Chakras

[ccharles]

I don't specifically know if chakras exist or not, however if they do exist, I'd like to learn more about them and work on keeping them healthy. Does anyone here know any teachers that have a good amount of experience with chakras (or other "energy work") and could possibly help me work with them?

[befriend]

thats more tibetan buddhism, taoism, and yoga. chi gong and yoga build up ones chi (energy) virtue is vital for accumulation of healthy energy.

[daverupa]

Chakras are an Indian structure; in China, the meridians and qi are described altogether differently (Tibet's esoteric systems are different again from both of these, involving red and white drops in some cases rather than qi or prana). There can be some overlap, but always in a New Age context.

If you are interested in chakras, you are going to become distracted from the Dhamma, but to each their own.

To really dive into this stuff in a Buddhist context (and to get up to your eyes in mummy dust and crazy ideas), have a look at The Bodhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China.

For a modern approach which sees a Western empiricist practicing Chinese exercises and seeing Hindu gods, try reading Path Notes.

(It takes me back about 15 years; these are some old neurons firing to call up these titles; the single tattoo I have is related to Path Notes adventures...)

[ccharles]

"Chakras" or "energy systems" don't seem to me to be directly related to the path supposedly expounded by the Buddha. However, if modern western medicine (although not discussed in the Pali Canon) helps us maintain a healthy physical body, can working with these "energy systems" help me maintain a healthy "energy body", "chakra system", etc.?

[Kim O'Hara]

For a modern approach which sees a Western empiricist practicing Chinese exercises and seeing Hindu gods, try reading Path Notes.

(It takes me back about 15 years; these are some old neurons firing to call up these titles; the single tattoo I have is related to Path Notes adventures...)

Hi, Dave,
I never came across Path Notes but it looks like it might be an Asian equivalent of Carlos Castaneda's fascinating but increasingly weird adventure into meso-american witchcraft. Is it?


Kim

[daverupa]

In a way; the upshot of Path Notes and the rest of the books by Dr. Morris is Hoshinroshiryu, an esoteric offshoot of Bujinkan Budo Taijutsu, aka Ninjutsu (taught by Masaaki Hatsumi).

[Modus.Ponens]

Are we talking about Naruto?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[DAWN]

Chakras practice is interesting for concentration training.

But actualy chakras practice can be seen like a wrong wiev (DN 1), because there is contact.

[DAWN]

To complete,

It would be more helpfull to go beyond thoughts and form if you will not work with one of chakras, but with the whoole body consciosness. When you develop the consciosness on all part of your body at the same moment, when all your body become some kind of big chakra or enlight body, and detache from it, loose the contact.

[DAWN]

Read DN2 : Samaññaphala Sutta: The Fruits of the Contemplative Life I dont know if translation of Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu is good, but there is what i mean.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka ... .than.html

[ccharles]

If one has unbalanced chakras, or overactive, closed, or weak chakras (if these even exist), would Dhamma practice alone lead them to become healthy and balanced? Should one seek out a teacher that deals with them?

[daverupa]

Dhamma is for the cessation of dukkha, not the healing and balance of chakras. Whether they are affected or not matters not one whit. Attaining a body which is suitable for practice does not require the weight of esoteric theories.

[ccharles]

Thank you all for your responses. I was just wondering if that can be a side effect of Dhamma practice. Could any of you suggest any beneficial systems of "energy work", if any?

[daverupa]

I don't know which systems are effective.

Indeed!

Asatru Rune Magick, Ceremonial Magick, Qigong, Kundalini, Pranayama, Haitian Vodou, Rosicrucianism, Alchemy, Shugendo... it's a difficult question isn't it?

[ccharles]

I'm not suggesting that they're all valid necessarily, but I'm curious to know if anyone here has personally benefited from any specific "energy work" system or from working with "chakras".

[DAWN]

Thank you all for your responses. I know that's not what Dhamma is practice for, just wondering if that could be a side effect. Aside from dhamma practice, could any of you recommend any effective systems of "energy work" (qi gong, yoga, tibetan yoga, kundalini, etc.) so I could work with these energies/ keep them healthy? I'd personally like to see if I could receive any benefit from working with them, however I don't know which systems are effective.

Devarupa are reason, there is no specialist in chakras (logicaly).

But actualy, before come to The Buddha for teching, i practice some equilibration of chakras, i tryed to activatet them all at the same moment, i dont remark any negative or positive effects, perharps my motivation was different and i do it just for fun, but in my opinion this kind of practice have not any negative effect, perharps loosing a time? So i cant say that is BAD or WRONG, it depend on your mativation.
But actualy, in your post i dont see the motivation that lead you to this kind of practice, meybe it's somethink personal, but may be the solution can be find in Buddha Dhamma, and so we could help you.

[ccharles]

_

[befriend]

guestservices@kripalu.org this is an email to kripalu the yoga center in MA thats very well known. the email link is for general questions and something else, i forget. maybe look for some of the teachers websites and email the teachers if they have that function. metta, Befriend

[DAWN]

This explains my motivation: (I PMed someone on this forum about this, and this is what I messaged them): "It may sound silly, but I recently was worried as to whether or not my "chakras" were opened or if I had accidentally closed them by focusing on a pressure I had in my forehead (I know this is not discussed much in Theravada buddhism). Because I was afraid I accidentally closed them, I tried to visualize and feel white light radiating and rising from the different chakra locations (and relaxing those areas) from the bottom up (not during meditation just in regular waking life). I'm now afraid that I may have opened certain chakras too much or that they're not balanced, so I'm wondering what to do next, if I should not worry about it or if I should search for someone who deals with chakras. I'm worried about my "energy bodies" for lack of a better word you could say...I've never formally learned about chakras btw, only scattered information I've seen online... All I know about chakras is the general locations they're normally said to be located, aside from that I know nothing at all about them: how to open them, get them flowing, balancing them, etc..." Also at one point when I was attempting to visualize white light radiating at a certain area and relaxing the area, I had a negative intrusive thought worrying if that negativity could somehow manifest itself in that chakra area and then affect my awareness and my life negatively. I tried to make my self feel safe by countering the thought with white light radiating from the area, however I kept worrying and having the intrusive thought, making it hard to maintain the visualization of white light, and so I felt like maybe I never completely "erased" this "negative energy" (if even "negative energy" was actually created, i was just worried about the possibility of having created it because of the negative intrusive thoughts/ visualizations, which is why I did this Pure O OCD like behaviour). It's got me worried, and I could say it's somewhat in the realm of Pure O (OCD) thoughts, but I do not know whether or not the negative intrusive thoughts I had could manifest because of this, in a way similar to what is described in the "Law of Attraction" teachings (Even though I don't really believe these teachings too much, sometimes I have Pure-O (OCD) worries that my negative thoughts could be attracting those things to manifest, so I'll try to counter them with a thought of the opposite positive situation, thinking that maybe this will help it to manifest and keep me safe. Countering the thoughts however is tiresome and I realize I only do it out of the fear that if I just leave the negative thoughts and feeling of fear alone, something bad could happen.) I'm just asking for advice.

Ok, i think i could help you to activate it, but first of all i would like you to understand sometink very important:
All forms
All feelings
All perceptions
All volitional formations
All consciosness
All this is IMPERMANENT, subject to change, brings suffering, and anatta, out of any control. So dont be conditioned by it's changes, arisings and disapearings, it's not yours, and will brings you suffer.

Of corse you can work with it, like chakras or sport or knowledge, but it must be just for fun, without any attachement.

So.
Some chakras are more difficult to percive then others, more subtils. Generaly most visibles are chakra of your front, and heart, more difficults are neck, estomach, genitails, and the one between your sex and anus.
So if you want to feel them, and develope, i consil you to just putt your concetration in this zone, and just try to feel it, it will become warm and turning on watch sense (from left to right). So take the most simple, and be concentrate on it (without any light or mantras or other things, pure concentration), until it will be here.
To activate others, personaly i does like this, i take the most stable and strengh chakra and, with my concentration, i mouve it on my body, very vey slowly, from one chakra to an another. It like you take a fire from one place at putt it in an another. So doing that, you will be able to activate all chakras. One after another stabilyse it, util you will be able to activate it without any effort, just with thinking about it.

Sometimes, some chakras would be very strong, and this fire will brings some physical pain, and perharps you will understand that you dont able to stop this chakra, it still activate, and brings phisical pain.
So to disactiva it, it' very simple.
Take your hand, put it on the chakra, and just turn your hand in other sense (from right to left). Immediatly it will be desactivated.

You must to know that it's your mind, and not chakras that shaping you, so if you will work with heart chakra and thinking that you will develop your love and compassion, yes you will do, but not because of chakra, but ecause you KNOW that you will develop it.

Do not be attached to somethink totaly impermanent and suffering, to somethink that have no any utility, to somethink what will brings you more suffering, and no deliver from suffering, because, as i see, your motivation is suffering.
Use your wisdom.

And i repeat:
All forms
All feelings
All perceptions
All volitional formations
All consciosness
Are impermanent and suffering.

With compassion I wish you get free from impermanence

[Raksha]

For a modern approach which sees a Western empiricist practicing Chinese exercises and seeing Hindu gods, try reading Path Notes.
(It takes me back about 15 years; these are some old neurons firing to call up these titles; the single tattoo I have is related to Path Notes adventures...)

Sensei Glenn Morris R.I.P.