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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
 Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 12:26:23 PM
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I have heard a lot about kundalini and still it remains something of a shadow to me.
I was wondering if what we call enlightenment (defined here as tapping into - or being - the source) can occur without kundalini awakening? I ask this as there seems to exist examples of people who undergo spontaneous awakenings without necessarily practicing yoga or being aware of any special kind of energy going through their bodies. Famous modern types include Byron Katie and Eckhart Tolle, for example.
So, is enlightenment possible without kundalini awakening or kundalini symptoms?
Thanks! |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 3:03:17 PM
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Hi YogaIsLife:
What we call "kundalini" is stillness in the form of energy (prana) moving through us, also called "ecstatic conductivity" here in AYP. The more dramatic manifestions of it that get the publicity are only symptoms of purification and opening occurring within us as we move toward a radiating expression of stillness in all aspects of our life. Later on, kundalini becomes very refined and is known as a blissful outpouring, much as is described by Eckhart Tolle, Byron Katie and others. So we are all heading for the same condition.
Can this end state be accomplished without the extreme symptoms of kundalini? With self-pacing of practices on our path, we have a pretty good chance. Everyone arrives here on earth in a slightly different condition, and therefore our process of purification and opening will be somewhat unique. On the other hand, with sound management of practices, there is the opportunity for us to promote our evolution with the least amount of disruption.
Speaking of disruption, both Tolle and Katie went through extreme anguish and pain before and during their awakenings, and neither recommends that sort of extreme scenario for their students. So we could say that even the so-called spontaneous instances of enlightenment come with energy challenges. The names for these occurrences may be changed to protect the innocent. 
No matter who is undergoing spiritual transformation, the same inner neurobiological processes and events will be involved in one way or another. It may come hard or soft, slow or fast, but it will come. There is much we can do to influence it for the better.
Our job here in AYP is to do all we can to make it as progressive and comfortable as possible, and hopefully with reliable results for everyone.
While teachers like Tolle and Katie have a lot to offer to those who have been meditating for a few years, they tend to skip over much of the ground work that is necessary -- things like daily deep meditation, spinal breathing pranayama, and so on. Maybe they don't want us to suffer the way they did, so they tell us to "allow" whatever is happening (don't buy in mentally), and all will be well in stillness. That is their experience, and all they want to do is share the end result with their students right now. Fair enough...
However, for most, that approach will be what we here call "non-relational self-inquiry," the mind left to struggle with itself with limited grounding in inner silence (the witness). All it takes is a little deep meditation, and the mental processes of allowing and self-inquiry become "relational," alive in stillness. Then, away we go with Tolle, Katie, Adyashanti, Ramana Maharishi, Nisargadatta, Krishnamurti, and all the rest of them.
And maybe we can avoid the crisis stages many of them went through by gently addressing the energy component of enlightenment from early on. In fact, with prudent practice, the energy aspect can be experienced as steadily rising ecstasy in the body, as many have reported. This is why in AYP we generally refer to it as "ecstatic kundalini" rather than "crisis kundalini." 
There are more and more practitioners here in the AYP forums who are experiencing the ever-present stillness beyond the body/mind, and living it in practical ways in everyday life. We are gradually moving beyond fascination with energy experiences to the kind of enlightenment that has been expounded by the wise for centuries. Bravo!
But, as we advance in our experience and come to live the reality of stillness in action, let us always remember from where we have come (the systematic cultivation of inner silence), or we will be teaching non-relational self-inquiry to our successors, and that won't do.
Just as we have taken important lessons from the "spontaneously awakened" teachers of our day, they too can take some important lessons from us. Then everyone wins.
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Jul 28 2008 : 6:35:16 PM
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| Thank you very much for your reply Yogani. It was very clear. Thank you! |
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yogani
USA
5195 Posts |
Posted - Jul 29 2008 : 10:48:42 AM
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Hi All:
I have added this to the above post to affirm the ecstatic quality of the journey. The intention is not to deny or eliminate the lovely scenery along the way. Only to present it within the context of the overall process of human spiritual transformation:
quote:
And maybe we can avoid the crisis stages many of them went through by gently addressing the energy component of enlightenment from early on. In fact, with prudent practice, the energy aspect can be experienced as steadily rising ecstasy in the body, as many have reported. This is why in AYP we generally refer to it as "ecstatic kundalini" rather than "crisis kundalini."
All the best!
The guru is in you.
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YogaIsLife
641 Posts |
Posted - Aug 13 2008 : 1:27:04 PM
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Hi,
I just read lesson 188 on Mantra Enhancenment (http://www.aypsite.org/188.html) and became again puzzled and a bit overwhelmed at the technicalities of spiritual transformation.
I have had some, what you may call, 'spiritual experiences' in my life and I always regarded them as spontaneous or, at best, steming from a 'change of mind' or a sudden realization given by circumstances or some stimulus. So, it is strange for me (and new!) to see that a scientific method can be applied to this transformations. It is quite schocking in a way! The mantras example is very telling.
There is also a bit of a fear factor into what I may be doing inside of me (exactly because I know that this 'experiences' can be dramatic) with these techniques. I do have faith in them and believe that they work and are safe (been using ayp deep meditation for some months now with great results) but my mind still gets puzzled at the mechanicalities of it all, at not understanding exactly what is happening. I mean, ultimately, it is up to you to test it right? It is not something that you will know exactly what will happen next, it is a discovery. You have to trust your feelings and the right examination of the results that come up from doing this practices.
I guess this is related to the post I gave above of those 'spontaneously awakened souls'. Do you believe we have to know this techniques to evolve our perception of things and to see the truth? Do you believe this would happen anyway naturally because of a change of energy in the earth (evolutionary forces)? I guess if you do use this techniques you will have an easier ride probably but, being a bit of a romantic () I can't help but feel that (besides being a bit of a puzzle to my mind) it takes a bit of the wonderful (and spontaneous) mistery of the miracle of life. Would it make it any more beautiful if it was something spontaneous and not technical?
Well, maybe it is just my limited mind 
Just some thoughts. Thank you. |
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Enlightenment without Kundalini?
