Sam Lim - gandarloda - Awakening

[Sam Lim]

     I remembered when I was 5 years old, I always have a few recurring dreams. It was during the olden Chinese days. I tried to jump as high as possible to reach a certain level beside a very high pagoda but did not manage to jump over it.. Another recurring dream of mine was I am always afraid as there are thousands and thousands of snakes surrounding me and I was the purple snake. Don’t know if there is any significance to that. Some of my dreams were of the future (I still have dreams that foretold my future) and it always happened the way it is in the dreams. I came to disregard that as it has no purpose for me except to show that one’s fate is sealed to a certain degree.

My grandmother was a vegetarian and she was one of those with bound feet (Lotus Feet) which makes her walking painful and very inconvenient. Whenever she used to knock on the wooden fish in front of the alter, I would just sit there and meditate. One more thing, I used to be in altered states whenever I focus on something and no matter how any one called me, I would not be able to hear them.

When I reached my teenage years, due to my family situation, spirituality was never in my mind again until I reached the age of 39 years old. At that time I was working for my brother-in-law in a club of sorts. There are training for Muay Thai or Thai Kickboxing and other forms of Chinese martial arts. I met a guy who became my master for internal energy (qi-gong). He taught me the method of breathing and within 3 weeks I had a violent kundalini awakening. Since the awakening, I would automatically meditate and my body would move in some kind of Tai Chi movement and etc. Three months after that, I was in total absorption. I see the world in a different light (literally). I see colours and other things (beings) and I would be unable to walk as I was too drunk in ecstasy. I would say that that was the beginning of my true journey.

About a week after the awakening, I hear crickets or a high pitch ringing sound. Waves of sensation courses through my body among other things which I do not know how to describe and explain. I still practice meditation but it would not be as intense as that as I still have to function in this mundane world. Knowledge would also come to me. I also know many things through my experience and meditation. I would call those knowledge insights or wisdom. One more thing, I know I will not be reborn again. Thanks for hearing my story.

[Jhanananda]

Welcome, gandarloda, I have been greatly anticipating your case history, because I recall that you have been a member of the Jhana Support Group for a long time. So, welcome, and thank-you.

Like you and Michael I too had many special and recurring "dreams" as a child, which I now recognize were OOBEs and/or past life recollections.  As an adult I had a lot of deeply frightening dreams about snakes, they were mostly through my thirties.  Eventually I got through my deepest fears, and therefore no longer have frightening dreams. 

It is interesting to note that you saw a purple snake.  I saw a pink one.  The significance of the pink snake to me was I used to live in a tropical island called "Trinidad."  There they have one of the most poisonous snakes known.  It is in the coral snake family and it is pink.  While body surfing there as an adolescent one floated past me.  I almost died from fear.  When I could recover rational thought I saw that the snake was dead, and recalled the snake is not aquatic.

Good to know that you have both light and sound attainment, which is mentioned in the suttas.  I too have it. They are of special interest in Sikh mysticism.  If we were Sikhs we would be considered meditation masters.  But, as Buddhist laity, I am disrespected by laity and priest alike.

I too experience the energy channels that you described.  They are called 'nadi' in Sanskrit and they are the meridians of acupuncture.   I have found I can move that energy around when I need to for health.  I mean that when my health declines I see that one or more meridians have shifted, so I go into deep meditation and move them around, then health is restored.

[Sam Lim]

I am not very good with writings as I am with speech. Sometimes it may not be quite clear to some.

I do have OBE while in meditation as well. Those that meditate with me can feel the heat from my body as well as goose bumps all over. I can understand the heat but could not fathom the goose bumps. It also appears that those meditated with me, can attain altered states much quicker and easier. There are also many things I do not know how to describe or tell.

I also do not read the scriptures. Those I know are from the yahoo forums whom are written by other members and Jeff. If anyone have anything to question me, please feel free to do so as I cannot remember everything. I used to be very bad tempered until these things happened to me. It is only through meditation that one's behavior patterns and conditioned self is erase. Only skillful effort or right effort can one do that.

[Jhanananda]

I am not very good with writings as I am with speech. Sometimes it may not be quite clear to some.

You are doing fine, gandarloda.  I appreciate your messages here very much.

I do have OBE while in meditation as well. Those that meditate with me can feel the heat from my body as well as goose bumps all over. I can understand the heat but could not fathom the goose bumps. It also appears that those meditated with me, can attain altered states much quicker and easier. There are also many things I do not know how to describe or tell.

I have not had anyone report heat or goose bumps from meditating with me; however, most people who meditate with me find they have a very pleasant and deep meditation.  It is possible that those who meditate with you find they go too deep, and become afraid.

I also do not read the scriptures. Those I know are from the yahoo forums whom are written by other members and Jeff. If anyone have anything to question me, please feel free to do so as I cannot remember everything. I used to be very bad tempered until these things happened to me. It is only through meditation that one's behavior patterns and conditioned self is erase. Only skillful effort or right effort can one do that.

I too had a very bad temper, and I also had many addictions before I took up the contemplative life.  Then through making an effort to over come my addictions, as well as learning to meditate skillfully, I became free of addictions and ill temper.

[Sam Lim]

I am glad that my message got across.

With the heat, it's because of my qi-gong and they can feel the heat coming from me which is quite hot. The goosebumps is because of my energy field  that ran into their body, I think. Not really too sure about that. Incidently, learning qi-gong can greatly enhance your meditation experience.

[Nik Pritchard]

Hello Sam

Nice to read your awakening story, I enjoyed it. And thank you for assurance via the general discussion topic that both you and Jeff responded to. I don't see there is a problem at all with your articulation by the way.

cheers

Nik 

[Jhanananda]

Thanks, gandarloda, for the additional information.  I took Tai Chi and various other Asian martial arts, so when I do walking meditation, then I will do a variant on Tai Chi or Ki gong, and I find it very successful.  I did some research and found that the earliest sources on Tai Chi suggest strongly of influences from Buddhist walking meditation.