doc benway

For people interested in or having a heart connection to Bön, this is another wonderful video. It follows Khenpo Gelek Jinpa, currently Khenpo at Shenten Dargye Ling Bön center in France, as he explores the roots of Bön and the Zhangzhung kingdom in the Mustang district of Nepal. Khenpo-la gives regular teachings at Shenten Dargye Ling, often accessible online since the onset of the Covid pandemic.

Don't know why, permissions same as other members, no active restrictions. Maybe @Trunk can help.

@Bhathen It appears that nothing is hidden. You can see 12 topics/threads. Within those 12 threads are a grand total of 79 posts. Does that clear it up?

flap, learning to fly get back up and try again Jesus, this is hard!

And those are precisely what the internal work associated with the 3 poisons target. In fact, my teacher refers to it as pain - short for karmic, conceptual pain bodies. When we encounter methods and teachings that work for us they are indeed precious.

Nothing you describe is an indication of a disagreement between the two. The teachings on the 3 root poisons are a practical method for cultivating health and realization, not a statement of universal ontology. These teachings do not negate the benefits and reality of natural processes at all. They describe the source of negative (and positive) emotions and patterns we may observe in our minds and lives, and offer ways to understand, transform, or liberate them, should that be of interest to a practitioner. In this case, ignorance has a precise meaning. The lack of recognition of the non-dual essence of reality. That is considered the fundamental poison at the root of all illness and suffering in the Bön paradigm. The awakening of non-dual wisdom (the opposite of this specific ignorance), is considered the source of all healing. Nothing more unhealthy than isolation, at any age. I don't think the causes of sickness are limited only to repressed (and suppressed) emotions. Expressed emotions can also be harmful, especially when that expression serves to reinforce and reify the negative emotions rather than relieve. Expressing of emotions can be violent and harmful to self and others. It can also be self-reinforcing. I have a friend that always complains about life. He claims it is a way to blow off steam but, in fact, the pressure is never relieved, it just continues to build. We're seeing the communal and individual harm of expressed emotion in social media. A vicious cycle of expressed negative emotion, retaliation, and escalation, like a digital forest fire, burning up relationships of all kinds. Profoundly unhealthy for individuals and the collective, IMO.

Aversion, attachment, and ignorance are the 3 root poisons in Bön. I’m not one to mix paradigms so much, not do I find much value in categorizing things as yin or yang in a static way so I’ll pass on addressing the second question.

In the Bön tradition, negative emotions are considered a major cause of illness and the 3 root poisons are the cause of negative emotions.

I have a bit more optimism about integration. I am encouraged by so many university programs opening their minds and curricula to alternatives to a formerly sole and rigid allopathic focus. A good friend runs a very popular program of meditation and energy practices in a major national cancer center. Most hospitals in my area now offer mindfulness programs for self care of staff and providers.I see more and more people asking about alternatives to pharmacology and surgery. I see the Dharma taking root in the US, Central, and South America, Europe, and the former Soviet nations, among others. Teachings that were once too secret and completely out of reach for 99.999% of people are now available at the touch of a button to at least 60% of the world’s population - truly miraculous. Many of these teachers and Dharma centers have the goods and are healthy and growing. No doubt the world of avarice and opportunism is adopting what it can to forward its agenda in both East and West but that is to be expected. I think when we look at the big picture, especially through the filter of media and hearsay, it can be frustrating and unpleasant. And certainly I am surrounded by frustration and ignorance daily. On the other hand, when I look at my personal connections and experience in the Dharma community and the expansion of open mindedness in my personal experience in the medical community, I feel lots of hope and enthusiasm. What’s important to me is more what I can personally do to improve the situation for myself and to those with whom I’m connected. Nothing more I can do. The more I focus on that, the less discouraged I feel about what seems to be impossible goals and frustrated expectations on a larger, more abstract scale.

At least traditional approaches emphasize and support personal responsibility and cultivation of health. Allopathic diagnosis and treatment is traditionally far too focused on the illness and the body, as you say, although that is changing (at a glacial pace).Too little support for the mind and energy. Too little support for healthy lifestyle and personal power and responsibility. Both have their roles in the modern world for me. Sadly it is challenging to make the most of either, albeit for different reasons.

That’s an interesting observation. The majority of Chinese nationals and Chinese Americans I come into contact with have far more confidence in allopathic medicine than TCM and qigong. I say allopathic because it’s certainly not limited to the west. Allopathic health care is very sophisticated in much of Asia.

I'll say this, your approach sure makes for easy parenting! ... Where do babies come from daddy? The Self! ....

For sure. If you recognize it, that is deeply meaningful. Otherwise it can come across as little more than a tautology, simply replacing the word mystery with the word Self. I have a good friend with whom I often have deep spiritual discussions. He would sometimes get frustrated with me as I was prone to playing the non-dual card. It can be used to easily short-cut just about any debate or discussion. It sensitized me to try to stay within the appropriate frame, absolute vs relative, depending on the nature of the discussion in order to have a worthwhile give and take. Yijing by its very nature is dualistic so I think it’s useful to stay in the relative frame when discussing it. Just my hang up perhaps.... 🙃

... and asks... The problem with that answer is that if you don’t directly know Self, it doesn’t explain anything and if you do, you wouldn’t need to ask the question in the first place.

I got vaccinated at the earliest opportunity, it was a no-brainer for me. I’ll take my chances with an m-RNA based vaccine over Covid with my risk factors and high exposure risk any day. On the other hand I do empathize with those who fear the vaccines and would rather take their chances with Covid. (edited to add —>) It’s difficult to expect much trust in our healthcare system when it is so pervaded by avarice and opportunism. Unrestrained, crony capitalism and healthcare don’t blend well. Count me among those who would not support mandatory vaccinations, especially when the vaccines are based in relatively new technology and have such short follow up. They do appear to be quite safe and effective but our experience is limited. Sadly, I don’t expect much concern for others or the collective in my country. Look at how we treat our elderly, our impoverished, our minorities, our children, our prisoners, our animals, our environment, our indigenous population, our neighbors, and look at our spending trends... I’ve always seen the national tenor as more of a libertarian tendency with a healthy dose of objectivism. I do bristle when I hear bullshit being spread like masks are dangerous or unhealthy and dehumanizing, they’re a rights violation, and so forth but I mostly keep my opinions to myself on the topic anymore. People will be as they are and I can only make choices for myself. As Anthony Demello said, I will paraphrase: each of us gets to live our lives as we see fit but we can’t expect others to live their lives as we see fit. On the bright side, Covid has provided limitless opportunities for practice and growth and an unprecedented lesson in impermanence for me.

Distrust is probably #1, along with lots of misinformation, disinformation, and an abject lack of integrity in media and leadership. Yes

That seems like a succinct and reasonably accurate description of the US mindset, IME.

No No but it may improve posture and alignment which may make you appear functionally taller No but it may help you to appear more youthful and preserve, even improve the senses Yes

Quoted and bolded for emphasis.

I feel the same about you and about the fragile and contentious nature of communication in the present time. My intention was not to attack or criticize your thread. You have been one of the most dependable and accurate sources of information on the subject since Covid began. On the other hand, I did feel a need to share my feelings even at the risk of coming across as upset or defensive. I feel neither of those things and continue to value your contributions here and our friendship. 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

I initially was not going to engage in this thread but circumstances have proven otherwise so here is my offering. This thread was started about 2 hours after I posted a thread to host prayers for India. Whether intentional or not, it felt like a counter-argument or invalidation of the intent of my thread which is why I moved that thread. My thread was not in response to the media campaign or to statistics or even the powerful images of death we've seen. It was in response to hearing from friends both here and in India who are deeply suffering and afraid for their lives and loved ones. I've recently been hearing from friends in Nepal about similar fears and terrifying experiences. I let go of counting and comparing the numbers and following statistics and media coverage of Covid last summer. I don't object to anyone who wants to continue to discuss and debate the science, the anti-science, statistics, politics surrounding Covid, and so forth, but none of that holds much weight for me at the moment. I just thought it worthwhile to share where I was and am coming from. I feel like we have potential here to create community and mutual support. At least that's why I'm here, not so much for information. Peace and good health to you all _/\_/\_/\_

I think this is a valuable and insightful approach. The thinking, calculating, controlling aspect of our mind wants answers. When it adopts those answers, it changes our relationship to whatever it is sparked our curiosity. When we think we understand something, there is a subtle (or not so subtle) sense of control or ownership, and a false sense of security, having settled the question in our minds. Not sure if that would have a positive or negative effect on our relationship to an oracle or the divine. There's a liveliness and a deference inherent in our relationship to mystery. It may be challenging to develop trust and faith in mystery but really what is important is to see the results. That is something that can help us cultivate trust.

He’s been there too...

In the deep blue sea Bioluminescent waves Caress inky shoals

Thank you for sharing 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽 I think you are right. For me a big part of living right is my practice.