Seth Ananda

Bump! lol

Salute!

That sounds very close to Dzogchen in some ways...

Um well its actually the General forum and it states all perspectives are welcome. I wasn't Buddhist when I got here, but I personally love the Bums, and have made friends here, Buddhist and Non Buddhist alike. But the attitude you express is why I think a sub-forum is a good Idea. Not that I would stop posting in General...

Awesome, I am excited already!

Ok, but would making a Buddha Bums sub forum really get in the way of the 'Maturing' process of the Taoist forum? I think it could contribute to more peace here at TTB. Lots of people seem to get annoyed at the lengthy Buddhist postings, and become hostile towards them... Seth

So Mods, Directors, Sean? What do you guys think about a Buddha/Dharma Bums subforum? Who is it up too? What reservations may their be? Will it add or detract to the already considerably high levels of Awesomeness that is THE TAO BUMS! ?

nicely put my friend

Great points everyone... Maybe not the first but definitely a biggie for newbies, is when your mind seems to get worse {less calm and relaxed} and it does not seem to be working. Many people give up here. Maybe a better way to say it is to say a big obstacle is thinking that: Silence and calm = a 'Good' meditation and scattered unfocused distraction = a 'Bad' meditation. neither are true and are all part of the process... Great Blessings on your Path

When I came here, I was a Taoist loving Kashmir Shavite. And I found those two absolutely Infuriating lol... But a big part of that was me wanting Buddhism to be a path to the same place. I Have for a long time loved comparative Mysticism, and most Mystical traditions fit together fairly easily, But I could find no easy way to fit in Buddha's teachings. Slowly in conversations with them, cow and xabir, as well as endless reading of books and articles, the logic painfully won me over. So now I am a Taoist and KS loving Buddhist!

Cool, nice to hear. I also love the diversity of people and conversations here at TTB's. The community here is great. Of course there would be plenty of Buddhists still posting in general discussion, I would, but it also gives us a place to have more 'specificly' Buddhist conversations which can get quite lengthy, with out cluttering up General discussion... Seth. I would volunteer to mod, but my track record of level headedness with Vmarco and in a few others makes me think someone else would be better...

Lol a surprising day for a robber, on several counts...

How did I miss this awesome thread?

F@#'n aye it does! {from country Victoria myself}

Very cool Hagar I too have similar experiences. My early Shavite teachers told me that Light [white] is underlying everything, and taught me to send my 'feeling' out past all the other vibrations to that underlying light, and then to just breath and remain 'intuiting' the light behind everything. I found this practice so beneficial on so many levels. Later when I began chigung It was very natural to do my form at this level, and yes, then I found that I could hold postures for a very long time when doing so from that state... And the body adjustments were powerful, And yes, unmindful activity would slowly disperse any good work I had done... to me this plane of energy does feel like the underlying organising structure of the universe... Blessings on your Path

I know I myself would post certain straight up Buddhist musings or questions and join in on the latest 2 billion page E%DO thread, But I would still spend plenty of time in General discussion... Also Dwai, Buddhist proselytisers could be moved from general discussion to Buddha bums! Get your proselytising Buddhist Ass out of here! lol

Really? I am certainly Interested in this... especially in learning about the Wu Wei teachings which are apparently like a Taoist Dzogchen?... Plus Taoist energy cultivation practices are [to me] the best I have come across, apart from the teachings of the Qero...

Rofl!

I like that

Hmm, I thought to let the mods decide after seeing peoples preferences... I myself am a bit ambivalent about the Idea. I want to hear peoples Input...

Tulku, I admire your enthusiasm for renunciation path and I think it will lead you to many great experiences, but when you post you come off as very young and dogmatic and a bit Ignorant of the other paths... One what many paths {not all} consider to be among the highest teachings, like Taoism's Wu Way {did I spell that right? I am not a Taoist scholar} teachings or Buddhism's Dzogchen and Mahamudra, all embrace the world very thoroughly and enjoyment of every moment becomes the deepest meditation... In Dzogchen for Instance, one gives up the need to renounce anything, because as one becomes established in Rigpa, the world and all the pleasurable experiences are seen as Natural and Perfect adornments or 'ornaments' of Awareness Itself. The Dzogchenpa then practices enjoying every luxury and pleasure possible{without grasping}, to make sure that s/he is completely unshakable, or to make sure that nothing in desire or aversion can interrupt her Awareness state... That [for me] is a far higher practice than renunciation. The Yogi that has to live away from the world or society, does so because s/he is unable to practice the Higher teachings, either because she does not have quite enough will power, or probably because she simply does not have access to the Highest teachings... I encourage your renunciation path though, as it is perfect for some people and I did some time their myself, but stay aware that there may come a time when the world becomes your path... Blessings! Seth

...

Is Lao Tzu 'off topic' when he comments on political and social Issues?

This is true. Light calm abiding meditation and Light Insight meditation and mindfulness practices get used a lot in wards as they Increase self awareness and autonomy. But concentration practices {which easily lead to altered states}, nearly all visualisation practices and energy or breath control practices, can trigger deep delusional states, disassociation, and psychosis... With a mental condition you must be very careful what kind of meditation you use, and only use red flag techniques under guidance of your Mental health specialist...

I just wanted to address some underlying assumptions in this post. First I totally agree that Infinity should seek professional guidance. But, with mental Illness we must be very careful how we frame the experience. Some of the best results in dealing with Psychosis/bipolar/Schizo disorders and eventually being able to help people come off their medication for good, are not coming from the CBT or psychiatric fields, but from the more transpersonal and process oriented fields of psychology. These fields have looked at different cultural methods for dealing with Mental conditions in great depth. If you have a Mental 'event' or condition, and you go to someone who tells you that you are sick and will have it forever, and that it is pure pathology so 'here, take these for the rest of your life...' Thats a powerfully depressing frame that you then view yourself through. And remember there are close ties with depression and Mental illness. Deep depression has been shown to far increase the likelihood of psychosis or other mental problems... This approach sees a 'problem' and tries to crush it, to bring about 'normalisation' by our standards. {which is not to suggest that it may not be a problem} Then consider Shamanistic cultures who did almost the opposite. Someone has a breakdown or Psychosis or seems a bit 'touched' and they get taken by the Shaman, told they are breaking through into other worlds, or the voices they are hearing are possessing entities that the shaman will teach them how to fight, and which in the end may become powerful allies! They will end up being of great benefit to their community, because of their special gifts. This approach, rather than seeking 'normalisation' instead seeks rectification and powerful coping strategy's. Many of the great Shaman began this way. That's a very different ending story for a person to being medicated heavily into old age, and dying in a commission house. Now I don't want to fall into the trap of glorifying shamanistic cultures to much as they definitely had a host of problems as well {although I do Love them}. But I suggest a middle way. Medication can be brilliant for a period, and for some maybe indefinitely, But modern process psychology's that have recourse to the pharmacy when necessary, are happy to put on the Shamanistic hat and play 'as if' its world view of animism and spirits possession was real. They are getting fantastic results, and thus more and more research is being done on the field. I know that you stated examples of meditators becoming free but IMO it was a little bit to harsh to say: That is just not true, at least not always... Talk to SF Jane here for first hand... Many many people have totally cured them selves, or rather than cured have turned their experience into something positive... But still Infinity, see a prof. Blessings on your Journey