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Restauranteurs love vegetarians and vegans. They have upped the prices of vegetarian mains to almost equal that of non-veg ones. Some restaurants now are cheeky enough to charge between 16 - 18euro for a plate of tagliatelle, garlic, porcini and cream sauce, with a drizzle of truffle oil if lucky. Chopped parsley withheld. For a euro extra, coeliacs can opt for wheat-free pasta. And the cost? 4euro, tops. Thats like 300 percent profit!! No wonder the non-meat eaters are so loved. On a similar note, if one were to visit a dedicated vegetarian restaurant that has a couple of 'good food' awards stuck to the wall at the entrance, one can expect to pay up to 28euro for a main course. Vegetarian offerings are the new buzz now for ott profit-making in the restaurant business.

“In Dzokchen, compassion is much more than the virtue of loving kindness. Nor does the word compassion in the Dzokchen context denote its English etymological meaning, “suffering together” or “empathy,” although both these meanings may be inferred. Essentially, compassion indicates an open and receptive mind responding spontaneously to the exigencies of an ever-changing field of vibration to sustain the optimal awareness that serves self-and-others’ ultimate desire for liberation and well-being. The conventional meaning of compassion denotes the latter, active part of this definition, and, due to the accretions of Christian connotation, response is limited to specifically virtuous activity. “Responsiveness” defines the origin and cause of selfless activity that can encompass all manner of response. On this nondual Dzokchen path virtue is the effect, not the cause; the ultimate compassionate response is whatever action maximizes Knowledge—loving kindness is the automatic function of Awareness.” ― Keith Dowman, the Flight of the Garuda

I think its inaccurate to assume that only lazy people find teachers. Life is precious, and we know not when it can all suddenly end. So finding an authentic guru and receiving the pointing-out cuts out all the guess work, so that one knows exactly what natural state is, and then practice resting in that correct seeing. Otherwise, practitioners may go thru the hardship of wondering 'Is this it?', 'Is that it', 'Am i resting correctly?' -- getting it pointed out removes all the niggling doubts. Then its just a matter of putting in the samaya-like effort to 'secure' the instructions (or not).. its entirely up to the individual. But that first taste, that seeing, can never be lost, so those who have lagged behind and wishes to reinitiate practice whenever they feel more ready, or perhaps more maturity has set in, can do so without much hassle. Also, being introduced to the seeing of mind nature is merely the beginning of the path. There's still plenty of familiarisation work to be done, so again, i would not say that those who take vows with a guru are lazy people. The ones i have met are all pretty industrious, who devote a lot of their time to doing practice and practice doing. Dzogchen requires a lot of effort at the initial stages, but gradually the crystal gets clearer and clearer, and then effort merges with effortlessness. Sort of like wu wei then.

Not really. I was just being polite by phrasing it as a question rather than a statement.

Are you insulting TI?

Lovely marble coffee table.

LLOL

Indeed it was!

Surprisingly there was no mention of Powder. Have a lil' peep:

Heaven, Earth, Human! Don't forget Szechuan province superb Oolong teas...

We want to practice because we have identified areas in our lives that seem unsatisfactory and would perhaps have a more or less passing interest to try and better our situation or make certain changes which we think will go some way to plug the leaks. I think a fundamental prerequisite to effecting lasting, significant change is to be brutally honest with self-evaluation. For complete transparency is the way forward, and this demands bucket-loads of courage. To really look hard in the mirror in order to find the necessary resolve -- otherwise, as is often the case, people lean back on their habit of procrastination and simply 'get on with life', hoping that things will improve by each day passing. Seldom works. Methods of developing courage and confidence are many, mostly depends on one's path. Once a path towards self betterment is seen to be the way forward, then the next logical step would be to set some sort of realistic, bite-sized goals which are not that difficult to achieve. Then, as one begins to taste success, gradually confidence will increase, and bigger challenges will slowly not seem so unsurmountable. Naturally, if a person does not recognise any need for self-improvement, then courage, determination and forbearance, the 3 virtues that are usually linked together, means nothing to him or her.

Oh, to add 2 more: It helps develop courage and confidence, 2 foundational qualities for self-healing to be effected properly. It is the best shield in the event of sudden misfortune happening. Why? Because by then, hopefully one has turned the mind around to see all misfortunes as stepping stones for great blessings waiting around the corner!

Yeah, mints. One of the hardiest herbs out there. The roots dont seem to die at all, they just hibernate in winter, and come springtime, it regenerates again and again, each time more profusely than the last. Even if neglected, they seem to thrive in the most adverse conditions. Humans, they moan about the smallest obstacles, dont they? On a more serious note, imo, the key to longevity is to live everyday with a spirit of gratefulness and develop the habit of doing at least one simple act of kindness a day, best anonymously if possible. This keeps one on the side of expansiveness as opposed to contractiveness, which is the very thing that destroys longevity potential.

No matter how busy, try to do even one small act of kindness a day, even if its simply to spend a few minutes to generate the noble wish that others be free from stress, anxiety, depression etc. The only thing that totally prevents carrying this out is if a mind has been completely shut down. Other than this, its a doable thing. For example, even if a person is incapacitated in hospital, he or she can still practice wishing that others do not have to experience the same circumstances which caused the incapacitation. On an advanced level, some Buddhists actually use disadvantages and setbacks as the practice itself -- so, if one has a broken leg, then one can practice taking on the pains and inconveniences of every other being who are also experiencing dysfunctional limbs, and sending them good wishes to get well, that their families be free from worry, etc. Practicing in this manner has a number of benefits: It increases merit and cleans the mindstream of negativity and blockages. It works mysteriously to heal the sufferer, as in, the act disempowers fixation on self pity and ego needs, leading to increased positive mental health. It completely dissolves selfish contractions. It promotes a healthy sense of self-worth in the the practitioner. It builds compassion and wisdom, which is always a good thing. It disarms aversion to morbid thoughts which makes the whole scenario more bleak than what it actually is. It works to generate sincerity at the same time developing a big heart, which increases inner resolve and strength of spirit. It helps to redesign one's spiritual blueprint on very subtle levels. It removes barriers that prevent acceptance and genuine love for self and others. It builds bridges across to others instead of a wall around oneself. It softens the character. If all of this takes too much time, then simply chant Om Mani Peme Hung. Even 5 minutes or 10 minutes is good. This mantra contains the seed essence of all of the above, and done enough times (111, 111 accumulative repetitions will do for a start ) will bring about profound changes in a person. Sorry for all the 'Its'...

Grooming, GMP?

If we cannot see past our own noses, then yes, we are nothing but our thoughts. One can either direct thoughts obsessively around self, or away from self, expansively. If its the latter, i think yes, the small self vanishes, and karma dissolves together in that vanishing.

so much more than twelve each disciple manifests limitless thought-forms...

Haha! Ingenious!!!

I still dont see any fundamental difference, except maybe you couch yours in more 21st century lingo.

I don't know, i think everyone's groomed to some extent. Some like to be groomed differently - its only a question of degrees, some more drastic, while others less so. You said you are a mindfulness instructor, right? Well, there you go, that sounds exactly like what a groomer would do. I dont really see any fundamental difference between your calling and a Buddhist master's one. As for autonomy... Its my opinion that any authentic Dzogchen master would have no desire whatsoever to have large groups of students following them around, demanding of their attention at all hours of the day and night. They have no privacy, no alone time, hardly any practice time. No wonder some of them leave this world early. Dzogchen Rinpoche loves his students. He also loves watching TV, and had light-heartedly said to me once that he wishes that there was a better balance between his teaching schedule and the time allocated him to watch cartoons... we both burst out in laughter when he said that. It seems he was joking, but behind the words, i could sense that he really wished his students were more self-reliant.

A good friend of mine had similar inclinations. She also loved travelling, exotic locations, and to be near the sea. To fulfil her ambition, she took up yoga, practiced the basics for a number of years, proceeded then to India for intensives with her guru, gained the necessary teaching qualifications after about 2 years, and subsequently settled down in Bali where she now runs a thriving yoga circuit for the more health-conscious tourists. Bali was ideal for her to set up shop cos her husband happened to have started a diving school there. Everything just fell into place at the right moments.

I think the single most vital factor which sets the whole stage for this sort of calling is affinity.

Adventures into Unknown Mysteries. (AUM)... how does that strike you as a title of some sort?

in the other one brought some sand home from the beach counted twelve in all....

Even studying under a guide presents quite a few challenges, where a good number who begin with much earnestness eventually drop by the wayside from the sheer demands of the whole process. A good cookbook does not a good cook make.