9th

The body is essentially empty like the stem of a reed, And the mind, like pure space, utterly transcends the world of thought: Relax into your intrinsic nature with neither abandon nor control - Mind with no objective is Mahamudra - And, with practice perfected, supreme enlightenment is gained. The clear light of Mahamudra cannot be revealed By the canonical scriptures or metaphysical treatises Of the Mantravada, the Paramitas or the Tripitaka; The clear light is veiled by concepts and ideals. By harbouring rigid precepts the true samaya is impaired, But with cessation of mental activity all fixed notions subside; When the swell of the ocean is at one with its peaceful depths, When mind never strays from indeterminate, non-conceptual truth, The unbroken samaya is a lamp lit in spiritual darkness. Free of intellectual conceits, disavowing dogmatic principles, The truth of every school and scripture is revealed. Absorbed in Mahamudra, you are free from the prison of samsara; Poised in Mahamudra, guilt and negativity are consumed; And as master of Mahamudra you are the light of the Doctrine. - Tilopa

I dont know - Id prefer not to identify with anything, to be honest.. although if I had to admit something for convenience sake I would call myself a "practitioner" and leave it at that. I do strongly relate to the contrarian attitude, as well as the way of life that disregards social customs and outright flaunts taboo. I have observed that my style of interaction with any sangha (or group of cultivators) naturally flows in this way, but I dont regard it as a place to "hang my hat", so to speak. I am also fairly experienced with shamanism, and have had a life full of "strange" or non-ordinary events. I enjoy learning about how such attitudes and methods have shaped or influenced traditions of many different kinds, because it does reveal deeper connections in my experience. There are threads of this methodology to be found all over the globe, in many different times and places. Speaking of that, I recently learned of another group of which I can relate to as well, up to a certain point. They are sufis, and since I dont know very much about Islam, I have reservations on that front. I do not relate to the separative devotional attitude, or the strictly dualistic aspect of God apart from man. Perhaps they regard it as both and/or neither dualistic and/or non-dualistic, but that would be another matter, and again I dont know enough about this group to speak to it. But regarding their psychological and social stance, I very much agree with them. and further:

Trungpa was the real deal, but he was also an alcoholic - many people cannot wrap their minds around it but that kind of dissonance is an essential facet of yeshe cholwa, or the avadhut style. Most people are also probably unaware of his chronic pain condition caused by partial spinal paralysis he received during an auto accident in his youth - which he preferred to medicate with alcohol rather than opiates. Of course "crazy wisdom" has got a bad reputation since then due to the abusive nature of other people who exploit others for personal gain, rather than exploiting themselves for universal gain. This was an easily predictable outcome, even in ancient times, which is why these practices were considered "secret" in those days. In our modern age, such "secrets" are almost impossible to keep in terms of public awareness. However that does not change the very real rarity and uniqueness of this particular method. In fact, it has almost reinforced the original cloud of obscurity surrounding such things, by way of plausible deniability - in other words, many people consider this phenomena to be simple neurosis at best, outright abusive psychopathy at worst, and all manner of things in-between. The actual validity and efficacy remains just as hidden and mysterious as it always has been. The relationship between vajrayana (vehicle of the diamond thunderbolt) and shamanism runs very deep, because it was inspired by the meeting point between buddhism and the resurgent ancient tantric culture of india as well as the shamanistic practices of tibet. Another interesting parallel in this case is that of the heyoka. Sometimes I like to think this may be evidence of the Bering Strait migration (from yak to buffalo?):

there we go

That isnt very convincing! Why should I consider your answers to be valid in any way?

Excellent! Thanks for the updates, I will check them out.

Let go of what has passed Let go of what may come Let go of what is happening now Don’t try to figure anything out Don’t try to make anything happen Relax, right now, and rest

Is wu-wei the same thing as instinct? Is instinct the same thing as natural law? Does harmony include noise? Does silence express harmony?

And now you have all the answers!

Anarchy as a socio-politcal perspective eschews hierarchical governance in favor of equality. It is not feasible for humanity at this time because the species on the whole has not evolved to the point where they can consistently choose equality and cooperation instead of competition and the domination/submission or master/slave scenario. Essentially anarchy means you dont need outside regulations and their enforcers, because you can already do that for yourself. Its not about doing whatever you want, but rather being able to govern yourself so that you are in harmony with everything else as a natural consequence. It requires vigilance, bravery, creativity and many other qualities.. not just a disrespect for bullshit authoritarianism. It is the recognition of natural intelligence and conscience as being a far more efficient way of life instead of giving your mind over to artificial morality and cultural bias. The current systems which govern the world are still based on the battle for territorial dominance, which is the paradigm of the earthly animal.. not man. Man is the being which mediates between heaven and earth. Man is the essence of equality. The old taoists were anarchists because they followed the natural law instead of the artificial ones created by "civilization". They attempted to make bridges for the rest of society, but as usual, the control freaks got in the way. It still happens on a very large scale in our current era... in fact it may even be worse in terms of prevalence. You can even find it on a forum with "Tao" in the title. The moderators here are a fucking joke in that respect.

Yes but you dont seem to really believe yourself when you say that. Otherwise your projections would have another flavor. The things that really stick with you regarding what someone or another says about something or another, should be indications for you - signs, or even omens. Dismissing the world as "just that crazy world out there!" wont do you any good. Thats just your wheels spinning. Its your coping mechanism.

Lots of talk, very little walk. Go ahead and celebrate this if you wish.

Hey Apech, can you tell us about Wadjet? What does the "Eye of Wadjet" refer to?

What you fail to realize is that your version of politically correct discourse does not interest me in the slightest, and your self-important moralistic admonitions do nothing to deter me from my objectives. Your holier-than-thou attitude is really just a mask for your personal manipulations. Its unfortunate, because such a mask requires you to turn a blind eye to your own actions. The massive schism between your moralistic idealism and the actual intent you engage in is not only a weakness, but also a pernicious disease that is eating you alive. Everyone lives rent free in everyone elses head. We are all in this together. As long as your "individuality" is threatened by all the people in your head, you will have zero clue where I am coming from. It's ok, though - don't be scared. All of these people whining about non-duality not being "pretty" or "nice" enough for them is contrary enough on its face, yet somehow not obviously ridiculous to them. "One taste" does not mean everything turns into birthday cake with shiny white icing and a cherry on top. Thats an infantile dream, and I'm pretty sure you guys arent sleeping in a crib anymore. Grow up.

like, far out, man

You sound so super-special and totally awesome, I wonder how long it takes you to get ready to go out? How much preening in front of the mirror does it take before you are comfortable with the way you look? Hey, could you write another few pages of rambling nonsense about electromagnetism and sitting in the full-lotus position? I want to hear more about how you built a UFO from your own pubic hairs. Its pretty amusing stuff.

hee hee ho ho ha ha ooh eeh ooh ah ah ching chang walla walla bing bang better watch yourself old man, i only make promises

You twisted up pretty good there, but I'm still not satisfied with your answer. So what you are saying is, sitting full-lotus is better than a handful of crystal meth? Hmmm.

So you've learned to shut the fuck up? Then why have you chosen to go against this wisdom of yours? Maybe you haven't learned shit? Perhaps you just want to run your mouth because your emotional convictions are constantly seeking release. Knowing is one thing, understanding is another. Wisdom is worthless unless it is shared, because the knowledge of conduct it represents is already embodied at that point. Enforcing rules and codes of conduct is not the same thing as sharing wisdom. You want the impact of expletives but dont have the balls to actually use them, so you change a letter in the effort to mask the "offensiveness" but retain the "shocking" nature of your argument. This lack of courage in the midst of manipulation is not evidential of an ability to lead others, and therefore you are not the best person to teach "proper" conduct, sorry to say. Quietude may be best for you at this point, yes.

This is wrong. Tilopa was known as a mahasiddha, along with many others, as the tradition was well established in his day. They were known to incorporate numerous teachings and techniques in their work. Also, you are confusing Brahman with Brahmin. Vastly different things. As well as Brahma, which was pointed out earlier. You fill in many blanks on your quest to assert your knowledge of the "highest" or "best" or "most ultimate final enlightenment of total cosmic power" or whatever. Its clear evidence of numerous things, however "enlightenment" is not one of them.