xabir2005

I would second Mikael's recommendation of Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche books (particularly liked Crystal and the Way of Light for intro and The Cycle of Day and Night for practice, but they're all great), truly good. Here's one of Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche's articles: The Mirror: Advice on the Presence of Awareness - Essay by Namkhai Norbu on the essential aspects of Dzogchen practice If you like Eckhart Tolle, I believe you will like books by Toni Packer, highly recommendable. These two books are highly recommendable with truly deep insights... The Wonder of Presence: And the Way of Meditative Inquiry The Silent Question: Meditating in the Stillness of Not-Knowing Also recommendable.. Clarifying the Natural State: A Principal Guidance Manual for Mahamudra, by Dakpo Tashi Namgyal Essentials of Mahamudra: Looking Directly at the Mind, by Khenchen Thrangu Rinpoche

I think this passage I wrote is relevant, especially the underlined... QUOTE ...The word 'source' by itself isn't a problem but how we understand it. Thusness told me that in Buddhism, though it sometimes talk about Source, it is refering to an individual source. Having a universal consciousness and having the same metaphysical essence is different. In buddhism, there is no such source, there is however individual stream of awareness. Therefore one must still awake to the witness and later realize that it has nothing to do with a universal consciousness, nor seek to merge with it. Then one realizes anatta, non-dual, then one realizes the Dependent Origination. It is plain and simple and can be directly experience now, nothing mystical, just that when we read too much yet without the support of real time and direct experience, we conjure out all sort of nonsense. And as Thusness said, first experience the Witness, then realise that it's nondual Witnessing, then realise dependent origination. There is no denying of nondual witnessing, so one should keep the experience, don't deny that experience but also keep refining one's views, as Rob Burbea and Thusness have said. There is no denial of one's individual stream of consciousness, and one has to have direct experience of it, and then one realizes it's non-dual nature. And one realizes when one is freed from the dichotomy of subject/object duality, it is anatta. Experience has always been so. And each moment of manifestation is luminous yet empty, there is nothing extraordinary. In hearing, only sound... if there is sound without efffort, how can it not be dependently originated? When we become bare and naked in awareness and not react to dogmas, it is plain, direct and simple...

I was just telling mikael a few moments before you posted (I don't know why I told him) that a few days ago, I was contemplating on the nature of the life principle. And just a while later, while searching on the internet for something totally unrelated, I found a relevant article that answers my questions very well, as if my intentions brought me the article I wanted. (there have been similar occurrences recently like that but won't go into details) Anyway here's the link: http://buddhanet.net/budsas/ebud/ebdha205.htm Basically the mind/consciousness and body in Buddhism are not seen as identical, nor different, but mutually dependent while we are still alive, however is not destroyed at death. Consciousness is not treated as a substantial Self or soul in Buddhsm. It is different from the materialist nor the eternalist's interpretation of it. See "The 'Life-principle' (Jiva) and the 'mortal body' (Satira)" This is basically in line with principle of dependent origination as taught by the Buddha: When there is this, that is. With the arising of this, that arises. When this is not, neither is that. With the cessation of this, that ceases. lol I'm nothing close to that. However, Thusness told me a few times to do a Ph.D in Buddhism. So 10 years down the road, who knows...

As I wrote, based on what Thusness said, So Buddhists are not world denying or self denying, but we do not reify any experience into a solid, permanent, independent entity. This is in line with that HHDL said above: Pandit: In its impersonal sense or in the individual sense? Dalai Lama: Individual. An Atman. There is no self theory. According to certain theories, Atman is permanent. It is oneness, always living, unchangeable. From this life to the next life, permanent Atman is there. Buddhists criticize that theory of Atman. Self is always changing. Not permanent. Self is a combination of consciousness and body. There is no independent permanent entity of self.

"Mere suffering is, not any sufferer is found The deeds exist, but no performer of the deeds: Nibbana is, but not the man that enters it, The path is, but no wanderer is to be seen." - Visudhimagga Look and see if you can find a doer apart from the deed.

In short, I know exactly what non-dual and no-self is by experience and have many profound and intense experiences and glimpses of such, however I do not have any permanent shifts due to deep non-dual insights like a couple of my dharma teachers and friends did. Also, I would recommend even those who do not have any experiences at all, to still learn these teachings. Not to parrot them but the importance of right views is crucial according to Buddha in developing insights, along with practice.

Genjo Koan: Actualizing the Fundamental Point by Eihei Dogen As all things are buddha-dharma, there is delusion and realization, practice, and birth and death, and there are buddhas and sentient beings. As the myriad things are without an abiding self, there is no delusion, no realization, no buddha, no sentient being, no birth and death. The buddha way is, basically, leaping clear of the many and the one; thus there are birth and death, delusion and realization, sentient beings and buddhas. Yet in attachment blossoms fall, and in aversion weeds spread. To carry yourself forward and experience myriad things is delusion. That myriad things come forth and experience themselves is awakening. Those who have great realization of delusion are buddhas; those who are greatly deluded about realization are sentient beings. Further, there are those who continue realizing beyond realization, who are in delusion throughout delusion. When buddhas are truly buddhas they do not necessarily notice that they are buddhas. However, they are actualized buddhas, who go on actualizing buddhas. When you see forms or hear sounds fully engaging body-and-mind, you grasp things directly. Unlike things and their reflections in the mirror, and unlike the moon and its reflection in the water, when one side is illumined the other side is dark. To study the buddha way is to study the self. To study the self is to forget the self. To forget the self is to be actualized by myriad things. When actualized by myriad things, your body and mind as well as the bodies and minds of others drop away. No trace of realization remains, and this no-trace continues endlessly. When you first seek dharma, you imagine you are far away from its environs. But dharma is already correctly transmitted; you are immediately your original self. When you ride in a boat and watch the shore, you might assume that the shore is moving. But when you keep your eyes closely on the boat, you can see that the boat moves. Similarly, if you examine myriad things with a confused body and mind you might suppose that your mind and nature are permanent. When you practice intimately and return to where you are, it will be clear that nothing at all has unchanging self. Firewood becomes ash, and it does not become firewood again. Yet, do not suppose that the ash is future and the firewood past. You should understand that firewood abides in the phenomenal expression of firewood, which fully includes past and future and is independent of past and future. Ash abides in the phenomenal expression of ash, which fully includes future and past. Just as firewood does not become firewood again after it is ash, you do not return to birth after death. This being so, it is an established way in buddha-dharma to deny that birth turns into death. Accordingly, birth is understood as no-birth. It is an unshakable teaching in Buddha's discourse that death does not turn into birth. Accordingly, death is understood as no-death. Birth is an expression complete this moment. Death is an expression complete this moment. They are like winter and spring. You do not call winter the beginning of spring, nor summer the end of spring. Enlightenment is like the moon reflected on the water. The moon does not get wet, nor is the water broken. Although its light is wide and great, the moon is reflected even in a puddle an inch wide. The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in dewdrops on the grass, or even in one drop of water. Enlightenment does not divide you, just as the moon does not break the water. You cannot hinder enlightenment, just as a drop of water does not hinder the moon in the sky. The depth of the drop is the height of the moon. Each reflection, however long of short its duration, manifests the vastness of the dewdrop, and realizes the limitlessness of the moonlight in the sky. When dharma does not fill your whole body and mind, you think it is already sufficient. When dharma fills your body and mind, you understand that something is missing. For example, when you sail out in a boat to the middle of an ocean where no land is in sight, and view the four directions, the ocean looks circular, and does not look any other way. But the ocean is neither round or square; its features are infinite in variety. It is like a palace. It is like a jewel. It only look circular as far as you can see at that time. All things are like this. Though there are many features in the dusty world and the world beyond conditions, you see and understand only what your eye of practice can reach. In order to learn the nature of the myriad things, you must know that although they may look round or square, the other features of oceans and mountains are infinite in variety; whole worlds are there. It is so not only around you, but also directly beneath your feet, or in a drop of water. A fish swims in the ocean, and no matter how far it swims there is no end to the water. A bird flies in the sky, and no matter how far it flies there is no end to the air. However, the fish and the bird have never left their elements. When their activity is large their field is large. When their need is small their field is small. Thus, each of them totally covers its full range, and each of them totally experiences its realm. If the bird leaves the air it will die at once. If the fish leaves the water it will die at once. Know that water is life and air is life. The bird is life and the fish is life. Life must be the bird and life must be the fish. It is possible to illustrate this with more analogies. Practice, enlightenment, and people are like this. Now if a bird or a fish tries to reach the end of its element before moving in it, this bird or this fish will not find its way or its place. When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point. When you find you way at this moment, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point; for the place, the way, is neither large nor small, neither yours nor others'. The place, the way, has not carried over from the past and it is not merely arising now. Accordingly, in the practice-enlightenment of the buddha way, meeting one thing is mastering it--doing one practice is practicing completely. Here is the place; here the way unfolds. The boundary of realization is not distinct, for the realization comes forth simultaneously with the mastery of buddha-dharma. Do not suppose that what you realize becomes your knowledge and is grasped by your consciousness. Although actualized immediately, the inconceivable may not be apparent. Its appearance is beyond your knowledge. Zen master Baoche of Mt. Mayu was fanning himself. A monk approached and said, "Master, the nature of wind is permanent and there is no place it does not reach. When, then, do you fan yourself?" "Although you understand that the nature of the wind is permanent," Baoche replied, "you do not understand the meaning of its reaching everywhere." "What is the meaning of its reaching everywhere?" asked the monk again. The master just kept fanning himself. The monk bowed deeply. The actualization of the buddha-dharma, the vital path of its correct transmission, is like this. If you say that you do not need to fan yourself because the nature of wind is permanent and you can have wind without fanning, you will understand neither permanence nor the nature of wind. The nature of wind is permanent; because of that, the wind of the buddha's house brings forth the gold of the earth and makes fragrant the cream of the long river.

You're right. There is no xabir. There is no entity that is born, dies, etc, as Zen Master Dogen says in that act of birth there is just that act of birth, and in the act of death there is just that act of death, there is not a permanent self that is born, persists in life and then dies -- hence ultimately no birth and no death. There is simply momentary 'selves' which is thus, not really a 'self' but simply momentary arising of consciousness that has a form of continuity not in terms of a permanent entity, but continuity due to causal relations. This itself explains how there can be continuity without recoursing into an atman theory.

Which city do you live in now? Do you know a lay master called Yuan Yin Lao Ren?

In Buddha's time there never was an equivalent word to the western sense of 'enlightenment'. 'Awake' is the word and probably an even better one, and it is the word the Buddha used to describe himself. Self awakened, liberated from sufferings, having known the nature of reality to the very end, in other words having reached the goal. So was the attainment of many of those disciples well known in his days. There was an open culture where one's attainments is generally known, so one knows who to find if one wants to seek awakening.

Buddha is the first to proclaim his enlightenment, so you can safely assume he's not?

Second your observation. Though U.G. has come upon some insights on Anatta/No-Self, it doesn't seem he wants to offer any practical approach for people who is going to get this done. To him it's more like an accident. The techniques and methods in Buddhism are vast and differs from traditions to traditions, there's saying there're 84000 dharma doors in Buddhism, that's not literal but a figurative speech. It could even be more. Visualization is simply one technique... there are methods that do not require 'mental forms' at all. You can simply practice bare attention or mindfulness and observe the three characteristics (impermanence, suffering, no-self) Keep a routine daily (sitting) meditation practice, and sustain mindfulness throughout the rest of the day. Daily life is part of our practice. In Buddhism the emphasis isn't really on Self or Atman but on Anatta which I guess you probably would have known by now. Meditation in Buddhism is practical not only in sitting but in daily living. Here's an article you may wish to read, on Mindfulness: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma4/mpe13.html

A radiance, equanimity, joy, can be noticed in such persons. But unless he tells others about it, I doubt people will suspect that he's "enlightened". It's possible for enlightened beings to remain in society, not talk about it and not being noticed. The Buddha also did warn people not to judge others' enlightenment by his radiance, etc. I think Scotty's definition in Enlightenment, in depth, Is it an experience, or not? Etc. is quite right: Enlightenment is a direct non-conceptual realization that there is no self/doer/thinker/watcher/witness/observer. It is a realization that there is only "phenomena-ing". It does not involve a loss of a self. It's not a state of being unaware of a self. It does not have anything to do with a lessened emotional response to the world, or a loss of negative emotions. It has nothing to do with being able to manifest things into existence, or having magical powers. It is not the ability to accept everything fully. It is not about residing in the space from which everything arises. That said, enlightened beings, who usually have some mastery over shamatha (but not necessarily) usually (but not all) have some abilities at manifesting supernatural activities, and also due to the increased clarity of perception negative emotions are lessened and even if they arise they self-liberate spontaneously on its own accord. Though for an indepth discussion on the different aspects of insights to the Buddhist realization, this one is really detailed: On Anatta (No-Self), Emptiness, Maha and Ordinariness, and Spontaneous Perfection About Kundalini awakening, I am not very familiar with it, but generally it's not the same thing. Kundalini-like experience in Buddhism do manifests at lower stages of insights known as the 'Arising & Passing away event' which got many to mistakenly think themselves as enlightened. I've also heard that Kundalini results in the experience of cosmic consciousness or the I AM experience. However, this is not the sort of enlightenment in Buddhism, see Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Experience on Spiritual Enlightenment

Just a correction: Good Star is not Gautama Buddha's son. Buddha's only son, Rahula, is one of his top ten disciples, and is a liberated Arhant.

I don't know what are the views of other Buddhists, but at least in my view and my friend 'Thusness''s view, Taoism's view and understanding is really deep and no different from the Buddhist understanding. Of course, this does not mean that all Taoists necessarily are enlightened, just in the same way it does not mean Buddhists are all enlightened -- some Buddhists also have wrong views etc. I do not see any need to convert Taoists, and hope that Taoists can learn whatever is good and useful in Buddhism just as Buddhists can learn of whatever is good and useful in Taoism. BTW, wanted to put a note that Daniel Ingram is truly experienced. Can't recommend him highly enough.

I think you are familiar with the experience of "The Witness". One can remain an aloof Witness of everything, even in dream states one can be the watcher of the dream character. I'm not denying this experience but a further insight will be how "The Witness" is really the non-dual witnessing in which the observer and the observed is one. If you read Ken Wilber's Some Writings on Non-duality by Ken Wilber you'll have a better understanding on the progression from Witness to Non-Dual. When Non-Dual is experienced... everything is the mystery.