adept

Nice. I like this very much. Thanks.

Is anybody still with this ? I still haven't missed a day.

What needs to be liberated ? Liberated from what ?

Thanks for the links sykkelpump. Very, very impressive and easily explained by Vimalaramsi. Myself, I've been on a plateau with my vipassana practice for quite a while now. After watching the videos and reading from the website, I'm changing my meditation practice to this. Can't believe that this method has been overlooked. Especially as it's found in the suttas. Best wishes

I had an excellent view of the whole event. From about 6.30am till 8.30am here in the far northern wastelands of England. I didn't do anything special, just observed with awe and a feeling of absolute quietness and stillness. This was followed by a sadness that overcame me, as I realized the sheer magnitude of the celestial forces that caused this event are forever changing, and will one day in the distant future, cease to be. It was truly magnificent to witness this.

Hi Songs, was it the Buddha Relic Tour ? I attended one earlier in the year here in the UK. Like you, I couldn't wait to get out after a few minutes. Fake sincerity and over religious weekend pseudo-buddhists. I like my Dhamma pure and simple, Pali Canon style. The atmosphere at the relic tour thingy was overwhelming and suffocating. I feel your pain.

Thanks for showing me my faults Cat, without resorting to a negative comment. I like the way you did that. I need to practice a bit more restraint. I've still got some work to do unfortunately. Best wishes

Oh dear. Your 'followers' will love this.

Very nice. You've just described Vipassana. IMHO the best way to cultivate mindfulness whatever your spiritual/religious inclination.

Yeah, idealism is something that can never be achieved. Compassion, however, and the actions associated with showing it, are achievable.

Sorry, I don't agree with this. What you describe is charity, or giving which is one of the six paramitas of Mahayana Buddhism. Compassion, on the other hand is helping another less fortunate, in the best way possible, at a given moment in time, and then moving on, without a thought of personal gain or praise. It has nothing to do with money at all. It is a feeling within us to help as best we can without any prompting. Just my point of view.

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Even worse is when you have your hand out waiting for your change, then the cashier puts it down on the counter in front of your hand ! How rude. I can't stand that. Do these people have no manners ?

Yes, couldn't agree more. Once you get over the initial few weeks, it becomes habit to sit. Some days the meditation goes well, some days the monkey mind is jumping all over the place. In the past I would have stopped, or missed days, giving myself all manner of excuses. Now I don't. I sit with no expectations at all, and it is wonderful.

We, as a species should all try to do this. Do No Harm Do No Harm

The teachings of the Confucian sages are a joy to read and contemplate. They have much relevance to family life and working together in society. The Great Learning What the great learning teaches, is to illustrate illustrious virtue; to renovate the people; and to rest in the highest excellence. The point where to rest being known, the object of pursuit is then determined; and, that being determined, a calm unperturbedness may be attained to. To that calmness there will succeed a tranquil repose. In that repose there may be careful deliberation, and that deliberation will be followed by the attainment of the desired end. Things have their root and their branches. Affairs have their end and their beginning. To know what is first and what is last will lead near to what is taught in the Great Learning. The ancients who wished to illustrate illustrious virtue throughout the kingdom, first ordered well their own states. Wishing to order well their states, they first regulated their families. Wishing to regulate their families, they first cultivated their persons. Wishing to cultivate their persons, they first rectified their hearts. Wishing to rectify their hearts, they first sought to be sincere in their thoughts. Wishing to be sincere in their thoughts, they first extended to the utmost their knowledge. Such extension of knowledge lay in the investigation of things. Things being investigated, knowledge became complete. Their knowledge being complete, their thoughts were sincere. Their thoughts being sincere, their hearts were then rectified. Their hearts being rectified, their persons were cultivated. Their persons being cultivated, their families were regulated. Their families being regulated, their states were rightly governed. Their states being rightly governed, the whole kingdom was made tranquil and happy. From the Son of Heaven down to the mass of the people, all must consider the cultivation of the person the root of everything besides. It cannot be, when the root is neglected, that what should spring from it will be well ordered. It never has been the case that what was of great importance has been slightly cared for, and, at the same time, that what was of slight importance has been greatly cared for.

With all the snow on the video clip I guess he's based in the UK. The weather's been atrocious here for the last couple of weeks.

Oh dear, this will upset the Buddhists. I've read a lot of these anti-women teachings in Buddhism over the years. In particular, that a woman needs to take the form of a man in a future life in order to 'escape the cycle of birth and death'. What a terribly bigoted, sexist teaching. Compassion for all sentient beings ? Don't make me laugh.

An excellent observation. Religions are a means of controlling the masses by promising some paradise in a future world or existence, that may or may not exist. If the devotee does not do the required practices, usually created by some authority figure, deified being or guru, then they will fall into all kinds of nasty hell-like worlds after death, for all eternity. In other words, fear-based.

This is your personal view of course. What is there to be liberated from ? What if some of us don't want to be 'liberated' ? We might just want to try to enjoy life as best we can without the mental trips to other realms and such like. Your constant Buddhist propaganda seems to be infesting, once again, on threads that are not about your chosen path.

That's absolutely scandalous. Adyashanti must be a millionaire by now. This sort of thing devalues the teachings, however good they are.

Awesome pics Gerard. Thanks for sharing.