I have a question about gazing in general as I explore the techniques in Awakening the Third Eye.
To what degree is the object being gazed at responsible for the benefits of gazing?
The reason I ask is that I have experienced effects on my awareness from practices like gazing at my own fingertip during circle walking, and there is no external object involved. The general state of the energy of the eyes as it is referred to in the parts of Whisperings of the Dragon I’ve read seems to support the idea in my mind that the state of, or relationship to the energy of the eyes is fundamental, and what is looked at is maybe more of a prop to help achieve such states.
I was inclined to stop reading Whisperings half way through and go back to re-explore earlier material before continuing, so I hope I’m not asking something already answered 🙂
I would guess that you shared with us all the specific gazing techniques for a reason, and I’ve seen the more specific references to uses and effects of them in Shadows in the Twilight, but was wondering what part of the techniques is most responsible for their benefits.
Thanks,
Derek
I shared the techniques in book form because I taught them for years before. These books are a manual for this because I don’t teach the plant-gazing anymore. The reason for this is that I move on so the teachings don’t become fixed.
All the techniques stand alone. Continue reading “Whisperings of the Dragon” to the end so you can have a better grasp in terms of an overview of all the books. There is an underlying thread within them.
Energy is available from every source. When you read Whisperings you will begin to comprehend this.
The eyes are a very important factor – yes. But they have to be emptied of the ghosts that may exist within the heart of a human being. Ghosts are your memories in all their manifestations.
Without becoming too complex with the explanation, all of us have been doing – all of our lives – and those who are dedicated have been undoing all the limiting ideas that go against our true nature. It is not looking at your finger that will give you the sensation of energy within your circular walking, it is the act of peripherally apprehending the environment that fills the hands with energy.
This act within itself reduces the practitioner because there then is no reasonable reason why energy should amass because of this until all the keys are set in place. This is why the book “Whisperings of the Dragon” is so important for those who wish to reach a deeper state of communion.
Lo Ban Pai’s circular walking focuses the hands to coil inwardly towards the practitioner – not outwardly towards an external object as is done in Bagua. Without this very advanced – yet preliminary – technique, connecting to an outside entity such as a tree becomes more difficult.
Walking in a circle without the hands being activated through spirals, inwardly towards one’s center, is the first step. All comes of itself after that.
In other words, the internal coiling that manifests when the hands spiral activates the necessary magnetism to hold the untouchable and through this very act view what cannot be seen and auditorially connected to this gesture so as to still the mind. This is what you will be learning when I teach you the Golden Lotus.
Derek, here is a link, which provides another answer.
Internal Martial Arts and Jing, Chi, Shen
Thanks Mark, I appreciate your insight.
I can relate to the benefits in movement arts and physical health/strength from the focus on the lower dantien, but outside of practice is where it made less sense to me and maybe it was never intended for that. Perhaps the disconnection from feeling and expression is overall a positive thing for people on a monastic/solitary path where of withdrawal from life and avoidance of relationships are emphasized.
I guess I assume as well that what I have experienced is even the intended outcome of these practices, perhaps I have missed the mark in what I’ve done. I find that the connection to intending from lower dantien focus is somehow heavy, and while i’ve seen this work well for martial applications, I found it not useful at all when dealing with challenging situations in close relationships, or any other situations where relating to others was key. The lower dantien focus had me more in a “not caring” space, which helped not be affected or entangled with others, but also mainly created space with people. In my closest relationships that I keep active, I want appropriate amounts of intimacy, and I noticed the heart focus from the reversal accommodating this while still helping me not react or become entangled during challenging moments with people.
I have not had what I would consider solid guidance and teaching in these areas until this year, so a lot of my experiences are based on self discovery, and I’ve learned this year how far off the mark I was on some things 🙂 I look forward to the further input from Lujan in a future post.
Dear Derek, it’s an interesting issue.
To focus on the lower dantien (energy exercises) seems to have some beneficial effects; it strengthens our abdominal breath (as children do)and our balance, it nurture our inner silence; it feels sometimes like a nervous tingle below the navel; we are more connected with the earth (feet), with everything in the world and beyond. Perhaps it’s appropriate to say that this energy center in itself strengthens our ability to intend (energy filaments); therefore we somehow are able to align our intention to what is given or to the future, or past.
When the Nagual Lujan teaches us to reverse our eyes and ears it seems that we automatically are connected with our heart (middle dantien). As he has written in “Whisperings of the Dragon” this technique brings us back to our buoyant inner child, because it’s a natural state of children. “This is why the book “Whisperings of the Dragon” is so important for those who wish to reach a deeper state of communion”.
As you know, all centers are interconnected; and both appear or act together and at the same time in a different manner;
It’s just a humble contribution in a nutshell. I hope, you forgive me.
With kind regards, Mark
Thanks Lujan,
This is very helpful. I applied what I could remember about reversing the eyes right away upon reading this and had a very different day than I’m used to due to sustain this for almost the whole day, using my heart as a focal point for my internal attention to help maintain the practice. My reactivity was greatly neutralized all day. I have started to read Whisperings of the Dragon again, it seems I moved away from exactly what I was needing.
I think in my prior practice with other arts, I was applying reversing of the eyes to some degree during practice, as well as outside of practice at times, but I always used the inward focus to place my attention into the area of the lower dantien based on previous instructions and interpretations of other material I had read on the subject. So much focus on that energy centre in most of the internal arts and qigong I learned really influenced the way i related to an inward focus. I have noticed the focus on the lower dantien in the past having a neutralizing effect on the flow of emotional energy, but it left me unable to interact with people in places where I wanted to be feeling things(children, partner) so I would not sustain the practice as it left me inaccessible to them in ways that didn’t feel right, even though it helped to be inaccessible in other ways that were good due to less emotion to fuel reactions. What I experienced yesterday was a lack of reactivity, and the ability to stay centred, but the ability to still express feeling towards loved ones in a positive way.
It makes me question why the lower dantien became such a focus, can you shed any light on this?
Is using the area of the heart to help maintain the inward focus appropriate, or is it meant to be an inward focus without a focal point?
Thank you for you help and guidance.
Derek
Derek, this is a big question and very interesting. Many people are very confused about this subject. I will speak about it in an upcoming blog post in the next couple of days.
Rest assured I will teach you when you come and see me in a couple of weeks what exactly to do so you have no more confusion.