Zen Pig Posted January 9, 2019 Been thinking about the ancient idea of Sun gazing. I have done this practice in the past for about 6 months, taking my shoes off, summer, winter, rain, snow, and watching the sun rise for about 2 to 3 min's. Will not go into my experience, because it does not matter, and at some point, I dropped it. The technique of most sun gazing yoga, is just looking at the sun when it first comes up, or about a half hour before it sets. not at the day time sun, but just at sun rise, and sun set, with shoes off, connected to the earth, and connected to the sun. not complicated. I dropped this practice, not because it did not have results, but probably, looking back, I was doing a lot of different techniques, along with my 2 to 3 hour a day meditation, and could not suss out what made my personal experiences. Today, I started to review my original practice of sun gazing due to a conversation with my acupuncturist. So being a skeptic by nature, (not a debunker, but the ancient definition of the Greek idea of skeptic-- look it up), I tried to see if there was anything, anything at all, that showed a history of ancient sun gazing, of any kind of research for possible benefits of sun gazing, or anything written other than the usual YouTube, online bull shit. I found nothing..... nothing at all other than the constant and universal "scientific" belief line that : "any looking at the sun at all, will end up destroying your eye sight, burn your eyes, cause cancer, and make you the devils bitch. (that last one was a joke).. So the western view point is, across the board, to "Never look at the sun with the necked eye" never, never, never, you will go fucking blind, your pigs will die, your fields will go fallow, and your balls, (or ovaries) will drop off. My spider senses always go off when i can only find post, or so called research that is completely "right or wrong" "all or nothing". At some point in looking for information, it occurred to me, that our family lives in a mountain valley in northern Colorado, and we have spent our lives, both me and the wife and all of our kids, running out to see a wonderful magical sun rise, or sunset, year around. Then it occurred to me, that most folks who live on the land, or even in the cities, will stand outside and watch a sunrise or sunset, and not only be amazed, but THERE IS NO DOCUMENTATION OF ANYONE OF THE MILLIONS OF PEOPLE, YOUNG AND OLD BEING BLINDED OF HURT FROM WATCHING A SUNRISE OR SUNSET........... So I got to call the western debunker online or YouTube post Shenagigans, or Bill shit. Never trust a socity that demonizes a practice out of hand, or the other side that says it is a miracle cure. Just use your own judgement, and play. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Everything Posted January 9, 2019 You have no way of choosing what other people think. But what you can do, is become your best self, most fully realised self, in your full blown realisation of all that it is what it is that you truely want, that is who and what you truely already are, that is what truely calls you forward ever more, in your unyielding passion for what that truely is in its ever more ever becoming. And then the people will always benefit when they place their attention on you. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Aetherous Posted January 9, 2019 Someone at the forum, I think their name was Machin Shin, said that they were instructed to sungaze, and they ended up getting permanent eye damage from it. When we glance at the sun, it does create an after image...look too long, maybe that after image stays...or a blind spot is created. Do be careful with any practice you're trying. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted January 9, 2019 I’ve seen research on the benefits of bright light in the morning. Light is the ‘reset’ switch for your circadian rhythms. Here’s a link with a very simplified explanation (although a quick search will bring up decent peer reviewed papers that you may or may not be bothered to read through) What interested me was that the major circadian rhythms are stimulated by light entering the eyes, but the actual process is controlled by the liver (which releases relevant hormones and stuff). This is what keeps the internal clock ticking. In Daoism the liver and the eyes are intimately connected. For some reason people come to me for advice when they’re depressed or chronically ill and tired. My advice for all of them - that has worked dramatically well 7 times out of 10 - is to take a brisk 15 minute walk (outdoors) at sunrise - whilst making sure that they get to bed at an hour that gives them between 8 and 9 hrs of sleep (no more and no less). Very basic advice, but has been completely life changing for a few people. It’s funny - people go looking for spiritual practices, when all they really want is to feel ok. And the three most obvious tenets for that are - sleep well, eat well and exercise well... (and get out in nature regularly) 2 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
freeform Posted January 9, 2019 12 minutes ago, freeform said: (and get out in nature regularly) I can’t imagine anything better than catching the sunrise in a mountain valley in Colorado! 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted January 9, 2019 Yes - we in the West are strange: Sorry - couldn't resist. 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) For a scientific viewpoint: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-says-why-we-cant-look-at-the-sun/ As to sunset see here: https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/7661/why-can-i-look-directly-at-the-sun-during-a-sunset-but-not-at-noon Edited January 9, 2019 by wandelaar 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudfoot Posted January 9, 2019 1 hour ago, freeform said: My advice for all of them - that has worked dramatically well 7 times out of 10 - is to take a brisk 15 minute walk (outdoors) at sunrise - whilst making sure that they get to bed at an hour that gives them between 8 and 9 hrs of sleep (no more and no less). Yes, it doesn't matter if you look at cortisol, blood pressure sensitivity, or heart rate variability. We have evolved to be active early in the morning. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted January 9, 2019 lets see now. I live in the country and often watch sunrise and sunset. I am not blind yet. But when watching a sunrise I and others I know who do the same do not just stare at and into the sun. I wonder what 'watching the sunrise' means for some people ? Its watching the sunrise ... not watching and looking 'into' the Sun as it rises. And it only takes a moment for any idiot to realise what happens when you look directly INTO the Sun . They realise that from doing it ... not talking about this or that science or ancient tradition. You look into the Sun and .... owwww - wince' ! Or something be effin wrong with you ! next week ; Putting your finger in a candle flame . Does it hurt ? But youall go ahead now ..... go stare at the Sun .... we need more on the team 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted January 9, 2019 (edited) Damage to the eyes from sun exposure can take two forms: short-term damage and long-term damage. Short-term damage ("solar retinopathy") occurs when a person stares directly at the sun, and is a result of too much ultraviolet light flooding the retina. In extreme cases this can cause blindness, but is so painful that it is rare for someone to be able to stare at the sun for that long. Typically, eye damage from staring at the sun results in blurred vision, dark or yellow spots, pain in bright light or loss of vision in the center of the eye (the fovea). Permanent damage to the retina has been shown to occur in ~100 seconds, but the exact time before damage occurs will vary with the intensity of the sun on a particular day (clouds and haze can weaken the sun's rays) and with how much the viewer's pupil is dilated (decongestants and other drugs will dilate pupils). Obviously, no one has done a study to measure the exact time before damage or blindness occurs, but doctors collect information after events like the 1999 solar eclipse, when people who stared directly at the sun for several minutes went to see their doctor. In one study, about half had permanent damage. Short-term damage can be easily prevented: never look directly at the sun. During sunsets, when the intensity of ultraviolet light is lower due to scattering, avoid looking directly at the sun for more than a few minutes at a time. Sunglasses and camera filters do not prevent short-term damage, and may make it more likely by dilating your pupil and/or allowing you to stare at the sun longer without pain. Long-term damage is also caused by the effects of ultraviolet light, and can result in cataracts (cloudy spots on the eye lens), corneal sunburn and growths on the surface of the eye. This type of damage can be the result of a lifetime of sun exposure, and the effects usually don't show up until people are in their 50's or later. Long-term damage is harder to prevent, especially in people who spend a lot of time outside. The best prevention is to wear sunglasses that block UV light (both UVA and UVB) Regarding the last paragraph, my brother suffered this. he started getting blurry vision and went to eye doctor. Dr asked if he went skiing - no . Do you get exposed to the Sun much ? Yes, a fisherman. Do you wear sunglasses. Nope. Okay that caused the damage, its a growth / film developing over your eyes. I will just numb your eye and scrape it off with this scalpel . WHOA ! Hold on there ... what ? Will that be painful ? Yes, t will feel like eye full of sand for a few days and nights. Will that fix it ? Yes, for a while. The you will need it done again ... actually, it will need to be done again after that too and each time the it will grow back quicker. So he left and got a 2nd opinion. The other doc said same thing about sun and fishing ( UV reflected off the water ) Go and buy a good set of sun glasses. Then what ? Just that - it will fix itself ! Always get 2nd opinion ! And this from just not wearing Sun glasses out in sunlight , let alone looking into the Sun. - this thread takes the cake .... next we see a post about walking bare foot on hot lava ( with an 'ancient wisdom justification' behind it ) , by a guy whose photo shows him wearing asbestos boots . Edited January 9, 2019 by Nungali 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thelerner Posted January 9, 2019 Years ago, maybe a decade I did research into sun gazing. I got the impression its energizing but on the dangerous side of things. Seems like watching the sunrise or sunset is on the lighter safer side, great spiritual practice too. I like watching the sun when its moonlike behind thick cloud cover. And brighter sun through closed lids, soaking up the colorful phosphorescence. But its a practice to be careful with. There was at least one guru who claimed vast health and powers available through longer and longer staring the sun. I believe they left quite a few damaged acolytes in there wake. With some practices, more is definitely worse and dangerous. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Everything Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 4 hours ago, Nungali said: lets see now. I live in the country and often watch sunrise and sunset. I am not blind yet. But when watching a sunrise I and others I know who do the same do not just stare at and into the sun. I wonder what 'watching the sunrise' means for some people ? Its watching the sunrise ... not watching and looking 'into' the Sun as it rises. And it only takes a moment for any idiot to realise what happens when you look directly INTO the Sun . They realise that from doing it ... not talking about this or that science or ancient tradition. You look into the Sun and .... owwww - wince' ! Or something be effin wrong with you ! next week ; Putting your finger in a candle flame . Does it hurt ? But youall go ahead now ..... go stare at the Sun .... we need more on the team There is more than enough room for all the different perspectives in life, without needing you to change the perspective of others, before you allow yourself to align to your own truer and ever greater becoming of the true perspective of who it is you truely really already are, always more fully, in your ability to feel the evermore relativity between the perspective of your physical you and that of your greater non-physical knowing, that you always have acces and always are connected to, through your ability to feel that relativity, through your emotions, your ability to translate your energy-motional state of being, that can then always guide you to the perfect alignment of being and seeing always more fully in the perfect place always more at the more perfect timing. Edited January 10, 2019 by Everything Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted January 10, 2019 18 hours ago, Everything said: There is more than enough room for all the different perspectives in life, without needing you to change the perspective of others, Someone trying to 'change the perspective of others ' eh ? Why not give your little lecture to those that advocate staring into the sun and trying to change the perspective that this is dangerous. What, no little 'Everything spiritual lecture' for them ? Gosh they must feel so left out 18 hours ago, Everything said: before you allow yourself to align to your own truer and ever greater becoming of the true perspective of who it is you truely really already are, always more fully, in your ability to feel the evermore relativity between the perspective of your physical you and that of your greater non-physical knowing, that you always have acces and always are connected to, through your ability to feel that relativity, through your emotions, your ability to translate your energy-motional state of being, that can then always guide you to the perfect alignment of being and seeing always more fully in the perfect place always more at the more perfect timing. And all that in one sentence ! Ummmm .... do you ever read back to yourself what you wrote ? But maybe you do not even write it and just copy and paste from some 'cosmo bs philosophy site ' http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/ 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Everything Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) 19 minutes ago, Nungali said: Someone trying to 'change the perspective of others ' eh ? Why not give your little lecture to those that advocate staring into the sun and trying to change the perspective that this is dangerous. What, no little 'Everything spiritual lecture' for them ? Gosh they must feel so left out And all that in one sentence ! Ummmm .... do you ever read back to yourself what you wrote ? But maybe you do not even write it and just copy and paste from some 'cosmo bs philosophy site ' http://sebpearce.com/bullshit/ Yeah I'm a spiritual parrot. Pugaaaa! Maybe if I say PUGAAA! long enough, I can make you happy. Pugaaaaa! Edited January 10, 2019 by Everything Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Nungali Posted January 10, 2019 More of a galah I would say . https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galah ..... particularly the 'Cultural references section Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wu Ming Jen Posted January 10, 2019 Is the sun upside down in Australia? My body loves vitamin D from sun light. Watching the sunrise and sunsets are very romantic it fills my heart with joy. I also like to take long strolls along the beach but I live in the north, it is f-ing cold and snowy and I am land locked, no ocean for hundreds of miles so I gaze at the sun. BTW it is called sun gazing not sun staring. My question is do I need to do a head stand in Australia to gaze at the sun so the energy is not upside down in my retina or is it right side up being upside down. I plan to destroy physical matter that controls my emotions by looking at things with the power of the sun that I now have in one eye. .No need to mention it is summer and beautiful in Australia right now. I get it and do not need to hear about it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Mudfoot Posted January 10, 2019 18 minutes ago, Wu Ming Jen said: My question is do I need to do a head stand in Australia to gaze at the sun so the energy is not upside down in my retina or is it right side up being upside down. I plan to destroy physical matter that controls my emotions by looking at things with the power of the sun that I now have in one eye. You have to balance that with moon gazing, otherwise the other eye will feel powerless and alone. 😁 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted January 10, 2019 (edited) Time for some basic common sense: all good things become bad when you take too much of it. So it's silly to think that gazing at the sun at noon has to be OK, because one can also watch a sunrise or sunset without a problem. And for those who still care about what happens on the physical plane: On 9-1-2019 at 2:05 PM, wandelaar said: For a scientific viewpoint: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/science-says-why-we-cant-look-at-the-sun/ As to sunset see here: https://earthscience.stackexchange.com/questions/7661/why-can-i-look-directly-at-the-sun-during-a-sunset-but-not-at-noon Edited January 10, 2019 by wandelaar Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wu Ming Jen Posted January 10, 2019 Exactly my other eye has some serious moon power, I will leave that alone for now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Wu Ming Jen Posted January 10, 2019 1 minute ago, wandelaar said: Time for some basic common sense: all good things become bad when you take too much of it. Does that include sex and politics seems to be hot topics on Dao Bums lately. Any thing to to with Taoist practice is refreshing. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
wandelaar Posted January 10, 2019 1 minute ago, Wu Ming Jen said: Does that include sex and politics seems to be hot topics on Dao Bums lately. Any thing to to with Taoist practice is refreshing. Those are good examples. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Zen Pig Posted January 10, 2019 28 minutes ago, Wu Ming Jen said: My question is do I need to do a head stand in Australia to gaze at the sun so the energy is not upside down in my retina or is it right side up being upside down. hmmmmmm. all i can say is that if you were in deep space, light years from anything else, just floating, there would be no "up or down" one could not point to it. LOL yes, as far as sun gazing, I have done it before right at sun rise and sun set, if one looks up the UV index vs. time charts put out by the EPA, sun rise and sun set are about a 1 compared to 10 at mid day, so like most folks who love to watch the sun rise, for tens of thousands of years, I don't see it harming anyone if one just looks for a min or two. not complicated. good luck 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
