old3bob

The "Eternal" or true meaning of the Self is another illusion to be negated per some Buddhists but imo here is a pointer from the historic Buddha himself: "There is, monks, an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated. If there were not that unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, there would not be the case that escape from the born — become — made — fabricated would be discerned. But precisely because there is an unborn — unbecome — unmade — unfabricated, escape from the born — become — made — fabricated is discerned. Nibbāna Sutta: Unbinding" (thus we could say beyond created categories, which is also a pointer used for Brahman)

well, there is also the problematic choice of whether to be a householder with that related dharma or a monk/nun with that related dharma which arises at some point...(besides all the rest of dharma) since one can't really do both well at the same time. A lot of the quotes/teachings here are coming more from the renunciate people but how many of us westerners are really or seriously going to go take renunciate route, (at least in earlier life?) probably only a few. Besides it takes a good support system for that to be done in an often fast paced modern world. (including the world of 2500 hundred years ago which the historic Buddha renounced)

Great communications "mate".

God or Supreme Being are words and so is Nirvana and all the rest...and have a purpose up to a point. The Self is so profoundly simple that thinking mind can not know it since thinking mind can not and does contain It. btw, I meant the four-fold negation per Nagarjuna, right?

Btw the Buddha is recorded in well recognized sutras as having had conversations with and awareness of gods/devas, so denial of that does not fly per those sutras....although the meanings of all that is a further matter.

why the down vote ST? If it is because of the possible and serious complications of who decides what per medical/physical results? I can see that happening and being a major sticking point thus I'd say it needs to be addressed and agreed upon by all parties. Would that be unreasonable?

well I'm not at all versed or know of the process of transformation from male to female but I think most everyone would say it takes time and steps, and imo that time and those steps which can be proven by non-biased medical/physiological results should be factors considered before someone competes in sports as equals -- which does not happen suddenly on a physical level. (same for women that want to transition to male)

My take is that there is the same atom or Atman of the Supreme Being/Self deep in the heart of hearts of all beings, this imo is even pointed towards in certain Buddhist sutra's. Although what can be like a monkey wrench of confusion are the saying of, "no self" and all sorts of negation sayings -- which in a nutshell mean to me the non-attachment to or non-identification with a temporary self (with small s ) that is not the Supreme Being but a limited ego that in a sense is veiling It. One also needs to be careful to not end up trying to nail down the Supreme Being or Self with words or thoughts, which I think is a major part of what the Historic Buddha was trying to get at. Having said that (and if accepted as pointers?) we also come to the term "soul" with its many variations on teachings, many which do not agree, so we can say it comes down to the fact that one has to find out for themselves. Speaking of negation the, "four-fold negation" goes though the quandary's of intellectual limits and thus leaves one to then go on from there...

strange to me that some seem to want or feel that only "sunny days" is "spirituality". (when the dark spirits will do anything and everything to completely take-over and or destroy the Earth realm and its beings)

yep, many to suffering and worse per "manifest destiny", radicalized maga or various forms of fascism.

yea, throwing the baby out with the bathwater and sinking your raft before crossing the water is counter productive and seems an "above it all" attitude. Btw, we could say that meaningful inspiration is not without substance. For instance we could say the sun shining down on the earth giving all beings here life is far more than just a concept...

What's up with the current events forum, I hope trumpers didn't take over? If people can't post then maybe delete the whole thing....

Brahman is beyond categories, but purest Shakti springs from Brahman and thus is connected. There is no divorce. Different schools in Hinduism have some variations....

"The mistake is in believing that "energy" has some reality outside of mind"....umm I'd say no... Para Shakti (another term often used in Saivite paths of Hinduism ) is pure energy+ that is eternally and imperishably joined to and springing forth from Brahman, thus also equals the Reality of Sat-chit-ananda.

Why some members have been conned into or have joined with destructive radical right sentiments or are being wishy-washy about same or are playing tit for tat games by attacking dems, who granted are far from perfect, is nuts to say the least and to me are missing the far greater dangers people in the US and other parts of the world face, thus its hard to hear that or to try and have a reasonable conversations about !! I live in one of the reddest state in the country but being an old white haired straight white guy I don't have to worry too much about being physically attacked, (although some well armed maga nut cases would like to see liberals eliminated or at least 100% suppressed per their dear leader) which makes its hard to imagine how much incredibly harder it is for LBGTQ people that are being attacked openly or with stealth by what are supposed to be some of their fellow citizens in a democratic republic of laws and rights under a just constitution!! I appreciated your pointed and solid contributions along with all the information you have shared at this site!! I wish you the best and that you will feel safe and respected in your daily life interactions and living situation wherever you may be. You will be missed dear one. Take care, Bob

one of the "highest" spiritual teachings is "love thine enemy", but it too can be dangerous since if idealistically misapplied by a beginner an "enemy" may destroy them...but if applied with wisdom and power backing it up then an enemy may be turned (untwisted) from darkness to light.

Forever rubber duckies (like forever man-made compounds)

if I remember correctly Hinduism had (mystical meaning) depictions of both a clockwise and counter-clockwise swastika symbol. (and of course the Nazi's co-opted the symbol)

I don't know, but i like small horny toads and their bravery, I image you have some big ones In Australia?

"And He said: ‘Thou canst not see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.’ But in the NT Matthew 5:8 it says, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. So both the OT and the NT are rife with contradictions and conflicts in doctrine and can easily drive one nuts. Make what you will of them for they also have some great parts and useful lessons...just don't go nuts.

god Brahma the creator, is depicted in form in Hinduism and has a long but limited lifetime of a great cosmic cycle, but not the Self which is kind of a name but only a pointer to that which can not really be nailed down with a name.

There are the aspects of God which can be named, and there is that which can't be named or corralled.

heck, 85$ bucks for shipping is a deal. Btw I could get people some larger river rocks (to go with the gravel) at about those prices, just don't use them in your fire pit since the moisture inside of them might blow them up when heated. Hey Mark how much for those Zen garden rocks? Just a donation?

Yang/yin symbol derived from observing clockwise rotation of the of the sun making shadow: "By observing the sky, recording the Dipper's positions, and watching the shadow of the Sun from an 8-foot (Chinese measurement) pole, ancient Chinese determined the four directions. The direction of sunrise is the East; the direction of sunset is the West; the direction of the shortest shadow is the South and the direction of the longest shadow is the North. At night, the direction of the Polaris star is the North. They noticed the seasonal changes. When the Dipper points to the East, it's spring; when the Dipper points to the South, it's summer; when the Dipper points to the West, it's fall; when the Dipper points to the North, it's winter. When observing the cycle of the Sun, ancient Chinese simply used a pole about 8 feet long, posted at right angles to the ground and recorded positions of the shadow. Then they found the length of a year is around 365.25 days. They even divided the year's cycle into 24 Segments, including the Vernal Equinox, Autumnal Equinox, Summer Solstice and Winter Solstice, using the sunrise and Dipper positions. They used six concentric circles, marked the 24-Segment points, divided the circles into 24 sectors and recorded the length of shadow every day. The shortest shadow is found on the day of Summer Solstice. The longest shadow is found on the day of Winter Solstice. After connecting each lines and dimming Yin Part from Summer Solstice to Winter Solstice, the Sun chart looks like below. The ecliptic angle 23 26' 19'' of the Earth can be seen in this chart."

not Taoist but when setting up an American Indian tipi the initial tripod poles and then other poles are bound with rope at their junction by a person working the rope around them clockwise. Btw the tipi door is traditionally facing eastward to the rising sun, and the clockwise direction of working the rope is called "going to the sun". counter clockwise and clockwise