The Third Eye?

[MahaHrada]

So I had 4 different sessions throughout the day, and then during the last one as I was really getting into it, I was trying to envision my energy flowing through my chakras as I breathed.

Lights visions, sonic halluzinations and strange bodily feelings, for example as if the body or parts of the body contort or the feeling that body parts change in other positions while actually you don´t move , or that the whole body starts floating, can occur in meditation

These impressions are distractions from the object of meditation and one should not be attached to them, let them rise in the mind and eventually they will dissappear. They are unwanted and not the result of meditation but obstructions.

The reason such experiences occur is that in meditation by assuming a fixed unmoving seating position regulation of breath and fixing of the eyesight or closing the eyes, one is in a so called state of sensory deprivation.

When the senses are full deprived or partly deprived of input while in the waking state, they produce imaginative objects on their own , and it is possible that dreamlike illusory states appear while being in the waking state, so like in a dream past impressions (samskaras) and memories (smriti) can surface from the unciousness as halluzinations and Illusions.

Of course there is the possibillity that the practise since it involved some instructions to move prana (energy) in the chakras could have caused
some inbalances in your nadis (nadi= subtle channels of energy) that led to the result.

Moving prana in the body is a very advanced method that needs a lot of purification and preparation.

By all meditation masters it is well known that these obscuring visions appear in the beginning of the practice of meditation due to sense deprivation and it is recommend to strictly ignore them, if one attaches importance to them it may result in mental states similar to clinical psychosis.
To determine wether this was caused by sense deprivation or the premature practise of moving prana i would like to know, how did you envison energy flowing through your chakras and what should have been the result of this practice according to the instruction?

If you like you can also pm me about that which is probably better.



Wikipedia on effects of full and partly sensory deprivation using floating tanks and other devices.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sensory_deprivation

[Eastern Mind]

Yes, ego dissolution can be a tricky matter.

I've been considering adding the use of incense to my meditation ritual. Would this be helpful or ultimately pointless since the acknowledgment of it involves the use of individual biological senses?

Vannakkam: For me it definitely enhances. But perhaps now it is just a Pavlov's Dog response. Same thing with temples. Certain sounds, smells etc that become associated with meditation make it easier because subconsciously it takes you to the place you were before.

Why not experiment and find out for your self. I do find that different brands work better.

Aum Namasivaya

[Eastern Mind]

These impressions are distractions from the object of meditation and one should not be attached to them, let them rise in the mind and eventually they will dissappear. They are unwanted and not the result of meditation but obstructions.

Vannakkam MahaHrada: You and I would differ here. I agree with the non-attachment part, but not that they would disappear. I have heard mystics describe self realisation as being totally surrounded by clear light, and then being dissolved into that light, becoming totally unaware of anything but that light. My view is that inner light is part of mystic reality, not just some hallucinatory state.

Of course you have the right to differ.

Aum Namasivaya

[MahaHrada]

Vannakkam MahaHrada: You and I would differ here. I agree with the non-attachment part, but not that they would disappear. I have heard mystics describe self realisation as being totally surrounded by clear light, and then being dissolved into that light, becoming totally unaware of anything but that light. My view is that inner light is part of mystic reality, not just some hallucinatory state.

Of course you have the right to differ.

Aum Namasivaya

We are here talking about the very beginning stages of meditation. Visons in beginning stages of meditation are always halluzinations. Usually if you do a month long retreat as an inexperienced Yogi, with hours of daily meditation, illusions may last for weeks and may then slowly subside and give way to peace, this is known by all serious practicioners and masters of whatever denomination. Even after 3 years or more of daily meditation we are usually far away from having mystic experiences. Sometimes it helps to consider the whole content of the original posting before answering The op clearly states that he is a beginner.
Every serious traditional teacher of meditation will give the same advice to a beginner in meditation, as I am giving, except quacks and fakes who want to offer access to fast results and psycho cults who brainwash their members by sensory deprivation claiming it is enlightment.
In general meditation in the hindu tradition is about moving conciously from the waking state to the dream state, to deep sleep and beyond to turya by ekagrata (onepointedness) and realise pure awareness that is unattached to all the states, while nonetheless penetrating them all, getting stuck in the very beginning, (the dream state of the waking state) is dangerous.

[saidevo]

namaste Einherjar.

Perhaps these links could be of help:

Meditation and its Utility in Daily Life With Practical Hints
by Sri Swami Premananda
http://www.sivanandadlshq.org/download/premamedit.htm

The information in the Website: http://www.swamij.com/index.html

[Eastern Mind]

MahaHrada:

Trust me. I don't come here to argue. Light in the beginning is a signal. its like turning the key on a car for a long car ride. You are absolutely correct that serious teaches would advise not to go exploring that light, and that the light is not the goal in itself. Serious teachers start with ethics and morals.

But to state that they are hallucinations is an insult to me and anyone else that has had such temporal indicators. I feel like I am in a psychiatrist's office.

As I said before, you are entitled to your opinion. I would suggest you kindly do the same for me.

Aum Namasivaya

[MahaHrada]

MahaHrada:

Trust me. I don't come here to argue. Light in the beginning is a signal. its like turning the key on a car for a long car ride. You are absolutely correct that serious teaches would advise not to go exploring that light, and that the light is not the goal in itself. Serious teachers start with ethics and morals.

But to state that they are hallucinations is an insult to me and anyone else that has had such temporal indicators. I feel like I am in a psychiatrist's office being diagnosed with schizophrenia.

As I said before, you are entitled to your opinion. I would suggest you kindly do the same for me.

Aum Namasivaya

I will spell it out again: Visual or sonic or bodily halluzinations are a very common phenomena in the beginning stages of meditation it is vital that these have to be understod as a dreamlike illusion, all Gurus that teach and have experience with prolonged Meditation retreats are aware of this, if you do not know it this is really not my problem it is common knowledge that psychosis can result from taking these visions serious.
Because such ideas are dangerous to the mental health of people that read HDF i will not at all be kind. New age sentimentalism is a poison that corrupts bharata dharma i do not feel that being kind and understanding is useful in this topic, not for you not for the op and not for others. Of course everybody has his choice to belive what he wants but he has to live with the consequences. Therefore i think it is my duty to spell out clearly and unmistakenly what is the truth in this matter.
If the op belives in the authority of Aleister Crowley listening to my advice is probably a good choice since my Gurus Guru learnend from Aleister Crowley directly all he could teach about Yoga before he went to India also on his advice, to complete his training.

[Eastern Mind]

Vannakkam:

I have absolutely no idea of Aleister Crowley was or is, nor do I care. Studying one's books does not necessarily imply 'believing in the authority of' but perhaps it does. I did do a search on Hinduism + inner light and got quite a few hits. So clearly there is something to it.

Apparently you think I'm a new-ager as well. I can assure you I'm not. I was just originally attempting to be helpful to the OP by stating what I knew.

"Spelling out clearly and unmistakeably what is the truth on this matter" sounds too much like a prefix to a fundamentalist Christian's introduction to Jesus for me. Because of this and your perception of my ignorance on this matter without any background check, I am withdrawing from this conversation.

To the OP: If you want any further opinions from me, please PM me.

Aum Namasivaya

[MahaHrada]

Apparently you think I'm a new-ager as well. I can assure you I'm not..

"Spelling out clearly and unmistakeably what is the truth on this matter" sounds too much like a prefix to a fundamentalist Christian's introduction to Jesus for me.

Aum Namasivaya

Being a Hindu does not mean that one has to be tolerant of all kind of rubbish.
Accepting that high stages of Yoga can occur after twenty minutes of meditation shure sounds like it is influenced by new age consumerism.

Whether you like it or not true mystical visons of light/sound (Bindu NAda)are high stages of insight and simply do not happen after one day fast and a few hours meditation.

Is that so hard to accept?

One needs not to be a fundamentalist christian to know that the above is the Truth but one must be ignorant of traditional meditation retreats to belive otherwise.

[sm78]

Being a Hindu does not mean that one has to be tolerant of all kind of rubbish.
Accepting that high stages of Yoga can occur after twenty minutes of meditation shure sounds like it is influenced by new age consumerism.

Whether you like it or not true mystical visons of light/sound (Bindu NAda)are high stages of insight and simply do not happen after one day fast and a few hours meditation.

Is that so hard to accept?

One needs not to be a fundamentalist christian to know that the above is the Truth but one must be ignorant of traditional meditation retreats to belive otherwise.

Whether one observes a white light or purple mist or a beautiful damsel or blue krishna at the door telling you are great or something, in meditation, one must consider what has the experience done for oneself.

As I see it makes people more paranoid, more stupid, less understanding, less intelligent, more self-important, clueless big mouths who just make look the so called spirituality a big joke when confronted with rational thought.

Religion has always been an opium for masses and excuse for stupidity. The condition of hinduism and bharata is worse, as hindus think they are more wise, have superior philosophy, deep spirituality and meditation tools and the right (and ofcourse the leasure!!) to argue about the nature of the absolute in a world where their govt cannot buy dresses for their w olympic atheletes.

And people keep wondering why hinduism is under attack.