Gunther

Seemingly. But, the mind minus it's content is not void. Awareness is aware of itself. But I am repeating myself. It's indescribable, yet all the scriptures, teaching, philosophies, are full of pointers. Also the seemingly materialistic Taoists or Greek stoics talk of nature or virtues, they all hint at that state of mind. Blissful silence, infinite luminous space, oops, there, I done it again😀😀😀

So just ride that train Ticketless seat on the roof Last stop desire

Mind

Then let it be so If you are stupid or dead You will never know

Troubles with tribbles Here, deal with the gibberish Its a haiku chain

Seeking pleasure or pain Are in fact just the same You can never be happy With whatever you gain. If you can simply be All the glory to thee There is nothing you need You already complete.

Seeking pleasure or pain Are in fact just the same You can never be happy With whatever you gain. If you can simply be All the glory to thee There is nothing you need You already complete.

Good choice, and good luck. If no pleasure available most take pain any day. To feel intensely alive. The gross ego can't just simply be. That is too subtle. To understand the noble truth that life is suffering is not easy. We don't see that seeking pleasure means seeking pain😀😀

This is non abiding awareness of Chan. Thank you

Not sure what I am. So far I have maximised minimalism And gone to extremes on the middle way

Please take me out of this pain I've had enough of that strain Yet whatever I do Seems to be but in vain But at last now I see That I don't want to be free That I am loving that pain 'cause without pain there's no " me"

Possible dangers.Maybe that's where a good teacher or therapist come into play.

OMG

A materialist reading mystics That's not a label. Just fact😀

Can you feel without being aware? I don't think so. But awareness goes unnoticed ordinarily, takes on the form of its object/content

Maybe it's a halfway step of becoming aware. Somebody needs tell them that the witness has to be aloof, distant, impartial. Or you can go mad. I had lots of anger issue. And sure, I didn't like it once I became aware of it. For example road rage. Started cursing and shouting in my car just because a crawler in front😀 Luckily I learned how to deal with it, just taking note without passing judgement, and soon if I still got angry sometimes it made me smile/laugh about myself. As long as you can project your anger, sadness, fear, you feel justified, no problem, you blame somebody/thing else. Maybe once you blame yourself you end up in that double bind?

Thine own consciousness, shining, void, and inseparable from the Great Body of Radiance, hath no birth, nor death, and is the Immutable Light -- Buddha Amitābha. Knowing this is sufficient. Recognizing the voidness of thine own intellect to be Buddhahood, and looking upon it as being thine own consciousness, is to keep thyself in the [state of the] divine mind of the Buddha.

That's called Zen The questions dissolve, but no answers. A clear space, neither emptiness nor form. But potentially either/or/both You said you are a materialist😀

A thousand clouds, ten thousand streams, Here I live, an idle man, Roaming green peaks by day, Back to sleep by cliffs at night. One by one, springs and autumns go, Free of heat and dust, my mind. Sweet to know there’s nothing I need, Silent as the autumn river’s flood. Han Shan Cold mountain Here is wet and windy Sitting by the woodburner In my rusty old van Cheerio daobums😀😀😀 Bright water shimmers like crystal, Translucent to the furthest depth. Mind is free of every thought Unmoved by the myriad things. Since it can never be stirred It will always stay like this. Knowing, this way, you can see, There is no within, no without So what is he on about? Any ideas?

For those who can take it there is nothing. Nothing. But that nothing is aware of itself. (Awareness needs no object)I know, have seen that. Therefore I am not a nihilist

Nor do I. But it's pretty clear that our range of perception is very limited.i don't feel Chuang Tsu is materialistic, just not specific about the mystery.

The notion of separate self is nihilistic or at best materialistic by definition

I guessed that. Maybe Chuang Tsu has pulled your flying rug from under you😀😀😀

Yes, I read all the comments😀 The desire to have no desire you speak about is in reality the last desperate attempt of the ego to cling to desire. Without desire the notion of a separate self cannot survive. So since it(the persona or ego) cannot encounter the luminous self aware Buddha mind it is faced with annihilation, nihilism

The story of Milarepa comes to mind. He is said to have been a magician/sorcerer who could cause hail and thunderstorms and what not. So all these shamanistic/Taoist/bon stuff is real, all the spirits demons, god's, immortals, whatever are real. But they happen within the void, shunia, the Buddha mind. Like I said Milarepa gives a good account. I think he never looked back once he saw the true nature of the mind