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Comment by nprateem | Hacker News Reader

I've finally worked out how to awaken kundalini. I'm holding back for now, but plan to practice a lot from October until it happens. It's going to be a wild autumn.

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I always wondered why people “race” (for the lack of a better word) to awaken kundalini. May I ask why you want to move to it quicker?

As I was taught it’s like the opening of a flower; in due time it will blossom.

I want to hit the bliss states :). I mean, people talk about so much bliss and ecstasy you almost can't bear any more, and nearly pass out with the pleasure. All the major lineages I've researched talk about meditation leading you to states of unparalleled bliss, and freedom.

I'm incredibly privileged to live in this place and time. Right now, practices that used to be secret across multiple traditions and cultures are available to study openly, without spending a lifetime at a guru's feet. This also helps see patterns, to separate the genuinely useful practices from superstitious dogma. My basic needs are met and I have sufficient time to practice.

As I see it, there are two possibilities:

a) all the spiritual stuff is real

b) it's just an illusion of the mind

Either way, I'll gain greater knowledge of myself and subconscious, and hope to enter bliss states which, by many accounts, are actually deeply satisfying (unlike the majority of experiences I normally have).

So then, if there's a choice between aiding the process to get there faster, or allowing it to blossom in its own time, I'd be foolish to risk it never blossoming and throwing away this golden opportunity.

The other thing with just allowing it to blossom, is how do you know it will? I've been practising for over 20 years and have only had glimpses of deeper states, never previously being able to repeat them. If you're doing the right practice I'm sure deeper states will blossom. But unless you have some way of measuring whether your practice will be productive, you just risk getting nowhere fast.

Don't these lineages also tell you the bliss and ecstasy is but a distraction and that you should not pursue it as the end goal?

Yes, 100%. That's why I liked Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond where the author is clear about that. But I need to start from where I am. He says you hit these states and initially love them, but eventually become dissatisfied with them too, so you keep going deeper into pure consciousness, tranquility, etc. That seems like a healthy approach, not denying them but rather realising they aren't the ultimate end. But as I'm not there right now, I use them to fuel my enthusiasm, but don't expect them to be an end in themselves.

Thanks for your detailed response and to read your perspective.

I can see why you would go for this and experience it, especially if you practiced for 20 years. It seems you thought about it well.

On b) I would entertain the idea that the mindstuff is always an illusion and what the mind is, is a pointer to Conciousness (Cit)

I studied for over 10 years now, but I did have superlative experiences that helped me inform my life choices and outlook in a positive way once you get beyond dogma and so on.

Since past few years, I am able to trigger a sensation at my will which is so pleasant that it's addictive. I looked for some medical phenomena and found ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response). My experience differs from ASMR as mine begins in the opposite direction of ASMR and is like a continuous flow.

The KAP has very similar description of Kundalini. At this point I am confused.

If there's a strong sexual or electrical feeling to the sensation, if it emanates from the base of the spine, moves within (or just in front of) the spine, or in the centre of your head you may want to look into yogic and meditative practices (including KAP).

Perhaps the descriptions in this AYP lesson [1] will resonate with you. I've found their forum very helpful for answering questions.

[1] https://www.aypsite.com/56.html

That and the details in link indeed resonate with me. This practice helps me focus and relax so that's good enough for me. It goes away when my brain is clogged with thoughts and comes back when I clear everything. I'll have a look at these practices to learn more. Thanks

If you don't mind my asking - why do it? From my very limited understanding of vedant, moksh is the only "true" goal. Is awakening the kundalini more of a "fun" exercise or is it helpful for say meditation?

Hmm, a couple of reasons:

* some subjective 'proof' that there's more than just this material existence

* the impermanence of all things in life seems pointless and makes me sad

* personal growth emotionally and spiritually

* to aid meditation. It's supposed to allow you to enter deeper absorptive states quickly - which is where you can do the real work of gaining insight - without having to adopt a 24/7 monastic lifestyle. Hopefully that will allow me to carry on living a relatively normal life, or at least make those states more accessible.

It also carries a fair share of risks (intense energy surges, intense heat, hallucinations, heightened senses, sensitivity to food, the environment, unbalanced emotions, depression to name a few I've heard of), but, well, I'm as prepared as I can be. I'm probably wrong on some or most of the above. But nothing in life is without risks, and I'd rather regret what I have done in this respect instead of being too afraid to step through that doorway.

> the impermanence of all things in life seems pointless and makes me sad

Wouldn't impermanence itself be impermanent then so we won't need be bothered by it too much?

Probably above my pay grade, but as I see it the issue is how we typically relate to the world that causes this kind of sadness, rather than the fact itself. It's like, even though I consciously understand nothing lasts forever, I can't help being sad by it. Some deep structure of my mind won't accept it. The aim of Buddhist insight meditation is, as I understand it, to get to a deep enough level of your mind that you finally accept this at your core. This brings about freedom/liberation, as from then on you're able to just go with the flow without the slightest desire for permanence (or anything really). At least, that's the sales pitch.

> I've finally worked out how to awaken kundalini.

Does it involve consuming copious amounts of Shivji's prasad? /s

I was wondering what causing this heat globally, lately!

Global warming (attr. to Climate change)

How did you learn to do that?

There are multiple resources that teach how to do it:

* https://kundaliniawakeningprocess.com/blog/ (aka KAP) - the most comprehensive course and incorporates lots of safety features to help you deal with the strong energy currents that arise

* https://aypsite.com/ - also thorough and non-sectarian, but doesn't go into as much detail on the safety side

* Dharana darshan by Saraswati - a good book (used to be on kindle). Chakra Shuddhi is my main practice now. I combine it with the deep pelvic floor breathing taught in the KAP course in a deep hip opener asana which I can maintain for hours. This is the technique that I will use to awaken it. I know this because at night I've been getting some precursor Kundalini activity as energy wriggles out of my root chakra and up shushumna.

* https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mindfulness-Bliss-Beyond-Meditators... - the Buddhist perspective. This doesn't mention Kundalini, but shows what's possible by simply focussing your concentration. A yogi would instead aim to awaken Shushumna and Ajna chakra in order to enter the breathless state that is the gateway to the inner world (and I assume, see the nimita Buddhists talk about). Researching the jhanas helped me understand an experience I had 20 years ago but could never reproduce.

I think with all the techniques you need to spend enough time making them your own, and understanding the principles they're based on. Once you see that you can then tweak them instead of treating them as gospel, and tailor them for your own personality, body, etc.

beware ecstatic practices without similar compassion

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