Seth Ananda

This may be Long winded so I will apologise in advance. I think I will just say what I am [hopefully] understanding and then work backwards from there... Ok, So the Universe is a Big Body. A body that contains all the degree's of Consciousness, Bliss, Energy, right down to the most 'solid' matter. Coming from a more Theistic background I used to think that God or the Self was somehow Independent from the world despite being also the director and the actual substance of the world itself. This was a very hard perspective for me to leave, as when I opened my self up to it, the experiences I had constantly confirmed the hand of the divine in my Life. Miracles, Healing, Massive Love, experiences of Oneness and Cosmic Consciousness. The Divine is a Tangible force for me. When I practice the Presence of God {in a theistic sense}a subtle but powerful current of Light and bliss suffuses my being allowing me to heal and leaving my heart expanded with a sense of Universal connection. When I practice Guarding the One or Following the One, Receiving Heavenly chi, {In a Taoist not theistic sense} I feel much the same thing except, that rather than the sense that God [a personality] is guiding or directing me, it feels like Harmony as the mandate of Heaven is directing me. And this has much the same results... Heavenly chi 'Orders' matter... So here is where it began. The Idea that we do not have a self really bugged me. When ever I did 'who is looking at...' type Inquires all I could come up with was 'No one' as an answer. But what about experiences of the Self? Oneness where there ceased to be a difference between me, my thoughts and and the world? Hard to reconcile. Then I kept noticing various pictures from different traditions. The wheel of life in Buddhist paintings with hell realms right through to Heavenly realms. Shamanistic paintings of the world tree with underworld up to Spirit realm as the one tree. And Ideas of the Harmony of Heaven and Earth cycling together. And this may seem extremely obvious to many but not me so please do not laugh but then it hit me. It really is all one system, or one Body, and every bit is constantly changing, and cycling into new bits. Its like an energetic sorting system where the finer energy's as they emerge naturally group with the more heavenly energy's and the denser with the more earthly. And the Subtler or Heavenly Energies that are so Powerfully 'Harmonising' on the denser fields when allowed to interact with them, they really do form the foundations of the Universe and stop everything from just falling apart, so they really are 'God Like' in some sense. But it is all One vast changing Dependently originating System. And it is Utterly Amazing. And I am a utterly dependent constantly changing flux within this system. If Heavenly Chi or the Presence of God Influences me on one day I change and become more Heavenly, or God like, but then on another day I get annoyed and my energy changes back and everything shifts again. So I can see now that many traditions Focus entirely on getting deep stable connection within the Heavenly Realm of Bliss and Light and Oneness, or the Self, or God, and I think that that is a good thing. But I can also see what Buddha realised, in that Even the Heavenly realms of experience are totally tied to the rest of existence or Samsara, and I can finally recognise the areas of subtle clinging that have been present in my Deepest mystical experiences of the Self. As cool as the Universe is, IMO, Only understanding Emptiness and Dependent Origination can free one from the whole Ever-changing cycling process that is the Universe and one's self. I am amazed at how complete the sense of Freedom is that E&DO brings. Dizzyingly so. And it in no way diminishes my ability to enjoy the Heavenly states or even the so called Self, nor does it magically remove them, Instead it completely frees 'me' from the Need to believe I am anything or to try and grasp onto anything or any state. E&DO seems like a very Nifty side step into freedom from Everything. It is the only thing that isn't moving because it is not a thing. So the Idea that Spirit or the Divine is mutually dependent and tied to the rest of existence should be obvious. If it can Influence our world then the two are connected. If we can become more like it and then at a later point move away from it again then there is obviously a cycling going on... I still believe that Heavenly Chi or the Divine has an element of guiding the flow and direction of the universe, possibly even evolution, and is the underlying structure of the universe, But I can no longer see that energy as the 'Creator' in the way that I used too... I think its more like a sea of brilliant candles that are so bright I couldn't distinguish them from each other, and thus did not see the constant changing they were/are going through as old ones pass and new ones arrive... This in now way constitutes a single entity or 'Being'. I should have tried to write this up when my brain wasn't feeling so fried. I hope its not too all over the place I Look forward to your Feedback Blessings! Seth.

Groovy! do you have any good links for understanding the Dharmakaya nature in great detail. I want to be really sure what it means when I see it fly bye in the various Buddhist texts... Thanks Seth

Hi Kate I know what the experiences are like for me but Ill always welcome another view. And when someone says "oh, thats the 4th Jhana, A&P" I want to be sure they are properly understanding my origional stance, and also I do want to understand the Jhanas properly so I wish to avoid confusion and gain clarity... Blessings! Seth.

hehehe, I really do not know, but It seems to me E&DO frees me from even awareness, obviously without removing Awareness, but it seems to me that if there is a tiny bit in me, that really wants there to be a foundation like Awareness, then a tiny bit in me is also grasping for existence and thus not free... I would love to hear Xabirs take on Greg Goodes perspective in relationship to you question. It seems to me so far that He really doesnt leave much if anything to grasp with his descriptions of awareness. Oh wait there is the clinging! my mind still would say awareness is the base... so it subtly clings to being something... lol Blessings. Seth.

Ok thanks Xabir thats very helpful. I had a feeling that Luminosity may be a different thing to the light. So a&p you say? How stable is this 4th Jana capable of being? I ask because the light is always available Visually and in a felt sense to me. In Many theistic Traditions the Light is seen as the energy of God, but in some the distinction between the Light and God is not so clear, as the light itself seems Inteligent... I now see that as its subtle organizing nature, as in it organizes and brings harmony to what ever system it is introduced to. Like the heavenly chi... All I do [to define how I experience it for you] is to think of Light or Heavenly chi, or just Intuit the living brilliant energy within and surounding everything, then allow myself to recieve it. Visible light enters through my head and penetrates down through my central chanel. Its a brilliant and blissfull energy, and as i said, it allows me to heal or just expand deeply... It does feel like this energy is the 'background' of everything, or the organizing part or foundational nature of the universe, as like the Sages say, Heaven Leads Earth. But I no longer believe this level of energy is somehow self existing or not Dependently Originating. Does this explain what I mean when I ask about the light? Is this a Jana? to me it just seems like I have developed my vertical connection to heavenly energy or chi? and I got there mainly through practicing the presence of God, untill I found Taoism's guarding the one meditations. I dont understand the Janas very well yet but I have been Really enjoying thusness's site and Thanks again for all the good Info over the years... Big Love. Seth.

Excuse my language there Vortex, I just meant one body as in that its all 'tied together' the highest to the lowest forever cycling and perambulating, but not that it is One thing in any fixed or permanent manner... Big Love Seth.

Ah, Thanks a lot CowTao, those look very good. blessings! Seth.

Vajra, Xabir or anyone, I would love to know some good sources for learning about the Luminosity side of Emptiness, like books or links? Also the experience of the Light in Theistic traditions, do you know if that would be similar or different in a Buddhist context? Is it possibly related to Empty Luminosity? Also I have been reading a Longchenpa translation called You are the Eyes of the World and the text makes several references to 'Universal Creativity'. Whats the context this is meant in? Thanks again Blessings! Seth.

Hearing, no hearer

I Had read a bunch of Buddhist books, seen some teachers and received Empowerments over the Years but just could not reconcile my strongly Theistic and Kashmiri Shavite world views with it. Especially Buddhism saying that the Enlightenment levels of the Hindu's are still within Samsara. Other weirdness was the first time (many years ago)when I saw a picture of Dilgo Khyentsi Rinpoche my heart exploded with Bliss and I nearly fell over. That bugged the hell out of me. Then Back a bit, probably about a year and a half ago, I felt like I had been pretty much forced into accepting Buddhism by my own head, against my better judgement. I Took Refuge with HH Sakya Trinzin and tried to be Buddhist for about 6 months but Missed my connection with God or the Greater Universe to much. Everything I knew how to do in a spiritual sense was strongly rooted in a theistic world view. I felt kind of alone and naked. So I returned to my Theistic beliefs and kept practising Happily. E&DO kept bugging on the way though. To be truthful some days I just thought Buddha was an Stubborn prick in Insisting that his school was somehow 'different' to the others and that it went Further that the Veda's teachings. Then I found Greg Goode's book Standing as Awareness [thanks Xabir for your quote from it somewhere on this site ] and Loved the way that particular Advaita tradition pointed out things. He makes Awareness Primary, and everything within Awareness just arising's or Displays of awareness for no particular reason. He challenges the idea that awareness does anything, or that we control awareness by putting the person we are and the decisions we make all entirely inside awareness Itself. Also though He describes Awareness as the thing that experiences, and makes it very clear that awareness is not an experience or even a 'thing' in any sense. I am not saying that this is absolute truth or anything, just that this was very helpful for me as a stepping stone. Awareness became the Self, but as far as a Self goes, It doesn't leave much, if anything to cling too. Its outside the model of enlightenment 'as an experience or state of being' as all of those things happen within Awareness. I continued on Happily a bit further Till I realised clearly that: Consciousness/Being/Non Dual Awareness/Bliss/Living Light Intelligence and Creativity/Subtle realms/Time/Space/matter/Mother Earth/my subtle Bodies/my physical Body and All Matter are One Single package, Utterly tied to each other, with every bit or place within being completly Dependent on countless other parts within, forever and ever... Its like one Awesome, astounding, Crazy ride of (probably) Infinite proportions. And no matter how much I may go into one Polarised side, Like Non-Dual awareness, or that particular Mystical experience where I experience a State that [seems] to be the Consciousness behind The entire Universe, eventually the poles will swing and I will be back in Some other area of Samsara as I was never truly Free in the First place. For me now, Properly Understanding E&DO is essential to truly have freedom from the Crazy roller-coaster ride that is all existence and all states of Consciousness. Now rather than being some poor kid doomed to sit on the twister, forever, no matter how sick the ride makes me, I now have a ticket that lets me get on and off whenever I want. And I can no longer get stuck in one bit of the ride, like the Highs or the Lows. Freedom! Now to deepening that Realisation! Blessings Seth.

I personally believe LiHongZhi to be a Nut Job. He has said the craziest shit in interviews. When students ask about contradictions he calls them evil Practitioners. Just meditate on picture of his. That is not a spiritual authority. This does not mean his system is not good. I personally got A lot out of it over the 2 years I practised it. But he is running a Cult none the less. And he put it together from varying sources, Including Wang Lipings teachings, then claimed It was ancient Heritage.... Suspect.

Hmm where do I find a List of Bodhisattva stages? And thanks! Seth.

Dependent Origination demonstrates Emptiness. It means that there is nothing you can Find anywhere in the Universe that has A Fixed or eternal, separate, ongoing Nature. Nothing. Look for anything then examine it. You will see that its existence is entirely Dependent on countless other causes. everything that lead up to the object also relys on Countless other Causes as well and so on. Therefore nothing has its own stand Alone Existence and is thus 'Empty' of any Inherent Self or Being... Empty in these terms does not mean Empty like some Void or space, but rather Empty of any actual Inherent self Existence... Good Luck.

Ahahah. The Blender! Do you mean the Universe? Sorry 5E? is that like 5th level of Enlightenment or something Else? I wouldn't mind even getting 1st... lol Blessings! Seth

Heheh these days I dont really use the Prayer stuff much as Connection is instant. I still Practice the Presence, or Stay open to heavenly chi - Attending the One. I suppose that sometime when things get hard I still go and Swear at the Universe and lay out my demands (i rarely ask for stuff) and things usally fix right up after that... I have noticed before as well that we have a similar past in some ways. There is a ton of weirder stuff I didn't mention as was just responding to Betwixters God enquiry. Seeing it all as being Totally E&DO has also changed my Feelings toward it also. Sort of like I now just enjoy it for what it is (which is still pretty Awesome) rather than clinging to it out of a need for Stability or security... Also It is still the best Meditation for me to enter a deep space with as I have used those practices for so long now. So I Connect Vertically for a while and Then contemplate E&DO or do the Mahamudra mind nature Inquiries or Rest in Natural Great Peace. Blessings! Seth

I began in earnest when I was 17 and am 35 now. Initially I used Intense Devotional practices- Ie singing and chanting The Names of God, Fasting, the Praying without ceasing practice, and the Practising the Presence of God attentive practice. I also spent a lot of time in Nature, lived in a tent in the bush for 10 months and really let myself 'open' to Great Spirit, or the Immanent Divine in that period. I would lock myself away and Fast and pray and chant until something Happened. Despite all this I do not think it has to be that hard as many people Open up with out all the forced effort. Prayer is one of the ultimate practices really. Many people are Embarrassed to 'Talk' to a big unknown, But I heard Sufi's refer to God as the Friend, and so took that on board. wherever I was I just kept Talking to the Divine as if it was my friend. I would say anything- Fuck you God, why don't you Fucking answer! You don't even Fucking exist do you! Hey God did you see that Dog? Why the hell did that happen? How is your creation so Incredible? Everything is so stunning? Wow Double Rainbow! Hey God I feel like... Lets Get breckfast! The Important thing for me in prayer at first was just to express my heart and everything in it. It is sort of like an Unpacking process and begining to 'make room' for God within it. After a while the Focus shifts to using Prayer without ceasing to maintain an Openness at all times to the presence of God... The Sufi's call this Remembrance... Blessings.

[blush] thanks for the replys Vajra.

I am sorry to Disagree as I Love your posts and perspective's, But Yes she was. Her House (where ever that is, I haven't been there but know people who have) is basicly a Museum these days. You Can still see the double sided safe there where she would open it to her Audience to show it was empty, then close it, Call on KhootHumi or st Germain or who-ever while one of her students on the other side would slip in the papers she had written, then She would open it and 'Tada!' a new revelation from the Ascended Masters! Her house had various other secret compartments for faking 'Signs' from the Spiritual side. Most Theosophical Society members who have been around a while, seem to agree that the evidence is a bit too convincing to discount... Some say she was Genuine and just using Coyote Shaman trickery to Get the Movement off the ground. Others Say She was Being Clever because no one back then would Take a woman as an Authority on anything... I am certainly willing to consider either of these possibilities... But she was engaging in Fraudulent activities... I think the Safe's back door was originally revealed by the disgruntled conspirator she had talked into helping her hoodwink people. I totally think she was a fascinating Character, up there with the likes of Gurdjief for Strange and Mysterious and possibly Nefarious Backgrounds. Have fun Seth

As far as I know, he was a paedophile, he molested Krishnamurti, and all his writing Ideas he 'stole' from his student Annie Bessant. Along time ago I was friends with some of the senior life Members of the Theosophical society. Both who had personally know all three i just mentioned. The stories did not sound good... I do think there is some good stuff in that realm though... Have you read - How to know higher worlds, by Rudolph Steiner? Thats a great book IMO. Anthroposophy grew out of theosophy and IMO develouped the good stuff and left out the Rubish. Madam Blavatsky, who founded the movement was a Fraud as well. Have Fun

He also says he has no powers and is not enlightened but he is still a very cool dude... He also mentioned He may not reincarnate to end the Dali Lama tradition as he is not sure the position is necessary anymore.

If I saw that happen, I would probably get arrested for trying to stuff her in the bin. I do not believe in evil. I have worked with people who have done some terrible things to others (murderers and rapists), and In no way were they 'Evil' people. Just deeply ignorant frightened people. I also noticed that a person who has lost the ability to empathise with others is usually Ignoring and suppressing a huge amount of pain and suffering within them selves. This massive split off from the emotions leaves a false 'Hard ass' sense of self they get to parade around in and perpetrate their various atrocities from. It can be very hard to get some to be even willing to look a bit further than their exterior, they are so terrified of the bottled emotions within them. Evil? No. Scary? Yes. Sad? Yes. Does their State of being excuse them? Yes/No. I think in any situation were someone is committing a violent act against another being, It is my duty to stop the situation (however necessary), help the victim, and then tend to the perp. I do think there is far to much worry for the perp in our legal systems, so much so that in some cases the perp is protected from even 'seeing' the result of their actions in case guilt further burden their emotional state. To me thats a bit crazy. Naturally guilt is a healing response within the psyche that will alert one to having done actions that do not 'Honour' oneself and others. (of course unnatural guilt is when religious institutions Hijack one ability to really know right from wrong, with their own set of laws which will often result in a perpetual and crippling sense of guilt at having broken some divine laws...) Damn it I am rambling again... Big Love to y'all and to that Cat.