C T

i really enjoyed this Indian-Muslim devotional song... and this, from the same album...

If an audible burp does not accompany the first long gulp, its not real beer. Beer is form, the burp... empty. They co-arise.

Too bad, could have been very enlightening to reflect on your views.

Partly true, where the general, less precise followers are concerned, yet, upon deeper introspection and study, the difference is quite apparent. While both speaks of liberation, each differs vastly in the ethics formed around this. Can it be any other way when both approach the nature of man from totally contrasting perspectives - one speak of man's essential nature to be sinful, while the other speaks of the same nature to be self-perfected. The only similarities lie in the slogans attached to practice, like love and compassion, kindness, etc. Not to mention where each differ again regarding the concept of heaven.

The concepts around God, since a long time ago, aren't they formed around crisis, doubts, tribulations and general unrest? Would God be if these weren't the source of its creation in the minds of beings? Think about it... the central theme in the NT is... salvation! What sort of spiritual foundation can one build on a theme like that?

in, out, all about a nightclub embarrassment pipe-leak down under...

Serial dreaming... thats the exact phrase i was looking for. Thanks.

If you have some seriousness in believing that you are experiencing similar interferences, no online communication with anybody, even a high-level master for that matter, will be able to effectively help you. More than likely, one or two will come forward offering to help, but i'd exercise extreme caution unless the offer manifests into a one-to-one meeting. No generalisations can be allowed because these things happen for very specific reasons, ranging from past karmic traces to planetary influences, all of which have to be scrutinised before any viable solution can be worked out. This meeting is crucial for one reason: to explore and clarify affinity between you and the situation, and also, the master (who offers help), and his affinity to you and to the situation. Be wary of those who pm you offering to send you talismans and other nonsense. Not that these wont work, but at what price? And, for how long? Genuine masters who agree to help wont ask you for any payment, instead, it will be mentioned that you are free to make an offering, or not. On-line advice is quite impotent, so its up to you how you want to proceed. If i were you, i'd look into seeking answers from a reputable, in-person master. Do lots of checking before committing to engage if and when you find one. Remember this: The best way to reduce karmic traces which cause such disturbances is to perform charitable acts for other beings. This is a common practice in the East. Do some good for others whenever you can. Help stray animals. Volunteer labour at homeless or rehabilitation centres. Buy some live fish, chant mantras, and then set them free. Lots of things you can do. This will re-open divine gates now partially closing to you, which explains the current form you find yourself in. The more severe the oppressive activity, the more charity you ought to perform. Dont take my word for it please. Do some research yourself.

Amazing how times have changed. Although once i did have a pleasant experience similar to this back in the late 70s with a very nice girl (she was slightly older than me, a mere teenager at that time). Not by design, more like responding adequately to the then present and very correct circumstance. Aside from having mutually agreeable personalities, she must have found that aspect of the meeting rather pleasing too cos we ended up dating for a bit after that chance grind.

A friend of mine can dream of cooking up a grand feast on one night, and enjoying the same feast the following night. Plus he can do this at will with other dream-activities too, like journeys he would take, from the initial planning, to starting out, going to certain places on certain nights, and then continuing the same theme over a period of a few nights. Being a devoted Vajrayana student, he loves working his dreams around pilgrimages to holy places he reads about, like Mt Kailash, Bodhgaya, etc. and meeting saints and sages along the way. He told me he can now do the Ngondro systematically over a few nights. Amazing feat! This looks like an interesting book to explore: http://www.amazon.com/Sleeping-Dreaming-Dying-Exploration-Consciousness/dp/0861711238

Take care of yourself, Capt. _/\_

I think there's a lot of useful information in these 2 links: http://biologyofkundalini.com/article.php?story=Depression http://kundalini.se/en/

If an awakening process does not become increasingly conscious, negative outcomes will occur. Any form of spiritual absorption, of which textual study is included, is related to this process. In days past, certain texts are transmitted to trainees progressively for precisely the above reason. Its not 'secret' in the way some people with insincere motives choose to portray in relation to esoteric texts. Its like exposing a young teenager to porn. Some materials have to handled with timing and appropriateness.

THE SEARCH FOR A SPIRITUAL GUIDE To take advantage of life's leisure and endowments Upon approaching the Buddha's teaching, the source of all happiness and well-being, First find and then follow a spiritual guide. It is said that life is precious and to be cherished. It is short, filled with uncertainties and when it will end nobody knows for certain. Death can happen at anytime, so the teachings encourage practitioners not to squander away this perfect opportunity to practice in order to liberate oneself from the fetters that binds one to the ever-revolving wheel of existence. Buddhadharma is no longer difficult to hear in this realm. Only humans possess all the necessary faculties to study Dharma. No other being in any of the other realms are endowed with the sort of intelligence and discerning attributes that is needed in order to attain the fruits of liberation from the rounds of birth and death. In order to swiftly attain the path from the beginning until perfect completion, which is buddhahood, it is advised that one begins by searching for a qualified spiritual guide and then follow his or her guidance with patience and devotion. By turning the mind in such a manner, the individual is creating the causes for a life that will yield positive results through fulfilling all the necessary requirements to enable similar future causes to arise unceasingly. The Bodhisattvas' Jewel Garland points thus: Cultivate love and compassion, And make your bodhicitta stable. Avoid the ten unwholesome actions, And make your faith and confidence strong. Whenever you see your master or preceptor, Offer to serve them with devotion and respect. Those who possess enlightened vision And those first setting out on the path -- Regard them both as your spiritual teachers. The search for a master comprises of three initial criterias: the first is reflecting upon the uniqueness of the Buddha's teaching, as its described in the Interwoven Praises: Your doctrine is the sole path, easy to enter, It grants supremacy and has no flaw. Propitious in the beginning, middle and end: No one has taught a doctrine like yours! The teaching of the Buddha provides the sole path to liberation. Easily entered, it ultimately grants none other than supreme attainment. The Buddha's doctrine is flawless, a perfect antidote to attachment and other afflictive emotions. It is propitious because all stages of its practice -- first listening, then reflection, and finally making it a living experience -- become the seed for the attainment of higher levels of existence and liberation. For these reasons, the Buddha's doctrine represents, in every respect, the source of all happiness and well-being. These features are not found in the doctrines of other teachers, but are exclusive to the teachings of the Buddha. Accordingly, the bodhisattva Shantideva composed this prayer: May the doctrine, the only cure for suffering And the source of all happiness, Be supported and honored And endure for long! The second step is valuing this precious human life. The Reunion of Father and Son Scripture states: Having shunned all of the eight fetters of life And found the marvellous endowments so rare to obtain Wise ones who have come to have faith in the doctrine of the Joyful One Engage in the right spiritual practice. Only by having faith in and following the Buddha's teaching can we take full advantage of our human lives that are replete with leisure and endowments. The third step is considering the need for a spiritual guide. The Transcendent Wisdom in Eight Thousand Lines states: A bodhisattva, great being, who wishes to attain ultimate, authentic, and perfect awakening, should first approach, work with, and honor spiritual guides. What kind of spiritual guide should one look for? The Collection of Spontaneous Utterances points out: Since by relying on an inferior, one regresses, On an equal, one stagnates, And on a superior, one excels, Keep in touch with a spiritual guide superior to yourself. If you study with a master Far superior to yourself in ethics, Contemplative tranquility, and wisdom, You can even excel the master. Master Longchenpa poetically summarises why a good spiritual guide is useful: Just as a patient is in need of a physician, People of a just ruler, a lonely traveller of an escort, A merchant of a guild-master, a boatman of a sturdy boat, So, likewise, in order to calm the emotions, to make evil harmless, To overcome birth and death, and To cross the ocean of fictitious being, You must rely on a Teacher. If someone were to praise only partially Such a person who is a helper of living beings, And whose qualities are so vast, He would have to say: As he makes them cross over the ocean of fictitious being he is a steersman, An incomparable leader of those who have started the journey, He is the bright lamp dispelling the darkness of the loss of pure awareness. He is the wish-granting tree from which comes the happiness of all who are alive. He is the auspicious jewel by which all desires are spontaneously fulfilled. He is the countless rays of the sun of great kindness. He is the moon with its white light of prosperity and happiness, removing afflictions.

Its a dog's life...

Funny that instead of investing time scrutinising one's own habits and emotions the masses engross themselves with scrutinising the behavioural patterns of others. A bit like soccer... millions of observers keenly watching a ball kicked around by a few dozen good players who, individually, pocket more money in a year than the average spectator will earn in ten, before taxes.

You have something better to offer then, i take it? Lay out your philosophical strategies then and lets delve into it with sensible debate. If you cannot offer any substantially logical meme in place of what i have asserted, then you are welcome to keep your opinions where they belong.

Sometimes anger allows transformation to occur. If anger is not allowed to surface, how can it evaporate? Moreover, the problem is not anger itself, but the repeated hatred of oneself for succumbing again, and again, that essentially cause more damage than that emotion of raw passion. Vajrayana teaches practitioners the way to see & tap into the empty nature of emotional energies and use their potent presence as an alchemical process to pacify negative habits. Those who form dualistic views about anger have more problems than the angriness that arise and fades, like everything else do.

Taking a break from active, mind-based spiritual activity will be good for getting some stability back. I think i know how you are feeling right now, as if there are pieces of 'you' everywhere, and each passing day seems to make the fragments become more difficult to reassemble. Its safe to say that practices which involves 'surrender', at this point in time, will only exacerbate the situation, so i feel its best to set it aside for the time being. In order to regroup and recapture that wholesome self, a general advice that teachers give would be to ground yourself in lots of slow, mindful, earthy activities, some of which you're probably already doing. Perhaps you might want to increase the frequency, so instead of time devoted to remaining in head space, instead, spend that time drawing satisfaction from engaging in physical space thru activity. Especially beneficial would be activity that gradually brings benefit to other living beings. The benefits of doing something positive everyday to enhance the happiness of others besides yourself is immeasurably profound! It directly deconstructs and pacifies contractive self-grasping, which is basically what a phase of K Awakening feels like when its on an active curve.

In this instance, Malcolm's encouragement & assertions in that linked thread is correct. Whether he has interacted here to make that deduction more or less factual is anybody's guess. Some Dzogchen texts are best studied with a teacher or a senior student of the teacher after specific empowerments related to contents of said texts have been received. Otherwise not only will inner (as opposed to intellectual) realization not occur, there is a likelihood that one becomes more stuck than before delving into said texts. Malcolm's main purpose in saying what he did, i think, is to highlight this basic truth of the Vajrayana path. To say that he was critical of TTB is a bit of an overemphasis as he simply pointed out, with accuracy, a common tendency among some Buddhist forum participants to post and invite discussion of some texts when they do not even meet the basic essential requirements that allows them the study of said texts. Its understandable if this could be confused by some into thinking that there is an element of elitism involved by saying that some texts are withheld, but this is definitely not the case. Its almost impossible anyway to withhold discreet commentaries nowadays. But actual result from textual studies can be very limiting in terms of gaining right understanding. What is distinctly missing is oral transmission, without which everything else remains nothing but the development of philosophical insights. Many 'secret' texts are openly available these days, and too many freelancers and dabblers avail of these materials without actually understanding the uselessness of studying them without first establishing the right support, which is refuge in the Triple Gem. The quality of this foundation, once established, determines if what is sought from the texts yield the right results or lead one to deeper confusion.

These words alone invalidate everything you have claimed to understand, and will continue to claim to understand, in relation to Buddhism and its practices. With such an attitude, why do you even bother to enter any discussion here -- its mind-boggling. You have this ritualistic habit of donning an invisible anti-tradition garb while prancing about in your denigratory poses and rants against those who question your words. As if you know better. Buddhism is the only systematic path that gives perfect insight into the human condition while providing endless antidotes to delusional thinking & and practical means to free the mind, leading to peace and other sublime, bilssful states. Unfortunately you will never be able to fully grasp the truth of this. If you did, you would not come across as cynical, clinging to the past, and one-dimensional most of the time.

Oh yes, vegetarian Jook (congee) are also yum yum yum!! Glad you asked! In Malaysian Chinese communities, and i suppose in most Chinese communities, a tasty, nutritious vegetarian congee must have certain air-dried ingredients, for example, dried gojis, dried enoki or shiitake mushrooms, dried seaweed, dried daikon, dried dates, dried peanuts, dried green vegetables like Asian spinach or kale, the list can go on and on, so best to see whats available at the local Asian stores. Tofu, both the fried and fermented variety, is also another key addition to any Asian jook preparation. A most essential ingredient in all congee dishes in my home is ginger, which takes away the 'windiness' thats often associated with 'wetty' dishes. This site offers some really good recipes for vegetarian jooks... http://www.yummly.com/recipes/vegetable-congee

Be helpful if you indicate your general diet preferences, like, are you vegetarian, vegan, allergies etc. Im Asian, but have never heard of the congee mentioned above. Maybe its specific to certain Asian regions, not sure. I know Taiwanese congee is simple to make and tastes wonderful. Just a handful of ingredients... rice, filtered water, yellow sweet potato, roughly diced, 5/6 air-dried scallops (conpoy), and a few goji berries. Some folks like to add 3 or 4 dried red dates just to give the congee a boost of subtle sweetness, but i dont cos the sweet potato is sufficient for that purpose. My fav congee of all, one which i couldn't tire of when living in Hong Kong, is the salted lean pork, ginger, and century egg congee. Really really tasty and nutritious. Sample recipe: http://www.tastehongkong.com/recipes/how-to-cook-congee-with-salted-pork-and-century-egg-a-classic-hong-kong-rice-porridge/ Congee is such a complete meal in itself, and so simple to make. Especially in the colder months. In some Chinese communities, a fave congee meal for the whole family is simply made with rice, water, ginger, a little sea salt, and pork liver, sliced thinly and added to the pot after the heat is turned off so as not to overcook the liver. Garnish then with cilantro and/or spring onion, a few drops of sesame oil, and deep-fried, thin rice noodles. If you're interested i might be able to link you to some Asian congee recipes. Yum!