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Permalink Reply by Hari Menon on November 11, 2012 at 2:03am

Dear Joe ,

      I would if I could , but cannot at present due to the fact that I too am trying to make sense whether what I am holding is the head or the tail of the snake !! Not because of any fear that what I write may be instrumental in the site being shut down , I know you are too much of a man to let that happen ,,,,,,,,,,!!

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Permalink Reply by Hari Menon on November 11, 2012 at 6:21am

Dear Joe ,

          I an not aware what gnosis is in the true sense of the word , on the other hand both Samadhi and Nirvana are quite close to my heart - and I am using the word Samadhi generally and can be also read as Nirvana , no confusion there . It is only language One is Prakrit - Sanskrit the other is Prakrit - Pali  language structure . I am quite confident that many of the people who inhabit this forum might have experienced Samadhi during their various endeavours at some time . 

There are two types of Samadhi - One is Savikalpa Samadhi (Sa - Vikalpa ) ie. with modification or intrusions and the other is Nirvikalpa (Nir -Vikalpa) ie. without modification or any intrusions of images, thoughts or manifest knowledge .

It is never possible for a person to have (I use the word have in the sense of constantly dwelling in Samadhi)  Nirvikalpa Samadhi without having had Savikalpa Samadhi . In cases where a person believes that he has enjoyed total samadhi - it is not so , absence of objects of perception and world is only the stage of sleep , the joy that is felt on an experience of such peace and emptiness however invigorating is only the state of deep sleep but with awareness . Because in the state of deep sleep there is an absence of pain due to the mind or intellect not being there and so one enjoys the joy of sleep so to say . It may happen a person may have a highly strong experience spiritually on meeting a guru or by other divinities , but it is a ''splintering of consciousness'' which has to be brought into experience and knowledge by the aspirant on his own . Many have had this disorienting experience which may stay for many days or less or hours in some cases - but very few transmute this into knowledge . A person who has had such an experience can be assured that he can attain to NIrvana - if he only would try properly , he would be led through the various levels of consciousness and states of existence by a resolution of this experience itself . In the case of others they too can experience - but the job has to be one of deep understanding and guidance is a must  so that they can have the ability to transcend into different and succeeding levels of consciousness . 

Now what is to be really understood is that there is a big difference as between a man and woman and attaining to Samadhi .  A woman has inherently no Ego , when she loves she loves with all her being , She is protected by nature and nature looks after her in many ways unseen by or not discerned by a man, the ideas of surrender are ver different in a female she will not hesitate to throw everything for a loved one , she gives of herself freely (by mind I mean and in a sublime manner ). In intuition also they are higher than the male of the species - it is more developed in them and since intuition transcends reason (at the moment of happening) but does not contradict it (on an analysis later) they may seem unreasonable at times but it is something they cannot explain - for if they could it would not be intuition - intuition is not guided by reason it is a higher reason where the cause or effect cannot be seen or surmised but rather the course of action is taken as ''Given''.  

A man has ego - he never gives of himself freely , always a part of him hold him back it is the action of the ego - it is not anyones fault but nature limits a man so , that he does not derlict the duties for which he is meant for . It is a protection and a life saver - so essentially a man the word love for a man and woman will never be the same , as also the word ego all as embodied by the respective sense of ''I'' ness.  Of course a woman can ''cultivate an ego'' and one sees it with an unearthly sorrow - because a womans idea of an Ego is nothing but a mimicking or aping of a mans as they have ubderstood it .  They will never understand that it is sublime and the one sure step for a man to alone make that breaking away from the finite to the infinite . It appears to them as a callousness and disregard of their interests , or their way of looking at things . Now then the question is where is the womans Ego ? A womans ego is bound by cosmic nature all have the same ego - now this is where the beauty of the infinite lies - a man for liberation has to transcend his ego and he is infinite - at one step he transcends nature also which is universal - a woman can attain to true nirvana if she transcends her own nature - ie she has to transcend nature itself . It is the case of the cosmic becoming cosmic not of the micro being macro as in a man . So it is the path of Bhakthi yoga that is best for a woman - all other yogas are of no use to her , some knowledge will be got but never to the full extent since the vital component for its practice is not there - this is a fact (or insight as I call it) its origins lie in other thought structures  .As with every thing many  yoga are  male centric it is only in Faith that man is equalled or excelled by a woman - so how can practice of yoga or anything directed at a resolution of the self yield any far reaching or final end for a woman - she only makes samskaras for becoming a male . So we do have examples of Holy men and women if you know enough of them and can discriminate between the real and unreal - men who command millons of people but who are effeminate in actions and women who have male characteristics and preach love . This is the extent of the great Moira or Maya or the Veil of illusion , delusion in the individual and illusion collectively. Transcending her own nature is an art and difficult without knowledge almost impossible and women are not constructed so strongly - because knowledge of this very fact is enough for absorption into the infinite by the infinte itself - it is here that Samadi Proceeds for a woman and all duality ceases she is equal with all. It is before these junctions that women saints or highly developed aspirants take to marriage or other things or leave out of frustration caliing everything a lie prexisely where they should have found inner reserves of strength to call up greater faith in infinite measure - for if that is not a woman then what is ? . A man passes through the stages of "Aham Sphoorthy" or the Spanda as many call it - it is a I feeling which becomes an I- you equation and later to a You - I equation and then to an I-I equation and then to an IAM equation and then to only ''is'' or identity with the infinite the individual is lost forever . 

I hope I will not be called sexist or other rubbish - it has to be seen in the light of higher truths - if anyone is so foolish as to think that I mean a woman cannot be an equal with a man - they are mistaken , Samadhi makes everyone same - not even death can do it . 

No equality is possible through enacted laws - it makes everyone wary , stressed out and confers unnesssary and unwanted attributes to human beings as if a cloak is thrown over both out of shame as if one is in a convent even whilst living in the world and working . We repress ourselves out of fear  of obloquy or litigation or losing station in life - deep understanding is the only place where there is total freedom and truth . The happiness in freedom is indescribable . Understanding understanding kills  all problems . How a man would like to be a man yet sensitive how a woman would like to be a woman again and strong . There are much more dissertations in the Kama sutras  postures notwithstanding ! - not  all sutra are available in print , but books are available which are more trustworthy.

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Permalink Reply by Ludo Van Dun on November 13, 2012 at 3:21pm

hi,Joe

 

I had some expieriences long ago as a rosicrusian, not so long ago as a theosophist and in between when I did not know what i would call myself. Actually i still dont know so i call myself a rosicrusian-theosophist. About the expieriences I had, well, I would love to tell about them but I cant find any words that can express it. Only when I meet someone who also had some expierience, then we can say, yes I understand and yes I know without saying anything about it. That is why there is so much symbolism in gnostics and other esoteric "religions" because there are no words to discribe. once you know you dont need words anymore.

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