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“To this I replied, "I still think that my body is not merely a sensory appearance, for surely it came from my parents, who were its cause and condition." He said, "If you think that your body came from your father and mother, then what are the beginning and end of these parents? What are their source, their location, their final destination? Tell me!" I answered, "I think that they exist, but I am not aware of what they are. It seems to me that a physical body without parents is not possible." He retorted, "Consider this. Who are the parents of the body in a dream, in the bardo, and in the hell realms?" With that, I arrived at the decision that this body has never existed, being simply a sensory experience.” ― Dudjom Lingpa, Buddhahood Without Meditation: A Visionary Account Known as Refining One's Perception

Remember, causality is always multi-directional. Its integrally and seamlessly linked to growth seen and unseen, just as the growth of trees and flowers is the expression of the depression of the earth, as one Buddhist master said in a Q&A session. The analogy he used in the Q&A, which i connected immediately upon reading your quote above, refers to things observed & grasped (by the senses) as the commercial marketplace, where things are bought and sold, often systematically abiding within certain principles and frameworks openly related to supply and demand; at the same time, he says, there exists also a 'black market' (similar to your example of 'underground'), where unrelenting movement of 'goods' occur undetected, but nonetheless, very real. This 'black market' (laughter ensues as this is mentioned) is the proportionate depressions of the expressions of growth, the ceaseless, chaotic activities beneath ground, unnoticed by the unawares, which permit all kinds of activities to take place above ground. If this mutual exchange is managed successfully, there will be continuos reward (harvest) -- if mismanaged, a continuos process of uncertainty and disorder (picture a neglected plot of land) will be the outcome, yet, both, though distinct, are inextricably bound together, arising from the same ground, albeit an impartial one which naturally regulates according to its own rules regardless of whatever happens above it. An on-going practice is therefore an essential process to maintain so as to reap the fruits, day upon day. As Huang Po said, "Do not be concerned about becoming a future Buddha; your sole occupation should be, as thought succeeds thought, to avoid clinging to any of them".

happy that you saw the appropriateness of quoting Xiang Yu's final moments in relation to the OP, and thank you for expanding it nicely.

A delicious alternative is the South Indian meal accompaniment known as Rasam or Charu. Lots of amazing health benefits, and whets the appetite nicely too. I find consuming Rasam in the colder months really perks me up in many ways. A few simple recipes here http://www.medindia.net/alternativemedicine/ayurvedaanddiet/rasam.htm

I'd say having clarity, and not the absence of thought that is fundamental to being. Perhaps pristine clarity is achieved when one knows how to recognise inherent stillness in activity, and vice versa. Isn't this the true meaning of 'allowing'? I dont see any benefit in arresting an arrow in mid-flight; similarly, there is no good reason in trying to suppress thoughts. Simply recognising its ephemeral essence is sufficient to liberate everything, for it is said that karma cannot accrue when thoughts are allowed to arise and subside fully minus any secondary agitations or resistance on our part. Thoughts in their true nature cannot hit us over the head. Its when we allow grasping after a thought that little karmic propellers are set in motion. Lets assume that an empty mind could therefore be a mind that is constantly aware of its own illusory nature. What will be the fruitful outcome of sharpening this awareness?

I assume most if not all online materials from the Theravadin schools are given out freely, and most external links pertain to the subject matter only and lead not to ads or pitches. Books can be got freely too, i recall.

The legendary warrior king, Xiang Yu, the overlord of Western Chu, victorious in the epic battles of Julu and Pengcheng, notably remembered for his fearless tenacity in taking 60,000 men to face armies of nearly ten times that. Eventually succumbing to his own thirst for power, he was trapped at Gaixia, and, staring into the abyss, he composed the Song of Gaixia (垓下歌), fondly thinking of his horse, Dapple, and his consort, just before he took his own life. 《垓下歌》 The Hegemon's Lament 力拔山兮氣蓋世。 My strength plucked up the hills, My might shadowed the world; 時不利兮騅不逝。 But the times were against me, And Dapple1 runs no more; 騅不逝兮可奈何！ When Dapple runs no more, What then can I do? 虞兮虞兮奈若何！ Ah, Yu,2 my Yu, What will your fate be?

Zen toking; mind clear a pocketful of loose change some grass for the deer...

Be pedestrian buses, trains, a rough terrain cows on the rail track...

I dont agree that the mind is like some thought vessel. Just like a flute is not a vessel for melody. Mind is more like a vast, empty plot of land which has potential to yield exactly what has been sowed. A blank mandala field... Empty mind is like clearing the fields after each harvest to ready for next season's crop. You reap exactly what is sown. Old adage.

avoid temptation steer clear of loquacious folks get on bus 19...

Well, if folks like Michael Duff, Brian Greene and Edward Witten can fast-track their research, in due time we may start to hear expansions in plausible theories of infinite, parallel multiverses. (think superstrings and supermembranes la la la....) I've only glanced briefly, but this is how their current research, which some are already familiar with im sure, looks like (warning: brain-frying possibility ) -- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M-theory Interesting video --

...Closer & closer to 1? Rings a bell! Something i read recently: About a century ago Albert Einstein observed the universe as it appeared, unmoving and static with stars and galaxies fixed in their positions. But he also realized that the gravitational attraction between these bodies would slowly pull them together, although that did not seem to be happening. So he introduced a few calculations into his General Theory of Relativity that created an opposing force to counter gravity. He called it Lambda, and it later became known as the Cosmological Constant. In 1929 Edwin Hubble using the new 100-inch telescope on Mt. Wilson discovered that the stars and galaxies were actually moving away from each other, and that the universe was expanding. Einstein quickly dropped Lambda. Soon new ideas arose concerning the shape of the universe and the geometries that determine it. Einstein’s theory of relativity entailed a non-Euclidean geometry that resulted in a closed universe because space bends in on itself; it has a finite volume and the shape of a sphere. Ironically, a spaceship traveling in a straight line will eventually return to where it started. In a closed universe gravity will overcome the expansion and begin to contract; all the stars and galaxies will be pulled back into what is called a Big Crunch. In another cosmological model, a universe with very little mass will lack enough gravitational force to stop the expansion, so space is open, or infinite in volume, and the universe will expand forever. There is a third model that is precisely the borderline between a closed and an open universe. It is the exact point between eternal expansion and eventual collapse; cosmologists say that it has reached critical mass density. Amazingly the universe is at that point today; amazing because theorists are at a loss to explain why those values are so precise, and because there is no compelling necessity that they should be. When in perfect balance scientists say that Omega equals one; if less than one, an open universe results; if more, a closed universe. A universe in which Omega equals one is said to be flat. (Referring to its Euclidean geometry). The conservation of energy in a flat universe is maintained due to the perfect equilibrium of all the negative energy of gravity and all the positive energy of matter. Precise measurements of the energy left over from the Big Bang, called the cosmic background radiation, confirmed that Omega equals one. If energy and mass are equivalent, then enough gravity will preserve the balance required to keep Omega at one. “Paul Steinhardt of Princeton University theorizes that the delicate balance between energy and matter would be suspicious if there were no communication between the two. He proposes that repulsive energy senses the presence of matter and changes its strength and distribution to maintain a balance of densities.” 24 This is consistent with M-theory, and may hint at something mystical going on. While this may all be very interesting, it is crucial to understanding how M-flux, here associated with dark matter, came to be identified, and why its role is so important in this discussion. When astronomers attempt to tally up all the matter in the universe they come up 90 to 99 percent short of what should be out there. It is interesting to wonder what astronomers are thinking when they look through their telescopes, knowing that maybe they are only seeing one percent of what is in the heavens. The M-flux, or dark matter, exists throughout the universe, but remains elusive until revealing itself through its gravity. This is most apparent around galaxies and clusters of galaxies. As galaxies bunch within huge clumps of dark matter, the light coming from behind these galaxies bends to reveal the outline of this invisible stuff. Super computer simulations predict that bright galaxies will group tightly together under powerful gravitational forces within huge concentrations of dark matter. It is almost as if a parent were gathering its children unto itself. Recent studies have surprised the scientific community with the realization that the expansion of the universe is not slowing down as expected, in fact, it is accelerating. Some unknown and unseen force, now being called dark energy, is behind this discovery. The repulsive force of inflation may well explain the acceleration. The early universe was smooth and uniform, and very nearly without structure or features. The gravity of M-flux, or dark matter, evenly and smoothly distributed throughout space, remained quietly still for millions of years. Eventually slight perturbations of gravity began to grow from tiny primordial fluctuations. These became the seeds of later galaxy formation once stars began forming. The M-flux slowly clumped and formed halos around regions that had grown to slightly higher concentrations of gaseous matter. As the halos grew more massive, they pulled in and confined small amounts of hydrogen and helium gas; exactly what the first stars were made from. This happened rapidly enough that the material did not fragment, but instead grew into massive hot stars. Light flooded through the universe, ending the cosmic dark ages. Soon numerous other stars flashed into existence. These first stars differed from many stars that exist today because they lacked any heavy elements such as iron and gold, but within their hot cores, under intense pressure and heat, the simple atoms were crushed into more complex heavy elements. These first stars, being as heavy and massive as they were, tended to have short lives, and ended by exploding their outer shells into space. Such stars are called supernovas. Future generations of stars, such as our sun, could now form from this new material. Without heavy metals, life could not have evolved on Earth. We, quite literally, along with our cars and televisions, are the products of stellar forces, not only physically but as sentient beings as well. In our nomenclature this is the transition from negative M-flux to positive M-field. In terms of physics the negative false vacuum decayed into matter that accreted into stars with an attractive gravitational force.

yes, im well aware of that when i posted what i did. But thanks for the reminder all the same.

the karmic propensity for Mo Pai on TTB has generated an undercurrent which is hard to avert given its present momentum. As if its taken on a life of its own based on the accumulated energetic input of the antagonists vs protagonists, not to mention the subtle traces left by those who merely observe from the sidelines.

hehehe..... you fell for it, eh? was fun tho.

where is it going? straight to Mrs. Brown's laundrette to clean the splatters...

that Argentinian footballer...

In Mahayana Buddhism there is this concept of ever-present potential related to the term Unborn. Some say its the basic ground where any possible manifestation can arise, dependent on combinations of conditions. Its nature (this basic ground) is often compared to space, or the sky, because space is unceasing. The unceasingness of space means forever without a beginning... Unborn is also a principle related to transcended mind, one that is always yielding in the direction of Isness, or reality as is, a channel thru which one comes into reality's presence. It is also associated with the Sanskrit term Dharmata -- Dharma means "basic norm"... ta is "ness". So, Dharmata points directly to Suchness, Isness or Nowness, a stateless state where reality is ever-birthing, unperturbed by preconceived ideas, views or notions, all of which traps one in a thicket of views bound to past and future. The concept of the Unborn, which discounts all possibility for dualistic views to ever take root, is subtly expressed in Nagarjuna's statement: "Since I do not stand for any opposite arguments, therefore, I cannot be challenged". The Sanskrit word dharmatā, ཆོས་ཉིད་, chö nyi in Tibetan, means the intrinsic nature of everything, the essence of things as they are. Dharmata is the naked, unconditioned truth, the nature of reality, or the true nature of phenomenal existence. -- Rigpa Wiki

I dont think it disproves the existence of God per se; maybe the correction of certain inadequate attitudes sounds more amicable. After all, one of the Way's main objectives is to reconcile fragmented thinking. Prior to complete reconciliation, it seems any effort to understand either the existence or non-existence of God would simply end up vanishing among the brambles of the unconscious mind, unresolved, waiting to resurface when the next delusional, god-related thought seed germinates.

Depends on the individual's constitution and habitual tendencies. On one-year closed retreats (Nyingma tradition), some participants were advised to release periodically; some were encouraged to observe total abstinence. Those who were advised to release were prescribed a different diet to those who abstained. And they were assigned different practices too. Even with precautions, the odd problems still surface... good thing the retreat master or his assistant is constantly available to assist. Thats why i mentioned its not a practice where someone without proper induction can whimsically decide to undertake. Unfortunately, that seems to be a common trend among Westerners, to DIY such practices without proper guidance, instead, depending on other DIY enthusiasts, or worse, Youtube videos, for usually tainted or inadequate information.

lol ok

be the feminine an opportune principle in these troubled times...

what does 'wrong misconception' mean??