Re: Feeling welcomed / energy

Hi Claude,

Hope you find this list a nice place to hang out!

As far as energy understood as qi or chi in/around/throughout the levels of
the body, there's not too much in the advaita vedanta tradition. Energy
like this is spoken of more in the yoga, Kashmir Shaivism and Kundalini
traditions. There are many people on this list who are well-experienced
and well-informed in these traditions.

In advaita vedanta, the *formal* kind at least, energy is more abstract.
It would fit into one of the creation theories, and perhaps into the theory
of Maya. Advaita has 3 creation theories, taught to the student according
to the student's level of preparation. From the beginning to more
advanced, they go about like this:

1. Creation from emanation, where creation precedes perception. The world
emanates from Brahman through the power of one's chosen deity, proceeding
from the subtle elements to the gross, including human cognitive and
perceptual apparatus.

2. Creation via perception, where the mind and perceptual apparatus exist,
and the world and deities are created, maintained, and detroyed at every
moment by the very powers of perception and cognition.

3. Non-creation. Nothing created, nothing destroyed, all is spontaneous,
uncaused appearances in consciousness.

And as for Maya it is often loosely translated as "illusion," but more
formally characterized as unspeakable, neither real nor unreal. The world
is Maya and Brahman at the same time. There are two powers in Maya, the
veiling power, which causes ignorance of our true nature. And the
projecting power, which causes us to believe that we are something (body,
mind, lawyer, mother, etc.) that we are not.

Love,

--Greg


At 10:04 PM 3/30/00 -0000, Claude Fournier wrote:
>Thanks to Annie, Greg, Juan and Amanda for your kind welcome.
>
>I observe that energy work may be very diversified and approached
>differently according to a given culture. I plan to explore this
>list's achive about kundalini and establish relations with qi.
>
>I wonder what the advaita tradition has to tell about the energy
>paradigm. Just another mind'concept? It would not conduct us very far.
>Though now I "know" that there is nowhere to go. :-)
>
>Best regards,
>
>Claude
>
>
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--- In HarshaSatsangh (AT) onelist (DOT) com, Greg Goode wrote:
> In advaita vedanta, the *formal* kind at least, energy is more
abstract.
> It would fit into one of the creation theories, and perhaps into
the theory
> of Maya. Advaita has 3 creation theories, taught to the student
according
> to the student's level of preparation.

Hi Greg and all,

Your synthesis following the above intro clarified things for me and
has been appreciated.

Claude