Hi JMJM, Thanks for the reply and your kind offer to visit you in Taiwan, but I think you misread my post as I won't be travelling to Australia for some time to come. However, when I do I would love to come and see you there : ) Also, thanks or the feedback. I agree, 'signposts' seems like a better way to name the phenomena. I also like that you focus on the chakras as a way to divert your attention away from thinking. Do you have any knowledge and use of the jhanas in Chan Buddhism?
Mike ________________________________ From: Jue Miao Jing Ming - 覺妙精明 <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Wed, 13 April, 2011 9:16:09 Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Does Zen contain spirituality? Hi Steve and Mike, My name popped up. I am not sure what's the question. Let me just ramble a little about the journey of Chan Meditation. * Yes, it does require a tour guide, because it is completely formless and a teacher can serve as a conduit of wisdom and energy. It saves a lot of detour and the student usually progresses faster next to a teacher. That's why Chan is also called the "Secret Inner Witness", when it past to Tibet, I was told by Anthony, that it turned into Tantric. * Why cultivate chi? The purpose are two fold. One is to divert the thinking to focus on the chakra and chi channels and the other is to unify our physical body. Thus awareness rises from our heart, that's the center of both physical and mental. * Are these diagnostic marks? I would rather call the various stages of practice sign posts. At the beginning, we sense some heat or vibration of some of our chakras, toe, finger tips, etc. (Bill, I can write up a self-chi experiment if you wish. it takes only two minutes to try it.:-) ) Then we are able to sense/direct the chi along certain paths. Then all chakras can be connected via all the chi channels. Then our entire body feels like one chakra or one channel. At this stage, it does take several years, we have unified our body into one and we seldom get ill. * Alone the journey, our awareness(sensory abilities) are enhanced, our attitude and preferences diminishes. Recognize oneness in many things. I mean recognize the cause and effect, interdependence and relativity of everything. No longer need to hold any concept, or words, as our base. Our base of practice broadens. Because our hearts are open and we feel the sadness of the delusional beings. Sometimes we don't know who they are. It just comes to us to remind us. * I often tell my students, no matter how foreign your feelings are. Please do not be afraid. It is part of you. Anything happens in this universe is normal. Nothing is dangerous or supernatural, which are human terms. Mike, on your way back to Australia, pass by Taiwan. I can make arrangement with many English speaking teachers of ours and let you quickly experience the chi power of many of our meditation centers. Many of them are college professors. Let me know if this answers any of your questions. Let me know if there is anything else. Thank you for the opportunity to share. JM Be Enlightened In This Life - We ALL Can http://chanjmjm.blogspot.com http://www.heartchan.org On 4/12/2011 4:42 PM, mike brown wrote: >Steve, > >Yes, I tend to think of this more as a diagnostic marker than >anything else. That's a good idea about Shingon, but the irony >is >that I'd probably be better off in the UK or Australia to learn >about it (due to the language barrier). Ah well, 'move on >Bikkhus', as the Buddha would say. > >Mike > > > > > > ________________________________ From: SteveW <[email protected]> >To: [email protected] >Sent: Wed, 13 April, 2011 8:23:40 >Subject: [Zen] Re: Does Zen contain spirituality? > > > > >--- In [email protected], mike brown ><uerusuboyo@...> wrote: >> >> Steve, >> >> Unfortunately, I'm in Japan and the teacher didn't >> speak >>English. I'm just >> >> looking now at a few Vipassana sites that seem to be >>explaining the process >> >> quite well. After 10 years of Zen, all this "energy >>centres" stuff is quite an >> >> adventure! Kinda like being in a 'psychic fairground' >> as >>one person put it. >> >> My intuition, as well as what I've been able to >> discern >>so far, is that it's >> >> just a stage (albeit an important one) and not >> something >>to become attached to. >> >> If JMJM has some advice it would be received warmly. >> >> Mike >> >> Hi Mike. I have Tantric fiends who are really into >> this >>stuff. As you doubtless know, this is the focus of >>Tantra, >>both Buddhist and Hindu. I am not surprised that there >>are >>physical correspondances to mental states as everything >>is >>entangled. The question is whether these phenomena are >>to >>be regarded as diagnostic markers, as distractions, or >>as >>something that should be deliberately cultivated. >I have read that kundalini can be quite dangerous to >one's >mental, emotional and physical health if the process is >unsupervised by an experienced guide. In Japan, as you >know, Tantric Buddhism is called Shingon. Maybe you can >find some Shingon teacher who speaks enough English to >help. >Steve >> >> >> >> >> > >
