Spirit Musings: February 2012

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

From The Secret - if you can command anything

You have the ability to command anything. Here is something you can say to command that negative thoughts leave you:
"Be gone! You have no part in me. I am Spirit. I harbor only the good and perfect thoughts of Spirit."
Never were truer words spoken.

Baptism by Water, Spirit and Fire

Baptism by Water

In Baptism by Water, the body of water is first purified and sanctified, then the whole body of the person is immersed into the sanctified water. The auras and chakras, which are usually quite dirty, are spiritually purified. Using ordinary meditation techniques, this would take months if not years to cleanse the auras and chakras.

Baptism by Spirit and Fire
The spiritual practitioner "who is ready" is given a Shaktipat which results in the descent of spiritual energy and the awakening of the Kundalini fire. The down pouring of spiritual energy is called Baptism by Spirit. The awakening of the Kundalini fire is called Baptism by Fire.

To receive a Baptism by Water and later Baptism by Spirit and Fire within the same lifetime is indeed rare and is a great blessing.

The Lord Christ bathed in Sancitifed stream of water just before he received his Shaktipat from John the Baptist at "Bethany beyond the Jordan". Thus first was the cleansing process (Baptism by Water) followed by the down pouring of spiritual energy and rise of spiritual energy and Kundalini energy (Baptism by Spirit and Fire).

Related Post:

From The Secret - humanity needs you

Planet Earth and humanity need you. They need you, and that is why you are here.

Tuesday, February 28, 2012

From The Secret - what do we really want in a relationship

When it comes to love relationships, often people think that they want a particular person. But if you think about it deeply, it is not really the particular person that they want. What they really want is to be blissfully happy with the perfect person. Yet still they try and tell the Universe WHO that person is. If the Universe isn't delivering, then the message from the Universe is loud and clear: "I just checked twenty years ahead, and the bliss and happiness you deserve will not happen in this relationship."
Why is it that we think we know more than the one who can see everything?

Kundalini and Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) - updated

The Medical Cadeceus and
the Ida Pingala and Sushumna

This excerpt is from Wikipedia:

"The Kundalini Syndrome is a set of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms reported predominantly (according to certain writers on the subject) among people who have had a near-death experience; it has also been attributed to practitioners of meditation or yoga.

Researchers in the fields of psychiatry, transpersonal psychology, and near-death studies. describe a complex pattern of sensory, motor, mental and affective symptoms associated with the concept of Kundalini, sometimes called the Physio-Kundalini syndrome, or Kundalini-syndrome. This psycho-spiritual and transformative process is believed to occur in connection with a near-death experience, or with prolonged, intensive spiritual or contemplative practice, as practiced within a few sub-disciplines of meditation or yoga. Other factors that may trigger this symptomatology includes a variety of intense personal crises or experiences. According to writers in the field of transpersonal psychology the process is not always sudden and dramatic, it can also start slowly and increase gradually in activity over time. If the accompanying symptoms unfold in an intense manner that destabilizes the person, the process is usually interpreted as a spiritual emergency."

This explanation is erroneous. This is NOT Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔)! A typical example of Wikipedia getting it wrong. But can't blame them. The write up is mostly by so called experts who do not know nor acknowledge their true nature as beings of light. Of well...

Meditation can awaken
the Kundalini Serpent

So what is Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔)? First we need to explore what is Kundalini. The Sanskrit word, kundalini, means coiled, like a snake. Hence the awakening of Kundalini energy is also called "awakening of the fiery serpent". Kundalini Fire (Kundalini Energy). Kundalini Energy resides at the base/tip of our spine. Energetically, it is at the Basic Chakra. It is usually dormant in the vast majority of us. This means for most people, they do not even realize it is there. Medical Science definitely do not recognize this energy... yet. Well... if the vast majority of people has it dormant (not awakened), how is medical science going to know its existence (it's dormant, remember), right? But it has to be said here that medical science is way behind and has forgotten that the very symbol that represents their profession actually also represents our spiritual channels (The Ida Pingala and Sushumna) with the Kundalini located at the bottom of the staff of Cadeceus. Kundalini energy is also often little understood even among teachers of Yoga and meditative traditions. It is, however, mentioned extensively in the literature of Yoga and Tantra (both Buddhist and Hindu). Certain Esoteric Schools with inner masters (unseen Wise Ones, inner world spiritual teachers etc) would give a better explanation of Kundalini then one without.

But in a very few people, perhaps one in a thousand, this dormant energy becomes aroused (or activated). The awakening of the "fiery serpent" can be a happy event or it can be scary and disruptive, depending on whether you aroused your kundalini on purpose or by accident. For the serious spiritual practitioner or Yogi/Yogini, the arousal of Kundalini energy gives the spiritual aspirant a powerful ally that can help smoothen the spiritual path. E.g: The Lord Christ received His Baptism by Water followed by the Shaktipat (Baptism by Spirit and Fire) from John the Baptist hence His Kundalini is awakened and He quickly "remembers" to the last stage of His development before that lifetime (The Lord Christ is a Boddhisattva whom has gone through many many reincarnations), to put it simply (Christians will disagree with this but that's their problem for refusing to accept Truth).

However, if the Kundalini is awakened accidentally, then there could be serious problems to the person. A normal person's body is not purified enough to be able to take this kind of energy. Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) is when the Kundalini energy is awakened in a body that is not yet ready for it. Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) may manifest in several ways, for example:

Chronic Fatique (or Chronic General Weakness);
Overheating of the body (an unexplained and incurable fever);
Chronic insomnia;
Depression;
Skin Rashes;
Overactivated Sex Chakra;
Hypertension; or the worst...
Rapid Ripening of Karmic seeds (loads of bad luck keeps happening that just can't be explained and is completely out of the ordinary... You will know if it is, there would be no doubting it as you just cannot manifest anything and the term "bad luck" would seem like an understatement)

Therefore it is important for the spiritual aspirant to constantly purify his/her body as well as mind. That's why we need to keep our bodies clean. Matthew 9:17 in the Bible states, "You do not put new wine in an old wine bag." Why? The old wine beg is already stretched; therefore when you put new wine, which is still fermenting, the gas pressure will increase and the bag will burst. The wine bag is likened to the body. The wine corresponds to the descent of spiritual energy. You must make your body like a new wine bag to prepare it to receive higher energy and to be able to withstand the awakening of the Kundalini serpent. That's also why we should not smoke, take excessive alcohol, eat energetically dirty food if we are serious about our spiritual development. Our body is the temple of the holy spirit (our incarnated soul). So why do we defile it with impurities?

Of course, advanced souls have the ability to transmute energies so it would appear that they can take energetically dirty food and yet be able to develop spiritually. But just because those advanced souls can do it doesn't mean the rest of us can follow. Are you an advanced soul? How do you know? While I am not suggesting that one completely abstain (though that is highly recommended), one should be clear on what one wants. If we have decided that we want to develop as high as possible this lifetime, then definitely we need to be also serious about purifying our bodies (physical, emotional, mental etc). Kundalini syndrome is no laughing matter. Once awakened by accident, there are not many gurus around who can help you "put it back to sleep".

the act of praying would probably not result in Kundalini Syndrome (走火入魔) though it also brings down spiritual energy because it is not at an accelerated pace. However, for priest, monks, nuns etc, it can still accidentally awaken because they spend most of their times praying and for those in monasteries and convents, they could be practicing certain meditations without even realizing that it is a meditation (meditation aren't necessarily done sitting down cross legged or lotus position). This is why we sometimes hear of some clergy men or monks who "misbehave" sexually. The movie "Samsara" shows this quite well with the monk after a long period of isolation meditating, has his kundalini awakened and unregulated, and thus his heightened sexual desires (he was caught sleeping with an erect penis) and thus committed a transgression by having sex with a local woman. He then left the monastery to marry her to be responsible for his actions...etc etc

Related post:

From The Secret - the joy of living

"A feeling that greater possessions, no matter of what kind they may be, will of themselves bring contentment or happiness, is a misunderstanding. No person, place, or thing can give you happiness. They may give you cause for happiness and a feeling of contentment, but the Joy of Living comes from within."
-GENEVIEVE BEHREND
(1881-1960)
Your Invisible Power

Monday, February 27, 2012

The Lord's Prayer - the meaning of each verse (Updated!)

This post is a follow up to my earlier posting on my understanding of the Lord's Prayer. Now we'll look at each verse and what it means.

Our Father
Though it is phrased as "Our Father", it does not mean that God is male. God is both Yin and Yang as in "God created man in HIS own image...male and female..." (Genesis 1:27). When meditating on the phrase "Our Father", we must remember your true nature which is you are the Christ (or Buddha, or Krishna) in you. You are NOT your body. Neither are you your emotions nor thoughts. You are not even your mind. For your mind is but a subtle instrument of your soul. Just like the computer is an instrument used by the user, the mind is a subtle instrument of the real you (Soul). You are the Soul, the I AM THAT I AM. By focusing on the Crown Chakra (Kether - crown) when meditating on the phrase "Our Father", your crown chakra is activated and ready to receive the great down pouring of spiritual energy into your bodies.

I Am Not The Body

I Am Not The Emotion

I Am Not The Thought

I Am Not The Mind

The Mind Is Only A Subtle Instrument Of The Soul

I Am The Soul

I Am A Spiritual Being Of Divine Intelligence, Divine Love, Divine Power

I Am One With My Higher Soul

I AM THAT I AM

I Am One With The Divine Spark Within Me

I Am A Child Of God

I Am Connected With God

I Am One With God

I Am One With All

Who Art in Heaven
The word "Heaven" refers to the inner world (or Spiritual world). Focusing on your Forehead Chakra when meditating on the phrase "Who Art In Heaven" eventually gives you access to the inner world. It is said that the third eye is not located between the eyebrows, it is instead located on the forehead (Chokmah - Wisdom). And it is through the forehead chakra that we begin to "see" energy beings that cannot be seen by the naked eye.

Hallowed Be Thy Name
What comes out of the mind and the mouth is more important that what goes into the mouth. "If what goes into the mouth is dirty, it just dirties the body. But if what comes out of the mouth is dirty, it dirties the soul". Similar statements or ideas can be found in Matthew 12:34, 15:18, and Mark 7:15-23. When meditating on the phrase "Hallowed (Holy) Be Thy Name", focus on the Ajna Chakra (Binah - understanding) and the Throat Chakra (Daath - knowledge). The Ajna has the function of thinking while the Throat represents verbal expression.

Thy Kingdom Come
The secret to having good fortune and wealth lies in this phrase. It corresponds with the Heart Chakra (Chesed - Mercy, Loving Kindness) and represents the virtues of compassion, mercy, love, giving and sharing. It is in giving and sharing that one generates good prosperity karma or "inherits the kingdom". Meditating on this phrase while focusing on the heart chakra activates this chakra making one more giving, compassionate and generous.

Thy Will Be Done
The Solar Plexus Chakra is at the center of our body i.e. it is the will center of the masses and can follow the urges of the lower nature or the will of the higher soul. when we have aligned our lower will i.e. our urges, desires etc with the will of our higher soul, we are "threading the path of the Tao" (also known as the middle path).

On Earth As It Is In Heaven
The Navel Chakra (Tiphareth - Beauty) concretizes spiritual energy into Golden Chi apart from regulating our basic chakra. By meditating on the navel chakra and the phrase "On Earth As It Is In Heaven", our navel chakra is activated and more Golden Chi is produced to support the rapidly development/evolution of our physical body. This is necessary in order to support the increased chi coming into us. If our physical bodies are not strong enough, the excessive spiritual energy may cause our physical bodies to deteriorate.

Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread
The phrase "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread" corresponds with the front and back Spleen Chakra (Netzach - Victory or Power). The spleen chakra has the important duty acting as a pump to draw in chi into our body. The phrase "bread" symbolizes life force (chi), which is required by our physical bodies in order to exist in the physical world.

Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us
This phrase relates to both our back heart chakra and crown chakra and helps facilitate the act of forgiveness and inner healing. The corresponding chakra is the Meng Mein Chakra (Hod - Glory).

Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil
This phrase corresponds with the Sex Chakra (Yesod - Foundation). It must be said that sex is natural and wholesome and definitely NOT dirty as some religion would put it. However, it has to be regulated and preferably transmuted if one is serious about spiritual development. The physical creative or generative sex energy can be transmuted into divine union with the higher soul. Sex energy is like "food" to the higher chakras as it provides the necessary energy to the higher chakras once it is transmuted. Most spiritual practitioners who face kundalini syndrome whereby they are always horny are basically having over activated sex chakras of which the energy there is not properly transmuted.

For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory Forever And Ever, Amen
The first phrase "For Thine Is The Kingdom" corresponds to the Basic Chakra (Malkuth - Kingdom) where the kundalini fire is located and lies dormant within each of us. The phrase "The Power" corresponds with the spleen chakra, and "The Glory" corresponds with the meng main chakra. The phrase "For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory" corresponds with the 3 lower sephiroths in the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. Malkuth, Netzach and Hod. The phrase "Forever And Ever, Amen" corresponds with the crown chakra where the spiritual energy and kundalini energy are brought up and eventually manifest as expansion of consciousness.

The meditation on the Lord's Prayer is universal. Truth is Universal (read my posting on Different levels of Truth). It does not belong exclusively to an country, religion (read my posting on religious dogma and Perversion of Religion) nor culture.

Related post:

Sunday, February 26, 2012

From The Secret - creating your tomorrow

To create your tomorrow, go over your day tonight when you are in bed just before you fall asleep, and feel gratitude for the good moments. If there was something you wanted to happen differently, replay it in your mind the way you wanted it to go. As you fall asleep, say, "I will sleep deeply and wake up full of energy. Tomorrow is going to be the most beautiful day of my life."
Good night!

From The Secret - when u begin to manage the frequency of your being

When you are just beginning to deliberately manage the frequency of your being (through your thoughts and feelings), you may find there are some ups and downs, and that you are jumping from one frequency to another. This stage is so short, and in no time at all you will begin to stabilize on a higher frequency, and then a higher frequency, forever climbing higher and higher.
It took some practice to walk, didn't it? But with determination you did it. There is no difference.

Saturday, February 25, 2012

The Lord's Prayer - energy perspective (updated)

The Lord's Prayer (Catholic version)

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen

The Lord's Prayer is definitely not of Christian Origin. It predates Christ. Though Jesus said those Prayers, it is actually an ancient form of Kundalini Yoga that can stimulate our chakras and safely awaken the "sleeping serpent" within i.e. Kundalini force/energy/chi.

There is a relationship between Jesus' Lord's Prayer and the Kabbalistic Tree of Life. The 11 Sephiroths on the Tree of Life also corresponds with the 11 major chakras on our body. In fact, done in a meditation form, it becomes a system for spiritual development using the body's 11 major chakras. The Kabbalistic version calls this energy centers Sephiroths. Note that some versions of the Lord's Prayer, there exists only 10 sephiroths. Actually one sephiroth is hidden as humanity is deemed NOT to be ready for the 11th Sephiroth to be revealed. However, Master Choa (GMCKS), the founder of modern day Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga has revealed this in his esoteric school. One can learn this by learning Pranic Healing and Arhatic Yoga or other advanced esoteric schools.

GMCKS has taught that regular practice of meditation on the Lord's Prayer results in tremendous down pouring of spiritual energy into the crown chakra, and from there down to the base of the spine (possibly via the Sushumna). Eventually, the Kundalini fire at the base of the spine is awakened and together the spiritual energy and kundalini fire spiral upwards (possibly via the ida pingala as the movement is spiraling upwards) to the crown and eventually manifests as illumination, eternal bliss, and divine oneness. This is what saints/Avatars etc of all religions experience. The down pouring of spiritual energy is called baptism by spirit, and the awakening of the kundalini fire is called baptism by fire. This is the meaning of baptism by spirit and fire. In Yoga, this spiritual experience is called samadhi, and in Buddhism it is called nirvana. When this is achieved through the grace or blessing of a guru it is called a shaktipat or spiritual empowerment. In esoteric terminology this is called initiation, which usually results in a certain degree of expansion of consciousness.

Tree of life and the corresponding verses.
(Note: This image is taken from
the internet and has errors in it i.e.
line 3 should be split to 2 sephiroths
(one hidden) and line 7 & 8 should be swapped).

The awakening of the kundalini fire can be done through many methods. On of which is the practice of certain techniques in Hatha Yoga or chinese QiGong. Another method is in the use of mantras or words of power, together with yentas or visual images. There are many other methods. However, it is perceived that the method of meditating on the Lord's Prayer is one of the safest, easiest and also more potent ways of achieving that objective of illumination.

Such is the nature of us humans that as long as the "fiery serpent" (kundalini fire) remains down in the basic chakra, the person remains spiritually dead or relatively animalistic. It is only when the serpent is substantially upraised that the noble qualities of the person is developed, and he is able to experience illumination and expansion of consciousness.

Crown Chakra (Kether - Crown) - "Our Father"
Forehead Chakra (Chokmah - Wisdom) - "Who Art In Heaven"
Ajna Chakra (Binah - Understanding) - "Holy/Hallowed Be" & Throat Chakra (Daath - Knowledge) - "Thy Name"
Heart Chakra (Chesed - Mercy, Loving Kindness) - "Thy Kingdom Come"
Solar Plexus Chakra (Gevurah - Severity, Judgement, Strength) - "Thy Will Be Done"
Navel Chakra (Tiphareth - Beauty) - "On Earth As It Is In Heaven"
Spleen Chakra (Netzach - Victory or Power) - "Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread"
Meng Mein Chakra (Hod - Glory) - "Forgive Us Our Trespasses As We Forgive Those Who Trespass Against Us"
Sex Chakra (Yesod - Foundation) - "Lead Us Not Into Temptation But Deliver Us From Evil
Basic Chakra (Malkuth - Kingdom) - "For Thine Is The Kingdom, The Power, And The Glory Forever And Ever, Amen

I must now add a disclaimer. I am not suggesting that you take what little you read here and start meditating on the Lord's Prayer. No... If you decide to, please get guidance from a proper meditation school which provides this Meditation on the Lord's Prayer. Arhatic Yoga is one such school. There are other schools. Under no circumstances is anyone to attempt advanced meditation techniques unguided as it is dangerous. If the Kundalini fire is awaken without the body being purified, you are going to find that your karmic seeds ripened in ways you cannot handle.

What I put here is for sharing and knowledge. For those who would like to explore further, seek the right guidance. What is written here is just the surface of a much deeper subject.

Whew... taxing man.. taxing..

Related post:

From The Secret - changing your path from dark to light

You can change the path of your life from dark to light or from negative to positive. Every single time you focus on the positive you are bringing more light into your life, and you know that light removes all darkness. Gratitude, love, kind thoughts, words, and actions bring light and eliminate the darkness. Fill your life with the light of positivity!

Thursday, February 23, 2012

From The Secret - Be the conductor

If you have a friend who is going through any kind of difficult time, help them by making sure you maintain your joy. Your good feelings will help lift them. You can also help them by directing their conversations so that they speak about what they want. As they fall into speaking about what they don't want, just keep gently leading them back to speaking about what they want. You can also speak to them as though their difficult time is over, and suggest they imagine that it has all passed and worked out beautifully.
Be the conductor when you speak with them, and help them stay in tune with the Universe.

The Diamond Sutra as I understand it

The Diamond Sutra (translated into chinese)

The Diamond Sutra is another prominent Buddhist sutra

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:-

The Diamond Sūtra (Sanskrit: Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra), is a short and well-known Mahāyāna sūtra from the Prajñāpāramitā, or "Perfection of Wisdom" genre, and emphasizes the practice of non-abiding and non-attachment. Note that the title properly translated is the Diamond Cutter of Perfect Wisdom although it is popular to refer to it as the Diamond Sūtra.

From my understanding, The Diamond Sutra is about the essential teaching of Buddhism, that of non-duality. That is the fact that there are actually no individual existences in this world.

IMHO, while I am certainly no expert, I believe the Diamond Sutra tells us what we now know via Quantum Physics. That all is an illusion and we just think we exist as individuals but we actually don't. Everything in our physical world can be broken down to atoms and atoms can be further broken down into empty space and even finer particles (with more space than anything else). In fact, while the "tangible" physical world is a world of duality i.e. hot vs cold, good vs bad, etc, at the tiniest level, it is actually just empty space i.e. just an illusion. So in actual terms, there is no in here and out there. We're actually interconnected in a massive energy field. So essentially we're in a state of complete non-duality: there are no individuals, no sentient beings. So the elderly Subhuti asks these questions of the Buddha and the Buddha explains and so the Sutra explains this essential teaching of Buddhism.

There are many "chapters" to the Diamond Sutra. It also mentions four marks in which we, humans, are caught. And if we cannot liberate ourself from those four notions then we are not an authentic bodhisattva.

Take this for an example: if we look at say a pen. In our mind, there is an appearance of say, a mark or ink if you prefer. Our minds captures this appearance and we have sort of an idea or rather a perception of the mark (ink) and vice versa. The subject and object depends on each other to co-exist. One makes the other and the other is made by the other.. get it? That mark (or ink mark) results in us having concepts, perceptions and even notions about them of how things are etc etc. So, the appearance helps the mind to form perceptions and notions and the mind catches the appearance of the ink mark to make a concept. So both are responsible. However, most of the time, our perceptions and notions are not entirely correct.

The best example to illustrate this is marriage. When two person fall in love are they really falling in love with each other or their perception of each other? She's beautiful, she is graceful, she is this and that. He is soooo handsome, strong, manly... etc etc. So in each other's mind, they see some concept (perception) of the other which may not be real. It was the concept/perception that they've attached to that person. And this perception/concept feeds on each other. And our loving mind is then created with the help of the appearance of the other. This loving mind grasps at the appearances to form a notion, a perception about the other person. And the object of our love is the appearance of the other person, which we have created in our mind. It is the meaning that we attached to an image created in our mind. the image is but an illusion. After marriage, that illusion falls apart when the other "parts" of both individuals are noticed" for the first time. Actually, those traits were there all along, we chose not to see it. So, a new form of illusion then starts to take hold and the process repeats but this time negatively.

Whew... I'll go into more later. Very taxing.

Related past post"

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

From The Secret - partnership with Law of Attraction

You are in a partnership with the law of attraction, and it is through this partnership between the two of you that you are creating your life. Each person has their own personal partnership with the law of attraction. You use the law for yourself; everyone else uses the law for themselves. You cannot use the law of attraction on someone else, against their free will. And when you think about it, thank goodness the law operates this way. If it did not, then anybody else could create something in your life that you did not want.
You create through your thoughts and feelings, and no-one but you can think your thoughts or feel your feelings.

Tuesday, February 21, 2012

From The Secret - Good is underneath every single thing that appears to be negative

If we can know that good is all there is, including in a negative situation, then we will see a negative situation transform into all good. Most people keep the good away from themselves because they label something as bad, and then, of course, that becomes their reality. But there is no bad in the Universe; it is just our inability to see things clearly from the bigger perspective.
Peace comes from knowing that good is all that exists.

Monday, February 20, 2012

From The Secret - let others change naturally

Never try to compel others to change; leave them free to change naturally and orderly because they want to; and they will want to when they find that your change was worthwhile.

"To inspire in others a desire to change for the better is truly noble; but this you can do only by leaving them alone, and becoming more noble yourself."
-CHRISTIAN D. LARSON
(1874-1954)
Mastery of Self

Dumb Egoistic People who just want to be right

Most of us would know of people who will stick to their guns come what may. To us they are like soooo stubborn or just persistent or just plain egoistic.

It is said that the difference between stubbornness and persistence is success. If a person continues plodding along after many others have failed... well... if he succeeds, then people look at him as someone persistent. If he fails, then they say, he is so stubborn.

But what about those who just want to be right? What are they then?

Honestly, I also don't know. But let's look at an example:

Say someone, who really don't have anything going for him/her just want to be right about anything he/she says.

If, say, a seer (or sage etc) advices that it would be good for him/her to do something or go somewhere etc etc.

And originally, he/she had toyed with the idea also. But because the advice came from someone he/she does not like, he/she now discards that advice and decides that come what may, he/she will never go down that path.

And to the extent that he/she will look for evidence or reasons or purposely create events to support his/her decision not to take that advice.

Weird huh... But there are weird people like this. Talk about self sabotage.

Well.. It is their free will to choose to self sabotage themselves. However, I think they should seriously look at themselves in the mirror and ask what are they creating for themselves or their family?

The "unexplainable" unreasonable dumb path they are choosing will ultimately destroy themselves only. There is only so much their families can take. This is the 21st century. No spouse is going to stick around and let you throw your egoistic self sabotaging attitude around for long. So chances are, the spouse would eventually desert him/her as their spouse free will would say, "I'm not going to suffer because of this person".

Sigh.. I hope these people wake up soon... For their own sakes.

Sunday, February 19, 2012

From The Secret - Infinite wisdom

When you know that the infinite intelligence of the Universe exists, you can tune into it and draw anything from it. The past greats drew what they wanted from the infinite wisdom of the Universe and then produced it in our physical world. Although they took inspired physical steps, it was hand in hand with infinite intelligence, and so everything flowed to them effortlessly to create beyond what any human being had conceived before them.

From The Secret - power of tithing

One of the biggest things you can do to change your circumstances around money is to take ten percent of what you receive and give it away. This is called the spiritual law of tithing, and it is the greatest action you can take to bring more money into your life.

Saturday, February 18, 2012

The Heart Sutra as I understand it

Boddhisattva Kuan Yin
(chinese female version)

The Prajna Paramita Hrdaya Sutra (aka Heart Sutra) is one of the most prominent sutra together with the Diamond Sutra in Mahayana Buddhism especially for those who follow the Boddhisattva Kuan Yin (aka Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara). I had that urge to take a look at it... a look only... coz I'm no expert...and see what it could possibly mean in general spiritual terms.

The following is an excerpt from Wikipedia:

The Heart Sūtra (Sanskrit: प्रज्ञापारमिताहृदय Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya; Chinese: 般若波羅蜜多心經; pinyin: Bōrěbōluómìduō Xīnjīng) is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sūtra. Its Sanskrit name Prajñāpāramitā Hṛdaya literally translates to "Heart of the Perfection of Transcendent Wisdom." The Heart Sūtra is often cited as the best known and most popular of all Buddhist scriptures.

Below is the Heart Sutra translated (I don't know if it is accurate) to english by Master Hua:

When Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva was practicing the profound prajna paramita, he illuminated the five skandhas and saw that they are all empty, and he crossed beyond all suffering and difficulty.

The Heart Sutra

Shariputra, form does not differ from emptiness; emptiness does not differ rom form, Form itself is emptiness; emptiness itself is form. So, too, are feeling, cognition, formation, and consciousness.

Shariputra, all dharmas are empty of characteristics. They are not produced. Not destroyed, not defiled, not pure, and they neither increase nor diminish. Therefore, in emptiness there is no form, feeling, cognition, formation, or consciousness; no eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, or mind; no sights, sounds, smells, tastes, objects of touch, or dharmas; no field of the eyes, up to and including no field of mind-consciousness; and no ignorance or ending of ignorance, up to and including no old age and death or ending of old age and death. There is no suffering, no accumulating, no extinction, no Way, and no understanding and no attaining.

Because nothing is attained, the Boddhisattva, through reliance on prajna paramita, is unimpeded in his mind. Because there is no impediment, he is not afraid, and he leaves distorted dream-thinking far behind. Ultimately Nirvana!

All Buddhas of the three periods of time attain Anuttarasamyaksambodhi through reliance on prajna paramita. Therefore, know that prajna paramita is a great spiritual mantra, an unequalled mantra. It can remove all suffering; it is genuine and not false. That is why the mantra of prajna paramita was spoken. Recite it like this:

gate gate par agate parasamgate bodhi svaha!

Whew... that was a mouthful. Like I said, I'm no expert. But I do believe the Buddha and the Boddhisattvas were attempting to explain certain truths to the people of their time. And I do believe that all origins of religions are somewhat from the same source albeit misconstrued and/or abused over time by human beings. And the east (India, China etc) definitely treated their prophets/Avatar/Messiahs better compared to the west (middle east and westward) where they either send them to the cross or create wars against other religions.

Boddhisattva Avalokitesvara
(male version)

Anyway, we do know now, through science, that we are actually energy (or empty space if you want to be blunt about it). Many people will dispute this but that's their problem if they want to deny their own existence and true nature. Take our body and break it down to the smallest part, we get cells. When we break the cells down, we get atoms and molecules. Go further in, and we get nothingness or just energy. So essentially we are energy or emptiness if you prefer. This explains the first 3 paragraphs already. we are essentially space and therefore all physical, emotional aspects etc are all non-existence in a certain way. God force is pure energy with consciousness (and yet without consciousness).

And once we realize this, or to put it in a better way, enlightened to our true nature or what we really are i.e. God force (or universal consciousness or etc etc whatever you want to call it), then we must also realize that all the things that we get hooked up with is actually nothing... It's like, "What the hell man, stuff are stuff and its no big a deal". This then explains the 4th paragraph.

The 5th paragraph may be baffling. In fact, most buddhist scriptures like to talk about Buddhas of 3 periods of time: past, present and future. Well, like I said, I'm no expert but in spirituality, time is a concept that we "invented" in the physical realm. In the spiritual world, the concept of time does not exist. All instances are already played out to perfection. So it could be that that paragraph is trying to tell us that it is by knowing what this sutra attempts to tell us that we can be enlightened (or come to realization) to our true nature irregardless of time... that's my guess.

But why then is it called Heart Sutra? Why Heart? Well we know that The One Source is all compassion and love. So, could it be that the sutra is telling us that once we know our true nature which is the God force (for we are created in HIS likeness), we can only be Love and Compassion because that's God force, and hence that's why the sutra is called the "Heart" Sutra?. How else to explain love and compassion other than to point to our heart for the people at that time in history.

Well.. That's my 2 cents on the Heart Sutra...

Somewhat related post:

Magic wands (updated)

We've talked about magic and energy etc. But now it begs the question, what about magic wands? Are there such things? And if there are, are they like what we see in Harry Potter?

Crystal Wand used in Pranic Healing

Well... If magicians (energy manipulators) existed and still exist today, then of course there are magic wands. However not the way we think. When we say magic wand, the image that comes to mind is that of a long stick with a white tip that an illusionist uses with his tricks. Sorry to disappoint you but that ain't quite right. While in ancient times wands may have been made of crystal, metal, wood or some nature material ala Harry Potter style, it's appearance may not be so obvious. In classical Greco-Roman mythology, the god Hermes/Mercury has a special wand called a caduceus.

Phurba

In Ceremonial magic, wands are one of the magical tools used by practitioners for the channeling of energy. Thus a "magic wand" is a tool used by the magi to enhance his/her ability to manipulate energy. In my opinion, it can be anything, which has the properties that the magi desires. Modern "magicians" (healers, esoteric practitioners etc) most likely will use crystal wands. Those long quartz crystals with one or both ends pointed. Or they may have affinity to some ancient tools like the Tibetan Phurba, a short metal dagger like wand with a head at the blunt end.

Wand from Harry Potter movies

However, I'm of the opinion that a magi may come to a point when anything out there can be a wand. Think of it this way. We'll use martial arts swordsmanship as an example. we first learn to use our hands and legs i.e. the basics. Then we start using the sword, maybe a typical Chinese sword. Then as we progress, the sword type needs to be changed to match the expertise of the swordsman. The weight, agility etc all feature in the swordsman's increasing skill. And then there come a time when the swordsman reaches the highest level of skill, he no longer needs a sword because anything, including grass, can be used as a sword. This is just an example I picked from one of those HK kungfu series Return of The Condor Heroes by Jin Yong :-p . But the parable is there with wands. Same concept in my opinion. Of course this is assuming the magi comes from an esoteric school that uses wands.

Using a Crystal wand for healing

Also, I'm sure some magicians of ancient times would use staffs ala Lord of The Rings to channel concentrated energy but I don't think modern day magicians, out of practicality, do anymore. I can't imagine walking downtown with a staff. But having a crystal wand in my pocket is manageable and I pass off as just another whacko new age energy healer. ;p

However, having said all that, I'm sure that even today, certain esoteric schools would have special wands (much like in ancient times) for sale for their practitioners. And chances are that ordinary folks may never get to see it unless they become a practitioner. Heck..you may not even know something is a wand even if it is presented right in front of you.

A high powered magi doesn't need a wand and can turn any object into a tool to concentrate his/her energies.

Related post:

Feeling energy with your hands

Is it possible to feel energy? Again, like seeing, a resounding yes.
However most of us cannot, not because we can't, but because we're so caught up with the physical world our senses are numbed. Furthermore how many ordinary humans are truly aware of their surroundings? A minuscule.
Ask a QiGong or TaiChi practitioner, (not the wannabes) and they will tell you how the chi moves/flows.
Ask a yogi doing Dhyan, Kundalini or some other intensive meditation (again not the wannabes) and they can even describe which chakra the chi is flowing to when they're meditating.
A simple exercise that anyone can try is to use our palms which happen to be the most energy sensitive part of our physical bodies. Here's how:

1st you sensitize your palms by gently rubbing each palm with the other hand's fingers to activate your palm's chakras.
Next, imagine you are holding an imaginary ball with both hands in front if your body in a comfortable position.
Keep focusing on the empty space between your palms (the empty space that is the imaginary ball)
Now breathe in and out deeply while you continue focusing at that space.
Keep doing that deep breathing while focusing on that empty space between your palms.
Do you feel a sensation between your palms (or hands)?
Now while you continue the deep breathing and maintaining your focus as before, slowly move your hands apart a few cm. What do you feel?
Next move your hands closer a few cm. What do you feel?

If you are unsure, well don't think, just feel. If you have never experienced this before, your logical mind would not have any past experience to draw on to describe this sensation. That's why I say don't think, just feel. Then describe what you feel. Here's some typical sensations you may feel depending on how sensitive you are to energy:-

warmth in between the hand (that space where the imaginary ball is);
A tingling sensation at your palms and maybe even fingers;
A mild current like sensation at your hands;
As you moved your hands slightly further apart you may have felt something pulling your hands together;
and when you moved them slightly nearer you may have felt some resistance.

Congratulations if you felt any of the above, you've just created an energy ball. What happened was as you breathed deeply, you were absorbing air Prana (chi) into your body and sending it out through your hands (fingers and palms) into that empty space between your hands. The accumulated chi forms an energy ball in between your hands. As you moved your hands slowly apart and together a few times the energy ball had an opposing reaction to your action.
Another simple exercise but one needing tools is with crystals. Not any crystal but crystal wands. Those pointy sharp ended long crystal wands. But I must say, you need an experienced person (healer) to help you here. The healer will use the wand. You just sit and be aware. Say you open your palm and be aware of your palm. Let the healer move the crystal around your palms. You should feel a strong piercing sensation moving on your palm tracing the movement of the crystal. Note, the crystal is NOT touching you.
If you don't feel anything, then you've literally got really thick skin (not sensitive to energy at all). This could be a sign that you've got loads of crap on your aura thus your body just can't feel it at all i.e. totally numb except for physical touch.

Related post: