C T

Insanity or divine madness... hard to tell the difference sometimes. In Buddha's time, the encouragement given to meditate where dead bodies gather was never intended as a means to cultivate siddhis. As per human failings fueled by incessant boredom, those who ventured into such practices perhaps thought it was real neat to while away the time experimenting with various magical tools, sort of on a trial and error basis. Thanks to their sacrifices, we now have people with chutzpah actually talking about evolving powers from an essentially noble endeavor. Not saying its right or wrong, just that it presents quite a few rather unnecessary challenges, if you know what i mean.

not only its not related, in most instances, such practices actually block the enlightening process.

never too early to watch intently the mist rolling in from sea...

haha i was actually referring to cleavers (and generally knives) made by Japanese craftsmen, not Japanese chefs check out the 'soba kiri' -- that is one heck of a weapon if you ask me. and for something like US $1400, you can get yourself this (when in stock) -- http://www.watanabeblade.com/english/special/damascuschinesecleaver.htm

sometimes there is no difference, right? but i agree with BKA, your scheme does stretch the imagination somewhat.

i like cleavers. japanese ones are the best. some of them are really exquisitely made, with as much attention to detail put into them as the katanas. they are awesomely versatile, and legal to carry around if one is a chef.

The mind is a weird and wonderful playground.... Graveyard = yukkks! Woods = serenity! How would you know that there are no bones (or less) beneath the ground in the woods? At least, in cemeteries, you kinda know who's buried there... in the woods, you don't know. One could easily offend and not know how or where to offer mitigation or pacification. Haven't you heard of roaming entities? Some people with low psychic shields can bump into such things while out in forests and parks, and then get quite ill after. Then offerings and such have to be made, but if one does not even know the source of where the offense took place, it becomes more complex to pacify the situation and resolve the matter.

I can stay and play with fierce and peaceful deities on Mount Sumeru...

manifests a pearl God and the devil are pals playing pitch and putt...

can't help having fun bending miniature trees while lying in bed...

the New World Order geezers in their ironed pants twirling moustaches...

i recommend doing prostrations for life. millions of them if you can. do like some of those who alternately prostrate and walk for miles on pilgrimages to holy sites in nepal, sikkim, kathmandu and india. too bad not many will believe how beneficial this practice is. why? cos its free of charge, it sounds too simple, and requires the lowering of the self to the ground, which many despise because its too demeaning, dirty or what not. then i always try to remember that water always seek the lowliest level.... thats how She remains true, and ever so powerful. Prostrations tones the body, flowers humility of speech, and dissolves the false mind over time. This to me is the highest practice of all. Its also one of the hardest energetic cultivation to begin. It requires much resolve, as it kills the ego thoroughly. After about 10,000 rounds the feeling one gets is that of being reborn again. I would love to be able to still do a hundred prostrations a day when i am 95. If i can maintain this practice then, i suppose i'd still be able to drive fast cars, have sex and eat durians when i hover in that ninety-something zone. Bring it on!

Has anyone here tried Blue Mountain Jamaican coffee?

ego's role in service to others sounds very nice. If the focus was really on serving others, you would not bother so much with the outcome, no matter if it was a scam or not. On a likely note, imagine teachers who give teachings to others and then the students not doing anything positive with what they have been taught, or even abusing the teachings some of them... are these teachers going to get all flustered and emotional because some number of students fail to adhere to ethical considerations regarding what they were given, considering good teachings are like mind-body treasures and all? Teachers teach for various unselfish reasons, and doing a good turn ought to be along the same vein. If you are so concerned over being taken for a ride, it means there is a lesson you have yet to learn, and so, this can be an opportunity to express gratitude for having been scammed. if it was me, and wanting to learn a lesson from a similar life experience, i'd call this 'ego's role in dealing with loss and naivete'. Then the focus would be more central to the wisdom i would hope to extract from what had happened.

made only for you YAY! I am on six thousand blessings to you all!

But you did assert that alcohol consumption brings depth and fulfills one half of an aspect with regards to a connection to divinity. Please correct if wrong.

....which, in most instances, start off as harmless pleasure-seeking. Certainly, at that infantile stage, seeking God while indulging in a bit of 'harmless fun' would be the last thing on the minds of those who cannot see the full impact of their actions. The issue here is not how to help an alcoholic, but whether one should experiment with substances as a means to uncover hidden depths which would be difficult to access from conventional, formal traditions --- is this correct? I understand this to be your original premise, and not how to empathize with alcoholics in order to lead them to God. If you insist on keeping to the call for experimentation with substances, then its clear that you have no understanding of how the body-mind works in relation to habitual formations. And if this is not clear in your understanding, then i would say that your words of advice here in this thread are based on a lack of clarity and therefore should not be granted serious consideration by those who are contemplating the 'hows' of increasing depth in their spiritual practice. I am hoping this answers Sri Chi's question simultaneously.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aIe_qswXfRI

Hi Nikolai, Just to be clear, even though we disagree, i am really appreciating your views, and i understand that you hold this matter quite dear to heart. I am still not in favor of seeing dependency/pleasure-seeking as a safe, workable route towards spiritual progression. Grasping leads to grasping -- a cycle of ever-deepening depths of despondency and despair. From experience and observation, there are far too many desperate issues and complex, secondary harm which follow this form of extreme practice. Ethically, and also morally, i have to reject this premise, although i do admit that every once in a while a habitual dependent could break thru and experience some sort of turnaround but the numbers, statistically speaking, are so few and far between that the responsible thing to do is to vehemently advise against it. But i really do get what you are saying...

Hi Nikolai, I can appreciate your reasoning, and will agree up to a point. Where we disagree is your advocacy of temporary dependency and reliance on alcohol as a bypassing substitute, akin to a spiritual pleasure route, if i may use that term. Why does pleasure have to be sourced from alcohol? Why not fishing, or watching the moon, or adopt a kitten or a puppy? Maybe stamp collecting, or learn to create stuff with one's hands, like pottery, and/or other constructive/creative indulgences? I have a hunch. Actually, the afore-mentioned premise is almost the same as in India and the Carribbean, where the sadhus and the rastas smoke pot all day, smiling, chilling out, and spacing out on the delusion that they have achieved union with the divine. If only they were sturdy enough to actually become more proactive in the world, instead of bumming around occupying precious space. Substituting the phrase 'hallelujah' with 'peace, maan' does not a holy man make. Both are cop outs, in the sense of seeking to replace and fill an inner thirst (no pun intended), which is only a creation of a mind devoid of proper perspectives and priorities. When i said the old traditions, for certain, it was not referencing church-going for mass. On that point regarding the uselessness of such rote practices, i fully agree with your view. The old lineages and traditions which can impact on a person's transformation was more what i meant. These are the trusted paths where progress engenders ever moving forward, with no crutches being formed along the way.

stagger home sober haiku count, five nine nine five who wants to go next?

You know, TI, i am not really prospecting for anything when i made that post. Unless you are, i suggest that you leave your cocky attitude behind should you want to really engage with others meaningfully. Maybe you are the way you are, and if so, i can accept that, but that does not mean i'd like to discuss any questions that you may have. Your insinuations are foolish, childish and even ignorant at times, and i'm really sorry to spell this out so plainly, but its been at the back of my mind for quite a while now. Things you say, like, "Are you an expert on heaven", and "you fly the buddhist avatar" -- what exactly are you trying to elicit from statements of this nature? And, not sure if you are aware or not, but this pattern is evident in almost all your posts with those whom you detect to have some level of disagreement with you regarding some of the things you tend to like to talk about on TTB. You don't seem to able to handle or make room for others in seeing things differently than you. For example, someone could write of some mystical experience they had which happen to interest you. You would then ask some leading questions regarding said experience, and if it happens to coincide with your experiences, you demonstrate your delight and elation at having found another poster who confirms your experience (of whatever) but if that person comes back to post some understanding of that experience in words or terms that are somehow different to yours, you would gradually go into this mocking pattern which takes on a severity by degrees as the discussion goes on. This is what i have observed. I know this post wont go down well with your ego, but, hey, be a man and suck it up eh. Maturity comes with being able to disagree on things and still carry on a decent enough conversation without having to resort to cynical arrogance and passive-aggressive attempts to undermine others based on what you perceive as inadequate (or maybe superior) to your views.

we're getting closer ye members of the chain gang stamp of immortals!!

because of words like that, 'paths' exist as significant. Imagine one whose cravings have been extinguished. What use is a path for such a One?

smooth transitioning that which has always been so no allowance made...