silent thunder

You guys are late... I'm posting like crazy...

My instincts and experience tell me that the hell I end up in is the hell I create and resonate with through my perceptions/actions. The reason the stay in hell can be so long is that low (hellish), vibratory states have a self sustaining inertia once established and exist like all of nature in a cycle. A thought brings emotional reaction. The emotional state prompts another similar thought, which reinforces the emotion. Breaking that cycle can require massive inertia. One of the few things for me that can change low state vibration cycles into higher vibrations is cultivation. But by cultivation, I do not mean just practices related to daoism, buddhism, vedantic or any other ism or school. Although the importance of disciplined practice: sitting meditation, moving meditation cannot be stressed enough, specifically in the beginning stages of gathering enough inertia to alter the thought/emotion cycle. Eventually, I mean cultivating every moment of life. Each breath. Mindfulness. Playfulness. Curiosity. Quiet. Love. Heaven and Hell are here and now and I am the gatekeeper/judge/defendant and victim. Liberation and Damnation are now.

I'm no longer surprised by the lack of trust and abuse of power in any organization. To lead requires power. Those who desire, seek and achieve power of control over others, require aggressive, violent, manipulative, psychotic/socio-pathic tendencies in order to succeed and maintain. In any political, religious, or grass roots organization, if the person/s in authority do not possess, display and master these skills/traits, they do not maintain their authority for long. It's inherent to the structure and is compounded by the size of the organization and the mindset of the culture. In this case, on this level, I see very little difference in east/west. If kept small enough, the inherently negative aspects of leadership can be held in balance with a bit more success. But any large or wildly successful organization is going to be rife with psychotic tendencies, due to the nature of the people attracted to the positions of highest authority and the requirements of maintaining that authority. There is always another one waiting to knock off the king. The Sword of Damocles is ever-present. I see this not being the norm on all levels and in all locations; there are, of course, always exceptions. But the overall culture of leadership and control in east and west, both display a deep psychosis from my perspective.

Yea, very similar style and perspective. I noted that as well.

Hey christian, once you hit 5 posts you have full access to the rest of the forum. Again, welcome.

Like spokes to the hub, all religions, thought forms and paths lead to the source.

Thanks for sharing. I get the glowing around the object. I've also experienced foggy vision, tearing and small spasms as the eyes flitter about involuntarily after holding one spot for a long period, (I've gone 30 min or so). The spasms come in small waves after a few minutes, then dissipate. I've also experienced spontaneous hypnogogic visions (static and moving) when staring at a spot on a blank wall.

I agree about pharma, it has a place, but for me that will always be a last resort. It's like clear-cutting a forest for vision, instead of climbing a tree or finding a hill.

Hey WillingToListen. I've been there. I went deeper into the yin aspect. I dropped myself all the way into it. I found the yang there.

Yes it is. David Wilcock's book: The Source Field Investigations compiles the results of many various scientific studies into this area. Good stuff.

I don't recall who did this study, but its source was east German before the wall fell, or Russia during the cold war. In it the scientist was trying to pinpoint where in the brain memory is stored. His findings were very strange. He used rats that he taught to walk a maze. Then he would destroy parts of their brain and re-release them in the maze to see if they could still remember the route. Barbaric, but after all, it's human science. So barbarism aside, he came to the conclusion that memory was likely a magnetic field (holographic) that we access. He came to this conclusion after repeatedly destroying so much of his subjects brains that their bodies would no longer operate fully, yet they could still drag themselves through the maze with full memory of the path.

Understanding and Awareness seem to relate as a direct proportional ratio. If you have amoeba awareness, you will have an amoeba level understanding/experience of reality. If you have a dog awareness... Human... Tree... For me it comes down to fields of energy. Fields of awareness. Expand the field man. (let me take a monster drag of some digital saturday morning sublimation..) yea... you gotta expand your awareness.... ohm baby ohm

Wow *deep bow of respect* taoiseasy. Your words shine. Those last two posts feel like they come directly from my experience, This really resonates with what is at the core of what I've learned. The primary foundational focus of the forms I practice: Kind Heart Sincere Heart Quiet Heart Every form starts: Happy (get in contact with joy) Relaxed (release into joy and begin)

Great illustrations and explanations of those stretches. Nice one Old Green.

The conditions of Wirathu's situation seem really extreme. It hurts to contemplate it. With conditions like those, the choices get bottle-necked pretty quickly. Move, resist, or submit, seem like the main reactions I could take in that situation, none seem pleasant. The Tao of Violence: If nature follows Tao, then violence is a part of Tao. All life feeds on other life and even outside the game of 'who is my dinner?' there are a myriad of other types of violence that have their place in the completely natural order. There is a right time for violence. It's just not a pleasant manifestation. Wirathu reminds me of the central character in 'The Compassionate Monk' tale. Briefly paraphrased: Several monks had booked passage on a ship sailing along the coast. Mid-journey the ship they were on was damaged and boarded by pirates whose reputation was for murdering all the men and children and keeping the women as toys. One monk took violent action and killed every last pirate, saving the rest of the passengers including his brother monks. His brothers were incredibly distraught at his actions and his reply to them was pretty simple. "I showed them compassion. My actions disallowed them to take horrendous karma upon themselves that they are ill equipped to handle. I willingly accept this karma, having the skills I have learned in my studies."

I appreciate your take on things Flo, humor and blunt speech are often great forces for truth. I have come to appreciate it when I occupy the spot that 'seems' to not fit. It's a self determined position and fulfills (flolfils? ) a definite purpose. But in the end, everything, absolutely everything fits. We are one. You carry it well.

I agree. Don't bury a topic that is bringing beneficial discussion about a difficult topic among high thinking, spiritual people. That's kind of the whole point of a forum. Maybe I'm wrong but it seems the pit is for 'irrelevant or off topic/non spiritual' matters. This very thing strikes to the core of many matters we all struggle with daily. How to deal with hostility, prejudice and ignorance. Very good discussion in my opinion.

This is profoundly cool to me. Much respect! Is this something you are thinking about patenting and testing as a product? I certainly don't see any reason why you shouldn't share it with your friends and family either way.

Isn't Phowa the name of a specific buddhist practice for mastering out of body travel to aid in averting fear at death? If so, seems very natural to put it with other buddhist practices and discussions.

My Love is effortless. It manifests spontaneously and requires no conditions. In the end for me, all love becomes self Love. Healing myself is foundational, primary. It's the soil Love grows from. Effort and grasping are not Love in my experience, but verbs about controlling or influencing perceived 'external conditions'. Not to say there is no effort in my relationships. Quite a bit sometimes. But Love is what spurs my action, not the result of it. Thanks for sharing your story... I'm so glad you two found each other and grew together. Many blessings there.

My favorite as well. It's sitting on my desk, open to verse eleven at this moment.

Really good point. Instinctively there is an awareness of that power within the religious mind form. The hate exists, prior to the religion. The religion provides a source of power from which to feed the hateful premise.

Game. Set. Match!

Nicely said. I focus on the distinction between revenge and protection. That distinction (however semantic), is the fulcrum for me to remain on the path, while engaging in violent behavior (verbal or physical). Verses 31 and 74 DDJ say it better than I do. For me intention is so vital. I engage fully in defense because of love. I cultivate discipline for protection so that I may avoid violence if possible, overpower it if necessary. For me, protection does not include preemptive measures. Prepare with the hope of peace, but prepare. I use weapons (verbal and physical), with utmost restraint and I feel no joy in victory, but a kind of forlorn sadness at the conditions that made such violence necessary. I'm projecting onto Wirathu my own assumptions of his intentions, hence my sorrow for the situation. So difficult to see beyond one side being right and one wrong. Both are parts of the whole, yet seem incongruent. Sad, difficult, nasty quagmire it seems to me.

I've recently lost my desire to punish. I achieved this through no effort or great knowledge. I did not achieve this. A natural manifestation of my awareness. When I fall in love, no effort. I do not achieve love. Love manifests.