Michael Sternbach

Hi Michael, Welcome to TDB. I have some of your books in my rather extensive martial arts library. Looking forward to some inspiring conversations. Best, Michael

Shanmugam, You are new to this forum, otherwise you would know that I am actually one of the most scientifically inclined regulars here. Many of my posts are revolving around the connection of science and mysticism. I do believe that the union of these two approaches to understanding the world is crucial to humanity's future evolution in consciousness. However, because of my involvement with various sciences, I am also aware of the limitations of objectivying and measuring things. Especially things as subtle and intangible as "enlightenment". Don't get me wrong. I do not reject scientific research into human consciousness per se. But I do object to the idea of certifying spiritual teachers on the basis of brain scans and the like. What matters is that people develop the ability to trust their own judgement and follow their own intuition. That's the message of the great spiritual terachers. We need less superficial objectification. Less other-directed authorization. Less scans.

So you want to measure enlightenment?! That would presuppose a scientific definition of "enlightenment" - of which there are many different forms, BTW. E.g., the enlightenment of a Zen Buddhist might look quite different from the enlightenment of an Anthroposophical mathematician. And the "enlightened ones" that were approved by the neuroscientists would be granted much more authority than the ones that were not. Triiiicky... I think most truly enlightened individuals would choose not to play that game in the first place. I doubt that I would respect one who DID!!!

That book looks cool. Thanks for sharing.

You may want to take a look at Jwing Ming Yang: Qigong - The Secret of Youth. Best, Michael

Additional remarks regarding Nibiru: The transportation tubes I mentioned were transparent, so being in one of them, I could watch the dwarf star set at the horizon. It seemed like they were not only connecting the 'futuristic' looking buildings but also whole cities with one another. Despite being a light year or so away from Earth, I felt strangely home. Maybe I have an alternative self living there?

It happened in a lucid dream. All I can say is that I was in a technologically highly advanced city, standing on a platform in a very high and long elevator-like transportation tube that was interconnecting the buildings. Now I do take Zecharia Sitchin's theory with a grain of salt, but the idea that Nibiru is not another (habitable!) planet orbiting our Sun on an extremely elliptic course, but could be a planet orbiting our companion star, makes it a little more conceivable. Interesting that Andy Lloyd reached the same conclusion: www.darkstar1.co.uk/

You still did not answer my question. I take it you are either not able or not willing to see the logical fallacy in your belief. So be it. Good luck.

Taomeow, Have you heard of the theory that our Sun is still accompanied by a companion star? I always liked this one and continue to believe in it, partially because it is in keeping with my own cosmological thinking, partially because I actually once visited it during an astral trip - or more precisely, a planet orbiting it, from where I indeed watched that (red dwarf) sunset. https://owlcation.com/stem/Nemesis-Is-there-a-Second-Sun-in-the-Solar-System As the article explains, the Nemesis hypothesis not least offers an explanation for the regularly recurring mass extinctions on our planet by kicking comets our way every time it passes through the Oort cloud, such as the one that supposedly extinguished the dinosaurs. However, there is also an alternative explanation for the latter event...

That is incorrect. Maintaining correct body posture was indeed a major focus where I was practising. While the body is seen as illusory in the sense that it is impermanent, this does not diminish the attention it receives not only in Zazen, but also e.g. in Zen-inspired martial arts.

How on earth could the moral order be reestablished and violated at the same time?!

Good posts, Luke. What you said also applies to other kinds of meditation. Rosina Sonnenschmidt, a German author of books on homeopathy, believes that sitting in zazen for hours on end is tantamount to emotional repression which can eventually lead to cancer. Her evidence is purely anecdotal, but having undergone a fair amount of zazen myself, I would not rule out the possibility. However, I figure that, in such cases, it may be the inflexibility as a personality trait of the practitioner rather than the practice itself that were detrimental. Dosage is important, and reason should prevail. Guidance, traditionally provided by a teacher, is often invaluable, but today is offered also by online resources such as this website. An academic survey regarding a widely told Western meditation program called Silva Mind Control (of which I am a graduate) showed it to be beneficial for psychotic patients. Qicat, By your use of quotation marks, you have put this statement into perspective yourself. While psychotherapists in times past indeed were prone to look at any deviations from "normality" as pathological, at least some of them meanwhile started questioning how sane society itself is, thus they no longer regard the standards it sets as be-all and end-all. Bear in mind that individuals suffering from or susceptible to mental disturbances are usually already in conflict with those socio-cultural standards due to their views and sensitivities. A therapeutic approach meant to fit them back in (as often pursued by the application of psychotropic drugs) can never be called truly healing. Contrast this with the approach taken by traditional Shamanic societies, where an individual that would be diagnosed as psychotic in contemporary Western-style societies is regarded as having special psychic sensitivities and educated as a clairvoyant and healer. So yes, deep and prolonged meditation practice may indeed play a role in leading you further away from socio-cultural norms, but it should also help you establish an extended framework in order to come to terms with unusual internal and external perceptions. I do try to provide the people I am working with as an "alternative counsellor" with guidance along these lines. But it is true that practitioners pursuing this kind of approach are still rather the exception. If things develop well, meditation and related practices will be regarded as essential in the psychotherapy of the future, however.

While meditation (depending on the particular practice) might aggravate the condition of an already unstable personality in some cases, it can help them to become more centered too. Based on my work with psychiatric patients, I would say that a reasonable meditation practice can play a major role in the restoration and maintenance of mental health. Such dubious offers are a different story, of course.

When I practise the Old Yang form, I don't alter the movements per se. But I sometimes vary the speed, the height of my stances and other accompanying factors, taking into account what my body and mind need at a given time. I feel that this kind of "going with the flow" is important when practising Taiji. Ideally, you wouldn't be paying any conscious attention to what your body is doing.

Well, in my view, you can learn something of value from almost every system and teacher. As stated, every valid tradition revolves around an esoteric core of perennial philosophy. A system obviously devoid of that would not be able to catch my interest in the first place. But I do see it in all major traditions that I have looked into so far. I see what you mean. It is less of a concern for me though, because I don't adhere to any beaten path, but cherry-pick from all of them whatever I need to build my own unique path. I don't know exactly, they happened mostly before I came here. But I recall hearing that Dzogchen was indeed a topic for recurrent arguments.

I do believe that we attract things according to what we carry with us and radiate. This is not arbitrary - whether we look at it psychologically, energetically, astrologically. And it's not fully under control by our will. But no matter where we are on our journey, we do have some choice in how we work with our thoughts and emotions.

They should also become more integrative of the previously neglected aspects that are emphasized in other systems. Superficially speaking, yes. But Buddhists also believe that the conclusions drawn at the end of a cycle will be the foundations of what is going to happen in the next one. And the concept of eternity can be interpreted too if we assume that the discarnate entity potentially experiences a state of timelessness. From which it will in most cases return to another space-time existence, however, as recognized by Hinduism, Buddhism, and esoteric Christianity. Many Buddhists don't even agree on the same views or end goals among themselves. Haven't you heard of the legendary 'Buddhist wars' on TDB? But it is of no consequence what many would agree to or not. All that matters is if you can integrate whatever you have accepted as true into a coherent personal Cosmology.

I do believe that everything that happens has a meaning. But I don't buy the karma theory. Not in its simplistic form. It implies that the Universe is differentiating good and evil deeds the way humans do. What the OP calls "the code of moral order." But what is good in one context or from one perspective can be bad from another. And from a non-dualistic perspective, good and bad cease to exist altogether. Things just are what they are. Contributions to the Great Drama. Referring to the OP's example: So Sharon Tate and her child had to die in this gruesome way because she had commited the same kind of act in a past life. But going by that logic, surely, she could only do so because her victim was herself guilty of the same crime? So since, in her life as a Mayan priest, she was only the tool of Divine Justice - why did she deserve to be punished at all? And what is going to happen to the murderers in a future life? The very same again? How can this madness ever end? And we haven't even talked about the role played by the killed babies in all this... I am happy not to be living in the OP's universe ruled by an insane and merciless punishing mechanism. I do believe in certain rules, however. One of them goes: Thou shalt not commit logical fallacies.

Based on my own studies in Daoism and Buddhism (especially Zen), I think your analysis to be quite accurate, overall. My comments will be written from personal philosophical position, which is rather synthetical than analytical. In fact, I propose that all major spiritual teachings are divinely inspired and true (in essence). They are but different expressions of what is sometimes called the Perennial Philosophy, a universal metaphysical wisdom at the core of every religion. Like in the parable of the blind men who described an elephant very differently, depending on whether they palpated the animal's legs, ears, tail, or trunk, the assumptions of various systems do sometimes seem at odds with each other. So in the following, I will share some of my insights on how the seemingly divergent views of Daoism and Buddhism may be understood as different, but complementary parts of the one metaphysical elephant. Yes, any new religion has to differ from what has come before, as to be recognized as a distinct doctrine. This is part of the reason for the dfferences regarding recognition of (or emphasis laid on) universal truths. Good job. However, the Yogachara school recognizes the Alayavijnana ('indissoluble consciousness', sometimes also referred to as 'seed consciousness') as the ultimate basis of the apparent individual. This is conceptually close not only to the Dao, but also to the World Soul of Platonism and Hermeticism, as well as to Jung's Collective Unconscious. Buddhism is generally not very interested in the origin and nature of the world that it considers illusory anyway, other than in terms of its human perception. But it is worth mentioning that the aforementioned Alayavijnana or Mulavijnana ('base consciousness') is the foundation for seven other kinds of consciousness. (Mind you, in Gnostic cosmology, the eighth sphere transcends and at once forms the base for the perceptual space-time boundary represented by Saturn.) Yet there is the teaching of the Buddhahood immanent to every being. Yes, this ground of consciousness is real (even hyper-real), but not in the sense of the objective reality that we take for granted. Nor is it just subjective/psychological. Rather, it defies such categorization. The source of the manifest world is emptiness (Wu chi) or Zero. It splits into yin and yang (Tai chi), two opposite but complementary forces that ultimately balance each other out. To see the world of phenomena holistically (as whole, and holy) is to see it in its implicit perfect balance - or emptiness. Yes. Good call. Transcending conceptual designation is considered a way to see the universe in its undivided suchness which (as I explained above) reflects original emptiness. I like to think of Daoism as the Eastern counterpart of Hermeticism, complete with its own Alchemy, Astrology, Magic, Medicine etc. It is true that we find little of this in Buddhism, aside from its Tantric versions, as you said. Even the Arhat Pindola-Bhāradvāja, whose wheathered wooden statue stands near the entrance to the main hall of Todai-ji temple in Nara, is not allowed to enter because he studied magic. This by no means diminishes his blessful influence, however: Touching a part of the statue and then touching the corresponding part of your own body is believed to heal that part. And while 'ganying' frequently plays a role in Chinese Buddhist discussions, this indeed speaks to Daoism's influence. That may well be true for original Buddhism. But later forms (e.g. as encountered in Japan) are just replete with artistic expressions. So I am not sure if a lack of aesthetics should still be regarded as characteristic of Buddhism today.

Agreed. What we are watching is a natural part of the ecosystem (us) screwing itself, and a yet bigger part along with it. Lean back and enjoy the show.

The role of plant life in processing CO2 is not being neglected - the incredible deforestation in the industrial age is often mentioned as aggravating the situation. Take that together with the huge amount of fossil fuels burned every day, and the quantity of methane producing livestock bred for satisfying human appetite for meat. Is it really so hard to believe that these long standing and ongoing violations of the planet's eco system would have far reaching consequences?

That and some other gases known to increase the greenhouse effect. "Other greenhouse gases are emitted in smaller quantities, but they trap heat far more effectively than CO2, and in some cases are thousands of times stronger. Methane is responsible for 17% of man-made global warming, nitrous oxide for 6%." Source: https://ec.europa.eu/clima/change/causes_en

Little Apple Man

Laundry

Not to forget, they are beautiful too! Taking many centuries old books too literally and trying to implement all that they are saying in the modern world indeed usually leads to disaster. For instance, there are also passages in the Bible (even in the New Testament) strongly condemning non-believers. Now most people in the West have been imbued with Christian values, but luckily, the majority of them are not following the ancient doctrines to the letter. In fact, the ones really adament about all of them are few and far between. The same generally applies to Muslims as well. I am aware that there are orthodox groups representing extreme positions in certain countries. But fact is, most Muslims are neither religious fanatics nor susceptible to hate preachers. This is true especially for the ones who have had a significant degree of exposure to Western culture - such as the immigrants that you believe are bent on undermining our societies. Once again, your knowledge of what I am amazes me. Or should I say, your ability to project your own shadow onto me and others. It is so typical of conspiration theorists. Myself, I make no claims of being "good" - I am too aware of my shadow self for that.