3 stages of illusion

[Yoda]

Swami Kaleshwar has a cool breakdown of the spiritual path he calls the 3 stages of illusion:

 

1st is where one can do a spiritual practice and not feel that anything is happening. This is the hardest stage as there's not much good encouragement to keep practicing.

 

2nd is where one can feel the results of one's practice. This is a pretty easy stage to make progress in... it's easy to tap into the power of the practice and of one's guides, etc.

 

3rd is where you experience textbook results of the particular practice... obtain the groove or power in question, the angel and lights appear, etc. This is a little trickier... on the one hand you can really tap into some power to make strides but hubris is a constant danger if one gets overly attached to the process itself. At this stage, practicing humility, and not discussing one's experiences may be important, really watching one's thoughts, and controlling one's anger is important. At this stage, one's practice is going at 100mph so one has to be very mindful of the road. Siddhis and anger are a bad mix, for instance.

 

Once one's experience in the 3rd stage becomes very stable and high with no danger of ever crashing, then that's when one progresses out of the life of illusion.

 

It's just a cool way of looking at things, and not a hard and fast rule. Also, one can be in stage one one moment and stage 3 an hour later... that kind of thing.

 

Swami related that when he first got into the healing biz in India, there were many times that he really didn't feel like healing anyone. So he'd sit down to do a mantra... couldn't feel anything. Then a 10 minutes later he could feel it and then a while later he'd get a stage 3 experience from it and he'd be charged up to help others.

 

I've pretty much live in stage 1 and bump into stage 2 when I practice. Never been to 3ville for the most part. Now, with several new practices I've found this year, I'm certain that I'll be able to experience stage 3 in this life, so just thinking about that.

[seadog]

Yeah the anger issue is huge.Recently realized the my body likes to feed off the dense nature of anger,like strong coffee and cigs.Can be energising for short time but ultimately taxes the qi big time.cultivation is the antitheis of anger.I found if I keep my liver happy chappy its easier to bump into those numbers above one.Still somethings just realy piss me off.And no amount of gong is gonna change it. I gues its is easy to feel something. The talent is in living it.

[Cameron]

No idea but I haven't had a cigarette all day today.

 

Please pray to Krishna, Vishnu, Brahman, Shiva and whatever other of your Gods to give me strength to mantain my non smoking discipline and gather my strength for the age of Wii(let's not get into details about that please)

[thelerner]

Anger and love of The Drama.

 

Michael

[beancurdturtle]

3rd is where you experience textbook results of the particular practice... obtain the groove or power in question, the angel and lights appear, etc. This is a little trickier... on the one hand you can really tap into some power to make strides but hubris is a constant danger if one gets overly attached to the process itself. At this stage, practicing humility, and not discussing one's experiences may be important, really watching one's thoughts, and controlling one's anger is important. At this stage, one's practice is going at 100mph so one has to be very mindful of the road. Siddhis and anger are a bad mix, for instance.

Stage 3 sounds like Stage 2 on steroids. Seems the opposite of contentment.

 

I'll try the fourth stage - no illusion.

no results, no process

no practice, no power

no hubris, no humility

no thoughts, no anger

 

steady, knowing, being.

 

Peace,