Hello Baby Duck:

I've found that it isn't necessary to use a means of meditation that causes your thoughts to come to a halt. There are lots of beings of love and light who know all about their divinity without having to bring their minds to a halt.

Thoughts are a part of our divinity too. They are what allow us to create and enjoy the marvelous creative power of God's being. Once you find out that they don't actually represent an obstacle, you'll be less inclined to let them bother you. Experiencing more of who you are is more a matter of getting rid of limiting thought patterns and old emotional hurts that limit you, than forcing your thought processes to come to a stop. If you want to find out what your limiting thought patterns and emotional hurts are, make a list of the things that have troubled you throughout your life, and try to find some closure on them. Pay attention to yourself during your daily life and see what makes you tick. Also pay attention to your dreams because your higher self will use them to provide you with clues.

When it comes to meditation, a good approach is to figure out what you want to accomplish during a particular session, and focus your attention on that subject matter. Our minds tend to naturally concentrate on what we're interested in. Perhaps you'll want to take a look at a particular issue that seems to be holding you back in life. Perhaps you'll want to figure out how something works. Perhaps you'll want to get more in touch with love or peace. Perhaps you'll want to focus on your beingness. Perhaps you can ask your higher self a question and see if it provides you with an answer by showing you symbolic visual images.  Sometimes answers come, sometimes they don't.

Kriya Yoga might cause you to have a kundalini awakening in a forced way. An awakened kundalini can be quite challenging at times. Once it's awakened you have no choice but to deal with it. It is much better to work with your energy flow by clearing up the emotional issues and limiting though patterns/beliefs that limit your energetic flow. If you have any physical problems there is a good chance that some of them will go away. Also pray to God and/or ask your higher self for help, because they'll help you much more with your energy work than an energy raising technique.

I believe it is best to not rush the process with an energetic manipulation technique. It is much better to have patience and take the type of approach I suggest.

Baby Duck:

Dave speaks of Eastern traditions. I was involved with such practices for a number of years. I found that most of the gurus I knew about weren't what they claimed to be, and that they didn't represent the entire truth.

The guru system is usually based on putting all of your trust on the guru. I knew people who relied on them so much, they lost their ability to think for themselves. They basically lost their self will.

I've found that things are quite different when you make contact with your higher self. Your higher self will try to show you that you aren't seperate from it and get you to the point where you can rely on yourself. Many times I have asked a question and didn't receive an answer. Why? Because my higher self was trying to tell me that I already knew the answer or could find the answer by myself.

When I speak of higher self I mean in a disc way as Bruce Moen speaks. Gurus never speak of higher selves in such a way. Mostly because they don't know about them. Also, because they want their followers to be dependent upon them.

Nisargadata Maharaj was one of the most famous gurus of the 19th century. I used to read him quite a bit. He states that the I am idea and therefore the illusion of individual existence starts when consciousness gets involved with a body. When a person's body dies, his or her consciouness merges back with pure consciousness. I know for a fact that this isn't true. When a person dies his or her soul goes back to the spirit World and he or she finds that there is much more to existence than the physical World and pure consciousness. The creative aspect of existence and love are just as much a part of God, as pure consciousness is. The World is not just some big illusory cosmic mistake as many gurus suggest.

Forget about the gurus. Rely on your higher self. It will look out for you much better than a guru will.

The Upanishads? It has been a while since I've read them. There are a number of them and they aren't exactly all the same. I'd say that they represent the truth to varying degrees.

Yes Dave, I did get to that stage. But I'm not complaining, it is all a part of what my life is about. Plus, being able to tune into the consciousness aspect of my being has helped me deal with some negative energy I've had to experience.

But not everybody has to learn the hard way like you, I and many other people have.  If I see there is a possibility that somebody might make the same mistake, I like to suggest another possibility.



[quote author=dave_a_mbs link=1160032490/0#4 date=1160162924]Recoverer-
You got to the "screw the gurus" stage too? Hah! ROTFLMAO! One of India's finest exports is gurus. Personally, a Lucknow kurta might be a better investment.

Hi Baby Duck-
The major problems about any kind of transcendental experience, including kriya and other yoga types begin with disorientation. If you don't know who you are, and can't "reset your system" after going into spiritual hy[perspece, you are a candidate for a brief psychotic episode - and if you're a schizotypal personality, it may last for quite a while. The cure is to make certain that you do yoga to join with God as a part of God, so that whatever happens can be accepted as a gift from God.

Another problem is the abrupt awareness of all our sins of omission and comission. Here you are, bare to the core of your soul, facing God in some manner, and the idea of getting angry at someone, or cheating the government out of a dollar on taxes, jaywalking against a red light and all manner of trivial stuff gets called up against you. "Please God, don't exterminate me ..." is the usual response, and we feel like we've been devoured and pooped out again as waste. This can lead to major periods of depression. The cure is to rely on such awareness as a new and highly useful sensitivity through which you can avoid errors in the future. (Its value is like a good clinical thermometer.)

The biggest danger is getting sidetracked into looking for the bells, whistles and colorful displays of psychic phenomena, as well as the bliss that accompanies them, which leads back into the everyday world.  Some people spend lifetimes trying to attain a blissful experience that they recall from before. The cure is to accept the payoff as a gift, but to work for unity with God in all confidence that when youget there, it will be fun.

Then there's the "fear of death" part. If you do certain exercises, such as holding your breath until you pass out (your internal systems normally reset your breathing, although not always - and I can tell you from experience that this is a very uncomfortable process to "force") you have to be willing to trust that God will care for you and bring you to whatever experience and outcome you require. If you panic halfway through, it can be terrifying. The cure is wait until it happens spontaneously.

Another trap is development of siddhis - psychic powers. I use Juditha as an example because most of us are aware of her recent history. It was possible for her to go into the ego trip of "I'm wonderful" and to work toward more powers, neglecting her basic value to others. She is an excellent example, because she has stayed on task to be useful, and that will pay off. Those who go after more powers tend to get into "black magic", which is a good way to create karma for a few more lifetimes. If you simply plod on, doing good works, you'll prosper. Look at Bruce's influence through his willingness to share his understanding and to allow others to participate in the same kind of growth.

Then there's the "I think my body is breaking down" trip, in which we sense heartbeat and inner pulsations of pranic flows and go into panic mode. Thisis especially from "forcing" matters, as opposed to simply meditating and growing. The cure is to take it easy and to allow everything to occur naturally.

Finally (but by no means last in terms of possibilities) there's the "Jesus Trip", which can also be played out with any other major figure. "I am Jesus so I must save the world." and then after a few months of meddling where we are not wanted we get the second part, "Why do they all want to crucify me?" The cure is to just be yourself. Jesus is available in person, and if needed will arrive. Otherwise, just do your thing and love and respect others.

In general, kriya is one of the safest paths. However, if you simply dedicate your life to becoming one with God, no matter how it might happen, you'll arrive anyway. Yoga simply is a bit faster, and with a good teacher there is no danger. All the hazards arise from lack of preparedness for the experiences we unleash. This is precisely why LSD both enlightened a lot of people, and also drove a lot of them bonkers. As a last resort, no matter what happens on the roller coaster of life, dedicate it to God, own it for yourself, continue to love, and be aware that in the end even the craziest and most unpleasant experiences will benefit you spiritually. Then go on and see what happens next.

Now - having said all that, I feel obligated to add this: If you learn to do soul retrievals from Bruce's materials, and practice doing them, you'll get the same benefits as doing other types of yoga. The hazards are the same, but much more obvious in this context. And it's fun!http://www.afterlife-knowledge.com/yabbfiles/Templates/Forum/default/grin.gif

enjoy!
dave