yabyum24
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Everything posted by yabyum24
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Amazing work from Nora.
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Public school advised a Buddhist family to change their beliefs if they didn't want their child to face harassment from zealous teachers
yabyum24 replied to SonOfTheGods's topic in General Discussion
This one could also do the trick... -
Completely agree.
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You're definitely on form today sir!
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That's no problem dee, as I am very dualistic as a being. There's no escaping the fact that I am, and nowadays I'm more than willing to admit it. When I first learned about emptiness, I realised that "nothing existed" but no matter how often I read and debated this, (and boy did I debate it) I still, surprisingly, got angry and desirous depending on the occasion. I remember leaving my Buddhist meeting one Sunday evening and making my way to the taxi rank. It was late and the taxi queue was full of drunken revelers. I was able to nevertheless generate dispassion for the scene by considering what we had just learned and meditated upon - that "all is mere illusion". One pretty and quite busty girl came over to me giggling, and lifted her top to reveal her naked breasts. She said something like "Bet you know all about these, don't you?" Her friends were in hysterics. (note: I didn't have a girlfriend at that time). I was suddenly very embarrassed and as I quickly climbed into the taxi, the driver said "They're all f***ing slappers, I can't stand them". I can still recall the hatred in his voice. There was a lesson in that for me. At the time I thought I just needed to redouble my efforts to understand emptiness but in hindsight, as a young man confronted by a girl pushing her breasts up against me, there was only so far up my own arse I was able to go.
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Interesting idea but I come at it from the other way round, that control & fear follow on from desire. We fear not getting what we want and thus have a need to control matters. If we had no desires, there would be no fear because at the base of this is the desire for life (becoming). We are desire realm beings after all.
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I once had my tarot cards read many years ago. I went with a girl I knew who had heard the lady was good. It was very interesting as I was expecting a kind of vague verbiage which could be applied to just about anyone with a bit of imagination. It wasn't like that at all. The lady went into a kind of trance and told me things which had happened in my childhood and past, which I'd never shared with anyone. They were specific incidents which she could not have known about. Then she moved to the present and got it all 100% right and then to the future. With hindsight, she was right about that too. I was quite shaken up when I left and didn't discuss it with my friend. I've never had another reading since but I believe that some people (amongst the charlatans) have the gift. Thing is, you never know which.
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Got there in the end... not sure if it still counts though!
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Anyone here from Norway, or traveled to Norway?
yabyum24 replied to BaguaKicksAss's topic in The Rabbit Hole
Summer is a great time to be there, mid-summer especially - they dance around maypoles and take the day off. You can hardly blame them, the winter must suck! The weather was warm when we were there - I even got a tan!!! The days are very long and if you head north above the arctic circle, the sun doesn't set at all. The train system is pretty good but it's worth planning an itinerary in advance. Most European countries have cheap(er) fares if it's booked online in advance. You can see a lot of nature from the train window, as they cut past mountains, glaciers and crystal clear lakes. The people are quiet and unassuming (northern temperament) but they like the great outdoors and with a population of only about 3 million, you won't see many of them once you get away from the urban centers. It's easy enough to get into Sweden, which is flatter and more forested. The wooden stave churches are beautiful. If you're in Oslo, you should visit the Viking Museum. Beaches? No idea, as I didn't really visit the coast but I've heard that the fjords are breathtaking, albeit better to see from a boat. Just be careful of the milk in Sweden. They drink a kind of sour milk which tastes like it's gone off. I poured a load over my muesli for breakfast one morning!!! -
Well said. Views are tough to dispose of though, as they seem to point to facets of truth. There's always the suspicion (or hope) that if we acquire more of them, sooner or later we'll hit the mother load. The fear that if we don't, we'll miss the party. That said, the only thing I've ever found that really counts is what has been found in meditation. Insomuch as it has affected my life for the better, helped me drop (to some extent) the stress of self etc. I would also say that anatta means not-self, rather than no-self. The first is a direct astonishing discovery, the second an intellectually fabricated ontological view.
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Anyone here from Norway, or traveled to Norway?
yabyum24 replied to BaguaKicksAss's topic in The Rabbit Hole
Norway rocks! Most of them speak English better than native speakers and they are friendly, polite nation. I had a great three weeks back packing and youth hosteling around Norway, Sweden & Finland many years ago. Norway is spectacular. Being a Canadian, you'll appreciate the raw beauty of nature and Norway has it in bucket loads. We flew into Bergen, travelled across to Oslo and then onto Trondheim before crossing into Sweden. The only thing to look out for are the prices (ouch). The only person I met who thought it was reasonable was a Swiss guy! -
Brilliant. Keep at it.
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The Truth About Nelson Mandela (Stefan Molyneux)
yabyum24 replied to eye_of_the_storm's topic in The Rabbit Hole
I'm not sure where you'd need to be philosophically, to describe western schools in such terms. When I was a kid, Mandela was in prison and considered a terrorist by the establishment, along with anyone else who wasn't white and was asking for equality. I don't "worship" anyone btw, so no worries on that score. -
The Truth About Nelson Mandela (Stefan Molyneux)
yabyum24 replied to eye_of_the_storm's topic in The Rabbit Hole
No argument wolf, just an observation born of personal experience and I mean it well, as I've been there. I personally wouldn't give this stuff the time of day. The man's anger is not yours, you don't have to take ownership of it. Let him keep it: -
Is sex like full intercourse, much bigger a deal than modern society thinks
yabyum24 replied to skydog's topic in General Discussion
It's your body, your life. Do what's right for you. It's never "weak" to follow your instinct/gut-feelings. -
Public school advised a Buddhist family to change their beliefs if they didn't want their child to face harassment from zealous teachers
yabyum24 replied to SonOfTheGods's topic in General Discussion
Fundamentalist indoctrination of the most nauseating kind. In the UK we have the new so-called "faith schools" (some Islamic). If things are left to fester, we'll slide in the same direction. -
The Truth About Nelson Mandela (Stefan Molyneux)
yabyum24 replied to eye_of_the_storm's topic in The Rabbit Hole
@white wolf. This kind of stuff slowly poisons the minds of those who pay heed to it. They won't even notice it transforming their minds. It's the slow drip-feed of hate that's the easiest to absorb (and thus justify) and the most insidious. -
Inside China: Nuclear submarines capable of widespread attack on U.S.
yabyum24 replied to eye_of_the_storm's topic in The Rabbit Hole
If they nuke the USA then they'll never get all that US debt back that they've bought. -
a "little" Taiji inspiration for you all :-)
yabyum24 replied to soaring crane's topic in The Rabbit Hole
May be an odd thing to say but it looks like the origin of break dancing is right there. A lot of those moves look very similar. -
I'm currently reading his book on dream yoga and I can't praise it highly enough. I've read a huge amount of dharma books over the years, many of which were scholarly commentaries to sacred texts. Whilst interesting for what they are, such books lack any real "guidance" element, often failing to contextualise the material from a practitioner's perspective. This book is entirely different to that. It's clear from the start that he knows what he's talking about and has experienced it for himself. There's no superfluous content and it's all applicable and accessible. The book goes way beyond the subject of dream yoga, as many (waking time) practices are discussed as an aid to it. He is conversant with westerners and knows how we think and what background we have. He is very skilled in coming at the subject with that in mind. Very refreshing. I think I will be looking out for more from him in the future. My thanks to Silent Thunder for bringing it to my attention.
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What did meditation do to me? Please read...
yabyum24 replied to Under's topic in General Discussion
Nicely said. -
Sexual energy recovers by itself after a while. Masturbating will not "destroy" you just like that, so no need to fret about it. We collect energy from various sources - like the food we eat and the universe in general. I've personally noticed that the strongest time for energy collection is during a waxing moon - it seems to pour in. You will notice that you are stronger, there is a luster to your skin and even (bizarrely) less plaque on your teeth. If we are celibate for a while, it's like we seal the doors and the energy stays inside, if we lose it, then it's like a rupture of the astral body. You will feel more tired, irritable, drained and be prone to illness (colds etc). The astral body weakens as we age and therefore you will feel it more acutely, the older you get. The thing is, when the energy builds up to a certain level, things start to happen. Firstly, it feels a burden to carry it. Then you may also notice, erotic dreams, attractive females which flirt with you, in fact a whole host of completely unexpected and compelling events, which don't make things any easier. It seems the energy within you is straining to return to its universal source and 'summoning' or invoking such things. There is a dependent-arisen element to the mind and the objects of the senses and you can see it at work here, very clearly. We are desire-realm beings and the very gateway to this manifestation was via the sex act of our parents, thus we are corporeally and energetically formed within Maya. We are, thus, in our entirety Maya's property and breaking free takes an act of great will power. The orgasm is a pale shadow of the all-consuming bliss, which can help free us from Maya's grasp. Called the Great Bliss of Perfect Freedom, it burns away all binding karma. Perhaps we are subconsciously seeking this within every orgasm but there is no freedom, merely a very temporary relief and then the fatigue which inevitably follows. I have no easy answers to any of this, just a few observations I've gathered along the way. Seek to find something which will help you stand your ground. But mostly be aware that if you put up a fight, Maya will do all she can to harvest that which is hers.
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I think that's the best thing any of us can be.
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What did meditation do to me? Please read...
yabyum24 replied to Under's topic in General Discussion
A reset for what though? We currently have a human life with the luxury to cultivate our spiritual path, despite the pain and drawbacks we may encounter. Are any of us in control of the death process and the passage through the bardo? The desperate mind of one who ends their own life will likely generate poor throwing karma for a subsequent rebirth. If you want to end it all and throw away your life, why not do so by casting aside all concern for worldly things and follow the path. If the world no longer binds you, then walk a free man. There are much better ways to 'end it all' than suicide.- 127 replies
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Awesome story.