3 ms·

No mention of kundalini anywhere... Seems he went a bit deep too soon with no guidance. Electrical currents, spasms, sexual thoughts, digestive issues, etc. Cl

• estefan 10y ago
  In fact, to elaborate a bit, he mentions feeling a 'knot' in his lower belly. That sounds like swadhistana chakra, or what the Taoists call the Lower Dan Tien. That'd correlate with the sexual thoughts as well. Normally the recommendations for this sort of thing is to back off, and to circulate energy in the micro cosmic orbit. See Mantak Chia for details. An interesting book I read years ago about this was "Path Notes of an American Ninja Master". Cheesy title, but pretty interesting as an alternative to Gopi Krishna. The author specifically addresses the 'Dark Night of the Soul' phenomenon and emphasises the importance of creating Good Feelings inside to smooth the process and to lessen the effects of the darker aspects...
  • obj-g 10y ago
    Oh of course, just circulate energy in the micro cosmic orbit! Duh!
  • TACIXAT 10y ago
    As someone who practices Taoist meditation, Mantak Chia is meh. Got most his notoriety through sexual practices which are nearly insignificant in actual Taoism (religious or mountain). His school has also latched onto the MCO as some great achievement when most other lineages treat it as simply an energetic movement that happens while practicing. Meditation, as with hallucinogens, if you or your family has a history of mental illness, tread carefully. Sitting can be surprisingly hard work. It pushes the body through pain while introducing you to the limits of your mind. In any training, slow progression is very important. You wouldn't go to a body building competition with no lifting experience, why do people dive into 10 day retreats without years of experience?
    • estefan 10y ago
      > You wouldn't go to a body building competition with no lifting experience, why do people dive into 10 day retreats without years of experience? That's kind of the point though with highlighting MCO, especially if you read Gopi Krishna. Some people stumble upon things spontaneously before they're ready, and some just go off on their own focussing on the higher centres or overdo it (like 10-day retreats before they should). MCO for beginners is about opening the pathways to handle greater energy flows. Anyone writing books trying to educate the masses should focus on safety first, which he does. He specifically calls out Kundalini yoga schools as only focussing on sending energy up, without safely describing how to bring it down. That's not my experience - the Kundalini yoga I learnt included the MCO but, as you say, didn't make a big deal of it. But, you know, Gopi Krishna again... you can never be too careful. Chia must have come across some schools that didn't mention keeping the tongue up and bringing energy down, or bringing in earth energy for balance. I've found the Lesser Kan & Li - as taught by Chia - very effective (when I finally got it right), and haven't read about it anywhere else. Some say MCO is all you need. My criticism of Mantak Chia is that he doesn't sufficiently emphasise single-pointedness, i.e. what others generally refer to as meditation. If you read his books you could come away with the impression that meditation is always active, always moving energy around. That's why I prefer the aypsite approach - half chi kung/pranayama, half awareness with a mantra. It's much more balanced with an emphasis on going slowly and self-pacing. And the really interesting stuff happens in the stillness anyway...