C T

night will turn to day time for breakfast once again toast, jam and coffee

That which is Reality is beyond all form and yet intrinsic to it. Let form reveal its own nature -- there is no need to seek it. The actual essence of form is formlessness, as paradoxical as that may sound. --- David R Hawkins

Sometimes resultant effects from things people do to their bodies and mind dont manifest till age catches up. While young, there are too many distractions to occupy awareness, but when one is older and things become less appealing, the body begins to settle, mind begins to notice more, to feel more acutely on itself, and this is when the past pulls up alongside and holler... howdy mate, its reaping time! Perhaps then you will know for sure whether piercings and what nots have been a help or a hindrance.

Im wondering if buddhist enlightenment is an experience, in the everyday sense of the word. I think if one can say, "Enlightenment is (.....)", then surely that it a limiting view of sorts because it is my understanding that enlightenment is not a personal happening, as in, it does not 'enter' a person like some grace from a transcendent plane, so why would it entail feelings of bliss and love and such?

A good quote indeed. Thanks for sharing. "What is Dharma? When your attitude and your actions become a remedy to disturbing thoughts, at that time, they become Dharma." -- Kadampa Geshe Chenngawa

Not sure if this theory will find agreement because 'non-self' does not necessarily equate to 'artificial'.

Thats an interesting proposition. Have never come across this concept of red and blue minded. Please elaborate? Thanks.

In relation to doubt, i like this quote from David Hawkins. "One reason for the seemingly endless delays on the way to enlightenment is doubt, which should be surrendered as a resistance. It is important to know that it is actually extremely rare for a human to be committed to Spiritual Truth to the degree of seriously seeking enlightenment, and those who do make the commitment do so because they are actually destined for enlightenment. Who am I? Who is asking? You find out who is asking, and that answers the whole question. Its not a 'who' but a 'what'."

pssst... you are already breathing in his out-breaths. Its a collective thing, no? One half of the population breathing in, the other breathing out. Bound to mix on some level, at some point, i think. btw, Do you think he would enjoie the odd blueberry muffin too?

Maybe it was also the cause, as well as the result.

Maybe i am out of touch with the part of psychology where discussions and analysis are not merely head-based. As far as i am aware, based on feedbacks from a certain number of people who have accessed such avenues, there is still much ground for this field to cover before it can be said to be fully equipped to help successfully, as in, help to such an extent where the counseled find total release from their issues. The funny thing is, even making the move to seek counseling already preempts 'issues which need resolution', whereas, from a meditative perspective, the meditator will sometimes be reminded that there are really no issues at all, and to find out if this is indeed the case, in that, from ignorance, we somehow project stuff out which has no real basis due to habits and such. As for Alan Watts, well, what can i say? I have not had the pleasure of knowing him personally, hence its impossible for me to see from the outside in what exactly motivated his eyebrow-raising antics. I know for a fact there are times when total freedom could drive one to act in ways which others, when they only observe the peripheral actions, could only describe as wanton, yet, only he knows himself if he was a fool or indeed a wise man. He said himself that even a fool becomes wise when he learns to unconditionally accept that he or she is a fool. Anyway, he addresses this in a very enlightening way in said book. As for his words, well, all the stuff i have read seem to make plenty of sense, so it does not matter so much if others judge him by his deeds. For all intents and purposes, he may have chosen to display/manifest that facet of his life to offer others a grand lesson.

I think modern psychology is very much lacking when it comes to helping a 'wounded' person return to wholeness. At best, psychoanalytical approaches only go so far as to remove people's fear of fully emotionalizing their feelings, which is why one of the most overused 2 leading questions used by analysts to determine the mindset of their patients is, "How do you feel about this, or, how painful is it to allow a particular emotion to surface?" On the other hand, meditation does not hover around feelings alone, as in, it goes further and deeper, to the root of the matter, which is (where buddhist meditative practices are concerned), who is it who feels? What is this entity? Is this entity fixed, permanent, or changing? From this, one goes on to examine what part emotions and feelings play in this ever-changing canvas, until finally, one realizes even the canvas is merely a prop to temporarily assist one's crossing over to the other shore (shore symbolizing total freedom). Much can be understood with regards to the above in the book 'The Meaning of Happiness' by Alan Watts.

Yes, energy flows... 'Draining' one day, 'replenishment' the next... isn't that the tao of life? Nothing to worry about really. People get spooked (from misinformation) only due to too much unnecessary analysis. Then, they miss the beauty of being drained, hahaha! When i get drained, i come alive!!

There are no two ways to die. Death is unavoidable. Being able to decide the time/place to leave the body may be hard to attain as a siddhi, but its not fundamental to liberation. Death is not suffering... clinging to life while trying all manner of ways to prolong the agony and fear of obliteration is. There are numerous accounts (i have seen one myself) of meditation masters whose body does not fully decay at all (like a normal corpse) after death. People would flock to worship and pray to these shells of a body, not fully knowing what it means. You think this is high attainment? (Practitioners who reach the ninth Jhana -- the cessation of feelings and perceptions -- can perform this when death comes). Yet, the Buddha said to Ananda, "As long as there is clinging to the equanimity attained in the dimension of neither perception nor non-perception, a practitioner is still not totally unbound. Only without clinging/sustenance, Ananda, a monk is totally unbound." Those in the know say these so-called masters are actually frozen in samadhi, and there are rituals which can be performed to 'thaw' them in order to release this blocked state so that the body (which is useless anyway at that time) may continue along what should occur naturally during the after-death phase.

It wont be 'biological decay' if there is no clinging to the view of a self. To have eradicated all clinging and aversion (clusters of misery which habituate delusion and ignorance) is to have mastered fear. To have fear turned over (wisely) is to have overcome all notions of dualistic tendencies. No longer subjected to such tendencies, concepts like decay and formation, sickness and healing, mind and body, birth and death, take on a new meaning all together. Thus freed, emancipation cannot be avoided. At this point, even intent becomes redundant -- all anxieties are resolved, and desires are quelled spontaneously as quickly as they arise. In fact, liberation is realized effortlessly, without the need to set intent at all.

I am wondering whether mastery over clinging and aversion would be even 'faster' than setting intent.

I think this is a phase that many practitioners will have to go thru at some point on their way to clearer seeing. Being non-judgmental helps quite a bit when things become weird. Observe the arising and passing of events, thoughts, feelings, sensations, emotions... as if like snowflake falling on water, is a favored metaphor nonchalantly used by masters frequently when describing the processes of change and such. I am reminded of a poem by Ted Kooser, and have the pleasure to share it with you: Above us, stars. Beneath us, constellations. Five billion miles away, a galaxy dies like a snowflake falling on water. Below us, some farmer, feeling the chill of that distant death, snaps on his yard light, drawing his sheds and barn back into the little system of his care. All night, the cities, like shimmering novas, tug with bright streets at lonely lights like his. He goes on to say that "if we pay attention to the ordinary world, there are all sorts of wonderful things in it.... But most of us go thru the day without noticing." I guess this is where mindfulness meditation come in, to bring one back to this passing moment -- each precious, each wonderful, yet ever so fleeting....

Basic question -- Which Buddhist tradition does this monastery align with? I am of the believe that the Buddha did not encourage practitioners to neglect the body ala concentrate solely on mental or mind development. All being said, it really depends on the individual. Monks in (some) buddhist monasteries dont even know w.t.heck they are doing there in the first place, let alone answer your nagging doubts about mind/body transformation. You have to understand that the majority of monks are in monasteries for every other reason under the sun except spiritual attunement. Same thing goes for those folks who live in Taoist temples... go ask them for insights and they'll probably just smile serenely and look at you with a sort of blankness which says it all. I come from that part of the world where monasteries and temples abound. I would say that i have yet to see one which places primary focus on 'real' spiritual cultivation. These institutions are put up to cater for the masses of people who seem to be looking for solace from their pain and angst and/or to gain favors with the gods, bribing the powers-that-be with promises of donations and offerings should the gods selectively choose to look upon them with benevolence and bless them with prosperity and longevity. This is usually induced thru asking/praying for lotto numbers, stock market investments to flourish etc. Not that its all a waste of time, but one has to really know how to find one's way into the not-so-immediately-noticeable inner sanctums of those little temples and monasteries that are far off the beaten track in order to lick the cream, so to say.

Working with deities to extinguish passions is very effective. This work, which if done correctly, will neither be extroverted nor introverted. The initiate goes thru a process best described as retroversion, which points to practices directed at turning or conditioning backwards the limited self, redesigning/remoulding one's inner being using deity(s) as both a source of inspiration and energetic map, to expand from one point, and then returning to the one point (bindu). This is very difficult to achieve without the proper yidam practices being conferred to the initiate. Those who have attempted to go solo on such paths have been known to lose their way in the astral realms and worse, go mad from too much divine play. For further insights, i would recommend reading 'The Transformed Mind' (HH The Dalai Lama).

Isn't Solitude a useful practice in making friends with Death? Its not the only reason to practice it, but when one is alone, its a good time (and lots of it) to learn the art of conquering one's fears, of which the greatest is the fear of not knowing whats on the other side. Aura or Qi means nothing when Death and I become one in solitude. Also, a lot hinges on what one brings with them during the time alone. Those who harbor guilt and regret seldom derive much benefit from the exercise, let alone have the gumption to stare Death in the eyes. Oftentimes it does more harm than good.

Just find out if your awareness is static or fluid. Its this same awareness that is used to locate the self. Some folks do have quite a static awareness, hence their notion of the self is lodged quite firmly in their relationship with things around them. Those who possess a more fluid awareness will fare a bit better in dislodging the natural tendency to grasp or reject things, in light of which the potential causes of discontent or suffering could be allayed. Meditation in many ways is the continuous practice to limber up the awareness so that we do not remain stuck in terms of past, present and future mind. Perhaps by becoming unstuck gradually, and being aware of this in each and every moment, is another way of saying 'no self'.

Ponderous over having a shower? hahaha.... (tickles my imagination)

Insight into the benefits of cultivating practices of loving kindness and compassion/Tonglen. Presented by Matthieu Ricard http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthieu_Ricard . Its a long clip (almost 1hr.) - to get to the specific topic, begin viewing from 35min on. Naturally, if you have the time, it would be great to listen to the whole talk. Please dedicate the benefits you may derive from viewing this clip, however little, to the well-being of all sentient beings. Then may your dedication return to you a thousand-fold. Thank you for reflecting.

yeah!

'14' in Cantonese can mean 'sure death' or 'sure to die', and, in the Hokkien and Hakka dialect it also could imply the same. In Buddhism, however, i think '4' is an auspicious number. For example, there is the 4-pronged vajra. The buddhist swastika has 4 bent arms. Then there's the Four Heavenly Kings. For years now, i have a palpable sense of being constantly guarded by 4 armor-clad very big yet invisible warrior-like protectors, each facing one of the 4 cardinal points. I would not regard 4 as being suggestive of anything negative. On the contrary, i think its a very powerful number. A complete number. For certain, death is part of this completeness.