C T

The perfect gentleman that you are...

Could it be the 'waterfast' is not as helpful as you claim? Just wondering.

breathing up the street at three thirty in the morn' looking for breakfast...

That is one truly wonderful song, Manitou! So is this:

"congenitally incapable of living wholly and harmoniously" Cant agree with the above. Habits which give rise to contractive states can be transformed for sure. The idea is to know (i mean really know) when and how to reroute an intention once a particular one come to the fore of consciousness so as to yield a transcended outcome to that same intention. For example, one notices the arising of an emotion which will lead to anger. Instead of diverging into an analytical mode to try to find an understanding of this particular emotive spark, find creative ways to channel that energy elsewhere which could bring a beneficial outcome to oneself and others. Do this often enough, and it becomes a new habit. Then that particular disturbance becomes a sort of protector instead of an enemy. The great thing is one need not even do anything directly to try and exert some sort of forced influence to change one's self. All it takes is a genuine desire to bring some joy and happiness to others. With this as the motivation, every negative emotional spark can be effortlessly channelled to yield a wanted outcome.

im reporting you to the mods. for being gracious.

Yes, they do, but in a real way. Just that they dont call it tonglen, they call it 'the art of being fully human'. Its customary (speaking broadly and generally), not only among the buddhists in East Asia, but across cultures there, to be quite generous and open. (with the exception of Hong Kong... this place has 2 faces, one appears during commercial hours, and the other after dark)

specie survival the brits call them 'ladybirds' odd name for a bird...

Shantideva said it was foolish to try to find enough leather to cover the entire earth's surface.

i did a little search, and look what i found... http://www.forbes.com/2009/01/21/car-accident-times-forbeslife-cx_he_0121driving.html coincidence? (thinks back about The Outer Limits... weird stuff.)

"Taking up the Vajrayana path is similar to a snake having crawled into a bamboo pole. There is no turnaround. So please consider carefully before entering." Words of advice given to me by Dzogchen Rinpoche. its impossible to fathom the degree of awareness of one who is 'hooked' by the Compassionate ones. Some days it could all be well, and other days its like a storm ceaselessly pounding against the eastern shore. From where does solace come? Sometimes from the most unlikely place we find glittering gems of immense value. Look inside, look deep within, and find out where is the one who laments so. Is it you, or you, or you? On so many occasions Alwayson has given me numerous reasons to tame my own mind. I am ever grateful! Cheerfully so, i must add.

Yes, i agree, sir. The mind is likened to a grasshopper sometimes -- hopping incessantly and feeding non-stop. Good thing is, if fleas can be trained to perform at circuses, how much easier it is to tame a grasshopper...

the thicket of thorns from that a crown they craft to pierce a god's mind...

Flexibility is inherent in the Dharma, otherwise best it can do is partial rendering of insight. For insight to be complete and workable, Dharma practice considers all possibilities, rejects very little without first reflecting it off personal experience. Elitist attitudes and snobbishness has no place in genuine Dharmaship.

who can know for sure save for those who believe in omniscience? information is a 2-edged sword. Which is why there is some emphasis on discriminative wisdom found in most authentic paths. Faith generated from authentic and practical experience would be a good counter to prevent such overloads. With living faith (as opposed to blind faith) its not difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff. Having said this, for those with keenest awareness, overloads can never happen as every input, be it negative, neutral or positive, can be subjugated and turned into fuel for furthering one's awakening. The point is to first develop peerless awareness like the sages of old, Padmasambhava and all the rest. They subjugated all mind demons!

My grandfather was a Sri Lankan theravadin buddhist (he passed on some years back), and performed ritualistic practices every morning, and would always begin his invocations with homage to Buddha all the planetary gods and deities like the ones you mentioned above. There's also Rahu and Ketu whom he placed very high on the pantheon.

Yes, not visualized as a limited form is spot on. Its vastness is beyond comprehension... potentiality beyond bounds. I am thinking here whether the 2 sons are symbolic indicative points of sambhogakaya and nirmanakaya, where the Father Heaven is representative of the dharmakaya.

A passage from The Song of the Eastern Snow Mountain (a very old minor Tibetan text) reads: "To the east of where that cloud is floating, in that entirely victorious Virtue Solitude, there resided the precious ones, difficult to be invoked, Father Famous Goodheart, the sire, with his two spiritual sons. The yoga and other teachings of the two stages of the road relating to the profound Doctrine, they preached most fully. To the pious of snowy Tibet Your grace, O protectors, was ineffable." A little something to mull over... Link to the whole text: http://www.scribd.com/doc/21260466/Van-Manen-Johan-The-Song-of-the-Eastern-Snow-Mountain

try a squeeze of lime a couple of drops on tongue wakes me up nicely...

nah, grabs cup instead slowly, the hot tea is drank tea and me now one...

this might give you a little taste of how its done in the East...

The Buddha never encouraged any absolutes. Rather, he encouraged every listener to his Dharma to find out if what they are working with will eradicate sorrow and suffering. If someone's practice can lead them to such a state, then we must, as decent, gentle, non-aggressive men and women, celebrate the emancipative potential of that person's (or persons') path. Since i am not a buddha, i do not possess the power to determine if what another practices is actual buddhadharma, or not. Merely observing, looking on from the outside, we cannot (unless we are a fully enlightened buddha) see all the possibilities and potential which another's practice could yield. It may lead them further, and i would certainly hope it will, until they finally gain liberation, and i do sincerely wish this upon others. Having generated this wish, how could i then spout the arrogance of telling someone that they are somehow lacking with regards to their sincere wish to want to be free from unhappiness and experience a higher level of peace and joy in his or her life? Sometimes, we need to exemplify skillful means, which forms the basis of how fledgling buddhas should always try to employ in their words and deeds. Its very easy to tear apart another's path, thats a piece of cake. Maintaining an air of superiority is also very easy. Just take a long, good look at some buddhist sanghas... plenty of 'noble sons and daughters' floating around the place puffily, as if they and they alone know which is the only Way out of samsara. Such feigned attitudes, unfortunately, will only drive people further away from hearing and considering the Buddha's teachings. Dzogchenpas should be able to set the best example, seeing they all think theirs is the best way. In his book The Sacred Path of the Warrior, Trungpa Rinpoche said, "The process of freeing yourself from arrogance and cutting off your habitual tendencies is a very drastic measure, but it is necessary in order to help others in this world." May all be free from the chains of iron and gold.

exactly stuck you mean.

Not in the good old days where the buckets are collected 3 times a week and the waste goes to au naturel composting yards.