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Heads bleeding from being hit by rocks is not a truth nor a reality - it is a conventional and mundane probability, and a preventable one at that. Some heads are harder than others, some rocks are smaller than others, not to mention numerous other factors like trajectories, age of rock, age of head, and so on. Its not always cut and dried. Some people get their vital organs damaged by a hail of lead and survive, while there are few who have died from slipping on the sidewalk while out for a stroll. Though there's good reason to believe we will do well to avoid being shot knowing that the odds of survival are slim, yet it shouldn't be taken for granted that there's guaranteed safety in a stroll on the sidewalk. So there is actually an element of truth in the whole spectrum of probable outcomes, and then some. Is there an urgent need to superimpose a truth label onto conventions and outcomes to make them more believable and truth-bound, or is this merely a result of a common human frailty?

This would hinge on various factors, Chi Boy. Personally i have no hard and fast rules, though thats not a bad thing too since one of the prime qualities that abstinence builds is discipline - The thing to bear in mind is not to push the body overly hard because some of the potential negative outcomes, which might not manifest immediately, are irreversible. I think pacing oneself in this practice is very important. If you have done any long-distance running you will know this principle well. For beginners i think its not advisable to dive too deep initially, and remember also that a simultaneous fasting of the mind is also something to incorporate as a wholesome cultivation model. Theravadin Buddhist monks keep very strictly to one meal a day. It is recommended that this meal be taken before noon i think.

I am not really impressed by someone who can turn the floor into the ceiling or fire into water. A real miracle is if someone can liberate just one negative emotion. ~ Lerab Lingpa ~

During the fasting month of Ramadan devout Muslims practice fasting from dawn till dusk for a whole month. Some will not even swallow saliva during the fasting period. When the time comes to break the fast they usually begin by introducing a small amount of liquids and small amounts of fruits first, taking time before gradually increasing the intake of more solid nutrition into the body. I have many Muslim friends in the Far East, and i deeply respect their discipline and general attitude towards this practice. Since we cannot abstain from the intake of foods indefinitely, it may be worthwhile to consider a lifestyle that consistently promotes semi-fasting instead. This could mean different things for different people - for some, semi-fasting is where they practice eating only one meal per day, for others it could mean a gradual reduction in food intake or calories, while there are yet those who practice mindful abstinence, meaning they consciously bring an awareness to every observable action they perform so as to conduct their lives more meaningfully, and one of the areas they put emphasis on is the discipline to eat moderately with the aim of staying on top of impulsive cravings - these impulses are usually at the root of many of today's existential disarrays.

the Great Liberation by Guru Padmasambhava is a wonderful teaching!

Awakening is not difficult. Remaining uninterruptedly so is not so common.

Its a good aspiration. If thats your pic, im guessing you are still quite young. If i were you, i'd make plans to travel the world first with the intention to widen understanding of the human condition outside of my own familiar, customary surroundings. Alternatively, spend a few years as a Christian volunteer in remote and deprived places as a means to build a solid ethical/spiritual foundation and strength of character. Doing this will definitely nourish your aspiration and help you form necessary and helpful bonds with like-minded individuals whose support you might need. Another suggestion is to delve deeply into the biographies of men and women who in the past had charismatically formed esoteric societies, lodges, cults, sects and so on. You can do this during the time spent volunteering somewhere. Google for names - there's a long list of them. Maybe others can throw in suggestions here even. I can think of a few: J. Krishnamurti, Swami Vivekananda, Madam Blavatsky, Alexandra D. Neel, Anton La Vey, Adi Da Samraj, Christian Rosenkreuz, Peter & Eileen Caddy, Rudolf Steiner, Joseph Smith etc.

One of the best ways to make great money is to apply and hopefully get the kind of jobs that others are reluctant to do. Over here graveyard and weekend shifts are pretty well paid cos most people are reluctant to take them on. Night porters, night cashiers, night security detail, rubbish and waste collectors, road cleaners, sewage inspectors - some of the jobs that yield good income with no scrambling involved.

There'll be others so no point fretting over it. Affinity is a key concept in Taoism i think, and an important one too - it means if something is meant to be, it will come to pass. It sounds a bit like fate, but its not. Affinity allows the believer a certain leeway to engage in the process and contribute to the outcome, and also it provides a sort of philosophical buffer zone in case things don't go to plan. Fate is overly rigid imo. Not sure where you live, but over in Europe there are lots of Buddhist retreat centres that takes short or long term volunteers to assist with their never-ending projects and maintenance work - in return some offer free lodging, meals and teachings too, while others may offer free teachings and charge a nominal fee for facilities. I'm guessing you are in the US, and i just did a little search and found that there are quite a few Taoist retreat centres too over there. If you like the idea of volunteering, there'd be nothing to lose to engage with these places via emails and such to see if they take volunteers and whats involved. If you have skills it will be advantageous. One of the best sources of information i have found are either from wellness and new age magazines, and also green cafes and restaurants that usually have a signboard up for people to pin and advertise their thing. Or just google Taoist retreat or something similar. Word of caution though - don't jump with excitement if you hear back from any of these places. A thorough background search is recommended - most importantly try to get feedback from those who have been before - Forums can be a good place to do this. There are some/many cultish groups that you would do well to avoid.

really?

thats the same as saying the little birds and the little kids are far from things not-God. What does that even mean? Sure i enjoy the birds chirping and watching kids play, but why do these activities be associated and made out to be more than what they already are? Can they not be appreciated just in that moment its happening, being observed without having to add veneration to the perception?

seek only questions why are papayas tasty? what does tasty mean?

The tractor was merely used metaphorically, Veezel, as in this thing called 'body' is a sum of parts, akin to anything else which comes into existence, maintain a certain span, and then disperse. Its a dynamic process. I can understand and perhaps even accept the notion that such a process could have an ordered imputation (maybe not, it may also be chaotic), but cannot imagine the tenability of the assertion that we are like a bag and then this bag gets filled with some substance, a divine essence in this case, so as to elevate its status to make it more than what it is. Such thoughts can lead to complications. Perhaps a clarification of what divinity means to you will help the discussion further.

kala and kali behind doors and under beds your deepest fears wait

why is it important to regard the human form as a manifestation of God? What are the probable attributes that allow you to proclaim that a human being, any human being, is God with a capital g? I hope i will never reach a point where i will regard myself as God. To me that is fantastical thinking bred from arrogance and ignorance. Isnt the human form merely a sum of parts, similar to a bus, or a tractor? An estimated assemblage would be an apt descriptor. What happens when we investigate the individual parts of a form, say this human form? For example, are there some parts that make us more human than others? Are we less human if we lose an eye? A limb? A liver? Are we somehow more human by elevating our thoughts to vibrate in a so-called divine frequency, if thats even a possibility?

soft as purest white this loaf known as life and death in passing, chew well

ditto ps.. Its quite a let down that the TDB fb page is not used to update members on site works etc

approaching the wall this branch and that branch reached out concrete caressing

Everything that transpires here on this forum are nothing more than perspectives. You have yours, and others have theirs, and i have mine. I did not and will not vehemently impose that my perspective(s) are more accurate or more correct than others - however, i do maintain that we are all equal in our right to offer perspectives and to voice our views. Its ok to disagree, Jim. If everyone were to be on the same page, there'll be a shortage of storylines to make a book. On a personal note (as per your take that im like most people...), i'd just like to politely suggest that if and when you have a point to make, by all means state your point, but try if you can to present your views without making personal assumptions about folks who gather here on this forum for the simple reason that this an internet forum - you have no inkling whatsoever about people's background- surely you are not intending to be rude, but nonetheless, because of the impersonal nature of online interactions, its easy for misunderstandings to arise. This is basically rule no 1 for maintaining good online decorum. This will give more credence to your opinions and views as a whole. Unless of course your motive belies your words, then its a different playing field altogether. Apologies OP.

this video clearly details the dying process from the Tibetan pov.

https://perfumedskull.com/2016/06/19/the-magic-of-interdependence-a-general-description-of-the-view-of-how-mantras-produce-results/ The Mantra of Interdependent Origination (Skt.) ye dharmā hetu prabhavā hetun, teṣāṃ tathāgato hyavadat, teṣāṃ ca yo nirodha, evaṃ vādī mahāśramaṇa Ye dharmma hetuprabhavā hetun-teṣān-Tathāgata āha, teṣān-ca yo nirodha evam-vādi Mahāśramaṇaḥ (English) All phenomena arise from causes; Those causes have been taught by the Tathāgata And their cessation too has been proclaimed by the Great Śramaṇa. Through ignorance karma is accumulated, the cause of birth is karma. Through knowledge karma is not accumulated. Through absence of karma, one is not reborn.

By conducting one's life correctly (right livelihood and 7 others combined would be ideal) it could be said that one is taking good care of the death process. To me this is very important. We all leave some kind of impact here. Since we are not sages or hermits, our interactions and minglings cannot be all positive, but if we honour our own integrity, its absolutely possible to practice simple kindness because its a logical fact that fundamentally we all want to be comfortable and enjoy a life as free of conflict as possible - so we try to generate the right intention to do the least harm possible, in practice, and hopefully one day, this intention will enlarge and we take on a different attitude which surpasses the previous one whereby we are able to not only not harm others, but carry them a step or two in the direction we ourselves want to go. Motivation is all important - if it is right, then usually the outcome will also be right. Of course patience and perseverance are other qualities we need to cultivate now if we want to die well. Try not to put it off, because the world is getting less and less predictable, and lives are losing value by the day. We may think we will live for a particular length of time, but this is only a hope. In reality, death can happen at any moment... within the space of 2 breaths... a final gasping in-breath, ...then a short out-breath... and thats it. At that point the body goes thru the dying process the same way it went thru the coming-into-existence process.

Therefore, to avoid the pitfalls practice is essential to allow the ripening of rigpa, otherwise it remains just conceptual play.

For a sec i thought it was Merkel lol

beef jerky