Vajrahridaya

As a Buddhist, I do agree!

Yes, which is why I recommend having the experience through spiritual practice without chemicals. I've done the chemical rides for sure and they can be beautiful and helpful to a degree. But, when our practice is helped by the grace of enlightened lineage, there is ease and a feeling of a knowing force behind you that helps with knowing what you need so that nothing is over taxing or overly shocking outside of the blissful shocking experiences that do in fact liberate and then integrate. If the experience of transcendence is not coupled with bliss, it might just be a deterrent to further exploration? Which is why I have not done I-ow-aska. LOL! I've done Peyote though in a traditional setting and it was nothing different from the after experience of an intense meditation session. Just an open clarity of body and vision. It probably wouldn't have been so crisp maybe, if I hadn't of experienced this through the practices of Buddhism. But, then again... it is the Peruvian tradition to use these things as a spiritual practice. I just don't know how perfect of a method it is, and how many truly and fully enlightened beings this method has produced? Thus far, I am a bit questioning of it's "over-all" validity. I've only met pretty crazy Shamans, so again, the question of subjectivity arises. But, again... I'm also not fully realized.

The objectivity expressed in spiritual traditions is always expressed subjectively by beings who have transcended themselves, so they are free from subjective projections which arise from an inner sense of lack. This sense of lack is the cause of craving, which conditions perception within the scope of ideals. So, we then start projecting our ideals onto the universe around us and stop seeing with clarity and open objectivity. Even though objective vision is possible, it's still expressed through the subject that has self transcended. To explain this is a box of nitty gritty. Namely the entire cannon of Buddhism is one example of how vast the nitty gritty can be in both philosophy and methodology of how to directly experience and transcend this seeming paradox of subject/object duality, while remaining a subject in the universe.

Yes sure... I can agree with that. I am also one that has debated with people against using the word "natural" as an intellectual or emotional excuse to suffer psychologically. That's not the connotation I am utilizing though. .................................................................................................................. To answer the overall question though. I would say psychological suffering is merely ignorance of the true nature of all things and beings. Uh oh!

Not in my opinion. Because the realization is seeing how things truly are, how they truly arise and how they are truly empty of any inherent nature other than the nature of endless dependencies. It's not the conditioned nature, but rather the unconditioned nature that liberates, so it's not dependent origination, but seeing through it which liberates. From a point of view of discussion though this also arises dependent upon causes and conditions, as the inherent potential or Buddha nature is always there as a primary condition, but not as a thing, rather as a potential of awareness which is also a dependent arising and the secondary condition comes in like a mirror from a teaching from a great teacher, or a great teacher his or herself. Experientially though, this duality ceases to have preeminence. It's seeing that things are naturally dependent, and that they are naturally and inherently empty of any ability to either bind or liberate, thus one is liberated by realization of non-abiding nature and free from concepts of samsara (bondage) and nirvana (liberation). From here, one may offer endlessly and freely. So, again it's just phraseology, not necessarily a dogma. But, it's a phraseology that is used often enough in non-dual philosophies when discussing the state of liberation and it's said to be natural, because it's just seeing how things are in reality.

double whammy!

LOL! thanks... I was just making a joking statement, without any sense of judgement other than the obvious judgement of "hotness" I was attributing to the girl that the inappropriate yoga guy was trying to overzealously get to like him. He's really just insecure and totally oblivious to it. What I myself have been guilty of... of course. As I think we all have to one degree or another, unless we have some lurking life long, and born Buddhas amongst us?

Ignorance in Buddhism is in reference to ignorance of our true nature, which is whole and complete without having to think about it or reference it with something "other". The Buddha's first words after his enlightenment were, "The Mind and it's phenomena are pure and uncompounded since beginningless time". This means free from folly, free from concept, free from paradox, free from trapped in causation... liberated! Dzogchen takes this radical approach in saying that suffering is merely the mis-recognition of one's truly holistic and playful nature. We are complete and perfect, in the sense that we are inherently free from both craving and the idea of freedom from craving, just by seeing the empty and dependent nature of all systems of thought and systems of manifestation, systems of identification, systems of craving freedom from craving (religious tenet systems), which just compound our attachment to a subtle "I" that needs to "do", because what it identifies with, it thinks of as "mine". It's interesting though that when that experience or epiphany of freedom dawns, it's a sense of deeply relaxed bliss without grasping identity, there is no attachment for or rejection from. It's "aaaaahhhh" ease. We transcend and become completely eminent in the moment through the practice of recognition of what all this truly is without effort. It's the natural state. All these excuses of "human nature" are all just false identifications, and social conformity with habit patterns that are essentially self perpetuated due to false identities again perpetuated by society like a cycle. The freedom point happens through the break through eureka experience that we receive from a liberated master, dead or alive though it's easier if the teacher is alive, especially at first. The mind pointing, or pointing out instruction or inspiration from a teacher is crucial. There are various names, abhisheka (bathing in the clear waters), transmission, etc. Every spiritual tradition has this teacher disciple relationship at it's core, otherwise how does a tradition withstand the test of time and spread it's good wings across the planet? The highest form is when the student actually receives the essence of the Masters wisdom on a level that transcends all our dualistic ideas of "I" and "other", as well as transcending complete oneness. This is why when you read about the incredible masters of antiquity who talked about their life, they talk about their time of seeking and how they truly wished to find the greatest teacher of the greatest teachings, the one's that will set them free from psychological suffering and inspire them to be all that they can be, like one candle lighting other candles, one after another without itself loosing it's own power to shine, is really all a good teacher does. The potential is already there, but by his or her recognition of his or her own potential the inspiration naturally shines through many modes of expression. The great teacher is the inspiration that allows us to see what a human can be. In recognition of the true nature of all being.

LOL!!!

Are you kidding? The girl he was hitting on is the hottest!!

I don't doubt that at all! I've long known the goodness of Mung Beans.

They'll make your girlfriend horny. Was that inappropriate?

Both me and my girlfriend had swine flu. Though it was harsh and for periods felt like we were going to die. We survived. No shots for us. We don't believe in mercury filled vaccines. Thanks anyways.

I used Ham Sa. Ham on the inbreath and Sa on the outbreath. Then it switches sometimes to So on the outbreath and Ham on the inbreath. I used it for many years and it is a great help and still helps from time to time though I mostly use Oh Am Hum these days. Om on the inbreath, then a subtle Ah on the still merging inside breath focusing on the spinal column just before it goes back out into Hum.

My Mom read his book, being from South Africa. She thought it was interesting but taken with a grain of salt.

Well, we gotta use something to get these high truths down into the mud.

YAY!! Nac made a nice little chart to help people. Thanks Nac... a bodhisattva point to ya!! I'm serious, the most brilliant is sometimes the most simple, with clarifying asterisk next to each point! Perfect!!

Oh... all of a sudden the link works now. My internet is strange... Cool... your blessed to have gone to Bodh gaya! I hope to someday go myself. p.s. LOL! The link really didn't work on my computer, it went to "blank" then broken link... so odd that it happened to be a link to the 12 links description. Wasn't trying to be symbolic by the way.

Serene, Mudras aren't Hindu, they are just energy movements through your nadi's to expel things. Don't take them too seriously. Rejoice that something's happening in a good manor, but your mind is just being purified, that's all. These things Chinese do, Buddhists do... it's just popularized in Hindu culture, that's all.

That's a good story! I like it. Your link isn't working though??

Yes, but Dzogchen is very nuanced and our level of exposure is quite limited at this point. You would see if you would do the levels starting at the Precious Vase. Dzogchen was kind of given only to high stage bodhisattvas because they already were in Nirvana and Dzgochen transcends this Nirvana/Samsara dichotomy, the 2 truths dichotomy. But... Rinpoche is giving Dzogchen to loosers like us, so he has to be gradual about it and incorporate some Tantra. It is nuanced though with the subtler views on what to do once you've really realized the emptiness in every circumstance and when everything is already experienced as blissfully open. Dzogchen takes a high level bodhisattva the extra way in order to learn how to be a Tulku and project Nirmanakayas in many realms, and all sorts of very high up subtle techniques and siddhi's. We have a long way to go to really discover what exactly Dzogchen teaches.

Serene... Yes, that's right what Michaelz said above. Plus... some hatha yoga would help to do before meditation. Or just some mild pranayama. ...Do what the half naked guy is doing starting at 1 minute and 5 seconds. But, do it starting with the opposite arm, breathing in as the arm goes up, blocking that side of the nose and breathing slowly out as the arm goes back down, and then the other one, back and forth for 6 times, 3 times each side, then bending over with the breath coming in before you put your head to the ground 3 times and you have the 9 purification breaths that always calms and centers me. Men start with the right arm and women start with the left arm with the left leg over the right leg.

No, that's samatha, or jhana... stages of samadhi. You can do samatha by focusing on the tip of a candle flame with eyes half open, or a yantra, an image of spiritual geometry. or... Your breath should merge more in your belly or central chest area, then it kind of just opens up throughout the entire body. That space where it merges within, just before it goes out, from within the body, not within the nose. Concentration meditation is samatha, and insight meditation is vipassana. Whoever you talked to at the bookstore didn't understand so well it seems. You should get out of the house and go to a meditation place where people get together and meditate. If there's any of that around you?