I wonder how many reading FFL can relate experientially to what Guy Banner had to say about celibacy?
I personally never had such an amazing experience with Maharishi as Guy described. But I did discover after spending some months on TTC with Maharishi many years ago, that the same change in physiology that Guy described had happened to me (urdhavaretas - energy naturally going up). So I think Vaj's skepticism is misplaced. Maharishi really is capable of producing this effect on his students, whether it is in the space of 30 seconds of direct attention, or several months of darshan and meditation as taught by him. (Side note: some weeks back, Vaj posted some lengthy quotes about practices to promote energy going up. I don't remember the details other than frequent reference to the "secret chakra". I can't say whether these practices are worthwhile or not. But they, as well as Mantak Chia (Taoist) type practices brought up by LBShriver in the past, strike me as a remarkable amount of effort to achieve something that happened to me without my even intending it - side/side note to Vaj - get that Vaj - no effort was involved, not even intention!) I also am married. My wife and I experience a good deal of affection for one another. A marriage can be celibate and be a happy marriage, as long as it is not a strain or an ideal that is strived for or something like that. It needs to be a simple reflection of the reality of two human physiologies, and both partners need to be comfortable with the arrangement. Guy was absolutely correct when he stated that celibacy is not a practice but a state of physiology. In that state, there is nothing to practice. And there is no feeling of lack. Pleasure and bliss come in many forms. The experience of sexual orgasm is only one of them. TurquoiseB's comments along the lines of "at least the rest of us are getting laid but you're not" really just reflect on the range of experiences that TurquoiseB has had, so he is being true to himself in saying these kinds of things. But they really fall short of the mark when commenting on Guy's experiences. I am guessing that Alex Stanley's remarks reflect on what is currently going on for him in his own spiritual path - that is, discovering that the ulimate truth doesn't depend on flashy experiences, is itself ultimately simple. But I hope that doesn't blind him from accepting the possibility that another person's celibacy is a natural state for him. Saniel Bonder's Waking Down philosophy and practice may have a handle on some significant truths, but there may be more things in Heaven and Earth than are dreamt of in his philosophy. It's a good idea to keep an open mind. 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/
