Hello, Someone sent in Kundalini questions which were answered in 2 seperate posts by both Swami G and Swami Siddhananda ( next in line). Before that, my comments on a partial post:
Snip: Correct the experience of the Self as God merges into the infinite beyond and the devotee realizes himself as one with the Father or Brahman...and all that entails. TANMAY: CHRIST SAID I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE- HE DIDN'T SAY I AM ONE WITH THE FATHER AS THIS IMPLIES DUALITY. Correct..though still bliss, there is still separateness, duality on the level of perception, since it's 'only' the individual that is enlightened his status in not that of the all-pervading immanent God IN creation, and he has yet to achieve oneness or Unity with Brahman. TANMAY:MY GURU WOULD SAY IF THERE IS SEPERATENESS, DUALITY, THIS IS NOT ENLIGHTENMENT. ONE WITH THE FATHER IS REPLACED WITH "ONE" OR "ATMAN" ALONE. MY GURU USES THE TERM "IS". THE REASON MY GURU USES THIS TERM IS THAT IN USING "SELF" OR "ATMAN", THE SADAKA MAY ASSOCIATE PERSONA WITH THAT, SO THERE ONLY "IS", THEN LIFE FLOWS. I GUESS THERE MAY BE MANY DEFINITIONS THAT GURUS USE FOR ENLIGHTENMENT, MY GURU WOULD SAY EITHER ENLIGHTENED OR NOT, JUST LIKE EITHER PREGNANT OR NOT. AND NOW THE POSTS ABOUT KUNDALINI: --- In [EMAIL PROTECTED], "Jan Esmann" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Namaste swamiji Namaste and Great Day * I am reading your kundalini book and on p.71 you reply that without Self-enquiry, you "would surely still be within the throes of the kundalini experience... for all experiences within kundalini stem from the mind and consciousness to bring you to the point of seeing the illusion of ego self and Maya..." G i did say that, but you have drawn wrong conclussions from that statement. 1. Do you mean that kundalini can only take you to the border, and not take you to final realization? G like i have said over and over again - and will continue to say and that is Kundalini is a process. It is an aide. 2. Do you mean that kundalini can only give you more and more subte experiences, with no more value, as far as final realization goes, than any other experience? G again it is an aide - it brings experiences in which you will find out you are not the body - and that the mind creates more of whatever it's attention is towards. * (which is none). G it is an aide to move one forward. i don't care what experiences come along the way in the end they are not the point. Just as any thought along the way in the end has no substance - so your correlation as a way to dismiss Kundalini isn't valid. As you may equally in this dismiss ANY path or thoughts as none of them are the end but only bridges and aides to pull one in a direction to at last question deeply what one is and is not. * You seem to imply in the text that follows the above quote, that kundalini experiences are in fact just an even more subte and stronger trap than regular experiences, since they may be of siddhi type. G no you are reading into it - if that was what i wanted to say it would have been said point blank. i don't make implications. Kundalini is a Valid Path BUT and this is the same but that has been stated by Guru's and Sages throughout history in order to navigate this path successfully one MUST have a Guru / Guide / Mentor in place - otherwise one may simply wind up entering into greater deception or psychosis or death. There is a reason for these statements. You have to realize for Most of my journey i did not have a Guru in place that was directing things - it would have been much smoother if i had. As a Teacher i had to learn the HARD way - and was fortunate that the universe provided pointers along the most crucial times. > 3. Yet, you are a kundalini shatipat guru. G yes i am - and will remain so - When awakening others their journey's have been much easier than mine was. Why is this ? because i am there to give them Practices and continued Guidance every step along the way. i watch to see what is coming up and when they begin to veer off into what is a blind alley i continue to bring them back to center. AS you can see that the *me* identifications for those are dropping and dissolving as they progress. This is due to the methodology that is being used which comes out of having spent many many years of introspection and traversing so many methologies and finding out what is the quickest and the way of least resistence. > > 4. Will merging with "Shakti=love=bliss=being" not cross/dissolve the border? The bliss i am talking about is not localized or attached to anything, it just is and it is pure being. I am not talking about a kundalini "high". G there is no such thing as a kundalini *high* --- where are you getting such a nonsensical idea from ? As far as that question NO - WHY ? i was in this Love/Bliss being for quite sometime - and this Shakti when Fully Awakened is Kundalini. This Love/Bliss still has an identification at it's center. It is subtle but it is there. If you enjoy it fine stay there. --- go enjoy life. But it will eat as you because it is not the endpoint. > 5. Is kundalini not a pure manifestation of Shakti when it reaches sahasrara, and just beyond that Shakti==Shiva? So merging with Shakti at that point will become merging with Shiva as the kundalini manifestation is transcended into pure Shakti==Shiva? G First the identification with ego self must be imploded - shattered - or dissolved. Kundalini may aid in this dismantling IF it is traveresed in a correct manner. In other paths and ways again yes one may do Self Equiry but Unless one is very very ripe it will be nothing more than an excersize of more identifications. So many have tried that and their identifications are so strong that it doesn't have enough pull to bring them through. Kundalini breaks down the barriers first so that one may eventually be propelled into Self Equiry with the right guidance. As you see here most are going through a natural and steady self dissolving. In my case it was a sudden jolt and falling away due to having broken through the identifications by a very deep Self Equiry. What i give to the Sadhaka's is a much easier path and way than i walked. ---- they are being given the essense the most distilled and potent aides possible. > 6. I mean, is it not inherrent in surrendering to Shakti, once kundalini has reached sahasrara, that all, which is a manifestation of kundalini, will deconstruct itself into Shiva? G this is the path of Surrender yes - and all must face the death before death in some manner. You are looking for some loop hole and talking about it as you are attempting to do from an intellectual viewpoint cannot bear any relationship to what the experience is. There fore i don't discuss it in intellectual terms. As it has nothing to do with a catagorizable experience or happening. The *me* dissintegrates - dissolves - or implodes and then Absolute is KNOWN. * I have followed your advice of doing Self-enquiry... > Enquiring into the source of nothingness-bliss is weird. Like a tautology. Like questioning what the source of source is and insisting on finding it. Like looking at your own face and keep asking it, what you look like. G i didn't give you a practice of self enquiry. -- what you are doing is not self equiry. Self Enquiry is a dismantling process starting with body identification and questioning till it breaks - then mind and emotion to watch - witness and question and dimantle until they break. * Bliss is the source of bliss and nothingness-being is primordial and is bliss and all is Self. G this is what is stated from one that is in the pinical of dualistic samadhi - it is still a step away from Absolute and a remaining Nirvikalpa Sahaja Samadhi. There is nothing wrong with it - it is a very high state - and the one which most aspire to. See this is the problem with depending on a book rather than having the living Guru available - as one reads it from the point of their understanding - and looks for loopholes - and thinks they are getting what is being said when in fact part of it is being very mis-interpreted through ones logical mind. > > Love > Jan Love & Light 0 SWAMI SIDDHANANDA ANSWERS THE SAME POST: > > Namaste swamiji Namaste and Om (Siddhananda is replying to your inquiry) > >* I am reading your kundalini book and on p.71 you reply that without Self-enquiry, you "would surely still be within the throes of the kundalini experience... for all experiences within kundalini stem from the mind and consciousness to bring you to the point of seeing the illusion of ego self and Maya..." S Okay. > >* 1. Do you mean that kundalini can only take you to the border, and not take you to final realization? S This is not what is being said - when all blows out kundalini phenomena settles down (kriyas, intermittent waves of ecstasy, seeing lights, auras etc...)-these symptoms occur when mind is in place - the divine mother washing the holdings away. There is a gap that the mind cannot cross - this is the border - and then the void, samadhi or nirvkalpa in which there is no identity to form or mind - no kundalini either - just a deep, rich absorption. > >* 2. Do you mean that kundalini can only give you more and more subte experiences, with no more value, as far as final realization goes, than any other experience? (which is none). You seem to imply in the text that follows the above quote, that kundaliniexperiences are in fact just an even more subte and stronger trap than regular experiences, since they may be of siddhi type. S This is not what is being said - kundalini will bring deeper experiences and with proper guidance, devotion and surrender will indeed bring one to enlightenment and blow out all relative knowledge very quickly where if this divine energy were not aroused, there would be no chance at enlightenment - no matter how much one struggled, all would remain in the realm of the mundane. This is where Guru comes in to help arouse the spiritual energy that brings under the right conditions an expanded view. > > *3. Yet, you are a kundalini shatipat guru. S Yes, she is. This is true. > >* 4. Will merging with "Shakti=love=bliss=being" not cross/dissolve the border? The bliss i am talking about is not localized or attached to anything, it just is and it is pure being. I am not talking about a kundalini "high". S Surrender will take you there - a helplessnes, a giving over...completely letting go in trust. Kundalini will move in whatever direction mind appears - it is neutral, with surrender..the energy will dissolve and bring to light the selfish holdings that sit in the shadows of ignorance. We are not always aware or totally conscious of what lays repressed..kundalini uncovers this, so that all can be potentially washed clean. > >* 5. Is kundalini not a pure manifestation of Shakti when it reaches sahasrara, and just beyond that Shakti==Shiva? So merging with Shakti at that point will become merging with Shiva as the kundalinimanifestation is transcended into pure Shakti==Shiva? S Kundalini is ALWAYS pure, ALWAYS totally and completely awake - it is mind that keeps one from seeing it truly and when mind dissolves, the union of lovers (Shiv-Shakti) is beheld and embodied - pure consciousness - still movement - > >* 6. I mean, is it not inherrent in surrendering to Shakti, once kundalini has reached sahasrara, that all, which is a manifestation of kundalini, will deconstruct itself into Shiva? S It sounds like, there is a lot of theory being spoken, rather than pure experience....one can continue to explain, but until the experience is had, it does no good. When I first met Swamiji, I remember struggling with this stuff when I read it and now it makes no difference - it gets one nowhere to struggle in this manner. > >* I have followed your advice of doing Self-enquiry... > Enquiring into the source of nothingness-bliss is weird. Like a tautology. Like questioning what the source of source is and insisting on finding it. Like looking at your own face and keep asking it, what you look like. S Self-enquiry will eventually jolt the mind, shock it into seeing what rests for a time out of awareness - emptiness or the no-self state is revealed through self-enquiry - it is a very valid, spontaneous challenge posed to the mind - very effective, but cannot be forced. > >* Bliss is the source of bliss and nothingness-being is primordial and is bliss and all is Self. S Well if this is where you are and content to be here, then remain so. Your questions sound as if you are confused, not totally certain, still seeking....so would suggest you continue forward, letting go of the struggle to get it intellectually - trust that guidance is needed and follow completely the one you trust. There is no other way - one cannot go it alone. It sounds like you are worried that you might lose this bliss or that you will lose 'something' you think you have found and treasure - this may need to be looked at. Nothing is lost, so lay it all down - this is the true heart of a renunciate. > > Love > Jan Om, Siddhananda >
