C T

Empty, yet resplendent with all possibilities! Rejoice!!

letting go & letting be as an attitude, a frame of mind, a basic intent. Hope you see the difference between this and the apparent frivolity of always wanting to go somewhere, to be something or someone other than.

Maybe not the ability to freeze time, but one that can transform the mind to recognise limits and therefore gradually let go of conceptual frameworks around time. Western minds are too absorbed with abilities, which implies effort, which promotes clinging. A super power can only be truly super if its effortless. And it can only be effortless if the whole being, all at once, is in a 'letting go/letting be' mode. Otherwise there will always be inner conflict where effort and ability is given priority.

If more people were to become more aware of what these two principles are and how to express them without any neuroticism getting in the way, there would certainly be an increase in deeper, less contracting and more meaningful relationships all around, both with others (especially among family members) and self. Personally i think both truth and love nurtures and en-courages those who attempt to discover the length and breadth of each, and in kindling one, the other spontaneously releases its fragrance and spreads it around indiscriminately, sometimes subtle and at other times less so. Both truth and love certainly can work synergistically, without any conflict whatsoever, even so to greater effect when in harmonious union.... like when a flame is brought to sandalwood.

Teaching - Buddhism - Philosophy, Religion or Science of Mind - Tulku Sherdor Rinpoche

Insights and Practices of Tibetan (Nyingma) devotional chants Guru Yoga including actual Tibetan liturgies and explanations in English by Tulku Sherdor Rinpoche, student of Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche

Actually its walking in the opposite direction of reality that seems to perpetuate repeats of being emotionally pounded deeper into the ground with each resurfacing of uneradicated old habits. Ignorance, so talked about in Buddhism, is simply this - knowing, yet repeating harmful habits. Wisdom, on the other hand, means knowing, and repeating antidotes to harmful habits. Mindfulness is the process for actualizing the process to replace ignorance with wisdom at each moment harm is detected.

Chinese cure: Crush a fair amount of root ginger, put equal amounts into two cotton muslin bags, place one on the chest, and the other on the back, and apply bandage. To be done before sleep.

Hail, Aldebaran! onwards to the land of Thoth glorify the bull...

Dawei might find this info helpful to facilitate his future travels to China https://www.travelchinaguide.com/embassy/visa/family-visit-permit.htm

It seems my post was unclear to you, and i apologise. Thank you for the advice.

Buddhists (I mean those who actually understand the truth of impermanence, not self, and unsatisfactoriness) will see it differently from whats bolded there above. Those who realise the above truth thru personal experience, which means not only by intellectual understanding, will no longer crave what is the opposite of hard work. With the dissipation of craving, the fruit of equanimity arises effortlessly. Without developing this most basic quality of the path one cannot claim to be practicing Buddhism. Once equanimity is established, what is hard work or not hard work? What is the meaning of 'others' and 'not others'? In the absence of understanding this truth of equanimity one cannot help but maintain a dualistic view, which in turn would yield the kind of belief that says practicing the Buddhist path is hard work, when in fact its simply nothing being done while doing what needs to be done, the actual principle behind the Heart Sutra, which fortunately you have quoted towards the end of your post (Form is emptiness/emptiness is form... remember?)

If we want to cut the root of Samsara, we must cut the root of the mind that has created it; otherwise there would be no way of becoming free of Samsara. If we want all the suffering and hindrances arising from our negative actions to dissolve, we must cut the root of the mind, which produced them. If we don't do this, even if we carry out virtuous actions with our body and voice, there will be no result beyond a momentary fleeting benefit. Besides, never having cut the root of negative actions, they can once again be newly accumulated, in just the same way that if one only lops off a few leaves and branches from a tree instead of cutting its main root, far from the tree shrivelling up, it will without doubt grow once again. If the mind, the King that creates everything, is not left in its natural condition, even if one practices the tantric methods of the 'Developing' and 'Perfecting' stages, and recites many mantras, one is not on the path to total liberation. Therefore, because the continuation in the presence of the true State is the essence of all the Paths, the root of all meditations, the conclusion of all spiritual practices, the juice of all esoteric methods, the heart of all ultimate teachings, it is necessary to seek to maintain a continuous presence without becoming distracted. What this means is: don't follow the past, don't anticipate the future, and don't follow illusory thoughts that arise in the present; but turning within oneself, one should observe one's own true condition and maintain the awareness of it just as it is, beyond conceptual limitations of the 'three times'. One must remain in the uncorrected condition of one's own natural state, free from the impurity of judgments between 'being and non-being', 'having and not-having', 'good and bad', and so on. If one recognizes one's own intrinsic State as pure from the beginning and only temporarily obscured by impurities, and if one maintains the presence of this recognition without becoming distracted, then all the impurities dissolve. This is the essence of the Path. Then the inherent quality of the great original purity of the Primordial State manifests, and one recognizes it and becomes the master of it as a lived experience. ~ Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche ~

Patrul Rinpoche was lying stretched out on the ground, doing a special Dzogchen practice. He called Nyoshul Lungtok over to him, saying: "Did you say you do not know the essence of the mind?" Nyoshul Lungtok guessed from his tone that this was a special moment and nodded expectantly. "There's nothing to it really," Patrul Rinpoche said casually, and added, "My son, come and lie down over here: be like your old father." Nyoshul Lungtok stretched out by his side. Then Patrul Rinpoche asked him, "Do you see the stars up there in the sky?" "Yes." "Do you hear the dogs barking in Dzogchen Monastery?" "Yes." "Do you hear what I'm saying to you?" "Yes." "Well, the nature of Dzogchen is this: simply this." Nyoshul Lungtok told us what happened then: "At that instant, I arrived at a certainty of realization from within. I had been liberated from the fetters of 'it is' and 'it is not.' I had realized the primordial wisdom, the naked union of emptiness and intrinsic awareness. I was introduced to this realization by his blessing. As the great Indian master Saraha said, "He in whose heart the words of the master have entered, Sees the truth like a treasure in his own palm."

Well observed, B.

What is important to understand is that the view you have of yourself and the view you have of your environment are based on your own mind: they are a projection of your mind and that is why they are not reality. I will give you a good example. When a French man or woman looks for a girl or boyfriend, there is this research energy from both sides and when suddenly they see each other they make up an incredible story. 'Oh, so beautiful! Nothing wrong inside or outside.' They build up a perfect myth. They push and push, the mind makes it all up. If they are Christian they say, 'Oh, he looks just like Jesus.' Or 'She looks just like and angel. She is so nice, so pure. I wish always to hear her!' Actually, they are just projecting their own fantasies onto each other. If she is Hindu, then he would say, 'Oh she looks like Kali, like Mother Earth, like my universal mother. I hope to always be near her. She will teach me who I am and where I am going. Each time I see her, my whole body shakes. I am sure that it must be incredible karma! And because it is our karma I have to serve her, to accept!' You understand? Actually, you are making the karma at that moment, you are inventing it. Of course, you do have some connection, but.... And if you are Buddhist you fold your hands and say, 'Oh, she is a dakini and she is showing me the true nature of all things.' You understand? 'When I am near her she gives me energy, energy. Before, I was so lazy, I couldn't move, I was like a dead person. But now whenever I go near her I can't believe my energy!' I tell you, all this is superstitious interpretation. You think that she is your spiritual friend and that before you were not so clear and that now she speaks to you about dharma and everything becomes clearer. And all she does is really perfect, even her kaka and pipi is so pure! Excuse me, perhaps I shouldn't talk like this—I'm a Buddhist monk! But when we speak about Buddhism, about reality, then we have to speak practically from daily life, about what is earthy, what we can touch and see, not just get caught up in concepts. What I mean is this: you should recognize how every appearance in our daily life is in fact a false projection of our own minds. Your own mind makes it up and becomes an obstacle to touching reality. This is why, our entire life, no matter what kind of life we have, it is a disaster. If you have a rich life, your life is a disaster. If you have a middle class life, your life is a disaster. Of you have a poor life, your life is even more of a disaster! You become a monk and your life is a disaster. You become a nun and your life is a disaster. If you become a Christian, your life is a disaster. If you become a Hindu, your life is a disaster. If you become a a Buddhist, your life is a disaster. If you become a Muslim, your life is also a disaster. Be honest. Be honest with yourself! Even if you go to a cave, disaster! You can stay in a mountain cave, in the snowy mountains, and still you carry your ego with you. You carry your entire world with you and all your fantasy clothing doesn't help. I'm not talking about religion here, I'm talking about personal things, who we are, what we are, where we are going, what we are doing! I am disaster, my mind is making it. Everything is always with me, always with me, my attitudes poison me. That is what I am talking about. All this religion you follow... as long as you don't touch reality in yourself, as long as you don't eradicate your fantasies, you are a disaster. (Now I am disaster hot!) In fact, reality is very simple. The simplicity of the mind can touch reality, and meditation is something that goes beyond the intellect and brings the mind into its natural state. ~ Lama Yeshe ~

The ultimate truth of the Great Perfection to appear in your mind is dependent upon the preliminary practices. This is what Drigungpa meant when he said, "Other spiritual teachings regard the main practice as being profound. We regard the preliminary practice as being profound." ~ Dudjom Rinpoche ~

sure, no worries. I really, sincerely wish for the best outcome for you.

good luck in your never-ending search... knowing its there, but hard of finding the way to it due to obvious reasons illustrated by words that smack of arrogance, cynicism and disrespect. Long way to go. Hope you have tough shoes.

Don't hate the arising of thoughts or stop the thoughts that do arise. Simply realize that our original mind, right from the start, is beyond thought, so that no matter what, you never get involved with thoughts. Illuminate original mind, and no other understanding is necessary. ~ Bankei ~

There is, but you wont be able to glean much useful information until you adopt the tradition into your bones, which means to connect faithfully with a teacher, take the samaya vows etc for 10 to 20 years - but this, if i understood correctly, does not sit well with you, so this is as much as i can say on it. Even if you are a Vajrayana practitioner it is still not appropriate to disclose the correct training methods here, and anyone that does will basically be doing nothing but spewing worthless nonsensicalities (meaning they are probably just playing at being knowledgeable, attempting to mislead you, or/and acting guru-like).

One of the greatest orators of all time, Sir Winston Churchill, admitted that although he had this commanding presence and appeared full of confidence when speaking publicly, he never got over the 'butterflies in the stomach' feeling each time he had to give a speech. When asked for his secret for not floundering despite that fact, he said that all he did was to take command of the format, to ensure that the butterflies flew in formation at each engagement on the public or political stage. Some tips below: Getting the format right is a primary tool in effective public speaking. Preparation is another key. Memory-training is vital - plenty of on-line resources for this. Novices who want to avoid going blank usually rely on cue cards. These are little cards that contain all the key points of a speech, numbering 1 to however many pointers are required in the body of the speech, and the speaker then flips them one by one as the speech progresses to ensure he or she does not fumble or go blank during crunch time. Get the book 'The Art of Public Speaking' by Dale Carnegie. Check if there's a Toastmasters' club near you, and join the group. They have one of the best learning platforms for public speaking. https://www.toastmasters.org/Resources/Public-Speaking-Tips

“Trying to suppress delusion is delusion too. Delusions have no original existence; they’re only things you create yourself by indulging in discrimination.” ~ Bankei

Its not certain that we have actually come to a mutual agreement as to how this term is understood under the context of a spiritual occurrence, and not, as it were, a desirable virtue, which seems to me to be what you are implying, and please correct me if this is not the case. I am Buddhist, and as one, do at times try feebly to practice the middle path, with the aim of one day setting foot on the other shore, metaphorically speaking of course, like what some of the above-mentioned ascetics (in sanskrit: Sramana/Shramana) have attained. A large aspect of the practice involves the cultivation of the various virtues associated with the tradition, one among many others is humility. I am sure this mode of conduct is shared by countless other Buddhists, but in truth, none of these virtues, simply by the merit of their cultivation, will suffice in getting one to the other shore, although, if done with enough focus and discipline, among other qualities, paves the way for a readiness to cross that ever-mysterious and mystical river. So here we are, on this side (apparently), being encouraged and encouraging ourselves to generate a stable resolve to follow the Buddha's great example - while this is all well and good, until that moment of actual arrival on the other shore, we have to be realistic and acknowledge that while we try to groom ourselves in light of the perfect qualities of an enlightened being, it is still quite removed from being actually enlightened. It is a bit like imaging being part of a grand feast, or being a sage or whatever else we want to be, and not actually being one. As such, it will happen that enlightenment will elude the majority of those who faithfully abide by the tenets and teachings set out in this tradition, but this should not in any way discourage the follower/practitioner, because, as mentioned above, we do it because it is simply and profoundly a process of readying oneself, or meriting oneself for the one moment where it all comes together, befittingly, if not in this life, then the next, and so on. It is that scary/wondrous/profound moment where all the pieces come together that vulnerability becomes choiceless. It is akin to a permanent life-changing experience (sometimes like an NDE, for example) although i think enlightenment is that, and much more. NDE can happen to anyone, regardless. Im sure we have all read or heard of terrible people, or non-cultivators, or simply regular folks, whose lives were instantly transformed by it - in some cases, that transformation is permanent, in some others, a temporal one. But one thing is certain, while in that transitory state, those who find themselves at that crossroad are utterly vulnerable, not by choice but by default. At that point, whether one is humble or obnoxious, kind or cruel, a daobum or not, makes not an ounce of difference. It also happens to a few who experience what is known as sudden enlightenment. In Zen they call it 'satori'. A person who becomes enlightened in a flash. When that occurs, one is there and then vulnerable to the core, and probably becomes humbled by it thereafter (although not always the case, as is well documented). I reckon this would be one example of how i would like to convey the usage of the term 'vulnerability' in the general context of this thread, and your query specifically.