Apech

Jeff, You may well be right and I would be interested as to why you have reached this conclusion ... Gampopa "Jewel Ornament of Liberation" is not all that clear on this point ... or rather not clear enough for me to understand it. So I googled and found this: http://www.heartspace.org/writings/traditional/TenBhumis.html Which seems to confirm what I was saying ... but I have no idea how authoritative this is. So if you have other sources could you share them. Thanks. A.

You brought up the subject of Pinochet helicopters and the pacific. ... but I have no wish to fall out so I apologise unreservedly for any offense caused by my joke.

Ah so chrome screwed me up by pretending to be the fastest browser ... all smoke and mirrors eh?

usually! you are the naughty one ... sit at the front of the class where teacher can keep and eye on you. I couldn't get in to TBs at all yesterday ... I had to delete my browser cache then it worked fine.

A quick read of Gampopa on the first bhumi I can't see anything about faith. It is called 'Great Joy' because (I think) it is the first break through when what was previously words and intellectual attainment becomes realisation. It seems to herald both a step change in determination to attain complete Buddha-hood and also give access to numerous states of absorbtion. I think that problems emerge when someone who has not attained the first Bhumi writes about it ... this gives a lot of distorted literature ... I am including some quite eminent names when I say this. In fact quite a lot of dharma teaching is a bit 'off' like this in my (not so) humble opinion.

When I have met those more advanced than me (yes I know its hard to believe they exist lol) I have sensed something that told me this was so. Since I am naturally skeptical I am not liable to follow anyone. However something draws you to first respect what that person is saying or doing, to listen and watch over a period of time, feel a connection hopefully and learn for yourself that what they say works and makes sense ... so confidence (rather than faith) can be built into a relationship which allows some kind of transmission to occur. At no point is it necessary to regard them as a god or infallible in any ordinary way ... if they suggest you do this ... or ask for lots of money then run away quickly (). Ultimately the interaction should make you feel closer to your own buddha-nature and not further from it.

Funny how a very mild warning to GmP ends up with comparison to fascist juntas. Is that helpful? Anyway I hear the Pacific is quite mild this time of year.

the Egyptians were not particularly violent or bloodthirsty (compare with Aztecs and Incas for instance) but they reflected the world in which they lived ... battle were fought and enemies overthrown and so on. They didn't have modern sensibilities about such things. Buddhism (or some forms of it) does have wrathful images and deities dancing on corpses and so on. In life we have to overcome obstacles, defeat our own demons, Buddha overcame Mara and so on. The snake in the picture represents the forces of decay and dissollution and all that would prevent the sun rising (in Egyptian mythology) ... in most versions of this myth it is not actually slaughtered but only chained/ fettered. However their underworld includes some decapitations and killing of enemies it is true.

Hi, Still didn't work for me so followed Mal advice and cleared cache and 'view new posts' works now. Not sure I understand why lol.

I'm having same prob with general and also 'view new posts' ... I can get into some individual threads and some forums but not general.

I'll probably put it in Hermetic sub.

Exactly ,,, the first bhumi is the first stage of bodhisattva path. The realisation of emptiness. Until then its just a philosophical view.

yes ... its a bit hard to see but if you look here: The serpent in front of the sun god's boat is Apep and in his back are knives. This is the scene from the 7th hour of night in the book called the Amduat and shows Apep being overcome. Now interestingly he is not killed but fettered ...the text says he dwells in the sky but is fettered on earth. The goddess in the front of the boat with her arms outstretched ins Isis as a magician enchanting the snake and the goddess at its neck is Serket the scorpion goddess who had the title of 'she who restricts the windpipe' so she is throttling it. I can write more about this if anyone is interested ... but probably on another thread.

It is the sun god Ra in the form of cat slaying the serpent Apep before rising in the east ... its from the Book fo the Dead Ch 17 Papyrus of Hunefer.

Habetis bona deum

I'm wondering if fasting or dieting might help. Also look at sleep patterns ... how long do you sleep for ... do you sleep alone or do you have a partner. Even changing where you sleep or the orientation fo your bed might help. It is also likely that whatever is going on in the rest of your life, daily routines or pressure at work for instance is involved. You might need more physical exercise/fresh air ... and so on. Try to disrupt whatever habitual patterns you have and see if your sleep quality changes.

We are friends and we can be friends with snakes ... ... even when the knives are out

Hisssssssss.

Perhaps he'd like to borrow five quid till next tuesday.

That sounds good. I wasn't suggesting its a universal rule ... just it does happen.

This is not the same guy but I think the posture is the same ... arched back etc. http://www.martialarts-london.co.uk/martial-arts-articles/reptilian-brain.html

i think the 'off the shelf' mysticism/magic of the 'The Secret' and so on is a sign that people are desperate for something real but not materialistic. real practice is hard work and challenging but buying a book is not.

This is all very correct of course but it comes across a little negative. The reptile brain has enormous survival advantages and can be utilised in martial arts for instance. there is a fighting Tai Chi teacher who has a particular posture for activating it so responses become lightening quick (I can't remember his name). the reptile brain has a kind of unity of purpose ... it is only interested in its appetites ,,, sex and food ... which is for us a basis for achieving a higher unity if it is properly harnessed for a this higher purpose.

yes it does have an icky feel you are right. But I think there are genuine people who come to the point where maybe they give up a career to teach .(this is not me by the way - I've never done this) And so they would have to charge. Where it all goes wrong for me is not this. Where it goes wrong is when commercial interests distort the message. If you are dependent on income from patrons ... like a movie star for instance ... who then donates millions to build a temple or whatnot ... do you suppose he/she is treated the same as the rest of us bums who wander in off the street. And do you suppose a teacher who wants income isn't going to tailor his teachings to what is popular or sex them up a bit with the latest fancy sounding hocus pocus quantum-black hole- dark energy tantra. How hard is he going to be on a person who has just paid $450 for a leaflet and mortgaged their house? This is the problem ... the whole thing gets changed slightly and suddenly you are a customer or a client and not a disciple or pupil or student.

If you teach full time why shouldn't you live off it ... in which case people have to pay. Don't see the problem. (By the way can I interest you in a course in Apechatonics ... only 450$ for an introductory leaflet and then you can mortgage your house.)