ilumairen

Thank you for this explanation; it helps me to understand where you are coming from, and what you're referring to when you use the word awakening.

So they're attempting to connect. And you're setting yourself apart. (Nothing wrong with either imo - just an observation regarding what you've chosen to share.) What are your thoughts on appearance and emptiness?

From where I'm sitting it looks like a shift in paradigms.. What does awakening mean to you, and how is it meant to be understood as presented in the title of this thread? BTW I didn't realize you'd have to fake sincerity to hold a door open for someone or share a smile with a stranger.

Seems like a difference between personally addressing what comes, and taking what comes personally.

This is neat. :smiles at rideforever:

Sounds lovely. This disconnect sounds similar to what you're ascribing to others.

Oh, I forgot the young mother who was grateful when I suggested she step in front of me at the gas station queue. The lovely young couple who smiled when I held the door open for them upon entering, and the older lady who expressed appreciation of my manners when I held the door for her when leaving. When I use the quote, "be the change you wish to see in the world," it isn't idle chatter. Maybe give it a try, and see what happens?

Today we struck up a conversation with a friendly lady at the gas pump who was taking a crash course in driving a vehicle with a manual transmission, and apparently loving it. Smiled with a few strangers while perusing the baked goods, and then got in queue behind an older couple. The gentleman was enjoying his own little quips about not being able to "take it with" him - meaning the money he was spending. And the wife was gently resting her palm on his arm and smiling at the quips I can only imagine she's heard many times before. I didn't see anyone on their phones while waiting in queue. ***** Why would people believe you'd gone mad if you smiled at them?

Thanks for checking in, and responding to my post. Good luck with the angst; I'm going to go shopping and smile at the people in queue - who generally smile back and sometimes share stories.

Although a whirlpool appears it is empty, although it is empty it appears. A manifestation of perceived qualities dependent upon a plethora of circumstance. Which earned me "a big no shit" when I shared what I was giggling about before posting it.

I actually tend to agree with this.. And this just made me laugh. Hope you're having a good day rideforever.

It's an event - motion reified and contemplated as a noun.

There is an irony in threads such as this, where the staring at screens is disavowed by someone staring at a screen. If you wish to engage with people, then connect to the warmth in your own heart, and "be the change you wish to see in the world".. you may be surprised by just how friendly those people waiting in queue can be. And if they're not, you can always type out your own condemnation of their errant ways.

I am genuinely interested in your thoughts on this, and am finding them quite useful in my own exploration. Warm regards

This brought a laugh. However, based on what comes next, I would suggest the interpretation of the readings is more indicative of your internal temp(erment) than the warmth and genuinness of the people sharing here. Any of the individuals this could refer to actually do walk their talk. This condemnation is your interpretation of snippets they've shared, and is lacking in any genuine attempt to understand where they are coming from, or what any of their past experience may have been. There are also two understandings of "suffering" being conflated, and this may cause some misunderstanding and contentiousness.

If you're alive, you are playing the game.

The idea of ego is interesting, and seems tied to memory - which I believe in standard understanding is dependent upon language. The labeling of experience is a necessity in the verbal sharing of experience, and the means and manner and understandings of what is shared is often filtered through the personal perception of what is called ego. When one considers language as not just a tool in differentiation for the sake of understanding and communication, but a differentiated attribute of the ego itself, it becomes a question of, "can there be a dissolution of ego where language is present?"

This activity, the moving, living and growing are what makes "self" impermanent. It isn't fixed and unchanging. What is your understanding of "no self"? Because you present the arguments for the proper understanding of "no self" in your arguments against "no self", and I'm finding it quite curious. Is "it" changing, or is your awareness of "it" what is growing?

(((CT))) Joyful hugs and smiles upon your return.

And some seeds dry in the Sun, rot in pools of water, lay dormant, and many are eaten. This too is natural. :wicked little giggle: Flowers only unfold by great fortune of circumstance, or careful cultivation - which could be considered great fortune. And it certainly does take years for trees to become what we call trees. From seed, to sapling, to tree. And when we're thirsty, we still raise a cup to our lips. :holds up cup: Cheers, my friend

I'm observing this new twist in the conversation here with interest and curiosity. And as I sit with some of the words presented little bubbles arise - thought and remembrance. God with a big "g" appears much more emotive in the old testament - wrathful and jealous and given to genocide on occasion. In the new testament we're presented with "God is love." The higher variety of love said to be non-dependent on whether we please him or not (although, I may be able to come up with a few arguments against this claim which are really neither here nor there in regards to the topic). As with so much, there seem to be "higher" emotions and "obstructive" emotions, and this is where the concepts can get messy and the water muddied. And all seem dependent upon the "connectedness" one has with their own nature. Mind with a big "m" is anything but claustrophobic in my experience and understanding. For now, I'm giving the masculine/ feminine stuff presented some space. Perhaps I'll return to it later, as I do find it interesting.

Seems like you happened upon the inner refuge through the door of stillness, as Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche presents it. By utilising the door, and resting in the refuge we find healing - such as you did in regard to the fears you expressed. And genuine warmth and connection arise naturally - as you also discovered in the interactions with your girlfriend. As @Fa Xin suggested, continue your exploration.

I'm a in stealth mode. If this doesn't show up, I could sign out (of the anonymous sign in) and sign back in normally to see if it changes anything.. just for curiosities sake.

Messenger is my birth mother's chosen means of "staying in touch." It's what she is comfortable with. Also TWR does live teachings from his Facebook account - which I rather enjoy. For awhile I made it an odd sort of practice to recognize when things were written in a particular way to sway opinion. These days I'm generally back to ignoring the news, or at least not actively seeking it out. And I don't generally like memes, so actually perusing Facebook isn't something I find overly enjoyable and/or entertaining.

Dude, you're the one who brought an argument with another member from a thread where he apparently no longer wanted to respond to you, or failed to respond in your desired fashion, to this thread. and I can't even work out what on earth this side tangent of yours actually has to do with the topic of this thread...