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Originally Posted by Valerian

I have never come across a mention of the kundalini in Buddhism, and as has been previously said, raising the kundalini is normally associated with yoga and Hinduism.

I started practicing Samatha meditation in a Theravadan Buddhist school. I had already practiced Transcendental Meditation in another school of belief. In my second year of the samatha practice as I was sitting practicing in the group under the supervision of our tutor, my mind fell into total silence. Then I felt this amazing, absolutely beautiful spiritual connection as though my breath was entering into another being above me and 'his' outbreath became my inbreath. A highly sexual feeling started in the base of my spine and gently but powerfully ascended. When it got to my throat I needed all my will power to stop it rising further as I had a mental picture of myself dancing around the Buddha statue and screaming like a demented demon! Certainly not something to do in the middle of a quiet sitting practice.

I felt too embarrassed for a few weeks to mention it to any of the tutors as it was such a sexual experience and when I did it was clear that they had no idea what had happened to me. It was eventually described as 'uplifting piti'.

Two years later I mentioned it when attending a Buddhist meditation retreat and our tutor simple said, "I do not subscribe to that".

Then a few years ago, I described it to my current friend/teacher who is a totally remarkable and enlightened man. He said it was the kundalini, and if I had allowed it to rise through the crown of the head, one of three things would have happened: I would have been instantly enlightened; I would have become mentally ill; or I would have died.

I am writing this because I feel strongly that whatever faiths we have, whatever 'religions' we practice, they do not fall into tidy packages. If our hearts are open all things are possible. Regarding the image posted, someone, somewhere felt this connection.

I've also heard people with active kundalini who turn up at Buddhist centres get sent out to work in the garden.

But if the Buddha never mentioned it, it does seem to be unimportant in gaining the enlightenment he experienced.

When you had the vision of you dancing around the Buddha statue and screaming like a demented demon, it's interesting that that was enough to make you resist the rising energy. In retrospect what do you make of this vision now? Do you think it led you in the right direction?