While I understand that many people think that they can reach the same insights (forever) through the use of plant medicines (and in regards to this, I will remain silent as I am still personally exploring them as an aid for meditative insight) it is important to understand that one of the most valuable tools one can use to reach enlightenment is meditation.

Many people hear about meditation, and do not know what it is, and what the point of meditation is, in regards to enlightenment. Gautama Siddharta made a roadmap that is easy to understand and avoids perplexing metaphors (that only those with considerable attainment can understand, e.g. the Bible), however, is often overlooked as a valuable method in psychedelic circles.

To that end, I thought I'd share the outline for those that are interested, as described in DN2 (http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.02.0.than.html) shared by my teacher.

1) Understand the 62 wrong views.

* Eternalism, Semi-eternalism, Finitism/infinitism of a self

* Evasiveness of answers (eg. agnostism)

* Chance-originators of self

* Conscious and unconscious post-death survival, neither conscious-nor-unconscious post-death survival

* Annihilation of self after death

* Wrongful nibbana claim in sensory pleasure, first/second/third/fourth jhana

* Understand the correct view, which is interdependent origination. This means that all the previous views were birthed from sensory contact and caused by feeling and hence are speculatory and not direct-wisdom. Interdependent origination is: Senses contact > Craving > Clinging > Becoming > Birth > Ageing and Death, Sorrow/lamentation, sadness and distress.

(2) Restrain in body, speech and thought (sila discipline)

* Perfected in morality

(3) Guarding the Sense-doors

* Watcher of the castle

* Receiving information from senses, do not grasp at signs or characteristics, otherwise, greed and sorrow overwhelms one.

(4) Deep Contentment

* Contentment in solitude

* Contentment with minimum food and clothing

* Removal of greed and sorrow, replaced with contentment

(5) Abandoning the 5 Hindrances

* Desires of the world => free the mind.

* Ill-will and hatred => Compassionate love for welfare

* Sloth-and-torpor => Perception of light, being mindful, being clearfully aware

* Worry-and-anxiety => Calm the mind inwardly (eg. using the breath and being unidentified by the mind)

* Doubt => Understand clearly what is unwholesome, and what is a wholesome state of mind, free of the 5 hindrances.

* Once abandoned, gladness naturally arises, giving rise to delight and joy. Being one-pointed, being detached from unwholesome states and the senses, one then enters first jhana.

(6) First Jhana

* Applying and hence sustaining attention, it becomes one-pointed.

* As joy and bliss arises, one drenches the body with it so that no area of the body is left without joy/bliss.

* After a while, one-pointedness becomes more natural, without the need to sustain. Having this, one gains tranquility and oneness of the mind, entering second jhana.

(7) Second Jhana

* As a result of this oneness mind, one is filled with a different degree of joy and delight. One drenches the body so no area of the body is left without joy/bliss.

* Soon, the delight from this joy/bliss fades, remaining with just joy, and the birth of this equanimity, along with continuous mindfulness, causes one to enter third jhana.

(8.) Third Jhana

* Again, one allows the degree of joy/bliss to permeate the body, so no spot remains untouched.

* One resides in deep equanimity.

* Now having resided in it, one then gives up pleasure and pain, one gives up pleasure and sadness. Having this, one goes beyond pleasure and pain, residing in fourth jhana.

(9) Fourth Jhana

* Being purified, one suffuses the body with deep equanimity, of a higher degree than before. From head to toe, all is wrapped with equanimity.

* Having reached this absorption, the mind is hence ready for the development of deeper insight. One then applies it to the various siddhis (supernormal powers).

(10) Mindfulness of the body, generation of the etheric body

* One directs mind to the inspection of the body, seeing it as material, made of earth/air/water/fire, made of mother and father genetic material, made of food, impermanent (injury, breaking, destruction, dissolution, etc)

* As well as how consciousness is dependent on it and attached to identification of it

* One directs mind to the "generation" of the mind-made body. As if a reed is pulled from the sheath, the mind-made body is pulled from the physical body.

* Having been directed into the mind-made body, physical feelings are lost and one feels empty of the physical body.

* Hence, one directs the mind to the siddhis.

11) Siddhi development

* One explores the capability of the etheric body - duplication, unification, teleportation, passing through matter, walking on water, flight, soaring to great distances, going to Brahma worlds.

* One then applies mind to divine hearing (clairaudience). Having done so, one hears all kinds of things with perfect clarity and knowledge of location.

* One then applies mind to telepathy. One knows the minds of people - with passion, with hate, with delusion, with expansion, surpassing, concentrated, liberated, etc.

* One then applies mind to past-knowledge. Remembering many existences as if one were personally there, one remembers clearly the name and details of the lifetime.

* One then applies mind to passing-away and arising of beings. One sees destinations of beings and where they came from. They know how misconduct produces karma, they know how conduct produces karma. They know how disastrous wrong views can be.

* One then applies mind to how to destroy the corruptions. One then understands the Four Noble Truths to extraordinary depth: Suffering, origin of suffering, cessation, path leading to cessation.

* Once understood, one knows that everything that had to be done, has been done. The ending of birth and death, one is no longer bound by ignorance.

Hope this helps fellow Searchers! I will post a guide for meditation, if people are interested.

This is all very interesting to read, being that like you said.. the medicines we take only open a temporary glimpse into what lies in store beyond the present hindered state of consciousness we live in our day to day mortal shell.
As my Acacia/Rue brew left me feeling as if that journey was shedding only a single layer of skin that would only grow back if not pursued and that untold more were to be shed until finally the whole flesh is to be taken back, yet only more trials lie beyond that as well..

Would definitely love to see a meditation guide!

"Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.…"

When you are new to meditation, you need to work on calming your mind, which involves developing a one-pointed attention and relaxation. I suggest you start with 10 minutes, but at least twice daily. Slowly increase the length to 12, then 14, then 16 minutes and so forth. You are not actually meditating at that point, but simply improving your capacity to do so.

A metaphor can be helpful, your mind (most likely) is like a cup of muddy water. When the water is constantly stirred the brown water is the only thing that will be noticeable. However, when you let the water rest, the mud will settle to the buttom of the glass, and the water will become clear. Similarly, your mind is constantly stirred with thoughts; and you will see many, many thoughts and trains of thoughts.

By continuously focusing on the breath (being aware of it), the thoughts will rest and eventually settle. The mind becomes more clear, and that's the point where true meditation begins.

Frustration has no place in meditation practice, so you should always treat your mind with calmness. When you are distracted away from the breath, remember that you cannot remove thoughts. Just witness it and realize your distraction and move your awareness back to the breath. The thought will fade away naturally.

Some people misunderstand how to focus or be aware of the breath and think that they ought to struggle. This is not the case. A metaphor that helps here is like holding jelly in your hand. Do not squish too tight, lest it is lost. Do not hold too freely either, because then it is also lost. Attend to the breath like you attend to a loved one.

After all, your breath keeps you alive. Ought you not to appreciate it fully with attention? When you realize the profundity of the breath, it helps with the awareness and one-pointed attention on it.

Do not grasp after the benefits of meditation, because surely, then they will not come. Simply attend fully on the breath and let everything arise naturally.

May your journey bring you many fruits.

I also found, recently, a trailer to a new documentary called 'Samadhi' by the same people that have made the documentaries called 'Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds'. I found it appropriate, so I will post it here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqGdWoW-GT8

I agree that when it comes to awakening meditation is of upmost importance, i do believe entheogens could help to wake up humanity on a global scale but i still don't think they can do all the work for us, as with anything else the effects are always transient. I also found that when i was really yearning for understanding that i actually backed right off psychedelic usage and naturally focused on meditation for a significant period.

That documentary looks nice, 'Inner Worlds, Outer Worlds' was put together pretty well so this new one should be quite decent. I love the quote at the beginning, that's actually the style meditation i go with, Self-inquiry. I still deeply resonate with Buddhism and how it breaks it all down with the Jhanas etc, i think that it can provide a really nice framework for someone interested in meditation.

I don't think it can be overstated how important meditation is when it comes to these substances

How to do Zazen properly

Great thread. I've been becoming more and more interested in meditation recently and so I find this thread very informative. I especially appreciate the post that addresses what steps a beginner can take to ease into the process and calm the mind. I struggle with anxiety and I think meditation could be a good way of letting it go, as well as providing me with a natural means to explore consciousness.

Thanks!

I have no doubt in my mind this is true and everyone I have told has had a very difficult time refuting it ESPECIALLY western materialist who are hooked on desire like sex, alchol, tv and drug experiences (oops sorry if dats u bro )

I have great interest in that these stages outline that basic levels of meditation practice so when a noob asks "how long do I have to meditate for?" you can hand them this information. I have also heard that the last few jhanas are incredibly hard to attain or get in to and only people meditating something absurd like 18 hours a day for 5 years are able to come to it. More than anything, we need to develop a way to make this easy, easier than it is. Hopefully technology will aid us there with brain implants that calm the mind and this will help our mental health incredibly because I know majority of the people here would agree in saying that our current "sane" state of mind is not that healthy... The problem with technological aid is that we would have to be certain that it wouldn't take advantage of us and with the conspiracy theories that float around these days (not allowed to talk about them here) then that might be a near impossibility, human ignorance is profound!

Here is another description of it from wiki:

https://en.wikipedia.org...#Factors_in_.C5.9Bamatha

There is no need for technical devices or any sort of means to improve one's ability to meditate. The jhãnas are natural states of absorption, it is simply we have unlearned our natural state of being. Yes, there are challenges, but insight into the true nature increases with absorption. There's no insight without absorption.

At least one hour daily is required to see significant progress. When one gets to the 3rd and 4th jhãna, one can then begin spending time in nature for extended periods of time for vacations or personal retreats.

One has to build merit in order to reap phala (fruits) from this Path. Merit is build through meritorous deeds such as helping other people without expecting anything in return. Giving from the heart, with no attachment. Neutral karma consists of following the Noble Eightfold Path. When one breaks some of the precepts of the path (non-killing, non-lying, etc.) one accrues negative karma.

As one's vibration increases, one's karma is expelled at faster rate. For most people, in the beginning, meditation is a process of unlearning. Unlearning negative habitual thoughtforms, removing astral and etherhic parasites, and the cleasing of the physical body (detoxification) through opening of the qi-channels in the body.

As a male, sexual abstination is of utmost importance, since one will have great difficulty cultivating one's body when one leaks one's pre-natal essense (jing). The conversion from jing to chi can not happen if one constantly leaks. It is not the sexual intercourse in itself that is "bad", it is simply that one is using an incomplete method to reach completion. Completion can only happen by letting go, and realizing one's true nature -- which is done through a process of negation ("I am not my thoughts, my emotions, my feelings, my body, etc." )

YES, there is! I don't see why it SHOULD be hard for us to attain something that we already had. If anything we should make it as easy as possible for everyone. You have some sort of 'no pain no gain' attitude about this that I believe reinforces the reason why SO MANY PEOPLE are not on this path to enlightenment today, what is that reason? It is simply too hard now please give me my TV!

It is equivelant to saying that in order for you to eat you must run this 5 hour gauntlet each day and it has 10 steps to achieve before you can chow down, you can't just pick a fruit or kill an animal you must suffer excessively to attain something that is completely natural to your biological existence. Likewise, before you can go for a 15 minute walk in nature you must complete a 10 hour program that has 10 steps and instructs the methodology of how you will be appreciating this so called nature.

I also do not agree with your theory about sexual abstinence, if anything abstinence forces a male to become less clear headed, more agitated and more despondent about tasks involving patience. Hence when a man ejaculates he feels very calm over the next few days and is able to engage tasks with more relaxation. Also, Chi and 'pre-natal essences' are unproven phenomena where as the goals of meditation have been proven with fmri studies.

What you are correct about though (I believe) is that sex is a form of desire and that is something to be left out as only when you are free from desire that you are liberated from suffering. The problem is that without an advanced meditation practice it is INCREDIBLY DIFFICULT to let go of desires... The teachers are asking the the novices to leave it at the front door when they do not have the required means to do so yet. When you are an experienced meditator is much easier to not cling to desires such as sensory experiences, this is unfair and I think it is the reason why so many western people do not become monks!

So long as we meditate in order to achieve anything, we are Not meditating.

Sherlockian_Holmes and I are in agreement on this point:
Do not grasp after the benefits of meditation, because surely, then they will not come. Simply attend fully on the breath and let everything arise naturally.

Meditation is to nearly all who first discover it some kind of a surefire method heretofore unlearned to achieve awakening, satori, nirvana, buddha-nature, christ consciousness, eternity, Tao... list goes on.
And we usually think that if we can just meditate enough we'll find the secret to life or something.
But so long as we meditate as a means, we are not meditating.
Then, well, why do we meditate at all? - one might ask.
That's the point! - we say.

If you meditate to get somewhere, you become like a
buddha that doesn't know it's buddha-nature using the right means in totally the wrong way.
You are Buddha whether you know it or not,
in the same way that a cloud can never be misshapen,
and therefore you can never actually make a mistake - you can never do the wrong thing -
you don't need to meditate in order to achieve perfection. You're already It.
You are perfection here and now reading this text.
Recognize it at once!

And we will go on mistaking the method of a master for the magic of enlightenment.

I remember, personally, when I first started meditation (Alan W Watts as my virtual teacher).
I really thought I was making progress over a certain period.
Then, one day, this most stupidly obvious realization struck me.
The day I stop trying to meditate,
is the day I begin meditation.

Everything you do is meditation in every imaginable sense.
It's the ol' zen joke of walking through the gate of awakening and turning around to find there never was a gate.
It was you that imagined there was a door in the first place.
And it can also be You that finds out who the builder of that door is.

Now, please don't assume that I'm saying meditation is not a useful tool.
Meditation is a tool, a kind of method of no-method.
I personally call to my aid the vegetal shamanic allies called psilocybin and cannabis as helpful tools.
Be careful not to become dependent on the tools of drugs.
In the same way, do not become dependent on the tool of meditation.

I like what McKenna once said about this:
"It's not the exclusivity of method, but the combination of method."

I encourage you, if you're trying meditation, to find Alan W Watts on youtube, listen to his talks on this subject. Buy his books, especially if you're interested in Zen, Taoism, and Tibetan Buddhism. I am beyond convinced I would not be here saying these things right now if it were not for the incredible wisdom of that man.

Here are books I have read again and again and are the sources of helpful insight to anyone on a spiritual journey to discover the meaning of awakening. I would consider these books a better gift than a billion dollar check and immortality.

[Top three: most essential] (listed generally in terms of importance to me personally)

• The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects by Alexandria David-Neel
(IF I had to save one book in the world from destruction, this would be it.)
• The Way of Zen by Alan W Watts
• Cloud Hidden, Whereabouts Unknown by Alan W Watts
• Tao the Watercourse Way by Alan W Watts
• The Book On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Really Are by Alan W Watts
• Cosmic Consciousness by Richard Bucke
• Zen Flesh, Zen Bones compiled by Paul Reps and Nyogen Senzaki

And if you want another Buddha's perspective, try these:
• True Hallucinations by Terence McKenna
• The Invisible Landscape by Terence McKenna

And yet another Buddha's perspective:
• The Lucid Dreamer by Malcolm Godwin

Read these books, grow mushrooms, smoke cannabis, turn the lights out, sit in silence.
I hope this post has helped someone on their path. I have gathered all the books I mentioned into a public wishlist called 'Awakening' on Amazon, available for your immediate purchase via this link:
http://www.amazon.com/gp...DJU24/ref=topnav_lists_2

Now all you have to do, is order them!

Peace.

Technologically assisted enlightenment is an interesting idea, in a sense we already have it in the form of the internet as we can access so many of the esoteric scriptures and also have the advice of contemporary teachers with a few clicks of a button. Entheogens could also be considered a form of technology that assists the awakening process, they're as close as we'll get as far as i see, although i do think that perhaps machines could assist with the ROA.

I feel that awakening is a natural process like puberty, growing older and disillusioned with things, becoming aware of death... and realizing not only the nature of Awareness, but along the way the relative truths of this world. I personally wouldn’t want to skip or rush any part of these process’ and have a machine bypass it. I wouldn’t take back even the hardest parts of my existential despair in favour of an easy ride to the finish line. 'The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain'- Kahlil Gibran.

I think in these times part of waking up is realizing the spell of mass hypnosis that humanity as a whole is trying to be kept under, and skipping these realizations one could potentially become blissfully ignorant of the world and forget all about having compassion for the millions of beings suffering everyday, dismissing it as a mere illusion. It could be a bit like GMO awakening, inauthentic so could cause more problems than solutions in the long run... If someone truly wants to wake up then maybe they should trying switching off the TV for a while before forcing it upon themselves via other means of technology, as in the end it could be a violation of their current view of reality and be too much too soon. Much like some peoples perspective is so shaken up by a psychedelic that they have trouble integrating it.

In my view it shouldn’t really be made easy or difficult for us, it is as it is, which is beyond the minds judgements whether something is easy or difficult to attain. If it’s really natural to all of us, then ultimately no assistance is necessary... I've found that the right advice or right substance at the right time can help, but beyond that helping hand - You Are That.
You need nothing to be as you are...

All of you share some very insightful knowledge about meditation. I myself am still new to the "rules". I find learning difficult because I cannot remember all the "rules". There are so many of them! I get exhausted with the tedium of rules and that is a kind of patience that will take a long time for me personally to work out. I find it easy to meditate. I find it easy to "space out" and not think of anything really. Images come to mind rather than words when I naturally fall into these states. When I actually do practice meditation, I get vivid colorful pictures. I have PTSD and find it difficult to become "calm" in tough situations as I tend to tremble and tighten up and get the "deer in the headlights" symptom. I become overwhelmed and cannot focus or think. Words or ideas never come to me. I am chained by the traumatically altered instinctive physical reaction to my surroundings in that moment. I find that when I practice meditation (and like everyone seems to be in agreeance on here: Do not grasp after the benefits of meditation, because surely, then they will not come. Simply attend fully on the breath and let everything arise naturally.) and I use cannabis, I do gain something. I don't gain something fast though. It has taken me years to trim down the intensity of my PTSD reactions. All it would take is not knowing how to handle a phone call when someone got upset and I would fall into a downward spiral with my body trembling and people asking me if I was cold and needed a jacket, not knowing at all what was going on with me and my boss yelling at me to stop shaking making the shaking worse. Today, I would say about 5-6 years later, I don't react hardly at all to difficult situations. Today I would say I react to conflicts about 75% less than I did then. I do not practice meditation often. I find myself doing it naturally more often than not. I do not feel as tied down by the rules. I know myself best and I find rules hard to follow because they don't make sense to myself and my path and my personal perspective and understanding of the goals of existence and consciousness.



I agree with you, me and Holmes. I don't know exactly how true it is and I don't remember where to find the article I read as it was a couple years ago but I have read that a man needs to ejaculate at least once a day to ensure a healthy production of semen. Also it can boost immunity and mood. This is not just for men, this part is also for women. On top of all of that it helps keep your drive healthy. I also understand that some men produce more testosterone levels than other men and this can lead to the tension and anger that builds up. Just tonight I was watching my pet rabbit chasing my cat around the house trying to mount her. He did not care at all about the fact that she was clawing him in the face. He was going to get what he needed. The difference between a human and the rabbit in this scenario is that a human knows how to keep the semen from entering the woman's uterus. I like to wonder that if sex is created to reproduce and we are using it for pleasure, then maybe we might be helping the universe relieve some of it's own sexual tension thus pushing along the evolution of reproduction. Right now we need teeth and claws to tame reproduction. But humans learned how to tame reproduction without teeth and claws.



I also agree with this because I also wonder what this does to "train" a part of yourself or even the universe to refrain from the raging testosterone levels. Working at removing an excessive trait and finding a balance within yourself and a right timing for yourself, your soul and your partners soul within courtship. It is not the sexual intercourse in itself that is "bad", it is simply that one is using an incomplete method to reach completion.

So where masturbation is healthy and appropriate for timing, intercourse may not be.

---

I learned a lot from this post about meditation and I found a lot that I already knew, just reiterated in a such a way that I can view the knowledge with a much broader perspective than I had before. I saw places where Zazen was mentioned and this is the first Buddhist practice I ever learned about and it helped me a lot and this is the documentary I learned about it from: The Zen Mind

It is unfortunate that you do not see the fault in what you are saying, sleepermustawaken.

You are quite wrong that there is no such thing as Qi/Chi. But of course you trust modern science (which is playing catch-up with ancient knowledge) to countless of hands-on experiences of samadhi and siddhi-demonstrations. Even the scientific literature, there's lots of stuff about subtle energy; but of course, it's not what people hear about in television or read about on their Facebook pages.

You also have no idea what you are talking about in regards to sexual abstination. If you do not have knowledge about these things, please do not assume that you know what I am talking about. If you have an understanding of jing, chi and shen, then we can talk, but it appears you do not.

For the record, I am not saying that sexual intercourse is bad, not at all, but what I am saying is that if one needs to cultivate meditation and achieve an opening of the energetic channels (these are mentioned in Yogic literature as well, and the whole of TCM is build upon it; you can look up studies on that too), so prana/chi can flow freely in the body.

Especially in these days, one especially needs to cultivate one's sexual energy (jing) which will become converted to chi because we are so removed from nature. When you get further along the road, sexual abstination is not as important, as you will already have achieved a form of emptiness in your meditation; and reached some of the jhãnas that I describe, and thus lessen the leakage of vital energy during sexual intercourse.

When you actually look into the research of OBEs, NDEs, past live recollections and various other occult/mystical phenomena that have actually been studied by science and have been mentioned by people over thousands of years, you can choose to either (A) live in comfortable ignorance and join the church of negating any possible experiences other people have and join the materialistic church, or (B) investigate for yourself, letting go of all preconceived notions you hold of reality, and see how deep the rabbit hole goes.

If you didn't know, materialism is a false claim in itself. See this excellent paper for more information on why various occult phenomena are not accepted as fact, by the scientific establishment: Who is Afraid of Life After Death?

The path of the Mystic is not one easily traveled. That is one of the reasons that you do not see very many people that are willing to sacrifice what they need to sacrifice to achieve enlightenment. If you think you can reach enlightenment sitting on your couch, masturbating daily, and smoking hashish, you're in for a rude awakening. Without living the proper lifestyle (this is called Yama by Yogic, and Right Livelihood by Buddhism), see here, and without proper merit building, you will keep reincarnating again and again until you will finally wake up and start actively pursuing God / The All.


We can maintain a dualistic separation between "concrete" or "non-spiritual" benefits like a sense of calm or increased concentration on the one hand and "openness" or "rapture" (in a sense something like rapt attention) or "unconditional love" on the other, but why?

I guess if you're really hellbent on maintaining a scientific worldview and somehow afraid that that view is so fragile that any information not yet proven within it could threaten it, avoiding entertaining even the possibility of any truths that haven't been proven within that worldview yet could keep you from having to face uncomfortable uncertainties. That would leave you cut off from huge swaths of the benefits of meditation though, and I don't mean in the sense of becoming the whispy-voiced linen clad wannabe seeker caricature that I suspect many people are afraid of - I just mean being able to fully enjoy the fruits and trials of your own life with a light touch.

People today are constantly told that nonphysical things are matters of fantasy and imagination. They believe this lie because, on some conscious or unconscious level, most want it to be true or are afraid of what reality would face them if it were not. They find comfort in the five simple senses and the false peace of the dream around them. They do not want to consider that all the stories are true. That goblins and imps, demons and angels, fae and dwarfs, really lurk in the shadows.

And so, they forget. They sleep, and dream the dream of life, content with the lie they have been told. No matter what demonstrations we share, or miracles we perform, it is all forgettable for those who sleep.

... or just drop all concepts.

+1

Sherlockian_Holmes and others who care to read: (There are some book suggestions in here!)

In a nutshell: I have personally begun practice of brahmacharya and I'm discovering immense applications of the sublimation of sexual energy and all thoughts which constellate around sex into "ojas", or spiritual fuel of some sort.
I've come back here to share my experience so far, and hopefully to help others to see that Sherlockian_Holmes knows what he's talking about, and there may be very great positive consequences for becoming celibate in order to further your progress on the road toward awakening.

After rereading this forum some time after I posted a comment here, I now see in a way I didn't see before the meaning of some of the contents of your post (Sherlockian_Holmes). For example the bit in regard to sexual continence is, I'm finding out, very important! I have read a couple of books by a couple of great masters in India, either themselves gurus or apprenticed to the Himalyan masters, and I am steadily becoming convinced in the reality of energy systems, specifically, the three channels that run along the spine. Call it kundalini or chi - there seem to be different ways of downloading the same phenomenon into the language of a culture. So far as I understand it, this awakening of the "finer" energy cannot happen until there is a process of sublimation of the sex energy into "Rojas", or spiritual fuel. (I'm a novice, bear with me.) And what you say about the leaking jing strikes me with much greater force than when I previously read it (when I was masturbating daily, I should mention). Why?
(And I want to point these things out to help reinforce what Sherlockian_Holmes is saying)
Because I am now on day 10 of abstinence! (big deal for me), and right now I'm so charged with power that to call this program one of "abstinence" is, I am finding, misleading. No, this is finding out you've got an energy system and the most potent source of fuel for that system is sexual energy. Sublimation of not only the physical semen into ojas but also resignation of the mental concepts that constellate around sexual stimulation is the most powerful package of energy impetus I have ever known. I have even noticed (people are not going to believe me, and to them I say, just try it, or better you must simply do it because there isn't a try) this program of semen retention to be, in a certain sense, pyschedelic. I have regularly used psilocybin for a year and half, and since I've quit (quitting all the following three simultaneously):
1) masturbation (hardest)
2) cannabis (hardest)
3) eating compulsively (less hardest!)
and begun the breathing technique outlined by Swami Vivekananda at various parts throughout the day, and generally carry on my day in the spirit of imagining in my meditation the fire of the kundalini rising, I can say with some certainty that the effects I feel, both psychologically and physically, are similar in nature to the effects of psilocybin. Incredible! Is it possible I don't need the psilocybin to see into eternity? My god, it's like the greatest con of history!, to be cheated out of finding out that you yourself within you contain all the power you may wish to cultivate. Absolutely incredible.

I have been meditating for about a year and thought I knew what it was all about, but I had no idea how such a simple change in my behavior (don't masturbate or entertain sexual impulses or thoughts - simply acknowledging their existence and letting them dissipate, mentally drawing up toward the crown those energies as described by Vivekananda) would alter my meditations. There is a peace and serenity that is easier to reach now. My complexion is different. I looked into the mirror this morning and for a moment didn't recognize myself. I have more ability to focus on whatever I wish to do. My voice (I like to repeat mantras in meditation sometimes) is, for lack of a sufficent description, better.
I should also mention that when I was reading these books two weeks ago, and started brahmacharya, that I failed twice before I made it successfully to today (Day 10). The first time I made it 4 days. The second time I made it 3 days (nocturnal emission). But, I decided there is nothing I want more than this. And so, I am at day 10. Let me repeat I have never in my life made it to day 10. I say this only to encourage all those out there looking for testimonies to fuel their determination to try this out for themselves. You can do it - but there is no doing it halfway. And remember it's a very convenient position to take the side of those who want to say celibacy isn't necessary for advancing on the path of meditation when you have been masturbating daily for the last 10-15 years. For some, this number may be upward 30 or 40 years. Accepting celibacy as a probable course of action for the attainment of "being able to fully enjoy the fruits and trials of your own life with a light touch," is a must for any honest spiritually-seeking person. At least, this is what I am coming to see.

Personally, something in me used to prefer not to believe it, not because it didn't make sense (which intuitively I now feel it does), but because of the realization that I'd have to give up all my attachment to masturbation and subway and netflix and so on every day. I excused these things in the spirit of thinking I wasn't actually addicted to these things, that I was enlightened already, and I could actually quit whenever I wanted to. But! Something inside knew that this was a lie, that if I really was beyond attachment, then why did I worry so much all the time in my gut about whether or not I was actually attached? Then the words struck me: "When you're free to feel stuck or unstuck, that's when you're unstuck". And if I'm honest with myself, I don't feel free at all. If i were free matter of factly, I wouldn't be worrying about being imprisoned in attachment, would I?
Then, I came across a book called "Apprenticed to a Himalayan Master (A Yogi's Autobiography):
http://www.amazon.com/gp...oh_aui_d_detailpage_o02_

I became so engrossed in the content of this book and its implications (what would it mean if it were true!? I thought) that I read it all in two days. Then, from there, being so absorbed into the "could-it-really-be-true?!" spirit of reckoning, another book found itself before my inspection: called Raja Yoga by Swami Vivekananda.
http://www.amazon.com/gp...oh_aui_d_detailpage_o05_

This one I enjoyed immensely - he has a power of communication through his writing unparalleled to any other wise author I have read, even Alan W. Watts. He lucidly clarified an incredible number of questions I had in my mind, and because of the feeling that I was reading not merely a genius, but a fantastic spiritual giant, I have basically accepted these things such as "chi" or "kundalini" (whatever) as genuine and true, even if different cultures are using different words to encapsulate the truth. I am just seeing the same idea everywhere. It is in the nature of truth to be described in an infinite number of ways, all valid. All points on the surface of a sphere lead back to the center.

Reading that book I learned how to do certain breathing techniques, and doing them in combination with (for the first time in my life!) a program of brahmacharya (abstinence in thought and deed from sexual impulses and release) I am discovering how wrong I was about a great many previously long-held ideas about what meditation really is.
As I reread my previous post in this very forum, it was as if I were reading an ignorant version of myself.
Quite humbling.

In conclusion, thank you Shelockian_Holmes for that wisdom, and to everyone else, I simply express my delight in saying this stuff is real! The only way to find out is to, well, find out for yourself! I really believe sexual continence is essential for anyone coming to terms with what it means to have control over the senses, over the mind. Without abstinence, (I'm speaking personally), the energy I have now (being abstinent) simply isn't there in my meditation and throughout the day.
Also, if anyone has any further insight to share about abstinence and how it magnifies the depth of meditation, or can point to another book or person that you think might be helpful for all here interested, I will deeply appreciate it. Or, if you want to say I'm totally full of bologna, that's cool too.

Peace

As one of my teachers used to say, Brahmacharya (in the sense of sexual abstinence) is a happening. It is not possible to force it. It is the consequence rather than the cause.

Real Brahmacharya is keeping the mind fixed on Brahman - the rest proceeds from there.

Right? I'm coming to recognize the same thing!

Sexual energy and chi:



Masturbation & Sex - The Middle Way: