Birch

"No need to wait, you can have your personal beliefs/practices based on your personal experiences. In fact, that's all we all have, even dzogchennists and Vajra. Believing you have something more is a "delusion". " Heh- but what I believe is that my beliefs aren't actually that important. Hell, I'm not actually that important (well, I am to some people, but I digress ) Certainly not important enough to start attempting to stuff them down people's throats in an attempt to "help" (cough cough.) Unless... they actually are important in which case they're hugely important because the way I see things (yes, you can even suggest the way I "delude" myself) is likely (although not obligatorily) to drive my actions within consensual reality - which is the one I'm mostly concerned with on a daily basis. Ask my big toe every time I stub it...

"Uh oh Kate. This of course (slyly) means it's because you lack the "capacity" that you are unable to uphold the viewless view / dependent origination / emptiness = there is no soul, no spirit, no God, and no heaven." = Oh, I lack all kinds of capacities "Eternalism: If you uphold our way (Jesus, mystic Tao, Brahman, etc) then you will go to heaven." - Actually, I'm interested in Taoism because of some of the more applicative aspects of it. Things like qi-gong, diet etc. I haven't read any practical applications of this type when it comes to Buddhism. Although as a mental practice it's cool. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Dzogchen Buddhism: If you uphold the viewless view, then you are not a soul, not a spirit, there is no God, and you will not go to heaven." - I know that already but I like a) to play and practice/experiment towards a goal of (shock horror) having a better life and helping other people If I wait for ALL the public experimental data to be in then I could wait quite a long time Also, I thought I'd point out that even if we say "Tao" it's still understood that it isn't actually "it" - which I reckon is pretty close to a "viewless view"

"when you are initiated" Trunk, could you please define "initiated"? Thanks!

Thanks Susan!

Personally, I wouldn't wait for those realm lords to do anything, they're not on our timeline

I have a girl crush on the Slop

"Generally speaking the Taoist goal merely leads to higher rebirths" - Which, IMO you can achieve while still "in this life" and therefore become somewhat more of a helpful person. "Pushing people's buttons" isn't always going to do them a favour, and indeed if you want to change the world (which you sound like you want to do through telling us about Buddhism) then there are ways to do it that are a lot less confrontational. People with an already high-level of practice might appreciate the button pushing, but I suggest they're already using their real lives (by which I mean offline, I told you I was old school;-)) to do so. Life does that to a person... I suggest you have to take people "where they're at" individually and of course on an online forum that is extremely hard, because you can't know where everyone is at just based on a few comments (or many, depending on the people). So a "one discourse fits all" - is unlikely to be successful in this environment. I'm not faulting you for trying to change the world, I think a lot of people on here are, just trying to point out that there could be other ways of getting there.

Define 'encounters'? Also, how can practicing mindfulness and awareness be linked to any specific lineage? I don't get that part.

Neat! Then I will hang with it for a while

"unavoidable that practitioners would be 'tying in' with Muktananda's energy." - How so?

Weird, but I figure Taoism is closer to a viewless view that can also explain the other ones. -----Ducks-------

As far as I have found out / figured out - revelations is the equivalent of the TBOTD. Each religion has a handbook about how the mind/body operates, but you need to decode them, not take them literally...

Alright. I didn't understand any of it. Could you say what you mean in terms that a dumb person like me can get? FWIW, after seeing the ET movie I saw ET (the first time round ) in full 3D walking across the floor at the end of my bed.

"Stop calling that shit karma because it isn't. Check vipassana or even the old vipassana. Those poisonings were happening or are happening right now. That shit happens before a person can instigate the "cause and effect" for it." - Please say more about this? Thanks!

Actually, I've been checking out the podcasts from Hardlight. Pretty intense stuff. However, you can get all this and more (do I sound like a cheap ad ;-)?) from doing your own research. Is lineage "catching" - will you ultimately be polluted by "bad things" if you study/take up with specific teachers? May I suggest you both might and might not, if you maintain your own counsel, mindfulness and awareness, throughout the process. Or if you really just want a fast track. Here it is. You are god and you ought to know better. Now go out there and act like one

I've found (finding) music to be very influential on my practices. To the point that I feel certain parts of a tune running specific channels/orbits. Love to hear;-)

"Being spiritual and rich at the same time is contradictory" How so?

Thanks Durkrod! This is a great post. Many helpful bits of info.

Some great posts! Thanks

I'd refer back to the post by ShaktiMama on possible effects of certain practices - if the liver is engaged then what other organs (spleen and kidneys?) will also be engaged? Certainly it has been my own experience with my TCM doc. I'm presently working through the liver stuff. Is it obligatory??? Durkrod, suggestions for supplements/diet? I've read some stuff on here about the heart/mind as a "centre" of some aspect of consciousness. Drew's more recent posts I think. Wouldn't it make sense that the liver is also such a centre? Or is it considered something else? I vaguely recall they were Hun or Po or something?

Thanks Mr upfromtheashes! i can't tell what it might have done for my "channels" but it sure made me cry. Thanks (I think, not sure )

Alriight. Check THIS out. Edit: check out the euh "breakbeat" starts at 2:08 minutes, Heard that already??? Edited to add the following clip. Chicks might dig your knowledge of foreign films (although is no guarantee, I'm only suggesting summit'

and I'll add (just to be bad:-p) And I'll edit just to try to explain (as I can) that when I hear music, I can't help but wander and spin in certain channels and orbits. I went through almost 18 months of being unable to listen to a shred of music. Right now, I can't get enough of it And I had to add http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xe1dBlyjyyA http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80rP-ZzJrY4&feature=related

Drew, thanks for this. It reminds me of the guy who wrote something about triangles not really existing - except as an exercise and that in itself is very cool! Think about it! "My" current position on such matters = doesn't matter a whip who's wrong and who's right. What does matter IMO is: - who/what can help people the most/best with health and happiness - who/what can help the earth the most/best with health and happiness (although do try define "happy" from the Earth's perspective, might just mean kicking me off :-p Shucks! Given I'm dependent on both of the above for survival (everyone else can make a call on which:-p one...), makes sense I'd like to help, no?

And I'll add;-)