stirling

Mr., thank you. Right back at you! It is always a pleasure to see your posts... a little endorphin hit with every missive.

I posted that link (though it could easily have been Forest) and, yes, the Tibetans truly have mastery IMHO where it comes to talking about and understanding this interesting phenomena we are aware of. Yes, I agree.... freedom! It is realization that all of the conceptual ridiculousness we think we might experience is just that. Death? Do you remember dying? I don't... or being born for that matter. Here is a relevant section of the Heart Sutra that addresses this too: The truth or lack of truth of death or extinction (amongst other interesting things) lack intrinsic reality. What lives and dies is not what we think it is. Awareness is not a "dharma". We are 0% here in reality. It means both of those, and more, yes. Identity as a body is a delusion, one amongst many. Awareness is the fabric of reality - what we are.

I love almost everything with Michelle Yeoh! An amazing film. Possible Research Topics: Bardos

See also:

"Everything" always already IS emptiness.

Zazen is meditation with an object. In Zen, the object (breath, concentration on an object, or visualization) is only a way IN. When the mind is sufficiently quiet most meditators find that the object drops out for moments at a time and there is stillness. Shikantaza (like Dzogchen in Tibetan traditions) is just resting in that stillness and complete awareness - meditation with NO object. Another way to think of it is that the ENTIRE field of experience is the object, seen from the still mind. This "no-thing" stillness and "everything" field of experience are the same view... two sides of the same coin. The resulting "state" in both cases is no different from enlightened mind... IS enlightened mind.

I was thinking primarily about this brand of emptiness: https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Emptiness But yes, if science is to be believed, we really understand very little about anything. What a relief. Here are some masters of that discipline. They can even levitate and fly! The Truth About Devolution

Yes! Looking for what is NOT impermanent is the way to go (in Buddhism anyway). The short answer is "emptiness", which can be pointed out in any tradition.

I can see it in this moment. It isn't a question of understanding, though rendering it in language is always difficult. What do you mean by density? What "energy"? All of these things originate in the mind. Are you a meditator? Can you sit until your mind is still and without thoughts? If so, ask yourself how many of the things in your list above are present there. Yes, the illusion of form originates in the Wuji, or "emptiness". Everything inside the circle appears to have separateness, but doesn't really. I'm happy with the one from Wikipedia (above), though I think the word "energy" is a difficult translation. It is more like a natural flowing or motion, like a fountain, or waves churning. It is what generates the delusion of form.

I'm fine with that, although even the idea of a Wuji independent from awareness is still a delusion. Sure you can. You are doing it all the time. It is your conceptual MODEL of reality that is delusion... your thoughts about it. Works for me, though I'm still catching a bit on this "single" part. How about, "There is just Wuji"? Really, the illusion is yours.

Not at all. Definition Source These are all conceptual ideas (I am assuming yours) and therefore aren't real. I could introduce a similar set of abstractions and they would also not be real. A definition? How about "reality" is the unlabeled phenomena that have no existence of their own, but arise in awareness in this moment. Yes, delusions are changeable, as they are impermanent and subject to the perspective of the deluded. My definition of a delusion is: anything that exists in imagination and is constructed of particular subsets of reality. You've got it here. All imagined things apart from (you say 1 dimension, I say 0), or things that appear separate or multi-dimensional are "unreal". The wuji surrounds the yin/yang. The ying/yang are delusions... only appearances. The wuji (in this model) is the absolute reality. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wuji_(philosophy)#Definition It is the equivalent of "emptiness" in Buddhism.

Better expressible as NO dimensions. They are mind generated delusions that have no reality of their own.

No dimensions. No concept of dimension. No one to perceive, conceive, or even believe in a dimension. At the same time, countless dimensions, appearing moment to moment, conceived as false divisions, and collapsing into emptiness when stillness is remembered and allowed to well up as the base.

My experience with disembodied spirits is that they are not intelligent, so I don't personally believe that dead souls hang around the living for years on end. There may be echoes of them in dreams or visions, but they aren't THERE-there anymore. The liberation of death is immensely attractive and compelling, so I am pretty sure that within 48 hours any identification with the illusory body the dead experience will have stopped. I would use your intuition. How does it feel? Is there still a presence there, or are things still and quiet. If it has been a week and you think they are still there your intuition may not be trustworthy, but in anywhere from a hour to a few days there may be no presence with the body anymore. You won't hurt their feelings - from the perspective of liberation it is obvious how blind the embodied are, once there is understanding about reality of things. They won't begrudge you, there is only love for you. IMHO, you can't get it wrong.

It isn't complicated, I promise. It is simply a shift of emphasis. Some people do this anyway. Rather than allowing your thoughts to become about how YOU have been left behind, or how YOU are feeling about what has happened, and how it effects you, direct your thoughts to some of the heartwarming experiences you had with your loved one. Be thankful for your time with them, focus on the warm, loving feeling you have for them. Send loving thoughts, hoping for a wonderful experience wherever it is that they voyage. Let them know it OK to move on into this next adventure and thank them for everything they did for you.

Good point, Luke. I agree. I wouldn't suggest suppression either... more just an intention and inclination to be of service to the one who has passed away. My experience is that it has been possible to channel my grief into love, compassion and kindness for the one who has passed, rather than toward a more common absorption into personal loss. I recognized that this may not make sense, or be possible for everyone.

So sorry to hear about your loss. My suggestion would be to bring to mind happy experiences and loving thoughts about your time together, if you are able. Let them know how grateful you were to have shared your life with them, but ALSO let them know it is fine to move on and that you will be fine. Your goal should be to avoid giving them a reason to cling to life, and make it OK to let go.

As far as I’m aware, a number of users have been deleted and had all of their their content erased. I don’t see why any future member would not have the same request be honored. Is that not good enough? Don’t you actually have the ability to delete your own account, or edit your own posts? This whole contentious line of questioning strikes me as a non-issue.

My experience is that this moment is always, and has to be, perfect just as it is. Our suffering is from our clinging to a story of how things could be different, or our attachment to a story about how things were in the past. What is impermanent - joy, suffering, cats, lightning, bicycles and everything else - comes and goes, finding its own balance like all other dualities. Having said that, there IS a simple joy in the relief of not having to get caught in the machinations of the world, or in realizing that you were briefly caught and don't have to be, in the same way that there is a sort of joy in a glass of cold water on a hot day. If there isn't a simple joy in just BEING I'd come back around to some bodhicitta/metta practices (from Buddhism) that train in directing loving kindness/compassion outward. There is a point where that training has its own kind of gradual awakening, and just begins to generate of its own accord.

Sorry Rheor, I see that I never replied to your thoughtful answers to my questions. Instead of constructing a person who has no confidence, can't force things, is losing grip, is frozen, I would advise accepting things as they are moment to moment. To wrestle with the underlying CONDITIONS of how things are a notice that you tell a story about a person who you don't want to be. If you are feeling stuck, SAY so. Earnestly put your hands out with open palms and openly, without an object, ask for help. Say that you are lost and don't know what to do. Have no outcome or method of cause or result in mind, and be open to whatever comes to mind. Watch your mind, and your life for an open hand... an idea, a person who invites you to do something... anything. Another possibility: there is a way out of your life that is something that compromises your pride, or is uncomfortable for you to consider. I might be the thing that you would NEVER do, like bankruptsy, or something else that wouldn't kill you or violate being open or kind to the world or life, but MIGHT violate a fixed idea you hold. Being conscious of the non-dual SHOULD include a trust that what needs to happen will happen, and that you are protected. Nonduality also means that reality will mirror your attachments, aversions and fear back at you, challenging you to surrender or drop them in the interests of dropping what obscures you seeing reality clearly. One of your primary obscurations is your limiting story about the past and future that stops you from moving forward. Reading your paragraphs, I see a LOT of limiting beliefs. You have a complex story that you appear to be using to create a cul de sac in your life. My suggestion: DROP IT. Stop telling this story about yourself. It isn't happening now, it is a story about a past you no longer live in, even if that past was yesterday. Question: What actually DRIVES you? What are you actually excited about? What do you WANT? See above. My daughters boyfriend is a remote programmer making over $100 a year. He retrained in AI, did a few projects for his work, and will be making even more in the months to come. His is awkward with other people, and now has more limited interactions in his team which works for him. He had to work through a similar set of imagined limitations (expertise working as a data analyst) to move forward. You demonstrate the ability to discard negative story-telling already! Good news! Now, trust (since you evince an interest in non-duality) that what you are surrounded by can't help but love you since it already what you ARE. Notice what it mirrors back to you, and notice where it reflects the fictional stories about reality you are constructing and DROP them. The way out is to be sick of suffering. Stop escaping. Seems like a positive move. Seriously... ask for help, be serious about taking what you are presented as your path and it WILL change.

It might be THE clearest most concise view from enlightened mind their is, IMHO. This is my favorite version, translated by Clarke: https://terebess.hu/english/hsin.html#3

This the litmus test. What happens when thoughts are dropped we just "be"? Sure he is one of those neo-Advaita dudes and they are a mixed bag, but he is 100% blindingly right here. Every thought we have ever had is the proposition of one thing against another, and there AREN'T any, as we can prove to ourselves in any moment. Time to climb the stairs and sit in the rays of the sunrise. Thanks! _/\_

...sorry, one more unlikely idea. What happens when you press the tab key or the return key? Does that move you out of the text entry field?

If you can, I would suggest seeing if the problem can be replicated in another browser. Discovering what software is taking exception to the boards code will be key to getting around the issue. After some research, it appears that this particular board software is stable in this version. A couple of other things you could try are quitting the browser and restarting it, emptying your browser cash, and reinstalling your browser. And of course ther is also restarting your computer if you haven’t for some time.

What happens if you use a different browser? Also, check and see if there’s an update for your current browser. Install it if there is.