Vajrahridaya

Death is really just a voyage to another life. Just like the death of one thought leads to the other, directly or indirectly linked to the prier thought. Death is an illusion of perception, even the physical elements move on to feed new life. The mind or energy of the individual move on to manifest a new life in either higher or lower dimensions or this very same or similar one depending on how these energies have focused. This fact of life can be experienced in the 3rd to 4th meditative Jhana as well as between the 4th and 5th Jhana directly. Jhana means meditative absorption. I find there is a lot more to what a person believes in then merely the surface of we are merely all bodies. I don't find that we are actually bodies much at all, and even bodies aren't really bodies either, physics speaking.

I don't know if they specify?? I can't remember, I haven't seen the movie in quite some time.

Nope, Buddhists focus on the removal of suffering by seeing that it's merely a delusion in perception. Thus the 4 noble truths, and only the first one says that there is suffering on a relative level to the second noble truth, the one which names it's relative cause as ignorance in some readings or craving in others. So basically an educated Buddhist understands that suffering only exists relative to one's ignorance of the nature of things. The other 2 noble truths focus on it's removal and the complete freedom from suffering that is understood directly through including the 8 fold path into ones life. These include the 8 Jhana or bliss states of meditation for cultivating incredible joy of form to formless degrees and finally freeing oneself from attachment to these as well, even while enjoying and mastering them fully. You do need to read more.

Not very Buddhist to me. Yes, but without excusing responsibility.

Nice play on the Buddhas words, "Paths are made for traveling and not destinations." Which of course is a relative truth in fact, but a nice revelation of insight.

Once again your fundamentalist dogma disagrees with reality. There is no inherent reality, only relativity and if one is always enlightened of this fact, there is only continuous joy in ever changing visions, tastes, smells, sounds, thoughts and feelings.

Only for those that mis-understand the Buddhas teaching. Which plenty of Buddhists do.

Based upon connection to infinite regress and emptiness, not as one or two, just thus. Of course. From William Blake's poem The Marriage of Heaven and Hell: "If the doors of perception were cleansed every thing would appear to man as it is, infinite. For man has closed himself up, till he sees all things through narrow chinks of his cavern."

I try to all the time... all the time. I rather try to surrender to the mirror... excuse the inadequacy of language here. I like playing in shallow sandboxes with wide fields of mud to work with... You can build very high towers in the middle with such a vast supply of wet Earth.

As long as it means all the facets of life, like walking, talking, brushing one's teeth, pooping, and not just sitting on the cushion? Then yes...

It's definitely not enlightenment then and merely an experience on the path of life. Sure, this can happen.

Thus you remain conditioned by your own limited thoughts, feelings and interpretations. As the Buddha taught, there are different degrees of enlightenment and there are also different degrees to what people want from spirituality. I find the different traditions reflect this fact very deeply and sometimes only subtlety. Though enlightenment can happen anywhere, to anyone... there are traditions that speak more genuinely about what it's about. But, there are both serious students with open and brilliant minds and students filled with short comings in their interpretations located in any spiritual tradition.

I would also like to comment that taking an extended retreat into the mountains and leaving behind all ones wealth, family and positions in order to more fully discover how one's mind ticks and how nature works is not an easy task at all, for the vast majority that is. We also don't know at what point during an inner process these video's were taken of any of the particular "hermits". As... sometimes during retreat, you are very joyous for long periods of time, and then for a short period, you see something within that is disturbing and is coming to light. Some of these hermits might have been having some great inner things happening and didn't appreciate being let out of their cave during that time to talk with a naive Western seeker as well. They are after all "Hermits" looking within, away from the world for the sake of higher learning. Some of them did indeed seem quite enlightened and quite happy to share their realization of whatever. Others might have just been happy to see a camera as well? You know... one shouldn't think so black and white here.

I would also like to comment that taking an extended retreat into the mountains and leaving behind all ones wealth, family and positions in order to more fully discover how one's mind ticks and how nature works is not an easy task at all, for the vast majority that is. We also don't know at what point during an inner process these video's were taken of any of the particular "hermits". As... sometimes during retreat, you are very joyous for long periods of time, and then for a short period, you see something within that is disturbing and is coming to light. Some of these hermits might have been having some great inner things happening and didn't appreciate being let out of their cave during that time to talk with a naive Western seeker as well. They are after all "Hermits" looking within, away from the world for the sake of higher learning. Some of them did indeed seem quite enlightened and quite happy to share their realization of whatever. Others might have just been happy to see a camera as well? You know... one shouldn't think so black and white here.

As a Buddhist, I kind of agree. Not all the hermits seemed very realized in my opinion, though some definitely were highly realized as well. The more enlightened hermits who emanated their attainment very much inspired me through the film though. The scenery and music was very nice but the "white" guy though a seeker, was definitely a beginner. This is all fine, but the film reflects this enough to make it not one of my favorite Buddhist movies. I like "Yogis of Tibet" way, way better as a Documentary, and the masters in the Movie are very, very deeply enlightened. IMHE and O. Here is a link to the entire movie online. Yogi's of Tibet

What I mean is there is no more unconscious. There is no more non-awareness about the cause or intention of ones thoughts and actions. If you are enlightened, you have turned the light on in your closet and you have dug up all your bones.

Read the suttas. The Buddha talks about enlightenment being the illumination of all shadows.

Fabulous insight! I concur. To Everything there is a Season... turn, turn, turn, turn. To everyone as well.

Also... to say more. Through sitting meditation one can go more places in a shorter amount of time and see more things in a single second than one can through the 5 senses. But, enlightenment is also about integrating the inner experiences of meditation with the outer action of world living. The time for retreat into the mountains only benefits the coming into mundane activities of the normal populace as it did for me, and some will find a home taking retreat in the mountains and many will realize the way of true joy this way as well.

Yeah... your perspective must be pivoting on some inner dogma or block. I've seen Amongst White Clouds and didn't get anything like what you got at all. I don't think you are actually opening up to a wise viewing of the video. In fact, I know that you are not. But, as long as you are following a good spiritual tradition that benefits you and others around you for the positive... then... eh. Wow! Yeah... you ain't getting it... not meant to yet I suppose. :lol: These guys have more joy on the tips of their fingers than you know... but ok.

You must be looking wrong. check this link out... Amongst White Clouds I've seen the video and saw nothing but blissful wisdom!! Yogis of Tibet Here's another link of some blissful Buddhists. Now, "blissing in" is not going to show outside, mostly it's just a deep inner depth of calm that is deeeeeeply blissful within and the face of the person will not show a smile at all. But, when they smile, it's an aaaamaaaazing smile! It has nothing to do with the teachings. But, if you've experienced the deep quiet bliss within, that has no outer reflection, then you know what I mean. Though I do prefer the Yogis of Tibet of the Vajrayana Tantrics... Sometimes unhappiness is merely in our way of looking and not in what we are looking at. On the deepest inner level, that's the whole truth actually. This is why Buddhism is all about perspective and the things we seem to do externally in discipline is really about changing the inner way of seeing or interpreting the things outside.

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Yes, there are so many Taoist Masters that do just this as well. The longing for seclusion and just to "bliss in" during practice retreat is a great, great longing that doesn't come across too many human beings.

This kind of mental dogma as posted above is like a personal religion of delusion. You haven't studied much outside of your set of attached preferences, have ya? Buddhism is about realizing the freedom inherent in selflessness, and freedom from unconscious rebirth. None of your view is actually what the Buddha taught, it's just what you think the Buddha taught. Two entirely different things that cannot be equated unless you take certain sentences completely out of context. EDIT: The Buddha also taught that enlightenment is the freedom from all shadows, or "dark sides" as you put it. This really means perspectives based on ignorance, and has nothing to do with the black and white thinking that you are expressing.