Mice and Men/Scientifically sound and Spiritual Diets

[Guest guest]

At 10:44 PM 5/18/99 -0400, you wrote:

>"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar

>

>its nice to be up on the latest scientific research on nutrition.

 

Why?

 

What does this fragile, dying thing called a "body" have to do with

spirituality at all? How can prolonging the life of this chunk of bone and

flesh have the slightest thing to do with the birthless, deathless Atman

(Self)?

 

Genuinely curious,

 

Tim

 

-----

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[Guest guest]

Tim Gerchmez <fewtch

 

At 10:44 PM 5/18/99 -0400, you wrote:

>"Harsha (Dr. Harsh K. Luthar)" <hluthar

>

>its nice to be up on the latest scientific research on nutrition.

>Why?

>What does this fragile, dying thing called a "body" have to do with

>spirituality at all? How can prolonging the life of this chunk of bone and

>flesh have the slightest thing to do with the birthless, deathless Atman

>(Self)?

 

Genuinely curious,

 

Tim

 

--Hi Tim:

 

I don't know if being healthy equates with prolonging the life of this chunk

of bone and flesh. If one is enlightened or truly spiritual the body is not

viewed as a chunk of bone and flesh it is simply a vehicle. On a more

practical level as one starts to move into the realm of kundalini rising if

the body is not strong and healthy the process can be pretty awful. If

letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

neighborhood bars.

 

Linda

Visit The Core of the WWW at:

http://www.eskimo.com/~fewtch/ND/index.html

Music, Poetry, Writings on Nondual Spiritual Topics.

 

Tim's Windows and DOS Shareware/Freeware is at:

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[Guest guest]

At 12:22 AM 5/19/99 -0400, you wrote:

>"Linda Callanan" <shastra

>

>I don't know if being healthy equates with prolonging the life of this chunk

>of bone and flesh. If one is enlightened or truly spiritual the body is not

>viewed as a chunk of bone and flesh it is simply a vehicle.

 

Tell that to Sri Sri Shankara.

>On a more

>practical level as one starts to move into the realm of kundalini rising if

>the body is not strong and healthy the process can be pretty awful.

 

Why is it always assumed that everyone's spiritual path is going to be the

same? Kundalini is not a requirement or prerequisite for anything, it is a

random event that does not occur to everyone, and has nothing to do with

Realization for those primarily on the path of Jnana. In fact, it

interferes (causes attachment to the gross and subtle bodies), and is to be

ignored as a possible serious impediment to Realization.

>If letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

>enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

>neighborhood bars.

 

With all due respect, a moronic statement if I've ever heard one.

 

Hari OM,

 

Tim

 

-----

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[Guest guest]

Tim:

>Why is it always assumed that everyone's spiritual path is going to be the

>same? Kundalini is not a requirement or prerequisite for anything, it is a

>random event that does not occur to everyone, and has nothing to do with

>Realization for those primarily on the path of Jnana. In fact, it

>interferes (causes attachment to the gross and subtle bodies), and is to be

>ignored as a possible serious impediment to Realization.

 

Try meditating for the hours required to be a true Jnana with an unhealthy

body.

>If letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

>enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

>neighborhood bars.

 

With all due respect, a moronic statement if I've ever heard one.

 

Hmmm......could an uncomfortable body be behind such a rude statement?

 

Linda

 

Hari OM,

 

Tim

 

-----

Visit The Core of the WWW at:

http://www.eskimo.com/~fewtch/ND/index.html

Music, Poetry, Writings on Nondual Spiritual Topics.

 

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[Guest guest]

Tim Gerchmez <fewtch

 

At 12:22 AM 5/19/99 -0400, you wrote:

>"Linda Callanan" <shastra

>

>I don't know if being healthy equates with prolonging the life of this

chunk

>of bone and flesh. If one is enlightened or truly spiritual the body is

not

>viewed as a chunk of bone and flesh it is simply a vehicle.

 

Tell that to Sri Sri Shankara.

>On a more

>practical level as one starts to move into the realm of kundalini rising if

>the body is not strong and healthy the process can be pretty awful.

 

Why is it always assumed that everyone's spiritual path is going to be the

same? Kundalini is not a requirement or prerequisite for anything, it is a

random event that does not occur to everyone, and has nothing to do with

Realization for those primarily on the path of Jnana. In fact, it

interferes (causes attachment to the gross and subtle bodies), and is to be

ignored as a possible serious impediment to Realization.

>If letting the body die prematurely through abuse was conducive to

>enlightenment we would see much more spirituality at MacDonalds and the

>neighborhood bars.

 

With all due respect, a moronic statement if I've ever heard one.

 

Hari OM,

 

Tim

 

Harsha: Perhaps not Tim, if you calmly consider what Linda is saying. Taking

proper care of the body is not inconsistent with the teachings of Sri

Shankra. Certainly, neglecting the needs of the body and torturing it in

various ways will not hasten spiritual progress and lead to enlightenment.

If such was true, what Linda stated with a bit of humor makes perfect sense.

Indeed, great Jnanis such as Ramana Maharshi have indicated the value of a

moderate sattvic diet for spiritual aspirants in every yogic tradition. For

one who has Realized the Truth of the Self, and Knows it Directly without

the medium of the mind, dietary and other considerations are indeed trivial.

Still in the Hindu and Jaina traditions, the Saints have advocated and

emphasized the general principle of eating sattvic food in moderation as a

help to spiritual practice.

[Guest guest]

Bhagavan Ramana has refered to his own body in

less than praiseworthy terms. yet, to others,

he has emphasized its importance, specifically

with respect to diet (ie eating sattvic foods).

 

it's important to bear in mind that the body is no

longer an issue for a jnani...nor is it especially

critical (depending on the individual) for pakva or

advanced sadhu. however, this is *not* true for

a sadhaka or a novice.

 

pandemic to all the teachings within the so-called

Perennial Philosophy, contradictions abound.

these arise simply because given statements and/or

methods apply to differently developed individuals.

there can be no one-size-fits-all teaching.

 

re: kundalini shakti. contrary to popular belief,

the rising of the 'coiled serpent' of divine energy

applies to virtually all yogamargas which, in turn,

applies to all people, regardless how spiritually

evolved. (technically, it applies to *all* sentient

beings.) to my understanding, the kundalini shakti

is not exclusively located in the base or muladhara

chakra, in anyone. rather, varying proportions of

it reside in each of the chakras, depending on one's

level of awareness.

 

another consideration is the attributes, capabilities

or powers (siddhis) and experiences that accompany

any appreciable rising of this spiritual energy.

if one is specifically training for a siddhi--for

example, through one of the raja yogas [such as the

hatha yoga of pranayama]--such thaumaturgic powers

as divination, psychokinesis or levitation may

result, co-appearing with the rising of the kundalini.

however, such are cautioned to be critical diversions

on the path to Self-realization. therefore siddhis

are discouraged. incidentally, for this reason, the

practice of raja yoga without corresponding bhakti

and/or jnanayog, can even be relatively dangerous--

not unlike the potential [and usually premature]

religious experiences resulting from the ingestion

of psychotropic drugs like LSD or mescalin.

 

a good example is the practice of certain pranayams

that can almost instantly neutralize the activity of

the Mind. however, when the breathing returns to

normal, the Mind almost instantly re-emerges.

moreover, there is no knowledge gained in the

process, leaving the practitioner bewildered and

dependent on an external practice. this is why

knowledge and devotion are indispensible to the

sadhaka.

 

namaste