Miroku

I think that a guy Mantrik on Dharmawheel could know something about it.

Taken from Chapter 4 of Diamond Sutra. Don't know 'bout you but to me this sounds just perfect and is really most profound. Btw I really enjoyed reading your mock version of the sutra. Sometimes they get sooo tedious and boring with the repetition and stuff. Also thx for making me read it.

My 5cents here are quite easy. Taking refuge is the best protection. There is a tibetan story of an old monk living in a cave. Once a robber came to the cave at night wanting to steal from the monk, but the monk caught him and gave him a good beating with his sandal and with each strike he repeated "I take refuge in the Buddha, I take refuge in the Dharma, I take refuge in the Sangha" and kicked the robber out afterwards. The robber ran down the hill and hid underneath a bridge. At that moment under the brige there was a group of powerful deamons that wanted to harm the deamon, but they heard the robber think about what the monk said and repeating "I take refuge .... etc." . Hearing that they ran away. (Sorry I butchered the story) Also compassion is a great form of protection. And mantras are amazing, they main purpouse is to protect the mind, from the mind itself and also from outer harm. I remember that everytime I had sleep paralysis repeating mani mantra or vajra guru mantra always helped. The entity always went away quite fast and I calmed down. I sincerely believe there is no need to look for protection anywhere outside of buddhism really. I understand you feel frustrated because other westerners do not believe much on these attacks. It is quite understandible. Let's be honest it isnt something that happens to everyone. Anyway sometimes it is the best to relax and think whether really it was a demons attacking or just your own mind dominating you and playing tricks. So in summary: Refuge, compassion, mani mantra ... the best things to do in any sort of danger. Read sutras if you want more. There are many interesting ones. FPMT teacher recommend the Diamond Cutter Sutra for cancer for example. So there are many things to do. Best wishes

Hi, is there some good source on buddhist qigong? Some general information or maybe even some more concrete styles? I wonder whether there are some huge differences between buddhist qigong and daoist qigong in the proces and the goal of the practices.

No, I just hoped you would provide reason why you believe that either Tenzin Wangyal is not a good teacher to be recommended, why his work is not worth recommending, or why you think Steve is just making an advertisement. Given your ceaseless activity on this forum (where you post without apparently having anything to say to the discussed matters) I believe you do not need my permission to speak.

Out of interest, surprisingly.

Then please do say what you think.

Yes, it was a support of a person that asked a question. Steve provided some of the best sources possible.

I can only recommend Tenzin Wangyal's book on the topic and also visiting his fb profile. Somewhere there should be his teachings on the topic from the last year. Definetly worth it. Also if it is possible then I'd recommend having a teacher. Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche teaches sleep yoga just like Tenzin Wangyal. Many bön and dzogchen masters teach it. There are many ways how to practice it, but what helps the most is having a transmission of teachings. But anyone can achieve lucidity.

You cannot avoid creating karma. Doing nothing or just neutral actions creates neutral karma. As long as the ignorance of your real enlightened nature is present in your life you are going to continue creating more and more karma. Buddha has said avoid bad actions do good ones and master your mind. It is bad to attack someone but protecting is always good, be it yourself or loved ones. There is no need to hurt the ones who attack you especially if it is just a discussion (you dont have to call them idiots) but you can try to stand your ground. Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche's grandmother once fought with a monk who came for her son (Rinpoche's father) saying that he is a reincarnation of their master. She told him off as he was quite rude to her and didn't listen to her when she said that she will send him to them after the funeral is over and they even screamed insults at one another. Was it the best situation? No. Was she a person abiding by dharma? Yes (Rinpoche wrote it precisely how much he looked up to her and how realized she was). If you look at the stories of some of the greatest masters of buddhism (be it vajrayana, zen or other) they usually could get pretty wild and often had "no nonsense" attitude. Do not worry too much it does not help. Buddhism is in many ways a training where you go 999 times wrong so you can get it at least once right. You can do daily confessions and purification practices like 35buddhas or vajrasattva if you are so afraid. Find a teacher, start walking the path and it will be okay. You'll see.

That is how uneducated hindus often see karma to be like. This is why when a wife's husband dies they either cast her out of the community or bully her or let her be buried with him alive, because they believe she has a "bad" karma. Or it was/is also used to justify the caste system. Ofc this is just usage of the philosophy as a part of a system of opression. Which is naturally wrong as it sees karma in a fatalistic light and allows many evils.

Okay we seem to miss each other on several points apparently. First of all it is not a judgement. I am not an authority and not realized therefore my usage of words is very clumsy so lets look at it this way. Karma is the same way like poking into a bee's nest if you poke into a bee nest you get lots of angry bees going after you and hurting you. The same happens if you do unwholesome actions. If you do something nice, like for example sincerely complimenting someones dress or helping a friend in need then it is possible they will help you back or tell you something nice which will make in turn you feel happy. The whole thing about words "rich" and "poor" sorry but you are intentionally misreading and relativising it. When I said rich I mean abundance of money and when I say poor I mean lack of it. But yeah if you have good karma you are also gonna be "rich" in this way.

Yes they do deserve it, meaning they did something which resulted in this kind of effect. Just like marblhead said it is a cause and effect. Being generous results in being born in rich family or society and not experiencing poverty. Does it say anything about them as a person? No. Does it mean their actions are going to be virtous? No. Just like poor can be generous, the rich can cling to every penny. But each will get what they sow. But that does not mean we should not help people who suffer! It is nice to say that somebody promotes nonduality, but unless you are in a nondual state the duality is something you have to take into account. That is why we have good and bad actions and why there are some rules how to behave like not kill or steal etc. It is good if you can go beyond that, but just like Padmasambhava said: He was already realize but still acted according to the law of Karma.

Sorry to awaken the thread but that "dark side of Karma is a misconception". Maybe it works like that in hinduism but in buddhism ti for sure does not work like that. Suffering do deserve their suffering but are not in anyway bad and should be helped and rich and happy are not necessarily good, they just did good stuff and deserve what they have. The notion of somebody being good or bad seems to me to be quite western tbh. Maybe somebody already made thist point clear dunno. Sorry if yes.

Hi! I have been thinking about creating this thread for some time now. I think it would be nice if we could share our knowledge and insight into the art of tea making here. Be it drinking tea and its health effects, effects on chi, effects on our mind, personality or anything. Really anything. Also good place to ask questions about tea, or just share stories of tea appreciation. I hope it catches on.

Have you noticed some difference between puerhs and oolongs? I don't mean like taste but more of an effect on body and etc. Lately I am also enjoying oolongs, but mostly cheap ones and must say they might be my most favourite tea to drink regularly right after regular black tea.

What lead you to giving up coffee? Do you have some favourite oolong?

I think it would be nice of me to start. My story of tea appreciation is following: I have been drinking and loving tea for about 10 years now. I began around my 14th year I think with cheap black teas and slowly worked my way up. Tea was something that went with me through the years and although I neglected it often, it was always nice to go back to it. My first loose leaf tea was given to me by my dad. Nowadays I know it was just some basic Ceylon black tea blend, but it made me happy and actually I still prefer cheaper black teas for some reason. Nowadays when I have given up alcohol, which brought to many dark places over the years, I am drinking tea in my so far most stressful year as I try to finish my studies. It helps me keep a distance and relax a bit. I used to be really rigid when it came to my tea, I used timers and measure the temperature and everything, only to give it up and just sor of go with what feels right nowadays. It can be said I am more of a freestyle tea maker now. What are you stories? Also I have heard about many qualities of tea and its effects on chi and warming and cooling, would anyone care to expand on that?

Losar Tashi Deleg!! Happy New Year to all of you and everybody else.

Is there some good resource to learn Yi Jin Jing from? Like a good book or sth?

I think it would be nice if we could share here some simple and for normal human usable advice from TCM on how to lead healthy life. I always wanted to know more about chinese medicine, but the books I encountered were usually somewhat hard for me and I don't have much time. So, what are according to you good advice for daily life from chinese medicine (concerning topics as diet and general behaviour, etc.)? Do you have some books that deal with chinese medicine in an approachable and easy way for not so smart people?

I just thought this could be of interest for people here. There is an account of buddhist and daoist debate in 13th century. Here is the account and here is the original thread on dharmawheel. Quite an interesting topic, though I have nothing much to add to it as I am not well versed in philosophy.

Aetherous mentioned rice, but would it be possible to apply chinese medicine principles while eating more localy grown and traditional vegetables, legumes and etc? For example using barley (used in traditional czech meals, basically like rice) instead of rice and etc.? How does the diet change due to seasons? It is natural to eat more light in summer and bit heavier and bit fattier in winter (unless I am wrong), but what about frying and steaming? Does different way to prepare food also have some special time of the year? Is sexual activity linked to the seasons and more preferable in some than others?

Thank you for the explanation it is very appreciated. And no I didn't get almost any rest.

I am quite careful when using words like "energy". And I do not mean to really negate what Steve says but I do not thing the energy is the right word here. It is possible that what I mean by blessing is what he means by energy. Don't know and don't have time to read all the comments. So sorry for such intrusion without knowledge of context. Yes that is my understanding of transmission. You gain the ability to change impure vision into pure (more like knowledge how to do it since pure vision is here always) and use mantras etc.. Also you get the chance to really use and study and practice the teachings given. Withotu transmission there is no vajrayana. Blessings are part of the transmission as empowerment can enhance your practice even if you do not practice the particular deity you have been empowert to do. If you do not have empowerment you can say bilions of mantras, but nothing happens as there is no transmission and no blessings. What are blessings? Well, that is a hard one. It might simply be that things go smoothly, that you develop compassion, your daily life goes well, but it also can be that some bad stuff in your life happens (you lose job etc.) and that helps you on the path. But I think it mostly is that you develop slowly that is the great blessing. Also it is that you see the nature of mind, that is a blessing. Also that you develop mindfulness, compassion and devotion, that is a blessing. Who is source of blessings? Lama is. What is the greatest blessing? Recognizing the nature of mind. But when speaking about these things we must bare in mind they come with time and practice. Yes you might have transmission, but if you don't take a medicine what is the point of having it in your drawer? If you practice and work with the transmission then blessings come and you develop. But every rule has its exception and some people develop quite fast thanks to past lives. Hope this makes sense I am tired.