Gerard

OK. Here is a practical view of Enlightenment: http://www.om-guru.com/html/saints/wolff.html I had another link as well which I picked up from E-shanga, but I lost it. It was about a female (American) who also achieved that state but passed away few months after that. I am talking about the mid-90s I think. It took her 9 years of daily meditation (and right karma, of course).

I say: karma. But maybe it's not really like that. Where does evil come from then? And why there is so much of it in this astral plane. I suffer a lot. Regards.

Empty your mind and fill your spirit while your body is still alive. I just made it up, lol!

By seeking power you are going backwards instead. You are renforcing your ego which is the last thing you want to do if you are planning to go forward. Siddhis only deviates the spiritual practitioner from the final goal. Be careful.

There is an interesting even being unfolded near Kathmandu, Nepal. It is the story of a young Buddhist monk who has been engaged in deep meditation for almost over 6 months. He has committed himself to this practice for a total of 6 years. He is asking everyone to leave him alone. He is not seeking publicity or commercial profit. Some say he might be Maitreya, the next Buddha. Anyway, you can read a more detailed info in Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Bomjon Regards.

You need have something more than mere training to endure extensive meditative practice. From the same source: For example, George Saunders visited Bomjon and observed him for a single night, but was impressed by Bomjon's perfectly still stature even as the humidity brought sleepiness and mosquitoes. Anyway this whole publicity thing is not a good sign.

As a Buddhist I can assure you that the Tibetan tradition places the utmost importance to mandalas. They are simply sacred geometric figures that represent the universe. When completed, a mandala becomes a sacred area that serves as a receptacle for deities and a collection point of universal forces. By mentally entering a mandala and proceeding to its center, a person is symbolically guided through the cosmos to the essence of reality. By constructing a mandala, a monk ritually participates in the Buddha's teachings You might be interested in acquiring this book: Meditating with Mandalas (David Young) http://www.electronichealing.co.uk/products/mandala_book.htm You might be also interested in the Kalachakra Mandala: http://kalachakranet.org/mandala_kalachakra.html Mandalas are a product of meditation. I used to have visions of a specific green mandala in the past after a period of meditative practice. Indeed the mandala I saw in my upper chakra was related to this Samsaric realm.

One of the hardest tasks of every single spiritual practitioner is the ability to cut through reality and understand that, on the one hand, there is no such thing as I, me, us and them; and on the other, reality as such is defined by the thinking mind. Once we grasp this and work towards emptiness we are in the right path to truly achieve Buddhahood. The spiritual path is a double-edged sword since leaning on the wrong side can easily make you believe that there is a defined you, and as a result you are most likely to fail. We have seen this happening too many times. This page makes a very good reading and help you to understand that conquering the ego is one of the biggest obstacles on the spiritual path: http://www.bodhicitta.net/Chod.htm Regards.

Mantak Chia follows the fire path. If you are like me, a fire horse, stay away from it. For me water methods and Buddhist Vipassana allow me to play within the safety zone.

You are very lucky indeed. I am not safe from them yet. Perhaps one day. My mind is good but needs a bit of refinement. Step by step we all will get there. One lifetime along the path

Watch this and stop believing in conspiracy theories, Reptilians and other popcorn sci-fi BS, LOL: http://www.thecorporation.com/ Greed, ignorance and delusion. KARMA

Hey, you guys in NA have some places that are truly breathtaking as well. Tetons, Yosemite Valley, Arizona, Utah. Nothing to envy the Chinese sacred mountains. Start cultivating in those areas so that you can build up a lot of spiritual chi I wish I had stuff down here in flat Down Under.

No, but I am waiting for this to happen for making that comment: LOL!

LOL! What would happen if you see yourself on a billboard and a screen every minute of the day? Agree with the last statement.

To cut it off while living in society is impossible. Just regulate sex and follow Taoist recommendations for those living in society. You can download Mantak Chia's Taoist Secrets of Love from here. Other stuff you need to bear in mind: 1. Diet: consume more Yin than Yang foods especially during Yang months. Stop eating meat. Fish is OK. 2. Sleep: go to bed before Yang starts rising at night, which is at 11pm. 3. Make sure your leg meridians are open to allow chi flow to the ground and stagnation in the genital area which will rise your sexual instinct. Mabu stance is an awesome exercise to perform and will open them. All the best.

Holding a beer and a cigarette???? This must be a joke, right? What's the purpose of that video anyway. Don't see the point of it. Please let's keep this forum free of ego-related affairs. Thanks.

What is this pop-corn Taoism for the rich and famous? Sorry but it doesn't work that way. First thing celebrities need to work on is in their big egos before attempting any spiritual practices. I don't know why Mr. Lin is trying to promote himself in that way/

Yes I agree, CIA and other Secret Services have shown keen interest in this area. In fact, John Chang [Magus of Java] was contacted by the CIA as a result of the famous Ring of Fire video. He refused to participate in that program. Now, what is the real truth of their remote viewing program and if really exists as such? Who knows, maybe just another conspiracy theory. But out of curiosity you can take a look at this: http://www.jonronson.com/goats_04.html http://www.starstreamresearch.com/bremseth_paper.htm

Can't give you my opinion in the last part of your message. Regarding the first part: avoid accumulating chi in the head. Store it below the navel also called Xia Tantien or Hara. Chi needs to be moved around and too much of it in the upper centres leads to mental disaster. We already think too much on our technlogical society. Ground yourself well and keep chi where I just said. I would stay away from Kundalini; however and spontaneous kundalini raises are normal if the spiritual practice is done correctly but don't pay too much attention to them either. They lead to nowhere. GoodL.

Free e-books. No cost and very valuable: http://www.buddhanet.net/ebooks_m.htm And Vipassana technique: http://www.buddhanet.net/insight.htm Heaps of resources in there. But before you start with them take a look at Kayanupassana - Contemplation of the body. Here'a link you can download: http://www.mediafire.com/?5idnzhigugk

A guy I know is trying to fix his room. I am trying to give him some tips but I am no FS expert. Does anyone know of a free online resource? Thanks.

I edited my post. Thanks.

LOL! You are experiencing dibba-sota. Nothing to worry about, it will remain with you until you disappear physically from this plane of existence as long as you practice regular meditation. The only remedy to that is stopping but I am pretty sure you don't want to do that, do you? http://www.orientalia.org/dictionary-Buddh...11-abhinna.html http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abhijna Also read this as the progression in your meditative practice is sequencial. Take care.