.Generally I don't write about my visions and practice experiences simply because people start resonating with them rather than the decade of study, hardships, and tutelage under qualified teachers I sought to discover their meanings.
The truth is that we Westerners are so impatient and hungry for the mystical experience we feel any extra-normal event we have must be tied to the great mystic path.
Many are so desirous that taking hallucinogens becomes an option. A
jumpstart, a workaround of the real practices that must be painstakingly accumulated for authentic results. Folks who do this often label themselves shamans, yogis,
yoginis, "
Maha-something-or-other" and combinations thereof as a means of forgoing the rigor of shaking down Western arrogance and pride about these things.
If they can patronize a few high ranking monks, to them their affluence and inner experiences alone appear as a level of enlightenment. Really, this is hungry ghost phenomena within the Wheel of Life. There have been more than a few who've unleashed
Kundalini energy or tapped their
Chakra energy only to reel out of control damaging themselves and others in the name of
nirvanic or some other kind of bliss. Ouch!
This kind of bliss is prevalent and known to my students as oppressive bliss. Oppressive meaning the bliss has become a chip on the student's shoulder even though there has not been much study or practice beyond the experience itself.
It is possible to begin one's spiritual life with visions or ext
ra-normal experiences as I did fourteen years ago. I had a vision but the process of coming to that moment started twenty five years prior and continued in absolute devotion to dream yoga and
Dzogchen training with lineage holders for well over a decade thereafter.
If you take time to study this you find there are an increasing number of
supernormal experiences being recounted by American men and women. This increase is due in part to the lessening feelings of shame and embarrassment students often feel as a result of their conversion issues. For some, having visions and
extranormal experiences are a sin in the tradition of their birth religion. They have not quite resolved the visceral experience Eastern
spiritualities often bring. Stories of excitement coupled with confusion and bewilderment can often be a frightening aftermath.
Many students experience the events as a kind of
psychospiritual incontinence. They report their body doing weird things for no apparent reason and experience a sense of loss of control.
I do not know the person in the following example and cannot speak to their individual experience, but the story seems similar to the ones I've heard many times:
Jan 21 Shaktiput experience - Shaktipat&Kundalini---Maha/Siddha Yoga: "I saw some white lights in the upper left corner of my vision. My left side of my head was tingling, and tickling. What I found very intense was when it felt like my eyes were being pulled upwards to the top of my crown and pulling so hard with so much tension. I could even feel the tip of my my nose raising. This happened three different times. My legs started to do butterflies and much easier and faster than I know what I can do physically."
For this student and many others I hope my brief discussion here is helpful. Generally, I always ask the student, "Were you doing Eastern spiritual, mental or physical practices?" They say yes, then I say, "congratulations you achieved a successful result."
I end the conversation with, "Please don't try to do it again, don't think about, and better yet, forget it ever happened. Just keep doing what you're doing. " They say yes, humbly, as I glean in their eye they can't wait to tell someone else about it.
For my students I want you to remember
supernormal events are traditionally held as secret between the student and teacher. The energy of the event is confirmation of the correct practice. As I've taught many times, you must hold the
experience of the event as though it were air in a balloon. Every time you think, talk, or share the experience with others a little of your wisdom power is released. Soon the experience is in danger of being deflated to an ordinary story to share with anyone willing to respectfully listen. Our goal is to accumulate
wisdom energy, not squander it.
Students sometimes gather to share their stories, have the
OMG moment, then continue wandering through Labyrinthine practices hoping for another super-experience. I've also seen students compete for the best story, if they don't feel they can win with a personal story they start talking about their teacher's experiences or an experience of a great
yogin they read about. They exhaust themselves in
phantasmagoric voyeurism until it becomes
un-fun, then change the subject.
If you find yourself in the midst of this kind of discussion change the subject sooner than later. If that doesn't work, change friends.
The problem is we simply don't have enough qualified Western
tantric teachers to serve the growing numbers of students having experiences. It is unclear whether teachers being trained in Asia at this very moment will be able to come to America and liberate us from being their followers. Unfortunately, today some really good students are left to circulate vulnerably in communities without a teacher that can give definitive and clear instructions on handling thoughts and emotions that arise from successful practice. Some have made good income from counseling these students but the knowledge on how to complete their practice is not fully known or shared. There are exceptions of course but generally students are left with more questions than answers.
If you should have an experience of this type it's best to keep it to yourself. I was fortunate, from the beginning I had teachers who pointed me in the right direction or who admitted they had no idea what it was. As a result of my fortunate Karma to meet renown teachers and guides I came to know the meaning of my visions and experiences. It would have been impossible for me to understand these complex matters without them. Always remember your responsibility to guard your mind as part of devoted practice and study.
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