Responses interleaved below.
--- In [email protected], Vaj wrote: > > On Apr 18, 2005, at 3:15 PM, Patrick Gillam wrote: > > > I can understand how it's important to be awake and > > alert as the awareness dances at the transcendent. > > That way one gets familiar with the finest realms > > of relative creation. But "life-supporting influence > > of the mantra" is a new bit of jargon for me. Is it > > another way of saying the mantra keeps us awake > > as we transcend, and consiousness is left with itself? > > In which case, I can understand how shakti contributes > > to the process. Energy = awake. > > You do know that eventually the devata behind your mantra is supposed > to present itself to "you" once you perfect your practice, right? I've heard a deity may present Himself or Herself when the seeker is ripe. But it's not part of Maharishi's teaching to tie the deity to the mantra, and I haven't studied other systems. In short, it's a nice story, but not one I've cherished. Further, no one I've talked to has described such a phenomenon happening to them, and experiences being what they are these days, I'm less interested in theory than I am in the experiences of my peers. By the way, does a deity differ from a devata? > It's hard to answer your question specifically because different people > will use that energy for different things. It depends on your path. Fair enough. Thanks for the illustrations below. > One > might use it to obtain a sensation of bliss--the more energy, the more > intense the bliss; the more intense the bliss-sensation, the more > intense levels of emptiness (which is what the bliss is riding on top > of) one can fathom. I like that picture of the bliss riding on emptiness. > Or it might be used purify the subtle bodies. Or > produce and trap soma behind the "tenth door". Or simply transcend to > deeper and deeper levels. > > What do you think is the energy that allows siddhis to manifest? If my siddhis manifested anything, I might be able to answer! But I see your point. It helps. To me, shakti sounds like the subtle, potent energy that hums just above the emptiness of pure consciousness. Restful alertness, as it were. Am I close? - Patrick To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
