xabir2005

Here are some of his writings, for a start: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/03/thusnesss-six-stages-of-experience.html http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2009/03/on-anatta-emptiness-and-spontaneous.html http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2009/09/realization-and-experience-and-non-dual.html

Thusness is John. He is a non-sectarian lay Buddhist practitioner, does not formally teach, but shares his experiences and insights online. I have known him for many years personally.

Malcolm Smith is Lopon Namdrol. 'Thusness' is someone else and has never participated in DW.

No, 'Thusness' is this guy who wrote about his seven stages of experience: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/03/thusnesss-six-stages-of-experience.html Yes, Malcolm knows Dzogchen well and is asked/authorized to teach Dzogchen by his teacher KDL (Kunzang Dechen Lingpa). However he does not formally teach Dzogchen currrently as far as I know.

Ask Malcolm about Thusness? lol Malcolm doesn't know Thusness.

1. Yes 2. Not that I know of but anyway pretty irrelevant to his path. Loppon Namdrol: "Hindus also gain control over the four elements, also Arhats can gain control over the four elements. Gaining control over the four elements is mundane siddhi, it is not excellent siddhi, nor is it reserved for Vajrayana and Dzogchen people. However, if someone has not studied in detail, they might think that many mundane siddhis are profound. " 3. Yes. Transmissions are Vajrayana, Dzogchen etc stuff. Thusness does not practice or teach Vajrayana. His only Buddhist teacher is Buddha, not Dzogchen masters. 4. Irrelevant, Thusness is not practicing Vajrayana, Dzogchen, etc, nor does he ever claim to represent Dzogchen/Vajrayana/etc. Realizing the nature of mind is achieved in all Buddhadharma traditions and does not necessarily require guru, transmission, and so forth. But if you want to practice Vajrayana/Dzogchen/etc then it is necessary.

Assurance? Yes, Nirvana is assurable. This is Buddha's good news. Just believe (have right view of reality) and be saved. (but of course, don't stop at belief, go and actually see it for yourself!!) Jokes aside, I'm not trying to convert anyone to Buddhism. I'm just saying have the right view of reality (which isn't contradictory to Taoism as far as I am aware of), and your awakening is assured. Something I posted in my own forum but sharing it here... ------------- To stress the importance of right view... I would like to quote what the Buddha said. http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/study/stream2.html#arising ...."Form... Feeling... Perception... Fabrications... Consciousness is inconstant, changeable, alterable. "One who has conviction & belief that these phenomena are this way is called a faith-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry. "One who, after pondering with a modicum of discernment, has accepted that these phenomena are this way is called a Dhamma-follower: one who has entered the orderliness of rightness, entered the plane of people of integrity, transcended the plane of the run-of-the-mill. He is incapable of doing any deed by which he might be reborn in hell, in the animal womb, or in the realm of hungry shades. He is incapable of passing away until he has realized the fruit of stream-entry. "One who knows and sees that these phenomena are this way is called a stream-winner, steadfast, never again destined for states of woe, headed for self-awakening."... On the topic of Right View, it is said that one who realizes the nature of dharma is said to enter the stream, become a stream enterer, destined to attain Nirvana/Arhatship in no more than 7 lifetimes (or in this lifetime if he works hard for it). He will never again enter into the lower realms. He no longer has self-view (he realizes Anatta), he no longer has doubts about Dharma, he no longer pays attention to meaningless rituals. However, much is also said about someone who has not attained stream entry, but simply a 'faith-follower' having the Right View of the nature of dharmas - as being Anicca, Dukkha, and Anatta - Impermanent, Unsatisfactory, and Non-self. And having the right view of Dependent Origination/Emptiness. That is, if you understand, have conviction and belief that the nature of dharma is so... You will not die until you attain stream entry. Therefore, by simply having the right view you have already gone half the way of your path. This is why Right View is the 1st of the Noble 8 Fold Path. By having the Right View, your stream entry, your awakening into the nature of dharma is assured this lifetime and thereby your Nirvana is assured to happen in no more than 7 lives. This is the importance of having the right view. On another note... I have seen many (really, a lot) of very sincere practitioners who practice very hard... much harder than me. Unfortunately, because they do not have the right view, they get stuck at a certain stage of experience or realization. For example, they may get stuck at the 'I AM' level of realization. Why? Because there is no one to point them out the right view... So no matter how hard they practice, they cannot go pass that stage... even if they practice for decades or even after they pass away. Whereas, for me, and many others... who are not very diligent practitioners, but somehow due to having been instilled the right view, certain conditions arise and the nature of Dharma is seen very quickly. In a matter of few years, it can be done. Never think you can skip 'right view' and just practice and hope that one day you will simply realize things by yourself (a very common mistake, I believe)... cuz, no matter how hard you practice, you still probably won't realize the right view by yourself. You need to understand and have conviction in the Buddha's teachings. So please... if there is any doubts or things you don't understand about the view of Dharma, please get it sorted out, please have the right view. If you don't understand Anatta (no-self), or Emptiness, please ask. There are experienced moderators... like Thusness and Simpo who can point them out to you... It is really not difficult to grasp this... so make the effort, it is definitely worthwhile. Don't you want to be assured enlightenment in this life? Yes, this assurance is possible. You just need to have the right view. (Of course, right practice, i.e. direct contemplation, is also important as a follow up to attain enlightenment, but even right view alone ensures your enlightenment within this life) I am especially indebted to Thusness who pointed out to me the 'right view'... otherwise I will probably get lost in certain phase in my practice like I mentioned earlier. ......... In the Suttas, many people attain stream entry after listening to a single discourse by the Buddha (and often happens to be their FIRST discourse they hear from Buddha). This is how powerful 'right view' is... once it gets into you, a shift starts to happen. It can happen immediately... or maybe gradual... but by the end of this life, you will certainly realize the nature of dharma. Thought I might also share my thoughts on 'why' right view assures enlightenment... MT says k I heard even theory knowelege will lead to direct experience AEN says it doesnt 'lead' but it serves as a very important condition... and once u understand dharma, u will be propelled and inclined towards contemplating them which leads to insight MT says comtemplate means think n analyse abt it like four noble truths? AEM says not just think and analyse observe, look at these facts in your direct experience like the way its taught in mindfulness in plain english MT says oh AEN says yeah some thoughts are also needed... but the thoughts are just reminders to look at the bare fact of reality like 'there is no you'... look... is this so? p.s. Thusness and Simpo probably don't view this forum often, and neither do I because I am serving the army, but nevertheless I will try to reply if there is anything asked. I don't wish that this thread degenerate into unconstructive arguments... so please try to keep it constructive, a place to understand the dharma seals, D.O., etc.

Yes you have to become stream entrant again by realizing the nature of dharma, realizing the emptiness of self.

Until the illusion of self is seen through in direct realization, even trying to "live as though it is gone" is an ego trip.

Malcolm: " The basis in Dzogchen is completely free of affliction, it therefore is not something which ever participates in afflicted dependent origination. Unafflicted causality in Dzogchen is described as lhun grub, natural formation. However, since there is causality in the basis, it also must be empty since the manner in which the basis arises from the basis is described as "when this occurs, this arises" and so on. The only reasons why this can happen is because the basis is also completely empty and illusory. It is not something real or ultimate, or truly existent in a definitive sense. If it were, Dzogchen would be no different than Advaita, etc. If the basis were truly real, ulimate or existent, there could be no processess in the basis, Samantabhadra would have no opportunity to recognize his own state and wake up and we sentient beings would have never become deluded. So, even though we do not refer to the basis as dependently originated, natural formation can be understood to underlie dependent origination; in other words, whatever is dependently originated forms naturally. Lhun grub after all simply and only means "sus ma byas", not made by anyone. Rigpa is not a phenomena, it is not a thing, per se. It is one's knowledge of the basis. Since it is never deluded, it never participates in affliction, therefore, it is excluded from afflicted dependent orgination. However, one can regard it as the beginning of unafflicted dependent origination, and one would not be wrong i.e. the nidanas of samsara begin with avidyā; the nidanas of nirvana begin with vidyā (rigpa)."

My friend Kyle (asunthatneversets: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com.au/2012/03/sun-that-never-sets.html) can tell you about it He created an account hopefully he replies.

The mind of clear light has nothing to do with an astral realm (ordinary level of pure land however are considered by some to be bardo visions or astral realms of some sort, but I digress). It is a pure presence of knowingness, even if no conceptual thoughts or any gross mental or sensory experience arises. When gross activities are shut off during sleep or death, the mind of clear light can reveal in that 'void'. It does happen for me consciously in sleep and it can be incredibly intense and blissful. There was also the sense that I was being absorbed into the heart chakra before it happens. I didn't know the significance of this until later I read that in the bardo of clear light, the winds enter the heart chakra. This luminosity in fact has never been lost at any moment, it is an essential or essence aspect of mind or buddha-nature. Perhaps this glossary definition of luminosity/clear light by Lama Tony Duff would help: Luminosity or illumination, Skt. prabhåsvara, Tib. ’od gsal ba: The core of mind has two aspects: an emptiness factor and a knowing factor. The Buddha and many Indian religious teachers used “luminosity” as a metaphor for the knowing quality of the core of mind. If in English we would say “Mind has a knowing quality”, the teachers of ancient India would say, “Mind has an illuminative quality; it is like a source of light which illuminates what it knows”. This term been translated as “clear light” but that is a mistake that comes from not understanding the etymology of the word. It does not refer to a light that has the quality of clearness (something that makes no sense, actually!) but to the illuminative property which is the nature of the empty mind. Note also that in both Sanskrit and Tibetan Buddhist litera- ture, this term is frequently abbreviated just to Skt. “vara” and Tib. “gsal ba” with no change of meaning. Unfortu- nately, this has been thought to be another word and it has then been translated with “clarity”, when in fact it is just this term in abbreviation.

To Seth: The "ordinary level" of Pure Land has similarities to heaven, except 1) it's not a samsaric realm and beings born there don't get lost in samsara again, 2) even though there isn't suffering there and the 'place' is wonderful, it's not meant to be a place to enjoy life but a place to practise, learn the dharma from Amitabha and get enlightened.

Posted this a month ago in my facebook group Dharma Connection: My Grandma and Amitabha Buddha I had an early reunion dinner today. My relatives, who are not Buddhists or devout Buddhists to begin with, recounted my grandmother's passing away. At that time, my grandma has passed away and my relatives were all sleeping at the place where my grandmother was being "chao du" by the monks. At the time of 3am my uncle became lucid in his sleep but had trouble breathing and couldn't move, but felt exhilarating bliss and saw an incredible bright light and Amitabha appeared, extremely (mountain-like) tall... and delivered my grandmother from around the coffin area into the western pure land. At the same time, my other relatives also recounted seeing Amitabha in the sky in bright light, another relative recounted not seeing Amitabha but a great bright light. My sister (six years older than me) dreamed later that week that my grandmother became a young male looking person in pure land. As for myself, I was very small only 5 years old... I don't remember much, only remembered incredible peace I felt when I chanted Amitabha besides my grandmother. And also I remembered she had colorful shariras when her body was cremated. My grandmother did not understand much of Buddhism, but in the last few years she was very sincere and devouted and liked to chant Diamond Sutra and also Amitabha Buddha. p.s. again, these relatives are not devouted Buddhists at all, they do not attend dharma classes, or frequent any monasteries or dharma centers. Two of them are not really Buddhists to begin with. Yet they have seen the same thing. Just a sharing... None of my relatives that have spoken are exactly Buddhists, much less Pure Land Buddhist (and as for my family - we are Buddhists but not Pure Land Buddhists), but I think this is a story worth sharing. I'm sure the Pure Land Buddhists will have many other similar instances to share. .... Sorry, originally wrote this for my Singapore Buddhist forum... forgot clarify, "chao du" means the monks performing the rites like chanting sutra or Amitabha in dedication to my grandmother, shariras are referring to http://sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/148850 , http://www.relicsofbuddha.com/eng/page8.htm .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Land_Buddhism Going to the Pure Land Two mural panels depicting The Pure Land of Amitabha held at the Birmingham Museum of Art Practitioners claim there is evidence of dying people going to the pure land, such as: Knowing the time of death (預知時至): some prepare by bathing and reciting the name of the Buddha Amitabha. The "Three Saints of the West" (西方三聖): Amitābha Buddha and the two bodhisattvas, Avalokiteśvara on his right and Mahāsthāmaprāpta on his left, appear and welcome the dying person. Visions of other buddhas or bodhisattvas are disregarded as they may be bad spirits disguising themselves, attempting to stop the person from entering the Pure Land.[28] Records of practicing Pure Land Buddhists who have died have been known to leave śarīrā, or relics, after cremation. The last part of the body to become cold is the top of the head (posterior fontanelle). In Buddhist teaching, souls who enter the Pure Land leave the body through the fontanelle at the top of the skull. Hence, this part of the body stays warmer longer than the rest of the body. The Verses on the Structure of the Eight Consciousnesses (八識規矩補註),[29] reads: "to birth in saints the last body temperature in top of head, to deva in eyes, to human in heart, to hungry ghosts in belly, to animals in knee cap, to the hells-realm in sole of feet." See also: phowa. The dying person may demonstrate some, but not necessarily all, of these evidences. For example, his facial expression may be happy, but he may not demonstrate other signs, such as sharira and dreams. Few buddhists also have practiced the harder Pratyutpanna samadhi. The practice Fudaraku Tokai (補陀落渡海) in ancient Japan is viewed as religious suicide and is not practiced today.[30][31]

Rigpa = knowledge, and there are three wisdoms of rigpa corresponding to primordial purity/emptiness, luminous clarity and compassionate energy

Vajayana is unique in many ways, just as Taoism is unique in its own ways and so on.

There are four levels of pure land. The last level seems to suggest the bardo of clear light. Prior to that are all bardo visions. At the lowest level, one sees a solid place made of jewels with Amitabha Buddha being present etc. Pureland practitioner Sinweiy: "There are four kinds of Nirvana equivalent to the 4 Abodes of PL: Nirvana of pure, clear self-nature = Pure Abode of Good people and good Saints living together 凡圣同居土. Nirvana with residue = Pure Temporary Abode with residue of Not Knowing 方便有余土, more for Arahants. Nirvana without residue = Pure Abode of Permanent Reward 实报无障碍土, more for Bodhisattvas. Nirvana of no dwelling = Pure Abode of Eternal Light and Tranquility 常寂光土, more for Buddhas."

So called "intellectual points" may seem intellectual on the surface but have experiential implications to a meditator. However I should say, I tend not to have very deep disagreements with Jax nowadays, which is not the case until recently.

I started practicing meditation when I was 15 as well. Had many experiences since then, started writing a journal when I was 19 after a spiritual realization. You can read it here: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com.au/2010/12/my-e-booke-journal.html

Yes, what do you want to know?

Out of experience with my practice, I recognize what he is talking about. But my main point isn't about critiquing Jax. To summarize myself: don't judge people too easily, and lets be nice to each other.

Actually, Jackson had a new realization recently. I used to find Jax's understanding very prone to Advaita and debated with him a lot in the past as well but after a recent sharing a week ago by Jax about his recent experience and insight, I told Greg Goode who is very much into Madhyamika that I foresee Jax will be start to find more resonance with emptiness teachings. He said: Thanks, Soh! Is this recent for Jax? Let's see how it develops! It's funny, the many years I've known him, maybe 12-15 years, he has been a staunch awareness guy. I said: nothing has fixed identity including jax and is subject to changes Greg Goode: Everyhing is empty except for Jax! Now he's someone else! I told Malcolm as well, he said "Well, it just,takes some of us a bit longer to understand". p.s. I'm not endorsing Jackson as the new Oprah of Dzogchen, lol, cos Dzogchen has lineage and transmission issues. And whenever there is a lineage, I think permission or authentication from a qualified teacher to teach is quite necessary, otherwise there will be doubt (and reasonably so because without such 'hard certification', how does an ignorant sentient being tell if someone is qualified or not?) and issue of transmission etc. Just like only a Bhikkhu can transmit the monk's precepts to someone else, you cannot set yourself up as a monk without proper procedures per Buddha's instructions. This is quite a legitimate and reasonable system to some degree. But this has to do with human institution... just like you can't teach in a university without having the 'documentation' and 'certification' (e.g. a PhD). Yet, ironically, being a 'certified teacher of Dharma' does not always necessarily indicate the person's real experiential understanding (either presence or lack thereof) either. Just saying lets not judge people's understanding too soon. In the Dzogchen texts it says even a prostitute, for example, can be enlightened... (and there is no telling when) there were poems of enlightenment by prostitutes in the Kunjed Gyalpo as well. Enlightenment does not only happen to well known or great masters. And hopefully there is basic respect for everyone here irregardless of whether we agree with their POV or not.

There are five elements, but five elements are purely conventional. They do not point to atomic particles, the Buddha has never described five elements in that way. Instead, the Buddha describes five elements in terms of the experience of "solidity and softness comprise the element of earth (pathavī); cohesion and liquidity comprise the element of water (āpo); heat and cold comprise the element of fire (tejo); and support and motion comprise the element of air (vāyo)." This is something that can be observed and experienced without a theory about smallest particles or elements etc. Nor does it contradict modern scientific findings. Nobody denies the sensation of heat, coolness, etc. However the five elements like anything else are actually conventions and empty of any real existence. Therefore, five elements do not contradict modern science (either quantum or classical) or the 'table of elements' that we learn in science today, they are completely different subjects and ways of description. He is not talking about quantum science or classical science, Buddha is describing experience. Buddha is teaching about the 'elements' found in experience and furthermore teaches about the nature of all phenomena and experience, he is not positing a theory about the elements of particles etc based on observations from a microscope like classical science or physics. You are completely mixing them up. And the five elements are more appropriate when it comes to experience, because you cannot observe the element of "carbon" in direct experience for example, but the sensation of coolness, softness when feet touches the floor is obvious and can be an object of vipassana meditation. That is why five elements are a suitable subject of meditative contemplation, for example.

Having read some of the nikayas, I do not recall Buddha teaching particles, and it is obvious that Abhidharma was authored much later after Buddha's passing and aren't Buddha's words. Phena Sutta, Kaccayanagotta sutta, Kalaka Sutta etc are however Buddha's words in the Pali canon and teaches the emptiness of all aggregates and teaches that they are completely illusory and empty.

1) You are experiencing non-dual, but not yet realization. For non-dual experience to become effortless, realization must arise. Read this and you will know more about what I'm talking about: http://awakeningtore...w-practice.html 2) The next part of your post is talking about practicing to attain I AM realization. For me, self-inquiry is a direct path to that realization. More on self-inquiry in my e-book: http://awakeningtore...ke-journal.html