November Project: Question #20
This question comes from Brooks through email
Some awakened persons have described certain so-called spiritual powers (or ‘siddhis’ in the traditional sanskrit) they have come to experience post-enlightenment; which take on a number of different possible attributes like hearing other people’s thoughts as an example.
Have you observed any changes that you are aware of that would match this description after your awakening?
Thanks for the question, Brooks.
There are some odd things happening in this body, haha. I wouldn’t use the term siddhis, and I certainly wouldn’t say spiritual powers. Those are just too corny sounding, and would probably only increase the gap between the speaker and the listener.
I’ll tell you some things that go on from time to time, and you can take it from there. These examples may be nothing more than the result of a damaged brain and body, so I wouldn’t put too much effort into seeing something not actually here. 
I may have mentioned some of these before…
In the past I have described life as happening simultaneously, with no gap or space in-between anything. Many feel life occurs in a step-wise fashion; this moment, then that, and then that; but within this body, there is no step. That gives it the feel of one long, drawn out moment with no clear beginning or end. I wouldn’t call it a continuation because it is not really dependent upon the past in that way. It is life, going on.
This does cause some difficulty, though. At times, I have trouble hearing separate sounds. It is as if every sound is apparent to me, all at once, making it impossible to focus on anything other than the entirety. If Akiko is talking to me when this happens, even if she is right next to me and the ambient noise level is normal, I will not hear her. I might as well be deaf. I have to focus on her lips and try reading what she says if I want to understand her. If she is facing away from me while speaking, I will not hear her at all. I won’t even know she is speaking.
It is odd.
These are normal events, mind you. It is not as if I am at a loud concert when this happens. It occurs during everyday life.
It arises in a specific way. The sound will be separate, and I can hear this or that, just as you might. But for whatever reason, the sounds will slowly begin to meld until all that is left is every sound, which is really the same as no sound at all. Sometimes it comes on fast, and at other times slowly, but it does seem to always happen gradually, regardless of the speed.
Something else that may be unusual is the amount of heat this body gives off. It is not something I feel myself, and I only know this because of what other people tell me…
I could be sitting, sleeping, talking with someone, or be up to anything really, and it will just happen. There have been times when people have to move away from me due to that heat, and it can be so intense that Akiko can’t even hold my hand.
The Blind Teaching the Blind
Some people have told me it is not necessarily the heat making them uncomfortable, but something they can’t quite explain. I don’t know what it might be.
Animals don’t seem to mind it though.
You mentioned hearing other people’s thoughts as a possible example. I have had similar occurences, but I don’t think it is quite the way others have described. Thought is not like a written page that can be read back verbatim. It doesn’t really appear to me in that way. It is like a clearly audible sound that does not require ears to hear.
It is not a new-age ‘vibration’, or an interpreted feeling. It is more like the wind on your cheek.
And as far a reading thoughts, it is more like interception and not reading, if that is the right way to put it.
Let me see if I can describe this…It is not that you ‘read’ a thought, literally. You intercept a ‘reaction’. This is like seeing a telegraphed punch coming toward you in slow-motion. First, it is telegraphed so it is easy to see what is about to happen. And second, it is in slow-motion and you have all the time in the world to intercept, block, dodge, or let it hit you. And I don’t want you to take the punching example too literally. I am trying to get close to it, but I’m probably failing, haha.
How about this…it is like answering before the question is asked, or responding without saying a word…
Still not getting close enough.
It is easy to feel this, especially when someone is defensive. I don’t know why this is, but there is a certain kind of energy, for lack of a better word, in the defense of the self, that is different. It is very pungent, and is as obvious as the smell of a long dead animal.
Defense is an act of aggression, after all…perhaps that has something to do with it? I really cannot say.
This ‘mind reading’ is kind of an attunement, if that is the right word. It might stem from a connection to other living things at an imperceptible point. But it is absolutely nothing magical. Too many people use it as a parlor trick for their own personal gain. And some of them do it not knowing it is not special, deluding themselves into thinking they have some gift beyond the norm of humanity. It is not a gift, and it does not make any person better or more important than any other.
I think I will leave it at that. I honestly do not like talking about this very much. Don’t get me wrong, I am the one that chose the question, and I don’t mind answering at all…
Perhaps my hypocrisy only goes so far? 
Don’t know if that answers your question, Brooks, but thanks for asking…
{ 17 comments }
A somewhat different take. When I resolve an issue for myself it is possible to see it more clearly in others.
If I finally stand up to my parent(s) I can see more clearly others who have needed to do this. If I release my aggression about something I can see others who feel aggressive more clearly.
I guess these aren’t the special powers spoken of. But it does seem in the same ballpark.
Thanks, Evan.
I understand what you’re saying. I see that…
The whole notion of these ‘powers’ is nonsense, really. That is not to say a person can’t be sensitive in one way or another. But the whole business of pedestal polishing is sad and can be sickening. I hope the article didn’t come off as some kind of pro-power stance. I don’t think it did at all, but I can never be sure how others take the things I have written.
In some way it is not my problem what other people think, but it is still my responsibility to some degree. I certainly can’t take myself out of the equation…
Thanks Takuin for your thoughts on this and your own experience, as well as how others respond to your presence. Perhaps these things are within everyone but for the most part go unnoticed because the mind is too busy coming up with a story and interpreting objects. Maybe for someone that is ‘awake’ these experiences are much more readily available because there is not a loud mental voice that gets in the way. This is just a guess however.
It is interesting about the physical heat and sound and time becoming one that you have observed. I understand that you do not like to talk about this and it is probably for the best since these things seem to have no explanation that can be put into words. I also certainly understand the defensive reactions that people have, myself also very much included
when the mind seems wronged in some way. I have experimented with watching these things happen within and without.
Thanks, Brooks.
None of this was meant as a pointer for the expectations of others. I hope it is not taken as, “So that is what I can expect!” or, “Wow, Takuin sure is different and special! I can’t wait to get that, too!”
There are people in the world just like that, but those I have met through this website are really not those kind of people. And it would be an insult for me to lump them into some ‘dullard seeker’ category. I think that is why I don’t feel the need to overly explain myself. I think I understand who I am writing for, if that is the right way to say it.
It is great to have the opportunity to write for anyone…and I can remember times when people really had a bug up their ass about something I wrote. They usually came here and left their say in the comments. Sometimes they were right, and sometimes they assumed too much, but either way I enjoyed it all.
In some way, I really wish this kind of writing could be more direct. Not direct….the interaction is very slow, you know. It is not like sitting next to someone and talking, where the expression is immediate and two people can go to great depths very quickly. But writing is its own thing, just as is sitting with someone, or expecting too much…
Thanks, Brooks…
Thanks Takuin, please see reply below.
There is a bit of twitter discussion on this piece. Some interesting points being made for and against. Have a look if you’re interested. It should be there in the timeline….
http://twitter.com/takuin
I think your post makes it very clear that you are not adhering to the idea of so-called magical powers or any other nonsense that make you special. You describe some of your experiences along with cautionary advice to not think of these things as ‘a gift’.
All of us (awake or not) have different things going on in our bodily awareness at any given time and any of this I think someone could interpret as a so-called spiritual condition. Things like kundalini and chakras are real, I have seen this, but there is absolutely nothing special or magical about this that separates someone from others. My reply to your answer above was meant to only give some theory, which probably means nothing, that after seeing what the mind/body really is (which I think of as awakening) one may be better attuned to their bodily experience.
My question was not meant to ask you about your new super powers that you gained as a result of enlightenment and that now like Neo from the Matrix you can fly around and dodge bullets. Maybe a better question was to ask: has there been any physical changes that you or others are aware of after your December 2006 accident? Instead of using jargon like siddhi’s or powers.
I DID mention my adamantium skeleton and healing factor, right?
I had a feeling of some discomfort last night after writing this post. So I explored that for a bit to see where it might lead. I think it arose from the possibility of what other people are complaining about now. Not discomfort from the complaining…I don’t really care about that…but the possibility of the writing being taken as something to achieve.
But it is out of my hands, really. If there are mis-understanding, it can be written here in the comments and then we can explore further. I am sure, if it is important to someone, they will do that.
Just as long as you don’t break out into some berserker rage like Wolverine we’ll all be ok
For me the piece didn’t read as being pro-power at all. I thought you were quite clear that you didn’t value these things much (if at all). I think talking about your own experience was quite appropriate – others making that into a should is somewhat their problem. Not entirely perhaps, but I do think the piece clearly wasn’t pro-power, I think you did your part to make this clear.
Thanks, Evan.
Writing is a balancing act, as I am sure you well know. Hopefully, in the end we can say what we want to say in the way we want to say it. Still, it doesn’t mean we should be careless with the expression just because of some artistic ideal, or whatever.
It is all up to the interpretation of others. That doesn’t remove my own responsibility in being clear, but after it leaves my hands, it is in the hands of everyone else.
The powers thing is somewhat sensitive as there are many teachings that warn against it. Like it’s the “dark side” of the path. Many teachers point to Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, where he warns against culturing powers as they can be a trap, both on the road to awakening and afterwards. The goal should be Kaivalya (liberation), not superman. Power and control are expressions of the ego.
However, one thing that’s less commonly noted is that he goes on to describe Sanyama (the method) then lists about 54 siddhis (formulae). Why would he do that if they are traps? Partly because Sanyama doesn’t work without samadhi which itself brings detachment. But in 3:37, he describes powers as “proofs of awakening”. In other words, powers will arise naturally from awakening. While they can be traps, they are also a way to verify development.
As he also says in verse 37, they are still subordinate to samadhi. It is our relationship with source that defines awakening. The siddhis are secondary.
As an example, we talked about past lives on your recent post on the subject. His verse 3:18:
“From perception of impressions (sanskaras) comes knowledge of previous births.”
The Kundalini Vidya folk describe the siddhis as related to the opening of the petals of the crown chakra and the corresponding opening of the other chakras petals. From this, we can also understand the siddhis are not directly associated with awakening but are rather a consequence of the process.
I’ve also observed that their degree of expression is related to group consciousness. This also relates to another post here – the more who awaken, the easier they’re expressed, the more sidhis will be seen as normal.
So yeah, don’t chase powers. But if they show up, it’s OK. It’s normal.
One can see how everything can be misunderstood and that this misunderstanding can lead to great pain and misery .
I tend to sweat more than normal at times , I could go and start thinking that i sweat more because i¨m achieving the super power of the human torch of the fantastic four!
It might sound funny for us who are more or less healthy , but there are some of us who actually can get delusional with this matters , so extreme consideration should be taken while writing about such things as siddhis whether they exist or not .
I wonder if the heat you feel is similar to the one that is going on when sitting on lotus flower .
It probably isn´t , just saying. Some of us who sit on lotus get quite hot, Its 1 centigrade over here right now, and i can go on lotus with the whole balcony door open and the cold air blowing and it will only feel refreshing .
It seems like the heat you talk about is very different in quality and nature than the one that happens from sitting on lotus or eating a hot habanero chilli.
It would be amazing if one could write in such a way that everyone no matter whoever reads it , would get what the author really means, Does this siddhi exist ? I have red about the example of the bible where people are said to speak in a language that is understood by everyone .
And it would be just as cool that no matter how the author writes like ,one could get what he/she really means , even if the author him/herself was not aware of his/her own hidden motives. Can you read something what was written without a motive? perhaps it will make no sense at all.
Trouble arises when the person who can do this things , itself is out of balance, and might go around manipulating others for its ego drives, lust , pain , pleasure , etc. From what I understand, one can get siddhis without really being free from the self, otherwise they would not be a danger and once one is free from the self, what does one need siddhis for anyway ?
One could say to help someone out, but if you want to help someone, you still “want”, so youre not free from the self right ? So long want exists , the ego is there, whether negative or positive wanting, and if one finds out that negative an positive are the same thing , oh well, This things are far beyond my reach or knowing so I might as well stop speculating.
But anyway , look at the best car sales men, and all salesmen in general, from whole countries to individuals . They will read you like a book and sell you a car. They are selling us money and want and lust, and we buy it everyday.
They sell us the belief that countries really exist, the idea of the north and the south, east and west and we live by it . And its not like we “bought it” and its done, no , we are buying it , instant by instant, its happening right now .
Did they use siddhis to do this ? Do we need siddhis to lie to ourselves ? Do we need siddhis to stop smoking and drinking and voting ? I really don´t know. Perhaps we have the super powers on us all the time, they are just there , I wonder if we used them to start our vices in the first place.
If there is no beginning and no ending, then siddhis are always there we are just not using them or we do without knowing it.
I wonder if we could use siddhis to travel to other worlds, like in star trek , but now we don´t need technology because we have siddhi super powers . And then we wouldnt need to fight against the klingons, because we have the siddhi to make them understand that war is wrong ? And so we could make peace with the whole universe, for what ?
Once one has all shiddis , buddahood, ultimate awarness and knowledge of it all, whats the motive ?
When there is nothing left to know, no place new to travel, what do you do then ?
When you already fixed the whole of the universe from the galaxy that is inside the atom , to the atom that is the galaxy. It is said that you can go as big as you want and its infinite, and as small as you want and its infinite too, and that size has no matter because what is going on inside your body is going on inside an atom , a rock, a sun, a universe, etc.
So do we only want to live a good life then ? without vices that damage us? but if there is no right nor wrong , its just the same to kill for joy than not to kill at all?, since theres no good nor bad ? The questions seem unanswerable, and do we need to answer them at all ? And if we know the answer it will be the same as before since nothing changes .
Having no motive nor meaning , does not seem to add up . But when one sees another one suffer , it all makes sense, we seem to want to stop the suffering and the pain , not to replace it with joy and happiness, just to make the pain stop, and see whats next, when most of the world is free from suffering , we might just find out that happiness also is destructive?
We might as well end up like the vulcans from star trek and denying all emotions and feelings since they are worth nothing , alongside with logic beliefs and ideal, when all we know is gone, what is there left?
It seems like the only thing left is the energy that makes atoms spin, the moon to rotate the earth, and the earth the sun, it seems like it is only energy that is left .
Sorry for the long post
Thanks, ogt.
It is not so important anyway, this question of whether or not these powers exist. I thought it was an interesting question for this November Project, as no one has ever asked me before.
The funny thing is, at the time I received Brooks’ question, I did not know what the word siddhi meant. I don’t think I have ever heard it before this post. Life is lovely with or without knowing that word, so everything is just fine.
Thanks for your comment, ogt!
This question of heat is interesting. It may be worth exploring a little to clarify what might be meant.
Ayurveda describes different Agnis or fires used to “digest” incoming stuff – sensory info, food, breath, and so forth. For some people, different Agni’s can be quite strong. Good digestive fire means being able to eat pretty much anything, for example. It can also make a person run warm.
Another layer of this is doshas, much like the Greek idea of humors. If the overall Fire is out of balance in excess, one gets Pitta effects like getting overheating, being sweaty, rashes, and so forth, depending on the specific scenario. Whats been eaten recently can be a pointer.
More subtle than this is the pranas, chi or life force, including the much talked about kundalini in the spine. There can be a sense of heat when blockages are removed and more energy moves into an area. This is probably what you mean by the lotus references.
Then there is an even more subtle thing, where source/being/divine moves through the physiology. We could say it’s the same prana and fire but driven from a deeper source. This can also produce a kind of heat, and light.
Net result, running warm can be a sign of good fire or out-of-balance fire. How it feels and the kinds of effects it produces can tell you which.
Great post, Takuin. I read your comments on Twitter, too.
I’m going to take a very different approach to this discussion. It seems to me that:
*Sometimes wild, wacky things (powers) open up for people who experience some realization.
*Sometimes wild, wacky things (powers) open up for people who have experience nothing.
And so what? Why make an issue of it?
For some, they use their “powers” to glorify themselves. How is this any different from buying a Ferrari, a new suit, some gold jewelry, and strutting around fancy clubs? It’s just what human beings DO. It is a very human thing.
I would say this topic should be discussed open and honestly. Siddhis DO happen. Why evade the issue. Occasionally, they are a source of some pretty cool things. I’ve never heard of too many complaints about Jesus’ miracles. They were a nice bonus to his teaching. And who wouldn’t get a kick out of walking on water?
If someone heads down this path hoping to levitate or read minds or manifest great wealth because of their “enlightenment”, so what? It sure seems to me that LIFE is so vast, so infinite, so incredibly talented at using our worst motivations for our own benefit, that we should be open and tolerant of how all this awakening stuff plays out. Life seems to manifest siddhis. Let’s trust IT to let this stuff play out as it plays out.
Enjoy!
(laughs) Nicely put, Tom
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