dwai
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Everything posted by dwai
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If you stop and drop your preconceptions about what Brahman is, you will realize what it is not. It IS NOT what you think it is. One cannot read someone's description of Brahman or Tao or Shunyata and understand what it is...or even what it is not. To understand there has to be prajna (or Pure-Intuitive awareness) operating...oh well! Never mind...we've been through this before
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Excellent post! Thank you...
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Thomas Cleary's translations of the Taoist Classics (Vol 2) http://books.google.com/books?id=vGFs3yIMCFoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=taoist+classics+vol+2&source=bl&ots=C6L5VOyF0m&sig=pm2NQ8Pd7JhzjYBQhPG1gbYLbuo&hl=en&ei=hhwaTNi2PJ2QMrL02aMF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false
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Lineages? I don't recognize lineages for Asanas. I do recognize lineages for Yoga traditions (which is completely different from mere Asana Practice)...and maybe they should patent their techniques...but that takes away from the fluidity and freedom that Indic traditions offer their practitioners, to adjust and re-interpret within the given framework (but not appropriate).
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Very wrong. No one should be able to do so. Not even sequence of Asanas...patenting signifies intellectual property...how can Yoga be any one person's property? And if anyone must, it should be patented and licensed out in the open source model by the Indian Government, on behalf of all Indians (and indeed, all citizens of the World).
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The practice of Yama and Niyama is not a moral code of conduct per se. They are put together to minimize your energy dissipation. If you think of it from an energy expenditure perspective, all those "rules" that we are asked to follow, tend to allow least expenditure of energy, even if it might seem like they are a lot more energy intensive than the alternative (to not follow those rules). In the long term, they will strengthen your will, your prana and your intellect. If someone is a heroin addict and is trying to practice yoga, that is by itself a great first step. The deeper the practice develops, the more natural is the aversion to all those things that the Sutras suggest avoiding. That is because the Satva guna (of the Three Gunas of Rajas, Tamas and Satva) increases...so all those things that introduce or increase Rajas and Tamas become natural aversions. In Taoist terms, as the balance increases (Taiji is achieved), the tendency to go out of balance reduces (Satva can be considered to be the Taiji equillibrium state, with Rajas being Yang and Tamas being Yin).
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Well said. Under the surfacial differences, there are lots of similarities between Hinduism (Tantra, Yoga and Vedanta) and Taoism (I'd say Buddhism too, but we have some extra-vocal nay-sayers here who I don't want to disturb)...
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Emptying the mind is basically allowing thoughts to cease for a period of time. It happens naturally when observing thoughts...they rise and fade away and are like a layer of debris floating on a stream. As soon as the debris is cleared, the stream is visible. So it is for Consciousness...once the gap between thoughts is expanded, Pure Consciousness remains. It is not an artificial "clean slate", it is the primordial clean slate (tabula rasa). But this slate doesn't need any writing on, it already contains everything in it's emptiness. I was reading "Understanding Reality" by Chang Po-Tuan; and it contains a section called "Outer Teachings", in which the state of emptiness is very nicely described -- Taoist Classics Vol 2
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Thanks...I will definitely look it up if I find the time and desire to do so.
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you have a point there. How would I go about being the Watcher instead of the doer? I would love to learn. There is of course the difference between doing because it needs doing as opposed to knee-jerk reactionism (which I suspect is what you took my response to be). Not-doing is not not doing... To put things in a little better perspective, I have no interest in Christianity, but that doesn't mean I don't think it's valid. I have all respect for Jesus Christ and his teachings...I think it could (have) evolve(ed) further if there was no insistence on literal adherence to the scripture (in other words, Blind Faith). I AM un-apologetically Indian...being born and raised. I have also had the advantage of living in the West. There are many Western things I admire, however personal/internal spiritual practice is not one of them. I don't for one consider Westerners barbarians (some perhaps, but then there are those among Indians as well). I find the Western model of Individualism a road block -- because Individualism is Egotism and is antithetical to Eastern spirituality, which calls for dissolving the ego (albeit I am far from attaining that goal)... I like you too..haven't had a reason to feel otherwise. Best, Dwai
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Indeed...but your road from timbuctoo is not the same road from New Delhi. So why are you insistent on claiming your Timbuctoo National Highway is called The New Delhi Highway? If you do, then you are obviously lying. If not, then have you decided to invade and take over the New Delhi Highway? That is the difference... http://www.hindustantimes.com/India-to-patent-yoga-asanas/H1-Article1-554149.aspx
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They might well have developed systems of Internal practices, but they are neither as mature nor as systematic as yoga -- I am familiar with John of the Cross and Teresa of avila and such...at best they can be considered to be at a primitive yogic stage, unable to further develop because of dogmatic literal adherence to scripture by their parent religions. Yoga is a purely Hindu system which has influenced other asian systems (such as Taoist Yoga etc) and is rooted in the Indian spiritual/philosophical disciplines of Samkhya and Vedanta. If someone happens to snap these roots from Yoga, Yoga is not yoga anymore but simply physical manipulation of the body. It is pilferage nonetheless... There have been 300 patents granted on Yogic asanas to American and European companies...can you imagine how infuriating it is to an Indian? The Neo-Colonial abuse continues unabated... There have been similar attempts to internalize and then steal other things from India as well... And now that we have gone off on a complete tangent, I will stop at this.
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Spiritual practices done without intelligence will cause the kind of conflict that this article summarizes. It is jaundiced in it's view and an inability to realize this: Western lifestyles are not suited for meditation and spiritual practices of that kind. If you want to have your cake and eat it too, you are gonna be one sorry and unhappy SOB... That's why when one takes to "Eastern Spiritual traditions", they have to completely switch from the Western mode of thinking (Individualism, forcing through things...I think the word is Riding Roughshod, unbending attitude) to an Eastern mode of thinking (considerate of others, especially the filial piety part, flexibility and adaptivity, working around issues, patience, etc). These are attitude changes that need to happen before a fruitful practice can be realized. I was thinking on the subject how Yoga is getting commercialized and Westernized, it's roots are being surgically amputated (giving birth to aberrations such as Christian Yoga, Jewish Yoga, etc)...these things arise because of this enchantment with the Western mode of living and thinking. The West is outward focused and Eastern spirituality is inward focused. So, if the practitioner doesn't re-orient his/her tendencies from outward to inward, practice will potentially lead to issues. Also, the subject of "issues" cropping up during meditation -- well that is the purpose of meditation, to find problems and dissolve them. Why is that necessarily a bad thing? If you don't have the stomach for it, listen to yourself and stop. If not, work through them gently...
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8 shaolin exercies and the origin of kalarippayattu?
dwai replied to mewtwo's topic in General Discussion
Kalaripayat traces it's roots to the Dhanur Veda, an Upaveda (or Sub-veda) attached with the Atharva Veda. It shares roots with Ayurveda (and perhaps complemented Ayurveda -- since armies would need treatment, and the two (Medicine and Martial disciplines) spliced as a result thereof)... Mythology has it that Kalaripayat was given to men by Parashurama, who incidentally is considered an Avatar of Lord Vishnu in Hindu tradition... As with most Indian subjects, Chronology has been pissed and messed up by Western Indologists, so any attempt to date these result in controversy. I would date Parashurama around 4500BC. The Dhanur Veda can be dated to before 3102 BCE (before the traditional Bharata War date, and since Arjuna, one of the heroes of the Bharata War was trained in Dhanur Veda, it had to be around much before that period). -
That God that can be named is not the real God... The God that we see and call and describe and define is a reflection of the "real" God. That substance-matter-energy is not the "real" God. Substance, matter, energy are all superimpositions upon the real God. And the "real" God is your True Self. And the way to the Kingdom of the "real" God is through you. You need that "God" concept because you are searching for your Self. That is the source of any quest and everything else is a pit-stop on the way. Well said. But your approach makes me raise my eyebrow as well...Nihilism is not the answer. And you cannot understand Tao unless you do two things -- 1) experience Tao 2) understand what Tao is at a non-intellectual, non-rational level -- pure Intuitive intelligence...no deliberation (Wei Wu Wei)
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Questioning some thoughts on "God" and human progress towards enlightenment
dwai replied to tyler zambori's topic in General Discussion
well said! -
Have you also had your Cholesterol checked? High Triglyceride count can also cause the kind of effect you mentioned. As Tyler already pointed out, if you cut back on your carb intake, it will make a huge difference. I have had very high triglyceride count and made some dramatic changes to my diet recently 1) Reduce food intake by 50% per meal, more water 2) almost completely eliminate rice and potato (eating wheat flat breads, called Roti in India) 3) eliminated eating meat and seafood (only limited to 1 day a week in most cases), eat lots of vegetables (including green leafy types like Kale, Spinach, etc) 4) drinking carrot juice (helps eliminate acid reflux and tastes real good, besides reducing cravings) 5) eliminate coffee, limit the tea intake I did these on instruction by my Yoga Guru (http://www.sreesakthiyoga.org/) and it has made a huge impact in my quality of life and both Yoga and Cultivation practices. I feel more energized and less prone to crashes since...it gets really bad when I eat rice or Potatoes...same with meat (any kind, including poultry). But there isn't potentially the same solution for all...it depends on your body-type. You can check yours here (http://www.whatsyourdosha.com/)...and that might lead you down the right path from a diet and nutrition perspective. As we age, our metabolic rate goes down, thus making the effective synthesis of what we eat harder... Just my 2 cents worth...good luck!
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well said. Bravo!
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that is your suspension (connecting to the sky-energy through your crown point). It is normal if it is not painful and is simply a tingly sensation... It usually is an indicator for me to meditate...there have been days when it happens all the time.
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yes...the "greater reality" has an uncanny way of shaking the foundations of your mind, intellect... the key I think is in not mulling over it too much...it will pass
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Just lie down and be still...let your body relax...melt like a slab of butter on a hot plate. As your body relaxes, your mind will pop to the surface of your consciousness. And the stream of thoughts will flow...like debris in a babbling brook...and then, between the thoughts...stillness, clear water with no debris. Then the gap increases...and stillness increases...a few seconds at first, and then a few minutes and then... And more we meditate, the sooner we get to that state. Some days are however easier, some are harder...especially those days when you "desperately" want stillness, it never comes. When you simply lay down and flow, stillness comes. I guess lying down works from me (Shavasana)...sitting works for someone else...standing for yet some other, moving for someone else yet.
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A good substitute for Full Lotus is the Adept's posture (or Siddhasana)...where you will basically sit cross-legged but one leg's heel will push against your perinium.
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What indeed? They will fight it tooth and nail...I guess some Buddhists like to feel exclusive and well..."Special"
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Indian military scientists are studying an 82-year-old who claims he has not had any food or drink for 70 years.
dwai replied to Thunder_Gooch's topic in General Discussion
I was pretty close: http://spectrum.ieee...s_at_nasa_are_i and that was 2 years ago. Things might have changed since... -
Advaita and Buddhism are the Same After All
dwai replied to forestofclarity's topic in General Discussion
You ought to read more about Ancient Indian contributions to the fields of Physics, Metallurgy, Medicine, Engineering, etc. Astronomy/Astrology was a major factor in development of mathematics, but that doesn't mean Hindus were contented wallowing in mud rambling off numbers and mathematical formulae and not doing anything to better the material comforts of their lives. I for one don't think you are a Hindu-hating Moslem...I think you are an extremely intelligent young man. However your experience and exposure even within the Indian context is very limited. So you cannot necessarily generalize (and no, watching NDTV or Zee News doesn't qualify as experience) about the mindset of the Indian Hindu. As far as fantastical Hindu theories go, they are pauranic fables, that worked towards cultural integration of various schools of philosophy in India. The Shaivas and Vaishnavas were united by presenting deities such as Shiva, Vishnu etc being related (Vishnu married to Shiva's daughter Lakshmi, Brahma married to his daughter Sarasvati, etc). I would find it hard to believe that an educated Hindu actually thought that these mythologies were true. That said, Puranas also contain ethical and moral lessons (regarding social conduct, devotion, filial piety etc)...all of which form the tradition part of Indian Culture (and all Hindu kids grow up listening to these stories from their parents, grandparents, etc, to give them a sound background in the Hindu culture and tradition).