Seer: Yogis of bygone eras still live in Himalayas

Originally posted by D1ss1dent

Originally posted by FlyersFan

...So according to some of the major religions on the planet...

Yoga isn't a religion. If you think so, you're Very misinformed...

When someone starts talking about doing penance to see spirits ...
that darn sure crosses over into being a religion.

Definition of Religion

re·li·gion/rɪˈlɪdʒ ən/ Show Spelled [ri-lij-uh n] Show IPA
noun
1. a set of beliefs concerning the cause, nature, and purpose of the universe, especially when considered as the creation of a superhuman agency or agencies, usually involving devotional and ritual observances, and often containing a moral code governing the conduct of human affairs.

2. a specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices generally agreed upon by a number of persons or sects: the Christian religion; the Buddhist religion.

3. the body of persons adhering to a particular set of beliefs and practices: a world council of religions.

4. the life or state of a monk, nun, etc.: to enter religion.

5. the practice of religious beliefs; ritual observance of faith.

Telling people to 'do penance' in order to see the spirits of dead Yogis ... RELIGION.

I believe you are taking these things too literal...if you walk in the same shoes on the same path; of someone no matter who it is, you will "see them" not external and corporal, but from an understanding of shared experience. It's the same as saying look through a telescope and you will see Galileo.

The best teaching aid to gain understanding of a concept; is through metaphor, then you use awareness of the concept in mind as you go about life; at some point the concept is experienced, and the truth is known...how deep the truth from that experience varies; from person to person.

Taking things literal is a huge problem; people have in regard to religion, most are happy to hear the concept and just accept it as truth...with no actual experience. Not many will choose to forego; ease and sensuality, and enter into austerities to gain true wisdom for wisdom's sake. Though many will pretend just for a material gain; in an attempt to increase ease and sensuality...and then rationalize their displays of material wealth to their poor followers with some perverse religious justification...or other indiscretions as a test to faith.

Hook, line and sinker; works with anyone you want, if you provide the right bait cast in the most gullible section of their pond of experience.

To understand the yogins' concepts, one must understand the history of indians first.

The indian sub-continent holds 2 races - one with fair skin and blue eye in the north while another more pacifist with dark skin and curly hair in the south.

Through archeological and anthropoligical research, we now know that the northern indians were actually migrant Aryans from the russian steppes.

The Aryan religion was pacifist by nature, with Zorastarian teachings upon the settled agarian society. Unfortunately, many of the young and greedy were restless, became cattle rustlers and made use of religion to justify their crimes, thus born a cosmology and theology of gods with Indra being the central figure.

They swept westwards, some into the middle east, and some, into the lush indian sub-continent, where they settled down but without giving up on their violent gods to ensure the control of their followers and the continuation of their leaders' power, and thus born Hinduism, which is in many ways similar with the greek Hellenic gods.

With settled life, some of the aryan indians sought an end to the perpetual endless violent warfare between princes and tribes through the enslavement to rituals of hinduism, endless and senseless Karmic cycles of rebirths to comprehend existance itself.

Patanjali who lived during 600BC, started the road to self enlightenment, through the abandonment of the ego to find inner-peace. Many more indian acetics and gurus followed his style, meandering in their own ways and culminating with Buddha who defined the process to achieve enlightenment and the final state of rebirths - nirvana.

Their belief is that achieving nirvana begins in meditation for calmness, the rejection of earthly desires, empathy for all living, self cutivation of nobler pursuits, etc, practiced regular over long periods of time.

These are the same central tenats shared by many mainstream religions. Unfortunately, majority of indians do not subscribe to Buddha's way of life except in China and Asia, but cling on to Hinduism, with its worship of gods, endless and fatalistic cycles of rebirths determined by chance and not by one's previous behaviour in the former life, unlike Buddhism which teaches doing good and right will ensure a better rebirth and a final destination - nirvana.

I am only an insignificant nobody and know not much. ATS is an international site, and I hope that many more with such religions to share their knowledge, so that many more outsiders may be aware, that we may not be all that different after all, with common grounds of religious central tenets to stand on, to progress and evolve, than to be used and abused by the greedy whom sought to divide and kill us all....

Originally posted by D1ss1dent

Yoga isn't a religion. If you think so, you're Very misinformed...

Yoga is an aspect of Hinduism. Hinduism is a religion (and one with an extremely wide spectrum of denominations).

reply to post by FlyersFan


Catholic Saints and certain Yogis have a lot in common in their beliefs, practices and experiences. I think a comparative study of the two would reveal some very interesting things.

reply to post by smashdem


I think that one of the major malfunctions of the western culture is labeling all the "alternate" states of consciousness as "getting high". I think this perfectly reflects the short sighted hunt for short lived pleasures, which then turn into a void, craving for more.

It's easy to label all the psychedelics as "drugs" (when they really are guides, sacraments), things "trippy" (when they really are complex experiences), etc. Perfect way to keep the masses away from ideas (or truths) that are universal and might just click big time when explained and understood correctly.

reply to post by FlyersFan

Penance comes from the Latin "penitentia" > "pénitence" (in French. Definition: punition - fortunately, there's no such thing in Yoga -). We have to be careful with wording. A more adequate word would be "tapasyā" (rigorous discipline).

reply to post by D1ss1dent


Unfotunately, back in 600 BC, those seers do perform penance upon themselves, flogging themselves and subjecting themselves to incomprehensible pain and suffering- to get rid of ego. Even the ancient Jains do that as an initiation to the sect and inflict far worse than flogging.

it is said that the various Marian apparitions are the direct result of the witnesses being completely immersed and obsessed with religious fervor and especially focused on their internal Mary the Mother of Jesus


yeah, a self induced vision from their own subconscious

not so much a gateway to the Aether-world with all that ectoplazm stuff



does the existance of that ?1939? movie "Shangrila" itself become the embodiment of a lost colony of long enduring (immortal) Yogis' and or LLamas in Tibet?

i would say in a Quantum reality way this would be real & true

reply to post by SeekerofTruth101

Were you there? Could you provide evidences or is it simply speculation? In any cases, true Yoga has nothing to do with punishments, self-punishments or mutilations. Those are deviances/aberrations.

reply to post by Tryptych


In a sense; you are correct these experiences give rise to what are known as Jhana states. They are an acceleration on the path; the problem is all the delusion that can return with them, and the attainment of these naturally occurring states become dependent on an external drug...when one can achieve the same thing with practice at a rate discernment can handle.

Enlightenment that falls between illusion created by the self; and delusion also created by the self; mixed with the all of oneness is a very fine line. Within both of the two exist varying extremes, based on experience. One easy to be deluded with; whats my neighbor up too with the shovel; a new flower bed? And the other easy to be deluded with; whats my neighbor up too with the shovel; a tunnel into my house?

So be aware of this if that is what you practice. Dipping deep into the tunnel into my house extreme of madness; is usually an unrecoverable state where in balance can become impossible.

It's been a year since I have replied to any post and I would like to add my two cents to this topic. This is in respect to anyone that does or does not believe that the ability to "see as a seer" is real.

I have been "seeing" this way for over 12 years now. I am not a yogi, nor a "practicing" anything....It seemed to happen organically although it was quite horrifying and scary while unfolding. At the time of it unfolding I was not "a believer" in anything...didnt meditate, did no penance, etc...Since then have been "working backwards" to learn about this and try to come to terms with blending my everyday working world life with the ability to "see" beyond the veil. From my perspective and experience I literally DO see spirit energy, it is not metaphoric. I have seen energies from all different religions, (and non religious) beyond the veil seems s like one big melting pot of universal energy. Some very bright energies, some not so bright. (bright as in "luminous".)

Its ultimately quite frustring because all I am left with is a "story" of how it unfolded, things ive seen, ets. and I cannot prove a bit of it.

I guess my two cents boils down to declaring from my perspective that this is real. And rom these visual sights I extrapolate that we are all dimensional beings. For some reason some of us pierce the veil and see evidence of this. On the bright side it gives me hope that there is "more" but inegrating the experience while living the everyday is the true challenge. I do not live on a mountain top, I get up and go to work everyday...drink my coffee, etc...and then read ATS to gear down at the end of the day..

I have complete respect for those that DONT believe. I was that person 12 years ago. And if someone were to ask me "what DO you believe now?" I would simply say, "I know that there IS more...WAY more than this Earth experience before our eyes".

My repects to all....

reply to post by diamondlight


Thanks for sharing; I think you will find the technology behind changing this mood light by thought energy created either by MIT or Princeton can't recall which interesting to your quest. It basically proves the existence of CHI according to the Chinese.

I also think if you look into the Multiverse theory; which is leaning towards more probable according to physics than what is currently accepted you'll get even more things connecting. It probably isn't to far off from replacing current science as the new standard theory.