doc benway

Perhaps the most concise definition of religion I’ve read.

I’ll get a little crazy and combine and continue the thread: nothing can compare to the pleasure of hugging my guns, and my cats

blessed sanity has drown’d herself in the Gulf of Amerika

Seems to be a little better for me today.

Another consideration regarding secrecy I'd like to share is an extension of a point in my earlier post, fwiw. In the Tibetan tradition, one which did keep the "highest" teachings hidden for millennia, enlightenment is far more than the realization of the non-dual nature of being. That very realization can be a trap, which I think is one reason for the secrecy. Such a realization is important but it is simply a drawing back of the curtain, a human experience of the dropping of an obscuration or delusion, albeit an important one; a glimpse of the real potential of enlightenment but not the full fruition. This is the place where a lot of practitioners get stuck because it gives one the impression that there is nothing left to do. The truth is that there is everything left to do, meaning that in this particular tradition, from the moment of realization, each and every action in one's life has the possibility of being a manifestation of enlightened heart and mind, here and now, in human form. The proof in the pudding is do we, and those around us, see that happening moment to moment in our lives? Each and every action can be an embodiment of the four immeasurable qualities of empathetic joy, equanimity, compassion, and loving-kindness. This is the fruition of the Three Bodies - the body of emptiness, the body of perfection, and the body of emanation. Realization of our empty yet complete nature of Being is fulfillment of the first, maybe the second of those bodies; but we need to discover the means to bring these qualities into our lives through our relationship to others, that's the third body, the aspect of emanation. My teacher emphasizes exercising this "muscle" through acts of service to others and through channeling our connection to the source through creative expression. These are ways to see if the realization is sound and fruition is actually occurring. Enlightenment is not an on off switch, not a simple change in perspective in my view. At best that can be considered realization. It is an ongoing process that becomes the basis for how we live our lives. Only when these four immeasurable qualities are spontaneously and effortlessly occurring, and affecting those around us in a meaningful way, can we be considered to be on a path to Enlightenment. At least that's my admittedly flawed interpretation of what is taught by the Tibetan tradition.

I suspect it's similar to our limited understanding of gravity. We can't figure it out so we had a fudge factor, like dark matter/energy, that makes the equations work. I suspect everything is there serving a purpose we are yet to understand or discover.

Major problems for me, only occasionally able to log on and the Jeopardy theme plays during every change of page...

Now THAT’s the way to welcome the year of the snake!

tumble in the void kno way to apprehend true orientation

whistling a bit of shrapnel shatters stone and bone memory denied

Laozi says When a wise person hears of the Way He devotes himself fully. When an average person hears of the Way He tries to understand but doubts. When a fool hears of the Way He laughs out loud! Ha! When I first heard of the way I laughed, But when I saw it with my bones, I laughed even louder! In the first case I laughed at the simplicity of it all. How could it be so obvious? Ha! In the second, I laughed at the simplicity of it all. How could I have been so oblivious? Ah… ha… ha.. ha! I continue to laugh Not at the Way, but At the effort of the wise At the doubt of the middlings And most of all at “My” “Self"

There's a two-fold meaning to that line for me - When hearing a description of the Way, it sounds so ridiculously simple as to be a cause for laughter. When actually having a direct experience, it is so ridiculously simple and obvious as to be a cause for laughter. The former laughter is incredulous and easily shrugged off, the latter is joyous and exuberant and, to some degree, lasts a lifetime.

Thanks are owed to Dwai, Liminal Luke, and his partner José who have been working on this in the background for a few weeks. Thank you all! I have been having great difficulties accessing the site of late and this has reminded me how much our little community of strange and wonderful bums means to me. May the year of the Wood Snake be a year of growth and good fortune for all!

I think this is an important topic and I've stumbled across what I think are several reasons why over the past decade. One was explored a bit in the recent thread on Integration vs Transcendence. Dzogchen, being a very direct approach, can lead to profound insight and realization in a short time, sometimes without very much in the way of preparation and purification. This can result in the misguided impression that one is enlightened. This is problematic because it leads to spiritual bypassing. People talking the talk but causing damage around them. I think this is one of the reasons why we see so many "crazy wisdom" yogis engaging in sexual impropriety and abuse. A cautionary pith instruction in Bön is that 'the view is as expansive as the sky but the conduct as fine as barley flour.' Even after profound realization has altered our perception and relationship to reality, we can still generate negative karma and must be mindful of how our words and actions affect others. Another reason for secrecy is the precision required in cementing the correct view. Miss by a mm and you miss by a km. It is extremely easy to convince yourself that you have the correct view, meditation, and behavior and go for months or years down a detour. The mind offers so many layers of identification that become ever more subtle and easy to miss, and even the best teacher on Earth cannot guarantee or be absolutely certain that you've got it right. Each practitioner must recognize and develop certainty for themselves. Consequently, this type of method has been traditionally taught in very small groups, often one on one, making it possible to only offer teachings to those considered most well-prepared and ripe. The karmic consequences of causing harm through offering the teachings to unsuitable candidates are considered very severe among traditionalists, so teachers have been reticent to offer them easily or on a large-scale basis. Having attended quite a few retreats, I've seen the reactivity that often occurs when people try to process ramifications of the direct teachings. For example, one thing that generally comes up at some point is that one can generate no negative karma while resting in the nature of mind. So incredulous participants who have not yet fully grasped the view dream up all sorts of heinous acts and can get quite upset trying to wrestle with the idea of what it means to engage in various activities from the view. This leads to anger, frustration, disappointment, even abandoning of the teachings altogether, a terrible karmic consequence for teacher and student alike. Another problem I've seen is the zeal that often arises with a taste of the view and fruition. People want to share this amazing gift with others. One problem is that while they may have some degree of direct experience, they really have not stabilized or familiarized themselves enough to guide others properly. Even if they do help others to get a taste, they don't have the tools to deal with the obstacles and aberrations that can arise, both in themselves and others. One recent and prominent example of this is Michael Singer's own encounter with a health crisis which undermined his confidence in his path for a time. Hobbyists and non-dual teachers without the background and support of lineage may not have the tools to deal with crises. More on that can be found in this thread. One frequent negative consequence of these types of non-dual practice is the nihilistic crisis. A big part of the process is dis-identifying with everything we have considered to be our "self." This can leave us adrift and unsupported. It's something that can lead to the occasional psychotic break, major depression, or depersonalization disorder, even suicide. These are some of the reasons for secrecy that occur to me now. I believe there have been others that I can't access at the moment.

Fight the good fight buddy!