doc benway

Some random thoughts I think we all connect with different things at different times based on various causes and conditions. I appreciate your candor and passion but convincing yourself that the teaching is worthless, calling it a crock of shit, what value is there in that? It shuts the door on something that may hold something valuable, whether for you or someone else. Just my perspective. None of us gets everything. If something makes no sense, I suggest it's best to let it go and move on. If others benefit from it, good for them, no need to invalidate their experience. My teacher once suggested that when we encounter things that make no sense, accept that, let it go, and be open enough that we may come to appreciate it in the future. I had that experience once with a book on Taijiquan. Started it and it made no sense. Came back to it a year later and it clicked. Re-read it a few years after that and felt like it got to the deepest aspects of Taijiquan of any book I'd read. It wasn't until I'd had some degree of hands on experience that each successive level made sense. The funny thing is that we file away volumes of things we understand, always tending to focus more on what we don't... Better perhaps to focus more on what does make sense and use it to gain deeper understanding. I personally like that approach. I also prefer the experiential approach over the conceptual one. Trying to "get it" through sutras doesn't work all that well for me - especially some of those old Buddhist sutras. That's some challenging stuff. No doubt in my mind that with the right perspective, preparation, dedication, and intention it can be quite powerful stuff but many of these things are referred to as self-secret. Secrecy is maintained passively, perhaps they written intentionally in this way. And if you really want to see if there is some meat in the Diamond Sutra you may consider looking at some of the classic commentaries written on it. I read Nan Huai-chin's commentary on it and learned so much. I'm sure there are other good commentaries as well. I haven't read it but I think Thich Nhat Hanh has also written a book about it - he tends to be very clear. Or just leave it be, there is so much more to work with... Peace

Thank you for the way you presented this important question. It is well worth some consideration. _/\_

I'm curious what you consider to be "more conventional cultivation arts" than meditation?

wood and sheep in half lotus posture, abiding on sun and moon disks

Look into Shiba Luohan Qigong - 18 Arahat Qigong It seems to have it's origins in Shaolin. There are several internet resources and variations. The way I learned it is a bit different from anything I can find online. It can be practice with more internal focus for health or with more external tension for martial training. In my experience, there are principles of qigong that can be learned and discovered through practice that seem to be independent of classifications like Buddhist and Daoist. Good luck!

He's teaching tummo this summer in Virginia.

...nothing to see here...

Thank you for your support

I think there are ways in which thoughts create our reality but that is only part of the story. The more fundamental point is that mind creates our reality and mind goes beyond thought. Without an ear and brain, sound does not exist, only vibratory disturbance of air. Similarly, sound does not exist without a medium in which it can propagate, so air, ear, brain, and stimulus are all required. Thought is not necessary but in nearly all people, thought enters milliseconds after the brain receives the stimulus. The mind is the framework in which the experience of reality takes place for all living creatures. We can postulate an independent reality that is not affected by each of us, but that in itself is nothing more than a thought. Living creatures are biologic antennae that are tuned in such a way as to elicit experience from an energetic morass. Our sensory apparatus must exclude the vast majority of information presented to it in order to create a finite spectrum of experience that can be processed. Change the tuning of the sensory apparatus, it's fitness, or the interpretation of it's data, and the entire experience of reality changes. A simple example of how thought creates reality in a more practical sense - Let's take a woman, for example. To her children she is a mother, to her lover she is a sexual goddess, to her boss she is a tool, to her subordinates she is authority, to her readers she is a brilliant poet, to the person she wronged she is a turd... Same person experienced in completely different ways based on relationship, and that can change quite easily. That relationship is essentially based on thought.

Here is a link to the FB Live teachings categorized by subject: http://www.ligminchalearning.com/twr-live-video-archive There are also many videos here: https://www.oceanofwisdom.org/ Unfortunately the Ocean of Wisdom archive is not yet searchable or categorized but that is in progress... stayed tuned. You simply need to scroll through the videos for now. A 4 week online dream yoga workshop begins in May - it's more costly than the book but worth every penny if you are serious about the practice. It is the next best thing to live teachings. I can't recommend it highly enough: https://www.glidewing.com/twr/dreamyoga_home.html. Finally, he is teaching a short retreat on dream and sleep yogas in Colorado in June: https://www.shambhalamountain.org/program/tibetan-dream-yoga-2018/

Sorry, I should have been more explicit. I'm speaking more along the lines of ilumairen's post. I was specifically referring to the Bön and Buddhist definitions of wisdom, not sagely advice. This definition of wisdom points directly at non-dual experience and is non-binary by definition. This wisdom refers to the nature of reality and is independent of thoughts and concepts, precisely what the OP was referring to.

I will respectfully disagree.

duplicate

Speaking of imaginary numbers,

I agree

Huw Price wrote a wonderful, but difficult, book about the nature of time called Time's Arrow and Archimedes' Point. Here is a brief interview with him you may find interesting.

Precisely correct Asking "who" invented sound implies that sound was invented and that an inventor was involved. This is a gratuitous assertion that is a consequence of our tendency towards anthropocentric thinking. There is no requirement that sound was invented, at least none that I've come across. Sound is a consequence of the existence of ears that are attached to brains, otherwise there is only vibration in air. What evidence or requirement is there that a workshop is involved? Why must there be a beginning? I reached the conclusion that the demands for how and why are a side effect of language and rational thought. If the mind can grasp a how and why, it can feel a bit more secure. I'm not sure the premise that "how" and "why" can always be found is an inherent part of the mystery of existence. On the other hand, questions are far better than answers... Questions have limitless potential, they are alive and stimulate growth. Answers on the other hand indicate an end to growth, answers tend to be dead. Keep asking the questions but don't get too hung up on having to find an answer. At least that's my approach.

Doing nothing can be "subtly intervening at the right moment and without making a big show of it" for now if that makes the most sense to you but it can go much deeper than that with time, patience, and deeper realization. The truth is that it is meant to be taken quite literally but that requires a level of understanding that usually comes over time through experiential practices which help loosen the stranglehold of the "doer" and the compulsion to change what is. Hence the critical role of meditation and other experiential practices among Daoists (neigong, qigong, taiji, bagua, etc...). There is a way to be in which one literally does not intervene. Whatever needs to be done happens quite spontaneously and naturally with no effort, planning, or engagement of the "doer" whatsoever. This is a large part of the unique training methods of taijiquan. My favorite approach to paradox comes from the writings of the philosopher poet John Donohue. "And if you want a point of departure for this new journey of soul, don't choose an intention, don't choose a prayer, don't choose a therapy, and don't choose a spiritual method. Look inwards and discover a point of contradiction within yourself. Stay faithful to the aura and presence of the contradiction. Hold it gently in your embrace and ask it what it wants to teach you." Paradox abounds in Daoist literature because the Daoists are trying to get you out of your head, out of your rational approach to the world. Paradox attacks rationality. It is precisely the same tool as the Chan/Zen koan. This is why the sage appears like an idiot, unlearning is prioritized over learning, paradoxes are everywhere, and the best thing to do is nothing at all. The one who plans, the one who studies, the one who wants to change anything or intervene is precisely what is blocking the natural flow and rhythm of the Way.

Daoism, Buddhism, Confuscianism, Mohism, and others have been blended quite extensively in Chinese philosophy and culture. I think the best way to try and find a purely Daoist approach is to find a credible teacher of Daoist meditation and to practice. My teacher always discouraged us from studying and reading and felt that it was a waste of valuable practice time. While the concepts we can learn from Daoist writings are valuable and sensible, the experiential practices take you directly to the source which is untainted by concept. To know the Dao, we need to give up the seeking. Not at all a tall order, this is precisely the role of meditation in Daoism. You are already a pure manifestation of the Dao, you're just not aware of it. While the Dao may be unspeakable, I would disagree that it is unknowable. You can also get a taste from other experiential practices - neigong, qigong, internal martial arts

It is truly a wonderful place. I find wisdom here, beauty, love, as well as frustration, ignorance, and pain. It is a place where I can look more closely at myself as I experience such things in my interaction with others. I feel that it has helped me to grow and for that I am grateful to Sean, to all the past, present, and future mods, and to all of the members, especially those with whom I disagree. _/\__/\__/\_

Who is to judge if another is realized? One way to look at it is that all true creativity comes from a place of realization. By that I mean that creativity is a spontaneous expression of an aspect of ourselves that is beyond that which we identify with as self. We see this in all forms of creativity, be it artistic, scientific, expressions of love, genuine relationship, and so on. If you are ever in Baltimore, Maryland seek out the American Visionary Arts Museum. It is a museum dedicated to self-taught artists who have grown through vision rather than formal education and is filled with the art of self-realization. I ever in Italy, try to visit Damanhur in the Piedmont, a community of spiritual seekers and artists. Alex Grey Reverend Albert Lee Wagner Sermet Aslan Gerald Hawkes The spiritual, artistic community of Damanhur in Piedmont, Italy

People often lie, both to themselves and others. The lies are an expression of their own ignorance and insecurity. It is not about you. Women are naturally more intuitive and sensitive than men. That is what you are feeling. Be genuine and empathetic in your thoughts and feelings. The mind is good at noticing and attaching significance to things - numbers, associations, and so on... Whether or not there is significance is mainly a matter of projection, IMO. While it is good to notice and be open to your intuition, I think it is an unnecessary distraction to be too focused on such things. My connection is with crows. They sometimes teach me things but mostly we simply share a moment of connection here and there. Celibacy can be a useful tool for some at certain times in their lives. In and of itself, it is not of much value. It does not sound as if it is healthy for you at the moment. Marijuana can be a useful tool for some at certain times in their lives. While is can be a source of opening to deeper feelings and interrelationships, it can be very possessive and misleading. For me it is far more unbalancing and distracting than supportive or instructive. The problem seems to be that it emphasizes the illusory value and primacy of the thinker. That one is already far too strong and domineering, and needs no help. I agree with Michael that you would be better off abstaining at this point. Many of the things you describe suggest a disconnectedness to me. Celibacy and marijuana accentuate that powerfully, as does social media and anonymous interaction. Antidotes to that are real community and social interaction, mind-body practices, and sobriety. Good luck

Through awareness, openness, and persistence. Be aware, allow whatever arises to come, and allow it to go. Then simply continue to rest as you are. Labeling and making distinctions between patterns and forms that arise is grasping, it is not meditation. Labels and distinctions will arise and should be let go just like the patterns that are being labeled.

Yin and yang aspects define one another. Without one, there is no frame of reference to appreciate the other. If one is always subjected to cold, never heat, cold has no meaning. Ugliness defines beauty and vice versa. If you spend your life in the dark, dark has no meaning... it only has meaning in relation to light... and so forth. In this sense the two are inextricably related and also, in this sense, one is at the heart of the other as mentioned above.

I suspect it is because that they achieve that state naturally, through their commitment and full immersion in their activity. They may not think about identification but if the intellect creeps in, if they disconnect, they lose that edge. Zhuangzi's parable about the archer speaks to that quite well. When an archer is shooting for funHe has all his skill.If he shoots for a brass buckleHe is already nervous.If he shoots for a prize of goldHe goes blindOr sees two targets –He is out of his mind.His skill has not changed,But the prize divides him.He caresHe thinks more of winningThan of shooting –And the need to winDrains him of power.~Chuang Tzu I experienced it long before any meditative or spiritual training. It can happen in any number of circumstances, for me it was mostly in music (both playing and listening) and martial arts practice. I think the level of familiarity with the activity is one way to allow us to achieve that mental state. It can take the place of the spiritual perspective I referred to. However, one doesn't have to exhibit mastery of a skill to be in the zone. A child can be fully "in the zone" while playing with a toy. Of course, skill sets are needed to play Beethoven but one can be in the zone beating on a drum for the first time in their life in a drum circle. The zone is the internal connection, not the external product, IMO. The external product is a side effect.