Sometimes, some people when they meditate, after some time they will have this energy movement. Some people, when they meditate in a very tight way or do meditation intensively, afterward the energy movement comes. Some people, because of what we call, “Prana, bindu, nadi,” in the body; prana, bindu, nadi means the channels, energy, and the cells in the body. You have energy movement. Normally, 10% of the people have this energy movement.
What is energy movement? Energy movement is, actually, when you meditate your body is transforming. Your cells, energy in the body, everything is transforming. It is transforming from negative to positive, and from positive to wisdom. The transformation from positive to wisdom only comes after the direct realization of your true nature, the nature of mind. But, the normal transformation from impure to pure comes with any meditation technique. If you do any meditation that is related to awareness, it will transform. For some people, in the transition of this transformation, they will have this energy movement.
Energy movement has four things: first is the five sensory perceptions, the second is a special sense in the mind, the third is emotions going up and down, and the fourth is physical body sensations, these are the four things
Maybe I will tell you about the last one, the fourth, about physical sensations. Some people feel warmth or heat on the top of their head. They feel like something is moving or opening here, and sometimes there are some kind of energy that moves at the center of your head. For some people, there is a sense of tingling from the bottom of the spine moving upward, like an electric movement. Like a sensation of tingling or electrical movement. Some people feel heat around their stomach. They feel warmth and heat coming from the stomach. Some people feel a pressure in the forehead, throat, and heart-center. They feel some pressure or heat or something like that. Some people even have movements taking place inside of their bodies. It is kind of like a vibration inside the body that is shaking. Some people feel like the energy comes and shoots to the top of their head. Sometimes it feels like the energy comes and then get stuck in the throat, heart-center, or the forehead, it cannot flow. Sometimes you want to cry, without a reason. Just tears are coming. Sometimes, if people have very strong energy movements, they do different mudras, dance, shake, or something like that. These are the energy movements related to physical signs.
Then we have the five sensory perceptions. What are the five sensory perceptions? The eyes, ears, nose, tongue, etc. From the eyes, you can sometimes see colors, sparks, and bindus. Or some people they see visions — visions of enlightened beings, visions of their teacher, or sometimes visions of ghosts, demons, and maras. They see good, bad, and neutral things.
Next is sound. You hear a particular sound that nobody else around hears. Your friends do not hear it but you do. People around you do not hear the sound but you hear it. Sometimes, that sound could be a mantra, or it could be a teaching, an enlightened being or a buddha teaching you, your teacher giving you special messages, or sometimes there are messages coming from demons or ghosts, it looks like someone is spying on you, watching you, telling you things, like a guide. It could be something like that.
Next is smell. You smell something which your friends cannot smell. Not so many people have this taste and smell thing.
Sometimes it is almost like you feel something tactile. It feels like there is a presence of someone, maybe an enlightened being or demon nearby, and it is almost like you feel that person and you almost see and hear it sometimes.
Sometimes the five sensory perceptions come together. That is also possible. These are the five sensory perceptions
The next is this special sense. One has a sense of energy. “This place has positive energy. This place has negative energy. This person has positive energy. I am receiving positive energy from this person. I am receiving negative energy from that person. Oh. I am receiving positive energy from my teacher. My teacher is there with me, right next to me. I have a special connection with my teacher. We are communicating in different ways. Today my teacher came and talked to me.” or something like that. It is like one can sense it, almost. Maybe you do not see it, but you sense it. Sometimes you can see it, but you do not sense it. Sometimes both of these are together. It also depends on the personality having this sense of energy. In some places you can sense good energy, in other places, there is bad energy. All of this belongs to the sense of energy.
The last one is that one’s emotions go up and down. Sometimes you feel blissful, joyful, and clear. You are so happy and then you enter a special state of mind and then suddenly this happiness or joyful experience is completely gone. You can also have a lot of anger, or sometimes strong desire, anxiety, or different kind of emotions that come. So, the emotions go up and down.
These are the four things. Among these four things, two are real and two are not real. What are the real ones? The physical signs, like feeling heat here (Mingyur Rinpoche points to the top of his head) or it feels like there is an opening, with this there is something really happening in your body, so that one is real. The second one is when the emotions are going up and down. Having emotional ups and downs is real because you have emotions and you are feeling emotions. But two things are not real. This five sensory perception is not real. Seeing a buddha or a demon, hearing wonderful enlightened messages or hearing bad messages from demons or maras are not real. Do not get attached to this. The same goes for smells, tastes, and all these things. The sense of energy is also not real. Whatever you are feeling, if you are receiving bad energy or receiving good energy is not real.
Now, what do you have to do? You have to view it as watching television — watching 3D television. When you go to a big cinema and watches 3D you wear glasses, right? And you see everything as real and there are sounds and smells and all these things. So, treat these experiences similar to watching television. Do not believe in these things. Some people do not know that this is energy movement and they get attached to those messages. When you receive positive visions and messages you think, “Aha! I am enlightened. Finally, something is happening with me. Ha! I have visions of these teachers and buddhas and now I am receiving teachings every day, and the message says, ‘You are the most important person in this world! You came to this world to benefit others.’” Do not believe in these things. Do not be attached to that.
Sometimes these messages turn into rough or bad things, like ghosts harming you, “Oh! You will have big obstacles next time.” It is like someone is watching and spying on you and giving you obstacles and bad energies, or something like that. This is also not real. Do not be attached to that. Do not think that you are special and do not think that you are crazy. Some people think, “I have become crazy.” and some people think, “I am enlightened.”
You are not enlighted.
You are not crazy.
It is just energy movement.
Do not be attached to that. Treat it just like you are watching television, do physical exercise sometimes, this is really important, and drink a lot of water. And if you know that this is energy movement, and you know that this is not real but these images, voices, or energy movements still come — it will not disappear right away — but every time you tell yourself, “This is just energy movement. I am not crazy. I am not enlightened. It is just energy movement.” Energy movement is not bad, actually. It is the sign of something, the sign of transformation. But if you get attached to it, if you think it is real, then that is the problem.
If you move too much sometimes, let us say that you put both of your hands together and put on the top of your head, it helps sometimes. Also, do not meditate too long. You have to break it up — short times many times, short times many times. Sometimes, you can meditate while standing up or while walking. Do walking and standing meditation. These are very good. If you do not know about energy movement and you have been attached to energy movements for a long time, and you cannot get away from the energy movements, then maybe do not meditate for one month of half a month. Stop meditating and do some physical exercise. Then you can again begin to meditate a little bit, short times, many times. Then it will be fine
This is very important to know. Many people are confused about this, and they do not know that this is energy movement. It is very important to recognize this energy movement and to not be attached to these experiences.