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prickly to the touch patting strictly at own risk cantankerous cat...

The flora in your gut is out of balance, methinks.

Ego is like chewing gum stuck on a shoe. Its probably not even your own, and no matter how you try to scrape it off, there will always be bits left behind, which, over time, gets covered over by grime and dirt, but beneath it all, its still stubbornly blotched there, attached, till the end of the life of the shoe.

rolling out to sea a misguided sea urchin prickly to the touch...

If the right lama and the right conditions are present, the recognition cannot fail. Like i said, the mind strays again even after 10, or even a 100 empowerments. Neo-vajrayanists collect them like medals. If one remains humble and dogged in practice, one introduction is enough.

No, people forget easily. Its called straying. Accustomisation is the process which allows stability to gradually take root, and this happens in degrees, depending on all sorts of factors -- personal karma, mental dispositions, laziness, pride, ego levels, etc. These things do not vanish, they return to 'haunt' the initiate after each empowerment, no? Maybe that's why people chase empowerments. It probably stems from greed, and a failure to see the importance of putting in the right effort to practice according to what has been given by the teacher.

The conceptualizing mind does not cease like *POOF* even after direct introduction. You cannot be so naive, Alwayson. Its not like once recognized it stays permanently. If it did, man, you wouldn't even be here trying to put other traditions down.

And i just remembered this super-tasty dish i had years ago..... http://thejanechannel.com/2011/07/25/%E6%B5%B7%E5%8F%83%E8%8A%B1%E8%86%A0%E7%85%B2-braised-sea-cucumber-with-fish-maw-casserole/

What flaws? There are no flaws. Only degrees of awakening. This is in accordance with the teachings of the Great Perfection.

1. Ultimately, one must walk the path alone, no matter how dark and insurmountable the journey. 2. Rebirth. From the source of non-dual light, through the Mother, into this world of form, with the massive walls on each side symbolising the weightiness of dualistic existence.

BKA, In most South-east Asian countries, mangosteens are abundantly available, and the season for them usually coincide with the season for durians. Most durian lovers would eat them after indulging in a frenetic round of durian feasting, as they are believed to bring a cooling balance to the body since durians are reputedly a very 'heaty' (full of yang) fruit. Apparently, eating mangosteens also assist in neutralising the after-breath due to the sheer pungency of this super-delicious king of fruits!! http://www.healthxchange.com.sg/healthyliving/DietandNutrition/Pages/durians-8-myths-and-facts-about-the-king-of-fruits.aspx

Had a bit of an adventure tasting all kinds of exotic foods while living in Hong Kong. Lets see... Abalone, sea cucumber, chicken testicles, snake soup, turtle soup, flying fox soup, curdled chicken blood, wild boar curry, drunken XO live black tiger prawns, enoki mushrooms, cloud fungus, wooded ear fungus, different grades of shiitakes, the list seems quite so long that i cannot recall many of the exotic foods/meat/fruits which i had tried. Some was really delectable, while others were just ok, more hype than anything else, i guess. The only thing i could not stand, which the locals adore, is something called 'Stinky Tofu'. Maan, i'd run a mile if i even caught a whiff of it. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stinky_tofu Hawkers would still ply the streets of Hong Kong selling these awful smelling delicacies just like their forefathers and mothers have done for decades. haha...

i don't want no scrubs but i can do the Samba Rio de Janeiro!

I have been mentally off-grid for quite a while now. No longer pay any taxes for emotional outputs, and zero road/vehicle tolls for the path i'm on. My heart glows in the twilight of existence, body warmed by the blood which flows through it. Frugal with essence, sharp with insight. Guided by blessings, all things become opportunities to awaken.

Well, you are fortunate to have been born a human, and your fish have the good fortune to be in your care. Some creatures (of all the realms, that is) do not have this fortune -- because of this, there are bodhisattvas and arya beings. In the ultimate sense, no such separation is present, because when one exists, the other arise. Its relative. Just for talking's sake, who knows exactly what is in the fish food. Maybe fingers... who knows for sure. Maybe not yours, but ultimately, 'yours' and 'not yours' are simply conventions. These terms only have limited scope.

In Buddhist practice, 'exchanging self for others' is not only meant to pacify dualistic tendencies. On the Bodhisattva path, by cutting through even the subtlest self-grasping, which is the very root of rebirth and samsaric evolution, the view of 'friend' and 'enemy' is reconciled, and, as DeParadise said, equanimity takes over on all levels. Such matters can not really be rationalized by those who have not undertaken the necessary practices. Not that all those buddhist practitioners who have (taken vows of samaya) will be able to sever limbs to feed a hungry animal, but its really the intent and motivation that counts in the final analysis. And there is never any force of duty... you do what your level of realization allows room for, not more than that, because then it would be a contrivance, which is also based on ignorance and defeats the whole process. If you cant see it the way the realized beings see it, its ok. We cannot all be Tathagathas. If we were, then there would be no Tathagathas to speak of. Everyone evolves at their own pace, and practice the Way according to their unique mental disposition.

Power is fluid... that explains the obsession. The more fluid a thing, the greater the grasping at it. Like for example... love. And there are many who fall/fail at the hands of power and love, for this very reason. People tend to make futile attempts to manifest power/love thru effort, to capture that which by nature is uncapturable, without realising that all such attempts spontaneously arouse resistance, and resistance is the very thing which stymies fluidity. Effort also creates blockages on different levels. The perfection of power, as is the perfection of love, is when the self is forgotten, when the 'I' thought is vanquished. Without this 'I', resistance has no ground to take root. Without resistance taking root, then pliability and softness, which is one's fundamental nature, remains in its primordial pristine state, and the ability to rest long and deep in this state of pliability offers the potential to tap into the purest form of power and love. Meditative absorption is the training and also the ripening of this ability. Because its a symbiotic process, there is no separation between practice and fruition. The problem arise when focus is solely on the fruit, and not the practice. Then there is bound to be grasping.

Sunlight bathes your hair and washes other parts too! long live the soap bar! https://www.google.com/search?q=sunlight+soap&espv=210&es_sm=91&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=5OOXUq3eHuG47Aazr4GAAw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1422&bih=668&dpr=0.9

Did you consult with anyone as to why this happened?

whats the trick? When a practitioner who is prone to anger leading to destructive outcomes begins to work with a yidam (for example, a wrathful deity), after a period of cultivating the awakened qualities, he or she will be able to use the sheer force of the energy (behind the anger) for immediate activation of pure intention to bring other beings to the shores of liberation. With practice, one learns to connect more and more with the essence, and less and less with the reactive emotions. Also, the essence of all yidams is utterly pure and of one taste -- pure in the beginning, pure in the middle and pure in the end. Therefore, when anger arises, if there is recognition of mind essence (meaning, pure perception arises simultaneously at the moment of recognition), then its immediately seen and felt as primordial energy (neither good nor bad), which can then be harnessed for increasing one's bodhicitta; conversely, if there is no recognition, then it is said that that will lead to tainted perception followed by ignorance, delusion, activating the rest of the links (12 in all), and one gets drawn into further negativity by being caught in the wheel of rebirth (rebirth here means the intents of ignorance leading to the next result, which is also ignorant in nature). The kindness of the Guru lets us see that it is possible to break this chain, and shows us the way by blessing us with a personal yidam. Thats why, for the above reason, all the masters have vehemently emphasized that there is no fundamental difference between samsara and nirvana. They sometimes remind us that the only difference between a buddha and us is simply one of recognition. Therefore, when it is said that a buddha is a fully awakened one, it means that there is no longer any moment or possibility for impure perception to arise. For someone like me, for example, with layers of delusion, there are more moments of failure to recognize mind essence than otherwise, therefore it is crucial that i have to cultivate with a yidam. Without working with a yidam, the process/path of arriving at this experiential understanding leading to insight can be difficult. The proper practice with a yidam helps to cut through these obstacles (ignorance) leading to purer and purer fields of perception. (Apologies for the ramble) _/\_

Is it possible to be happy all the time? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjJUF5ivzS4

Pain without mental anguish is not suffering. Sadness without emotional aversive responses is not suffering. Ditto for all the rest of the psychological/emotional inner upheavals. Suffering is caused mainly from thinking that these states are somehow permanent. And also, that there is a permanent, locatable self where such states can manifest. As a result of such misapprehended thoughts, one is removed from the centre, from seeing things as they are, the dualistic modes of aversion/clinging come into play, resulting in various other thoughts and actions, each permeating the other, colouring every other subsequent thought, every action, which will then naturally develop its own energetic pattern that will power itself to its own conclusion, which in turn will lead to further pathological thoughts followed by actions and emotional responses, and so on and so forth. Karma works like that. Such kinds of habitual thought patterns and responses can be reversed. Mindfulness training is the first step. As for the opening statements, well, its true to a degree to say that suffering is not real. In Buddhism, there is suffering, but there is no permanent being where this suffering can go on without change at some point. Eternal flux... But this does not mean all suffering is an illusion because on relative levels, it is very much a part of the ebbs and flows of existence. We should try to develop the inner motivation to create more causes of happiness for others. my 2 rupees.

Just watched this brilliantly inspiring journey of Lama Zopa Rinpoche and a few of his students through the various holy sites and monasteries in Tibet. It touched me deeply, and i hope it will bring some benefit to you too. If you find it helpful, please share it with your loved ones and friends. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6Us78BJ8ic Thank you for taking the time to watch. May it bring a rain of blessings to all beings.

"When you realize the suchness of your mind, the Buddha will not linger among mere words, so the highest yoga is attained right now. For the unworthy ones of inferior fortunes, even were the hidden revealed, they would not understand, just as someone wishing for a precious jewel will not gain it from polishing a piece of wood." (from the Tantra of the All-Creating King)

morning I'll return to that misty pine mountain ah, the fragrant air...