dwai

Ah i see! I would recommend you delve into theory of seed sounds if you want to investigae into the mantras. Why? Because as you rightly recognized every sound has an ewnergetic signature. In sanskrit language the 50 syllables have very specific ewnergetic values and affect specific parts of the human complex. There are different types of mantras....seedless, with-seed. Of the seed mantras used in tantra and specificw vedic applicatons the majority affect chakras directly. Of the othrr types of mantras there are spcific metres ( rythms) called chchandas which are needed to learn proper expression an practice. For eg, the gayatri mantra (perhaps the most popular mantra among hindus) is in the gayatri metre. There are other metres and these define the pronunciation of the sounds, where to extend a syllable, when to stop abruptly etc... If a mantra is not practiced along the rules that make it active, it becomes ineffective. So yes, mantras will have a diret energetic impact on the practitioner, provided they practice correctly... In the same line, if someond decides to use their own words as mantra, say "oh mommy take me home" instead of "om mani padme hum" the odds of their practice bearing fruit are as likely as of pigs growing wings and flying

But you have to strip away the name and form to get to it. That's why i disagree that the Complete Truth is the name and form.

name and Form is not the Complete Truth. Name and Form restricts it. The Tao that can be named is not the Real Tao... What I meant by "exclusivity" being more important is an aberration of what should be, where rigid categorical frameworks lead to need for exclusivity. so you did understand it quite well.

Any framework can only describe a part of the truth....because the complete truth is beyond name and form The dharmic traditions understand it better than others....but it seems like many prctitioners of these traditions are caught in their inherited biases and use these lenses (rigid categorical frameworks) to describe their experience of the truth! Thats why the tathagata's exclusivity becomes more important than the tathagata's teachings...you get what i'm trying communicate?

Since there is no other there need not be any ground....there is only that one! Everything is that...the apparent differences are relative only....

Yu shld be aware tht when you make posts on a public domain forum, you are bound to have people disagree with you....especially when you make absolute statements. We should try and remember that the truth is nt the personal fief of any one tradition...no matter how hard any religion tries to shout its proclamation f exclusivity

Indeed...Jiva is Siva, in the relative, dualistic world. There are different schools of "Hindu" thought...some dualistic, some non-dualistic, some qualified non-dualism. In the end, the experience is what matters...

The concept of Non-Self is highly misunderstood, even by so-called Buddhists. That which is called the "True Self" by Hindus is not the same as the Non-Self of the Buddhists. Infact, the Non-Self of Buddhism is called the "Jiva" by the Hindus. The Hindu True Self is transcendence of Duality...the Non-Self (relative Self) is a dualistic identity. Round {N} can now start...

actually that depends on which darshana (or traditional school of thought) you are viewing it from. In a dualistic form of Sankhya, Shakti (Kundalini) is the creative energy but not intelligent. The intelligence is consciousness (so Shakti and Shiva, Prakriti and Purusha). In non-dualistic traditions like Advaita Vedanta, there is no difference between shakti and consciousness (I guess for sake of simplicity we could call that intelligence) since there is none other than that one (Tad Ekam).

kundalini can be experienced as the most painful, harrowing flow of energy or a gentle, soothing breeze. It depends on the subject and the "condition" of his/her nadis. If one has purified the nadis sufficiently and cleared up blockages, the flow is soft and easy. If one is forcing the energy to rise it is going to be an intense feeling. There is no single "right" way. Many don't even realize the energy has risen till it rises to a region where there are more blockages. Sometimes the signs of kundalini activity is simply a throbbing/vibration in the chakra where it is passing through. After it has passed through the region it has just crossed will feel cold.

IF you want to quit sugar you have to quit all forms of sugar first. No fruits, no vegetables with sugar in therm Eg carrots, tomatoes... Also you need to get off carbs during at peqriod. Usually two weeks work just fine when you are on a no car no sugar mode

Cultivate dreaming... I mean lucid dreaming. As your lucid dreaming gets better your pre-cognitive and other psychic abilities will open up. Even as part of "normal" meditation or qi cultivation, we get to a stage where we simply "know" things...bypassing the intellectual faculties...

http://www.medhajournal.com/vedanta-jyoti----the-light-on-vedanta/1057-bhagavad-gita-chapter-1-part-2-yoga-of-the-despondency-of-arjuna.html

Another good beginner's source is Eknath Easwaran's commentary on the BG. Eknath Easwaran's commentary

Please Jump Softly?

beautifully said. May I add that Knowledge is acquired by study, wisdom is developed from experience. One could be "not knowledgeable" and still be wise. Also, one could be extremely knowledgeable but very unwise.

ACtually there IS No origination in Advaita Vedanta view. Because there is only That One, there is none other than that. And since That One is eternal, there is no origination. What we consider origination in the relative realm (samvritti or vyavaharika) is a result of superimposition of catergorical frameworks on That One (Consciousness). Hmm...seems a lot like dependent origination to me (object and subject dependently co-arise)... So, in Advaita Vedantic view, DO is a lower-level process, one that gives rise to phenomena. Understanding of DO leads one to that which doesn't change, doesn't arise. You just don't get it!

pishtosh! that's hiding behind words. Non-Dual means one without an other -- no duality...no subject/object, no yin-yang, no black-white, no up-down...get it? That means there it is a singularity...there can't be infinite non-dual things...there can only be one! The purpose of Buddhism is to break the cycle of rebirth and karma. In the way one also gets to realize oneness. It is realizing endless compassion arising from the realization there really is no OTHER...

Internet communities work in mysterious ways... IMHO, it's not a bad thing to have members so passionate about a website/forum that they expend so much energy and time towards it (even something that seems superfluous). From a businessman perspective, I'd love to have such an active and passionate community. But I think it speaks volumes towards how "special" TTB truly is. It takes a unique mixture of right people and right energy for something to click the way this has (especially on such a niche theme as TTB is). If someone were to ask me why I used to frequent TTB, well...so frequently, it was because there was practically no moderation to speak of and from what i saw, there was no need for moderation...but then the e-Sangha crowd invaded... I still think that the degree of moderation here is minimal to negligible (which means in my mind, they are doing a great job). We shoudn't forget that TTB is a web service that has to abide by certain rules (I have rules on my website...we call it the terms of usage) and anyone who has issues with them (rules) should exercise free will and move elsewhere (or abstain from doing things that violate those rules).

There are two problems there in. 1) How can an infinite number of eternal streams of experiences be non-dual? Non-Dual means One without an other...Only That (Tad Ekam) 2) How does the Non-Self spontaneously arising stream of experiences maintain his identity as Hari (however empty that might be?)

Hi I'm here to exchange views with other people on a spiritual path. Sometimes I like to debate...sometimes I'm forced to debate. Some other times I like to stay away... Peace

Who's asking?