore, if someone embraces the integral truth contained in

this scripture, and studies and practices it, then he must attain the

highest blessings of all beings. All of the great masters of the

Universal Way respond to those who cherish it. Is this thinkable? Why

should people live within the smallness of the mind?"

 

Ni's HHC 12

http://www.bookdepository.com/Complete-Works-Lao-Tzu-Hua-Ching-Ni/9780937064009

 

(While "The master continued his instruction" Mal is going on holidays tomorow for ~2 weeks )

[Mal]

I find this quantification of blessings somewhat strange. Should not any blessing be a blessing? and does a hierarchy of blessings lead to division rather than oneness?

[manitou]

Hi Mal - this does take a bit of breaking down! Let's you and me try to figure this puppy out.

 

Your first paragraph quote 'Do you wish to inhabit sacred space?....' indicates a plaurality right there, when it goes on to ask if we wish to have the companionship of the higest spiritual beings. I guess it's anybody's guess as to whether this is metaphoric or whether there are actually beings that we cannot see accompanying us. But I suppose it must be interpreted that the 'beings' are also part of the One.

 

What's the meaning of the first paragraph about the grains of sand? Seems like a bit of an unfair question to the student. The teacher is referring to the grains of sand in the River of Timelessness, then multiplying the sand by referring to many rivers with the same sand. What kind of a setup is this?

 

But I suppose the master is equating this to accumulated wealth; in that perhaps there is no end of 'blessings' that come our way when the One is respected (the student's response; "....because returning an equivalent response is the nature of a subtle law of the universe", or the Reversion of the Tao, as I see it. If one gives it away, etc....

 

But I think what he's really trying to convey to the kind prince is that expounding the truth of this statement to others would be even greater, as it would be magnified by teaching it to others. Perhaps this is exactly what Jesus meant when he said to have no fear for the morrow, because today has problems sufficient to itself. In essence, the master may be evoking the principle that we are like the lilies of the field, we need have no concern that we will have enough, that it will always be provided to us if we stay in consciousness of The Way.

 

I think the understanding of this universal supply and demand is imperative to understanding the workings of the Tao, or even of the Nirvana mindset. We need be anxious about nothing, when we are in Awareness.

 

As to the multiplicity of beings spoken about as being opposed to the One, I think there's a mixture of philosophical Taoism and religious Taoism here that must be sidestepped a bit to get to the goal.

[Mal]

Agree with the "sidestepping" There may be a historical cultural context for quantifying blessings as they were mentioned in lo fan's (sp?) 4 lessons.

 

IIRC something like "language of the time" was mentioned earlier. While Ni reads more like a transcription of a conversation. To me I feel Walker has made the "goal" more accessible / obvious

[manitou]

The master seems to be merging the physical with the metaphysical when he refers to the individual grains of sand. The individual grains could be interpreted as individal humans, and accumulation on the riverbanks the 'beach', or the One.

 

I have come to believe (actually, to gnow) that trying to hang onto physical wealth is merely to accumulate stuck energy. This passage seems to infer that the constant flow of the energy (money, in this case) is what is needed; not the accumulation that denies someone else their share. I have put this to practice, and I practice it now. I just stopped worrying about it, Knowing that there will always be enough. So far, it's worked in my life - seems like whenever something extra is needed, some little windfall from out in left field will be there to cover it.

 

But the secret to making this function is the Awareness, I do believe. It's easy to be in Awareness when we're talking to each other on TTB's. The trick is to expand the Awareness so that we walk around with it always, during the light of day when irritations seem to set in. This is a daily discipline, one moment to the next.

[Mal]

I have come to believe (actually, to gnow) that trying to hang onto physical wealth is merely to accumulate stuck energy

I have been contemplating this for a few days and I have found it to be a helpful perspective. Thank you _/\_

[manitou]

Thanks Mal - thinking through the money thing has liberated me considerably in some ways.

[LCH]

I was reading through the HHC today and noted I would be curious to pose the question to the "Bums" about this....

 

Any thoughts on the "8 energy rays"? When I read 8 I think the 7 chakras and the first closest to the head. In a sense, as with the grains of sand observation, this seems to be "fracturing" the "One".

 

Energy work sets to balance energies, but simply in aligning with the feeling of the "Tao" it seems the energies align themselves.

 

Any thoughts/feelings about that part.

 

I did enjoy reading your back and forth on the matter.

 

Thank you.

[manitou]

I was reading through the HHC today and noted I would be curious to pose the question to the "Bums" about this....

 

Any thoughts on the "8 energy rays"? When I read 8 I think the 7 chakras and the first closest to the head. In a sense, as with the grains of sand observation, this seems to be "fracturing" the "One".

 

Energy work sets to balance energies, but simply in aligning with the feeling of the "Tao" it seems the energies align themselves.

 

Any thoughts/feelings about that part.

 

I did enjoy reading your back and forth on the matter.

 

Thank you.

 

 

Hello my fellow Ohian! (I'm in East Liverpool, the place of the Point of Beginning for the surveying of the Louisiana Purchase lands, the survey beginning around 1788!)

 

I'm not sure what the 8 energy rays refers to - I'm currently reading Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike (Freemasonry, all 33 degrees) and it's incredibly symbolic and deep about the different numbers and their supernatural character. Eight was a revered number, as was three, seven, twelve. I seem to recall that it is tied up with infinity (ergo the infinity symbol), which would coincide with the integral path the master refers to. Integral not only in the sense of the chakras and the planets aligning in number and in character (and the 'soul' actually going back through the planets at the time of death until its ultimate reunification with the sun); but integral in the sense of the elevation of man through the 32 degrees of attainment (more accurately, elimination of defects!), resulting in the being-ness of the 33rd degree. Integral in the sense of 'As above, so below' and knowing that if we flow with nature at a very deep level we are in total balance and harmony with What Is.

 

Can we remain in the feeling of the balance of the Tao without purging our innards? Personally, I don't think so. I believe this to be a lifelong work, resulting in (as close as we can get to) total alignment with the Tao. Please clarify what you are referring to when you say energy work? Are you referring to the inner orbits of meditation and awareness? To me, energy work is somewhat different, and it results in healing if you can find the reason for the malady. Although the macro/microcosmic alignment is a wonderful meditation, I think it's temporary if we just go back to being the same maladjusted person we were without removing the selfishness, the prejudice, the hatred, the jealousy, the pride, the separation from the One. The ultimate energy work IMO is to be consciously aligned At All Times with the I Am consciousness, as the Master above is no doubt referring to. Easier said than done,

Edited October 7, 2013 by manitou

[LCH]

Hello my fellow Ohian! (I'm in East Liverpool, the place of the Point of Beginning for the surveying of the Louisiana Purchase lands, the survey beginning around 1788!)

 

Ahhh yes :-) I lived north of Pittsburgh my teens.

 

 

I'm not sure what the 8 energy rays refers to - I'm currently reading Morals and Dogma by Albert Pike (Freemasonry, all 33 degrees) and it's incredibly symbolic and deep about the different numbers and their supernatural character. Eight was a revered number, as was three, seven, twelve. I seem to recall that it is tied up with infinity (ergo the infinity symbol), which would coincide with the integral path the master refers to. Integral not only in the sense of the chakras and the planets aligning in number and in character (and the 'soul' actually going back through the planets at the time of death until its ultimate reunification with the sun); but integral in the sense of the elevation of man through the 32 degrees of attainment (more accurately, elimination of defects!), resulting in the being-ness of the 33rd degree. Integral in the sense of 'As above, so below' and knowing that if we flow with nature at a very deep level we are in total balance and harmony with What Is.

 

Can we remain in the feeling of the balance of the Tao without purging our innards? Personally, I don't think so. I believe this to be a lifelong work, resulting in (as close as we can get to) total alignment with the Tao. Please clarify what you are referring to when you say energy work? Are you referring to the inner orbits of meditation and awareness? To me, energy work is somewhat different, and it results in healing if you can find the reason for the malady. Although the macro/microcosmic alignment is a wonderful meditation, I think it's temporary if we just go back to being the same maladjusted person we were without removing the selfishness, the prejudice, the hatred, the jealousy, the pride, the separation from the One. The ultimate energy work IMO is to be consciously aligned At All Times with the I Am consciousness, as the Master above is no doubt referring to. Easier said than done,

 

 

The easy answer is that every action is some form of "energy work", to me at least. Every thought and intention being the expressive/manifested aspect of "qi".

 

You are correct in the specific practice of "energy work" in that if the cause of the imbalances are not addressed, the results will be short-lived. I have had a wonderful opportunity to to qi-gong "healing" on other people. Call it whatever you want though. It mostly has consisted of grounding the person, and getting them in touch with their own "spark" of infinity. Nothing special, as I feel we can all do this, but I will say these experiences have allowed me to connect with people on the closest of levels. Such an honor to have the opportunity. This is the energy work with a purpose, since there is a desire to understand the imbalance, instead of just fixing it.

 

I don't perceive attainment of the "Tao" as being some sort of destination, though it can be seen as such in a life based in linear time. It can be a consistent intended goal to align oneself, but it seems to me to be a bit more like remembering what is "primordial" and forgetting what has been learned. Is it possible to be a functional human in the fast-paced world and still fall into alignment? I feel it is, but as you said, it is not easy sometimes. The illusion of separation is very real to me.

 

I am reminded of HHC #80 saying that "enlightenment is not the end, but the means".

 

The question my mind always asks is "how will we know we are ever there?" haha :-)

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and giving me an opportunity to share mine.

[manitou]

Ahhh yes :-) I lived north of Pittsburgh my teens.

 

 

 

 

The easy answer is that every action is some form of "energy work", to me at least. Every thought and intention being the expressive/manifested aspect of "qi".

 

I agree, for every action there is an equal and opposing reaction. And WE are the manifester. Once this is realized, the manifestations change drastically, people are seen as more beautiful, we stop looking for the bad or ignoble. We are mirrors of each other, and we see what we 'want' to see, only what we are capable of seeing depending on our own development.

 

 

You are correct in the specific practice of "energy work" in that if the cause of the imbalances are not addressed, the results will be short-lived. I have had a wonderful opportunity to to qi-gong "healing" on other people. Call it whatever you want though. It mostly has consisted of grounding the person, and getting them in touch with their own "spark" of infinity. Nothing special, as I feel we can all do this, but I will say these experiences have allowed me to connect with people on the closest of levels. Such an honor to have the opportunity. This is the energy work with a purpose, since there is a desire to understand the imbalance, instead of just fixing it.

 

You are so right - it is an honor to have the opportunity. I do my own form of shamanic qigong as well, and mine goes directly to the manifestation of any individual at any point in time. To have the ability to See what the problem is - so nobly narrated by Mary Baker Eddy, Helena Blavatsky, any Science of Mind literature. I'm currently working with a patient who is a young boy, about 17 - I don't know him, but he is the nephew of a friend of mine, living in a different state. He 'manifested' a horrible motocross accident because he was "paralyzed with fear" of his father, who forced him to enter the race to begin with. I could See that, once I heard a little of the background of the situation. His paralyzing fear led to physical paralysis in the form of quadriplegia, which he has had for some months. His friend (my lady friend), myself, and my other half did a shamanic ceremony where we physically brought the ethereal into the physical in the form of an electric lamp, drawing the energy down from the upper globe on the lamp (his mind was still very awake, although unable to move anything else). We used rice to move the energy down the lamp, as rice has silicon in it and is a conductor of electricity. At the moment when my friend 'felt' the love in her heart for him, I had her switch the lower globe on. Sure enough, several days later the young man received electricity into his upper body. I don't know whether the bottom half has followed suit yet, but I suspect that it has. When I was recently in California this last week, I performed a little ceremony for him while I was in the hotel room, imagining that he was probably, at that moment, doing pull-ups on a bar above his bed. I imagined him losing his grip on that bar, landing on the bed rather hard and jarring things loose. At the moment I did that, I felt kundalini energy in my legs, an unusual phenomenon. So I'm hoping for the best.

 

I don't perceive attainment of the "Tao" as being some sort of destination, though it can be seen as such in a life based in linear time.

 

 

And we know this is an illusion! It's all here now, past, present, future.

 

 

It can be a consistent intended goal to align oneself, but it seems to me to be a bit more like remembering what is "primordial" and forgetting what has been learned. Is it possible to be a functional human in the fast-paced world and still fall into alignment? I feel it is, but as you said, it is not easy sometimes. The illusion of separation is very real to me.

 

What works for me is to realize that every human being, every animal all have one very specific in common: the black spots in our eyes. Awareness, the web of awareness that keeps all this afloat. Seeing from person to person, from animal to animal, from person to animal. So in essence, it's easier to remember that we're ALL 'god', or the supreme principal, or the Tao. It's much easier to keep hooked into our upper awareness if we can just remember that if it's got black spots in its eye - you're looking at the Manifester. Works for me, and I can stay in upper awareness almost all of the time now, after practicing this over a lengthy period of time.

 

 

I am reminded of HHC #80 saying that "enlightenment is not the end, but the means".

 

The question my mind always asks is "how will we know we are ever there?" haha :-)

 

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and giving me an opportunity to share mine.

 

I believe Enlightenment to be just the beginning. Once it is attained, it must be walked. In order for it to be walked, we must not respond out of excess ego in any situation. We must be Aware that we are all One and act out of love, kindness, and balance. Riding the ox requires supreme balance, methinks.

 

I believe Enlightenment to be the same as Self-Realization. Once we realize we are enlightened, we are enlightened. But the realization is an inner gulp of awareness, not an outer book we read or path we walk. The inner is the light that lights the path, that joins our experience in a compassionate manner with the experience of others and allows us to feel compassion for anyone or anything, regardless of how wretched. It also removes fear, as we are in awareness of the Oneness of all and the illusion of separateness. Once realized, what's to fear? The illusion is seen for what it is.

 

Please comment! I love talking to you.

[traveler]

Quote LCH: The question my mind always asks is "how will we know we are ever there?"

 

There's no beginning to enlightenment, no middle, and no end. If you still see enlightenment as an experience, it's not enlightenment. ... Enlightenment is a state in which there is such a depth of peace and satisfaction that there is no desire for anything more or different. If we are really present in this moment, this is enough. (Enlightenment is Not an Experience, by Linda Clair)

 

That said, I can't help thinking that life as an experience goes on even after enlightenment.

 

Enlightenment is described by some as a desireless state reached by one who has become a master. A master of what? Of his/her desires. If one masters the art of woodcraft, it does not mean he/she stops working with wood. In the same way, when one becomes a master of his/her life experiences, he/she does not stop living. Or does he/she? Experience comes to an end with the fulfillment of the path into the light, it is said. Is beingness expressionless then? I would rather interpret the statement that experiences end with enlightenment to mean that the lessons have all been gleaned from the experiences, that fear has all been transmuted into love. At this point, life experiences become an expression of love, and life goes on into sensations of fullness beyond our mortal experiences, beyond our perceptions of fear which is all we know and understand.

[manitou]

Beautiful message, Traveler. The difference between my mindset of 5 years ago and my mindset today is that Love your Brother as Yourself is a thought that remains in my mind, like a glowing ember. It embraces all.

 

I don't know how this categorizes me. It just Is.

Edited October 8, 2013 by manitou

[traveler]

When you enter into nirvikalpa samadhi, the first thing you feel is that your heart is larger than the universe itself. (http://www.siddhanath.org/his-teachings/kundalinikriyayoga)

 

Truly, love conquers all.

[manitou]

Yes, well said. And it feels as though there is a 'chemicalization' of some sort that has taken place, within my heart and my mind. It's all so simple now, once it's in place. So simple and yet so hidden.

 

.

 

 

 

 

 

You are correct in the specific practice of "energy work" in that if the cause of the imbalances are not addressed, the results will be short-lived.

 

This is where Mary Baker Eddy has become so useful to me, although I do have to sidestep the occasional traditional Christian references - although there aren't really that many. When we can See the truth of what life dynamic caused the malady or the situation, and the person can be brought to understand it, the malady or situation need not repeat itself. Once the young boy has regained full use of his body, I will need to talk to him, somehow, to let him know that in the future he needs to deal with his dad from a perspective of love and compassion (there is alcoholism there) and not reacting out of paralyzing fear. Otherwise he may run the risk of creating or manifesting another 'paralyzing' situation.

Edited October 9, 2013 by manitou

[traveler]

Yes, well said. And it feels as though there is a 'chemicalization' of some sort that has taken place, within my heart and my mind. It's all so simple now, once it's in place. So simple and yet so hidden.

 

I believe the siddha call this the Melting Heart.

 

Maanicka Vaachagar ... has sung that God Shiva ordained for him an ecstasy bubbling body with a melting heart and pumped streams of wonderful and sweet Ambrosia into the minute holes and pores of his bones and even into the hair root of his frame and filled it up, to overflowing which converted his body into a body of Grace. (Babaji and the 18 Siddha Kriya Yoga Tradition, by Marshall Govindan)

[manitou]

Just out of curiosity, does the Yogic tradition end up at the place of the Sun, Osiris? Is Shiva a metaphor for the sun? It seems that all traditions end up / start there, with the constellations revealing exactly what the sun is doing at any place in time, from the perspective of the ancient farmers of the Nile delta.

 

Aries, for example, (the ram, but previously interpreted as a lamb), as at the time of the rising of Aires and subsequently Taurus, (bull or ox) both of these symbolized the time when tilling and planting was to be done. This was also the time when lambs gave birth to their young, the vernal equinox. A wonderfully happy time of year for the delta dwellers. All symbols of the zodiac were in relation to what the sun was doing and in what constellation it was rising. The fear of winter (little sun, shorter days, no crops) was kicked off by the sun rising in Cancer (crab), so symbolized because the crab retreats into his shell, symbolizing the shortening of the days; things only got worse from there. When the sun rose in virgo (virgin) pouring water out of an urn, designated the overflowing of the Nile every year.

 

I often wonder if the reversion of the Tao is no more than the reversion of our attention being drawn back to the sun, the object of worship of the ancients. Especially since the yin and yang (black and white) is also personified in the ancient sun and moon (Osiris and Isis). The sun was the aggressive male, emitting its rays upon which life depended; the moon, on the other hand, received the rays and reflected them down to earth, a passive quality but one which affects everything having to do with water and who knows what else.

 

Traveler, have you traced Shiva back at all? There must be commonality at the beginning.

[traveler]

I love the story of Isis, Osiris and Seth. It is very Masonic and I used to be active in that group. If I recall my reading of Egyptology right, a new group took over Egypt at a certain point and replaced Ra with Osiris. So, the sun and Osiris are synonyms. On a metaphysical level, there are two energies: sky and earth which have the potential to merge, called the Chymical Marriage. Horus is the result, the Holy Child or Savior. If you look up in your mind you will see a sun, your personal sun. A friend of mine called this the Eye of Heaven or Eye of Ra. You can awaken this sun and look through it into other dimensions, other layers of Self. You can look down into the center of the Earth and see this as well. Mystress Angelique Serpent taught how to shoot the sun and the earth with beams of light which release their energy which then flow up and down into your body. This is her Grounding Meditation.

 

You might think of this inner earth energy as being represented by the Moon and the inner sun energy by the sun. Also by Shiva and Shakti, yang and yin, chi and jing, pingala and ida. Then there is the Holy Child or Son. Yin and yang merge to become yaun, a third neutral energy. Ida and pingala become the kundailini fire, jing and chi become shen.

 

So, yes, I see Shiva as part of this world-wide network of symbols of the sun. On a physical level, the moon is the pineal and the sun is the pituitary. When the pineal wakes up, your inner world turns a brilliant white. In the Bible, Jesus speaks of the ten virgins and their lamps of oil. I would wager that these lamps are the pineal and a person cannot enter the Marriage Feast until the pineal ignites. Later, when the pituitary wakes up, your inner world is filled with golden light.

 

After shen comes wu, which is a whole new world, like the emptiness beyond the stars. It is no coincidence that the Taoist used the heavenly bodies in their inner alchemy. Have you ever focused on the stars to draw energy down into you?

 

The middle, the place between all the merging energies, happening on many levels, suddenly awakens. It is the heart. Heart work was a cornerstone for my very early inner work, and continues to play a major part. We live where the sun and earth meet, Mystress Angelique Serpent said. The heart is where the sun and earth energies meet on an inner world level. We are children of the sun and the earth and our expanding consciousness is irrevocably connected to these heavenly bodies.

 

There, did that explain what I think well enough? Maybe too much. As always, I consider all my views as subjective and entirely in my own place.

[manitou]

When you speak of Mystress Angelique Serpent, are you speaking of the same MYS that hosted the Kundalini-Gateway website? If so, I was on that as Manitou as well (I think) - it could have been another name.

 

As to Freemasonry, maybe you read above that I am currently studying Morals and Dogma (Albert Pike) and when I say studying, I mean studying. This is not a quick read, lol. I'm currently at maybe the 26th degree - this is the 800 pager that goes deeply into human psyche and parallels the various legends, like the ones we're talking about, which emit from the original awe and fear of the presence of the sun. Like, that's our original imprint, and each society had their own way of telling the story. I've never enjoyed a metaphysical book as much as this one, and Pike makes Blavatsky look like a materialist. Another wonderful source for these initial legends is of course Manley Hall, another great metaphysician.

 

I'm assuming you too are K-active. If your inner fire is anything like mine, the last thing I want to do is draw even more energy to me by stealing them from the stars, lol. My flame burns constant and I have energy to burn. Working out the energy is my usual concern, but I am doing my best to utilize it and transfer it into the healing energies, as you are.

 

I agree with everything you said above from personal experience. You are very knowledgeable. My memory is my current problem (although I shouldn't even affirm that by saying it) - it seems like any knowledge I gain is stored within somehow, and is available when needed. But unfortunately it doesn't seem to cling to my conscious memory. But within it remains, and it can always be counted upon to come forth at just the right time.

 

Heart was my cornerstone for inner work as well - although mine came through the 12 steps of recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous, a process that started nearly 32 years ago. Once the digging process is found and understood, it never quite stops, does it? Today I find myself asking why I manifest a particular condition or situation - knowing that I played a great part in it. To not try and place the blame elsewhere. What a difference from when one feels that they are separate from the All, that it is 'me' against the entire world. Now we are aware that we are part of the One, you and I.

 

Today when my husband and I went to breakfast, I heard 'He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother' on the radio. I've always loved that song; but when I was much younger I assumed it referred to one's actual brother. Today, this morning, I Felt the Oneness of the song - what a beautiful soul must have written that song. There are so many different degrees of understanding, that that song is a fine example.

 

Yes, we are Stardust. Some part of me so hopes that all this political craziness we're going through right now is the death-prattle of our national ego, with a new and kinder nation emerging. We can only hope.

[traveler]

Pike created what we have today as Scottish Rite. He was a genius. I haven't read his book but have engaged in plenty of conversations about its precepts. Yes, my k wakened years ago in a very Taoist way. I don't see any separation between schools of esoteric teachings; they all seem to be saying the same thing with different clothing. Tapping into the star energy is a One Cloud (Mantak Chia's teacher) method used in the Highest Kan and Li. I focused on Polaris for a few minutes years ago and felt an energy, very subtle and beautiful, flowing into me. That was the only time I played with it.

 

Here is a thought: we have yin and yang, which are polarities. This world is run by the principle of duality, inescapable it seems, until we step up into another dimension and experience unity as the true nature of the Universe. K is what takes us there and burns this new paradigm into our consciousness.

 

Among all the polar differences in this world, the greatest is self and other. It is an illusion. We are all part of the original thought which is love.

 

All things, all life, all of the creation is part of one original thought. ... Let us for a moment consider thought. What is it, my friends, to take thought? Took you then thought today? What thoughts did you think today? What thoughts were part of the original thought today? In how many of your thoughts did the creation lie? Was love contained? And was service freely given? You are not part of a material universe. You move your body, your mind, and your spirit in somewhat eccentric patterns for you have not completely grasped the concept that you are part of the original thought. ...

 

There is no polarity for all will be, as you would say, reconciled at some point in your dance through the mind/body/spirit complex which you amuse yourself by distorting in various ways at this time. ... We are not speaking of similar or somewhat like entities or things. You are every thing, every being, every emotion, every event, every situation. You are unity. You are infinity. You are love/light, light/love. You are. This is the Law of One. (Law of One, session 1)

 

I have a lot of respect for the 12 step program and it was truly inspired. It can be used for an assortment of situations, not just alcoholism, I've noticed.

 

About memory: it is said, "A master knows without knowing." When the inner mind takes a more prominent part in our conscious world, a dropping off of the need to think is natural. That has been my experience. So, let your memory be what it is. Shakti is an intelligent energy and will do as she wills with you once awakened. Ultimately, there is only one golden light, though we all seem to be filled with only a part of it. Self and other exist here but not there. Boundaries dissolve as your mind expands. You find that love is and always has been the only energy of this vast universe.

 

Of course, you know all this. I am only putting it in words.

 

Here's a idea for you: can you find a verse in the Hua Hu Ching that matches a section in Pike's book? Maybe Pike can shed some light on this Taoist text.

Edited October 11, 2013 by traveler

[traveler]

The Hua Hu Ching is a most amazing book. I've been reading it since 2009. I'd like to comment on the translation of chapter 69. I don't have the original text nor could I read it if I did, but I challenge the use of "cell" here. We in modern times think of a cell as one of the many microscopic building blocks of the physical body. So we naturally read it that way here in this chapter. What are some other words that mean the same thing as cell that could be substituted? How about vessel, cavity, cauldron, palace, stove. Do you get my drift? I purpose that the word "cell" be replaced with "energy center".

 

The second word I will challenge is "intercourse". The text defines angelic intercourse as nonsexual, that is, not uniting sex organs with sex organs. You will have to decide what kind of sex that is. The term "angelic dual cultivation" works better. I will suggest that the word, intercourse, could be replaced with "energy exchange". The Karazza folks have interpreted this chapter to mean prolonged sexual intercourse in stillness, such as with Yab Yum. While that is a potent meditation device, I don't think this is the intended meaning here.

 

This chapter gives the most detailed description of dual cultivation in the book. What is self-cultivation? In chapter 71 we read: "For one, celibacy and self-cultivation will be appropriate; for another, properly guided dual cultivation will derive the greatest benefit." self-cultivation is nonsexual in every way - no self sex. No arousal leading to sublimation. The Hindus call this Brahmacharya. I'll quote Osho:

 

The basic natural possibility of this [muladhara] chakra is the sex urge of the physical body. The very first question that arises in the mind of the seeker is what to do in regard to this central principle. Now there is another possibility of this chakra, and that is brahmacharya, celibacy, which is attainable through meditation. Sex is the natural possibility and brahmacharya is its transformation. The more the mind is focused upon and gripped by sexual desire, the more difficult it will be to reach its ultimate potential of brahmacharya. (Osho)

 

That is self-cultivation, celibacy. The other path is dual cultivation. Both are valid paths. Lao Tzu said so in chapter 71, as quoted. Celibacy comes upon you and thereafter it is a joy. Sublimation takes on a different quality. It is as if your body is being filled with a pressure. This sensation is stabilizing, calming. You get as much pleasure from abstaining as you ever did from passionate sex. At this point in the alchemical journey, you are no longer you. The "I" has become expansive, so that your sense of self includes everyone else. Self cultivation and dual cultivation has become the same thing. It is very sexual and it is also not at all sexual in the normal sense.

 

Chapter two gives us this beautiful gem:

 

The first practice is the practice of undiscriminating virtue: take care of those who are deserving; also, and equally, take care of those who are not. When you extend your virtue in all directions without discriminating, your feet are firmly planted on the path that returns to the Tao. (Hua Hu Ching, by Lao Tzu)

 

Judgment. We humans like this activity a lot. That's where sin comes from: judging something to be either good or bad. Our civilizations have made the assumption that just because we operate under this perception of judgment here that the Angelic Realm must do the same. There is no judgment in the upper realms. We do not have to wait until death to enter these realms. When you feel the words of Lao Tzu sink into your bones so that you truly cease to judge, then you have expanded your awareness to include these upper realms. Peace replaces fear; stabilization replaces chaos.

[manitou]

Traveler, as we are of One Mind, I would love your help on something. Please read post #11 in this thread where I did a ceremony for a young man that was in a motocross accident and ended up quadriplegic. His father is an alcoholic, and the boy is terrified of him. His father forced him to enter the race. Please look at my interpretation of this dream and tell me if you see it as wrong, or specifically to the opposite of what I see. I think this dream directly relates to my question of whether to have another ceremony for Joshua (young man)

 

Yesterday, I made up my mind to do another ceremony to get the current down to his lower body (I would get Chrissy, his friend, back to do it again; this time with more focus on the lower limbs - same physical ceremony with the rice and the lamp). I had determined that today I would contact Chrissy and have her come back over to do it.

 

This morning, I woke up with a dream fresh on my mind. I had dreamt of Lance Armstrong - it suddenly hit me that Lance was a 'biker', although not a motocross rider - but the analogy is there. I know no famous motocross riders, so it makes sense that this would come to me as Lance. Lance was standing at the edge of a pool. He was coaching a young girl who was in a wheelchair to learn to swim. She and her wheelchair were up on the diving board; she dove in, still sitting in the chair; but able to use her arms (as Joshua now is too). She swam across the length of the pool okay (still attached to the chair). Toward the end of her swim she went under; something had happened to the chair, it broke somehow, dragging her down. Lance did nothing. He just stood there, looking into the water, standing next to a duffel bag. Finally the girl popped up (I don't remember seeing the chair at all) and she was gasping for breath, coughing and sputtering.

 

Still, he did nothing. He had no expression on his face, no panic, no nothing. After he saw that she came up, he bent over and picked up his duffel bag and left; didn't help her out or help her regain her chair. He just left.

 

I remember turning to the person sitting next to me and saying "What an Asshole", referring to the fact that Lance didn't help her out of the pool to check to see that she was okay.

 

The moment I woke up, my first thought was that I was wrong in calling him an asshole. It was a judgment, which was my error, I knew this immediately.

 

What I'm thinking is that Joshua needs to go within, without judgment, and reexamine his relationship with his father. He needs no further assistance in the way of ceremony; the rest is up to him and getting through the blockage in his psyche, the paralyzing fear of his father. Lance did exactly the right thing; he took his 'medical bag' (or provision cart, in our case) and let it be. I think that's what I will do; I will let this be, unless the situation spins into me again in some form. I would be happy to assist Joshua in learning to love his alcoholic father without judgment (as hard as that would be for a teenage boy) so that he doesn't re-manifest anything of this nature again. But I will take no steps to do so unless, as I say, it spins around again, in the form of a request from my friend Chrissy or Joshua's mother.

 

From your outside position, can you triangulate anything different in this dream as it pertains to the situation? Do you think I'm seeing this correctly, or can you see it a different way? I may be too close.

 

Your idea of looking into the Hua Hu Ching and looking for commonalities with Pike is a good one; a very meaty idea. I was under the impression that Pike didn't create the Scottish Rites, but instead organized longstanding traditions which to that point had been verbal and handed down. Do try and find this book! It will astound you, I guarantee it. The way he ties in all traditions, mystic and religious, from around the world, throughout history, is a rare thing of beauty. Manley Hall does much the same but Albert Pike, as you say, is truly a genius. Actually, they both are.

Edited October 11, 2013 by manitou

[traveler]

Your ceremony was beautiful. Your interpretation of your dream is as much your right to own as was the dream itself. One rarely comes without the other but only if you ask. You have asked and received your answer. Let him be. He will heal in the way he is meant to heal. Of course we all want him to walk again. The Tao doesn't see it the way we do. And it may be to his best advantage in this life to have physical problems from this. Send him your love as you are doing. That is just what "God" would do. You can do no better than God. Because you are God.

 

Anne McCaffrey said, "Infallibility would be a bore; I have been wrong in the past and I plan on being wrong in the future." (The White Dragon, by Anne McCaffrey)

 

I could be dead wrong about Pike's level of contribution to Scottish Rite. I am basing my opinion on conversations with other Masons on the topic. According to my friends, the material Pike started with was incomprehensible, fragmented to the point of no return. A. Pike did the Masons a great favor by sorting this stuff out, and his book is a gift to the world. I will get a pdf of it along with Hall's book. I would be glad to discuss this with you. There is a great deal of unspoken knowledge that is received from the ritual directly and cannot be put in books. You may then find my perspective interesting.

 

I will look at Joshua. ... I am channeling:

You are an incredible gift to this world. We will learn much from you. God bless you. Joshua?

Yes.

We love you.

I know it.

There are masters who teach in the form of yoga and so forth, all the stuff on this forum, and there are masters who teach us just as Joshua is doing. Is that all you have to say?

No.

When I look at Joshua, I don't see the crippled body and finite mind that's attached to it; I see an immense being of infinite power and creativity. Joshua is in no danger of going wrong no mater what happens to his body or whether it heals or not. Let's drop down to a level that we can relate to as humans.

No. I am told. Look deep.

The door is open; I pass the guardian of his inner world. It is dark, a void. No thoughts, no sight. Peaceful Nothingness. We are One. My body is filled with a strong energy. I see a vision of me stepping into his limbs and putting on his body like a suit of clothing. His limbs are filled with golden light. This is not a healing. I am simply sharing existence. I am sharing this with Joshua. I cannot distinguish the difference between us. I am stretching my arms out above my head and I am taking a step forward with my legs, waking for the first time since the accident. The vision closed.

[manitou]

Yes, we are God.

 

You are so right about 'god' perhaps having other plans for Joshua. Look at Stephen Hawking. Would his mind have been as great as it was if he had a normal existence? My guess is no.

 

You are truly a beautiful person. Thank you so much for taking the time to channel into Joshua. If I get wind of anything further happening with the boy I'll be sure to let you know. I too had an experience of the energy in my legs as I was bringing my thoughts into the physical.

 

We just can't judge it, can we?

 

As to Morals and Dogma, this book has taken me several months to read, to this point. I started out reading a degree a night, but in the upper degrees they are quite a bit more lengthy and require much concentration - sometimes reading the paragraph over several times to get the gist of it. I'm getting closer to finishing, though. Do check out the incredible index in the back, more like A. Pike's notes to himself as to how to find a particular thought when he needed to convey it. Just astounding, his mind.

 

I didn't realize before I started writing this paragraph that you had posted two next to each other. I need to chew on what you wrote earlier. I'm not familiar with the Hua Hu Ching as you are, other than when this thread was started I read some of it. I have studied maybe 12 different translations of the TTC over the years, though.

Edited October 11, 2013 by manitou

[manitou]

 

The second word I will challenge is "intercourse". The text defines angelic intercourse as nonsexual, that is, not uniting sex organs with sex organs. You will have to decide what kind of sex that is. The term "angelic dual cultivation" works better. I will suggest that the word, intercourse, could be replaced with "energy exchange". The Karazza folks have interpreted this chapter to mean prolonged sexual intercourse in stillness, such as with Yab Yum. While that is a potent meditation device, I don't think this is the intended meaning here.

 

Just for starters, I was thinking earlier today about the zygote, when the cell first divides into two, then there is three. How very Tao that is! Perhaps all we have to do is think of the workings of the Egg to see creation continuing to manifest.

 

It is interesting that during tantric intercourse, should one be lucky enough in their life to experience that, that there is no sensation of two separation bodies - no friction, no nothing. Only golden splendor and a sense of totally no shame. Truly angelic.

 

Cell = Battery?

Edited October 11, 2013 by manitou