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Understanding can be a tricky term because it implies that there is something to analyse and conclude, to come to some logical finality. This is useful during the familiarisation phase, but in the maturing phase, the encouragement is to simply rest in naked awareness. So this resting is made all the more stable when activity, from gross and subtle, is allowed to come and go and dissipate by virtue of its own energy rather than following it or complicating it with volitional impulses in which the basis is one of stirring the self into existence.

It is better to leave things settle as they naturally will. This is the simplicity of non-action. It is the pinnacle of effortless awareness itself, shining by its own light. This light is never not aware, even in the midst of fear and uncertainty. See and hear it in the brightness even, not just dark. . Simply rest in that.

The nature of perception is nonarising. If something arises, it is your clinging to its reality. The nature of samsara is groundless and rootless. If something has ground and root, it is your thought. The nature of mind is unity. If there is partiality, it is your attachment. The nature of a master is endowed with a lineage. If you invent your own, you are deluded. ~ MILAREPA’S SONG TO SHAKYA GUNA ~

One of my (Buddhist) teachers once said that in order to be strong and to reclaim the potential for optimal well-being to happen, we must be willing to take advantage of our perceived weaknesses and misfortunes - to face them squarely without desperation or fear, and the only way to do this is to practice generating a strong intention in your mind and by cultivating a genuine willingness to take on the sufferings of those who are in the same condition or dilemma - to have the heartfelt mental wish that you alone should bear the burden so that they may experience immediate relief thru your willingness to take on their plight. It made a lot of sense to me. If we want to overcome our disadvantages, we have to be strong enough to rise above them. How do we gather this strength? By overcoming our fears. How do we overcome our fears? One sure way is to develop a spacious, warrior-like attitude, and to do this, we need to train first by creating a mental battle ground. So in this battle ground, you are the warrior defending your kinfolks against the onslaught of unseen enemies. You learn then to create intelligent strategies to outwit the enemy and gradually triumph over their badness and eventually subjugate them to become your helpers to fight even greater battles for the good of others. I know this sounds radical, but if you were to recall mythological warriors' tales, you will come to remember that generally speaking, warriors are not born, but are those who have managed to make full use of their ill positions to develop themselves until they become invincible. Some such examples would be David & Goliath, St. George & the dragon, Milarepa and the demons in the cave, the theme in Lord of the Rings, and numerous other tales that tell of the same dynamic. If you are interested to know more about this practice and how to train in it, let me know please.

The Irish PM said today that if EC decision makers continue to mess around with taxes, Ireland will be the next to vote out of the EU. Now that sounded more like a little squeak than a roar, considering the puniness of Ireland's position on the EU chessboard.

This is very interesting, Steve... especially how the self arise in this process of recognising visions. Thank you

some folks prefer plastic bags

here's a different spin on the same theme...

Guess we will just have to agree to disagree.

Im not sure i agree that rigpa is the single most important term in the Dzogchen teachings. Its vitalness is revealed gradually thru the 6 paths of building up, applying, seeing, accustoming, last phase, and finally no further training. So someone on the path of building up would not/need not (theoretically) be as familiar with rigpa as say one who is on the seeing path, and as one moves ahead, the meaning and nature of rigpa begins to crystallise, until finally, at the maturation of the phase of no further training, even the subtlest habitual separative tendencies are all dissolved, and rigpa becomes inseparable from sem. At that point the realiser simply rest as is, not even the thought "Oh, Im now resting in rigpa" arises. And the need to continue to look inwards to watch for distractions becomes unnecessary, because at that point the selfless nature of mind no longer fluctuates between sem and rigpa. End of duality.

Realization is togpa (skt. adigam) Rigpa is non-conceptual knowing, or sometimes equated to wisdom awareness (skt. vidya) In Dzogchen, Rigpa has a more direct meaning: The innermost nature of mind.

It may be more challenging but certainly not impossible. If its impossible no one would practice altruism because almost everyone hurts, have hurt and will hurt, on some level & at some point. Imagine this scenario: if at the moment your thumb gets hit by a hammer and you get a phone call seconds after saying one of your siblings just met with a serious accident and is on the way to hospital, are you going to continue nursing your sore thumb? This is of course an extreme example, but one that challenges your insistence on the impossibility of altruism under a cloud of hurt. Some terminally ill parents, especially those with younger children, have been known to experience an increase in their love and devotion for the kids after finding out about their illness. While they may at the same time experience a decrease in their physical health, the illness actually promote a stronger bond within the family. Altruism works on the heart level - its power to heal is born from shifting focus on one's troubles by enlarging one's understanding that if we desire healing, or seek transformation of hurtful emotions, we have to first be willing to set up the conditions where such a transformation can occur in a healthy way. And there is no more effective way to initiate this transformation than to openly regard that we are not victims despite our setback, that we are still able to help others and alleviate the discomfort of fellow beings - this rebuilds esteem, is extremely empowering, and works from the core of being to bring about positive changes. Anyway the OP did not state that he or she is hurting emotionally, only that he or she is experiencing difficulty in understanding why presently there is this empty feeling inside.

Realistically though, Karl, someone from the old regime is going to take over the running of the country, for now anyway. The question is how much strain can the country take before the masses get to see at least a wee bit of improvement in their lives. To what level is the UK prepared to endure austerities before some permanent damage is done?

Its getting clearer now why this period is known as the age of strife (from the Buddhist pov).

karma perhaps

Sometimes we dont need to know the cause(s) in order to begin rectifying certain unsatisfactory life conditions. For example, if you get shot in the leg by a poisonous arrow, there is the immediate call to remove it without having to first undertake some analysis as to why you were shot and who shot you. In my experience, one of the most effective antidote you can apply to address this seeming lack of emotions is to remove the focus on yourself and redirect it towards doing something good and altruistic for others, no matter how insignificant it may be at the beginning. You can begin by generating one simple intention each day that you want to help another being (any sentient being, not just humans) - just to do a little something to bring a tiny bit of comfort and happiness to them - to make a difference - it could be something as simple as intentionally helping your neighbour to walk the dog, assisting a retiree at the supermarket to carry shopping bags, with a smile of course, pick up an earthworm thats struggling on the tarmac to get back on the grass, volunteer at some charitable organisation or animal shelter, offer to clean someone's backyard, the list is endless. Start small, but do at least one good thing a day, and complete the action with as much mindful awareness and good intention as possible, with the aim of noticing how your actions actually bring some relief to others, just as you want relief for yourself. Dont accept nor expect any compensation, and if someone were to ask you why you are doing it, you can be honest with the answer - tell them you are trying to generate more energy, empathy, and compassion in yourself in order to stabilise your meditation practice. By doing this, you are basically taking the necessary steps to rebalance and to address this contractive state you find yourself in now. The problem wont address itself, and probably will become more acute unless you first begin to give something out before you get to gain something back. Thinking and analysis is not giving something. If anything, it will only mire you in more helplessness. My tuppence

Singapore epitomises the little isle that thrived on financial and shipping industries alone. It is now the most stable country in the whole of Asia. Everybody thought it will collapse after she broke off from Peninsular Malaysia but PM Lee Kuan Yew made sure to turn every adversary to advantage. It has been proven possible, but then again, the mindsets are different - so the mitigating factor will largely depend on the leaders of the future, their motivation and vision all important. Malaysia, on the other hand, with immense natural resources and a wide manufacturing base, theoretically should out-do Singapore by miles, yet today the country is on the brink of collapse. Rampant corruption, nepotism, dirty politics and clueless party leaders who blatantly declare that vote-buying is part of their strategy to remain in power. Not to mention crazy Islamic laws being implemented. Just something to consider before dashing all hopes.

In all likelihood your constitution does not support the intake of chlorella at this point, so why not try a different supplement instead? Or is there any particular reason that makes you feel this supplement is a necessity? Perhaps wheatgrass could be one alternative to try?

He made a complete ass of hisself in Scotland, so he did. (doing the Irish twang a bit) lol

How would one go about exemplifying this singular strategy then, Ralis?

Dont be idiotic. You were the first to bring thogal into this thread, not Tibetan Ice.

Is there a rule here that dictates which posts we must or must not respond to? Anyway, i was merely being polite by answering Ralis' question initially. Other than that im waiting to see if Jax will come forth to answer TI's questions, so basically im not wanting to jump the gun, you see.

Maybe you could deduce and explain what these 'strategies' are when you are ready. At least such an attempt will exemplify what it means to function at a higher level in the various phases of life - without going off-topic, too.

This isn't what the OP questions, is it?

Now London is contemplating leaving the UK http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-latest-london-independence-time-to-leave-uk-eu-referendum-sadiq-khan-boris-johnson-a7100601.html