Esoteric

@MountainCactus Yeah, I hear you. That's what I learned the hard way. When the unbalance really hit me I become focused on grounding and really saw the importance of it.

@MountainCactus Ok, interesting. It was the chanting in the third eye I did, which made me very unbalanced. I also put my attention there all the time as soon as I caught myself not being present. I work at reception with an average of about 15 mins of actual work each day. But in the end it created real bad emotional storms. So for some months I didn't focus there, or tried not too. Interestingly, now I can be stabilized there with no problems, and when I sink into it deeply, it encompasses the other chakras and attention goes where it needs. I don't feel the sushumna in the third eye as I have heard people say. Perhaps sometimes, really subtly, but intuitively it feels like that's where it is going. Yogananda said to focus on the third eye at all times to hasten spiritual growth. Now, this can potentially create problems, so it's not really a responsible advice, but there is definitely something to it I feel.

@MountainCactus This thread isn't even 2 years old. There could be a lot of factors playing in. Have you read the whole thread? I am not defending the books even as I don't follow them or admire the teachers. Ennio seems like the most decent one. Also it made me get in contact with the subtle body and the sushumna, so that's positive. I am at a good place now, so in the end I am really glad I did follow the books.

@MountainCactus And how do you explain people having good effects from the same practice?

@MountainCactus Alrighty then... So what happened to the karma you assumed from the authors? You are in the process of working off all their karma or the link immedietely broke when you stopped their practices? The internet must create one hell of a karmic mess then as far as spiritual teachings goes, must be the Devil's invention Let's hope there are not a lot of rapists and theifs advicing people to follow their breath. Sounds like a good idea to follow if you want to increase your paranoia and fear.

@MountainCactus How do you KNOW this? To me it sounds like a belief and spiritual dogma.

He came back an ascended master. He said he will leave soon again though. So worship and admire him while you still can, people.

@MountainCactus Yeah, I actually haven't done Kriya for months, as I was starting to feel energetically unbalanced. My body couldn't keep up with the energy. I moved on to other energy practices that has completely blown me away in a very short time. Now, I am not completely sure it is just that my body has adapted and can handle the energy now or if my new practice is more healthy in balancing it out. I suspect it is the latter since a lot changed when I started doing them, but I will go back to the Kriya I did and see at some point probably. But I still do nadi-sodhana and om japa in the chakras as preliminary exercises on occation. They are wonderful techniques. "You may not realize this, but by choosing the books, you are really choosing those authors as your guru and in turn assuming all their karmas. Is that really what you want?" Ok, please elaborate on this. Who taught you this? How can you prove this and how do you know for a fact this is true? Are you saying simply reading the theory will make you take on their karma? Or simply reading and using their techniques? Have you assumed the authors karma by previously reading their books? If I came up with some techniques and some theoretical stuff in a forum post and people used it, would it mean people chose me as their guru and they now have taken on my karma?

@MountainCactus Right, thanks for clarifying. Also, honestly something in me triggers and irritation arises whenever I hear of guru/disciple relationships. That you need to be dependent on an "external" figure to get liberated and get shaktipat from them personally, it makes me a little uneasy. You seem to have done good, and have find a good way, so not a critique on you. And hey, maybe I will get initiated at some point, but right now I feel I can find all the help I need from within as long as I try my best to be sincere, honest with myself and want nothing else but freedom.

@MountainCactus "Can people achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi from the books, with no initiation and no relationship with a teacher.... I don't think so." What am I not getting? That's what I got out of your words anyway, sorry if I misintepreted.

@MountainCactus Of course it is possible to achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi without submitting to a personal guru. Just because it wasn't working out for you without a personal teacher doesn't mean it is the same for everyone. There are endless paths to the divine and it sounds like you have some limiting beliefs. My situation = everyone else's situation You make fair points and it's great you found a teacher and that it's working out for you, but I also get the impression you are on a crusade for your completely correct and uncorrupted system. You can actually read a lot of books on Kriya (and other systems) and don't make it a big deal out of it, or argue over who is more correct. You can try shit out and take what really works for you and if you are sincere and dedicated you can develop a wonderful system for yourself. Who cares who made the technique or if it is REAL Kriya as long as the technique works for you (might be shit for someone else). Sure you hit some road blocks here and there, but that's part of learning. People are able to take responsibility for their lives, and personally if I experiment with a technique and find out it is not resonating or sense it might be potentially dangerous. Guess what? I quit doing that and try something else.

@Leo Gura Do you know if Ralston suffered a lot during the way to his awakenings? Have you talked with him about that? I get the impression he didn't suffer much at all. He seems like one of those guys that live isolated getting completely obsessed with like studying a molecule for 20 years straight. It's just that his obsession happened to be consciousness. It seems like a big trap that people get an awakening and seem like authorities on consciousness as a whole. Making them actually close down and unwilling to accept new facets and depths. But at the same time Ralston seem to have gone down very very deep and have been open to new layers, it's weird he didn't contemplate what love is. Ralston is a mindfuck to me. I guess he is just on the extreme end of the masculine scale. The feminine qualities seem to be creation, love and beauty. I think that's why all true artistic people have a very feminine elegance to them.

@Matt8800 Hey Matt, thanks for recommending that book about the LHP. Started reading it at work today, very interesting. Regarding the rituals to subjugate the ego. Are you talking about banishing and pillar rituals or something else? Cheers

@Matt23 Sounds like you are well on your way developing a very unhealthy spiritual ego. Good luck with that.

@Inliytened1 Yeah, I was a huge Tolkien fan growing up

@Inliytened1 Hehe. That was just because of OP's last sentence, that's why it came to mind.

One consciousness to rule them all, One consciousness to find them, One consciousness within them all. and in the darkness bind them.

From my own experience if you give a woman the wrong signals or are with a woman just out of comfort and neediness you will get a lesson. Likely a very harsh one. You can choose to either grow from this or it can completely destroy you. Infact it was what catapulted me into becoming a seeker 100%. The pain has been extreme in many periods and I had it coming. I am very grateful it gave me a chance to grow and learn. That is grace. Don't play with a womans heart.

@mandyjw I have found this to be very true. I don't know how many times I have felt detached and clear thinking "Holy shit, I've practically made it" only to experience big emotional storms the next day. It's funny that you can continously fool yourself like that. It's better to have an attitude that you're gonna contract and expand continously but that your overall progress as a whole is increasing.

Thoughts?

@Cocolove There is such a staggering amount of info out there. It could just be that Leo hasn't tried the method or it hasn't resonated with him personally. But obviously it has with you so stick with it. I think it is a great technique and it will definitely purify you if you are serious and committed. Don't make Leo an authority on what will work for you. Ironically you should watch Leo's vid on authority.

@Bryanbrax There is a thread on Kriya Yoga. Satyananda was a student under Sivananda. This Kriya Yoga is under a completely different lineage than Lahiri's. There is an ashram in Scandinavia that uses this system to produce teachers run by a disciple of Satyananda who's name is Janakananda. I have not tried this version of Kriya Yoga myself, but I have heard it contains a lot of Kriyas and long sessions. I might check out the book just out of curiousity. I suggest you read some reviews and do some investigation and make up your own mind if it is worth investing 10 years in.

@MountainCactusThanks for your answers and stuff to look into. I've gotten a lot of new perspectives and stuff to reflect on. I never really put much attention on that Lahiri's Kriya was for householders specifically, even though I always knew it. It does make sense now. Never seen or heard of Avatar: The Last Airbender but it looks interesting, might give an episode a go And I will watch that video you posted, I like that guy from what I've seen.

@MountainCactus Wow. This is very interesting stuff and I have got some researching to do. I will buy Yogananda's book on the Gita. Though speaking of Yogananda. For me personally, he is one of the greatest masters we've had. Yet he seemed to have no problem with energization practices. On the contrary. He reached so far that he willingly left the body. So what is your view on that? It is paradoxical to what wrote, is it not? Also if you look at Vajrayana and Tummo practice, it focuses on building up so much energy that it "melts" the upper centres into the belly which creates more and more bliss. Non-dual bliss as they call it. An extremely energetic technique that obviously has created a lot of masters if you look at the Tibetan tradition. So isn't it more fair to say that it depends on the individual more than anything? For some people, like Yogananda, an increase in energy was to their benefit. Whereas for other people it will cause suffering and there is not enough courage to resist the temptations it creates. Also, I would be interested in hearing your opinion about our center. You write that the limbic brain projects out the chakras in the body. And the term spiritual heart gets used alot, where our home and true seed is. Gamana writes about this too. But the spiritual heart still gets projected out to the heart from the brain. Or "brain". So is it fair to say that our true core and center is in the brain and this is where the eyeball (as Leo put it) projects out all of creation? And that it only feels like it's in the spiritual heart?

@MountainCactus Hi and welcome to the forums. Glad to have you onboard and to that you share your accumilated knowledge. You make very interesting points and I can relate to what you write about energizing the chakras. I did Gamana's "KP" where you chant in the spiritual eye only. Though the technique was extremely potent for me and it helped me feel the central channel, it was also often uncomfortable in the sense that it felt like too much energy and alot of anxiety boiled up. I have taken a break from Kriya practices since (or whatever you wanna call what I did) and taken up other energy practices that feels way more soothing, balanced and stronger. If I will return to kriya I will make sure to do the KP that follows the chakras in the body, nadi sodhana, om japa in the chakras and navi kriya (though not in that order obviously) My questions for you are: When you say that you don't want to energize your chakras or calm the prana, can you be more specific? When you do Om Japa and KP, what makes the difference of calming vs energizing them when placing the OM's? Why would energizing the chakras create more ego? For me I can penetrate more deeply inwards when my body is energized. And if you develop siddhis it doesn't mean you have to flaunt them or feel special, that is the seduction and trick you have to pass, but a sincere seeker will want to find truth and who/what you truly are. I have always wondered about Lahiri's statement that not placing OM's is tamasic. If I get this right, if you do Pranayamas without placing OM's, move the the prana up and down, this would not be benificial, but actually destructive. Can you give an explanation to why this would be the case?