C T

Its still Taoist, nonetheless

Really serious means one drops all necessitations of practice. Quantitative scoring of practice time tends to indicate a novicey status. But here's the paradox: When one has fully captured the essence of practice thru many hours of cultivation, then one stabilises freedom to really practice with ease and comfort. At that point, practice and no practice cannot be differentiated - they are in fact inseparable. Yet, its quite easy to be misled by false convictions. Thinking that since the highest practice is a sort of non-action, non-doing, relaxed, expansive mode, then it feels good to think there is no need to do anything. The assumption arises that they have finally captured the supreme way of irreversible emancipation. Good luck to them. Because there is no such thing as the supreme way of irreversible emancipation, the need for practice becomes essential. If such a way really exists, everyone will have already got it. Just like, if one is hungry, one eats. If thirsty, one drinks. Spontaneously, without a moment's hesitation. Why not the same for this thirst and hunger for complete liberation? What's the difference? Yet, there remains immense yearning for the supreme way. As a result, people contemplate this and that, try all sorts of new things, indulge in various esoteric arts, thinking that freedom lies there in those trivial pursuits. Thats why i said such a way does not really exist. Because it does not exist, people need to practice. Thru this, the essence of the Way-less is found, and the true way reveals itself, marking an end to practice. Until then, it is all hard work. Unless of course something suddenly clicks, and it all falls into place...

sits, and licks a spot removing umpteen layers to reveal an itch

It maybe magnetism, but it could also be that average people are naturally curious and easily attracted to captivating or new sensations and/or energy fields. They can't describe what it is, or put their finger on it, but they feel something; curiosity aroused, naturally they want to look, a bit like wide-eyed kids at the zoo gleefully taking in strange sights and sounds. I won't say the animals have charisma, would you? Maybe one or two animals have been trained to be clever to add to the fanfare, but the attention these trained animals get are just as fleeting as any other animal or reptile there. Basically this means there is really not much difference between the observer and the observed, its actually mutually arising, but because of habitual dualistic conditioning, humans tend to grasp at what their minds tell them is something fascinating, but this too is usually fleeting - attention lasts only as long as the time it takes for the next fascination to show up. Similar dynamic to the zoo scenario. If one understands how things mutually arise, then the curiosity and the fascination, the distractions and the fanfare wanes, to be replaced by a real sense of interbeingness.

"Gathering the Light" from the Taoist book The Secret of the Golden Flower, translated by C. G. Jung andRichard Wilhelm

Having no way as way... The legend himself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mGPqdM4evk

It could be a fruit of meditative practice as well, although sometimes stress could also be a cause. Some would assert that such experiences are precursors or indicators that one is ready to delve into lucid dreaming practice to further strengthen and draw benefit should one venture to take on that aspect of esoteric development. Not a must, though. From this point on, you may experience the odd episode of lucid dreaming, and/or even sample more and longer-lasting experiences similar to the above. In future, you could even experience, adhocratically, the loss of this detached observer too. Then it gets really interesting

I think i understand both traditions quite well since i was raised by a Taoist/Confucian mother and a Buddhist father, and in our household we had equal access to the learning of both (well, in the main, ie). There's a lot of respect going in our family for both traditions. When my dad passed away recently, we had Buddhist monks come on the first day to conduct the relevant rites and prayers, and the Taoist priests then came on the second day to do their thing. It was really cool like that. But personally im more inclined towards Buddhism. Its affinity, nothing more.

Awesome gymnadance routine!

dont forget your feet they give meaning to circles shaped like a Ba Gua

Good question, and one which depends entirely on the practitioner's priorities and what he or she sees as a culmination of practice, imo. Individuals have their own satisfaction threshold, right? When that perceived threshold appears and transformation is effected, often that transformation is seen as some sort of achievement (for eg, Kundalini). For those whose aim is tied to wisdom, then that vision should not be viewed as a kind of benchmark, since a benchmark or threshold implies a limiting factor. It would be more appropriate to view it as more like a peeling away of something, gradually, layer by layer, transiting from one platform to the next, and back if necessary, if that makes any sense. Since wisdom is not any sort of siddhi in the conventional sense, it cannot, by virtue of its limitless potential, rightly be called a 'power'.

Its high level for those seeking power over wisdom. For those seeking wisdom over power, its merely a support.

You're very welcome. Such clarity and simplicity in his words. Quite rare indeed. _/\_

yup. not that we contribute to other's problems, but we can and should see the common condition that all beings share in, and then empathise accordingly, not simply shrug the shoulders and go, "not my problem".

http://awakeningtruth.org/blog/?p=362

Change is always possible. Even a mistreated, abused, angry and traumatised dog responds to genuine kindness, what more humans. Anger is stark, unrefined energy, and can be a useful tool to access awakening if one knows the method.

Yes, acceptance can be very helpful when it is not based on pacifying delusions.

Its not that difficult to understand why some choose to be stuck and keep repeating certain harmful emotional patterns and reactions. In Buddhist view, the 'faults' are likely the hardened habitual inclinations which ego maintains for whatever reasons to suit its desperate need for familiarity. Change is one of the most scariest things around, especially change that threatens a diminishing of ego's control.

Rather fixed, but on some level it explains certain behavioural patterns, albeit from a simplistic direction. In my opinion, everyone has all the traits in them in varying degrees, and depending on causes and conditions, these traits take turns to manifest, some staying for a fleeting instant, especially the truth-based ones, so fleeting that the experiencer misses the subtle transformational implication and opportunity due to habituations, and is quickly returned to delusional conduct. Because of this, it takes more circling time to remove the layers, but sometimes, due to affinity, all these layers could be removed in one fell swoop, but the thing is, there is never a guarantee these (negative tendencies) wont return. Even old souls have work to do to maintain that level, otherwise the big Habit Thief will sneak back in and steal away one's accumulated merit and return one to that infant or baby soul stage, but with each setback, hopefully one becomes more careful next time.

Seeking guidance from a lineage or being tutored by a master is by no means allowing oneself to be 'trapped'. That sort of allusion by people like Jeff is rather misleading.

bump. Gets more interesting around the 45min point.

Yes, thats true, but for the purpose of discussion, we assume that relatively there are meditative and non-meditative states - this helps to clarify and evaluate the difference between meditative absorption (samadhi) at one end, where it gradually becomes easier to recognise a certain pervasive sense of spaciousness and borderlessness, and, at the other end, non-distraction, where a prevailing freedom from having to depend on meditation to sustain that same sense of spaciousness and unbounded awareness remains indefinitely, without one having to consciously manipulate anything in particular, whether awake or about to fall asleep. The true measure of an adept is how stable he or she is in sustaining that easeful resting in dharmata outside of formal practice.

Zoom.. have you come across this clip before? and this: