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Interesting to note that Taoism seems to be on the wane in Malaysia. In 2000, 2.6% of the population said they followed Taoism (and Confucianism) - in 2010, it dwindled down to 1.3%. Comparatively, Buddhism had 19.2% in '00, and 19.8% in 2010. Apparently the younger generation of Malaysian Chinese no longer find Taoism meaningful, nor Theravadin Buddhism, preferring the Mahayana path more.

don't try this @ home!

end clear as diamond melting before the mind's eye like unformed jello

How did the Tao come to mean the order of things? Does this mean that Tao only manifest when things are in a shambolic state? Just curiously probing cos i dont know much about what Tao really means, or can it actually mean something. If it does, then it would seem like a principle limited by certain conditions, do you agree?

All contentions come to cessation in the unifying awareness of awakened mind. - Tharchin Zangpo

I dont think its accurate to offer the assertion that its entirely related to Kundalini. You have a tendency to say this all the time, Songtsan, sorry, but i dont find this helpful, on the contrary, it tends to limit things quite a bit. There are many practitioners i know who go thru various stages of transformation, each one more acute and refined than the last (usually) without having to attach any names to that process, or to defer to any particular cause because they tend not to allow any fixations to tie them down. Things come and things go, experiences the same... we only need to remain mindful so as not to get carried away with imaginings. Simply observe the process with some clarity and calmness - this alone takes away a lot of the labels which only serve to anchor the practitioner into further delusion.

Whats even more hilarious is this unproductive comment, dont you think so? Fair enough if some feeble attempt was made to back up your comment with a reasonable explanation, but no, you'd rather go for a messy kill. Believe me, most of the members here are in a position to determine for themselves what is useful and what is not and do not need such irrelevant, almost dismissive, feedback to assist them in this regard. Members of the community have a right to ask questions without that right being ridiculed. I would suggest that you rethink what you wrote and perhaps edit your post in such a way as to make it more substantial and less novicey. Btw, this is not an indication of support for the OP's claims. I dont know if he is enlightened or not, and frankly, it does not bother me either way, but i do care that new (and old) members abide by a certain decorum here on this forum, and would encourage that we all check our posting style and intent before hitting the send button.

Putting aside the existence of the subconscious would be the same as denying the force of potentiality. It is that area of psyche which receives flow-overs from mental activities and catalogs everything. Without it, we would probably all have died by now from short-circuited synapses. Think of the subconscious as a cellar which provides the optimum conditions for wine storage. One can choose to store all kinds of wines there... rare ones, common ones, red ones, white ones, rose ones... the thing is, no matter how ideal the storage condition is, filling the whole cellar with cheap whites won't transform them into vintage reds, no matter how long its been kept there, in that ideal setting. LoA, in my opinion, is simply making its adherents aware of this ideal condition where potential can be harnessed optimally, but those who don't understand fully its function seem to think that adopting its principle can miraculously help them transform cheap white wine into vintage reds, or champagne, or premium rosé. Not sure if you will get what i am alluding to, Dreambliss, but basically thats it - LoA is neither good or bad, as with most things we bring into our practice routine. If we do not match these principles with a systematic cultivation of virtue, ethics & discipline, its the same as storing cheap wines in the cellar while entertaining the idea of these yielding something of value given a certain length of time in its keep.

for cloudy days in autumn or winter, i prefer the original artist, Joni Mitchell, simply because she even titled her 1969 album 'Clouds'. Judy Collins' or Neil Diamond's cover.. hmm... summer, maybe. And cloudy days in spring, well, Mary Hopkins' version would do nicely, thank you.

Sometimes it could simply be a result of awareness expanding on itself. We, or the idea of who we are, do not have possession of this process, it unfolds itself naturally for all meditators. In my understanding, there is no need to give this a name or label it anything in particular, because doing so tend to bring up some comparative or dualistic ideas. For me, i simply allow it to come and go without grasping at it or trying to avoid anything which accompanies such experiences. Gone are those days where i would get overly excited and try to fathom every single mystical meditation or awareness experience. As Machig Labdron said to Shakya Shri in a vision, "Mind's nature is empty, defying the intellect. Any discursive thought that arises in it proceeds to the expanse of luminous clarity and, at the end, reaches the inaccessible realm, the unborn."

Born out of ignorance, “I” will age, sicken and die, and will thus offer no refuge from sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief or despair. The real refuge lies in the unborn awareness, which does not age, sicken or die, and which offers no surface upon which the shadows of sorrow, lamentation, pain, grief or despair may be cast. (Tharchin Zangpo)

the territory marked by whats mine and not mine gives birth to all things...

I guess in those days, and to some extent, even now, authentic masters are usually pretty inaccessible because they tend to stay in the shadows, so to speak. This accords with Taoist principles right to the bone. But circumstances went against them, and sadly many of these masters perished with a lot of 'good music' prematurely lost upon their demise.

You can practice anywhere because the mind is with you everywhere. If you think good thoughts while sitting, you can be aware of them; if you think bad thoughts you can be aware of them also, because the place to practice is in the mind. (Ajahn Chah)

Maybe the persecution actually played a part in making known and advertising these masters' reputations. Without the force of conflict, most of them would have just faded into obscurity with time, since the nature of these ancient masters (the real ones) is to (usually) conduct themselves without much aplomb. I suppose the underhanded tactics of the regime at that time, using family, friends and students as bait, would force many of them (the hidden masters) to come out of seclusion and take whatever action they could to resist the persecutory wave, or simply to exchange themselves for the freedom of those who were imprisoned and used as bait.

put random words here a staccato effect there poetic licence

on a cloudy day, i often remember this song... one of my all-time favourites

Genuine gratitude requires a deep appreciation of the unselfconscious generosity of others and the environment that supports and sustains us. Having experienced genuine gratitude, we, in turn, are much more inclined to express an unselfconscious generosity towards others and the environment that supports and sustains us. -- Tharchin Zangpo

the rivers moved on even with questions unasked the wind is traceless...

Karma is not only result or effect, but it is also cause as well. Actually, cause and result arise simultaneously. But often there is a sort of misconception that one arise before the other. According to Buddhist thought, because they arise simultaneously, its wonderful, simply due to the fact that one need not have to trace the past in order to set the present right. Tracing the past is more a western approach, but rather limited in its effectiveness. Just this moment, begin to create positive causes, plant virtuous seeds, and this will naturally result in an auspicious tomorrow. Wherever one is, no matter what has happened, the past is gone. To create the present moment, look at what we are 'causing' with our minds now. If we cling to the idea that our past is fixed and real, then likely we will carry that past like some treasure we own, and then giving it permission to filter into & colour this Now, and thereby, wittingly or unwittingly, allowing this to set how the future is going to turn out. It needn't be this way. To fully understand Karma is to realise that we can control the outcome of how we want tomorrow to turn out, and if it should turn out shitty, don't blame Karma, but learn to grow up and take full responsibility for our own beingness. Buddhism is great in the sense that even if it turns out in a bad way, one can always fall back and allow the understanding of Impermanence to support and re-establish clarity to move forward again. edit to add: Like the heady perfume of the lotus blossom, which is carried afar on the warm summer's breeze, the sweet scent of virtue (sīla) is carried afar on the kammic winds of causality. (Tharchin Zangpo)

I enjoyed and learnt something from this presentation. Hope you will too

This insertion, with apologies, is entirely off-topic, but presents one (possible) theory in relation to a view of endless regression, subscribed by certain Buddhist schools, vs. a causeless, spontaneously arisen big bang. Its from a blog called The Endless Further.

Veiled by ignorance, The minds of man and Buddha Appear to be different; Yet in the realm of Mind Essence They are both of one taste. Sometimes they will meet each other In the great Dharmadhatu. (Milarepa) But really this mind of ours is already unmoving and peaceful - really peaceful! Just like a leaf which is still as long as no wind blows. If a wind comes up, the leaf flutters. The fluttering is due to the wind - the 'fluttering' of the mind is due to those sense impressions; the mind follows them. If it doesn't follow them, it doesn't flutter. If we know fully the true nature of sense impressions, we can be unconcerned. (Ajahn Chah) Freedom in this moment so often entails an acceptance of the inherent uncertainty of the next moment and a disregard of the deeply disconcerting sense of groundlessness that always accompanies the unknown. (Paramito Ladakh)