BuddhaTree

Self-Consciousness didn't have a beginning, because it is outside time. Time is within consciousness! I'm not writing about ego-consciousness (exists inside time). I'm talking about universal self-consciousness. @OctagonOctopus puts it very well.

Happiness is where you are timelessness.

Very intriguing information. I've been consistently practicing KSF for over a year, and I began by using the heart area as the concentration spot as well. And, funny enough, I've also intuitively shifted to the perineum over time. Now, if I concentrate on the perineum or merely perform the root lock (outside of practicing kriya yoga), I feel a current of energy rising in the spine towards my crown chakra, in a really powerful way. While I'm practicing KSF, I concentrate on the perineum, and in a couple of rounds, I begin to sense what I can call a spacious open-ended tube going from the root towards the head. It's somewhat similar to feeling the whole spinal cord at once, but the distinction lies in this: my consciousness gets sucked into that tube and I feel like a mass of pulsating "fire energy" performing the practice moving up and down that tube. At the end of the practice, that "fire" (it's not a fire but dunno how to call it) melts my physical body (I lose body awareness) and I dissolve into a blissful feeling, which overwhelms me. Interestingly enough, I also feel similarly when I practice Kriya Pranayama (it's less powerful but more of a "silk" feeling of energy going through the tube).

I practice and enjoy Kriya yoga very much. First of all, I’d say that if you are really interested in Kriya, you should read the whole Mega-Thread. If you don’t, that just tells me you are not really interested in Kriya, and I can guarantee you that you will not go far with it. Second point is that you must not take what is said in this forum concerning Kriya as a rule or as a fact. There are a lot of people that write here that have eloquent speech, but they are simply beginners, and unfortunately, some of them have been deluded by the modern guru-disciple romance or by contemporary organizations. I’ve seen some of that speech lately here (I’m more of a lurker) and it’s always the same thing: romanticized Kriya. Anyway I don’t want to push you away from the beauty of Kriya. It is beautiful indeed but that beauty comes with dogma, and it’s really hard to distill both. As a long term Kriya practitioner I’d suggest you read the Kriya books mentioned in Leo’s booklist and practice the Kriya laid out there. There are different variations, but you will figure out which one suites you. I agree with @Space. If all you do is read and practice according to the book mentioned in this thread, you will get a sense of certainty and security, but it will lead you in a shallow direction. You will be clueless. I have found some of the clues in the other Kriya books that you will find in Leo’s list, but the most important thing is to look at Kriya as a way of reaching enlightenment and not as the holy grail of spirituality. Because it is not. Godspeed.

If you were to "socialize" with the Buddha, Jesus Christ, Ramana Maharshi, Milarepa, Krishna, Rumi, etc, then that would probably be better than any meditation you can do right now. Socialization externalizes your attention towards others, while meditation internalizes your attention into yourself. Can't really compare both mate!

I have, through kriya pranayama + kriya supreme fire + parvastha (final special kriya). In parvastha, samadhi comes naturally if you've done the other 2 practices correctly! The first stills the mind, the second awakes kundalini, the third collapses my ego into awareness. But to reach this stage, I needed a lot of practice. Cheers.

Have you read all the books you recommend? And why do you prefer the sanskrit translation of ribhu gita to the Tamil translation?

https://realyoga.info/2019/04/energy-upward-spiritual-practice/

Thanks for the list! I'm interested in knowing your opinion about this: Talks with Sri Ramana Maharshi is a great book, but it was written by Munagala Venkataramiah (Sri Ramana Maharshi's disciple) hours after the dialogs took place. It's been heavily edited by him because he had to remember quite a lot of details. It's typically the book given to "noobs" on Advaita, because the real deal is on Sri Muruganar's works such as Guru Vachaka Kovai (very advanced) or even on The Collected Works of Sri Ramana Maharshi as you also point out. When a judge once went to take Ramana's testimony regarding some event that had happened on the ashram (I think it was about the ashram's land inheritance or something like that), an accompanying scribe also came with the judge and wrote what Ramana said down. When comparing the words the scribe wrote down (verbatim) to the words Munagala Venkataramiah wrote down, there are some obvious additions to the dialog by Munagala Venkataramiah. He basically colored a lot of the dialogs by his own interpretations and ideas. Self-inquiry is not even properly explained in this book (and it has over 700 pages!) So how can this be a good and recommended book? Don't get me wrong, I really like this book, and it helps me get a feel for Ramana's dialogs and the ambiance in the ashram at the time, but there are better books about Ramana's teachings out there as far as I am concerned.

@GreenWoods @John West I haven't heard anyone saying that Kundalini awakening can kill you besides dogmatic people. My own experience, and of other seekers that I have interacted with have shown me that kundalini can have both fantastic and terrible effects. But death? Not really. I also agree with @GreenWoods in checking Gamana's Kundalini Exposed. If you go by Stevens KSR, you will barely find any worthwhile info about kundalini. The last practice of his book is about raising and stabilizing the Kundalini, and provides no information or relationship between Kundalini and non-duality at all. Like @Inliytened1 said, Kundalini in its essence is 'Being', but 'Being' in 'movement.' It's powerful life-energy, Shakti!

Instead of seeing the present moment as having no duration, you can also see it has being infinitely long. Then you can have all change and movements within it.

@kerk I agree that more important than techniques, it's the connection with the guru, teacher, or better yet (for me), with the inner guru. @lostmedstudent That book is quite advanced. Check http://www.kriyayogainfo.net/files/English II.pdf as well. It'll help you. 1) exactly, like darth vader! I breath normally, but slowly. 2) I've received a newsletter a few days ago about this: check here. 3) Yes, Om. Some people also prefer "Ong", but imo either way is fine. 4) Yes, but you should do some asanas or hatha yoga to improve flexibility. Practicing cross-legged is so much better. Suggested readings: All Kriya Yoga books on Leo's book list.

Most of your posts on this forum are about Stevens in one way or another. Weird. Yet you didn’t answer my criticism of his book when I directly quoted you: https://www.actualized.org/forum/topic/19678-kriya-yoga-mega-thread/?page=50#comment-368329 I don’t understand why is it so hard to grasp that while Stevens’ book is good (I have it), it falls short on many levels? Anyone with a bit if insight can see it. I agree that for Kriya, having a live teacher showing you the techniques is great though. Stevens book is made to help you get started practicing Kriya, but it’s definitely not made to help you reach enlightenment. @Girzo is totally right.

Not really. I think anyone can do it if they have the motivation for it. Some practices I've read on Ennio book are much more complex like microcosmic orbit and some crazy kriyas.

Leo is definitely a modern mystic. Why? Because he uses his life to discover the mysterious nature of all this. I know that above anything else, Leo wants to find and recognize himself to be God, and that's the main goal of a mystic.

I think the best way to prepare for death is to get to know it while still alive. I mean, with so many spiritual practices out there, lucid dreaming, etc, you can pretty much gain great insight into death while still alive. This will be a great preparation for death imo.

It’s not an entity. We say it’s formless because it’s not a form like we’re used to perceive.

Hello everyone, Sorry for the late reply! I prefer to use my time to practice and read some great spiritual books and watch spiritual videos, so I only manage to post here sporadically. Yes, I do all the pranayamas to the Crown, as explained in Gamana’s The Secret Power of Kriya Yoga. Essentially, as I said, I put the attention on the Crown Chakra and do Shambhavi Mudra. Semi-closed/semi-opened, looking up towards the Crown. But as @Cocolove says, you won’t see anything with your physical eyes. Yeah! I see that a lot of people here still get caught up on the maze of Kriya techniques and complexity. If all you do is follow a technique-based approach like KSR book, then you will not go far. Techniques require mental activity, while awareness is beyond the mind. Parvastha is all about awareness! Technique-based teachings are only suitable for beginners because their minds are too dirty and require some purification first. But there’s also something to be said about too many techniques and complexity, and I honestly feel many Kriya books fall under this category. Here’s my view on Kriya: Pick a few techniques that work for you (Maha Mudra, Pranayama, Supreme Fire) and do them every day, twice a day. Keep reading some spiritual books, quotes, or videos to stay motivated when hard times come (and they will come). Don’t allow your practices to become a chore. If you do them mindlessly, they won’t bear fruit. Once you can achieve some degree of stillness due to the practices, add Parvastha at the end. Start with 100% Techniques, then slowly add Parvastha (75% - 25%) and then once Parvastha gets stronger (and it will), make them 50% - 50%. This is the mixture I use at the moment, with excellent results. Last two months, no visions, no out of body experiences, but just incredible peace, ecstasy, stillness and a feeling of power, like I can do anything. This comes with me to daily life, and nowadays, if I sit or stay silent for a while, I feel a strong ecstatic and pleasurable current in the spine (from root to crown). Then peace and bliss ensue. Then massive power and vitality. I also do 10 minutes of some basic yogic asanas to stretch my legs and back before sitting to practice. I can also see my ego better than before, reacting in daily situations, and every time I effortlessly witness it, I create more disassociation with it. This is one of the most significant differences I notice by adding Parvastha. With Kriya techniques only, I’d feel ecstasy and stillness during the practice and sometimes during the day, but then the ego reactions would be even stronger. As if I had more energy to unleash (often not in a good way). With Parvastha, I feel clearer, and I’m starting to see what I haven’t seen before: my ego acting throughout the day and trying to re-affirm its position, superiority, selfishness, etc. Consequently, this increases my discrimination, and I can abide as I AM way easier during Parvastha. So, doing Parvastha increases your power of awareness during the day against ego tricks etc, which in turn helps you do Parvastha better. It’s great.

I also recommend this author, he has profound insights and an interesting book about a bunny and an owl. But I'd say it's pretty advanced stuff.

Ultimately, I see enlightenment as unconditional freedom! Even freedom from trying to understand or conceptualize “what enlightenment is”.

I used to praise KSR, but here's the thing about that book that bothers me: J.C. Stevens wrote that book without an in-depth comprehension of what enlightenment is. I agree his book is good for beginners, but were someone to follow that book to the letter, they'd end up in a disoriented mess of jumbled up kriya techniques, with no real non-dual path or goal. KSR last technique is about stabilizing kundalini energy in the chakras. Hmm? Does he have any clue about enlightenment and non-duality? It goes so much beyond kundalini energy, chakras and techniques. In the last lesson he says the following: "Cogito Ergo Sum is Latin for "I think, therefore I am." When I first heard this phrase in high school, I found it perplexing. At that point in my life, I had studied yoga for many years, wherein I was taught that thoughts were merely distractions to be stilled. Further, my own experiences in meditation supported this assertion. Only after (...when I was 21) did I understand that what Descartes meant by this famous remark was that, by simply having the ability to acknowledge thought, human consciousness is proven to exist. ... Once I understood consciousness as a superior reality existing within the physical body..." Is this his final insight that consciousness NEEDS thought to be proven to exist? What about that just by the fact that I AM aware, consciousness is proven to exist? Thought exists within consciousness, and consciousness doesn't need thought to acknowledge that it exists. This is a kindergarten insight. Many users on this forum have already had bigger realizations. And the fact that he mentions that consciousness is a superior reality existing WITHIN the physical body blows my mind. The physical body arises within consciousness! Consciousness is NOT inside the body! This is non-duality 101. He is clueless. If any kriyaban reads any decent nondual book, he will see the nearsightedness of KSR book.

I do 72 Supreme Kriya Pranayamas. They are very potent. Shambhavi Mudra is explained in Supreme Kriya Pranayama's section in The Secret Power of Kriya Yoga. It is simple! With my face slightly upturned, I roll my eyes upwards and focus on the Crown chakra leaving the eyes semi-opened. It's not that different from Sadhguru's Shambhavi Mudra, but instead of concentrating between the eyebrows, concentrate on the Crown chakra. After a couple of weeks, just by looking upwards and maintaining a natural focus on the crown, I instantly feel ecstatic. I'm totally on the same boat as you concerning Parvastha!

About six months give or take. I have tasted something that has a metallic taste, but did not experience any blissful states from that. I notice that my pranayama goes much smoother though, and I can definitely feel more energy currents.

Hey guys, a Kriya update. I've been practicing Kriya for quite a while now, and had great results. I ditched all psychedelics a few months ago. I do good with both normal spinal breathing as well as SantataGamana's Kriya. Lately, I've been doing SG's Supreme Kriya Pranayama (which is to the Crown Chakra) because it's having really powerful effects on my kundalini, especially because I combine it with Kriya Supreme Fire and Shambhavi Mudra. I do spinal breathing while doing Maha Mudra and Yoni Mudra (also to the Crown Chakra). @MM1988 I move the energy (with my attention) from the root chakra to the top of the head. I also do full Kechari Mudra. In the end of the routine, I no longer do concentration on Bhrumadhya but I do Self-Inquiry or Parvastha, which is much stronger for me. I've had some mystical experiences, but as Leo says, I don't take them seriously. I let them come and go. This makes me go more into my core of pure awareness. I will keep doing Kriya Yoga with Self-Inquiry (Parvastha) as my main practice. That works best for me. Who here has practiced for more than 1 year and hows it going?

I love these songs. They help me dissolve in my center: