C T

Is this your reasoning for negating Buddhist altruism? Seems a bit disjointed, more so when reading the entirety of whats written above, especially about Buddhists being content to weave 'their own' web of delusion.

When one begins to put the words into practice, then the actualisation and meaning of this supremely altruistic wish gradually becomes clearer. Just because there exist predators whose nature cannot be but what they are should not in any way impinge on this particular class of beings endowed with favourable birth to cultivate altruistic thoughts. When one is feeling good its easy to make others happy. Spiritual maturity, in many ways, usually occur only when one has the guts and capacity to be considerate and kind (to self and others) despite personal limitations. Wishing happiness for all beings is simply a reminder to put aside our intensity of focus on 'I/Me/Mine' so as to loosen up and let go of selfish fixations of which the outcomes are usually negative and often lead to a continuity of unhappiness and other destructive emotional pangs, creating cycles within cycles of samsaric existences.

leprechaun oops..

precipitation rolling on the floor laughing rocky mountain high

IF you are willing to look at another person's behaviour towards you as a reflection of the state of their relationship with themselves rather than as a statement about your value as a person, then you will, over a period of time, cease to react at all. ~~ Yogi Bhajan ~~

Look into the awakened mind of your own awareness! It has neither form nor color, neither center nor edge. At first, it has no origin but is empty. Next, it has no dwelling place but is empty. At the end, it has no destination but is empty. This emptiness is not made of anything and is clear and cognizant. When you see this and recognize it, you know your natural face. You understand the nature of things. You have then seen the nature of mind, resolved the basic state of reality and cut through doubts about topics of knowledge. This awakened mind of awareness is not made out of any material substance; it is self-existing and inherent in yourself. This is the nature of things that is easy to realize because it is not to be sought for elsewhere. This is the nature of mind that does not consist of a concrete perceiver and something perceived to fixate on. It defies the limitations of permanence and annihilation. In it there is no thing to awaken; the awakened state of enlightenment is your own awareness that is naturally awake. In it there is no thing that goes to the hells; awareness is naturally pure. In it there is no practice to carry out; its nature is naturally cognizant. This great view of the natural state is present in yourself: resolve that it is not to be sought for elsewhere. ~ Guru Rinpoche

there's this: "To solidify around a thought, word or deed; to identify with, and then become, that thought, word or deed; to be bound up so tightly in notions of “I am” or “I am not”; these are the very causes and conditions out of which the suffering of self-identification inevitably arises." ~ P. Ladakh Then i reflected the above with what Ven. Ajahn Chah said: "Actually in my own practice I didn't have a teacher to give as much teachings as all of you get from me. I didn't have many teachers. I ordained in an ordinary village temple and lived in village temples for quite a few years. In my mind I conceived the desire to practice, I wanted to be proficient, I wanted to train. There wasn't anybody giving any teaching in those monasteries but the inspiration to practice arose. I traveled and I looked around. I had ears so I listened, I had eyes so I looked. Whatever I heard people say, I'd tell myself, 'Not sure.' Whatever I saw, I told myself, 'Not sure,' or when the tongue contacted sweet, sour, salty, pleasant or unpleasant flavours, or feelings of comfort or pain arose in the body, I'd tell myself, 'This is not a sure thing'! And so I lived with dhamma." One who is aware can renounce attachment to arisings. This cuts immediately the causes of contraction. Contraction is the basis for aversive and negative emotional reactions. Where the causes of contractive states are not present, Aversion and negativity have no seed. Maintaining freedom from I-solidification is not that difficult. Simply allow for things to come as they are, and go as they will.

If seen from the view of change, then yes, your statement is correct. Although its seldom seen as such (change) due to self-identification, hence dukkha becomes a sort of permutation and extension of self-suffering, giving rise to the chain of interdependent causation and the rest you know anyway (karma etc). It is likened to a chain due simply to its connective nature between past, present and future, again something the kleshic mind is bound to due to its nature of continuous colour-blindness (remember the story of the jaundiced person looking out at things but cannot avoid the tinted yellowness of it all?) Very interesting thread indeed. Coming back from a short retreat, its a welcome treat to get back into the flow of TDB Thank you, all contributors and silent reflectors!

Consider the fact that no matter how many planets and stars are reflected in a lake, these reflections are encompassed within the water itself; that no matter how many universes there are, they are encompassed within a single space; and that no matter how vast and how numerous the sensory appearances of samsara and nirvana may be, they are encompassed within the single nature of mind. ~ Dudjom Lingpa

Reading your earlier posts i got the impression your heart had turned to stone. Reading this now i realise it hadn't yet, cos there's still feelings there, albeit misdirected. There's hope yet. Dont give up. Question is now one of willingness, right knowledge, and motivation. Start with yourself. Most times the practice is about coming to understand why you deserve loving kindness, not so much about others. When you make some inroads into understanding why your true nature is basically already perfect, that gradual shift will reveal a sort of equalising feeling for others as part of that understanding, provided the understanding is clear and free of neurosis. You need not have to focus on others specifically, in other words. Start with yourself. Negative views and attitudes are great opportunities for awakening. The wonderful part about this business of kindness is that once awakened, both negative and positive are transcended, and whats left is simple openness in the way we view things, a heart thats soft and yielding like water, and a selfless availability to be innately kind in such a way that even the thought of 'I am being kind' or 'I am such a good person' (thoughts of which could lead to delusional problems due to attachment to a false notion of an inherently existing 'I') will not even arise. One becomes kindness as a natural outflow of right understanding having been established. Of course to get to this there is work to be done. Acknowledging the shittiness of life can be a perfect catalyst. But that acknowledgement has to be utterly complete. It has to be pure and sincere, and not a sort of half-hearted, half-baked view. If it is, change will take much longer to be effected.

i am overjoyed that these encouragements and words of advice from the great Buddhist masters are well received, and i am deeply humbled to be allowed an opportunity to share them with you all. You are in my prayers. _/\_

If, as you meditate on mind training, your personality becomes stiff with pride and arrogance, its as though you have reduced a god to a demon; dharma has become non-dharma. The more you meditate on mind training and dharma, the more supple your personality should become. Act as the lowest servant to everyone. ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye from the book "The Great Path of Awakening"

Thats like saying you have breakfast in the morning, lunch in the afternoon, and supper in the evening, and let others make of it what they will. Not sure about other traditions, but really in Vajrayana one of the aims of say mantra recitation over an extended period is to tease the mind to such an extent that the possibility of resting in naked awareness arises effortlessly, not during the actual chanting, but at its point of cessation. Likewise when we read of commentaries that speak of pure lands, thousand arms, diamond-like this or that, etc... one purpose of which is to convey the message that possibilities are limitless, and to this end, we can enjoy unlimited freedom to access the vast array of teachings and adopt ones that best suit our purpose. There is no need to concentrate on discarding those we dont find appealing, just as its not necessary to avoid terms that we think are too flowery or superficial. In some respect the word 'unborn' for example can represent unfathomable potential. This is quite within the scope of mind training. I dont see anything inappropriate with this word in that context.

Many of these descriptions are writers' attempts to describe to the reader essentially what is immaculately profound and inexpressible, and any assigned labels and descriptors, no matter how seemingly accurate, would do the actual experience injustice, yet people try. With a willingness to allow for such, then it need not be a burden to a reader who chance upon such words and phrases. How would you describe, for example, an experience of perfect bliss in in plain English? I experienced perfect bliss. It cannot get plainer and more direct than that, but we cannot discount the possibility that there are those who may not be able to grasp the meaning in plainspeak, and therefore, writers and commentators sometimes have to make elaborations to cater for a wider readership. Imo.

Reading the above made me recall the thoughts of Daoist monk Matthieu Ricard... "In the solitude of immaculate nature, each moment is worth its weight in gold [and] brings us closer to the ultimate nature of things. The outside silence opens the doors of the inner silence. Then, the freshness of the present moment nurtures our heart with good qualities. When silence reigns, our mind can easily stretch over the space around us and melt into it. The outside peace and the inner peace are as one."

Hi Admin, The above message comes up when i tried to view some topics. Just wanted to bring to your attention.

For the purpose of clarification on what Dzogchen is from a recognised teacher, scholar, translator and great realiser of Dzogchen and Ati Yoga.

Have you ever considered that to be free of the possibility of being manipulated, you might want to consider butting out of exchanges which does not concern you? Have you? Have you?

Since you claim mastery of Dzogchen with your profound prowess in sky gazing, you can perhaps help with his honest query Eh?

You are not ready for such evidence and facts, therefore it would be folly on my part to present them as it will not benefit you - in fact, it may even harm you more.

Without these a practitioner can easily fall under the illusion of progress where none is forthcoming.

Experience is an individual thing. Its obvious what yours have yielded based on the apparent lack of understanding of something as basic as the intertwined practices of Ngondro and its relevance to Dzogchen.

Thogal? I dont think you are mature enough for it.

I did not say he did.