Joy Is Beyond Phenomena

Question

I have started practcising Hong-sau technique since Jan.2017. I do follow the technique honestly and reach the state of breathlessness which prolong to 30-45 seconds but at this stage I feel my bowels are filled with air. Is it natural or unnatural?

My second question is that during Hong-sau practice, I some time visualise a flow of black clouds with blue and golden light which disappear soon. When I see this I feel joy within me. Is it a sign of progress in the spiritual path or what? Kindly enlighten me on this.

Jai Guru !!

—vinod kumar dudani, India

Answer

Dear Vinod Kumar,

I applaud your practice of Hong-Sau — it’s a wonderful technique with many layers of subtlety. Concerning your question about the breathless period, I have noted the sensation you are experiencing only in people who are inadvertently breathing air into the stomach. If you are not doing that, then I will guess that you are experiencing a phenomenon that will pass in time. Meanwhile, don’t pay attention to it unless it is uncomfortable.

As for your visualization, I assume that you are not intentionally visualizing, yes? Because if you are, it would be best to separate that visualization from your Hong-Sau practice, because Hong-Sau is not a visualization technique. But if you are seeing the clouds and light without trying to do so, then it is probably a rough, preliminary image of the spiritual eye. Relax with it and keep on with your practice of Hong-Sau. The image might in time resolve into a ring of gold surrounding a field of blue, which is a clearer image of the spiritual eye. In time you might even see a five-pointed silvery-white star in the middle of that field, in which case you are seeing a clear manifestation of the spiritual eye. That can be a good time to stop your technique and gaze deeply into that image, trying to penetrate to the very center of that star. It is the gateway to the highest levels of consciousness.

Meanwhile, hold on to the joy, for joy is beyond all phenomena, and increasing joy is certainly a sign of spiritual progress.

Blessings,
Nayaswami Gyandev