Buddhism and kundalini

As a University lecturer in Comparative Religions, Lance Cousins had to teach what he was paid to teach, but as a then current President of the Samatha Association and a student himself of Nai Boonan, he kept his 'teachings' to us as pure Theravadan Buddhism. We also as prospective meditation teachers studied the Abhidhamma.

That said, he did not discourage us from setting up a day on Christian Mysticism and a small group who wanted to study astrology. I do agree with you, though, that many teachers want the 'do as I say and not what I do' and maybe that is just as well!

All that said, I consider that the Established Church has deliberately withheld vital teachings, especially those of Yeshua, to keep the people under their power.

[sky]

Originally Posted by Valerian

As a University lecturer in Comparative Religions, Lance Cousins had to teach what he was paid to teach, but as a then current President of the Samatha Association and a student himself of Nai Boonan, he kept his 'teachings' to us as pure Theravadan Buddhism. We also as prospective meditation teachers studied the Abhidhamma.

That said, he did not discourage us from setting up a day on Christian Mysticism and a small group who wanted to study astrology. I do agree with you, though, that many teachers want the 'do as I say and not what I do' and maybe that is just as well!

All that said, I consider that the Established Church has deliberately withheld vital teachings, especially those of Yeshua, to keep the people under their power.

Yes it probably is a good thing we don't do what they do, who knows what they get up to behind closed doors
I agree with you that some of Jesus's teachings where kept hidden/secret you only have to read some of the Gnostic gospels, I love the Gospel of Thomas, you can see Buddha's teachings in it. The Church definately wanted to keep the masses ignorant and under control, you can see this happening even today, we are so lucky to have moved on.

[Ground]

Originally Posted by django

Buddha is sometimes depicted as having an upright cobra flared over his head, in fact multiple cobras, which is classic kundalini iconography, and yet original Buddhism doesn't seem to have anything to say about kundalini. So this made me curious - what is the Buddhist attitude to kundalini?

Why engage in questions like this when the depictions are actually the depictions of an interest group?
'The buddha' is kidnapped by so many interest groups. Why not let 'the buddha' speak for himself and just acknowledge what is transmitted as spoken by the buddha?
Take the words of the buddha as transmitted by the tradition and nowhere you will find anything like 'kundalini'.

Tell me, why do you need the figure of 'the buddha' to promote your kundalini ideas? Why can't you be content with promoting something different from buddhism?

[django]

Originally Posted by Ground

Why engage in questions like this when the depictions are actually the depictions of an interest group?
'The buddha' is kidnapped by so many interest groups. Why not let 'the buddha' speak for himself and just acknowledge what is transmitted as spoken by the buddha?
Take the words of the buddha as transmitted by the tradition and nowhere you will find anything like 'kundalini'.

Tell me, why do you need the figure of 'the buddha' to promote your kundalini ideas? Why can't you be content with promoting something different from buddhism?

To ask if the snakes associated with some Buddha images depicts kundalini is not "promoting my kundalini ideas". To learn that they represent something utterly Buddhist as ADAY described on the previous page and quoted below...

Originally Posted by AlwaysDayAfterYesterday

Mara is illusion, or the six regions of lower Triloka. Tamas is represented by the three snakes on the left (ignorance / form). Rajas the three on the right (passion / time). Sattva is the larger snake, or the appearance of enlightenment from overcoming Mara. BUDH means to awaken. Sattva is our true mind in the 7th dimension. Overcoming space / time is the process to defeat Mara. Mara is Buddha's mother. Prajapati (Lord of People) is the next Mother, or the higher nature requiring Buddha to become the BodhiSattva, returning to overcome the ignorance of others. "How will you impart strength to others?" Compassion.

Mara and Prajapati are sisters (direct relatives to one thing). MIND! Naga is Mind shedding a skin, or the same snake reborn. Dragon head eating snake tale is wisdom still consuming itself with remainder.

Mucalinda.

.

...helps me to sort out something that confused me. Yet you still think this depiction is from an interest group? You don't agree with ADAY's perspective?

Personally I'm looking to understand where our great spiritual thinkers were coming from, and am not in the business of promoting kundalini or anything else for that matter.

[running]

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.

this is why i have a disgust towards buddhism. time after time 90% of the time fhe ignorance from them is astounding.

those tutors if anything should be your students if you wished to be one. there own dogma and lack of real experience is nothing but a hindrance.

9 times out of 10 i would guess one could go further, faster, staying away from idiots of that sort.

i seriously doubt you would of died or become mentally ill if you road it out. let the energy do her thing. it probaboy wouldnt of brought you to a bliss and silence that stayed. but you may have experienced it more than you have before. making you one step closer to it becoming your experience without breaks. meaning continuous.

i have seen people open up and experience the bliss and silence. i never seen one die or become mentally ill. not that it couldn't happen. but in this world anything could happen. but it doesnt make it likely.

[sky]

https://www.burmese-art.com/about-bu...ues-with-snake

Here is a explaination.

[sky]

Originally Posted by running

this is why i have a disgust towards buddhism. time after time 90% of the time fhe ignorance from them is astounding.

those tutors if anything should be your students if you wished to be one. there own dogma and lack of real experience is nothing but a hindrance.

9 times out of 10 i would guess one could go further, faster, staying away from idiots of that sort.

i seriously doubt you would of died or become mentally ill if you road it out. let the energy do her thing. it probaboy wouldnt of brought you to a bliss and silence that stayed. but you may have experienced it more than you have before. making you one step closer to it becoming your experience without breaks. meaning continuous.

i have seen people open up and experience the bliss and silence. i never seen one die or become mentally ill. not that it couldn't happen. but in this world anything could happen. but it doesnt make it likely.

The ignorance comes from Buddhist's NOT Buddhism.

[django]

Originally Posted by sky123

https://www.burmese-art.com/about-bu...ues-with-snake

Here is a explaination.

Thankyou for the extra information sky, it's actually quite an interesting story behind it.

[sky]

Originally Posted by django

Thankyou for the extra information sky, it's actually quite an interesting story behind it.

Your welcome, there is a story behind everything

[django]

Originally Posted by running

this is why i have a disgust towards buddhism. time after time 90% of the time fhe ignorance from them is astounding.

those tutors if anything should be your students if you wished to be one. there own dogma and lack of real experience is nothing but a hindrance.

9 times out of 10 i would guess one could go further, faster, staying away from idiots of that sort.

i seriously doubt you would of died or become mentally ill if you road it out. let the energy do her thing. it probaboy wouldnt of brought you to a bliss and silence that stayed. but you may have experienced it more than you have before. making you one step closer to it becoming your experience without breaks. meaning continuous.

i have seen people open up and experience the bliss and silence. i never seen one die or become mentally ill. not that it couldn't happen. but in this world anything could happen. but it doesnt make it likely.

The question to me would be why do Buddhists/Buddhism dismiss kundalini, it's not as though they wouldn't know about it, is there something that they know about either kundalini or spirituality or the meaning of life that you don't know???