doc benway

One nice thing for me about the crisis, not Dharma related though. Before finding the Dharma, I was a devoted practitioner of xingyi, bagua, taiji, qigong, neigong, and Daoist meditation. Concern for my health has brought me back to spending time with taiji, qigong, and some neigong. I really missed it!

I think there are people waking up around the world. Not very many, perhaps, but it is happening.

Nice to have you around.

I recall a time when nearly all of the arguing, insults, and tension revolved around Buddhist discussion here. I recall people claiming it was somehow related to Buddhist practice and practitioners, and being quite derogatory. Well, it seems to me that us Buddhists (and Bönops) are quite peaceful lately and all of the shit-slinging is being perpetrated by so-called "Daoists" here... I for one think it has nothing to do with Buddhism or Daoism but with the proclivity of certain individuals that frequent internet forums. It's neither here nor there but I find it amusing...

My dharma practice has been my anchor during this crisis. My attachment to this life, my family, my profession, my ego... all have been shown to me in a much clearer way and they go much deeper than I ever before experienced. As of yesterday, I've taken time away from work and have committed to turning inward more, to deepening my practice. It's really interesting, my teacher decided late last year to take off the entire year of 2021 as a personal retreat. I recall feeling very jealous and wishing I was in a profession that would allow me to take an extended time off. When the shit hit the fan with Covid, I entertained the possibility of taking time off but ran into such powerful obstacles - the ego who feels like a whimp for hiding out while others are on the front lines, the one who doesn't want to let down his patients, his employees, and his partners. All this came up very powerfully and it was quite difficult to choose to take time off, even though I have several medical conditions that put me at risk of more severe Covid illness. Watching all of this play out was fascinating. The Bönpos have very interesting views on all of this based on the shamanic core of the religion. I've added a practice to my daily routine. The fierce mantra practice of the main Bön protector deity, Sipé Gyalmo - Queen of Existence, Mother of Space. OM A BHI YA NAG PO BED SOD SO HA

I have read of elderly patients with comorbidities making a full recovery. Beautiful that you called your brother! No better gift right now than a bidet. Thought of installing them in my house.

I’ve reached out to a number of folks I’ve been out of touch with for a while. It’s wonderful! One nice side effect was a get together with a group of guys so used to teach taiji with. We met in a park today, caught up, practiced some qigong and taiji. It was really special. I also opened a bottle of port last night from 1970. I was saving it for a special occasion. That is now. This pandemic is one of the greatest teachings we could ever receive - impermanence. I’ve got some comorbidities and could certainly be a statistic before this is over. No more time for silly bullshit and petty squabbles. No more time to put off things that are meaningful.

... or simple curiosity.

An important thing I've found is that reading about Buddhism is not Buddhism. The experiential practice opens into a dimension that is not touched by theory. I rarely read about Buddhism, other than transcripts of teachings related to practices I engage in. I must disagree with that. The backlog is addressed. More important is addressing its effect on us in the present time and whether we continue to manifest that which created the backlog as we move forward. On the sutric path, it is done through renunciation. Rather than continue engage in the dysfunctional patterns that have generated negative karma, they engage in generating merit and wisdom. This purifies the karmic debt, or backlog. On the tantric path, it is done through transformation of body, speech, and mind into the mandala of the deity which liberates it. On the dzogchen path, the backlog is not changed, suppressed, or analyzed, it is cut off at the root through resting into the view which allows it to liberate itself, effortlessly. No question about it, Buddhist practice is not psychotherapy. At first, there is an easing of the burden of day to day tension and pain. Then as we deepen and quiet the discursive mental activity we're faced with arising of deeper suppressed and repressed baggage. The backlog reveals itself and can be overwhelming. My Daoist meditation teacher warned me of the same thing when I was on that path. It is not isolated to Buddhism. If there is a tendency to mental illness, it's importance to have the support needed, be it therapy, friends and family, or even medication. My Daoist teacher once told me that a major reason for practicing meditation now is that we are relatively young and healthy and can face the backlog that comes up through practice. He said that everyone faces it eventually, we can choose to face it with the intention and support of our practice, our youth and health; or we can face it unexpectedly and unpreparedly in our old age when we're sick and frail. He mentioned this as a major cause of suicide in the elderly which represents the second peak in this cause of death.

Yes, I’ve had similar experiences. Dreams are wonderful. I practice dream and sleep yoga. When you cultivate the ability to become lucid in the dream and aware in deep, dreamless sleep the possibilities are endless!

Precisely! Not only thoughts, also images, emotions, memories, reactions to stimuli like physical discomfort, anything. When “resting in the nature of mind” all of that comes up, hovers there without creating any disturbance, and simply dissolves back to where they came. It’s often described as... thought come from Nature (of Mind), into Nature, and dissolve back to Nature. If we don’t grasp (push, pull, or hold) they’re like paint tossed into the air, no where to stay. Edit - that’s the functional meaning of emptiness for the practitioner

On the dzogchen path, the dust is taken as the very path itself. It is precisely the stuff we need to "work" with but it is the work of 'no-work.' As challenges come up we make no effort to push them away or change them. We simply acknowledge their presence, leave it as it is, and rest more deeply into the space and awareness of being. If we are connected to the source, the issues will self-liberate. Just like with wei wu wei, leaving it as it is does not mean to do nothing. It means to allow the right action, if any, to arise spontaneously from openness, from getting out of the way and allowing the movement and intelligence of the Way to reveal itself in its own way and its own time.

A lot of Buddhism in those words.... be careful!

Agreed The problem is that guessing at asymptomatic or unconfirmed case numbers is pure conjecture. All we have to go on is available data and it is very weak and constantly changing.

Worldwide it is about a 4% mortality rate right now based on numbers from the Johns Hopkins dashboard. Here is a nice and brief article about that. The tricky part is separating the mortality of the disease with optimal care from the higher rates seen when the medical systems are overwhelmed as we're seeing in Italy. This is why social distancing is so critically important.

All are welcome to comment AFAIC, be they Buddhist, Daoist, or Pastafarian.

Yes, they're quite real for nearly everyone. I work on them too. I shared this for two reasons - First, because you asked about whether the article is a good one re Buddhism. If we don't include some discussion of emptiness, we're leaving out an important part. Secondly, because emptiness is best looked at as a practical instruction, not a theory or philosophy. It refers to the fact that so many of our day to day problems are created in the mind. The one experiencing and creating these problems is not as solid and independent as it seems. It is a construct which arises in relationship to others and to situations. The current pandemic is a very powerful illustration of this interdependence. As such, there is a possibility of seeing our problems as less tangible, less substantial, making it a bit easier to deal with them effectively. While it may not resonate with you, it may with others so I thought it worth sharing. I hope you and your loved ones are well. Take good care.

Another important principle is that of Emptiness which means that there is no mirror, or mirror stand depending on the version, so where could dust collect? This is a very famous quote from a poem by Hui Neng the 6th Patriarch of Chan Buddhism. I'd suggest you read that if you like the dust analogy. Here is one version, there may be better - http://sped2work.tripod.com/huineng.html

Loved Dune! I found the next two to be OK but nothing like the first, and stopped after that. Never read anything after Frank passed. Some other sci fi series I'd recommend (older stuff): Dan Simmons' Hyperion series (4 books) Two book series by Mary Doria Russell - The Sparrow and Children of God John Varley's Gaia series

Pretty much my point. Many of us do tend to be reactive and impulsive in our posting. And misinformation and stupid crap to one is insight and obviously useful to another. Lots of unnecessary criticism and personal insults thrown around in multiple threads. And to tie it in to the topic of this thread, as we are locked down more and more let's try to be a supportive and friendly place where people can get a little relief from what's going on in the world rather than a place where emotions get inflamed and the tension and conflict boil over and stoke the flames even more.

I’ve been thanking my employees daily. They’re scared.

Not sure if this has been posted yet - https://infection2020.com/?fbclid=IwAR1SOlDvfilNKxVCSpVunp1vikShwPrM0GG-L9Fd9yuIebii6WxjIczKPU8

Definitely truth to this, just look at weather magick. In the other hand, what is posted by the new folks and how it is presented is equally responsible. If you want to hang out here, you need to deal with it as it is. It’s not likely to change much... The only thing we can change is our responses, how we treat others regardless of what they post.

First case announced at my local hospital, shit’s about to get really real. It was only real last week...