CedarTree

Couldn't remember if I said welcome so Welcome! hah

You two are masters of course. I was more referring to us lay individuals

Welcome!

Welcome

*I am putting this in Daoist discussion because I principally would like to hear Daoist and other schools view points on this :)* I am familiar with the Theravada view on Rebirth and also the Zen portrayal. As someone that has pursued strong meditation based traditions such as Thai Forest and Antai-ji - Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery I have been able to experience a lot of the teachings and or at least understand them in both a logical way and experiential way. Rebirth however has been a hard one for me. Not for disbelief but in achieving a level of experience and understanding in which it fits in smoothly into how I have come to understand the teachings both through study and experience. I am hoping those knowledgeable in the other traditions can explain how it is talked about in their school and also experiences and or things that have helped deepen their understanding on this teaching. Thank you friends

Incredibly well said.

Interesting thanks for sharing

Welcome

How do you modify profile to include a signature? thanks

Very wise dog hah

Best wishes to him and others that have had interest in the path and passed away, may they be well

Thanks Brian, your the best

Welcome Fellow Zen Buddhist.

Context MooNiNite is important.

Sums it all up there. Wisdom.

Did you not get enough sleep and or is your sleep schedule kind of all over the place, that sounds a lot like sleep paralysis.

It is interesting that this topic would be brought up today. Lately I have been practicing a pretty heavy thing of Zazen both in movement and formal sitting by inspiration of places like Antaiji and Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery. I have found my mind coming around to Anatta (non-self, not self) and Śūnyatā (Emptiness). It usually starts with some observations and or logic in my mind around Anatta and then sometimes will drop into a deeper arena of thought and slight experience around Emptiness. Last night while I was sleeping I was very aware and present within a certain point in my dreaming. Then the dream landscape became a formal setting of "Roshis" with me there. There was one head teacher and I looked over at her. As I did this I knew something was happening and a Koan came out of me "What is past the Dharma?" and then within me in the dream was this intense experience were I could have "let go" in a near absolute sense. This triggered a massive thing of fear and the idea of complete death came upon me. At this point I turned away from it and nothing happened and I awoke. I have had some experiences in meditation and in sleep like this before and I have had some varying experiences with it that I can go into if anyone is interested. What I am saying I guess is that sleep and dreams are an excellent arena in which to practice in. If able and when the moments arise.

Not sure they are all fake smiles that might be going a bit heavy on what you are getting at but your right the whole coated in gold thing and all this other stuff is a bit much. I think though that a big difference is like in the case of the Dalai Lama he isn't viewed as "just another sentient being" so probably all that is the offering of the community in respect of his office and being. I will say this though, places like Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery and certain Ajahn Chah monasteries that started above or in barns and which meditation rooms simply have a floor and a white Buddha or some small picture of the lineage teacher on the alter shows a real class to me. Real practice at it's finest.

Very well said

Within certain Buddhist traditions the dream metaphor is used commonly as a teaching technique to help someone understand the "lived reality". The below teaching is from Jackson Peterson who is a Dzogchen teacher. This kind of teaching is also very prevalent in the Zen tradition such as Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery. Imagine at night that you find yourself in a dream facing a tiger, you are in complete fear. Then suddenly the dream ceases and you are not in the dream nor awake, and no new dream has yet started. There is not even the consciousness of you being present. Then suddenly a new dream starts and you are mountain climbing. The view is beautiful and you feel serene. Then the dream ceases . There is no longer any "you" or sense of presence; just an empty blank, not noticed. Then the next dream arises... Between the dreams no continuing self carried over from the dream into the empty blank moment between the dreams. When the next dream started a completely new self appeared that had no connection to the previous self. That self lasted only as long as each dream. Likewise during our "waking" day, a complete sense of self as who we seem to be, is arising and completely disappearing in every second. There is no continuing "you" as an entity that is continuing from moment to moment. Each moment is a new daydream "me" unconnected to the previous momentary "me". There is no self identity that continues from moment to moment nor from lifetime to life time. But because the moments of the "me" projection occur so closely together, the mind creates the illusion of a continuing "me". When we sit in quiet meditation, and just observe the mental activity, it's possible to notice how the "me" is just the current thought "me", with no single "me" as a continuing entity bridging the gaps between the "me" thoughts. This is noticed when the mind's activity slows way down naturally. By recognizing the non-existence of a continuing "me", nothing could exist as "mine". Which "me" do things belong to if no "me" actually exists in time, as an owner? Who owns the "karma"? What karma? If the "me" is just a momentary inanimate thought with no autonomy and no duration, "who" ever did anything? Seeing this clearly; hasn't samsara lost its foundation completely? Seeing this clearly, who is there to enter nirvana? Finding no one to be in, or ever had been in samsara, and not finding anyone remaining to enter nirvana; what greater nirvana could there be?

I am glad I started this discussion, I am starting to pick up some tidbits that have expanded the views I had or at least brought new views to mind from what I had before as a reference from Ajahn Chah and Shoryu Bradley's Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery. Thanks guys

Glad you mentioned Prajnaparamita as that body of work in the Mahayana canon has a big focus on Emptiness (Sunyata). I will answer from a Zen perspective and also borrow some writings from Shoryu Bradley of Gyobutsuji Zen Monastery. (Before I start this is a philosophical, experimental, and even (something) else topic. This is a topic you can't really touch with frameworks no matter how eloquent and tirelessly you write on it.) Emptiness is meant to convey the truth as you stated of anatta (non-self). In Mahayana this truth is taken deeper than simply that the five skandhas are not self (Theravada). In Mahayana there is the view that all things are empty of an ontological essence and so are in a sense only conceptual. Since they are only conceptual they are like a dream or an illusion. Diamond sutra: All conditioned phenomena Are like a dream, an illusion, a bubble, a shadow, Like dew or a flash of lightning; Thus we shall perceive them In the Tiantai school and the Huayan school they use the Prajnaparamita literature to understand deep aspects of dependent-origination. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddhist_philosophy Scroll down to the bottom You are going to have to also start understanding Trikaya thought. Thankfully some of the Tantric traditions like Dzogchen & Mahamudra have a well framed ways of approaching this as a central teaching. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trikaya Scroll down till you get to those two. In general this a topic that bleads into a lot of other topics. The void aspect is translational but also has an experiential dimension. Imagine deep Jhana meditation were the body is let go of, the doer is let go of, the knower is let go of and one starts dismantling the mind. They realize the mind is beyond the body and go into a full existent state of space, they then realize space is empty of existence and find it is only consciousness that perceives space and so space as a dimension of mind is let go and the more subtle consciousness is the new object of meditation that becomes full being. Then consciousness is seen to be empty and "no thingness" is what one becomes. Then there is found to be a more subtle state of "neither perception nor non perception". Then this is found to still be subtle aggravation and not true peace and so "cessation of perception and feeling" happens. Then you awaken to what is on the other side when all things are truly let go of. This could be said to be the void or nirvana though I am not at a level to maybe talk about those realities. This is the deathless. The unconditioned.

Happy Birthday to the Dalai Lama!

I just stumbled upon the forum while searching up some Buddhist stuff. What a cool resource! I always thought Daoism was a really interesting practice and resources like forums always seem to bring alive the content and discussion to help those interested and new really start to have a footing before studying/practicing by oneself. I am excited to be apart of the community and learn and share

How would a Daoist delve into the ideas of life and death? What do those terms mean in a Daoist sense/framework. Thank you for sharing your wisdom