Creation

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Everything posted by Creation

  1. The vagus nerve is not the sushumna/central channel

    Creation replied to Tibetan_Ice's topic in General Discussion

    TI mentioned that the vagus nerve doesn't go all the way down to the root. Well, the spinal cord doesn't either. The central channel is something entirely metaphysical IMO, it is only when it is projected onto a 3 dimensional physical framework that it is experienced as being in the center of the body (cf. David Bohm's ideas on the implicate order).
  2. Good catch, I meant India. I edited the original post.
  3. The key to the question in the second line is the first line. Tibet inherited the entire spectrum of Mahayana as it developed over more than a thousand years in India, including the voluminous scholarship of the scholar monks at Nalanda unviersity, and all various special bodhisattva trainings and lower and higher tantras. That's a lot of stuff. And all this came in waves and was combined together in different ways at different times by different lineage masters. That's why it's complicated and hard to understand. Most westerners following Tibetan Buddhism probably don't have the slightest clue about most of this. Should they? In Tibet the monks had to learn all this stuff, but the lay people didn't.
  4. I just realized that by "Tibetan Buddhists" you mean "Westerners following Tibetan Buddhism". I thought you meant actual Tibetans.

  5. Third eye? Opening it? Kundalini?

    Creation replied to Jainarayan's topic in General Discussion

    If a person feels energy coursing through their whole body with every breath, their anapanasmriti will be go deeper faster and thus be more beneficial, and it will be a lot more enjoyable, so they will be more motivated to practice. Standing and moving qigong can get a person to that point. These days, people are disconnected from their bodies and any sense of energy, so sitting alone may not.

  6. Third eye? Opening it? Kundalini?

    Creation replied to Jainarayan's topic in General Discussion

    You are quite the proselytizer for seated meditation. I must disagree with the idea that it is never the case that someone's needs might be better served by waiting to start sitting meditation. There have been many periods for me when my efforts were better spent on other things.
  7. It is, or at least from the "Indosphere", as are the Tathagatagarbha sutras. Most orthodoxy Tibetan scholarship identifies Yogacara with "mind only" idealism and interprets Tathagatagarbha in purely Madhyamaka terms. Shentong seems to be the label for anything that does not do this. It originally referred to Dolpopa's philosophy, which is particularly Advaita-like and drew criticism from Tsongkhapa and Gorampa alike, but now it is used more generally. Shakya Chokedn and the Third Karmapa are Shentong proponents according to the wider definition who are less less Advaita-like than Dolpopa.
  8. Those are definitely still in Tibetan Buddhism. They are just not things that people around here like to bicker about

  9. Third eye? Opening it? Kundalini?

    Creation replied to Jainarayan's topic in General Discussion

    Two words: search function. Off the top of my head, I'd guess that typing in kundalini will return debates about KAP, Kunlun, and AYP. Including any of those terms in your search will narrow things. You can also narrow your search by looking for posts by certian users: Many kundalini active members have posted here. Names like Vajrasattva, Vajrahridaya, Shaktimama, Seth Ananda, Hundun, Konchog Uma, and JJ Semple come to mind. Man, I'm getting nostalgic just writing this. Man, I'm getting nostalgic just thinking about it. P.S. The best introductory survey of kundalini info on the web, IMO, can be found here: http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~keutzer/kundalini/kundalini-faq.html http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~keutzer/kundalini/kundalini-yoga.html http://www.eecs.berkeley.edu/~keutzer/kundalini/siddha-mahayoga.html
  10. Seriously? Because Thupten Jinpa follows Tsongkhapa even though he acknowledges his Madhayamaka deviates from the Indian tradition, whereas you think that invalidates everything he taught. That makes you sectarian.
  11. A few things. First, about the demon thing. Tsongkhapa claimed to have discussions with Manjursri. This is a very potent claim for pious Buddhists: If you accept that Tsongkhapa was instructed by Manjursri, arguing with Tsongkhapa becomes arguing with Manjusri, which is bad news for Tsongkhapa's opponents. So I suspect Gorampa reasoned, "since I believe Tsongkhapa was wrong, this spirit he conversed with must not have been Manjursi but a demon masquerading as Manjusri." A potent response to a potent claim, so to speak. I don't think that Gorampa actually claimed Tsongkhapa was possessed, that would be ridiculous. But this is a false dichotomy: in the spirit of non-sectarianism, you can say that all these scholars were just giving different conceptualizations of emptiness, all of which are potentially useful to some. Then it is no problem to accept that Tsongkhapa spoke with Manjusri and praise him highly, yet hold that his view is not the most faithful to Nagarjuna's intent, like the Eighth Karmapa for example. Now, since you have read that SEP article, you might see why Mahamudra and Dzogchen practitioners might prefer Gorampa's presentation of Madhyamaka, which emphasizes the nonconeptual nature of the ultimate, to Tsongkhapa's presentation, which tries to conceptualize the ultimate. Actually, for all Tsongkhapa's criticism of Svatantrika, it seems to me that he did to Candrakirti what Bhavyaviveka did to Nagarjuna: use logic to conceptualize the ultimate truth. But you can follow Tsongkhapa's system of Madhyamaka and practice Mahamudra of Dzogchen, like the Dalai Lamas and Shabkar, because as far as Mahamudra and Dzogchen are concerned, Madhyamaka is conceptual from the start so a more conceptual presentation like Tsongkhapa's is not a problem. That's how I see things anyway.

  12. Esoteric Bible

    Creation replied to RiverSnake's topic in General Discussion

    When I was researching Bible translations, the two most highly recommended for their merits as translations were NASB and NRSV. KJV was incredible as a translation in it's day, and it's amazing as a piece of literature in it's impact on the English language (much like King James' contemporary Shakespeare), but there are better choices for today IMO. As for NKJV, that translation smells of fundamentalist influence to me. In terms of mystical parts of the Bible, I have come to believe that the prophetic books are as much or more about internal spiritual transformation than they are about the "End Times". Revalation, Zechariah, and Daniel are the books to read for that. The famous visions of God's throne in Ezekiel 1 and Isaiah 6 are are the source of a tremendous amount of Jewish mysticism. I also always found the epistles written by the apostles to have a lot of hidden mystical content, especially 1 John (not the same as the Gospel of John, for those who didn't know).
  13. One of the most controversial aspects of Tsongkhapa's Madhyamaka is the claim that Prasangika and Svatarntrika are two different views entirely, rather than two expositions of the Madhyamaka view. Sakyapas, following Gorampa, are very antipathic to Tsongkhapa, even thought the consider themselves Prasangikas in that they view Candrakirti as the highest expositor of Nagarjuna. Similarly, the Eighth Karmapa, Ju Mipham Rinpoche, and Gendun Chopel (of Kagyu, Nyingma, and Gelug respectively) all considered themselves Prasangikas but criticized Tsongkhapa's views.
  14. Sorry, I read it in a library over a year ago, so I can't give you a more exact reference. It is well worth a read though.
  15. Life of Shabkar To be fair, Shabkar was a Gelug monk before becoming a wandering Dzogchen yogi. But he didn't renounce his devotion to Tsongkhapa in doing so. I've seen the connection between Tsongkhapa and Guru Rinpoche referenced in at least one other place, but I can't remember where.
  16. Untrue. There is a tradition of viewing Tsongkhapa as inseparable from Guru Rinpoche, followed by such luminaries as the Dzogchen yogi Shabkar (author of Flight of the Garuda).
  17. I suspect that this attitude is what the now-deleted drunk man searching for his keys metaphor was addressing. Or at least the notion that it must be physical.
  18. The bio I read made it seem that he was held in high regard primarily because he was a peerless scholar-yogi who deeply understood, practiced, and expounded upon all aspects of the dharma (sutra, tantra, vinaya, pranama, abhidharma, etc.). I guess different people will have different perspectives on the same person. Tsongkhapa was an ethical reformer no doubt, but I strongly suspect the whole "Everything was so decadent until Tsongkhapa set things right" line is a polemic from over from medieval times, when each sect developed their beliefs about why they are the best and why the others are inferior, for sectarian and political reasons. Case in point, that kind of thing was said about the Nyingmapas during the "dark age" but historical evidence has come to light that a lot of really incredible dharma activity was going on in that period. EDIT: This review of Center of the Sunlit Sky has a brief outline of the issues the 8th Karmapa took with Tsongkhapa's Madhyamaka, if anyone is interested. http://www.bodhionline.org/ViewArticle.asp?id=65

  19. Is Sifu Jenny Lamb a legit healer?

    Creation replied to CrunchyChocolate555's topic in General Discussion

    Michael Lomax does not specialize in entity issues, Jenny Lamb does. A brain surgeon may be able to perform heart surgery, but not as well as a heart surgeon. I'm not sure if the stories you have heard by which you compare results are specifically entity related, but I had a chat with Michael about exorcisms one time, and between this and and what I know of Jenny Lamb, I think she is definitely more of an expert in this area than he. Also, the nature of the treatment is quite different, one being a multi-day, multi-hour a day affair, in order to completely rebuild your nervous system to not be dependent on the entity, the other being does a single half hour session (which is a big part of the reason for the price difference). CrunchyChocolate, I too have been deterred by Sifu Lamb's costs, but considering what you get (several hours of treatment per day for 10 whole days), I try not to criticize. Consider how much a super specialized surgery with a 10 day stay in a hospital would cost. I am absolutely certain she is the real deal and could heal whatever entity issue you have, but I sympathize with trying to find a cheaper alternative first. Micahel Lomax is definitely very powerful and skilled. Good luck.
  20. I'll be attending. There will be free teleconference class explaining the particular guru yoga to be utilized on the anniversary of Padmasambhava. Details here: http://tsegyalgar.org/theteachings/webcastcalendar/wwt/ I have heard many reports that Rinpoche said you can belong to any religion and practice Dzogchen. So I'd say, definitely yes.

  21. Your deities?

    Creation replied to Jainarayan's topic in General Discussion

    Lord Maitreya.

  22. Daoist Alchemy: Jerry A. Johnson

    Creation replied to effilang's topic in Group Studies

    Are these practices for self-soul-retrevial or retreiving the soul of a pateint? What prerequisites are there to perform them?

  23. Losing your virginity what was it like?

    Creation replied to yondaime109's topic in The Rabbit Hole

    Hmmmm...love. So many meanings of this term. There are several (sub)cultural ideas I have been bombarded with about when and why to have sex, and with whom. For example, you should only have sex with someone you have committed to be with for your entire life and to do otherwise is sinful, you should just have sex as soon as possible and if you don't there is something wrong with you, and you should only have sex with someone you are in love with. They have all penetrated deep into my subconscious, even though they contradict each other. But when I look within myself, they all seem artificial and restrictive and I would rather let go of them all. (That's the Taoist in me.) Mutual respect, attraction, and affection are definitely on my list though. I know I would feel cheated otherwise.

  24. Bringin back da' KAP

    Creation replied to h.uriahr's topic in General Discussion

    I took KAP 1 and decided it wasn't a fit for me as my primary cultivation system. But I always wanted to learn the material in KAP 2 and 3, when I feel I am ready. Also, I have enormous respect for Santi and Tao. They are incredible. Tao's teaching is more my style, personally. He is more watery, like me, and always gives multiple ways to do things for different types of people. The only person I know of on here who awakened his K through KAP is phore (IIRC). Many KAPers left though, who knows how they are doing now.

  25. Kundalini

    Creation replied to Eviander's topic in General Discussion

    It has always bugged me that the number one result for a google image search for Shakti is actually a painting of Guanyin. Ah, new-agers who appropriate Eastern images without actual knowledge of the traditions from which they came...