doc benway

Me too! And I think that's the best reason to share! That is essentially the core of Dzogchen - complete perfection, effortless action. Everything is already there, we just block it by trying. Let go, open, and whatever is needed will come. It really does work but it takes a lot of time to learn to trust it. Wu wei is essentially the view and practice of Dzogchen for me.

To get a sense of the answer to these questions there is only one thing you can do. Personal practice, hands on, fully engaged until you get a sense of what is being indicated by these labels and concepts. I wonder how many have a sense of what is being indicated, what is being asked of us? The practice is not to think, not to compare, not to understand, just to be exactly as you are without adding, subtracting, or following anything. What is necessary is to have the view. That is the Dzogchen method and it is also where my Daoist training took me only in a more roundabout, exhaustive sort of way. Direct introduction, present in both Dzogchen and Daoist paths, is to guide the student to have this direct, personal experience, and helping them to be sure of it. The next step is familiarity and stability. Once there, it is clear what these labels and concepts represent. But "understanding" the labels and concepts doesn't really help much, unless undertaken in a very rigorous, exhaustive, and comprehensive manner. My Daoist training was only ever practical, never theoretical. My Bön training has been the same. Deepest gratitude to my teachers for that! To start looking for answers to questions about the concepts and labels and what they mean just tends to steer me away from what they are pointing to, so I've mostly given up on that. I feel like I'm sounding a bit arrogant or dismissive and I don't mean to be. But that's all I've got for now... Sending love to all in this holiday season!

I miss Marbles. He was such a grounding influence here. His presence was never overpowering but always engaged. I particularly liked to see how his materialistic view softened over time. I could literally see him opening up towards the end, entertaining new possibilities. Thanks for remembering Anand. I will try to join you all on Sunday.

Buddhism, like every other spiritual tradition on earth, has been stained by a long history of patriarchal misogyny. As in some other traditions, this is evolving. I know little about the Pure Land traditions and have little interest in argument. I follow the Yungdrung Bön tradition so my words are influenced by the Tibetan tradition and my primary practice is Dzogchen. In this paradigm, Buddha transcends gender. Buddhamind exists within all sentient beings. The Yungdrung Bön tradition embraces many female figures - deities, dakinis, and realized masters. They have also created a training program for women to become geshes (equivalent to a PhD in Western education), and fully accredited to teach. Overall things are improving for women in Buddhism and Bön, but there is still a long way to go, IMO. Here is a wonderful book about realized female masters in the Bön tradition - https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Essence-Khandro-Experiential-Lineage-Holders/dp/8170262828/ref=sr_1_2?qid=1575132307&refinements=p_27%3AYongdzin+Lopon+Tenzin+Namdak+Rinpoche&s=books&sr=1-2&text=Yongdzin+Lopon+Tenzin+Namdak+Rinpoche

Polish women are my nemesis...

It seems that lots of women have that power over me... It makes Drew’s ‘super power’ seem somewhat pedestrian. Then again, maybe it’s just me. 🤪

So many times I’ve crafted responses in my head, here and elsewhere, to so many topics. So often I see more value in silence when I craft the response with my heart.

I wasn’t planning to see it but now I must!

My Daoist teacher from Taiwan recommended a telephone book. Haven't seen one of those in a while, and they're a lot smaller than they used to be! The type of cushion depends a great deal on your body. What posture do you use for your practice, how tall are you, how flexible are you? The cushion needs to be able to support a stable and erect posture. Different people need different supports. I personally prefer a rectangular cushion filled with buckwheat hulls. It's fairly firm but easy to adjust the height a bit as needed depending on how my legs are feelings on any given day. The more flexible your hips, the thinner a cushion you will require. Regarding color, my Daoist teacher tended to avoid white, black, and green due to Chinese cultural themes. I personally don't think color matters beyond aesthetics.

I would love to hear from Chunyi Lin just how accurate are all the statements he is credited with on this site...

I find it humorous to read the narrow-minded and dogmatic proclamations about this or that tool, this or that method... We all need different things and this changes with time. It's nice to see that people find something they think is working for them. Not so nice to see when they are not changing or growing, just becoming infatuated with another object.

I suspect it is as much punitive as "investigative." These type of people don't seem much interested in law and justice, just fear and intimidation.

Nothing else feels like a run in nature for me... so primal, so perfect.

And I’m a yang metal rat! 🐭 Thanks for the horoscope.

Anger, attachment, and ignorance (not knowing one’s true self)

Running

I guess I'm a little untraditional also in that I don't merely accept the concept or truth of a soul, whether individual or collective. Not that I disbelieve necessarily, it's more that we have not defined the term sufficiently for me to accept and build on that definition. The soul from the Judeo-Christian-Islamic perspective is far different than the formulation from the Bönpo perspective, for example. This is a rather long exposition but very interesting and unique if one is interested in alternative ideas about 'soul' Questions like the one in the OP are somewhat arbitrary, meaning that they are relational. If I toss a ball in the air does the ball leave my hand or does my hand leave the ball? It's all a matter of perspective, both are accurate and neither is more correct than the other. I like to toy with conceptual questions like this sometimes, eg, does consciousness reside in the person or does the person reside in consciousness? Such intellectual exercises are fun, sometimes productive, sometimes not; at the end of the day there is only so much value for me regarding conceptual rumination. The mind will never run out of ideas, comparisons, judgements, decisions...

Taijiquan was my introduction

Nails of the Foo Age!

Estas Tonne

She’s groovy... Flats in a jazz bass sound incredible.

I would advise against sticking the bottom out or leaning forward. Proper alignment is more important than depth of stance. A slight bend in the knees is all that is needed. Some qigong is done in lower stance, such as ma bu, but those stances have different considerations and intentionally engage more muscle tension. Natural standing should not hold tension.

What 3 points?

I would offer that the examples you offer have nothing to do with morality, conventional or otherwise. They are more related to paternalistic and institutionalized control and abuse, often excused by law and masquerading as “morality.” When it comes to the behavior of spiritual masters, there is a saying in the Bön tradition that addresses this. Your view must be as broad as the sky, your behavior as fine as barley flour...