Richard, > Maybe so, but the Rig Veda Manadala IX and X says nothing > about a psychedelic substance secreted in the gut. In fact, > the Rig Veda describes Soma as a decoction prepared from > plants and a fungus. However, it has been established by > Robert Keith Wallace at MUM that the primary ingredient > produced by TM practice is Seratonin, which is secreted > in the brain, not in the gut. Are you thinking that > you're producing Soma in your gut AND Seratonin in your > brain?
I'm not saying it. MMY said it. You should read Paul Mason's book about MMY. He details the discussion about Soma and the gods. Also, I have that book by Keith Wallace. I believe he mentions in the book that he is researching areas that MMY had suggested. That includes the location of soma in the stomach, and the efficacy of the Jaimini Sutras for developing higher levels of consciousness. So far, I have not heard of the results of these researches. > > No, I'd say that the traditional mystics in India have > no idea what Soma mentioned in the Rig Veda was. > Obviously, Soma is the magic mushroom of immortality, > a fungus that grows all over the Caucasus mountains of > Central Asia. This lore was forgotten due to the long > lapse of time after the Aryan Sansrit speakers migrated > into South Asia around 1500 B.C. > > Source: > > 'Food of the Gods: The Search for the Original Tree of Knowledge' > A Radical History of Plants, Drugs, and Human Evolution > by Terence McKenna > Bantam, 1993 Although I have not read the book above, I'm well aware of the other ideas about soma. Nonetheless, MMY and the tradition that he comes from apparently are taking another view. >From my own readings of Shrimad Bhagavatam, it is possible to interpret many of the mythical stories as allegories to the importance of developing one's consciousness. Specifically, the story, about the churning of the ocean of milk by the demigods and demons to produce amrita, is an allegory about the process of meditation where the individual transcends the gunas in order to reach the Self or Bliss, which is amrita. There are many other stories like this which play out fascinating tales, but are really vehicles of embedded messages from the rishis. These stories are products of an apparent technique from an oral tradition to easily pass on complicated messages for future generations. Why do you suppose many of the demigods are described to have four heads and four arms? >
