Quote:
Eric DesMarais wrote:
Okay, so then to me it appears possible that the BABS (Bad A$$ Body Skills, let's stay away from "IS" and "aiki" for now) of Takeda, Ueshiba, Sagawa, Yoshida, etc., could be a path to enlightenment or not, depending on how the training was utilized.
|
I think it's important to differentiate between cause and effect. The BABS themselves do not (necessarily) produce enlightenment. Rather, that particular training methodology may (or may not) produce both BABS and enlightenment, depending on the individual.
Even assuming the "lightning in the brain" phenomenon is common among people who do this sort of training, how it is interpreted would likely depend on their cultural background. For someone else, it might manifest as a visitation from angels (or demons), or might provoke a visit to a psychiatrist or a neurologist. Most meditation traditions emphasize the need for supervision by a competent teacher, in part because of the potential for disturbing side effects.
Katherine