xabir2005

Of course Dalai Lama is enlightened. Furthermore, his main practice is Dzogchen and he is also a Dzogchen teacher, Dzogchen being one of the most profound teachings of Tibetan Buddhism. (Dzogchen (Rdzogs chen or Atiyoga) is the natural, primordial state or natural condition of the mind, and a body of teachings and meditation practices aimed at realizing that condition.)

My recommendations according to alphabetical listing: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/12/book-recommendations.html Some essential ones (and I mean the really, really good ones) I picked from the above listing (by me also - but the full listing is a little more mixed and not purely Buddhist). Buddha: Topic: Buddhism In the Buddha's Words: An Anthology of Discourses from the Pali Canon (Teachings of the Buddha) by Bhikkhu Bodhi ...... Bhante Henepola Gunaratana Topic: Theravada; essential Buddhist mindfulness meditation Mindfulness in Plain English Website: http://www.bhavanasociety.org/ Book available for free reading online: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe.html ...... Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche: Topic: Dzogchen The Supreme Source: The Fundamental Tantra of the Dzogchen Semde KUNJED GYALPO The Cycle of Day and Night: An Essential Tibetan Text on the Practice of Dzogchen The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen Dzogchen: The Self-Perfected State The Mirror: Advice on the Presence of Awareness (See excerpts from http://buddha-inside.blogspot.com/2007/06/mirror-advice-on-presence-and-awareness.html) Website: http://www.tsegyalgar.org/ ...... Dakpo Tashi Namgyal: Topic: Mahamudra Clarifying the Natural State: A Principal Guidance Manual for Mahamudra Mahamudra: The Moonlight: Quintessence of Mind and Meditation ...... Charlie Singer: Topic: Buddhism/Dzogchen Reflections in a Mirror: The Nature of Appearance in Buddhist Philosophy ...... Dalai Lama: Topic: Buddhism; Dzogchen Lighting the Way Dzogchen: The Heart Essence of the Great Perfection Website: http://www.dalailama.com/ ...... Hsu Yun: Zen; Good self-inquiry advice. Articles: http://hsuyun.budismo.net/en/dharma/index.html ...... John Myrdhin Reynolds: Topic: Dzogchen Self-Liberation Through Seeing with Naked Awareness Website: http://vajranatha.com/ ...... Keith Dowman: Topic: Dzogchen The Flight of Garuda Website: http://www.keithdowman.net/ ...... Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche: Topic: Mahamudra Crystal Clear: Practical Advice for Mahamudra Meditators Essentials of Mahamudra: Looking Directly at the Mind Vivid Awareness: The Mind Instructions of Khenpo Gangshar Website: http://www.rinpoche.com/ ...... Steve Hagen: Topic: Buddhism and Zen Buddhism Is Not What You Think: Finding Freedom Beyond Beliefs Meditation Now or Never Buddhism Plain & Simple Website: http://www.dharmafield.org/ See reviews at http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2010/04/buddhism-is-not-what-you-think.html ...... Ted Biringer (good at Dogen teachings) Topic: Zen The Flatbed Sutra of Louie Wing: The Second Ancestor of Zen in the West Website: http://dogenandtheshobogenzo.blogspot.com/ ...... Thich Nhat Hanh: Topic: Zen, Buddhism The Sun My Heart No Death, No Fear Website: http://www.plumvillage.org/ ...... Toni Packer: Topic: Ex-Zen successor of Kapleau Roshi, now independent/non-traditionalist, advocate of J Krishnamurti's choiceless awareness and meditative inquiry, great clarity on anatta The Silent Question: Meditating in the Stillness of Not-Knowing The Wonder of Presence: And the Way of Meditative Inquiry The Light of Discovery Website: http://www.springwatercenter.org/ .......... Me: my e-book, sorry for shameless advertisement http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-e-booke-journal.html

right view itself guarantees nirvana even if it is merely accepted by inferrance or belief: http://sgforums.com/forums/1728/topics/415738

I am not talking about cumulative wisdom but a direct, experiential, prajna wisdom that realizes emptiness. You can have many internet articles talking about emptiness, but wisdom can only be realized directly in one's own mindstream. You can have some understanding through reading books, etc, but that is still inferred understanding (though it is still important for those who have not realized). True realization or prajna wisdom is not something you learn externally but something you realize through your own investigation and contemplative practice.

p.s. 'Make' is a wrong word. Nobody can 'make' someone else enlightened. They can only guide and point, like what the Buddha did.

Love in itself cannot bring an end to suffering. Wisdom and insight will. And yes, wisdom brings an end to personal suffering, but you can only help others end their suffering if you have wisdom to teach others. In other words, you can only make someone else liberated if you are liberated. You can only make someone else happy if you are happy, you can only make someone else wise if you are wise, and so on. Buddha was enlightened before he could teach others and bring an end to their suffering. Of course he had compassion for others, but compassion in itself cannot help others without wisdom. Of course, wisdom without compassion will not bring a lot of benefit to other people either. But do not be mistaken that compassion itself can end suffering.

Love and compassion are important qualities, but in itself they do not lead to liberation. They are the four brahma viharas that lead to rebirth in a higher realm of brahma existence, but not liberation. Therefore as Namdrol states: Whoever is attached to a result for this life, is not a Dharma person. The purpose of Dharma is liberation, not feeling better in this life. The purpose of Dharma is not the cultivation of mundane compassion, and so on. The purpose of Dharma is to control afflictions, then overcome them, and finally, to attain a state of total omniscience and freedom. Since the root of afflictions and clingings is the view of inherent existence, the insight into twofold emptiness (emptiness of self and emptiness of phenomena) is what brings an end to afflictions and sufferings. You can have all the love and compassion which is noble and yet the view of self, phenomena, as having inherent existence, leading to grasping, afflictions and sufferings... have not been uprooted.

No ideas what you are talking about. Anatta is anatta, it is very clear what it means. Anatta means empty of inherent self, and all notions of being (existence) and non-being (non-existence) are positions that are unfounded, when you have direct realization the reality is simply the five aggregations that are empty of self.

In case you think it is anatta (which you seem so against), I have direct realization and experience of anatta. I don't take this by faith currently since it is directly realized. But even so, before realizing it in October 2010, I had some faith in it since I knew about it many years ago. Otherwise I wouldn't be bothered to investigate it, or take it seriously. Therefore, faith in Buddha's teachings is important for progress. Of course that doesn't mean mentally understanding and directly realizing and experiencing it are the same - they are very different. I can explain anatta since I think 2006 or 2007, but it is a form of theoretical knowledge. Since I went through the I Am phase realization (February 2010 to August 2010), there was also a time when my view and experience is pretty much about Self and the background source. But because I had some faith in Anatta, I continued my investigation. When I realized directly in October 2010, it is a permanent shift of perception and direct experience of anatta is now effortless for me.

Like what?

In Buddhism, certain things should be taken by faith first. This includes karma and rebirth. Faith is one of the five powers that lead to liberation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Strengths

Unless you have direct experience. Then you don't need faith because it is a natural conviction.

Don't know what you mean. Yes, as I said earlier, this has to be taken by faith.

Nope, my Taiwanese teacher did, four times NDEs and he said death experience is very painful - he said when you experience death you will remember what I said and realize it's correct.

Everyone is born deluded, unless you are an 8th bhumi bodhisattva and above.

This by Ken Wilber is very important: http://www.kenwilber.com/blog/show/214 Still, this was without doubt the most horrific experience my life, and I commented frequently to friends that I honestly didn't see how people who didn't meditate could possibly endure something like this, let alone make it an occasion for levity and luminosity.

Attaining Nirvana is not so easy. You need deep realization and practice to overcome afflictions. In fact only an 8th bhumi Bodhisattva is truly above the samsaric tides. By the way, in life it's all easy. At death, the pain and suffering is like a hundred times worse, so don't think its as easy as it seems.

If you don't even know by experience if there is such a thing as rebirth, much less 'freedom from rebirth', then you can only take this by faith.

No you have to ask from that temple personally. What's the zen temple in qn btw?

well said. Like the first chan patriarch bodhidharma said, "If you don't find a teacher soon, you'll live this life in vain. It's true, you have the buddha-nature. But without the help of a teacher you'll never know it. Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher's help.If, though, by the conjunction of conditions, someone understands what the Buddha meant, that person doesn't need a teacher. Such a person has a natural awareness superior to anything taught. But unless you're so blessed, study hard, and by means of instruction you'll understand."

You are right about taking refuge in buddha nature: http://www.jenchen.org.sg/vol8no1d.htm

overcome all ignorance, all afflictions, all sufferings, the uncontrolled cycle of samsara, gain omniscience (buddhahood), help other beings do the same

What about them?

Yes but my info is correct. You don't have to enter path of seeing to 'see dharmata'. Also there is another thread in dharmawheel which explains the difference between 'recognizing rigpa' and 'realizing emptiness'. In the first case, you simply realize the clarity in the gap between thoughts. The latter, is the realization of twofold emptiness that one enters into path of seeing. Recognizing rigpa is easier than realizing emptiness, and practitioners of Dzogchen must recognize rigpa first, before they can start practicing. But they don't have to realize emptiness (it can be an inference) to start practicing. Namdrol: The first vision resembles the path of seeing because one is seeing "dharmata" directly. It is actually heat on the path of application because at this stage one's understanding of emptiness is still inferential, according to Khenpo Ngawang Palzang, Chatral Rinpoche's guru. One reason it is considered "like" the path of seeing, etc. is that when one is engaging in the first two visions, one's course obscurations dissolve. In common mahayana and vajrayana this only happens after one realizes the actual path of seeing. This is a special feature of togal. N