Vajrahridaya

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Everything posted by Vajrahridaya

  1. How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?

    Do you see how reactive you get over the term? Just wondering, it's clear as day to me. You're so caught up in being an authority yourself, to a degree you probably aren't even aware of yet.
  2. "Manifesting"

    I agree with everything you've stated. If only I could fully be that all the time, starting right now! I am a work in progress. When I made that statement about a million dollars I was more talking about "The Secret" club. There are good things that this club states, but there is also some delusion in there as well. It's cool that people are getting these ideas of self empowerment, but it's not a complete perspective in my opinion. Of course it, itself is a marketing ploy, and most people wouldn't be ready for more deeply nuanced perspectives. It's all a part of the global process anyway and it's not a bad part of it. I've just met some pretty delusional people toting it's teachings, strengthening their clinging to the illusion of the American Dream. Even though I agree that there is nothing wrong with abundance, internally and externally.
  3. How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?

    That would be Solipsism. Not Dependent Origination. We are co-creating.
  4. fanatical Buddhists

    I know you didn't ask me. But, all the stages of meditation I've experienced started out with Anapana, and just offering my thoughts to my breath. First your brain gets mushy with blissful energy and your whole body too, this increases in bliss... more happens as you progress in thought stilling. Believe me, I know I seem all intellectual now, but it's just how I express my experiences which is a new phenomena for me. I used to not talk about anything up until maybe about 8 or 9 years ago. Anyway... just keep up with Anapana, and keep offering your thoughts to the space in between the ingoing and outgoing breath, merging in your heart region. Sometimes I'd get stuck in the outgoing and in going breath too though.. automatically, and I'd deeply relax while focusing on the place where the spine meets the brain as I'd feel some tension there and just breath into it... then wonderful. Sometimes my head would drop down and my chin would hit my chest automatically and I'd go into something... All sorts of stuff happens in meditation as you go deeper. But for me, I always started with Anupana for the most part, for a few years with mantra during the ingoing and outgoing breaths. But then the space between the breaths starts elongating during this practice. I started with 5 minutes, then 10, then 30 minutes than an hour, then I was able to go hours over the course of a year, then I kept the intensity for years afterwards. Anyway... just keep at it. The mind will settle, just let go of all people and places. I would offer all that to my breath and mantra. I would actually contemplate for meditation when those thoughts arose that none of that exists right now, right here... oh.. that doesn't exist either. I would go through all sorts of sensations, "I need to pee" when I just went before meditation. The mind will do all sorts of things in order to not go within and still itself, it's scared of it's death and opening up to a deeper realm of reference.
  5. fanatical Buddhists

    I remember when I was in group practice in the mid 90's. I'd see someone be experiencing bliss, and looking like he/she was seeing something special, not merely looking but really immersed in something deeply worth while to be aware of. I'd just contemplate, I am one with that person, that person and I have the same potential, I as well can experience that, etc. After a while, I noticed others were doing that with me as well when I started to fly the space ship... LOL! Discipline in practice and contemplation of experiences that have happened during practice in reflection of the texts left by historical masters is key. To make ones whole life the practice is key, first by effort, then by natural process of progress of integration.
  6. fanatical Buddhists

    Wow, do I get to be this wise when I get older? Very well put vajrabro.
  7. Compassion

    An X girlfriend of mine had a roommate who was a female Sargent in a South Bronx precinct. She'd get drunk after work every night, and sometimes she'd share stories of how she had to drop someone, as in kill a perp. It's a crazy job being a Cop in a major urban city. Especially in the South Bronx, one of the worst neighborhoods in the world. She is a few years younger than me, but she really felt like she was older than me. I would feel compassion for her for sure!
  8. "Manifesting"

    I see what you mean K, Target is just an external circumstance, while victim is a state of mind or emotion.
  9. Otis, That's very interesting, and very cool that you have a neuropsychologist father, what a boon! I like that, ..."'energy' is as much a metaphor as 'physical'."
  10. fanatical Buddhists

    Good post CT!
  11. fanatical Buddhists

    You've just trumped and one up'd me. Of course you suggest that what I say is mere speculation... But yes, I understand that for the most part, I might try to rework the way I present my insights as to appeal to a larger audience and make my approach much subtler.
  12. Otis, Sure, I see what you're saying and I agree that this is the most open way to approach life. At the same time, you seem grounded. You seem sure that your body has a valid reality to it. At the same time, you are certain that this is so, right? You believe this to be the way to walk the Earth? I'm just playing with paradox here. Basically, you will have a belief, even a belief in non-belief or certainty in uncertainty. Basically the middle way is subtler I think than either or, but this is language so there are limitations and I think you were getting at that. I am willing to be wrong when it comes to my extra sensory or extra ordinary experiences of life that also have physical evidence reflecting these occurrences making them that much more, "real." I am willing and open to be wrong and open up to a higher level of understanding, or a more grounded level of understanding, considering that physical, 5 sense perceived phenomena is the end all be all of my existence. That these extra sensory levels of perception that have occurred for me, can be explained through science, eventually. Thanks for the conversation. You are indeed broad minded.
  13. "Manifesting"

    Insight into nature transcends the intellect. It is just expressed through the conditions of the personal intellectual capacity as a form of communication. My approach is actually not intellectual (bolded for effect), just the expression of my findings is quite nuanced as expressed through the apparatus of the intellect. Just as the Buddhist tradition is nuanced and doesn't make intellectual, emotional or experiential excuses for ignorance, IME. I'm teasing you with that last addition. Life is not simple, though awareness of it's depths is. Thank you. I appreciate that.
  14. It's expression into the 3 dimensional unviverse is a function of physical neurons. But, as one will find through meditation and insight derived therein, that consciousness, though it's expression into this dimension will be balked by the lack of firing neurons, it will still have the idea on a deeply non-physical level. A level the vast majority of humanity is just not aware of. It's generally too fast for materialists to catch. I'm teasing you. Only if you go with Stephan Batchelors view of Buddhism. Yes, that is an interesting quote and I've always thought so. But, I'm not sure if physical science can produce any hard evidence concerning the non-physical, not hard on this level of being type of phenomena. Even though they are connected and one should be able to get physical readings that one could build mathematical and scientific theories upon. Theories which explain how an occurrence of an extraordinary type has manifested as influenced by a level of phenomena not particular to this dimension and only inter-laced with it, i.e. string theory and such. There are lots of so called x-files in the scientific annals of antiquity. Occurrences manifested in the physical realm that cannot be understood through modern science, as of yet. So, it's good that you are agnostic.
  15. fanatical Buddhists

    I've never denied that. Yes, but reifying the core principle of the wheel as a self existent will of all, or Self of all is not cutting through the "I" maker of the wheel. This is not trumped up by me, this is what the Buddha argued, especially with other Shramanic traditions like the Jains. He also in no uncertain terms rejected the core conclusions apparent in the Vedas. So, he's either wrong or right when it comes to these points. Many traditions are very much the same up to a certain point, but there is a place where Buddha lineage (as a tradition) jumps off that oneness wheel and is the odd one out. I'm not saying that Buddhahood is owned by the so called Buddhist tradition, but just as far as the way it's manifested through the expression we know of as the Buddhist tradition is most reflective of this most subtle, and highest realization of the nature of phenomena, transcending the monistic idealism of most all mystical traditions. It really is saying something different, it's not just conceptual either. I don't know why you have to react negatively to this, saying I'm such a fanatic or whatever, these are just facts based upon what the tradition of Buddhism teaches. It's end game is not the same as that proposed by monistic idealists. It's not merely a conceptual difference, as elucidated by the Buddhas explanation of the formless, non-conceptual jhana states. The truth is in the details.
  16. "Manifesting"

    So, insight into the nature of things is intellectual masturbation and merely conceptual? So, I have independently manifested absolutely every circumstance that comes into my life? This sounds like Solipsism. I don't think one has to delve into a conceptual level of logic to know this isn't true, it's rather a matter of direct insight into the nature of phenomena which helps one realize that we are co-manifesting here, not independently manifesting. I have definitely manifested every interpretation and thus response to what has manifested in my life, lifetime after lifetime, and due to this power of insight or ignorance, I can ascend to higher and higher states of environment reflective of higher inspired personal activity, or descend through to the hells of externally manifested inner ignorance. At the same time, what about people like Mother Theresa? She made the conscious choice to delve into one of the worst slums on the planet and work tirelessly to help people. Does everything that happens to her body in that environment have anything to do with past mis-deeds? At the same time, people who shine brilliantly and take care of themselves in such environments, generally remain unscathed, that is true. But, that doesn't have anything to do with the circumstances arising around her being her manifestation, that has to do with her inner state of interpreting the energy and information prevalent in that environment through intuitive levels of love and compassion. At the same time, I've met rich people surrounded by all sorts of heavenly occurrences, be far less internally enlightened than a person from circumstances surrounded by poverty. Still, when other people don't take responsibility for their own actions that effect me, that doesn't make me a victim, that just makes me a witness or an inactive-co-participant in as much as just being there has anything to do with the circumstance of distaste arising, giving me an opportunity to shine and influence through wisdom instead of ignorant reaction. In that way, I can help reveal the potential for higher levels of being. Take my current circumstances for instance. I live with my wife and my mother in law. My mother in law has some personal issues from her history, and acts out from time to time about circumstances that are very minor, like a crumb on the stove or something, it will be an excuse for her to manifest all sorts of pent up issues and spit fire at everyone in her field of reach. That doesn't mean that I manifested this circumstance due to some sort of evil I've done in the past, this is just a play of co-creation that is too deeply complex to really simplify with solipsistic views. But, I am responsible for the level of compassion I am able to shine as activity manifest through my body as an attempt to influence the environment for the better. And you know what? The environment has calmed down over the past 2 months. We also live in a very upper class neighborhood with big houses and a heavenly surrounding, which is interesting because my mother in law keeps saying, it's like the ghetto in here. Which is really a reflection of her own inner state of mind having nothing to do with the actuality of the situation. Also, just because a person has a higher capacity for spontaneous conceptual manipulation in reflection of direct insight, does not automatically make that person lost in it's show and play.
  17. fanatical Buddhists

    I certainly do agree with that experience wholeheartedly.
  18. "Manifesting"

    I agree with the basic gist of what you are getting at here, and I've done many levels and types of this over the years, both here and in other areas of my life and it is helpful. Non-the-less, to expect that this is going to make everyone play nice or be just as open, or that life is going to be a perfect concept of heaven and you're going to manifest a million dollars due to this, without respect for inter-causation, of course, there is delusion in that ideation. Even your personal universe, as in the situations that manifest around you, are not completely your own creation, as we are all co-creating. It's just your personal interpretation of it that is yours to manipulate through wisdom or ignorance. Which at the same time, will manifest positive change in your personally experienced universe if there are secondary outer conditions in alignment with your wisdom. But, for instance, a person in Auschwitz death camp who over the course of his/her suffering comes to a realization of the Big Compassion, like many of the Tibetan Vajrayanists did when China invaded and tortured and killed their families in atrocious ways. Still is not going to magically manifest an entirely different scenario unless the outer conditions manifested by the other participants in their life are open to receive such impetus or inspiration for transformation. Some people are going to attain one level of enlightenment or another over the course of those years of incredible hardship, like St. John of the Cross, but, unlike St. John of the Cross, are still going to face torture, death or live with dismemberment. The people around them just weren't open enough to feel that Big Compassion that the victim was displaying and they will still torture the person regardless of the inner state of mind that person has attained.
  19. Compassion

    I'm sure you aren't alone in this, but the potential for the experience of Big Compassion exists for you as well. I would just suggest contemplating what makes people do these horrible things? Most abusers are themselves victims of abuse. I would suggest searching out for the answers within for the reasons why people would do such atrocities and find that there is no one person to blame, or one situation to blame for such occurrences. These people are not inherently evil, they are merely the products of the inter play of various kinds of conditions. Some of the more sociopathic types are honestly born with certain chemical deficiencies or with developmental problems and do need severe clinical help with diet and life style coaching, as well as deep therapy. Anyway, just because you haven't experienced it yet, doesn't mean that you don't have it in you to do so.
  20. fanatical Buddhists

    Yup! I've experienced the same with the Dalai Lama, but I expected to anyway... no surprise. I remember I took an old friend to see a popular Hindu Master, he had never anything to do with spirituality. He was into smoking pot, writing graffiti, listening to rap music, drinking and having sex. That was it. But, after I had broken away from him and my group of old friends for some time to pursue more meaningful activities, I decided to try and talk him into coming with me to a public talk. It was a huge auditorium with a few thousand people in it, we were in the nose bleeds. But, as soon as this Hindu Guru walked through the door, my friend starting tearing up out of love and a deep sense of compassion. He later said that he'd never felt that before. After that his life slowly started to transform from a life of "thugin'" it, to a life more in line with a higher sense of purpose. That one experience catalyzed his potential for higher self evaluation and transformation like no drug induced experience, or amount of logic and reason had ever done. I've witnessed a number of friends have this happen to them when I've brought them to meet this or that highly qualified Master of either Buddhist or Hindu lineage. It's quite inspiring to watch, not only in oneself, but in other people that you know and have cared about go through total self transformation just through one single meeting with a great being such as you mentioned above.
  21. What is the best religion?

    Hmmm, interesting. Either that or it's just his foundation that does the charging. Sometimes a great master sets up a foundation that runs the finances and politics, and the foundation runs away with itself and the Master having given legal rights over to the foundation, doesn't really have a say in the matter anymore? But yes, your idea might be spot on, I don't know enough about him to say "this is so."
  22. "Manifesting"

    I agree wholeheartedly. I was trying to explain this to my new age friends in New York who were jumping on The Secret's bandwagon, they already had a pre-disposition towards reifying oneness, saying we are all the containers of the super consciousness and such. It's a philosophy that is more akin to solipsism than anything else. Things arise due to inter-causation, not independent causation. I am not alone here making things happen to me. That's just preposterous and yes, when the flip side happens, or negativity manifests that is deeply afflictive to an individual, this solipsistic understanding would lead to harmful psychological trauma if a person is not prepared in the deeper forms of contemplation.
  23. "Manifesting"

    LOL! Cute. I appreciate the manifestation of your candidness, arisen due to various causes and conditions of intra-co-manifesting influences...
  24. What is the best religion?

    That book really inspired me! It made me really want to meet Wang Liping, but damn... I'm not a millionaire, nor am I even a thousandanaire. LOL!
  25. How to determine someone's level of enlightenment?

    Well, assumptive due to lack of direct experiencing of the mind.