| | There are many tangents related to these postures and they have much depth to them, enough to fill a book or two. Part of an entire meta-path. Earlier practices are generally used as a foundation for others. Will simplify significantly to avoid burying in details. No matter what there will be something left out and apologies ahead of time. This has been written intentionally to require discernment.
A very brief dissection concerning the early stages of advanced mental posturing:
-HEAT YOGA There are many takes on Heat Yoga(with varying difficultly). Can be adjusted to fit a variety of goals (including exotic achievements, such as the forceful/wrathful enlightenments). Done sitting, squatting, or standing.
Example: Draw in breath and hold. Keep the abdominal wall somewhat taut. Arc chest up and out. Fabricate/will-to-be a heat-giving 'point' (2-4 fingers below navel; fabrications can be made to fool the brain). Some fabricate a hollowness of the body. Breath still held, skin temperature will increase (heat cycle beginning). Tension and primal aversion will dawn for those who have not cultivated some order of release. After a period of time, with breath still held, an emptiness cycle will dawn. This cycle consists of a variety of states including blisses, differing types of emptiness, the cessation of perception & fruitions. With breath still held, another heat cycle generally will begin (if sufficient in breathless samadhis, then this state can continue for some time). (This practice appears to increase neuroplasticity via the neuronal energetic-leakage theory proposed by Michael Persinger's understudy and therefor can be combined with various practices effectively assuming a threshold of non-distracted concentration.) Some drop the willing of a heat giving point, others consider this a mistake, though forcing skin heat due to the holding of the breath, this posture is striving to master willing experiences to being. If concerned about gastric perturbations, then err on the side of fabricating the 'point' along the muscular structure...this also can act as a buffer for learning practices related to manually stuffing channels with energy.
Example: Slowly breathe and generate the experience of the breath as on fire/burning. Maintaining arch in chest. Keep the abdominal wall somewhat taut. Often partial focus is distributed along the edge of the nostrils. As the breath is drawn in, generate the experience of the heat scorching the inside of the chest (best if familiar with a full heat cycle or two with first technique to know where in the chest the heat congregates to achieve proper efficiency in generation of heat). Then adding areas of the body or the whole body. Some will target specific areas ex going back and forth between hands or hand/whole body etc etc. Will generally roll rather slowly between cycles with a stronger emphasis on the heat cycle. The emptiness cycle will have lower rates of the cessation of perception and fruitions and slightly lower rates of the deeper emptinesses. Lower rates of Ki (energy of bodily tension). (With mild effort a skilled yogi can generate a 10 degree differential. With legitimate effort it can be pushed to around double this.)
Example: Letting the lungs rest with some air, gently hold the breath for a few moments and take slow and shallow breaths. Identity the parts of the throat and lungs that open when one breathes. Now instead, stop breathing and maintain the identified openings of the throat and lungs. This is an effective cultivation of appana-kam jhana. Resist breathing normally, as assuming passageways are open, a subtle twitch of the lungs will circulate enough until the breathless dawns fully. In the beginning, if one hasn't cultivated release, the Ki, primal aversion, or rumination related to survival might provide hindrance. If this is the case take slow and shallow breaths only when absolutely required. Embrace the tension ( and/or push to the chakra of the head and then hold it outside and above the head ). Slightly higher propensity for hallucinatory phenomena. Higher propensity for the temporary attainments: 'state of little bodily resistance' and 'state of no bodily resistance'.
Example(kundalini fire-breathing): Rapidly breathe in and out in an extremely shallow manner. Bellowing the belly with each breath. Occasionally bring your focus to the sensory related to the breath going in and out of the nostrils. (Fabricating the sensory as if the breath were going in and out of the nostrils manipulates the flow of the breath.) There are many minor, unique, and irrelevant aspects to this specific posture.
-THE GREAT BLISSES/KARMAMUDRAS
Both Tsongkhapa and Tilopa say very clearly 'without Karmamudra, there is no <complete> Mahamudra' (or Dzogchen or Tantra or Chan or Zen or Daoist inner alchemy etc).
The complexity of the rlung/prana/chi system in it's entirety is surprising. Many schools consider tummo the foundation of all meditations primarily due to it's influence over the rlung system. Yantra Yoga considers controlling this system and the body superior to meditation, as the mind-stream is prana movement. Only cultivating experiential observation of the system will clear up misunderstandings concerning how the system works. Completing a practice through fabrication alone is a facade of the practice. Willed fabrications are only used to ignite the system and to maintain it's ignition (this changes when all the prana combine into one). Visualization isn't required but can be helpful. The awareness-holder traditions say visualization is merely conventional in general, that mastering the emanation and retraction of rays of light is far more important.
<Examples of minimal and mild direct interaction with the system itself non-related to these postures: By observing the subtle formless activation related to the silent-thinker (that-which-'whispers'-thoughts) when one repeats a mantra or initiates a thought-process, one becomes aware of/involved/entangled with it. The mind can then be postured in such a way to activate the silent thinker but play nothing but 'concentrated silence' or the 'mantra of silence'. Most modern people have 2-4 differing activation potentials related to silent-thinking; one observes then activates all of them. In this way thinking becomes entirely reflexive and can be ceased and held at will.
Further, left with only the subtle and subtlest mind. As with the above, the silent-thinker and the course mind is domesticated. By observing that-which-moves-attention and the subtle formless activation potential related to it, one can get involved and entirely cease the movement of attention. In this way attention becomes entirely reflexive and will only move if commanded.>
Bodily-fabrications work in a slightly different manner than mental-fabrications. There is a different preconditioning that exists with bodily fabrications. The rules for such preconditioning can be altered and there are differing limits relative to mental-fabrications. The nerves in the chest can participate in the co-emergence of the experience of empathy in a fundamentally different way than the nerves in the groin do. There are however states that all nerve-groups have in common. Further, 'bodily fabrications' includes physiological processes. Moreover, there is obviously an intercomplimentary relationship between the fabrications (rlung is primary), as bodily fabrications can be consolidated into mental fabrications and mental fabrications can be consolidated into bodily fabrications.
Different chakras/wheels represent different manifestations of such bodily-fabrication preconditioning. Merely awakening each of basic blisses at each of the respective 5 wheels is generally considered enough to pass beyond to the next stage of this path (preferable to partially/fully awaken the great blisses). There is much depth beyond this bare minimum, including a fruition that reprograms root awareness. These practices can be adjusted to fit a variety of goals. Obviously this should be done without any grasping.
"...There are two approaches to the practice: first to establish stable clarity in the radiant appearance of the channels and chakras for a prolonged period of time; and not to do so. The former is the most effective approach. The (Indian) mahasiddha Lawapa also gave the advice that we should cultivate the radiant appearance of the channels."
Example (basic): With actual coitus; visualization of coitus; pornography; the meditative heat itself; all experience or non-duality/non-conceptuality itself being the supporting object to activate arousal vis-a-vis evolutionary program and/or resolve (depending on yogic strength). Utilize one or many of the tummo examples (with differing effects upon arousal, bliss, etc, etc). Will the heat from the stomach to the chest or starting from the chest; transmute and migrate the bliss that arises through the arousal, in conjunction with the heat, to the chest. The bliss emanating from this area will fill the whole body with a bliss 'like warm butter melting in the sun'. A warm orgasmic whole-body senate is indicative that the bliss is activated enough to roll the heat/bliss through the throat area. Often in the beginning there is a need to practice moving the prana specifically between two wheels. Take two wheels and roll prana back and forth, with prana being unconditioned or conditioned by any wheels in between the two (at one's command). Whether or not prana goes through or passes by to another wheel can be made wholly dependent on will. Now instead of the whole field of experience being primarily conditioned through the chest bliss, fabricate in a way so the chest-based-bliss is additionally enjoyed through the lens of the meta-enjoyment throat area. One should finally roll the heat/bliss up and through the head (occasionally causing emptiness cycles).
Merely awakening the blisses does not ignite the great nature (one has to stroke the flame of each bliss considerably to get it to a roaring fire). One needs to become absorbed in the chest area heat with non-conceptuality and/or altruism if/when any of the blisses are causing outward emissions, both regular ejaculate and prostate fluid itself. Occasionally will experience a bliss (a similar but generally faint bliss when compared) associated with prostate reverse-ejecting fluid upwards...this can happen with regular tummo as well, generally during the beginning of emptiness cycles or with a heat cycle that has been intentionally prolonged.
Beginner may run into dopamine tolerance and may find arousal difficult. May accidentally develop less-useful dispassion and small potential for forms of liberation (there are obviously myriad types of enlightenment/liberation), both temporary and non, that besmirch the progress along this meta-path. Both in terms of mastering unsurpassed compassion/bodhicitta/4 immeasurable joys and utilizing the passions to control powerful bodily forces. A dispassionate detachment in relation to the disciplined summoning of the passions is quite different than the less-useful dispassion. Reverse the flow back to the genital region if this is the case and cause desire.
Independent of dopamine tolerance (which is eventually transcended completely; appearing related to natural processes that mirror optogenetics) occasionally one will have to reverse the wheels and reignite the energy/bodily-awareness with bliss. One can pull all the rlung/prana that allows fabrication entirely from an area of nerves, reverse the wheels/chakras and use tummo to push back to the area. Once the 'stream of bliss' has picked up again, continue the flow pushing the heat and bliss upwards. There are diverging ways to fabricate and force gratification (dopamine-type). Yogis of only average capacity will rely heavily in the on constant stroking of animal-like lust/desire.
If one overly fabricates (manual stuffing of channels with prana) or becomes overly absorbed on specific sub-channels for too long without occasionally distributing the fabrication or reversing the wheels, the prana will become extremely energetic and will resist certain types of fabrications. If one hasn't achieved or can't actively cultivate release or non-conceptuality or emptiness then the experience of this energetic prana can be discomforting/painful.
Most at this point change the flavor-of-experience for fabrications and can cease most fabrications. When one allows the hyper-energetic prana, it can become far too physiological to extinguish easily (completely cease in a moment or two). If one forces the hyper-energetic prana and generates large amounts of bodily/energetic desire being-willed-from the base of the spine, the shatki phenomena will dawn in the spine and/or groin. At this point regardless of whether one is maintaining the hyper-energetic prana (as long as for a threshold period and a threshold amount of this type of perturbed prana) in a specific area or one is choosing to roll it up or down the wheels/chakras, the system is ripe for the kundalini to arise. Either in through the groin or behind this, in the spine. Often with twin channels being filled with dynamic hyper-energetic (this time to the nth degree) prana that without certain orders of release/emptiness/non-conceptuality will 'nip and bite' the nerves. Each tummo method will work the kundalini up differently when it has dawned in these ways.
<note: the thigle/phantasm is a different phenomena than kundalini (though can be conditioned by kundalini), the thigle relates to visions and the bardo in a way the kundalini does not and does not progress along the channels in any similar way; kundalini is a pure phenomena arising from the power of a deep and subtle desire. The power of the energetic sexual dance that perpetuates the living.>
Other phenomena of the many include an energetic orgasm built from the mingling of the blisses (even if not great blisses). Generally from a point behind the testicles, upwards a great orgasmic swooning that upon reaching the head, will cause varying blissful emptinesses. Often becoming extinguished by the gaiety into the emptinesses including the cessation of perception. A specific fruition can but rarely dawns with the weaker practices/less-than-great blisses. A special type of extinction due to the bliss, leading to a few respective levels of persisting innate/orgasmic bliss (depending on a variety of factors including the type, depth, and span of the ignited blisses, heats, and other fabrications at the moment of and leading up to the extinction). A reprogramming of the awareness at the level of the unborn. (There is a difference between the mid-term blisses born through momentum of the practice following along, post practice, and the permanent blisses born from the novel extinctions.)
Further phenomena include all the winds (prana) combining into one throughout all the channels. Initially and into a mid-term, will have considerable prana movement throughout the whole body. This has a chance of occurring after sufficient rounds of heat have burned away most-to-all blockages (including from regular tummo). Further, for most it will dawn eventually (threshold differs per yogi) as one matures along these paths. Differing pros and and cons arrive. Some have to relearn the manipulation of specific channels, and moving prana back and forth. Certain states and samadhis become much easier and intuitive (ex. varying reflexive levels of non-conceptuality/non-objectification; absorptions beyond the senses; gyulu practices). Fabricating antidotes becomes more difficult for some while directly interacting with the rlung system becomes easier.
A phenomena generally relating to the winds combining are the outer signs pertaining to the appearance of the clear light. This usually occurs prematurely. If complete ego-death isn't already achieved, it will begin simultaneously as the body begins it's purification. Specifically the outer signs are disturbances and disorders caused by the installation process of the clear-light. Subtle & habitual prana mis-patterning is due to an energetic echo of ego. Even if one has extinguished ego, this energetic-pranic echo can still be. This will be also ceased by the time the actual-clear light dawns; the actual clear-light is entirely different then this early dawning clear-light. The clear-light installation coalescing with with the energetic mis-patterning causes friction (disorders etc). Including (one or many symptoms may arise, depending on various factors including the rate of evolution pertaining to any one specific yogi): Various sharp and/or random pains can happen throughout the body and in specific or all the channels. Heat and cold disorders like hot flashes and temperature oscillations. Bloating, swelling, and sores. Illness and pure appearance of illness may arise; the appearances will not generally respond to medications properly. Joint pain, gout, and other arthritic symptoms. Lymph node disorders are possible, neutral lymph changes are rather normal. Specific types of archetypal visions. Some temporarily lose a grip on their behavior to a degree. Temporarily one's behavior doesn't align with one's speech. Idle sometimes random chatter, babbling. Speaking offensively in an unskillful way (different than forceful speech born from skillful-compassion). Concentration may become suddenly interruptible (sometimes even to those who prior could pass beyond the 5 senses or also those who could cause and reflexively hold the cessation of perception) One may occasionally pass out. Hunger, thirst, and restlessness.
If the yogi is experienced and of decent faculties, one will see 'vajra strands/hairs' never ceasing and eventually pearl-like when non-abiding and lattices and half-lattices through the power and momentum of abiding. This is indicative of a specific type of liberation through the channels. <This specific phenomena is utilized to mark and accomplish several accomplishments past this stage as well.>
Train and strengthen the Pubococcygeus muscle to act as a buffer to protect from outward emissions. Utilize a technique common to the west for sexual performance. Contract the muscle thirty times here and there throughout the day. Eventually use light towels to weight lift. Bring oneself to orgasm and then contract muscle and separate the orgasm from the ejaculation. One can modify this further and can reverse the wheel-flow and one will be protected from outward emissions. Except for beginners when the circumstance arises where the emission is forced to move either out or reversed.
Example (advanced): <What follows should be handled with caution. This isn't for those who have heart problems, those who are elderly, those beset by poor health, or those with poor concentration. At points during the learning and mastering of what follows, if one keeps an untamed mind, one will have various bodily repercussions.>
Dedication/determination are required, as this is generally difficult to cultivate/overcome. Preferable for those who have cultivated some order of release; nonconceptuality; nonfabrication; emptiness. Those who can achieve and hold the cessation of perception and/or the cessasion of forms. Those who have completely tamed or completely killed the I-maker. Those who have achieved moderate non-duality. Those of approximate contemplative strength. Most lack the gumption for this practice and for the completion of this meta-path.
Utilizing the aforementioned arousal based supporting objects, one utilizes the held-breath heat yoga. As the prana is pulled towards the central channel, actively fabricate various pleasures associated with the groin. Observe the fabricated senate inverting due to the wheel/chakra reversal caused by the held breath heat yoga. When one fabricates pleasure with this inversion, an entirely altered set of senate become available (males have more than twice the range of pleasurable sexual sensations then most know). One can move/alter this fabrication either direction by altering the movement of the wheels via the held breath or will.
From the perspective of a male body. By observing the muscles and primarily the urethra while the wheels are reversed in favor of moving the rlung into the central channel, manipulation and eventual control through will alone of the flow of the urethra is achieved. Both air and fluids can be drawn into or held in the body this way. Those with poorer faculties may need to generate fabrications while placing the penis more vertically. Some facilitate the reverse-emission by pressing on the prostate or pushing up slightly from underneath the testicles. This allows for easier measurement of the flow function. When one is mapping this area out when first gaining control, mentally discern through the visceral map the difference between the path to the bladder and the path to the prostate. Generally avoid reversing or putting air into the bladder. Again direct physical repercussions will come to those who don't have general reflexive control over their attention, what it sticks to, and it's movement. Urinary track issues, sudden reversal of flow while urinating, prana stuck in the prostate, etc. are all repercussions directly resulting from a lack of discipline. Don't cause unnecessary outwards emissions, this severely handicaps the practice . A practice where one is outwardly emitting every day or every other day while practicing a few hours a day is a faint joke compared to a practice where the emissions have been held everyday for ~two weeks while practicing a few hours a day. Weaker yogis might have trouble breaking this evolutionary addiction in the mid-term.
Again poor concentration is a disqualifier, as it necessitates risk and complications. One will take control of certain functions of the body to ultimately cause a physiological/psychological fruition. Taking operational control of the body isn't a game, and exploring outside the realm of this practice can not be considered anything but risky with no proper guidance. One can literally discover lethality. For example, one can accidentally learn how to get quite involved with the process of the hormone or circulatory system, which can potentially cause death.
Considering the above and with the supporting-objects: Utilize various forms of the heat yoga, held-breath being an emphasis. Cause the blisses. Fabricate a whole-system orgasm before the held-breath/heat causes the upwards flow, or in harmony with this held-breath/heat process, sexualizing it. Those of lesser experience may have to rely on the sexualization of the senate/heat/etc; there are differing categories of sexual senate with respective pros and cons. If one cannot induce orgasm directly through prana movement, will need to generate a myriad of sexual nerve fabrications related to the genitals. Fabricate the orgasm as a cause for ejaculation.
The place for reverse emission is closer to the prostate than the energetic orgasmic point behind the testicles; standard reverse-emissions generally emphasize the prostate aspect, the special extinction requires a reversed full orgasm & emission where both aspects and fluids of the full emission arise; know this to be a huge difference. Again make sure one knows the difference between the route to the bladder and the route to the prostate via visceral map. Utilize the pre-acquired control over the urethra to protect from outward emission (some draw additional air through the reversing of the urethra). Generally focus on the point behind the testicles that surges bliss upwards when the wheels are reversed and cause the upward flow during orgasm. Focus and direct the bliss from this point to the head and cause extinction or emptinesses. The fluids are brought up and into the system either through the force of the upwards flow or manually through entangled concentration and directing the system via fabrications.
In the beginning, if one comes across a forced outwards emission, focus intently on the point behind the testicles. Reverse the flow to the head, causing varying emptinesses and occasional cessation. One may then ride the energetic momentum of the middle or end of the orgasm/emission. Catching and reverse-emitting some, gaining knowledge and experience concerning the super-bliss state and visceral map functioning. This is less needed if one is somewhat experienced with basic tummo, as generally this energetic point becomes occasionally active and reversive.
If the kundalini had awoken during this session, and if the extinction was performed well, the kundalini will be solidified and imprinted permanently into the system (with the associated nootropic activation; kundalini itself and it's myriad side effects/tangents will be left to rest considering information density; a threshold of non-conceptuality is key to kundalini obstacles). Generally stabilized assuming prior diligence. The kundalini and the shakti can both rise up the spine or through a substrate/system that is fitted more generally across all the experience. Moves through the pathway the tummo heat does (some would conventionally say in the 'center of one's being'). Ideally a stabilization of both routes can occur. If correct control was demonstrated over the heat, the fluids, the energy, and the blisses are brought to a great roaring blaze...then the special extinction will bring about an impregnation of the awareness. An impregnation of powerful and perpetual orgasmic youthful gaiety.
There is a distinction in function/effect between orgasm/fabrications-relating-to-orgasm and ejaculation/fabrications-relating-to-ejaculation as far as the brain is concerned. The male brain most resembles a female's brain right after ejaculation-related brain mechanisms fire (including fabrications where one convinces the brain of the effect without forcing actual emission, also applies in specific circumstances when causing an orgasm and/or reverse or regular emission of the prostate alone). Also a ripe time to generate heart fabrications. The success, authenticity and quality of the heart fabrications depends on many factors including the various pros and cons demonstrated by the differing enlightenments/liberations present (i.e. mastering and generating the highest and most unexcelled compassion/bodhicitta is generally blunted severely by many of the liberations etc).
Early on, one may go through spurts of hyper-sexuality and through spurts of non-sexuality. Peace eventually dawns in relation to the sexual evolutionary programs. Further, if one wishes, one can remove sexual perception. In line with Padmasambhava and Mohandas Gandhi, one dwells with the perception of being mother, with others being sons and daughters.
Those that have gone far in the specific bardo, the rebirth-bardo of the mind-stream, using the Tibetan jugular-strangulation technique (one of the actual-death techniques) claim that one sees one's future parents copulating. As one gets closer to the region of genital contact a bliss occurs. One enters the region and faints into unconsciousness from the intensifying bliss. The series of postures are thought to recreate that very special bliss within one's own body, and transmute this bliss with one's awareness. 5 distinct blisses conjoin into a super-bliss that impregnates the root of one's awareness. Reprogramming the state of awareness to perpetual bliss. This isn't about merely finding peace, this is also about progressing along one's way to mastery over the medium of illusion and building a phenomenal paradise. The conquering of the frolic. The disciplined emanation of jubilation. The very beginning of the bliss-body.
Upon having a rather effective supporting object, the great-bliss practices and the heat practices can be learned together from the beginning. Having certain yogic strength is prerequisite. Vigorous summoning of desire and/or threshold knowledge of emptiness/fabrication manipulation (such as sexualizing the heat/bodily tension) allows the non-arising of aversion during the entire heat-cycle (diligence is master and key for yogis of weak faculties). In this way one practices under the specific path category of 'Vajrasattva buddha-mind'. Practicing through the natural purity of the aggregate of consciousness, practicing & achieving purity without the renunciation of aversion. There are a great number of path categories, with texts and mantras devoted to listing them; most often through triple entendre-like coding. Another being the 'Vairocana buddha-body' path category. Practicing through the natural purity of the aggregate of form, practicing & achieving purity without the renunciation of delusion. <i.e. under inspection, actualism/af is an incomplete echo of this; with additional path tendencies of the 'Ratnamsambhava buddha-attributes', unknowingly due to lack of academic rigor> The Ratnasambhava buddha-attributes path category, practicing through the natural purity of the aggregate of feelings, practicing & achieving purity without the renunciation of pride. Sakyamuni, prodigy & trailblazer, achieved an emanational buddha form that acted on behalf of sentience practicing through the natural purity of attachment.
"If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive in what is not repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the repulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in what is repulsive, he dwells thus perceiving the unrepulsive. If he wishes to dwell perceiving the repulsive both in what is repulsive and what is not repulsive, if he wishes to dwell perceiving the unrepulsive in both..., he dwells thus. If he wishes, avoiding both the repulsive and unrepulsive, to dwell equanimous, mindful and clearly aware, he dwells thus, equanimous, mindful and clearly aware, or, attaining the heart's release called 'beautiful' he abides there. I declare that the heart's release by loving-kindness has the beautiful for its excellence."
Bodhisattva inclined should ideally take the supporting object as the great non-dual dakini or guru. The primordial mother that births the clear-light. Moreover, if one's bodhicitta or immeasurable joys are strong enough (for those of greater faculties; with moderate experience using the function of emptiness), then these can act as the supporting object, in myriad or individually. Should transmute desire to the heartfelt desire for beings to be free from suffering. Further cultivate an outshining resolve for bodhicitta and specifically to master this practice to lead beings in this life and/or with emanational bodies. If one has the 4 immeasurables or other heart fabrications like the varying securities (including emotionally based) as primary and ignited well when one reaches the threshold point when trying to reach the special extinction, then these can be impregnated into awareness when the extinction happens. One can impregnate rich and unbound emotional fulfillment and emotional intimacy with all. This is a liberation of heart fabrications. These states when ignited well prior and upon impregnation, generally show much stronger entactogenic effects than described by entactogen users. <afterwards, through disciplined non-fabrication, one can temporarily reduce into potentials; regardless the root state remains radically altered> Only upon dedicating the bliss and karma of the practice to all beings for the sake of their mastery/liberation & security, will one experience extraordinary visions of yogis dawning before one and blessing one's heart. My experience tells me it absolutely appears to be the prerequisite for several bodhisattva-only samadhi/vision states.
-THE ILLUSORY BODY/DREAM YOGA (and beyond) This is to remain only a reference as much guided experiential cultivation is required or else instabilities can arise.
There are many ways and aspects to meditate on concerning the unreality of the illusory world. Secondly, meditating on all as being lucid dream, causing dramatic relationship changes with the senses and the sleep and dream states. Ceasing dreaming all together utilizing the various clear-lights of sleep(subjectivity can continue throughout 99% of the entire sleeping period). Beyond or before this one can cause a constant and consistent round or singular lucid dream every night, where occasionally the a quick cessation of perception occurs and if one is aware and intends to remain beyond it, the lucid experience merely continues. The degree to which lucidity can be pushed will shock most. Eventually integrating this state, where one can exist beyond dream or within a dream fabricated to whichever degree one chooses. Thirdly, meditating on it being the bardo, which is reserved for those who have experienced the bardo, as there is a specific quality that is to be drawn out that is very distinct to the specific quality of the lucid-dream perception. Again causing rather dramatic changes.
This mind is of the current conclusion that many of these details are to be kept for those who can demonstrate a threshold of stability, determination, faculties in general etc. If you are someone who seriously wants to complete these practices (prerequisites being completion of this meta-path up to this point and the above stated) then post (and pm me) and over the next 2 years a detailed correspondence might be held.
Eventually, special tangents can be followed. Example, one can decode and unravel the senses themselves, allowing the mind to generate and sustain hallucinations of all types. If one is truly skilled (and mentally hearty) and some degree of the non-actual clear light has dawned, then one can completely fill the experience with fabrications. One can make a human or an inanimate object look like something else like a dog etc. The sense-doors themselves are made reflexive. One begins to see the bardo of the living for what it is.
After this stage, one is halfway through this meta-path. After this, one strokes a fuller awakening of the clear-light (many have to awake the actual clear-light before the bardo will dawn). After this, one practices bringing the bardo visions (example of the interconnectedness of these practices, as most cannot complete the illusory body until they have had a taste or two of the bardo; it is rare but not unheard of to experience the bardo before this stage, as this mind had many times). After one utilizes bardo yoga to dawn the actual illusory body and the actual clear-light, one abides unmoving one's mind for long periods of time. One isn't to allow a single moment of mental movement for several hours hours a day, while being absorbed on various wheels. Abiding in this way for quite some time leads to a samadhi, after which a special type of fruition occurs and one leaves the trance a type of Buddha with the coalescence and integration of the actual illusory body and actual clear-light. This proves to just be a beginning of sorts as then there are practices related to fully bringing the state of a pureland into mind. Leading to some of the most advanced states ever practiced in this world, such as waking sambhogakaya pure-land emanation/visionary samadhis. Actual ground and actual dharmakaya practices.
There are greater and lesser pococuranti. With unexcelled knowledge or conduct, with both, with neither. Believe only that you yourself have tested and judged truly if the testing and judging stands equivalent to the highest possible conception of testing and judging. Don't fall into the trap Stephen Batchelor did. Moreover don't settle for habitual cynicism, naive realism, justifying and projecting one's shortcomings, or anything but the highest possible conception. This would be nothing but settling for less. This behooves any seeking the unexcelled knowledge and conduct. |