Vajrahridaya
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Everything posted by Vajrahridaya
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Or, are you talking about attaining the Jalus, or Rainbow Body of light?
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Yes it is, because it is empty of inherent existence, so there is no one to grasp or is there anything concrete to grasp at. Liberation means free from the moment as well as the past and future in Buddhism, even if it's through the moment, referencing the past and seeing the future. Sure, but non-duality in Buddhism means not-two, it doesn't mean one. Enlightenment in Buddhism means having clear cognition, not setting up light as an ultimate identity. That would just be reifying a formless state of jhana. There is a story about the natives not being able to see the ships of Columbus' troupe, due to not even being able to conceive of the possibility to begin with. Emptiness in Buddhism means negating the tendency for grasping through concepts, emotions or spiritual power which allows for clear, or illumined cognitive awareness not hampered by this tendency for grasping at happiness through activity, even while activity is happening, which is the point of Nagarjunas' dialectic. Are you more talking about grokking? Or intuitively realizing, as free from the faculties of being while doing so through them? As in, being a Buddha means being free from being a Buddha as well. Anyway, it sounds like you are setting up an argument to justify monistic idealism. Are you setting up an infinite "light" as the ultimate identity, or Self of everything?
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Thanks for that, this is good.
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Are you just talking about emptiness? Because even the absolute is empty of inherent existence and if it has no relation with the relative, there is no creativity. Everything is absolutely empty but so is emptiness. When awareness touches this, there is luminosity, or a sense of clear light suffusing everything. Also, mind is faster than the speed of physical light and one can become aware of this through training. The only absolute I see that's uniform is emptiness and this transcends notions of light and darkness. But awareness of this is enlightening, illuminating, clarifying, etc. I used to make lots of references to quantum physics in my posts as well. What you say is interesting. I also like David Bohm. Yes, the present is also ungraspable. Sure, samsara rightly cognized is experienced from the perspective of nirvana. In it while not of it.
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I agree that those that think there is an ineffable self defining force that is unknowable are not teaching the path to liberation.
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White Tara meditation from retreat
Vajrahridaya replied to Machin Shin's topic in General Discussion
Obviously. -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
He knows this, but he knows this due to knowing through stringent scholarship what the teachings of the Tibetan lineages teach, as well as mind to mind transmission from various masters. He will always promote mind to mind transmission, but he always say's that the experience has to be grounded and contextualized through thorough scholarship in order for the experience to be understood, as well as to set up conditions of expression that work to help others understand the experience both intellectually and experientially. But, it's true that enlightenment is not contained in any of the scriptures, they are just pointing to "thusness" with subjectively interpreted accuracy, or not, arisen dependent upon a persons individual needs in the moment of that persons process. I say this as some people read the Buddhist texts and think it's talking about demonic things. Que sera sera. -
White Tara meditation from retreat
Vajrahridaya replied to Machin Shin's topic in General Discussion
You are wrong! None the less, I just go with Robert Thurman because he impressed me and GMR does not. This would be more of a subjective opinion than objective though. -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
Actually on the Buddhist boards, his job is to maintain the traditional Buddhist view for the sake of education. He's different in person. Believe me, he has realization. He's just a stern academic scholar online. -
White Tara meditation from retreat
Vajrahridaya replied to Machin Shin's topic in General Discussion
Maybe, I've met some people who were positively influenced by him. I just don't think he deserves the title per say, but that just might be due to my lack of direct contact with the person. Maybe he glows with unabashed wisdom? I don't know, but his x-good friend Robert Thurman, whom I have met, certainly does glow unabashedly so I'm more inclined to go with his opinion as he knows GMR better than I ever will. -
Buddha wasn't self lit either, he learned all the stages of meditation from form to formless from his 2 Hindu masters. I think this is a misinterpretation of "become a light onto yourselves" as you attain realization through yes, self recognition of your own nature, but it's always due to positive influence from outside which is reflective of your inner process, that this idea even takes place in the mind stream. Plenty who attain very high states in this life have done work in previous lives. Though of course, liberation through Tantra is available in this lifetime due to the process of transformation being more immediate than renunciation. I am a Dzogchenpa so the path of self liberation in the moment is considered faster than the paths of renunciation and transformation, even though one may integrate the first two while maintaining the self liberated view. But, there is no such thing as independent origination, also to equate teacher/student relationships as a long path is erroneous. Look at all of the Buddhas students who attained very high states of realization and look at Tilopas students as well, and so on and so forth. As well with Padmasambhava. Also, how do you know the information is fabricated? Can you read Tibetan directly? Though maybe there are some existent sanskrit texts to reference in Nepal? I'm not sure if your ideas are more in the hopes to reify your view of "Self-lit" or from actual scholarship with credential. It's always maintained that one can attain liberation in one lifetime through Tantra, though it can take as long as 7 lifetimes. There might be different interpretations here and there, but that's the interpretation I'm aware of. In Dzogchen they say it can take as long as 3 to 5 I think? But it's available in 1 lifetime if you are sincere.
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Where's the middle finger smiley??
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The problem of suffering when you don't believe in karmic rebirth
Vajrahridaya replied to Jetsun's topic in General Discussion
Are you available to look directly at your logical assumptions? -
How was he self lit? He independently originated enlightenment without inter-dependent influence? That's not true... From Wiki: Life Tilopa was born into the brahmin (priestly) caste – according to some sources, a royal family – but he adopted the monastic life upon receiving orders from a dakini (female buddha whose activity is to inspire practitioners) who told him to adopt a mendicant and itinerant existence. From the beginning, she made it clear to Tilopa that his real parents were not the persons who had raised him, but instead were primordial wisdom and universal voidness. Advised by the dakini, Tilopa gradually took up a monk’s life, taking the monastic vows and becoming an erudite scholar. The frequent visits of his dakini teacher continued to guide his spiritual path and close the gap to enlightenment. He began to travel throughout India, receiving teachings from many gurus: from Saryapa he learned of inner heat (Sanskrit: caṇḍalī, Tib. tummo, inner heat); from Nagarjuna he received the radiant light (Sanskrit: prabhasvara) and illusory body (Sanskrit: maya deha, Tib. gyulu) teachings (refer Chakrasamvara Tantra), Lagusamvara tantra, or Heruka Abhidharma); from Lawapa, the dream yoga; from Sukhasiddhi, the teachings on life, death, and the bardo (between life states, and consciousness transference) (phowa); from Indrabhuti, he learned of insight (prajna); and from Matangi, the resurrection of the dead body. During a meditation, he received a vision of Buddha Vajradhara and, according to legend, the entirety of mahamudra was directly transmitted to Tilopa. After having received the transmission, Tilopa embarked on a wandering existence and started to teach. He appointed Naropa, his most important student, as his successor.
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A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
There are so many better things to save my inner Aries fire for! Like my skateboard!! -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
Yes, you're right, that was pretty selfish of me, excuse my prideful slip. I re-read it with embarrassment. Ok, whatever... you know what you're suggesting. I wish you well. Maybe I am paranoid? Still, I feel that anyone not yet an Anuttarasamyaksambodhi does need enlightened lineage. It's absolutely helpful in way's not understood by most. Of course. -
How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?
Vajrahridaya replied to goldisheavy's topic in General Discussion
Yes, but it's individual minds, not all one subsuming mind of all. -
How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?
Vajrahridaya replied to goldisheavy's topic in General Discussion
We are generally blinded by our own blind spots, unaware where we are missing awareness, which is why it takes an objective viewer much farther along on the path to the equal nature that is in us all, to help us. You need lineage, GIH needs lineage. All this talk about not needing it is just intellectual ego building. It takes real humility to bow to lineage that knows already what it is you wish to know about yourself, not fake humility. If done with fake humility, then a person is learning nothing about the empty nature of their self "figuring out your existence." If we are all connected and equal in emptiness, that should not be too hard of a pill to swallow. If not, then one might stay rigid in this idea that "I am going at it alone finding out my existence because I own myself." Egotrip. -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
All, from unconscious to subconscious to conscious, even physical. It's all equally empty of static essence, thus malleable. -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
If it hasn't attained Buddhahood, it has never learned how to see through the appearances of it's stories or other minds stories which cross influences it's stories. Remember, there are endless minds. -
How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?
Vajrahridaya replied to goldisheavy's topic in General Discussion
It's not his translation it's from one of his main English scholars, the same one that did the first translation. I purchased it from the Kundrolling library in NY I think? -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
Omniscient about the nature of things, not omniscient about every nuance of everything and anything that ever was. I've stated this repeatedly over the entire time I've been here and you've argued with me many times about it and I've corrected your assumptions many times. I often wonder if you have the ability to learn anything new anymore? You seem quite rigid in your understanding, of course you probably think that of me... oh well. The term omniscience is an English term, so you keep wanting to project this English term over what the Buddha stated in Pali, and this won't work. It has to be contextualized. They don't mean the same thing. Be a little more flexible ralis, it will help your understanding of the flexible nature of all phenomena in general. -
How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?
Vajrahridaya replied to goldisheavy's topic in General Discussion
I think there is? I think I even have it but I haven't read it yet. I'll have to go home and check, I'm in a hotel right now. I've read enough of current elaborations by highly practiced scholars such as Namdrol to understand though, which collaborates with my own experiences and intuitive realizations of D.O. and the internal meaning of emptiness which cannot be explained very well it seems. As I keep being misunderstood. As is Namdrol misunderstood by plenty. He spends all day everyday just practicing and translating, as well as socializing with Dzogchenpas in Massachusetts near Tsegyalgar. I trust his experience and interpretation impeccably. He makes a living, being sponsored by the Sakya lineage to translate texts from Tibetan to English. -
How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?
Vajrahridaya replied to goldisheavy's topic in General Discussion
That statement, and the rest of it seems quite reflective of merely an intellectual comprehension of d.o. The Buddha realized D.O. after experience the 8 jhanas. Have you even experienced directly the Jhana of infinite consciousness? If not, how would you know what he is even referencing by the statement of "infinite consciousness.?" Much less D.O.? He himself said that this is also empty and dependently originated. Since you and GIH like to interplay consciousness and awareness. My interpretation is much more succinct, but you guys are having a hard time seeing it. Awareness is a product of sentience, they are not interchangeable if one want's to get into the nuances of what Dzogchen is talking about as coming from Vajrayana from Mahayana from Hinayana. You need to understand that people who studied Dzogchen also had studied all the other relevant information, sometimes in their many previous lives with great focus and avid attention before transcending those interpretations, they work as a progression. Even though Dzogchen is a stand alone path, that is only due to the fact that it has synthesized all the relative information from the lower vehicles. Also, you've only read Semsde texts, you haven't read Longde, or had direct secret transmission of Managde? Have you? -
A question to the Buddhist schollars.
Vajrahridaya replied to Seth Ananda's topic in General Discussion
I have direct experience. Don't pretend to know me through reading stuff here, or whatever you think you intuit through that. I've seen directly the big bang, and I've been a Brahma in the higher realms directly. I am still afflicted here through this physical peanut butter incarnation due to various subtle habit patterns, but I do know better. Regardless of whether you see that or not. Like I said, if there was a monistic essence, you'd be able to be absolutely omniscient about absolutely everything that ever was and ever will be as all things are this one awareness according to you. If the Buddha didn't even have this level of omniscience? Anyway... that's enough.