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In some Buddhist circles, there is a saying, "If you have not understood Dependent Origination, feeling even a tiny pebble in one of your shoes can make you go bananas." When this basic truth is understood, then one can work with anything without getting caught up in the notion of a self that experiences. Experiences, either positive, neutral, or negative, are seen exactly for what they are, as they unfold - there is no need for any affirmation or negation to take place - without any grasping to a self that experiences, the transient nature of all occurrences are seen clearly, and suffering is cut at the root... there is no one to 'suffer' any thing. Things still happen, but not happening to any 'individual self'. Instead, events unfold in tandem and in direct relationship with the contents of one's mind. Realising this, we can proceed with trainings and practices freely, and without the slightest fear or favour.

into toads, spring came into earth, the warm rains fall impregnating life

she seemed so solid until bursting at the seams just as May turned 2

For instance, ''nāma dhamma'', feelings, thoughts, imagination, etc., are all uncertain. When anger arises, it grows and changes and finally disappears. Happiness, too, arises, grows and changes and finally disappears. They are empty. They are not any ''thing''. This is always the way of all things, both mentally and materially. Internally, there is this body and mind. Externally, there are trees, vines and all manner of things which display this universal law of uncertainty. : Whether a tree, a mountain or an animal, it's all Dhamma, everything is Dhamma. Where is this Dhamma? Speaking simply, that which is not Dhamma doesn't exist. Dhamma is nature. This is called the ''Sacca Dhamma'', the True Dhamma. If one sees nature, one sees Dhamma; if one sees Dhamma, one sees nature. Seeing nature, one know the Dhamma. : - Ajahn Chah - : “Dhamma Nature" :

"And what is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to mindfulness & alertness? There is the case where feelings are known to the monk as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. Perceptions are known to him as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. Thoughts are known to him as they arise, known as they persist, known as they subside. This is the development of concentration that, when developed & pursued, leads to mindfulness & alertness." ~ Samadhi Sutta

boo for info theft a gaping hole to be filled where flowers once was

The location of the truth of the Great Perfection is the unfabricated mind of the present moment, this naked radiant awareness itself, not a hair of which has been forced into relaxation. Maintaining this at all times, just through not forgetting it even in the states of eating, sleeping, walking, and sitting, is called meditation. However, until you are free from the obscurations of cognition, it is impossible for this not to be mixed with the experiences of bliss, clarity, and nonconceptualization. Nevertheless, just by not forgetting the nature of one’s own awareness — the kind that is not a tangled mindfulness that gets more tangled in order to be mindful — at some point the unelaborated ultimate truth, transcending terms and examples, will appear. ~ Jigme Lingpa

Vatta, the wheel of conditioned existence, operates like this. People cling to bhava, they depend on bhava. If they cherish bhava, this is birth. And if they fall into suffering over that same thing, this is also a birth. As long as we can't let go we are stuck in the rut of samsāra, spinning around like a wheel. Look into this, contemplate it. Whatever we cling to as being us or ours, that is a place for birth. : There must be a bhava, a sphere of birth, before birth can take place. Therefore the Buddha said, whatever you have, don't ''have'' it. Let it be there but don't make it yours. You must understand this ''having'' and ''not having,'' know the truth of them, don't flounder in suffering. : ~ Ajahn Chah ~ : “The Flood of Sensuality" :

Project Pegasus That black olive looks yummy some projects can wait

I dissolve in activity, in relationship with my surroundings, so that the inner world can flow out, and the outer world can arrive within. I have to both put in effort and know when to let go. There’s a natural balance, a dance, between embracing and releasing: turning your surroundings into yourself, like the tree that absorbs carbon dioxide, and turning yourself into your surroundings, like the same tree releasing oxygen. ~ Shozan Jack Haubner

Or "Scientists discover..."

When the state of sāmatha has been achieved our minds are able to concentrate on the object with great equanimity and perceive it exactly as it is without the least distortion. But this achievement does not mean that we have reached absolutely reality or have realized the ultimate truth of the phenomenon. We have to go much further if we want to arrive at that point. But what has been achieved is a power of mind, which can concentrate on an object with great equanimity. When sāmatha has been achieved the meditator can greatly reduce his efforts at concentration for the danger of scattering of the mind or slow sinking down of the mind has now been overcome. Also, once the meditator has gone through the process of harmonizing his mind and body he need no longer keep his powers of recollectedness and recognition on the alert. This can all be dropped because these disturbances will not occur again. Moreover, he will also find that no inconvenience, such as tiredness of the body stiffness in the legs, will arise while practicing meditation, for the body will have learned to adjust itself and will make no demands to be fed or to be exercised at a certain time. It is now capable of doing any work for any length of time. The achievement of sāmatha is indeed a landmark in meditation. We must not forget however that it is not the ultimate goal; it is the point from which real meditation starts. Until its achievement we are only training our minds to concentrate without being disturbed by thought, or getting into the sinking condition. Eventually, the serious person perseveres with his meditation for the sake of meditation only and enters into the eight types of samādhi; that is to say the four types of rūpa samādhi and the four types of arūpa samādhi; it is a real luxury for the meditator to explore these different grades of samādhi. But let us not go too far ahead; let us stay with the meditator who has achieved sāmatha and who is about to explore the first stage of rūpa samādhi. ~ Prof. Samdong Rinpoche

If you have nothing of substance to offer, why not refrain from offering your opinions? It would be to your best interest.

Why is that a problem for you? Just concentrate on your own practice, and desist from critiquing stuff you dont even have any basic understanding about.

Its great to see you are doggedly doing your policing rounds again, 3bob. Admirable habit.

The contents of that post was pure gibberish. Maybe thats what you relate to, its fine. Perhaps you were offended that i did not respond to your post. The reason for the absence of a response was because (as per usual) you write in such uniquely baffling ways, drawing upon material from such a variety of sources that makes it rather jumbled and often incoherent. Your assumptions are your own problem, so grow up, and learn to deal with them sensibly, and meanwhile, please look at your own substance before glancing around to tell me about your dissatisfaction (of my posts) when you cannot even present yours properly.

"When the mind is at peace the world too is at peace. Nothing real, nothing absent. Not holding on to reality not getting stuck in the void. You are neither holy nor wise just an ordinary fellow who has completed his work." ~ P'ang Yun, (740-808) Chan Buddhist

Do i sense that you are taking this to a personal level, in that you are arrogantly admonishing me on my posting style here?

Do all buddhas eat bad pork?

Bodhidharma was not referring to Shakyamuni, Tibetan Ice. Read it again. He said, "A buddha...". Leave the bad pork out of it.

Actually the focus is specifically on causes, you are right. I am a big fan of causes, not so much on results. As long as we remain vigilant of the causes, the results will take care of themselves. Buddha asserted that after enlightenment, he became a Tathagatha. Its an interesting description He chose. You might like to dig around and look deeper into this term. Based on that, yes, it can be said that the Buddha as self vanished after enlightenment. In essence, we (humans) are all tathagathas - but due to ingrained habits, we seldom recognise it. Since its not recognised, even when it manifests clearly within, usually in glimpses, we have no knowledge its actually that (mind of enlightenment). Since this knowledge is absent, it remains difficult to establish what state is the real thing and what is not. Therefore the basic step is to have that knowledge, and then to train in the stability of allowing that knowledge to suffuse the whole of one's being. This is a life-time's worth of practice, but if it can be maintained consistently (creating cause upon cause upon cause), then that itself is nirvana. If not maintained, then the result is obvious.

I was merely appealing to logical deductions. Its got nothing to do with beliefs, therefore you're way off the mark with your suggestion. You appear to be seeing a horse where there is none, which is ok, cos lots of people have a tendency to follow their habitual reactions.

If you attain anything at all, it's conditional. It's karmic. It turns the Wheel. And as long as you're subject to birth and death, you'll never attain enlightenment. To attain enlightenment you have to see your nature. Unless you see your nature, all this talk about cause and effect is nonsense. Buddha's don't practice nonsense. A buddha is free of karma, free of cause and effect. To say he attains anything at all is to slander a buddha. What could he possibly attain? Even focusing on a mind, a power, an understanding, or a view is impossible for a buddha. A buddha isn't one-sided. The nature of his mind is basically empty, neither pure nor impure. He's free of practice and realization. He's free of cause and effect. ~ Bodhidharma