ralis

Osho makes an excellent point here in regards to belief systems.

The Buddhist dogma presented here is nothing but mental masturbation. Cerebral arguments obtain nothing but more cerebral arguments, which are dogmatic and doctrinal. The heart mind is what addresses conditioned belief systems, cultural baggage and helps one discover one's real nature. I wonder how large of a mountain of texts have accumulated over 2500 yrs. all of which are commentaries and speculation as to what the Buddha taught. What he taught was directly from the heart mind and has nothing to do with mountains of nuanced cerebral minutia.

There was no reference or translator that I could find for what I posted. Any criticism you attract on this site, you have brought on yourself.

Is this better? Blues is the root.

Are you going to give Keith Dowman credit for the cut and paste? I never mentioned the Karmapa or Dalai Lama, so why do you appeal to their authority to put me down? You must get a thrill in behaving that way.

Exactly how am I weird?

It is my wish that the fanatical Buddhists here would read this and say no more! The Song of Mahamudra Mahamudra is beyond all words And symbols, but for you, Naropa, Earnest and loyal, must this be said. The Void needs no reliance, Mahamudra rests on nought. Without making an effort, One can break the yoke Thus gaining Liberation. If one sees nought when staring into space, If with the mind one then observes the mind, One destroys distinctions And reaches Buddhahood. The clouds that wander through the sky Have no roots, no home; nor do the distinctive Thoughts floating through the mind. Once the Self-mind is seen, Discrimination stops. In space shapes and colors form, But neither by black nor white is space tinged. From the Self-mind all things emerge, the mind By virtues and by vices is not stained. The darkness of ages cannot shroud The glowing sun; the long kalpas Of Samsara ne'er can hide The Mind's brilliant light. Though words are spoken to explain the Void, The Void as such can never be expressed. Though we say "the mind is a bright light," It is beyond all words and symbols. Although the mind is void in essence, All things it embraces and contains. Do nought with the body but relax, Shut firm the mouth and think of nought. Empty your mind and think of nought. Like a hollow bamboo Rest at ease your body. Giving not nor taking, Put your mind at rest. Mahamudra is like a mind that clings to nought. Thus practicing, in time you will reach Buddhahood. The practice of Mantra and Paramita, Instruction in the Sutras and Precepts, And teaching from the Schools and Scriptures will not bring Realization of the Innate Truth. For if the mind when filled with some desire Should seek a goal, it only hides the Light. He who keeps Tantric Precepts Yet discriminates, betrays The spirit of Samaya. Cease all activity, abandon All desire, let thoughts rise and fall As they will like the ocean waves. He who never harms the Non-abiding Nor the Principle of Non-distinction, Upholds the Tantric Precepts. He who abandons craving And clings not to this or that, Perceives the real meaning Given in the Scriptures. In Mahamudra all one's sins are burned; In Mahamudra one is released From the prison of this world. This is the Dharma's supreme torch. Those who disbelieve it Are fools who ever wallow In misery and sorrow. To strive for Liberation One should rely on a Guru. When your mind receives his blessing Emancipation is at hand. Alas, all things in this world are meaningless, They are but sorrow's seeds. Small teachings lead to acts; One should only follow Teachings that are great. To transcend duality Is the Kingly View; To conquer distractions is The Royal Practice; The Path of No-practice Is the Way of Buddhas; He who treads that Path Reaches Buddhahood. Transient is this world; Like phantoms and dreams, Substance it has none. Renounce it and forsake your kin, Cut the strings of lust and hatred, Meditate in woods and mountains. If without effort you remain Loosely in the "natural state," Soon Mahamudra you will win And attain the Non-attainment. Cut the root of a tree And the leaves will wither; Cut the root of your mind And samsara falls. The light of any lamp Dispels in a moment The darkness of long kalpas; The strong light of the mind In but a flash will burn The veil of ignorance. Whoever clings to mind sees not The truth of what's Beyond the mind. Whoever stives to practice Dharma Finds not the truth of Beyond-practice. To know what is Beyond both mind and practice, One should cut cleanly through the root of mind And stare naked. One should thus break away From all distinctions and remain at ease. One should not give or take But remain natural, For Mahamudra is beyond All acceptance and rejection. Since the Alaya is not born, No one can obstruct or soil it; Staying in the "Unborn" realm All appearance will dissolve Into the Dharmata, all self-will And pride will vanish into nought. The supreme Understanding transcends All this and that. The supreme Action Embraces great resourcefulness Without attachment. The supreme Accomplishment is to realize Immanence without hope. At first a yogi feels his mind Is tumbling like a waterfall; In mid-course, like the Ganges It flows on slow and gentle; In the end, it is a great Vast ocean, where the Lights Of Son and Mother merge in one.

I am not your padawan! You are in fine form since you met with your meditation group tonight. A little more arrogant, perhaps? King of the world?

That is a universalistic view which you have refuted on many occasions. You can't have it both ways!

Never saw these guys live, but they were one of the great jazz fusion acts!

Your narrative contains many absolute statements. That in and of itself is a problem. Further, to put technology and progress in an adversarial position to moral attributes is a disjointed solution. Mutual exclusivity is not the answer. Civilization needs both.

You are telling someone else to argue nicely?

Good point! I have challenged his narrative on many occasions and he ignores it.

You are a relativist as you have admitted on many occasions. Therefor, the truth is only relative from a certain point of view (yours) and is not universal according to your point of view.

I Googled and found no evidence that West is a scientist. How do you know he is? Even his site fails to confirm that. You narrative here is very much like the Michelle Bachmann's of the world that claim ID i.e, a code word for creationism, should be taught in public schools in science classes.

Is this another anti-science anti-evolutionary rant in disguise? :lol:

Good point! I was making a generalization where one is unnecessary. Thanks!

I don't think this is a good idea. It will turn into another debate as to why Buddhism is superior in every way.

Buddhism has become just another religious belief system. Complete with exotic rituals, temples, a lifetime of reading books on the subject, rules and doctrinal proclamations. Even hell realms. All the trappings of a religion. Fanaticism can and will occur from this. Instead of Buddhist practitioners being taught how to liberate their belief systems, more are added, ad infinitum.

Thanks for posting this. These guys are very good!

Would you elaborate more on this please? Thanks

I would term the ashram you were raised in a cult. The belief that Muktananda is the only being that can transmit the shaktipat is cult worship of a personality. That means you see it outside of yourself and are dependent on someone else to give it to you. If that is the case, the dependency is always there. It is entirely possible that I have no need to hang around the Dzogchen community anymore. Perhaps I have evolved beyond that? BTW, there are a number of people who don't speak well of Norbu's students. Most don't behave like mature adults around him. Instead, many are like needy children wanting attention by projecting parental needs onto him! I believe the problem is that most can't handle what is being transmitted. So they act out like the "terrible two's" stage of childhood development. It was always clear to me from the beginning, that Norbu is not my mother or father. I have two parents that are still living and I have no need to project whatever was unfilled in that relationship onto someone else. If someone has difficulty defining their relationship with a teacher, and in this case parental projections, that problem belongs in family therapy and not in any other context. If one is having difficulty handling life, then don't expect living or dead masters to solve one's problems!

You just don't get it. Your lack of research and curiosity never ceases to amaze me.

Carefully read what I said. It is the followers that have created the cultist following by creating a Buddhist religion or to frame it more succinctly, personality worship.

I have often considered the possibility that Buddhism is nothing more than a traditional cult disguised as something else. After all, cults are defined in part as personality worship of the founder and by extension, all leaders of the movement after the founder passes on.