Non-Returners ~ Tushita Heaven
In Buddhism there is the idea of non-returners and once-returners, meaning persons who will not have to take another rebirth and persons who will have to take only one more rebirth.
The terminology was introduced by Buddha but it pertains to all valid ascetic disciplines which will yield full or partial resistance to rebirth for the ascetic concerned.
An ascetic with the necessary insight will know at death of his body, if he has to take rebirth or if he can avoid that. Some ascetics who will have to do so may be blessed to avoid it once they leave the body and get help from a great yoga-guru or deity. But that is not likely to happen. It does happen but rarely. No ascetic in his right mind would bank on it occurring in his case. Mostly a living entity is left to fend for himself or herself hereafter on the basis of what lifestyle he or she had during the life of the last body.
The best thing is to allow an advanced yogi to prod and inspire one to make progress during the life of the physical body. Then when that body passes, one may reach that teacher hereafter and can get help to either take another body or to avoid the physical history altogether. One has to get it into one’s head that astral history is history too. It is real. It is solid just as physical history is. If one can integrate this, then there is a chance that one may stay in the astral domains and can practice there to proficiency.
To be a once-returner or a person who has to take just one more physical form and no more, one has to have the grace of a yoga-guru or deity. It is not possible to be a once-returner without that assistance, because fate is slanted against the possibility of one reaching the ideal circumstances when one takes an embryo. This means that it is foolish to aim at being a once-returner unless one knows for sure one has the divine protection guaranteed.
Many ascetic who were advanced, who were near to being siddhas, took a chance to take the last body and discovered that things when awry so that they had to take many other bodies because circumstances were just not suitable for the mastery of the practice during the supposed last birth.
In this respect my advice is:
Aim to get help in the astral regions hereafter so that you can finish your practice there. Do not be hell bent on taking another body. Relieve yourself now of the need for physical register. Transfer your interest to astral reality so that the subtle world becomes to you the final reference just as for others only the physical existence is substantial.
!~~~~~~~!
There is a method of become a non-returner by using breath infusion but this must be supported by keen removal of one’s interest into material existence.
The method is when the sushumna nadi central passage for kundalini and the kundalini itself are demolished. Kundalini is concerned with survival in the material world, come what may, using the subtle body as the underpin for its physical exploits. Unless the ascetic can change kundalini’s motives, he will have to take rebirth no matter what. First one has to clear out sushumna nadi central passage on a continuous basis using pranayama breath infusion, preferably bhastrika.
Once the passage remains cleared at all time, the base chakra will in time have light shining in it. Then the kundalini will permanently be relocated into the base of the subtle head.
After this one should continually do breath-infusion into the sushumna so as to tear it open or disintegrate it. This allows for the trunk and neck of the subtle body to become a sushumna nadi. This results in the removal the survival tendency of the psyche, leaving the subtle body in a configuration of a person who is a non-returner, a person whose psyche is compatible to places like the Buddhas Tushita heaven.
Once when I did a bhastrika pranayama breath infusion practice, the sushumna nadi began to tear open from the inside of the body, so that when it was completely torn open, it no longer functioned as a passage and instead the entire trunk of the subtle form was the passage. Then I began to perceive the Tushita heaven.
At that time, just at the moment when I did so, I saw a goddess at the entrance. She was looking out of the dimension. She said to me:
What took you so long?
I glanced at her, step into the place but did not reply. This person acts as a sister to me most of the time. I have seen this Buddhist deity before. She always makes a curt remark about something I did or did not do. I do not answer because she has the freedom to insult anyone she desires. Being that she is close to the Buddhas and is always at their courts, no one ignores her but no one offends her even if she speaks abrasively.
As soon as I entered the place, I was transferred to my room in a large spacious building where Buddha resides, one of his places. Right then as soon as I sat down, I feel a transfer of energy where information was being extracted from my psyche. This went on for about fifteen minutes in earth time but it was longer in that place. Once the information was extracted, some other process began where information was being injected into my psyche.
The lady deity came there, looked and then went away. This was like a farmer attaches dairy cows to a milking machine. Then at a certain time when the milk is withdrawn, the farmer comes and removed the suction device after checking.
After this, there was a feeling of:
Go back! Go Back!
Why are you staying here?
Gordon Paterson Why, Michael, is there such revulsion on the prospects of re-birth, when previous lives, as a reality, is questionable and improbable?
Why should one who is leading a compassionate life be concerned with the prospects of a future one? Who is there really to care? Shanti. Nirguna
Jeff Cannon To be right minded and right-action oriented solely based on the prospect of not having to return to the human experience seems counter-intuitive to the whole idea of samsara. If you are seeking a return on your investment of doing good, then you may be missing the entire point of doing good for the sake of simply being a better person, a better spirit and adding to the positive nature of existence.
Michael Beloved Jeff, sure one is better off not aspiring for returns but that does nothing to deal with nature's way of rendering returns. It is not all up to the individual. If I shoot someone and he forgives me, I may still be faced by charges from the government. Both factors need be taken into account. The return from the courts will come even if the victim forgives and forgets. How to deal with that.
Michael Beloved Gordon, I agree that once one denies his and everyone's individuality, there is no conversation. But here individuality is not denied but is recognized, as per Bhagavad Gita, where Krishna affirms that once it comes into existence it remains perpetual.
Gordon Paterson Yes, of course, Michael, I will not question the Bhagavad Gita. Yet, the teaching of such masters as Sri Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta, both Jnanis, instructs that the so-called individual, as an entity, is non-existent.
I'm not asking you to support these teachings, Michael, as you appear to be a profound Yogi, but Truth is singular and not-two and should be the same irrespective of the path leading to It. So the Goal, which is Self-knowledge, should be the same for all.
You are admired by This, Michael. Namaskaram. Nirguna
Michael Beloved Gordon,
The social self is definitely ephemeral even though functionally we must all pretend that it is real. Even to use the internet to communicate, one has to posture an identity to establish an account. To even eat one has to use some identity as this or that son or daughter of this or that person, to exchange money and services. Thus in every conventional prospect, one uses identity.
I admire Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta. I met both on the astral planes. Once I was in a place created in the astral world by Nisargadatta where he has an ashram for his disciples. This means to me that there is identity beyond the material body which is currently tagged with a specific name and number.
Michael Beloved I see the denial of identity as an effective tactic to fade out the social mock-up identity and its encrusted formulations which for the time being one takes seriously but which in the long term will be wiped out no matter how much one clings to it. But still there will remain an invisible indelible person self (purusha) which transcends these designations which we find to be necessary in the physical and astral realities.