To: K-list
Recieved: 2002/05/22 13:03
Subject: [K-list] the path and kundalini
From: bhutanbodhi
On 2002/05/22 13:03, bhutanbodhi posted thus to the K-list:
Here's some more from To Realize Enlightenment, Practice of the
Cultivation Path by Master Nan Huai-Chin
Everyday all of you want to cultivate the Path. The first thing to
do if you cultivate the path is hold firm to lonliness. The hightest
form of cultivation in human life is to be able to hold on firm to
loniliness, and be able to appreciate solitude. When a person
really cultivating the Path is faced with a realm of solitude, they
can feel very comfortable. If you cannot bear loneliness, if you
cannot hold firm to solitude, then you cannot accomplish anything.
This is especially true since cultivating the path is basically
cultivating quiet extinction. When quit extinction arrives, if you
cannot hold firmly to it, isn't this fleeing from the Path? Here
forbearance is not needed. IF you move far beyond the fear of
emptiness, this is true forebearance.
The Shasta says:"Since it is near cause for seeing the Path, and it
is supreme among all worldly phenomena [the four intensified
practice]
is called 'the supreme worldly dharma'."
Only this is truly seeing the Path. The Bodhisatva Maitreya tells
us this in literary language, from a learned point of view. In terms
of phenomenal characteristics, warming is really getting warm.
Moreover, warmth, life, and consciousness are essentially one.
Therefore, enlightenment means that you transform consciousness into
wisdom. If you really transform the conceptual consciousness, when
you
transform it into subtle observing wisdom, there will always be heat
generated. The esoteric school's practices of cultivating the breath,
cultivating the energy channels, cultivating the bright spots, and
cultivating the kundalini, are no more than the first step of
warming.
There is nothing special about them.
...
And from one of his other books Working Towards Enlightenment, The
Cultivation of the Path
In Theory of the teaching, the four intensified practices are
"warming", "the peak", "forebearance", and "the supreme worldly
dharma." Naturally they have their explanations, and they are very
reasonable. If we discuss them by strict inference from the theory
of
the teaching, each step of the four intensified practices requires
its
own type of cultivation work. For example, when we study Buddhism
and
study Taoism, we immediately talk of questions of physical
transformations and ch'i channels. I have never seen a person who,
by
the standards of Taoism, has opened up the special meridians and the
eight channels. Even if they were opened up, basically it still
wouldn't count as consummating the path and achieving enlightenment.
As for the first step in the four intensified practices-the
phenomenon
of "warming"-this also doesn't involve opening the ch'i channels.
After the ch'i channels are truly and correctly opened, what kind of
realm is it? The person is sitting cross-legged with both legs drawn
up: not only doesn't he think of putting his legs down, but on the
contrary his whole body has become supple, he is merged with
emptiness, his spirit is very light, and he is incomparably
comfortable and at ease. Only after the ch'i channels are truly and
correctly opened up can light within the body be generated. Even if
there is no light, inside the person there still is an expanse of
light. Normally, when the average person closes his eyes, what is
before him is all black: this is called the mass of unenlightened
ignorance.
But we must not assume that this expanse of light is the realm of the
great light. This would be very wrong! This is still a light that
has form. I tell you, only at this time after this ight is
generated,
can the kundalini rise. (In chinese, kundalini is also called
spiritual power, or the spiritual capability.) The relationship of
ths fundamental capability of our inherent nature to our bodies is
like "the tast of salt in water, or the pigment in something
coloured." If we put some salt into a cup of pure water, after we
mix
it in, the water is salty. Can you take out the salt? If we add
pigment to water, we cannot take it out either. In the same way,
this
inherent spiritual capability in our lives cannot be separated from
these bodies of ours. Even someone who could separate it still would
no awaken to the path. This is the work of cultivating realization.
Only when this spiritual capability comes forth, have we reached the
phenomenon of "warming" in the four intensified practices.
enjoy...
erik
http://www.kundalini-gateway.org
http://www.domin8rex.com/serpent/spirit/kindex.htm
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