C T

What is the nature of this world into which the helping forces of the Bodhisattva hurl themselves? According to Buddhist definition it is what we experience as the world: the result of our sense-activities, our thoughts, feelings and actions. So long as this thinking, feeling and acting is motivated by the illusion of our individual separateness, we experience a correspondingly limited, one-sided and therefore imperfect world, in which we attempt in vain to maintain our self-identity, our imaginary ego, against the irresistible stream of eternally changing forms and conditions. The world, therefore, appears to us as a world of impermanence, insecurity and fear; and it is this fear that surrounds each being like a wall, separating it from others and from the greater life. ~ Lama Govinda Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism

lastly flower blooms to the eyes it seems that way try to see without

of one hand clapping entwined to one-sidedness slowly the snow melt

I think 'pushing the boundaries' is just another way of saying 'tapping into the powers of the subconscious'. If the subconscious or unconscious is denied in any manner or on any level, then your assertion makes no sense.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/solar-eclipse-supermoon-spring-equinox-friday-will-see-three-rare-celestial-events-10111592.html?cmpid=facebook-post

thats like telling a dentist to make a random pull. No need to be selective - Tao determines that they all the sames anyways.

Q: When we’re in the Trekcho state would we ever need to use reasoning? If we did, would it be a form of grasping? A: When we have good stability in Trekcho, we continue to perceive and relate with all the objects of the phenomenal world, and mind continues to function, and so we’ll reason when reason is necessary. But now we’ll see everything with perfect clarity, so there’s no more grasping. This is known as the state of “being like an old man watching children play.” When an old man watches children play, what is there for him to grasp? He sees the children having fun, no more or less than that. The children themselves might grasp at their play, but not the old man. Q: Rinpoche, how do we become like that old man? A: Listen to and contemplate the teachings. Cultivate bodhichitta and devotion. Analyze the mind. Do sitting meditation. Through this, you’ll get a glimpse of the true nature. Then, to transform what you glimpsed into full panoramic vision, continue to practice as before with joyful effort. ~ Venerable Khenpo Rinpoches The Beauty of Awakened Mind: Dzogchen Lineage of the Great Master Shigpo Dudtsi (pgs 96-97)

Entirely Spiritual Some people think that Buddhism is a philosophy and not a religion; but Buddhism is neither a nihilist philosophy nor an eternalist religion. This is a complete deviation whose source is material judgment, made by people who try to find out about Buddhism but merely focus on its objective, material aspects out of their own material habit. Through only paying attention to the outer appearances and activities of Buddhist organizations and scholars, they only see Buddhists studying and debating, without understanding that the purpose of their study is to lead to practice and to open wisdom. Then, deciding that what is studied and debated resembles the refined logic of some subtle, worldly philosophies, they speculate that the ultimate teaching of Buddhism must be philosophy. They do not see meditators who are practicing inconspicuously, and they do not see the development of the inconceivable, naturally secret, spiritual qualities which cannot be observed because they are intangible. The Buddhist view is to recognize that we must not remain within ordinary phenomena by following a worldly philosophy limited to ordinary, substantial reasoning. We must decide to increase pure phenomena by following a spiritual philosophy which goes beyond ordinary reasoning and leads to enlightenment. Buddhist philosophy is entirely spiritual. Its purpose is to refute the views of the two extremes of nihilism and eternalism by the skillful means of wisdom, to release all beings to enlightenment. ~ Thinley Norbu Rinpoche from the book "White Sail: Crossing the Waves of Ocean Mind to the Serene Continent of the Triple Gems"

Thats marvellous!

happily divorced said my right foot to the left if only they knew!

We may not be able to actively apply loving kindness to all beings, but we can get a sense that developing an attitude of loving kindness can foster very optimal conditions for cultivating a meaningful spiritual path, do you agree? Like i mentioned in another post somewhere, enlightenment becomes more valuable and meaningful only when others get to share it. This does not mean that we only share after we have attained it - the act of considering others' welfare and happiness is itself an enlightening act and can only proceed from a person whose view is balanced, i think this is what the Buddhist masters like Tsongkhapa and others are pointing out. The more we exercise this relative aspect of the path, which is the altruistic side of things, the more meaningful the wisdom realisations become. Otherwise it can become top-heavy, and when that occurs, one of the conditions we will experience (imo) is what you are currently experiencing. (Btw, I must apologise for making numerous references to Buddhist concepts, but it is what i am using as a point of reference. Im not zealously advocating that you accept anything said here, merely reflect and see if you can relate to some of the points mentioned in an open-minded sort of way). As for spiritual impoverishment... its like being completely parched, a condition or feeling as if the heart is dried up and no matter what, most times it cannot be revived thru ordinary means. It can occur when dark night experiences reaches a precarious stage and the experiencer gets overwhelmed by the starkness of realisation that suddenly contracts the heart so much that it simply shuts down. Its an extreme result of aversion, a sudden, unmitigated rejection of finding oneself at the edge. Metaphorically speaking, dark night of the soul is like being at the precipice of transformation - every feeling, every experience, every thought becomes so vivid that it seems to 'hurt' beyond what the senses can filter - most people at that point will make a u-turn and begin the long (spiritual) journey back towards wholeness; this is where meaning start to become very important. This is one of three options. Another option is where the courageous makes a stand and refuse to leave that precipice, preferring to explore the limits of their endurance and partake of all the extreme joys and pain that place can bring; and then there are those who succumb, wilting under the extreme heat of that barren landscape some call the spiritual wilderness. I sense that you may have inadvertently found yourself opting for the second choice because you are here doing just that - exploring your inner limitations and challenging the all-inclusive paradigms you have accumulated to see where next you want to go . Someone who is lost in that barren place (im assuming you think maybe you are) will not have the sort of clarity that you have in expressing their condition.

Huh back at you. I think you missed the context in which the term 'dissatisfaction' was used above. If you hadn't fixated singularly at that one word, you would have understood that the point made was in reference to practitioners who felt something was still missing despite an ardent approach in maintaining a good (spiritual) practice regime. Anyway, addressing dissatisfaction from a Hinayana context when here it is applied in a Mahayana context can be problematic. Without common ground, its easy to make the error in presuming what someone *needs.

'God' steps in, usually at the lowest point, and brings relief to what is known as poverty of spirit. It seems to me that there is a marked difference between poverty of spirit and a soul's dark night. The former is a more advanced stage in spiritual contraction. And both conditions happen (from a Mahayana perspective) when spiritual aspirants held back, either consciously or unconsciously, from finding balance in the accumulative and combined merit of cultivating wisdom and compassion, giving equal priority to both. A number of posters who have shared here in the past about their spiritual dilemma have demonstrated profound, coherent insights into their experience - this shows a certain level of wisdom, which is very positive, but despite that, they expressed a sense of dissatisfaction - its as if there is an inner gnawing which cannot be specifically located and therefore unaddressable, but tangibly felt all the same. In Buddhist terms, this is sometimes likened to getting lost in the absolute. Its quite common, especially when there is an absence or lack of compassionate activity, which is something arising from conduct grounded in the relative. Wisdom (knowledge of self or transcendent knowledge) can sometimes be less than beneficial, and it becomes so when not balanced with altruistic action. Its easy to get lost in the maze of too much insight. And between the two, it is said that the latter view, one of compassionate motivation, is more conducive for beginning the Buddhist path as this will eventually lead to realising wisdom anyhow, whereas its more difficult when approached the other way round, ie, using wisdom as the preliminary platform for cultivation. So even for those who do not have the affinity to gain deep insights into existential truths and metaphysical frameworks, they can still gain emancipation simply by practicing kindness and other altruistic deeds. It has been noted that for every 20 monks who enter monastic life in the Himalayas, only one make it into the inner circle of tantric practice. The rest who do not make the cut are taught wisdom conceptually, and compassion proactively. A notable supporter of Altruism is the Ven Matthieu Ricard. He said, "The most direct route to happiness is in service to others". Also, "Authentic happiness is a way of being, and a skill to be cultivated." Happiness is a skill, and one of the most direct way of honing this skill is through proactive, positive engagement in other beings' lives. Ven Ricard is on FB if anyone is interested to find out more about his work. His posts and photographs can be quite enlightening. "Though you experience transcendence, And cultivate the spirit of enlightenment, Without wisdom from realizing voidness You cannot cut off the root of cyclic life -- So you should strive to realize relativity." ~ Tsongkhapa (1357-1419), from "The Three Principles of the Path" Just something to think about...

Equating the notion of enlightenment to fireworks validates your opinion entirely.

timely revival, RV a dish i really like to prep and eat at home. So simple & delish!!!! And easy enough to get creative with too - some like to add cashewnuts into it, or some cut red chillies, which i normally toss into mine just to lift the taste a notch. As with most of my dishes, i tend to drizzle a few drops of good quality sesame oil just before plating. For vegetarians, maybe try with some fried tofu strips, fresh baby corn, and sliced shiitake! Enjoy!!

The fading away of Ignorance causes Mental Construction to cease. The fading away of Mental Construction causes Consciousness to cease. The fading away of Consciousness causes Name-&-Form to cease. The fading away of Name & Form causes the Six Senses to cease. The fading away of the Six Senses causes Contact to cease. The fading away of Contact causes Feeling to cease. The fading away of Feeling causes Craving to cease. The fading away of Craving causes Clinging to cease. The fading away of Clinging causes Becoming to cease. The fading away of Becoming causes Birth to cease. The fading away of Birth causes Ageing, Decay & Death to cease. The fading away of Ageing, Decay & Death... thus gone Such is the Complete Cessation of this entire immense mass of Suffering!

In a previous life there was doubt, confusion and delusion, which is ignorance. There was kammic accumulation of many intentions, which is mental construction. There was attachment to the past life body, food, and pleasures, which is craving. There was embracing this and that, delighting in this and that object, which is clinging. There was volitions, favourite choices, and firm determinations, which is becoming... These 5 things accumulated in the previous kamma-process of becoming therefore became the conditions for rebirth-linking at birth, here in the present life process... Here in the present life process, there was rebirth-linking, which is consciousness. There was descent into the womb, which is mentality-&-materiality; name-&-form. There is sensitivity of the eye, ear, nose, tongue, body and mind, which is the 6 senses. There is what is seen, heard, smelt, tasted, touched and thought, which is contact. There is what is felt as pleasure, pain or neither pleasure nor pain, which is feeling... These five things here in the present rebirth-process of becoming all have their conditions in kamma done in the past. Since feeling causes clinging. And since this clinging, then causes new becoming resulting in future birth, these 5 things causes the conditions for a future life to be deposited... The rebirth round is thus closed.. Any present intentional conscious moment, thus creates a future conscious moment! Ps I 52, Vism 601

i hope the ruling will flavour the plaintiff.

all we're missing now is Wyatt Earp...

knows no fix-ed rules sometimes five turns into six don't even know why

"Nirvana, or whatever you want to call it, means the complete deconstruction of all of our rigid mental patterns and habits as well as the deconstruction of all of our limiting beliefs. This deconstruction creates a space for true inquiry. When we open our hearts and our minds completely, we are in a place where we can experience something new, a new truth, a new reality, a miracle that we haven’t experienced in the past. We can see things differently and they present new, expanded opportunities, new horizons. Therefore an open mind is required. This is true not only in relationship to the truth but in relationship to everyday life as well. For example, when I first came to the U.S., I was very close-minded and very close-hearted about Western food. I was very afraid of two things, the tomato and the avocado. The tomato reminded me of a clot of blood and the avocado reminded me of some kind of very repulsive grease. I had pictures in my mind and stories about them simply because my mind and my heart were not open to them. I was trying to defend my old belief systems about taste and diet. I wasn’t ready to open my heart to the tomato and the avocado. There was no way. All of these negative thoughts kept coming into my mind. ‘Well, the tomato may be delicious. Perhaps I should try it sometime, but not today. Maybe tomorrow or in another few months I will be ready to taste the avocado, but definitely not now.’ Actually there was really no good reason not to try a tomato or an avocado, but my mind came up with one reason after another. ‘Maybe it isn’t delicious. Maybe it’s disgusting. It looks like blood, very yucky.’ This was enough to keep me from trying either the tomato or the avocado and so my heart wasn’t open for a very long time. Then one day, accidentally, my mind and my heart were totally open to the tomato and the avocado and I tried them. They were quite good. Now I love avocados and tomatoes so much that I actually cannot imagine life without them. They are truly amazingly delicious. They have totally changed my life. Sometimes I feel like holding my palms together in praise to express my gratitude to the tomato and the avocado. The truth is similar to that. We just don't open our heart and mind because we haven't experienced the benefit of that. Once we have experienced the truth, there isn’t even an issue. There is no worry. The whole question of whether we are ready to open our heart and mind to the truth isn't even a concern." ~ Anam Thubten, ‘No Self, No Problem’

one and two and three four and five and six and nine an extended haiku

No zither?

Just to give an idea, im aspiring to reach this depth in my chanting practice. At the mo, maybe 10% there