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“Form do not disappear when realising emptiness” Emptiness is nothing if not form, and form does not disappear when all things are seen as spaciousness, for that would imply a contradiction to the constantly emphasized premise in Mahayana Buddhism that there is no transcendental identity outside the sensual realm, the realm of ordinary consciousness. To say that all things are conceived of emptiness does not imply that the visual sense ceases to function. Rather it implies that noetic spaciousness of the perceived coincides with the inherent spaciousness of the perceived. All phenomenal appearances are like a hologram where the knower and the known, “self” and “other”, become unified. This leads to the great mystery of Mahamudra. This mystery can be conceived as a two-in-one Union where both unity and duality become one simultaneous and continuous peak experience. The sexual analogy of lovers achieving a sense of complete oneness while still in their individual bodies is probably the best if not the only image we have that can express this paradoxical mystery. (Extracts from Legends Of The Mahasiddhas by Keith Dowman)

When you say bazi, are you referring to the tung shing almanac?

@daojones Since you seem to resonate with astrology, I can suggest getting in touch with https://www.vedanet.com/ David Frawley

burn your mouth's roof off at last, the full moon is seen conservatively

@Mark Foote"Here I think he missed the mark." I agree. When not used loosely, Dhyana implies meditation free of coarse and subtle obstruction, per the tradition I follow. Its often used in conjunction with the term 'Equipoise'.

https://www.vedanet.com/soma-the-bliss-principle-in-vedic-knowledge/

An ideal (spiritual) teacher is only ideal insofar as he or she fulfills the role of a conduit, a channel of potential by which an initiate can tap into as a means to access a vaster, maybe even limitless spiritual possibility within. Imo, that is the primary role of a spiritual guide. How much is tapped is dependent more on the novice's capability - mediocre, intermediate, evolved - not so much on the teacher's level of awakening. For the sake of comparison, some coaches to world class swimmers aren't especially skilled swimmers themselves. Same applies to many other fields, but especially noted in the sporting arena. Maybe the reason they make the grade as exceptional coaches is that they have something radical to offer a particular athlete(s) that other coaches lack? And this perhaps has nothing to do with specific skills, but a deeper understanding of the overall dynamics of what makes an athlete special, and are able to transmit that belief efficiently. Does this make the better coaches more advanced? Whats the measure? Surely the answer lies in the result and performance of the person under their tutelage.

Excerpt from a vedanet article "Soma, the Bliss Principle in Vedic Knowledge" by Pandit Vamadeva Shastri aka David Frawley The above have striking similarities with the higher yoga tantras of Vajrayana, which is no surprise. Here, there's a different look at what constitutes Ananda (Bliss) and how it may be cultivated. Have been thinking about the nuances of Bliss and contentment, and the idea of an ultra marathon runner came up. I can imagine this person makes a habit of running these extreme distances... whether its possible that the longer he or she runs, the more blissful the runner gets, and this sense of elated freedom is close to what a yogi/yogini will sense in the deeper ends of practice. Contentment comes from knowing that one is able to enter into this presence with growing ease as the path of practice matures. Just some thoughts....

It’s very important that we also develop this wisdom. Wisdom here means the ability to take in the darkness and transform it into light. And again as I said His Holiness the Dalai Lama is such a good example, people come to him with all their sorrows and sufferings from all over the world, from all these countries where people are suffering they come to tell him about their people suffering and you know, his heart is wide open, he listens and he weeps and they weep and they’re all sitting there having a good cry and then suddenly something occurs to him and he starts talking and within 5 minutes, 10 minutes, everybody is laughing and they all come out, big smiles on their faces feeling a big lump has been taken off and its dissolved, this is his wisdom. You see the Dalai Lama is always smiling, everybody loves His Holiness’ smile because it comes from the heart, it’s the opposite to the politicians’ smile. ~ Jetsunma Tenzin Palmo

soul food for the crow do skip the English mustard dragon's condiment

high into the air Low into the troposphere birds and worms converge

I share this view.

the Brits do it best a testimonial from Bull, he who cannot lie

Yes it is

hang your head in shame "hang down your head, Tom Dooley..." a Kingston Trio hit

Clearly you were not interested to engage in a proper manner.

Not sure why someone would make a fuss over this, but it happens. Its not so difficult to ask for clarification in a simple, straightforward manner.

Look, i don't know what your spiel is, and where you're going with this, but if you have a problem with Dr Baker's credentials, I'm sure you'd know what avenues are available to take the matter up with him. As for that ad hominem thingy, I seriously have no idea how this came about. And blanking the quote in question means what exactly? Up to this point, your involvement here in terms of those non-questions you deemed as 'questions' is puzzling, to say the least. If you've some issue with this thread, feel free to report it. And if there wasn't any ad hominem as claimed, please consider redacting/retracting your words. Thanks.

Really? How odd I wonder why...

Relax. No need to get so worked up over someone's title.

DR. IAN BAKER is a Tibetan scholar, yogi, explorer and author with more than 40 years experience studying and teaching Tibetan Buddhism. He is an international fellow of the Explorers Club and was honored by National Geographic Society as one of six ‘Explorers for the Millennium’ for his ethnographic and geographical field research in Tibet’s Tsangpo gorge and his team’s discovery of a waterfall that had been the source of myth and geographic speculation for more than a century. Ian is the author of seven critically acclaimed books on Himalayan and Tibetan cultural history, environment, art, and medicine including The Heart of the World: A Journey to the Last Secret Place, The Tibetan of Art of Healing, and The Dalai Lama’s Secret Temple, a collaborative work with His Holiness The Dalai Lama that illuminates Tantric Buddhist meditation practices. Ian’s latest book, Tibetan Yoga: Secrets from the Source. Ian has also written for National Geographic Magazine and has contributed to academic journals in the fields of Tibetan yoga in Vajrayāna Buddhism. Ian also leads pilgrimages to sacred sites in India, Tibet, and Bhutan.