doc benway

Care must be taken to avoid creating experiences with your mind based on descriptions and expectations. That can be a serious pitfall. Confirming and discussing results with the master is important, but the teacher knows it is equally important to allow the experience to be genuine and i contrived and will not give away too much. This is one reason why the classics are often so abstruse.

I think and talk more like a Buddhist now than I did then, no doubt. What occurs in practice defies categorization or imputation, however. I used that word with silent thunder for a specific reason.

Some discuss it as both, an initial construction and then a transcendance or release of the construct; though they generally focus on the constructive part until that stage is complete.

Actually I didn't present a Buddhist perspective. What I shared was my experience with neidan before I encountered Buddhism. The birth of the Immortal Foetus is the birth of Awakening. The Rainbow Body is the result of full maturation of Awakening which transcends form and formless.

Fractal landscape created using ontogenetic models.

There comes a time when the fortunate practitioner and their creation encounter something more pervasive and more certain than either. All construction and agent of construction are released in to the void of unbounded potential. Wu wei is the unimpeded flow of the unbounded. Immortality is the lifespan of the undifferentiated and unbounded and ultimately transcends all form and name. This is the return.

I share your love of musical improvisation. A great way to practice integration of resting in the Nature of Mind with body, speech, and mind. A stepping stone to integration of other types of activities for me.

Near the Intercontinental divide at ~ 4,000 meters

Lunas over the Hudson, from the top of Popolopen Torne

I like to gaze at the sky and take photos... Prospect Preak overlooks the Great Cacaphon and Potomac valleys

Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche wrote a wonderful book on this called Spontaneous Creativity. I did a workshop with him a few years ago that combined meditation (rushen) practices with creative expression. The expression can come from the negativity of our samsaric experience or from the source itself. In the retreats he guides, we often reserve an evening for sharing such creative expressions It’s a lot of fun.

Hilma af Klint Paintings for the temple, 1906 -1915 Three representative samples pictured here from a group of 193 in the series. She is widely considered the first of the abstract painters in Europe. Her works were rooted in her experiences with spiritualism for a time.

I agree and I also feel it is important for each of us to try and identify what we need to help us progress. The right balance between the two for any given individual may not be an equal balance. I know that I tend to be too much in my head, very much an intellectual, and I have progressed far more through experiential practice than through reading and study. I was very fortunate to encounter teachers in both Daoism and Bön who emphasized the experiential, allowing me to come to this realization. I'm told by both of them that over-intellectualization is a very common defect among Westerners, whereas the opposite tends to be the case in the East. I can't verify this but it makes sense and has been my personal experience. PS - I suspect this is likely the case for anyone who is a frequent participant in online discussion groups!

My Daoist teacher was openly and explicitly opposed to reading and study. He actively discouraged it and considered it a waste of time that would be better spent in meditation or other non-academic pursuits. Along those lines, I've never seen or heard of any English translations of any writings in our system. That lack of access to scriptural resources may be a part of his position. The primary reason, however, seems to be a recognition that most Westerners are far too much in their heads and concepts whereas the majority of personal growth in the Daoist arts he valued (primarily internal martial arts, qigong, and neigong) occurs through direct experiential training methods. My Bön teachers have a very different mindset. In Tibetan culture education is highly respected and valued as are teachings, both written and verbal. Books are treated with reverence, as are teachers. Reading and studying, especially Dharma, are considered among the most blessed activities one can engage in. The effects are, of course, intellectual growth primarily. Practical benefits are also possible. All practitioners are encourage to engage in both intellectual and non-conceptual practices and the combination seems to be considered superior to either alone. The general instruction is that we need to hear the teachings from a qualified master, then put the teachings into practice in our day to day lives until we have some type of realization, then we need to check our own understanding and realization against what is present in the tantras and scriptures and make sure they agree. A third perspective comes from my, admittedly limited, exposure to Judaism. Much of the esoteric content and practices have been lost or abandoned in mainstream Judaism. One factor was the diaspora. Jews largely eschewed the mystical traditions in an effort to integrate into largely Chrisitan societies. Another factor is the long and obscene history of pogroms leading up to the holocaust which took many of the greatest teachers and their esoteric and practical knowledge from us prematurely. Consequently, Judaism tends to emphasize the intellectual. Reading and study are highly valued and have been elevated to a high art and science. Scriptures and texts are revered and studied on multiple levels using a variety of specialized techniques, such as gematria. On the other hand, while prayer and practical activity as a manifestation of the divine are important, many Jews feel that there is somewhat of a vacuum in Judaism when it comes to experiential practices. This was beautifully captured in the book The Jew in the Lotus by Rodger Kamenetz.

None taken Can’t take this stuff too seriously if it’s all just empty!

Excellent, always helpful when different teachings converge for us and don’t contradict each other. I can see your point and suspect you are correct regarding Reggie’s usage of “false.” This translation was done by Kurt Kreutzer, as I recall. Brown’s translation is also excellent. His recent series of Bönpo publications has been wonderful. Jean Luc Achard has also translated the 21 Nails. He told me it was going to be published about 2 years ago... still waiting.

The one that comes to mind is the 21 Nails - Self-originated primordial wisdom is the base. The five poisonous mental afflictions are the dynamic energy. Chasing after them is the way you are deluded. Viewing them as deficient is the error. Leaving them as they are is the method. Freeing them into vastness is the path. Non-duality is the realization

Nice quotation. I question the following bit... "Objectifications and solidifications of nondual awareness" may not be the full story, but this does not make them false. They are our life experience and are very true for us in our current form of existence, dualistic or not. I think it's more accurate and useful to refer to them as the display of the base rather than false. To see them as false is the error, according to the dzogchen texts. The other point is that asking a Westerner, whose life up to this point has been devoid of any context to give the unseen world and beings meaning, to simply accept the rich and complex pantheon of Tibetan beings is a very tall order. It is likely to cause as much confusion and distracting complication as be supportive. We need to come to these things gradually and with the right frame of mind and heart and in our own time. The cultural context is important. As I alluded to earlier, Buddhism became what it is in part to let go of much of the Hindu cultural baggage. Why now grasp onto the Tibetan cultural baggage? Lots of interesting questions and challenges to consider.

What you are proposing would no longer be Buddhism. Kind of like saying would Christianity still be effective if everyone stopped believing in Christ...? I don't think its useful to ask "what the minimum would be" in a general sense as that is undefinable. What counts is what is needed for a given individual at any given time. That is widely variable which is why there are so many different approaches within the Buddhist umbrella. Also why it's often said to take what is supportive from Buddhism for us and leave what is not. While a drop of rain may be unlikely to bring instantaneous enlightenment, it may bring one into the present moment. That alone is a profound benefit and, for me, at the heart of the Buddhist path. Yes - taking more seriously our relationship to whatever practices or teachings speaks to us is what matters. Seeing the effects in our lives is the measure. Being honest with ourselves about all of this is the requirement.

Maryland bobcat

No I think it’s more a matter of what the individual needs and what they are capable of. A single phrase or a drop of rain can be enough. And all the Dharma sometimes not.

Not sure this teaching resonates with me. I feel like there are, and have always been, counterfeit teachings throughout the world as well as true teachings. Just as there are true and counterfeit teachers. Just as there is both gold and counterfeit gold. Why would one exclude the other?

Luna sandals were developed by one of the characters in the book, inspired by the Tarahumara... I have a pair with the long laces that circle the ankles but the higher tech model in my earlier photo are just a bit easier to use and more comfortable.

I read a marvelous book - Born to Run It talks about the human body being specifically adapted for long distance running. This gave us our competitive edge, leading us to be the dominant species on the planet - for better or worse. ... PS - I wrote this note, got sidetracked and didn't post it until after you replied with the same book!

and I miss winter last thought to cross my mind 'fore the icicle fell