Posted by lifestudent on July 08, 2002 at 15:24:47:
1 In taoist meditation, the initial object is to develop as much energy as possible, but not for the purpose of obtaining power. A desire for psychic (or paranormal) power is what in the early stages of meditation usually traps individuals---they become energy junkies.
2 In taoist practices, a tremendous amount of energy has to be developed inside the body in order for that energy to be converted to spirit. As your spirit fills, it is important that you start to realize the facts about the directions life can take, because when your spirit increases, you naturally gain what is known in the west as 'personal power.'
3 Through taoist meditation, you can gather tremendous power, which is often not obvious to others. If you stay focused on this power, then your spirit will never convert to 'emptiness.' Being stuck on the power is considered 'the big trap.' As a matter of fact, virtually every esoteric tradition in the world holds that 'the big trap' is to crave power. The character of the practitioner MUST BE DEVELOPED so he or she can willingly struggle with this problem and move beyond this trap.
4 Even upon reaching the advanced age of eighty, many human beings still live out the neuroses or their childhood. They still re-live things that occurred to them when they were children or young adults. They never go beyond the basic programmed conditioning wired inside them from youth.
5 During the the first level of taoist water meditation, people spend a long time learning to become what taoist call 'mature human beings,' meaning individuals who can assume responsibility for THEMSELVES, who do not avoid consequences by ascribing their own motivations to others, (BLAMING OTHERS). Possessing maturity is absolutely necessary before going further. If you lack maturity when you start moving into the world of spirit, you can become power mad and remain hooked on power. In order to become free, you must throw away whatever power and its benefits you have previously accumulated.
6 The ego of people who aquire psychic power before they are mature enough to handle it often inflates beyond belief. An immature person who accumulates large amounts of spiritual energy quickly and a youth who suddenly becomes a fabulously rich rock star can experience similar negative ego tendencies. Such people frequently abuse their good fortune because they do not know how to productively channel the newly aquired energy, be it spiritual power or money. The rock star frivolously spends millions on drugs and childish whims, the spiritualist squanders psychic energy on simple-minded gratification or domination games. The youth could, but does not, invest the cash, the spiritualist could, but does not, heighten spiritual awareness to compassionately help fellow beings. Both have the capacity to temporarily get what they want, without considering the effort that has brought them to this moment. They forget that they can fall just as far as they have risen.
7 Adults have to pay the price for their actions, whereas children are often forgiven on the grounds of immaturity. In the spiritual world, if you obtain power before you have worked out the dark sides of your immature ego, trouble can come your way. You may temporarily get away with all sorts of nonsense, as many gurus do, but when you fall, you become less than what you were before all your years of practice. Maybe you repent or wise up and practice again, until you reaquire your spiritual power and clarity. But if the deepest underlying roots of your spiritual immaturity are not dissolved and cleared, you can easily find yourself in a continous spiritual cycle of boom and bust that can be avoided. The guideline is this: Emotional maturity is the absolutely necessary foundation upon which spiritual power must be built.
8 The Neo-taoist' fascination with fire chi methods, force, opening channels, and having powerful awareness of what they can do with the energy they are producing often leads to a spiritual dead end. It rarely makes one spiritually free.
Excerpted from: 'Relaxing Into Your Being' by B.K. Frantzis
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