stirling

I have great respect for the body of teachings and teachers that represents the lineage I am part of. The lineage is meant to embody an unbroken lineage between the teacher, back to the Buddha, and even further to the primordial buddhas. Teachers in my tradition are generally supposed to have realization, and therefore be able to apply skillful means to help others realize themselves. Having said that, I have encountered a number of teachers who aren't, but still embody kindness and have deep familiarity with the teachings, and with few exceptions, they are a refuge to those they meet. Our pledge is to be the vehicle for the greatest kindness, the dharma, with the intent to help others to realize Samyak Sambodhi , or "supreme, complete, and perfect awakening" in this lifetime. The way to embody that practice is the way of the Bodhisattva, and I aim to (imperfectly) be that refuge for all beings. Having said that, the Buddha way is not the only vehicle by a long shot, and I have deep respect for all of those pursuing the true nature of reality. BTW, Steve, thank you so much for your beautiful paragraph, and your continued practice and service to others. _/\_

Yeah... he'll want to keep it in the tradition, I would imagine. No surprise there. This is often very much the case with all of the original Tibetan teachers that escaped China, or were trained by them. I can't tell from your post, and you may know this, but the eventual goal of Dream Practice is not lucid dream, but rather being awakened in all moments including sleep. This is something that, in my experience, sometimes naturally happens on (or just after) retreats. Lucid dreaming would be more of a siddhi than a desirable path milestone. Do you mind if I ask: Do you know experientially what is meant by Rigpa, or the "nature of mind"? This isn't intended as a "gotcha", it might not be something that arises in the traditions you have pursued.

Wonderful! There is always a tension between the mystic and the monastic. The monastic believes that the written word is what leads to transformation, and the gnostic gnows that it only points the way. Being a gnostic (or heretic, depending on one's perspective) is a dangerous business.

Religions are created by gnostics. A gnostic is someone who gains insight into the nature of reality. The gnostic can't shut up about it (typical gnostic thing) and so alienates, scares the shit out of, and excites a variety of the people he encounters with tales of his path. If the gnostic is persuasive enough, some of those who listen get the idea that they could do the same thing if they just do precisely as the gnostic has done. They write down his story as they remember it, but often misquoting or adding bits that they think are true or helpful, couching it in language that THEY understand but that may slightly obscure the teachings. Eventually the teacher leaves, or dies, and the stories from his path get distorted over time. Larger groups form into a religion where the 'teachings" are shared, practiced, etc. Eventually some of the people doing these practices "awaken" themselves, perhaps accidentally stumbling on to some of the fairly simple pithy principles at the center of the now fairly elaborate religion. As gnostics, they understand that the practices themselves were not the mechanism for illumination, or concoct their own practices, being able to see where the religion has become slightly or greatly corrupted, and they often leave to teach what they know based on their own path. The way to enlightenment isn't actually hidden, it is man that corrupts what is actually a fairly simple set of principles.

Had to look that up, and yes I absolutely agree. Of course, Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism, and Ch'an all grew up together in Northern China in a particular period and were not always taught strictly as separate schools, apparently . Contrast ""quiet sitting" (靜坐; jìngzuò), with shikantaza's "silent illumination" (mozhao, Chinese: 默照).

On topic: I had to look up Xing, but I would say it best correlates to the Tibetan Buddhist term "Rigpa", the primordial "awareness" that is the essence of all things, surpassing all teachings, religions and philosophies. Here are couple of a nifty quoteson Rigpa and the contrast between intellectual knowledge and that which comes with gnosis (elaborating on some of my previous comments): You actually don't need complete enlightenment to be able to reliably understand what Rigpa is. A qualified (realized) teacher can give you an introduction to the nature of it that, with practice, you can use to identify and rest in as the simplest most direct practice possible. This is the essence of both Dzogchen (or Atiyoga) practice AND the deepest meditative practice of Zen, Shikantaza.

Yeah.... sure. So, why then? A "Body" is the way it appears. How does that energy appear to you in this moment?

Relative teachings DO often have secondary effects that make it more comfortable to be a person in the world, I agree. Meditation, for example (where there is allowing stillness to well up in experience) will absolutely make a person calmer, and less reactive, as well as slowly infusing everyday life with a simple joy, over time where it is done as a daily practice. Having said that, these non-dual teachings aren't really intended to encourage you to get lost in siddhis, they point a MUCH larger shift in understanding that has much greater value.

For what its worth, all of the Buddhas (with remainder) I know have grey hair. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nirvana_(Buddhism)#Etymology_and_meaning

Don't forget the nirmanakaya! The concept is akin to the Holy Trinity or Sat Chit Ananda. While there are three "qualities" listed, what they constitute does not really exist as a set of separate things, only a way of thinking or discussing about how it might appear to be. Ultimately sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya both arise in, and have never been separate from, the dharmakaya, the empty field of arising and passing phenomena and therefore have no real existence of their own. Maybe I already knew what they were, or maybe I looked it up... how would you know? In the end, it isn't important. These exist as a relative concept, a teaching tool for trying to understand the ineffable. It doesn't really constitute the kind of gnowledge that actually matters. The knowledge that is ultimately important... is ultimately transformative, is realization of the Dao/Emptiness/Nature of mind/Enlightenment. A better question, in my opinion, would be: Can you see unlabeled arising and passing phenomena of the Dao/Enlightenment in this moment in the body/field of the dharmakaya? Ultimately Buddhism, Daoism, etc., etc. are only conceptual windows into something that HAS no separateness to discuss.

It is only "bait" if the reader has some attachment or aversion to the information, true or not. _/\_ While you are here why not add something of substance to the topic at hand?

Dharma is made all of the time. I know a number of teachers I interact with that can supply you dharma as good (or better) than any sutra, and DO frequently. Why? Because they understand. Dharma is created moment to moment. You can't escape dharma. It's literally everywhere if you have had the good fortune to have someone point it out. The classic dharma (like the Dao De Jing) gets taught over and over again because realized teachers recognize the skillfulness of those teachings. Scam? The Dao De Jing was very obviously authored by someone with complete understanding, to those that also have it. I am responding to you directly. _/\_

The dharma is all about removing obstructions!

Your familiarity with her oeuvre is... enlightening!

The Dao de Jing could have been written 5,000 years ago, or 5 minutes ago... it is timeless. All dharma is timeless... exists OUTSIDE of time. A hint: Britney Spears, Donald Trump, and your favorite television commercial are dharma IF you understanding what they are pointing out for you. An example: Your statement has brought to mind the thought that the Dao de Jings age might somehow impact its validity, and if that is somehow an attachment for me. I already gnow that is hilarious nonsense, so I smile. _/\_