In some traditions it is said that you choose your own parents before you are born. On a spiritual level this idea of pre-birth choice raises all kinds of questions.
For instance, is this part of a lucid/volitional experience of ‘death’?
Who exactly is making the choice, and how is the choice presented, and by whom?
Are all mantras a method of karma purification? If so, is the type of purification specific to the deity mantra? Example - is there a specific deity and mantra for an addiction?
Many of us received empowerments in Tibetan and did not understand what vows we were taking because they were in Tibetan and not explained to us. How would we know if we broke the vows (samaya) and how to repair the broken vows? Do we need to worry about that? I was told by a translator that we would never agree to the vows if we knew what we were agreeing to - LOL.
Are mantras said silently as powerful as those said out loud? I feel a stronger energy (perhaps deity presence) the more I whisper or say the mantra silently. Maybe because the sound doesn’t overwhelm the energy feeling.
How to begin exploring the dream yoga path–Is there a beginner category on Night Club site? What about books? .
I’ve become a little bit aware of the role of dopamine in regard to the phenomenon of wanting this year. There seems to be an association between bipolar disorder and dopamine disregulation. Also Parkinson’s disease is associated with a decline in dopamine production in the substantia nigra as this brain region experiences decay and along with that the individual becomes more and more apathetic. To go on a bit further, I have come across YouTube videos talking about dopamine detox where one purposefully watches and lets go of craving. In your estimation, how much of working toward gaining freedom through spiritual technique is gaining mastery over this system verses working on other important goals?
Thank you very much for recommending the book “𝘊𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯: 𝘌𝘴𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘪𝘤 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯“ in July. I read it and keep studying since then. Last week Tergar Community offered a live oral transmission of this text and also of a text of White Tara sadhana, both read in Tibetan by Lama Trinley. Could you, please, unpack a little bit the phenomenon/ the aim of oral transmission?
Hello Andrew, After being greeted by the collective unconscious in recent dreams (I draw what I see there – see drawings and post on the Dream Journal board), I’m wondering what to do when I’m in that shared space. What comes after the greeting? What should I be looking for? What actions make sense? I’m in awe of what I am experiencing. Are there techniques or teachings I should be learning from about this?
I’ve received Heruka/Vajrayogini empowerments and practice those Sadanas and visualizations. Their Pure Land is Keajra. I’m confused about where I should hope to go when I die- Sukavati/Amitaba or Heruka-Vajrayogini/Keajra? I remember you taught that once one achieves rebirth in Sukavati, one never needs to return as a human unless one chooses to as a bodhisattva. I’ve also learned that Keajra is a Pure Land for more advanced spiritual education, so of course I’d like to go there. But as far as I can tell, Powa practice is only associated with Amitaba, Avalokiteshvara and Sukavati, not other Pure Lands.
Andrew did it weekly for the first year (longer) during the pandemic. His hangouts often drew over a hundred far-flung participants and he was very comforting for a ton of folks. Who else does this?
I think its a really smart customer aquisition method, and more importantly a powerful way to spread the Dharma teachings, not just to advanced practitioners, but also those who are just dipping their toes, and those have never heard about it before.
Might not be possible to do the group meetings every week via zoom, but would be cool to have a submitted question version, where he just reads and answers presubmitted questions from non members and members, and then posts the video.
The Hangouts were open to the public, no pay or NC participation was required. This went on for a long, long time. Andrew has a huge database of writing, Q&A sessions, online courses—some free, some not—with subjects wide-ranging and far-flung, as well. Generally, he is online once or twice a week, alternating The Book Club with a Q&A Zoomer and a Meditation meeting on Mondays with him, Jeffrey or Joe Parent. Like I said before, Who does this?
I remember when Andrew started NC in January 2019. The early version I saw in 2018, at a Sedona retreat, was rudimentary and unsophisticated, but his heart was in the right place. I know it is not a great money-making proposition, but it does help get the message out for others. Some weeks Andrew was online 3-4 nights a week (and then on the weekend too) offering teachings, support and Q&A for hours! These days, he’s also available via scheduled online and in-person retreats and The Book Club. There’s also The Sleep Doctor monthly Zoomer and other events along the way including the newer version of a Dream Sangha —along with the original Dream Sangha that is still going strong!
So I appreciate Andrew’s visibility and availability. He’s not a regular contributor to the NC discussion boards, but there are only so many hours in the day, days in a week and donuts in a dozen, eh? Fortunately, your contributions to the NC discussions are really timely, thoughtful and valuable.
I just want to provide some perspective on Andrew’s work since I was first introduced to it in the Summer of 2018, through a Tricycle Dream Yoga course. I’ve been to a few in-person retreats with him and have an idea about how he has spent his time over the years, including free dentistry in over 40 countries. Interestingly, one of my current meditation teachers remembers Dr. Holececk from Kathmandu, Nepal in the early 2000s. He told me that he owed his dental health to Andrew’s free community clinics.
Yes you are right. He could have easily let this site decay or abandon it completely after the pandemic cleared away but he has don the opposite and kept it thriving. I am very greatful for all the work he does. And fully empathize that there just isnt enough time in the day. It was not a demand, more so wishful thinking on my part. The Q&A portion is my favorite of all the things he offers on here.