risk taking

This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/19/11 11:05 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/19/11 10:32 PM

risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
A popular notion in books is that the ego is located in the 3rd chakra, a few inches below the end of the sternum (upper abdomen). 3rd chakra is aka hara chakra or dan tien, though they might be slightly different according to whom you read.

One of the most powerful ways I've found to make this healthy (dissolve the ego?) is risk taking, particularly in interpersonal relationships. "No fear!" is my haietmoba. The ego is maintained by fear, is it not? Sometimes I think of ego as a pathology of the 3rd chakra. How do you guys like that definition?

For a long time I've believed that the main block people have is fear of judgment/criticism/humiliation/embarrassment. Polls have proven this - the greatest fear of many is public speaking. Can you believe it outranks death??? This type of fear turns people into attention seekers, people pleasers, inauthentic shells of their real selves.

Who here could claim to be able to walk down a crowded city street in high heels, fishnet stockings with a dildo strapped to their forehead? What would you feel? Shame? Horror? Sadness? Humiliation? Would you "just die"? Humour? Nothing?

Who here can speak in public without any sign of tension or seriousness? Who can approach a total stranger and ask for a date without the slightest hesitation? At the moment I can easily do these two examples, but there is still tension in varying degrees, depending on circumstances (which is probably the average sort of reaction most people would have, I guess?) I'd consider myself cured, and ready for work on the heart chakra when I've passed these tests - ie. no fear at all, no suppression of fear and no denial or fear.

edit: So if my actions are not driven by fear, then they shouldautomatically be driven by pure desire. Pure desire I'd describe as desire that is not linked in with the desire to fit in with society and be accepted (people pleasing). I view the heart chakra as the centre of pure desire, because that's where I feel it when I'm experiencing it.

Then when I master the heart chakra, I'll work on the throat (creativity) and then the head chakras. When I get to the head I'll work on either meditation or AF or something else that has evolved over the decades. Good to have a plan anyway.
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Bruno Loff, modified 12 Years ago at 5/20/11 3:58 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/20/11 3:58 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 1094 Join Date: 8/30/09 Recent Posts
If you're looking for a way to work with the passions, rather than eliminating them, you might want to check out www.aypsite.com . It's all about energy work and pure desire and divine love and whatnot, and in particular the technique encourages cultivating passion (passion for the truth, for god, for union, etc), which I would tentatively equate with the "pure desire" you are referencing.

As for the ego being located in the third chakra, I don't know, but to me it feels more like a full-body thing, where the chakras have a role to play, but I wouldn't point out a specific chakra to be the seat of self. All feeling is self.

As for the fear of walking through a street dressed up in such a costume, your choice of scenario shows your own prejudices. Some people would find it terrifying, others actually do it --- conditioning is mostly learned, and often arbitrary. In my case, humor.
This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 3:42 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 3:42 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
Gday Brune,

I'll give that a read through thanks.

I have no such prejudices! I heard someone else say it and thought it sounded funny, as long as it wasn't me doing it.. But yeh, whatever the fear, I agree it's just been conditioned, and so each of us will have very different fears.

The main point I wanted to say was that if only a self can fear, then by letting go of fear one can influence the nervous system to disbelieve the notion of self, leading to no-self, or less-self.
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Yadid dee, modified 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 3:47 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 3:47 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 258 Join Date: 9/11/09 Recent Posts
Hey CCC,

What do you think of a scientific approach to the whole thing?

You assume X will lead to Y, so why not do X and then see if what you think will happen, happens.

It seems like you have already drawn all the conclusions before even doing the experiment thoroughly.
This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 4:23 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 4:22 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
I have done X. I try to push myself to take risks all the time. Then when fear comes up I let it go. Is that what you mean?

I found that risk taking makes me feel alive for a short time and that;s what made me think about the underlying mechanism. but if you think i should dress up like that, well, maybe one day!
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Yadid dee, modified 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 6:19 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/21/11 6:19 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 258 Join Date: 9/11/09 Recent Posts
Hi CCC,

I meant to say that I think you are drawing conclusions where there isn't any data to support them, such as here:

C C C:

The main point I wanted to say was that if only a self can fear, then by letting go of fear one can influence the nervous system to disbelieve the notion of self, leading to no-self, or less-self.


C C C:
I'd consider myself cured, and ready for work on the heart chakra when I've passed these tests - ie. no fear at all, no suppression of fear and no denial or fear.


^^ Do you think that taking risks would eventually lead to a state of no fear ever arising?
This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 5:14 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 5:14 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
Yadid B:
Hi CCC,



^^ Do you think that taking risks would eventually lead to a state of no fear ever arising?


Yes if you were able to let go of the fear each time it arose, thereby dis-associating the trigger from the emotion.

What's your next objection?! emoticon
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Yadid dee, modified 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 7:13 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 7:13 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 258 Join Date: 9/11/09 Recent Posts
Well, my next objection would be:

Prove it! emoticon


You are saying 'X will definitely lead to Y', but you don't have the data to back it up.
Its all based upon speculation and hearsay, as I see it.
This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 7:28 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 7:28 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
I've already said I practice this and have had good results inasmuch as I have felt pure desire in my heart, and some glimpses of peace. Both of these have eluded me for a long time.

So I put my theory on here to see if anyone can pick holes in it, you know? Maybe there are some glaring errors in my post. Not just 'assumptions', but worse. So far no one has done that.

Yes, I have to prove that it can do as much as I predict it can. I work each day on it. Many hours in fact. I'm sure there are many many people visiting dho who are in the same boat as me and might benefit from my half-arsed theories.
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Yadid dee, modified 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 8:41 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 8:13 AM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 258 Join Date: 9/11/09 Recent Posts
The whole adventure sounds like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, which is aimed at reducing suffering, not eliminating it alltogether.
[quote=Wikipedia 'CBT']A basic concept in CBT treatment of anxiety disorders is in vivo exposure—a gradual exposure to the actual, feared stimulus. This treatment is based on the theory that the fear response has been classically conditioned and that avoidance negatively reinforces and maintains that fear.

Through exposure to the stimulus, this conditioning can be unlearned; this is referred to as extinction and habituation. CBT also looks at an individual's way of thinking and the way that they react to certain habits or behaviors.

No one being treated with CBT methods has ever claimed to be free from all kinds of fear forever.

Anyway, here's an analogy to the thing that seems to apply here:
When planes are a cheap and covenient way to get to China (you will most likely get to China) , why try to dig a tunnel by hand (Most likely wont get to China)?

I don't mean to 'rain on your parade' so to speak mate, but this is one man's biased opinion.

If your goal is to be entirely free of all fear and suffering, so that it never even begins to arise, you will most likely get these results by looking for people who have done that (which is a very rare occurance, but some of them are conveniently lurking on this forum), and seeing how they did it.
Trying to figure out how to do it yourself will probably be a much longer route, if at all.

If your goal is to reduce your neurotic mental and behavioural habits, but not eliminate all suffering completely, well then, ignore all I just wrote.
This Good Self, modified 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 8:53 PM
Created 12 Years ago at 5/22/11 8:53 PM

RE: risk taking

Posts: 946 Join Date: 3/9/10 Recent Posts
Part of the reason I asked "who here has no fear in situation x?" is to find if that applies to anyone in here. Surely that person would be a good teacher for me?
L Nova, modified 12 Years ago at 11/30/11 7:46 AM
Created 12 Years ago at 11/30/11 7:46 AM

RE: risk taking

Post: 1 Join Date: 11/30/11 Recent Posts
I think it is a wonderful experiment you are doing! In selfdevelopment courses I am leading my participants are challenging themselves to go against patterns, it works very well, they get breakthroughs that are lasting. They have done similar things you are talking aboute here and I have of course also. I can not say though that I have reached a level without any fear. But I think it is a excellent way to measure how much fear are controlling you, that you have come up with.