TheSongsofDistantEarth

Me like Marbleheaded wisdom.

OK, I can grant you all that you say. So, what would you say you believe in? Certainly not Buddha, it sounds like, nor 'enlightenment, nor liberalism or conservatism, or neo-platonism or string theory... Is it possible that actually believing in nothing will lead to contentment and happiness? I once read a book entitled 'How to Believe in Nothing and Set Yourself Free' that makes a very similar case to what you are stating. All beliefs are just that: concepts that we have invested ourselves in. They can't all be right. Probably none of them is right, despite what Buddha or scripture or sutra or anyone else says. I like your idea, and I think you are right, Lucky7...I just don't believe it...

Buddhist: look for towel to mop up warm puddle underneath robes. Taoist: fly through the air to secret treehouse lair down the block and make some nice chicken congee and drink white ginseng tea.

You're right Dainin, but this picture was taken in a physician's office of one of his patients who did not practice yoga, and appeared in a journal of rheumatology (thus the face blocked out in the style of medical journals to retain patient confidentiality). This is the real clincher: a hand in which the bones "fold in half" is not youthful or yogic flexibility, but certainly pathology. Interestingly my sister, who does not have this syndrome, has always been able to sit down and easily get into lotus position without using her hands. Too bad she's married, or I'd introduce her to drew hempel.

Well, he's not some advanced yogi Z00se, he certainly has an inherited condition of collagen formation called Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome. People with this have amazing elasticity, but it can lead to many serious health problems.

Darin, Let me say first that I basically agree with your stance against drugs. But I find everything about this video extremely amateurish, so much that it's almost comical. You seem like some actor who is pretending to do Tai Chi then suddenly you launch into this spontaneous ineloquent riff against drugs. It doesn't seem well thought out, and it won't impress anybody. The first part was just the fake set-up for your "spontaneous" remarks against drugs. I can't imagine anyone actually being persuaded not to do drugs by this video. I can almost imagine Jim Belushi doing this role as a skit or a ridiculous scene in a movie. I respect your trying to get a message across, but you might as well give it some thought and do something intelligent. Thankfully for you, few people will see it. It doesn't really make you look too good, bro. Songs

Well, I have some strong evidence that Vajrahridaya and ralis are also the same person...Apparently V has a sub-personality that his sub-consciousness has created and reified called "ralis", who exists to oppose the dharma and justify the online fights...Vajra interprets this creation of his mind as "real"...kind of like in 'Fight Club' where Ed Norton's character has has created "Tyler Durden" in order to fight...think about it...it makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? Vajra and GF ???

Vladimir Vasiliev and Mikhael Ryabko are quite amazing and humble warriors in the Systema tradition. They're pretty bad-ass, but the Systema is based upon Russian Orthodox Church, Prayer of the Heart, so there's a real deep and humane spirituality about it. Any horny goats staring at bums?

Thank you for the gracious reply also, CowTao. I believe the Buddha taught moderation in all things. I wonder if V realizes he would also be much more effective in communicating the dharma if he practiced some moderation in his messages and in the frequency with which he posts. It is all good in the end (but better for the Dzogcheners )

Well, I hate to weigh in here, but I think part of the issue here may be that V does come across as very evangelical, and many discussions devolve into the finest points of advanced Buddhist doctrine or dahrma, or whatever. It seems like an Buddhist Blitzkrieg because V posts about Buddhism an astounding amount... over 500 posts in October alone, and his pace is increasing. That to me seems pretty extreme, and amounts to someone establishing a platform to dish out his way, frequently putting down all other ways as less than Vajrayana Buddhism. Apparently there's a few people that enjoy his take on things, but it's beyond me why he doesn't start his own personal practice section, write some articles for this site or spread his knowledge among several other sites. CowTao, I do not find TJL's comment "naaasty" in the least. V joined the end of May and has posted nearly 2,000 times in 5 months, almost all the posts touting the superiority of his way and guru over all others. If you go back and look at some of the threads from this summer, and the more recent posts, V claims to enjoy "discussion" and to be totally "detached" and above it all, yet regularly gets into arguments with many people and has some pretty pissy retorts. (Including one nasty reply to me that first soured me on the guy and his Buddhist campaign).Then he retreats and whines about how everyone is picking on him, trashing his gurus (like he didn't just trash Krishnamurti?) and claims that people are "following" him to give him a hard time. Well, if he's omnipresent on this site and pushes his agenda constantly, he should expect some opposition. Sure, it's his right to be here and talk about Buddhism, but his derailing nearly every thread he posts on to another Buddhist discussion is obnoxious behavior and we also have the right to call him on his stuff and give him a hard time for preaching on this forum. (To his credit he has toned down his direct put-downs of other spiritual paths, but still insists that his version of Buddhism is the ne plus ultra of all teachings). Happiest of Trails to All Songs

OK, how about this: "...Shunyata in Sanskrit, is sometimes translated as emptiness. But this shunyata is really a luminous emptiness, endowed with the heart of compassion. It is a radiant cognizance, what Tibetan Buddhists call the infinite radiance and wisdom of the natural Great Perfection. It is a luminous openness that is our divine core, our buddha nature". Whoa Nelly, again. I can grasp this concept fairly well, explained like this. I wonder what M will think.

OK, I like that explanation. (Thanks, how'd ya know I just sneezed?)

OK, but that is different than tossing down large amounts of acid. Have you done so? But what projection? I'm merely commenting on an outlandish statement...I bet you can't eat it "like candy". Even if you are just shy of Buddhahood. Aren't you projecting that I'm projecting? Help, Mr. Wizard!!

um...oops....ahem... (but isn't that Stanislaw Lem?) Yes, but how many of us are doing just that? I agree.

Wait...you can eat the highest quality LSD "like candy without a flinch or a wink"? Like 1,500 mics, or 2,000 mics or something, and just be enjoying yourself? Whoa, Nelly!! C'mon Vaj, I know you're prone to exaggerate things a bit (like the time you said you've spent "many years in solitude", when at best it was kind of a semi-solitude serving a guru in an ashram for a year or two). I just have a hard time believing this one, though. Can you really "eat it like candy" and just shrug and continue your day, no problem...? I need to see some proof, dude. If so, you're way, way beyond anybody here (but you knew that already). But I bet you can't. Take Care, Young Master!

Really nice. Thanks, Marblehead.

Thanks for posting this, Marblehead.

From the second page of this thread...hmmm... Ah, my good sir, do you not see how the same can be said of yourself?

Uzae_SqbmDE Let the discussion begin!

What then, is 'right cognition'. Is it limited to Buddhist cognition?

What then, is 'right cognition'. Is it limited to Buddhist cognition?

Does anyone else see the irony in this post?

Well, how to make sense of these statements? I find it hard to believe that whole populations that live in areas where little grows that is edible rely on carrion alone to make it through a winter, but if you say so, well ok. But are all westerners who follow Tibetan Buddhism vegetarians? Are you a vegetarian, nac? Mikaelz? V? Most western Tibetan Buddhists? If not, then how do you get around the proscription against killing? If you are, that's great, and consistent. If you guys do eat meat, aren't you more like the Taoists above? I don't hate Buddhists, or anyone else. I just find some of the statements confusing. If truly so