doc benway

I agree with one qualification - I propose that most Dao Bums would recognize Nisargadatta, Ramana, and Shakyamuni if they met. People who are deeply connected to the source radiate it, even through their anger. Our egos squawk at each other as best they can in words here. We would behave differently in the flesh. Now, if a Buddha was with us here, in words only... then I'm not so sure she would be recognized . Wisdom _/\_

Thank you for sharing. I haven't encountered this excerpt to my recollection but I see this principle play out in my own life in so many ways.

One relatively simple and accessible approach is derived from the Bön dzogchen teachings that virtue referenced. It is the practice of the 3 Doors as taught by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. I would recommend his book Awakening the Luminous Mind. The first half of the book teaches the 3 Doors practice and the second half focuses on the 5 Line Teaching of Dawa Gyaltsen, an 8th century dzogchen master. Once the True Mind is precisely identified and somewhat stable, the 5 line teaching is a formula to get there from any situation of distraction and disconnection. Sustaining is largely a matter of familiarity. We come back to this Mind over and over again. Best to start with short, high quality sessions then gradually increase the time spent in practice. The time in that state is far less important than the precision.

I studied Daoist practices for a long time and then found Tibetan Bön practices. There are a wide variety of practices that have been very effective for me.

I don’t know him well but a friend played some of his stuff at a party and it was sort of ambient electronic with a nice reggae beat.

If you like these genres, are you familiar with Richard Dorfmeister?

Tempting...

Good article, thanks

Made me laugh AND think of DaoBums

In fact, explicitly offering an opinion is better than stating an opinion as if it were fact... This tendency to mistake our opinions for some universal truth is the cause of so many conflicts.

I’m glad you’re here Nungali

Beginner’s mind... 🙏🏽 So many identities, so little time! 💀

If it feels right to you If that feels better If that feels right to you... There are many health benefits to a barefoot lifestyle, particularly related to the feet, ankles, knees, hips, and back. When you must Depends on where you are walking and the condition of your feet. Sandals are a good thing, I wear Lunas a lot - hiking, running, walking... It's OK, the very nature of energy is movement and flow. Don't get hung up on "storing" it or "building" it. Just maintain a healthy lifestyle - unprocessed foods, lots of clean water, vitamins as needed, adequate rest and exercise, and good breathing habits. Also, some meditation. Energy takes care of itself. It's all good... If you think wearing socks, shoes, or a mat make a difference when you are an eating, shitting, breathing, mobile appendage of our Mother Earth, knock yourself out! The objective of Daoism is a deeper and closer connection to the Dao, the source... Closer... not insulated from. Where people got the notion they need to insulate themselves from the Earth is beyond me. I think it's mind games.

Edit - I typed this while dwai posted. So take it as my answer... very synchronistic! 🤣 So I look at all of the phenomena and I find nothing in particular, no self out there. But at the same time, everything is there. Then I turn the light back on itself... I look at the source of my awareness directly, not analytically, that is critical. No images, stories, emotion. Simply observe the observer directly. The observer and the observer it is observing can’t be sustained for long. They dissolve and that is emptiness. But all is clear and vivid! Nothing is missing, nothing to be added, and in that instant is direct introduction. I stick with that for as long as possible. I maintain that clarity and presence. That is it... In our tradition they say when when you look back at the observer both dissolve in the base ... all that arises is dynamic play of energy, union of openness and awareness. That’s “self-knowing” or rigpa. That’s where we take refuge. That’s the lifetime practice. Simple... challenging

You’re right, it doesn’t vanish but it is so subtle that the slightest mental activity or identification obscures it until it becomes very familiar and stable. At that point we are less easily disturbed. It goes a bit deeper than focusing on phenomena or not. It’s also a matter of being identified with a self in all its gross and subtle forms. Maybe you include that when you refer to phenomena as that is sort of an internal phenomenon. Another aspect is that it’s not so much focusing on the presence or absence of the natural state, that already implies duality. Looking for it, it is gone. It is more of a deep resting or opening and allowing it to show itself when it is ready. It’s a settling into clarity very much like sediment settling in a pond until the water is crystal clear. “I” am the sediment. My nature is the clarity.

I think one needs historical perspective to understand his appeal. Trungpa was one of the first teachers to bring Tibetan Buddhism to the West. Whether he walked the walk or not, the teachings he gave were revolutionary and empowering to the people connected with him in the early days. We see lots of examples of people who can share a powerful message but don’t necessarily live it themselves. I’m not defending, he hurt a close friend of mine deeply. Abusers of spiritual authority need to be exposed and brought to justice. Nevertheless, he did turn a lot of Americans on to authentic dharma teachings.

It is interesting though. I once read a study that was able to demonstrate that our neuromuscular system has already “primed itself” for action before consciousness has even made the decision to act. Nevertheless, that decision maker feels very really most of the time and should not be discounted. It’s quite a powerful illusion.

For me, yes... most of the time.

It only matters if you are interested in being unconditioned vs being conditioned... The difference is a matter of freedom and liberation. In Buddhist terms it’s the difference between samsara and nirvana. In Daoist terms it’s a matter of wu wei and de. Does it really matter? I guess it’s a question of does it matter to each of us? PS - it does to me

In the Tibetan paradigm, any activity or decision done in that meditative equipoise is spontaneous activity of the natural state - tsal. It is the lively, energetic display of the union of space and awareness. No one and no thing is doing it, it is simply happening. And the tricky part is that it is seeing itself happening. No one is watching. It’s subtle and not everyone has the karma to really feel it but even if you don’t feel it you are always it - every bit as much as the Buddhas and Immortals of the 3 times. edit - and to your point, IF you have precisely experienced it in meditation and have developed certainty (that is called direct introduction); then it needs to be stabilized and then brought into daily activity in a progressive manner. Any time the decision maker or question asker shows up, back to ignorance. PS - there is an online course teaching this very principle coming up soon - http://shenten.org/en/component/content/article/73-shenten/448-dzogchen-meditation-practice Probably best suited for people with some dzogchen experience but I think it’s open to all No where, it is not a thing that can move, it is the unbounded expanse in which all things move. It does not come and go. It has no point of reference, boundary, or direction. What waxes and wanes is the ignorance.

The question about decision making does not apply. When one is resting in a state of unconditioned awareness, the decision maker is not active. Thoughts, feelings, and ideas may come and go but they don't linger and they don't guide activity or decision making. Once the decision maker enters, the experience is no longer unconditioned. Until you get a direct taste of that, it is unlikely to make sense no matter how many questions you ask or how many insightful answers you get.

I mentioned ChiDragon in another thread because he is exploring what toni is looking for. I think his interpretation and experience are limited and somewhat narrow-minded but not inaccurate. Here is a far more sophisticated look from my Chen taijiquan teacher, CP Ong. I think you would really like his book. https://www.amazon.com/Taijiquan-Cultivating-Strength-C-P-Ong/dp/061587407X He has also published a few short articles on the subject you may find interesting: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Cp_Ong

I find it a wonderful irony that I come here to connect deeply with others and yet that is only possible if I am able to look more deeply at myself. My greatest lessons are when I see through my expectations, my projections, and especially my certainties. The only thing better about being here is getting to know some wonderful people.

Yes, no limit to what arises in life. The one who does all the doing is not so active when in that state of peace. Therefore nothing to interfere with whatever arises in each moment. No one there to not want to do things... things happen. Like Nungali, that state comes and goes for me but is much more familiar and present than in the past. You are speaking of unconditional happiness. It is the joy and wisdom of our natural and unconditioned state. So one thing important to understand is that the interference (presence) of the mind, the thinker that is asking your question, is the very obstacle to what it is trying to understand. The intellect can never understand this state, but awareness can experience it. We create a projection of our fantasies and use that as a reference point for this “state.” But the state we are referring to is literally beyond all reference points. We can’t describe it but can give instruction to move towards the experience. The experience occurs without the strong and defined sense of self involved, theoretically no sense of self but that is another abstraction and projection of fantasy unless you’re a Buddha or Immortal. When we think about what such a state is like, we make assumptions rooted in our unfamiliarity that don’t apply. If you are content, why NOT do something? And most importantly, who are you referring to that does or does not? That one is not engaged so the question doesn’t really apply in the first place. If we live in relation to others, to a society, things come up naturally and spontaneously. We embrace what comes up and let it breath. It takes care of itself in a natural way. One certainly can lockup in a cave and do nothing. It is not such a natural thing for a person to do but it can be good training. One can equally live whatever life presents fully without being shut away. The other piece is that the unconditioned state has its own intelligence that far exceeds the intellect. In my tradition it’s called an Inner Refuge. A part of this process is first making a connection, then developing confidence in its intelligence, and letting life flow.