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Ah, ok, from the perspective of Dzogchen, its still (tib.) rnam shes. According to Longchenpa in the book The Practice of Dzogchen, consciousness arises only in conjunction with the 12 links (as you have mentioned). He said it begins as the 3rd link comes into effect, where its said that those aspects of the deluded mind which arises to analyse modes of objects are called consciousnesses (rnam shes), and this continues on to the 4th link, which is the desire to distinguish objects by designations such as 'this is an object' and 'this is an appearance', and then the consciousness apprehends the named objects as forms. Longchenpa asserts that this is the primary delusion into the existents (samsara), and it is name-and-form (Ming-gZugs) which then cause the 5th link to take birth, and so on.

I believe the Sanskrit equivalent for (Buddhist) consciousness is Vijnanaskandha. In Tibetan, rnams shes kyi phung po.

Money is at the top of the list because greed has no basement! Most folks are quite ok with money over there since we don't have any social security assistance at all, so either work or depend on handouts from friends and relatives, so most people opt to work rather than leeching off others, but no one complains about abundance of material stuff.... the more the better so they seek out these mystics for some good fortune. I dont think people there practice a lot. The key difference i think is that the Easterners have a completely different mindset. They are generally more open to matters which exist outside of logical thinking modalities. They tend not to analyse as much as their Western brothers and sisters.

The reason i posted that was to open bums' eyes so that we can hopefully reduce being too overWOWed by displays of supernormal feats. Such demos are an everyday affair in Malaysia, and a few other Asian countries. People there practice all sorts of weird and wonderful paths, and devote their piety to many gods and deities, mostly to seek help for prosperity (top priority), good health (no. 2 on the list) and healing (no. 3 on same list). Some would engage with left-handed practices, doing crazy things which really rebound on them in very negative measures. Sure, they get results like financial gains via lottery wins and so on, but boy o boy, does that come with a hefty price. But these are the heavy dabblers, the greedy ones who are willing to give up their souls if they have to. Thankfully, such are not common occurrences. When i was young and curious, my friends and i would occassionally visit mystics to ask for lottery numbers, and they do sometimes oblige. Should we win, we would have to go back and make offerings to the gods, and to the mediator/mystic, for his kind assistance, usually a percentage of the winnings goes into his pocket. They have some clairvoyant powers, but thats about it. I remember one time we went for a session, and this mystic went into trance, and asked one of the lads if there was a small yellow van that is always parked near his house. He said to use the combinations of the license plate numbers for our lottery punt, and sure enough, we won quite a bit of money that same evening. Things like these are common over there. I think if we show JC's videos to folks there, they'd probably have a chuckle over it, without so much as batting an eyelid even.

Demi-god powers can be had once a year in Malaysia. No big deal. At the end of nine days of fasting and cleansing, people return to their normal selves, with normal routines and stuff. Next year, they get to play god all over again, for nine days. This is a common theme both in the East and West, albeit dressed in different costumes.

Coming to peace sounds like compensating for the gradual temporary/permanent disempowerment of previously owned glories. Coupled this with learning to adapt all over again, i am guessing, can be hard on the psyche of one who had previously lived the grand illusion of powers equalling that of immortals. Too much fantasies could be harmful in the long run, i say. For those who can heal with what they have, i say well-done, but a large percentage of healers are only interested in healing those who either have influence, or money, or with some ignoble/ignorant motive behind their work, or a combination of any of the three. Only very rarely do we get to connect with genuine, altruistic, pure and genuine mystics and/or healers who simply do the work because if they don't its like the onset of an allergy which does not go away until they put their ability out to benefit others, with no expectations of any selfish returns, whatsoever. From what i have gathered over the years, it seems only a very small number of healers/mystics form an affinity with the community. Most of the others shy off into seclusion, far from the madding crowds.

I dont buy all the hype surrounding JC. Remember, i grew up seeing all kinds of outward displays of so-called powers, many of which surpasses what has been shown so far by JC and company. A few of these were made under the proclamation that they were from the Mao Shan lineage, which were the most impressive, like turning fist-sized rocks into steaming-hot pork buns, water into wine, that kind of pure magical displays, to promote their tradition with the main objective of recruiting students. There have been many others, some quite tame, while others, like those who invoke gods and immortals to take up temporary residence in their bodies, are more flamboyant. Check out this video taken during the Nine Emperor Gods Festival, where such invocations occur en masse, which takes place annually in Malaysia: Wiki article on the Nine Emperor Gods Festival: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Emperor_Gods_Festival The only reason i am saying this is because of the presumptuous example used in the OP about waking up one day with powers equal to JC. Not everyone here is smitten with him/or enamoured by him, which lets thunder out the bellybutton as a result.

'Bad' folks live longer so they got more time to mend their ways before clocking off, and hopefully reduce the number of tolls they have to pay for every return made. If they dont, they pay more toll. Thats it. Long life means nothing. It could simply point towards more suffering. For the power-fed, old age can be a supremely challenging phase, seeing their power being slowly sucked out from them can be quite traumatising. Imagine picking up a cup of tea at 90, only to hear the cup clattering with the plate due to unsteadied hands, or being unable to recall basic information, things like that. O sure, some live to 105, due to having a stronger battery, but the confusion setting in only becomes more magnified as the years roll on.

There are a number of cave temples in Malaysia, and all of them are quite awesome. This one is close to home (when i am back there, that is): http://www.visitmalaysia.info/ipoh/sam-poh-tong.htm

On a side note, maybe there ought to be some encouragement to compose a theme song for TTB. Howbouthat?

Recently experienced above with a 'spiritual kin' (who's also a business associate). Not very pleasant.

Buddhadharma is not a locus to become fixated upon. Real Dharma does not require defensive advocates. It clarifies itself, endlessly, without any need for assistance or interference whatsoever. How it does this in an individual is completely at the disposal of said individual. We are all responsible for our own salvation, so said the Buddha. Prior to Buddhahood, who are we to determine how the Dharma fulfils its purpose in beings? Some say water and wetness is inseparable.

That's true.

i would not lose any sleep over it, Steve! small matter, eh?

Not that my opinion counts for a lot, but i think its a very helpful article, clear and to the point.

Undeniably so, SJ.

All caused by the natural (actually un-natural) tendency of succumbing to cravings.

Intellectual discipline is over-rated.

Instead of rejoicing in the fact, you had to let fly the above (bolded) arrogant remark. Was there really a purpose behind it? If there was, what was the quality of the intention? For me, I would be very happy and be the first to be delighted if i hear someone mention they have taken refuge in the 3 Jewels. Surely it would not cross my mind to become suspicious in any way, especially if i have not known the person for a while. Just saying.

This is the same point i was reflecting on when i made the comment (a few posts up) which caused 3Bob to see a 'trigger finger'.

I think that is generally how those who think they have the power conduct their speech. Yes? No?

Short documentary of 8 monks who visited Glastonbury, UK, to spend 5 days constructing a mandala for Chenrezig. Enjoy!

Hi Adept, why do you think this happens? What, in your opinion, could be the cause(s)?

Does this mean you have a different view? Please share. It could further the discussion.

i was only seeking clarification, sir, and merely stated an undoctrinated (personal) opinion in response to the OP. ..peace..