Vajrahridaya

Opening your heart to the bodhisattva path, to Buddhahood, that won't die, even if your body does... that you will carry into other dimensions of mental manifestation. This can be directly experienced through deep and intense meditation... if done correctly with "right guidance."

LOL! He always does! Thanks MH! How are things bro? Good to see you here, still dusting the shelves.

hmmmm.

My point exactly! I don't want to discourage his process. It's an important one!

Check this video out, and half way through if you just want to skip to that part, it goes into a theory of levels of consciousness. The stage before level 7 in this model is filled with new identity finding, where one is renouncing old ways of thinking and arguing internally with all that doesn't represent this new finding of a deeper meaning to everything. Level #7 is really well thought out and I fully agree! Check it out guys... it's very interesting.

Life is a ball of interesting, majestic, multi-colored cherries! Thanks SJ! That last part was key. Everyone has to have this realization coming from within, by turning within, and the phase of renunciation, which obviously is done by these great masters over and over again throughout their life, is testimony to the importance of periods of external renunciation. My own Dzogchen Rinpoche, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche has kids and a wife, but has done many solitary retreats before and after his marriage. He most definitely is an example of a highly realized, engaged with the world type of Lama.

Good metaphor! You are of course correct, but there is a process leading to this wisdom and I find a period of renunciation to be crucial to this. Even extreme "monkin' it" cave style renunciation where one just inverts awareness and rewires ones synaptic pathways towards a deeper and subtler plain of consciousness. Of course, this alone does not lead to the place of Buddhas, but it's a good place to start.

Perfectly apt observation there buddy.

You must be right with all the highly socially and politically engaged Buddhists there are in the world, right? One of the reasons why I came to Buddhism was because it's more meaningfully engaged with the issues of the world than I found Western Hindu's to be. Also with all the advances in neuroscience that has occurred through studying Buddhists meditative brain waves. But, it's your direct experience so it must be the absolute holy grail of truth.

True CowTao, but he reminds me of me some 17 years ago when I gave it all up for intense retreat Sadhana that lasted 5 years, which lead me to very powerful inner experiences that changed my life forever! I don't want to discourage this in him. It's a very important phase.

Wow! Mad love bro... love that!! Truth, truth!!

Nothing at all, don't mind ralis, he's just jealous.

Well, at the same time, supposedly fluoride in the water dumbs people down and decreases aggression, makes peoples minds more pliable and passive. Of course that's a good thing (not the dumbing down bit) when it comes to spiritual things, when it's a result of insight rather than chemically induced. But, when it comes to injustice? Sometimes aggression is necessary. Not that I know if Jesus existed, but there is the situation as recorded in the Bible of him tossing around tables in the market. I've been in situations where if I wasn't aggressive with peace... and I mean, literally feeling peace, love and light, but feeling grounded in my aggressive show of personal power, I would have gotten trampled, jacked, hoodwinked, robbed, whatever. Passivity is not always the best policy.

Yet, there are those that are, "unholier than thou" and do actually try to bring one, "down to Earth", thinking this is what it is to be human. To be an a$$hole would of course not be the wisest coarse of action, unless it's quite necessary as some people only hear aggression, this aggression does not have to take one away from the inner state of peace and tranquility though.

I prostrate before you as well in recognition of your passion and drive for direct experience of "truth." I agree, I try not to be so adversely affected by my surroundings. Thank you.

Indeed! Quite easy in the Ashram or Monastery, or for quite the period after leaving, but rather difficult in the world surrounded by people with sadly, low spiritual IQ's. Not to sound too damning... everyone has their manifest potential. The inherent potential of all sentient beings is of course Buddhahood. Of course, when in the place of auspicious mind, it's easier to stay anchored in seeing through all the fluctuation into the hidden potential of all beings and communicate and facilitate from the inner stance of tranquility and compassion, but the practice is to maintain that.

LOL! Connected, not one. Neither one, nor many. Yes, I do need to be careful with my consciousness. Thanks for the reminder.

Thanks Manitou, I've experienced the very same contemplation in fact. For me, it all depends upon where I'm at internally in any given time, but your insights concerning mirrors and approval all ring quite true in my own contemplation of the very same above quoted consideration.

This is true. Plenty of people get their pre-conceptions blown out of the water when going on an Indian pilgrimage. Of course, this is subjective and the result of such a pilgrimage all depends upon personal karma as well as effort applied in this lifetime. One cannot say what will happen to an individual from the West who goes to the East for spiritual sustenance?

Sure, that can also happen and there are plenty examples from both sides of the equation. It's not my job to do someone elses Sadhana though.

Bodyoflight, Thank you for that information. But, I don't agree that all traditions lead to Buddhahood necessarily, but most do lead to some aspect of enlightenment or another. There are exceptional individuals that have amazing potential that transcend many of the limitations within their tradition and expand on it's edges. The Buddha was quite clear that meditation and awareness inversion does not necessarily lead to full blown Buddhahood unless coupled with insight based on "right view." One of the aspects of the 8 fold path specific to Buddhism. There are many blissful pit-stops along the path that most paths label as the end all be all, proof of a supreme self existence, the supreme substance behind all things, as the Buddha revealed concerning various formless samadhi states. These pit stops would not be revelatory of the highest insight as presented in Buddha lineages. I'm not saying every individual in other traditions limits their revelation to these pit-stops either. There are exceptions to every rule.

Hi CowTao, Just the process of releasing the ego during the practice is proof enough that it works! I think it's better to intellectually release oneself into the benefits of these practices than to use the intellect as a so called safeguard against the possibility of spiritual experience. Bowing the head to the heart is an excellent practice! I've in fact seen Lamas bow to their students before a talk.

Nope, I've never done such a thing. Honestly. It'd be easier to think I was part of your conspiracy theory about Hierarchies though. LOL!