Secret of the Golden Flower

[limitless sky]

I went to the website of JJ Semple and downloaded his podcasts. He claims that breathing with the diaphragm and keeping a quiet, focused mind are all you need to begin this practice. He says that after 100 days of correct meditation (the quietness and the breathing) the process sort of takes over and that you are mostly just along for the ride. He then says that the seminal fluid (or cervical fluid in women) is diverted up the spine and used by the brain to nourish the entire body by passing through the nervous system. Now I haven't read his book, so I don't know what background he has. But it seems odd to me that Darin and Semple have both had revolutionary results using the Wilhelm translation, and there are still people saying that you need some special practice to get anything from the text. Ken and Kronos, please PM me or something to help me understand what you're saying. Thanks as always.

 

yes this is all you need to begin, to abide by your dan tien, to forget urself and breathe into dan tien, after a while once u have been directing the qi, enough builds, and you have opened the path a little, then when you can breathe deep enough and slow enough, ur mind will slow enough that the qi can take over, then u just follow along. after the practice session, constantly keeping it in mind, even whilst u go about ur daily routine, over the days the qi ball will grow in dan tien and it will become constant, instead of having a vague feeling of some little something in there it will be a ball the size of ur fist filled with 1000 psi, then it will become impregnated and will become like its charged by lightning, then the practice takes on a different aspect. but there will also be a quickening process in your daily life whereby aspects of urself that u hide from the world will surface, and every challenge of personality will surface and you will go through some hard lessons. back flowing means also that instead of letting energy go out your penis in the form of gratification, or out of your eyes and mouth in the form of validation and more self gratification, you will humble urself and forget worldly concerns, the energy will flow back and you must circulate it so it doesn't stagnate, this way you will avoid the outflowing method which most people practice which leads to death. it doesn't mean u give up the world, just the world you currently know where everyone is seeking approval and validation for their ego. to be resolved to practice, to clean ur body ( tao yin ), to clean ur mind, to watch ur speech and check urself for the mistakes u've made on a daily basis, these are the most important factors to keep in mind.

[hyok]

^Nice post. Thanks for sharing.

[Taiji Bum]

The backward flowing method is also the story of Genesis. Both trees in the garden grow at its center point. The tree of life and the tree of knowledge grow from the same place. The tree of life is the spine and the tree of knowledge is the penis. Eating from the tree of knowledge leads to death and eating from the tree of life leads to eternal life.

 

The Zohar says that Adam and Eve just ate in the wrong order. They were supposed to wait until the tree of life was ripe and then eat from it and then they could blamelessly eat from the tree of knowledge whenever they wanted. Instead they greedily ate from the tree of knowledge and were banished from the garden of eden.

[seek1]

Thank you all for some excellent posts.

 

I have some questions about the practicality of this practice. As abdomen area is receiving attention and perhaps some stress is it important to make changes in diet. I have read somewhere jj Semple recommends a raw diet. Also is it worth cleansing the colon, liver and kidneys.

 

Also, is it important to focus on lower dantien directly ? Or can one concentrate on the upper dantien or forehead area which also seems to indirectly stimulate the lower dantien?

 

With Best Regards

[april]

[april]

Life Force Books authors featured in Barnes and Noble Panel Discussion

Life Force Books authors JJ Semple (The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death) and Neil Bethell Sinclair (The Spirit Flies Free: The Kundalini Poems) join noted author Matthew Fox (The Hidden Spirituality of Men) for a panel discussion entitled 3 Ways to Wisdom taking place at 12:00pm on March 7, 2009 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Jack London Square, Oakland CA. The participants will discuss ecstatic states of creativity, the future of human nature in a Kundalini world, and various ways of developing and enhancing masculine spirituality.

 

Each writer will make a 15-minute presentation, to be followed by a vigorous panel discussion with questions from the audience. JJ welcomes the opportunity to meet readers face-to-face. He tells me his presentation will address the "universality of man's spiritual achievements" including ways of stimulating neuroplastic activity, which he hopes will inspire interest in topics discussed across this forum. Hope TaoBums living in the Bay Area (SanFrancisco-Oakland-Marin) will take time out to participate.

 

April

[Long Yun]

Life Force Books authors featured in Barnes and Noble Panel Discussion

Life Force Books authors JJ Semple (The Backward-Flowing Method: The Secret of Life and Death) and Neil Bethell Sinclair (The Spirit Flies Free: The Kundalini Poems) join noted author Matthew Fox (The Hidden Spirituality of Men) for a panel discussion entitled 3 Ways to Wisdom taking place at 12:00pm on March 7, 2009 at Barnes & Noble Booksellers, Jack London Square, Oakland CA. The participants will discuss ecstatic states of creativity, the future of human nature in a Kundalini world, and various ways of developing and enhancing masculine spirituality.

 

Each writer will make a 15-minute presentation, to be followed by a vigorous panel discussion with questions from the audience. JJ welcomes the opportunity to meet readers face-to-face. He tells me his presentation will address the "universality of man's spiritual achievements" including ways of stimulating neuroplastic activity, which he hopes will inspire interest in topics discussed across this forum. Hope TaoBums living in the Bay Area (SanFrancisco-Oakland-Marin) will take time out to participate.

 

April

Thanks for letting us know April. If I lived on the West Coast I'd be there.

[Long Yun]

Alright, I think I've distilled my practice down into something that I can actually attain. Tell me what you guys think.

 

-I will continuosly practice stretches, good diet, virtue/understanding cultivation (which includes reading the texts), stillness/emptiness meditation.

-Should I continuously practice lower dantian breathing as well? No matter what stage I'm at?

-I will sometimes fast, take retreats, do mantras.

-I will only once do the Secret of the Golden Flower. (Years from now that is.)

 

Sound like a good practice? I think it is...

So far I've only done alot of reading, less meditation, and even less Spring Forest Qigong. I think that I'd be happier doing it this way though. See any problems? Got any tips?

[april]

Alright, I think I've distilled my practice down into something that I can actually attain. Tell me what you guys think.

 

-I will continuosly practice stretches, good diet, virtue/understanding cultivation (which includes reading the texts), stillness/emptiness meditation.

-Should I continuously practice lower dantian breathing as well? No matter what stage I'm at?

-I will sometimes fast, take retreats, do mantras.

-I will only once do the Secret of the Golden Flower. (Years from now that is.)

 

Sound like a good practice? I think it is...

So far I've only done alot of reading, less meditation, and even less Spring Forest Qigong. I think that I'd be happier doing it this way though. See any problems? Got any tips?

 

 

April here. JJ sends his blessing:

 

Looks like a well-thought out plan, Wu-Liu. Building up slowly, usually ensures good results, especially since you will probably have to adjust as new discoveries arise during the interim.

 

JJ Semple

 

Don't miss JJ's interview today <http://www.seeingbeyond.com/index.php?page=schedule>.

 

April

Edited February 23, 2009 by april

[Long Yun]

This is a message from JJ Semple regarding my question for him:

 

Hi April,

 

I have one more question that I'd like for you to relay to Mr. Semple:

 

Mr. Semple,

 

On page 87 of "Deciphering the Golden Flower," you tell Genvieve that you do not feel love, anger, pride or desire. Is it true that you do not feel love after this practice? I've been with the same woman for going on four years now, and I love her very much. Despite cessation of attachment being the only way to end suffering, I do not want to lose my capacity to love either her or my parents or anyone for that matter. Does this truly happen after GFM?

 

Sincerely,

 

Myles

 

 

I appreciate your help as always, April. Thanks.

 

 

Myles,

 

Yes, there is definitely an emotional readjustment. Read Gopi Krishna's Kundalini: The Evolutionary Energy in Man, pp. 52-53. He has an interesting account of the same phenomenon.

 

This emotional readjustment is disconcerting at the beginning. As you progress, however, you will understand that your human nature is changing and it is, in fact, a much-needed positive step. Over time, there will be a change in your being's emotional structure. And that's as it should be. After all, it's emotion that governs our behavior and dictates our human nature, which, as you look at the world around you, you realize is responsible for most of our problems.

 

Generally, as a race, we let our emotions run wild, and are powerless to change them. Emotion is at the root of most of our problems. They are the anchor of our human nature, but since we are unable to control them, our emotions cause problems. The only way to change our human nature is to change our state of being, and Kundalini is the key to this. Kundalini overhauls our being, and as a consequence, changes our nature, gradually purifying our affective makeup.

 

After Kundalini, we move away from the beings we once were and it seems as if we have lost feelings we once treasured. However, eventually we come to realize that this is only a step to a new being. Love does not disappear; it changes in nature. To evolve, we must control our emotions. This is very hard. Read Ouspensky's The Fourth Way. It's a great book on the subject of changing the being.

 

His method works on self-control, uses self-remembering to master emotion. It's a very long process. Kundalini does this by changing the somatic and metabolic structure of the individual. And although the physical changes are accomplished swiftly, the affective changes take time. You must get used to the idea that this work will change your being. Think of this as a positive step, a much-needed readjustment.

 

In fact, picture yourself as a superior being for a moment, incapable of emotion. Try to imagine how this will change the ways you look at others. You will be so much more understanding. You will be outside the "game of life" to a degree, objectively able to see where people are "coming from." From this understanding will come a new kind of love

 

Spirit entities have no emotions; emotions come with our inhabiting bodies. Look at the reckless emotion around you, the problems it causes. As you progress in your practice, you will begin to separate from the magnetic control your body and its perceived needs have over you. You will begin to realize that you are responsible for your emotions, just like you are responsible for a baby. You can't let the baby wander out into traffic; you can't let your emotions run wild.

 

In a nutshell, you will begin to feel love in a different way; love without attachment, love in a less possessive sense. Don't be afraid to go there.

 

JJ

[AugustLeo]

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[AugustLeo]

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[Jesse]

What I'm trying to get at is a step by step process for the "backward flowing method".

 

JJ Semple describes it like this:

It's not clear to me what he means - it's rather ambiguous.

 

For instance, does he mean that originally he senses his breath moving down his back (down the governor channel) on the inhale and up the front of his body (up the functional channel) on the exhale; and then 'commands' it to 'reverse', breathing down the front on the inhale and up the back on the exhale.

 

As I said, I'm trying to break it down into a clearer step by step process.

 

Any help would in deciphering JJ's book would be appreciated.

 

 

You might want to check out his podcast. He has one called backward flowing method. I listened to it last night on my drive home and i think he described it in a 3 step process ( i can't remember exactly) that sounded a little different then what you are describing.

 

Jesse

[AugustLeo]

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[april]

[AugustLeo]

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[april]

[AugustLeo]

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[dizzydazzle]

I bought your products (books & CD) trusting that you would provide a descriptive deciphering of The Secret of the Golden Flower, beyond what was available in the available translations. That's what I paid for and that's all I want.

 

With regard to your second question - why do you want to know this? From my perspective it's irrelevant.

 

 

 

Agree with you 100% brother!

Edited March 13, 2009 by dizzydazzle

[AugustLeo]

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[april]

[AugustLeo]

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[cheya]

 

 

If we cannot do this collaboratively, then I will have to move on, in spite of the lumps I may take in this forum. It is simply not productive.

JJ Semple,
Thank you very much for your replies to Michael, which I have found very clear and extremely helpful in understanding the challenges involved in transmitting practices.
Osho Rajneesh once said that if he were marooned on an island, and could only have one book, it would be Secret of the Golden Flower. The times I've picked it up, it felt like Greek to me, but, from your responses to Michael, I think I will be able to get a lot from reading your experience with the practice/process.

I really appreciate the time and effort you put into communicating with us.
All the best,
 

[april]

[gendao]

The difference is that the backward-flowing method works by drawing the seminal fluid up the spinal column, not by thinking or visualizing it.

On p115 (of TBFM), you state that you traded your "ability to copulate at will" to channel that sexual energy into your brain. And that once you start the sublimation process, you don't want to interrupt it (by ejaculating) too much.

 

On p54, you state that the sublimation thus has a debilitating effect, at least during the first phase.

 

And on p132, you quote Gopi Krishna referring to "statements of the kind that during the process the semen dries up with suction and becomes thin, that the male organ shrinks, or that the sexual appetite is lost."

 

 

Now, I believe Glenn Morris also alluded to some sexual problems (or changes) from his kundalini awakening that contributed to his divorce. Also, didn't Buddha's dick withdraw into a flap of skin after he became enlightened or something?

 

 

So, my questions here then are:

1) Does your dick shrink or lose erectile function during the kundalini-awakening process - presumably as a result of the life force being used for your own rejuvenation (rather than shot out your dick for that of a potential baby's)?

2) If so, would your dick return to normal size and function after your kundalini has been awakened?

3) Do you have to conserve your jing even after your kundalini has been awakened? And if not, what happens? Does your brain get foggy and your rejuvenation slow?

4) Might kundalini-awakening actually make (non-ejac) sex easier by clearing the way for the "Big Draw?"

 

Cuz reality is for us single fellas out there, women are still going to be a lot more impressed with a sizeable, functioning unit than a spiritually-awakened man. And ideally, I'd like to have both.

Edited March 15, 2009 by vortex