Spiritual Practice School

The commandment "not to slander" in a broad sense means the following: to refrain from criticizing anyone (unless absolutely necessary), to keep other people's secrets, not to disclose personal information about others without permission, not to suspect, not to ridicule, not to make fun, not to speak mockingly, not to exalt oneself above others, not to assert oneself, not to be arrogant, not to defend oneself in words, not to speak arrogantly, not to talk about loving oneself, not to speak on the basis of loving oneself, to be modest, to be impartial, not to seek glory, not to seek honors, not to boast, to defend the innocent and the righteous.

The commandment "thou shalt not lie" broadly means the following: do not lie, do not deceive, do not cheat, do not speak frankly, do not engage in idle chatter, do not flatter, avoid jokes, speak only to the point, silence is golden, do not engage in seductive conversations, do not mislead others, and keep promises.

Care should be taken not to violate the commandments regarding speech, either in writing or electronically. The commandment “root out anger” in a broad sense means the following: not to allow thoughts based on hatred or anger, not to violate the commandment “not to slander” in thoughts, not to think about breaking the commandment “do not kill”, not to allow yourself to be especially manic with anger, not to get angry, not to allow negative thoughts, to suppress thoughts of revenge, to tolerate insults, to restrain the heart from anger, to avoid the indignation of the heart with anger, to forgive insults, to love offenders, to love enemies, to re-educate innate egoism and love for oneself into altruism. Rejection of the cult of self-love, not wishing evil, eradicating coldness and indifference, not being afraid to die, not killing love, love for one's neighbors that is brotherly, pure, equal to all, impartial, joyful, flaming equally towards friends and enemies, the desire to crucify oneself like Christ, not to explode, not to allow the mind to be clouded by malice, suppress bitterness, suppress irritability, suppress obstinacy, suppress suspicion, suppress suspicion of evil intent, suppress suspicion of violation of norms, suppress suspicion of a bad quality in another person.

The commandment “eradicate greed” in a broad sense means the following: do not allow thoughts based on greed, do not violate the commandment “do not slander” in thoughts, do not think about breaking the commandment “do not steal”, do not especially allow yourself manic greed, do not envy, do not love money, do not want to get rich, do not think about the means to enrichment, do not dream about wealth, do not consider income as your property, do not be selfish, do not be stingy, do not love things, do not have a desire to receive gifts, do not be attached to property, to real estate, to money, to savings, do not have thoughts of ownership of anything in your mind, even to personal belongings, clothes and your own body, eradicate the desire to have a good thing, eradicate the desire to appropriate someone else's thing, eradicate the desire to appropriate a thing that “lies badly” (easily accessible for theft, or is lost), hatred of luxury, not to engage in science and art for the sake of earthly glory, not to despise one's neighbor, not to prefer oneself to everyone, to eradicate pride, to eradicate the desire to support one's own life, to dedicate oneself entirely to the Absolute.

The commandment “root out ignorance” in a broad sense means the following: not to allow thoughts based on ignorance, not to break the commandment “do not lie” in thoughts, not to think about breaking the commandment “do not commit adultery”, not to especially allow yourself manic lust, reject hedonism, not to have fun, not to enjoy, not to have tender feelings (to your activities, to conversations, to communication, to being in company, to rest, to clean water, to tasty food, to food, to good weather, to pleasant experiences, to a change of scenery, to travel, to tourism, to experiences, to the beautiful and the wonderful, to music and songs, to news, to new things), not to show interest in animals, not to have a greed for sleep, don't sleep in complete darkness, not to do anything for the sake of appearance, for the sake of beauty, not to touch the altar or other sacred objects without the appropriate ceremony, refrain from ceremonies and actions with the altar or sacred objects, performed only with the left hand, do not damage or throw away icons and mandalas, sacred objects, portraits of saints, venerate saints from any religion, do not succumb to ignorance (for example, "it's okay if you're a little lazy", or, for example, "it's okay if you relax a little", or, for example, "it's okay if you break the commandment", or "it's okay if you lie around a little", or, for example", it's okay if the child doesn't live with both of its biological parents", or "it's okay if the child lives and is raised in a state institution", or "it's okay to have an abortion", or "it's better to have an abortion than to then abandon your child", or, for example, "it's okay to go for a walk a little", or "it's okay to dream about the sensations and desires of the body, soul and heart", or "there's nothing wrong with enjoying prodigal thoughts"), to observe chastity in thoughts, not to put a loved one above the Absolute, not to put an agreement with a person above an agreement with the Almighty, not to put an agreement above the Truth, not to put any reasons above the Truth, not to put any knowledge above the Truth, not to show laziness (the energy of tamas), not to succumb to tamas, not to allow agnosticism (thoughts that deny the possibility of scientific knowledge). Absolute, God, Holy Spirit, nirvana and other similar spiritual foundations), not to deny the existence of the law of karma and reincarnation, not to allow thoughts that deny the Truth (the need to eradicate worldly desires, the need and benefit of spiritual practice, other foundations of spiritual practice), inactivity of the bodily senses, silence of the mind, repentance, awareness of the fall, a feeling of poverty of soul and spirit, the desire for prayer, solitude, obedience, humility, confession of one's sins, careful observation of all deeds, words, thoughts and feelings, distrust of one's own mind, fear of the Almighty, humility, constant accusation and reproach of oneself, rejection and oblivion of false customs, rejection of erroneous traditions, rejection of erroneous vows and rules, recognition of one's feeblemindedness. To suppress: sadness, despondency, grief, melancholy, cutting off hope for one's spiritual growth, doubt in promises, ingratitude to heaven for everything that happens, faint-heartedness, impatience, lack of self-reproach, grumbling, renunciation of the feat of a difficult spiritual life, the desire to leave one's field, evading the burden of the cross – the struggle with passions and sinfulness, laziness in any good deed, especially spiritual, abandoning the religious or prayer rule, loss of memory of the Absolute, abandoning unceasing prayer (mantra) and soul-profiting reading, inattention, haste, negligence, idleness, carelessness, revelry, drinking, soothing the flesh with sleep, lying down and all kinds of bliss, seeking easy salvation, moving from place to place in order to avoid hardships and deprivations, frequent walks and visiting friends, abandoning bows and other spiritual feats, forgetting one's sins, forgetting the commandments, negligence, self-justification through captivity to passions, absent-mindedness, failure to fulfill promises, despair, fickleness of character, indulgence in passions, lack of conscience, becoming like demons in character and life, lack of diligence, neglect of the spiritual education of children, self-love, self-will, hardening of the heart from successes in spiritual growth, trust in God's long-suffering, hypocritical or deceitful repentance, sinful life.

Intermittent dry fasting

Going to the gym or exercising is, of course, wonderful. Exercise helps burn excess fat. Exercise boosts your metabolism and balances your vitamins. It's not uncommon for the body to feel unwell precisely because it has too many of some vitamins, while others are sorely lacking. Exercise balances this imbalance.

Exercise burns off excess substances in the body, thus returning it to a normal state. In other words, exercise compensates for overeating. A person eats something tasty; as usual, tasty foods always make you want to eat more. And then you have to go to the gym or go for a walk, and you have to burn off everything you've eaten in excess. Otherwise, complications will arise, you'll get sick, or you'll feel really bad. However, it would seem so. What's the problem? Eat, overeat, exercise, and solve the problem. And that's it. That's it, right? The problem is that with this kind of turnover of nutrients, a person wears out their body faster. And the heart suffers the most from this regimen. Because during exercise, the heart bears the greatest, most debilitating load.

It should be noted that not only exercise but also fasting can balance out nutrient imbalances in the body. Dry fasting is, in fact, the most ideal vitamin balancer. For example, if a person practices a diet (not fasting, but a diet), they will definitely need to add multivitamins to their diet to compensate for the vitamin imbalance that is inevitable with any diet. With pure fasting, however, the opposite is true. During fasting, the body itself becomes a generator (so to speak) of nutrients and vitamins. That is, the body itself decides which vitamins it needs to produce and absorb.

Fasting is a very powerful cleansing agent. It regulates metabolism. However, in spiritual practice, fasting or cleansing the body is not important in itself. In spiritual practice, one of the main goals is to awaken kundalini energy and raise it to the upper chakras. This is precisely what intermittent dry fasting does. After two days of intermittent dry fasting, you are allowed to eat whatever you want for one day, whatever you please. Although, of course, it's best not to overindulge.

Hellish beings eat five times a day. Animals eat four times a day. Pretas eat three times a day. Humans eat twice a day. Asuras eat once a day. Devas eat every other day. Saints eat every other day. Eating food and water every other day is the most suitable diet for the human body. This diet is the most correct and beneficial. Eating food and water more often is incorrect and harmful. Dry fasting cures virtually all diseases. Dry fasting is a direct path to samadhi.

The practice of intermittent dry fasting exists in both Buddhism and yoga.

Dry fasting is a practice that should be performed during any retreat. Transitioning to intermittent dry fasting is a real path, a real technique for finding the means to further spiritual growth when unfavorable conditions arise, and despite these unfavorable conditions. The practice of intermittent dry fasting allows one to awaken the kundalini in those who have not yet awakened it. Or to more steadily activate it in those who have already dormant it. Or, for those whose kundalini is steadily awakened, this practice will bring one very close to achieving the level of raja yoga.

During dry fasting, the duration of sleep is significantly reduced.

Intermittent dry fasting significantly increases life expectancy.

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You can begin practicing intermittent dry fasting immediately, starting tomorrow, without any warm-up or special preparation; like any other yogic cleansing technique. You need to fast for two days (it's okay if you only manage one day at first). There won't be any particular problems breaking this fast. Basically, if you have any doubts about your body, you should break the fast like this: eat an orange, then an apple, then take a break of at least forty minutes, then eat any regular food. By the second fasting cycle, your body will be sufficiently prepared to break the fast without any preludes.

You'll likely experience headaches, dizziness, or other unpleasant sensations during the fast: pain in various parts of the body, itching, goose bumps, increased body temperature, or something else. All of this is a consequence of the awakening of kundalini energy. During this practice, kundalini energy awakens and rises through the energy channels. In areas where there is impurity in the energy channels, excess friction occurs, resulting in pain or other noticeable sensations. All of this must be endured as long as it is being washed away from your karma. Continue fasting, and your pain will become milder and milder each time. Don't be afraid of anything you have to endure.

Dry fasting must be strict. If you dilute it with water, the body won't realize it's fasting. Furthermore, the need to treat the water will overload the body, already weakened by fasting. During dry fasting, don't gargle with water to relieve dry mouth. This will lead the body to falsely believe it's starting to drink water (and, consequently, to start eating).

Yoga distinguishes between cleansing the body using the elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and space. Each successive element in this sequence represents a higher level, a higher level, than the previous one. During dry fasting, the element of fire will be used to cleanse the body. This is why your body temperature will be slightly higher than usual during a dry fast. This is also why you should not drink water during a dry fast. You should also avoid cooling your body down, and especially avoid overcooling it. You should not bathe. You should dress warmly.

Keeping track of how much time remains until you break the fast is painful. Therefore, it's better to distract yourself with other activities.

The Bible strongly recommends that anyone who considers themselves a true spiritual practitioner (an angel of the church) practice a ten-day retreat without food or water. Preparation for a ten-day dry fast can begin by switching to eating and drinking every two days on the third day. After one to three months, you can switch to eating and drinking every five days on the sixth, seventh, and eighth days. After one to three months, you can move on to a ten-day dry fast. After this, you need to eat and drink normally for about five days, and then repeat the retreat for another ten days. You need to repeat the retreat constantly until you achieve liberation. This is the fastest path to liberation. And once you achieve it, you need to continue this retreat regimen for the rest of your life. This lifestyle may initially seem impossible and daunting. However, as it turns out, the human body adapts to such a regimen, quickly gets used to it, and begins to pursue it with increasing passion.

First, you need to train your body on two-day fasts. That is, the body of a person who has experience with two-day intermittent fasting and the body of a person who has not are completely different organisms. You could even say they have completely different constitutions. They are different races. They are different animals. And the rules for one are completely unsuitable as rules for the other.

If you are successful in the practice of eating and drinking every two days on the third day, switch to eating and drinking every five days on the sixth, seventh, and eighth. If you're successful at eating and drinking every five days for the next three, switch to eating and drinking every ten days for the next five. On meal days, eat as usual and as much as you want. Those who have experience with intermittent dry fasting will easily understand the following. It turns out that a person can and should constantly and daily be in a state of dry fasting. It turns out that even on meal days, the practice of dry fasting doesn't stop. What does this mean? It means that when a person ingests food, the body is in a state of absorption. And when a person stops eating, then for the time until the next meal, the body quite quickly switches to fasting mode. The body is in a state of isolated metabolism. However, If you put something, even a small one, in your mouth between two meals, the body will readjust and prepare to process the sudden influx of food. And it's easy to understand that all these unexpected changes the start of a meal, then another pause force the body to readjust itself repeatedly and pointlessly. They waste your time. This same reasoning also applies to the case where, between meals, you're not drinking food, but simply drinking water. The longer the interval between meals, the worse it is. This type of fasting becomes especially severe if it's interrupted by a nighttime (and therefore longest) period of time.

Even if a person doesn't practice intermittent dry fasting, but nevertheless begins to maintain dry periods between meals, they will significantly improve their health and significantly extend their lifespan.

Sleep and Death

Sleep and death are similar states in that in both, a person has virtually no conscious control over themselves. The same can be said of a coma and suspended animation. In ordinary life, while awake, a person might think, for example, "Every day I will go to work and work", and after this thought, the person will do just that, and will, indeed, go to work every day. This ability, the ability to monitor the implementation of one's decisions, is possessed by the brain specifically in the physical world. This is a characteristic of the physical body. The physical brain has the ability to set conscious goals and then achieve these goals. In sleep or after death, however, the soul loses this ability to set and achieve goals. The soul loses this ability because it lacks a physical brain. Without a physical brain, setting goals for oneself and pursuing them becomes impossible. The soul behaves spontaneously in sleep. In dreams, the soul typically finds itself in places connected to subconscious motives. And the soul's motives are dictated by needs, desires, and habits. Without a body, the soul is constantly buffeted by the winds of desire. In dreams, the soul chases goals that appear like obsessions.

The soul moves the body. Without the soul, the body itself cannot move. Without the soul, the body is either asleep, in a coma, in suspended animation, or dead. Somewhere in the human physical brain, there is a special astral magnet. This astral magnet, when activated, attracts a specific, determined soul. This magnet does not respond to any other souls. And the soul does not respond to any other magnets. The soul has a very complex, strictly individual encoding for access to the body. When the physical brain sleeps, this astral magnet in the brain is switched off, and then the soul, having lost its physical moorings, begins to drift away.

However, this doesn't mean that a person has no control over themselves in a dream or after death. The methods for controlling the soul in both cases are similar. The soul can be controlled through meditation. A constantly recited mantra, prayer, or vow can cross the threshold of sleep and resonate within the dream. The last thought, thought strongly enough, has the greatest influence on sleep. This last thought triggers the dream. And dreams have this peculiarity: almost every subsequent event follows from the previous one, but you can never predict which direction the plot will take. The same can be said about death.

Events in a dream or after death can be influenced by external factors from the physical world. For example, if a sleeping person is told something in a dream, it can significantly affect the course of the dream. The same thing happens after death. The course of rebirth can be significantly influenced by the person's loved ones, their words, and their thoughts. In Tibet, specially trained lamas use this technique to guide the soul toward the best possible rebirth. To do this, they read the Bardo Thodol over the deceased.

If a person dreams of flying high into infinity in an elevator, this signifies that they have the potential for spiritual liberation. Any ascent in a dream whether by elevator or stairs, on wings or by the power of thought shows a person that they are ascending spiritually. Conversely, descending in a dream is a sign of spiritual decline. One should always try to ascend as high as possible in dreams and never descend. Regularly climbing mountains, hills, tall trees, and various high-rise buildings is a good practice for this habit.

Sometimes people fly in their dreams. If a person flies in a dream and notices that they can't lift off high enough for some reason, they lack sufficient lightness. Or they might notice that they can't take off without using their hands. This means that the person in the dream is an animal. Some kind of flying creature. A bird. Such a dream also indicates that their next reincarnation will most likely be as this creature. If a person swims in a dream, it means they were a swimming animal, meaning they have the karma of an aquatic animal or fish. The appearance of any body of water in a dream, or even just running or standing water, is also a sign of the animal realm. The appearance of any animal in a dream is a sign of that animal's level, and this means that the person will be reborn as this animal. If a person in a dream moves very quickly, but only with a slight nuance, for some unknown reason, touching the ground with their hands, then this clearly indicates that this person in the dream was an animal. In dreams, we always see ourselves as human, and only human. That is, very often people think: "Oh, how wonderful, I flew in my dream, this is a good sign, I'll definitely be reborn as an angel" – no, unfortunately, this is not the case.