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When any two components or more come together, a new phenomenon emerges - nails and wood become a table; water and leaves become tea; fear, devotion, and a saviour become God. These end products does not have an existence independent of its parts. (Dzongsar Khyentse Rinpoche)

I dont recall saying you dont exist. I said the journey which so many love to ponder and mull over is non-existent. Its just a fantasy, an indulgence to pacify an otherwise dull mind. Show me one master that reappeared physically, identical to his previous incarnation. Habits and tendencies are reborn, not the physical form itself. Children pick up habits and tendencies from the influences of their parents (primarily) and carry these and pass some on, and so on and so forth. Just an example of how rebirth occurs on one level, among others. When a person dies, some of his or her traits are inherited by others - that in itself is the transference of consciousness from one realm to another.

understanding music, writing music, and listening to music are also all connected, but each is a uniquely different activity.

Not understood, but lived. The act of conducting one's life determines samsara or nirvana.

The prophets and the sages come back? From where? Where did they go? Evidently their consciousnesses is still very much present. They take form, albeit subtly, in millions of mindstreams, dont they?

Sometimes immensely profound clarity arise as a direct result of overwhelming confusion. In fact, for advanced practitioners, the greater the din and the noise, the more profound the clarity. Silence can be induced - Clarity is the basic nature of mind where no amount of inducements can change it one bit. Its foolish to say the nature of mind is silent, because its not. It can be, but it can also be otherwise. The nature of the mind is clear, its empty, yet completely infused with awareness potential. Awareness potential means anything can appear in that mind-ground, yet its basic quality never alters.

What some call the soul or spirit, others might call subtle consciousness, but these are all terms, and valid ones too imo. In Tibet it is said the subtle consciousness does stick around for a period after death, and the time in the intermediate bardo generally lasts up to 49 days.

The journey so romantically spoken of is non-existent. Its all just a play created in the mind. There is no benefit speculating on the future. If you are a practitioner of some significance, the bardo of death will not be any different from that of life... all a dream. If grasping and clinging is present at that point of departure into the moment after the last breath, then the subtle consciousness will seek rebirth. This can be verified now while living - simply direct your mind to something and boost it with some motivational intent, and see what happens. Why would those last moments pre-death be different? Its not so difficult to imagine, in a general sense, the frame of mind of those who are about to depart - look at the faces of those who die a natural death compared to those who die prematurely or violently - completely different. Understanding how each moment evolves and causes the next moment is not about falling under the weight of determinism - its about awareness of certain laws which can be tapped and utilised to extract the best possible outcome with the potential thats there.

previous deaths, previous moments, if you are mindful, its all the same. This moment now determines the following moment; the moment past determines the now moment, and so on. Whats so different when the last moment comes?

its good you choose to rarely post about confusing theories.

nonsense

For most people dying is the scariest thing. And the reason it naturally scares most people is due to the deeply embedded memories of confusion and all manner of torment carried here from previous death experiences. If not for these memories people wont be trying so hard to be spiritual and do all kinds of practice and stuff to get back on track. Very few people die happy.

Cannot envisage anyone with 'too much clarity' though. Impossible to quantify. I disagree that silence and clarity are the same thing.

There are, strictly speaking, no enlightened people, there is only enlightened activity. ~ Shunryu Suzuki

Three limitless seeds of virtue The three poisons continually arise in connection with three objects. Compulsive attachment arises for objects that are pleasant or useful; aversion arises for objects that are unpleasant or harmful; and stupidity or indifference for other objects. Recognize these poisons as soon as they arise. Then, for example, when attachment arises, think: "May every bit of every sentient beings' attachment be contained in this attachment of mine. May all sentient beings have the seed of virtue of being free of attachment. May this attachment of mine contain all their disturbing emotions and, until they attain buddhahood, may they be free of such disturbing emotions." Aversion and other emotions are used in practice by working with them the same way. Thus, the three poisons become three limitless seeds of virtue. ~ Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Thaye from the book "The Great Path of Awakening"

Dissolving the Confusion 'The true, real view is the indivisible unity of emptiness and compassion. Confusion arises when something seemingly is, but actually isn’t, like mistaking a rope for a snake. That is a clear mistake, because in reality the rope is not a snake, no way. How do we actualize this view? We have a lot of thoughts, one after the other, involving the duality of subject and object. When the subject latches onto or grasps the object, that is what is normally called mind, the thinking mind. When there is this subject-object clinging, that creates karma. When karma is created, there is confusion.' ~ Tsoknyi Rinpoche

Most of us experience a life full of wonderful moments and difficult moments. But for many of us, even when we are most joyful, there is fear behind our joy. We fear that this moment will end, that we won’t get what we need, that we will lose what we love, or that we will not be safe. Often, our biggest fear is the knowledge that one day our bodies will cease functioning. So even when we are surrounded by all the conditions for happiness, our joy is not complete. We may think that if we ignore our fears, they’ll go away. But if we bury worries and anxieties in our consciousness, they continue to affect us and bring us more sorrow. We are very afraid of being powerless. But we have the power to look deeply at our fears, and then fear cannot control us. We can transform our fear. Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones. The first part of looking at our fear is just inviting it into our awareness without judgment. We just acknowledge gently that it is there. This brings a lot of relief already. Then, once our fear has calmed down, we can embrace it tenderly and look deeply into its roots, its sources. Understanding the origins of our anxieties and fears will help us let go of them. Is our fear coming from something that is happening right now or is it an old fear, a fear from when we were small that we’ve kept inside? When we practice inviting all our fears up, we become aware that we are still alive, that we still have many things to treasure and enjoy. If we are not pushing down and managing our fear, we can enjoy the sunshine, the fog, the air, and the water. If you can look deep into your fear and have a clear vision of it, then you really can live a life that is worthwhile. The Buddha was a human being, and he also knew fear. But because he spent each day practicing mindfulness and looking closely at his fear, when confronted with the unknown, he was able to face it calmly and peacefully. There is a story about a time the Buddha was out walking and Angulimala, a notorious serial killer, came upon him. Angulimala shouted for the Buddha to stop, but the Buddha kept walking slowly and calmly. Angulimala caught up with him and demanded to know why he hadn’t stopped. The Buddha replied, “Angulimala, I stopped a long time ago. It is you who have not stopped.” He went on to explain, “I stopped committing acts that cause suffering to other living beings. All living beings want to live. All fear death. We must nurture a heart of compassion and protect the lives of all beings.” Startled, Angulimala asked to know more. By the end of the conversation, Angulimala vowed never again to commit violent acts and decided to become a monk. How could the Buddha remain so calm and relaxed when faced with a murderer? This is an extreme example, but each of us faces our fears in one way or another every day. A daily practice of mindfulness can be of enormous help. Beginning with our breath, beginning with awareness, we are able to meet whatever comes our way. Fearlessness is not only possible, it is the ultimate joy. When you touch nonfear, you are free. If I am ever in an airplane and the pilot announces that the plane is about to crash, I will practice mindful breathing. If you receive bad news, I hope you will do the same. But don’t wait for the critical moment to arrive before you start practicing to transform your fear and live mindfully. Nobody can give you fearlessness. Even if the Buddha were sitting right here next to you, he couldn't give it to you. You have to practice it and realize it yourself. If you make a habit of mindfulness practice, when difficulties arise, you will already know what to do. - Thich Nhat Hanh

When literature is taken to its highest level, There is nothing particularly extraordinary about it: It is simply appropriate. When human character is developed to its fullest, There is nothing particularly wonderful about it: It is simply natural. ~ Hung Ying-ming

so Happy Easter and a happy Wester too happy North and South!

Dedicated Vajrayana/Dzogchen practitioners http://www.shambhala.com/the-complete-nyingma-tradition-from-sutra-to-tantra-books-1-to-10.html

Its entirely plausible that some (beings) have odd eating habits, but qualifying the statement with 'only' seems a bit far-fetched which explains the comment, otherwise, hey, eat away...

and you believed it matter-of-factly...

Ah, fortunate sons and disciples gathered here, This body of ours is impermanent, Like a feather on a high mountain pass, This mind of ours is empty and clear, Like the depth of space. Relax in that natural state, Free of fabrication. When mind is without any support, That is Mahāmudrā. Becoming familiar with this, Blend your mind with it— That is Buddhahood. ~ Extract taken from Machig Labdrön's final instructions

"Shigpo Dudtsi speaks here of another possible hindrance for Dzogchen practitioners, known in Tibetan as Yadral ma. Yadral ma means “lonely or isolated meditation.” This occurs when you diligently cultivate nonduality, but forsake compassion. Your mind is strong, but you feel separate and distant. You might even become indifferent to the suffering of others. To avoid this problem, continue to generate bodhichitta. At the beginning of each practice session, say from the heart, “I am meditating for the welfare of all beings.” Then meditate on the true nature, with hook-like mindfulness. At the end of your meditation session, re-activate your bodhichitta and dedicate the merit, praying that all beings enjoy peace, happiness, and ultimately full realization. Guru Padmasambhava said, “Without compassion, the root of Dharma is rotten.” A rotten root cannot produce full, ripe fruit. Therefore, do not neglect bodhichitta. Continually integrate it with your Dzogchen meditation. Here the great master Shigpo cautions us about yet another potential problem, which he calls “no ownership meditation,” or gom dagme ma in Tibetan. In this scenario, you received instructions, practiced well, and made some progress. But then you stop practicing. It’s as if your meditation suddenly becomes meaningless to you. Do not let this happen. It is important to complete what you started. Practice is precious, and the rewards of practice are profound. If you are ever tempted to stop, re-invigorate yourself by reflecting on the lives of the great masters who took their practice to completion. Also, do not use the excuse that there are outside forces that make practice impossible, because all external circumstances can be used for meditation. You yourself are the ultimate power who determines whether your practice develops or dissolves. Shigpo Dudtsi also mentions the problem known in Tibetan as gom rejogma, which means “meditating once in a while.” This manifests in two ways. In the first way, we meditate regularly, but the power and integrity of our practice is inconsistent—it is strong in some sessions, and weak in others. In the second way, we practice very intermittently, either when the mood strikes, when the teacher is present, or on special days. The remedy for the first problem is simply to keep practicing. With joyful effort our practice will eventually become strong all the time. The remedy for the second problem is discipline. We should keep a regular, strong practice schedule that does not bend for mood swings and changing outer circumstances. Shigpo Dudtsi teaches that the aim is gom khoryug ma, which means “meditation all the time,” or “continuous meditation.” Good practice in the day flows into the night; it even flows when we’re asleep. When day comes again and we rise, the practice continues. It keeps flowing and never stops. When we reach this level of practice, we are supreme yogis and yoginis. We will have attained what the Dzogchen tradition calls the “stage beyond effort,” and what the Mahamudra tradition calls the “no- meditation state.” To get to this stage, we must continuously monitor ourselves. When our Dzogchen meditation becomes shaky, we should reinvigorate ourselves by accumulating merit. Every time we do something that benefits ourselves and others, whether a formal practice or an action in the relative world, we should re-activate our Dzogchen understanding. Towards the same end, some of us will find that the Tsalung and Tummo practices are very effective. There are many powerful practices that we can utilize. The essential point is to remain steadfast on the path until we attain complete realization." ~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches The Beauty of Awakened Mind Dzogchen: Lineage of the Great Master Shigpo Dudtsi (pg 178-179)