dwai

Agreed 100%. And so it was in the old days. By that I mean before the internet. The internet changed things drastically! When I read this kind of stuff before (in the seeking phase), I had to make a decision. Do I believe these folks who make it sound so easy or do I continue to struggle? I first opted to stick with what I knew and could verify. And continued my practices because I didn’t understand. And then, with time, there was more clarity. And more...and more. And one day it all made sense. This was before any “waking up” even. And I was grateful for the material I found (books, forums - daobums etc). And then I took the words more seriously. Until one day they blazed brightly in my consciousness. Yes I recall. But everything that happens does for a reason. So as much as my hackles were raised then, in a manner similar to what we are seeing as reactions,. I know that hearing/reading those words helped me (and were there to help me). My friend (who is also on the path) and I often discuss this. I don’t sugar coat the truth. He believes there are levels and there should be a control mechanism so we don’t overwhelm people (premature revelation). But in my experience, the even something as bitter as Neem, leaves a sweet after taste and is good for health. So we have to eat bitter. Because whether we like it or not, the mind will revolt against the truth at some point. Best regards too

I don't think it invalidates life experience. It is all part of the process. Because we say "nothing is needed to be done", doesn't mean nothing happens...this is why it is so frustrating too, until we "see" it. Then it makes sense. Until then, It CAN raise hackles though I think the analogy would make better sense to me, if we considered that upon becoming lucid in the dream, one realizes that he/she was always lucid. I find that more and more so, the lucidity that I strived to attain in my dream practices, automatically happen now after waking up. The realization that there was never a moment when I was not awake permeates all experience. That doesn't make dreams any more or less real than lucid dreams, or lucid dreams any more or less real than waking state, or waking states any more or less awake then "awake" state. There never is a time when one is not already awake. Maybe if people think more about what that means, a sudden shift in perspective will make things clear, and perhaps even "awaken" them I appreciate the thoughts. And more discussion in these lines might help attain greater clarity.

A dear and venerable friend of mine wrote this wonderful essay which I wanted to share with my beloved friends here -- http://www.mukti.world/2018/05/paramam-yo-mahat.html

In the old days, only when a seeker was ready would he/she find the teacher and teaching. Today it is a lot easier due to the Internet, etc. when I first read Advaita Vedanta I laughed at it/got confused, and put down the books. After working on meditation and taoist neigong for 15 years, it finally made sense. There needs to be purification of the senses, which a practice like neigong or Yoga or some other meditation can provide. But the truth of “nothing is needed” is also valid. Personal effort is needed until it isn’t. Techniques are needed until they aren’t.

Anadi basically espouses a view called vishishtadvaita or qualified nondualism. It’s a happy medium between abject dualism and pure nondualism. But, imho, is based on “personality coloring the realization”.

IMHO, there's not much of a difference. Enlightenment is just abiding in Awareness without attachments to this or that, or simply put...just staying awake.

After priorities have been set, toss them aside and start letting go of concepts and beliefs

it is a wonderful text of Advaita. Thanks for sharing.

Read and meditate on the Daodejing. Nothing else is needed. But odds are you won’t be able to make head or tail of the text, and so will need commentaries. Which in turn won’t make much sense to you, so you will need a Teacher who can explain to you what needs to be done. When he/she explains it to you, you might still not “get it” without preparation. So find a teacher who will give you foundational teachings (moving meditation, IMA). Finally when you are “ready”, you will find that you knew what Lao Tzu wrote in the daodejing all along. Best is to keep an open mind and stay humble. Sometimes the teaching requires you to beg for the teaching

Yes agreed 100%. It is a process for sure.

All you need to do, is nothing. Simply be still. All the effort that is needed is in letting go of (the attachment to) the modifications of the mind. So the "cleaning" is the process of disentanglement (letting go of this and that), which will reveal that which we already are...

Perhaps edit the title to make sure people know that this is not specifically about the Buddhist label but about meditation in general.

http://www.mukti.world/2018/05/sometimes-we-need-spiritual-milestones.html

Wonderful work by selfless researchers in the field of Indian History --

Don't see what your comment has to to with the scholarly work presented? Do you have anything specific to the OP besides a knee-jerk reaction?

Depends on what you know really. They are all good, if you are a beginner. I'd start with the single form DVDs. After you get that, there's one on Charge up, compress and draining that a mainstay of my practice regimen, so that I'd recommend.

Excellent and timely for me, that I read this thread just now. Thanks for sharing a beautiful path.

http://www.mukti.world/2018/05/the-good-bad-and-self-aware.html?m=1

I just want to bow to you for such a powerful articulation

Master Liao's teachings are now streaming online. Here's a set of free videos on Martial application. https://www.taichitao.tv/programs/martial-art-tips-sample-pack-free This one has some demonstration of how Taiji ball/the field of Qi (Jin) can be applied -- https://www.taichitao.tv/cce/34660?admin_view=&chapter_id=126709

Well...isn't it? Maybe it takes a bit longer, but my experience is that we eventually end up getting what we *really* want

Why?

What if there was nothing other than your Self? Nothingness, Manifestation, Birth, Death, they are all just aspects of your infinite being.