Vajrahridaya

Who appointed you? Your ego?

Very good, it generally takes a long time. But, there are certain methods that can be utilized to compress time, sort of speak. GIH is not humble enough to go through the progressive stages though and get with a traditional living program that if utilized properly guarantees actual liberation. Instead, he thinks he's "got it" already. There are various ways to put this, according to doctrine. I'll try to sum it up? A Buddha lacks the cognitive reification of a self in every situation and instead sees interconnectivity to a deeply expansive degree leading to a well rounded relative self of compassionate resonance instead of selfish referencing. A Buddha is always in touch with a faceless consciousness beyond it's appearance through inter-subjective karmic connections and conditions. A Buddha is awake to the causes of his or her own neurosis and can untie them upon inception in each moment and reflect boundless awareness readily, not limited by pre-conceptions of those around them as well. Just a few.

It seems logical to me, just subtler than conceptual forms is all.

You haven't realized emptiness. p.s. It's merely a conceptual play thing, either that or you've had a few conscious glimpses, but haven't delved deep enough due to a lack of humility towards genuine living lineage. You are so proud of yourself GIH, it's a golden chain around your neck, weighing you down imperceptibly. Because you won't allow another to point out your own egoic faults. You haven't trained enough in humility. Not that one can be trained in humility per say, but it is a practice of consciously loosening pride.

Your lack of experience is reflected in your statements dearest ralis. Let go bro... dig deeper. Or don't... just hate on me, whatever.

What a stupid comparison. Seriously disappointing and without insight. The vast majority of people are just not ready, subjectively speaking to almost an inherent degree, relatively speaking as well, to be free and Buddha realized. The vast majority of humanity have not surfaced their potential to understand what the Buddha taught, regardless of how well he tried, he could not reach everyone to the degree he could ever hope, which is why one of his second statements was, "This realization is so profound, why even teach it, people will not understand." This does include you, who thinks himself with such high esteem. edit: spelling error. This includes the lack luster mentalities of those that thumbed up your asinine comparison.

You guys are talking about individuals who call themselves Buddhist who have done bad things. This has nothing to do with the Buddhas teachings and tradition, but having to do with those individuals. Some parts that became tradition, or dogmas, concerning women, thinking you have to be reborn as a man to be a Buddha or whatever, are not part of my Buddhist tradition. There is not just one way to be Buddhist, obviously. What you think is the traditions fault, is really only the fault of individuals, or groups of people. Thus, I don't focus on that as they don't represent the Dharma that I call home. p.s. That's like blaming Jesus for people burning women as witches. Absurd! That's like blaming Buddha for the cult in Japan where they released poison gas on a subway.

Yes, but the Buddha still set out to start traditions that carried on his legacy, and since it worked, other Buddhas evolved the tradition that he left as well. Like anything, it's dependent upon your focus. My focus is on the positive because I want liberation, and not to be stuck in nit picking the ignorant side of anything. I'll just sift through my own ignorance using methods that are time tested, and have worked to liberate thousands to maybe even historically speaking, millions of individuals into full blown Buddhahood. I'm inspired by the Buddhas of my tradition, not the ones who didn't get it.

Complete Buddhahood is considered irreversible, because once one has burnt the individual seeds of Samsaric activity, they cannot sprout again. This is why Buddhahood is very rare, while many on this Earth may have one level of the Bumi's or another... Buddhahood is different. So, I disagree with you here.

I know you're being patronizing. But, I don't remember all details of entire past lives, only some and the gist of information or rather the resonance of various states of mind occupied, which does include information that i can conceptualize now, but I don't have the same brain as I did in a past life... so, it's different from remembering yesterday per say, the page of a book I read as well as the title, etc. I'm not saying it's impossible to see that though type of stuff though. I ain't that deep yet though my dude.

Mad respect son! Thanks for this. I'm always on the look out for new and exciting Buddhist teachings out there. LOL! Um, I mean old... but new to me.

This is good. Yes, liberation is not a "state" of mind, it's an awareness that cuts through all states of mind even as they happen, but is not itself a state of mind, or an identity, but an experiential insight that cannot be put adequately into words. p.s. Though trying is fun, and a worthy practice.

It's reflected in your beliefs of what you think is superstition reflecting lack of experience. I do sitting practice from time to time, though I experience the state of meditation very often and often in dream states. I did very intense practice for years, practice much like a monk in a cave would practice, for hours upon hours daily, all day, sleeping in a way that made it practice as well. Practicing like this, one compresses lifetimes worth of most peoples level of practice. As the energy doesn't dissipate like it does for instance if you meditate in the morning, but spend your day trading stocks and forgetting your state of mind, but come home and meditate again in the evening to get your state of mind back. This type of practice that most people do dissipates the energy that could have been utilized for going deeper. I know, not everyone can take a vacation from regular life and move into an Ashram or Monastery. I did at the age of 20 though. The experience arises a lot. I live with my wife and my mother in law, and showing compassion is normal as they are both in need. Do you think that compassion can't hit you over the head too though? Or slap you in the back with a stick like a Zen Master? Do you feel compassion has to manifest within the scope of your pre-conceptions? On a daily basis, sometimes, if the opportunity arises, many times per day. All the time, even when talking about Buddhism, there is something more happening, contemplation, awareness of my state of mind, mantra (which is very powerful for me as it carries the energy of deep meditative states of which I've made samadhi impressions in my brain through.) Even when I'm disagreeing with you and challenging your state and understanding of enlightenment. I doubt those that claim to have enlightenment without having followed a living lineage, more so than I do who follow a time tested, genuine lineage. The ego is so tenacious, so subtle. We as living human beings need living guides. Those that say they don't, I really feel are truly fooling themselves. I'm not just talking about seeing everyone you meet as your guru, in that sort of way. I mean a living example of Buddhahood that comes from a genuine lineage of time tested tradition that has actually liberated people to the degree that the scriptures talk about.

I of course disagree. I think your argument is one sided, based upon never having the pleasure of experiencing a living tradition and it's incredible benefits. Of course, individuals do experience what you have just stated, and in many instances, you are right. But, it's not the traditions fault, if it's guided by liberated beings, it's the people who follow them who just don't have the strong intention for self questioning. Most traditions are ruined by those with power who are not in it for the essence of the tradition and are in it for the money, fame and power, either that or familial allegiance. Buddhism as a tradition, has brought countless individuals to genuine liberation, not just good feelings or a nice sense of self, but actual Buddhahood. And we still totally disagree on the secrecy thing. Your view on that is highly dogmatic and lacks insight. Certain techniques should not be given to people who are not ready for them, period. It just wouldn't be compassionate to do so.

Yes, if your type of new age mix and match wins, we'll loose traditions that actually bring people to liberation, instead of just making them feel good in a politically correct back patting party. Also, if you notice my history, I do very little text quoting and speak directly from the heart of my experience and realization. I think you're a good person who means well, but your anti-tradition stance is boring, typical, and without nuance. Liberation in Buddhism is about sifting through the details of ones bondage, being nuanced about it's nature, and deeply focused. You dismiss aspects of the Buddhadharma that you haven't realized as of yet, as if it could not be true and that people just make this stuff up. But, you just haven't gone deep enough yet. That is all.

I've read that Nepal has tons of original sanskrit sutras! They should get translated into English... properly! I should learn Devanagari and do it myself! LOL!

Always the safest bet. I remember one of my first Buddhist books over 20 years ago was from a Pelican Press publication of Milarepas Songs and it was so overshadowed with Monotheistic inflection, I really got the wrong idea about what Milarepa was on about. It's interesting to read older books on Buddhist teachings translated into English from 50 to even 100 years ago and read how mistranslated it is. Americans and the general British population really wasn't getting the right idea about Buddhism at all, for the most part it seems.

Yes, sorry. I understand all that and I've talked about all that information before. I'm talking more about how Zen has translated itself in the West through people like Twinner. At least, how I've seen it done by most Westerners as I said earlier, in my limited subjective experience of Western Zeners. I know that China also has Vajrayana traditions, and Japan and other areas in the Pacific since before Tibet. Also, Zen is based on lots of what Asanga taught in the Yogacara or Chittamatra. So yes... sorry, I was more just talking to Twinners form of Zen, which seems to be quite popular with a lot of Judeo Christian fall outs. I didn't mean to come off like that. You're right, my post that you quoted above is shit when it comes to what Zen really teaches in it's original version. I concede to the calling of Bullshit. p.s. In fact, I think most Western Zen people don't even know who Asanga or Vasubhandu are nor what they taught? Which is pretty sad, considering Abhidharma is very important in Zen.

I think it's when people get the religion bypass injection, due to their experiences with Christianity. They then read the concept of, "A transmission outside of doctrine" as quoted in Zen and they think it has something to do with throwing away all the Buddhist teachings and getting enlightened without the help of the original Shakyamuni Buddhas basic guidance. I know I'm simplifying right here, but I've found this true with a lot of Western students of Zen in my own personal subjective experience. It wasn't until I talked to a Zen Monk that I realized that it was just due to the fact that Westerners weren't immersing themselves in the study of what the Zen Patriarchs taught and were just thinking they'd get enlightened by sitting on a cushion and following their breath with eyes half open while thinking about the meaning of Koans? I've never read Alan Watts, so I don't know what he taught as far as Zen goes? But, what it means to get "Transmission outside of doctrine" is just like what it means in Vajrayana Buddhism, when you get zapped by the realization of a Yogic Master and glimpse an experience of your true nature. It's the same in Zen, when you meet a Zen Master, they give you an experience of Satori through mind to mind transmission through a Koan of some sort that inspires you on the path of realizing this potential all the time. But, one must still study the Buddhist doctrines.

Yes, I think so, as I've read quotes from famous Zen Masters who made points that are more in tune with what was taught in India. I do think it's more of a modern interpretation as the top down theory of Theism, as in all things come from one giant thing, has been turned into all things coming from one giant void, which seems how the term "emptiness" is interpreted by most Westerners, as a "mahashunya" or great void which is an experience in meditation. Even Indian Hindu's do this as well, so maybe I cannot say that it is a modern interpretation. As even in famous Hindu refutations of emptiness, it's this way of mis-interpreting that they are holding up and refuting, which in fact is a mis-understanding of what it means and how it's utilized in Buddhist philosophy, and cosmology. Hindu's are always saying, "How can something come from nothing?" when they refute the Buddhist doctrine on emptiness. I myself as a Hindu used to think that this is what emptiness meant in Buddhism. I thought it was referring to a level of Samadhi as that's what they taught me in my Hindu upbringing. It was a total revelation when I debated with Buddhist scholars and found out I'd been mislead in my understanding of Buddhism my entire life. I didn't understand dependent origination at all! I thought it meant that everything arises dependent upon the great void, or mahashunya. Which is only a part of the teaching for meditation, but not the end all be all as it seems to be treated in top down approaches.

Concepts of perfection are always going to come back ugly upon reflection. None the less, I focus on those particular "rare" Tibetans who took the Vajrayana to heart and practiced deeply. I have no illusions about the general atrocities that befall every human being in this realm of Earth. At the same time... if you read the autobiographies of various Tibetan Masters, you get a perspective on things that are uncommon and not biased by afflictive emotions. Also, you mention Hinduism, but Hinduism as it is now is hugely Buddhist influenced even though there is still a cultural clinging to the caste system which the Buddha denounced, and plenty of Taoist lineages are also Buddhist influenced. There is no conceptual structure that is perfect though, there are just those that are more closely nuanced to perfection. Buddhism would be one of them, both methodologically and philosophically. But to see this would require genuine first hand experience. Plenty of Tibetans, actually the vast majority don't even understand their own tradition to a very deep degree. Much like the vast majority of Hindu Indians who only do Puja to their favorite deity for the sake of worldly prosperity and familial allegiance. Yet, at least they are misunderstanding a tradition that is far more clear than many of the Monotheistic interpretations of reality prevalent in the West. China as well... sadly corrupted by it's government, still has many hidden gems that are indeed rare, but those rare gems I think are more highly polished than the spiritual gems that can be found in the West at this time, for the most part, though there is Kabbalah, the mystic Christians and Sufi's... But, those traditions are largely either secret or lost in antiquity. I mean, TCM, Ayurveda and over 1,000 years ago there was a Doctors university in Tibet which brought together the major traditional medicines and astrology's from East to West, and they even performed brain and heart surgery in Tibet up until well over 1,000 years ago, pre-Buddhism. Anyway, it all depends upon what you focus on, and what your karmic connections based upon your mind streams historical activity allows you to experience directly. I mean, I've seen a person walk through a place and catch everybody in the entire crowd at a bad moment, and have an entirely different experience from myself of the same people, simply due to timing.

The individual mind stream is "like" an illusion, it is not exactly an illusion. It's very important on your path to see directly your personal history. If you haven't seen this truth directly, stop bragging about having experience to rely on for your insight, which I see as lacking. You really need to get back to following ChNNR's teachings and read his Precious Vase.

Wouldn't that give you premise for dismissing any of my statements. Mine is measured by the standard IQ test... you know, all those colored patterns to decipher, story math questions, etc. This is why they kept trying to put me in AP classes in school and even put me in experimental programs for the gifted when I was in high school, but I was very uninterested, went to 3 different high schools in two different states, was held back due to lost credits from moving around so much and decided to drop out and get my G.E.D. I got into the top 10 percentile in the nation without studying. They gave me the pre-test and I only missed a couple of questions and said I didn't have to come back to study for the main test and then passed that like walking with the wind behind me. I've always tested well, since pre-school. Whatever!