Westerners and Eastern spiritual practices

Jung really lived what he preached—that we have to navigate both our outer lives and our inner worlds at the same time. That’s how you find the middle ground, individuation, Zen. It's the core of most Eastern philosophies and practices too... Zen, Yoga, and especially the ancient ways of Tantra.

That whole concept of "balance" is baked right into the principles of Yin and Yang, Ida and Pingala, Shiva and Shakti, the Sun and the Moon... day and night, sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems.
You can either try to merge dualities or just swing between extremes. But usually, after a while, people start leaning toward... balance.
🙂

Living an outward life without being aware of our internal world? 😉
Just ignoring the reality of our inner selves—the longings, the fears, the desires. They're constantly screaming at us from the outside... "notice me, notice me!"

jimmy jazz said:And what isn't a breeding ground for neurotics? Honestly, who even isn't neurotic? Show me one single person out there who isn't neurotic—just socially and individually conditioned to be that way. It’s just human nature to cling to the good times and push down the painful, unresolved stuff when it happens.

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

If you actually take a second to look at the big picture, you'll see that India-WEST is basically the TRUE East!
Which honestly makes them way more aligned with our dear friends in the West.
For instance, Indian philosophy is pretty superficial and stays strictly in the realm of the occult.

And seriously, when has anything good ever come from the "West" to the "East"?
But the other way around? Absolutely everything!
The only culture the West originally even had to call its own—from all time—was the Celts and the Vikings!

Even Christianity came over from the East! 😂

Amanda Evans29 said:For instance, Indian philosophy is just superficial and purely occultist.

Unlike Eastern traditions...

...Eastern philosophy isn't just about spooky occultism! ... 😂
And honestly, it’s anything but trivial! 😁

..let’s not forget that everyone born over there was a total Bud Hill type—whereas in the Middle East, in that chaotic land of Jerusalem, there was only the master Issa!
The son of a carpenter ends up on a wooden cross! 😂

Haha!😂

Wouldn't it be more effective to look at them as two different approaches—one being much more restrictive than the other?

apop said:If anyone actually takes a second to look closer, they’ll realize that West-India is the REAL East!
And because of that, it’s much more aligned with our dear Western friends!
For instance, Indian philosophy is nothing more than trivial, occult nonsense.

And honestly, what has ever actually come from the "West" to benefit the "East"?
It’s always been the other way around—absolutely everything!
The only cultures the West ever truly called its own were the Celts and the Vikings!

Even Christianity arrived from the East! 😂

Care to elaborate on that?

What exactly makes Indian philosophy purely occult? And what part of it is "trivial"?

And define "true East" for me. Aside from Taoism and Shintoism, most of those traditions originate in the Far East if you trace them back to India anyway. Even with Taoism, it’s debatable since it relies so heavily on typical yoga exercises.

apop said:..let’s not forget that all the Bud He were born over there—whereas in that chaotic corner of the Middle East (Jerusalem), there was only master Issa!
The carpenter's son ends up on a wooden cross! 😂

Gautama, and I suspect the previous Bud He being discussed here as well, were actually born in India 🙂

I just finished reading this post and felt compelled to jump in!
Basically, our friend here hit on something incredibly profound regarding our spiritual journey and the direction our lives take.

In my view, there is absolutely no need to rush. We should spend our time divining and meditating on the truths held within us and the realities of our daily lives, continuing until we reach that sudden moment of clarity where we can say, "Yes, this is it—this is my true self and my actual path!"

I like to call that process "finding your anchor."
Personally, I went through quite a few different phases of "fine-tuning" before I finally figured out what I truly needed from life. Back when I was attending high school, I was deep into studying the Kabbalah, but at the exact same time, I was realizing that math and a few other subjects were definitely not my forte—I was barely scraping by with passing grades! So, I had to figure out how to actually graduate before I could really commit myself to any serious Ray.

This is a perfect example. If you take the time to reflect deeply on what truly matters and what defines your essence, everything falls into place.
Much like in Thelema, or indeed anywhere else, we are the architects of our own destiny. Tools like Tarot or astrology can offer a glimpse, but there is a world of difference between seeing a map and actually walking the trail!

Anyway, time for a little bit of fun!
Does anyone here know anything about the Occult Red known as the "Khlysty"? I have a hunch that someone named Raspucin was leading the pack at one point, or something along those lines.

Whoa, hold up—so you're actually out here hunting for the Gnostic Gospels from the Therion archives!

Yoga is strictly occult territory, if you ask me!
Every enlightened master who ever traveled over from India had their own specific methods—stuff that doesn't even have a direct link to modern Yoga—which is why they ended up seeking out their true disciples in China or Tibet! Period. 😁

Gnosis equals gnosis, which means the balancing of the serpent => it’s basically the exact same deal as Zen! We're talking Sophism, Sufism, and actual Buddhism! If you know how to read between the lines, you'll see it! 😂

And let’s be real, this modern version of pro-Israel Christianity? It’s nothing more than the absolute peak of consumerist culture! Just another flavor of Western "yang" techniques! 😂

Alexander Parker69 said:Yoga is purely occult stuff!
Every single enlightened master who hailed from India had their own specific methods—methods that have absolutely nothing to do with Yogom-st—which is why they went looking for kindred spirits in China and Tibet! Period. 😁

Look, Yoga is actually one of the six classical philosophical systems.
When we talk about it as a technique, it doesn't just mean the "raja yoga" you’re likely picturing in your head. The most widespread form is bhakti yoga, which is essentially what Christianity is, along with karma yoga.

Then there's gyana yoga, which is closely related to Buddhism, for example.

Buddha didn't go hunting for like-minded people in China or Tibet; he found them right there in India. It was the Chinese and Tibetans who traveled to India to import knowledge, just as preachers from India eventually moved to other countries, though that mostly happened quite a while after Buddha passed away.

The only ones really spreading their reach outside of India were Buddhists; Hinduism remained fairly insular until very recently, functioning much like a nationalistic movement even today. This is probably why, in the West, people tend to equate Yoga with Indian spirituality in general—because the physical techniques are easy to package and sell, whereas the deeper spirit, the wisdom, and everything else that's hard to wrap up in colorful, cheap, shrink-wrapped cellophane meant to look like a wallet-sized souvenir is much harder to market, even if those deeper elements make up the bulk of Indian spirituality compared to just stretching and staring at crystals.

So, I have to ask: which enlightened masters were supposedly searching for peers in Tibet or China if they weren't followers of Buddha?

P.S. It is a rather amusing thought, isn't it? To imagine that all these enlightened masters just coincidentally popped up all over India and then scattered like rabbits wherever they felt they might be better understood. If such a receptive and spiritual environment had existed in China Buddha would likely have emerged there instead of in India.

Buddha always emerges right where there is an equal and opposite reaction.
He isn't going to just pop up in China or Japan—even though they’ve had their share of spiritual giants in the past—because those places are already deeply spiritual.

It’s almost like someone actually spent some time out on the East Coast! 😂 😂

Western depression? I’ll take that over being stuck on some high-and-mighty pedestal any day! 😂
Honestly, it doesn't even matter—they truly believe they're looking down on everyone from their little ivory tower. 😁
The whole thing really boils down to the idea that thought-forms=matter. 😬

Yoga, much like yoga, is essentially a system of practical exercises designed to expand awareness. Occultism is just a tiny, insignificant sliver of the vast universe found within yoga... focusing solely on the occult is a dead end. It’s like obsessing over your external life without ever looking inward.
Once you actually commit to the path of yoga, after reaching certain insights and experiences, occultism becomes nothing more than a mild 🙂

Kriya yoga, Kundalini yoga, Hatha yoga, Laya yoga, Nada yoga, Swara yoga, Jnana yoga, Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, Raja yoga...
Each one offers endless methods to broaden consciousness and layers of insight, uncovering entire worlds of meaning. They share so much in common because they all stem from a single, unifying system—yoga. It's a journey inward while simultaneously balancing the outer world. A difficult road... requires intense focus, energy, and self-discipline. Most people go the opposite way. They run from themselves and their own inner depths. That’s fine, I suppose. They just express that avoidance unconsciously through their daily lives in the material world. But the path of yoga offers something... something that forces a person to keep moving forward. 🙂

ravana, yoga predates Hinduism. It’s non-Vedic. If we're using the Vedas as the foundation for Hinduism, then we have to call it that. Yoga is Tantric. You find the first traces of yoga in the mysterious civilization of Mohenjo-daro... where there are also traces of Shiva and Kali/Maha Devi. Shivaism, Vaishnavism, and Shaktism are actually originally Tantric traditions. The blending of Tantric and Vedic philosophy starts with the Upanishads and reaches its peak with the Bhagavad Gita.
yoga is a system practiced independently of Hinduism. The thing about Hinduism is that it's very much about bhakti—it has heart. A lot of people gravitate toward yoga, kirtans, and bhajans because the traditional Christian approach feels cold. There's too little heart. Plus, the West has conditioned people to perceive Christianity through pure intellect and reason rather than feeling... which isn't really Jesus's way. On the other hand, bhakti and Hare Krishna offer warmth and love instead of sermons about sin, and people feel that. That connection exists in yoga, too. People need it. They need that touch of the heart. Especially here in the States, where people lead with their hearts. In some countries, Sai Baba is a total stranger, but those are colder places. People struggle to see that what they're looking for in Sai Baba is already present in Jesus... that it's the core of Jesus's teaching and something they can find right there. Yoga doesn't require Hinduism at all.

Bees & hives.

The awakening hits hard when those Harrah's frequencies start ramping up,
and your brain just totally checks out.
The downside to yoga is that it’s such a massive mental grind—honestly, even more intense than some religious stuff.
Everything else? Totally fine.
Or are you just listening to jazz in all the wrong places?

I don't know what kind of yoga you think you were doing😉
but if your head's really that heavy, just grab a shovel instead😁