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my sorrows wash away leaving only spirit stains brewing till sunrise...

Have you tried not practicing at night for a while (for eg, a week maybe), and then returning to it? If you have, did the sounds return?

Franky Smith ... oh damn! Long Johns shrunk in the dryer now i have Short Johns...

so i can hear you as you peek out the window pondering 'bout life...

Some popular herbs, salads and citrus plants in my home back in SE Asia -- Lemongrass, thai basil, coriander, kaffir lime, lemon, lime, kalamansi, ginger, turmeric, good few varieties of lettuces, parsley, screwpine (pandanus) and a most interesting herb called pegaga, or pennywort, plus a few others which i cant remember or perhaps less significant. Pennywort is fairly easy to grow. Its a brilliant addition to any herb garden, with amazing health-giving properties. See health benefits here (reminder - side effects present, not recommended for diabetics and pregnant women) : http://rls8994.hubpages.com/hub/Pennywort-Tea-And-Its-Many-Benefits Best of luck with our gardens this year, chappys and all!!! p.s. anyone passing thru Malaysia should visit this chap http://herbwalk-langkawi.com.my/theplants.html who lives on Langkawi Island, one of the many 'jewels' of Malaysia... beautiful place to explore!

Yes, first fake it, then make it. During the faking stage, one has two arms, but can always 'pretend' to have four, each one helping another, or even, helping oneself, perhaps to do better in some area of one's life which might require some attention. Obviously, two arms were inadequate, that's why the problem began in the first place, see? So, one 'grows' an extra pair of arms, for support. Naturally, please understand that this extra pair of arms is only a symbolic thought, or a metaphor for enlarging one's ability to generate and apply a greater resource in order to help address that particular area of one's life which requires attention. Hence, each time one feels 'snowed in' by the problematic issue, one immediately rouse up the assistance of an extra pair of hands to help 'clear the path' so that one can become mobile again. (mobile here have various connotations). Again and again, this is done, until the 'rousing' becomes effortless -- as this process gets more and more natural, which is a direct outcome of the issue getting more and more resolved, one will begin to actually get a real sense that its possible to access extra help when one faces the occasional problem, and this can be very useful. Of course, if the issue is not budging, then there probably is something not in place, perhaps one's focus is too loose or too tight. If this is the case, relax, and refocus with just the right tension. Its like tuning a guitar, neither too tight nor too loose. The idea above can gradually be expanded in the sense that when is comfortable, relaxed and confident in one's ability to conjure an extra pair of hands when necessary, then one can move on up to the next rung, which is to learn how to generate yet another pair of hands, this time, to offer a friend, or a sibling, even a stranger, or an animal in distress, but, since now one only has two extra pairs of hands, one's assistance is still quite limited. But with training, over time, more and more pairs of hands will appear, as one's scope for being able to bear other's burdens and lighten their load enlarges. In time, one may then simultaneously have 20 pairs of hands (metaphorically speaking, also not metaphorically speaking, as some people can actually mobilize many pairs of extra hands when they want to, in getting a group together for a good cause, or some voluntary work for charity, for example), each one of this extra support going out to help others in different ways and in various directions. This is the reason why the image of Chenrezig or Guanyin is often depicted as a form with 1000 arms (with 1000 being another metaphor for limitless) -- this symbolises the timeless and unlimited capacity of the Bodhisattva of Compassion to render solace, healing and selfless assistance in all directions, instantly, without hesitation, from the highest heavens to the lowest depths of hell, in fact, transcending all limited human understanding of space and time. So for those who have the desire and affinity to enlarge one's compassionate scope, it is encouraged that one should learn to form a reverent connection with Guanyin Pusa/Chenrezig/Avalokiteshvara, and grow more arms (not those bangbang ones! ). Homage to Chenrezig: "From his eyes come forth the sun and the moon; from his brow, Mahesvara, the great God who creates life with a thunderbolt from his third eye; from his shoulders, Brahma and other gods; from his heart, Narayana, the soul of the universe; from his thighs, Saraswati, wife of Brahma and Goddess of wisdom, music and science; from his mouth, the winds; from his feet, the earth; from his stomach, Varuna, an emanation from the sun initiating the cycles of nature and the embodiment of truth. He is a lamp to the blind, a parasol for those devoured by the heat of the sun, and a stream to the thirsty. He takes away all fear from those who are afraid; he is a doctor to the sick, and he is father and mother to those who are lonely and unhappy..." *hope this discussion yields immense benefits for everyone. Thanks to the OP.

by moving with it Will Smith's "Get Jiggy With It" do the harlem shake

"Can anything honest arise from the 6 senses" asks Vmarco. Honestly, the 6 senses arise in conjunction with whats arising. Ultimately, nothing arises, so, it follows that ultimately, the 6 senses exist only as convenience. You are putting ideas into people's heads (again) that there are some inherent fawltiness with the 6 senses (this is not Fawlty Towers, mind you). This puts your understanding and motives under scrutiny. How do you expect to even sensibly write something here, as an example, if a few of your sense faculties are not activated? By your own logic, do we dismiss all your assertions as dishonest? They must be, according to you. There are no 'eyes' save for that which is seen. Its an impermanent relationship, one arises, the other takes a name. When not seeing, eyes may as well be ears, just another convenient label.

How does receiving before giving promote a sense of balance? Sounds very selfish to me. Mother to baby -- first, you stop crying, then i will feed you. Definitely not balanced. Would a reciprocal approach be a better one? In my small opinion, i would say that respect and openness go hand in hand. Those who are free have no use for respect, and yet, they seem to end up getting the most of it. Maybe i did not get the exact meaning of your conveyance. If thats the case, pardon please.

all else wrecked at sea the ocean of samsara impregnating pain...

the feet go nowhere explains why snakes dont have them they jive with the Tao...

There was no mention of enzymes. Such a vital part of good health. Check out 'Enzyme Nutrition' by Dr. Edward Howell. all the best. p.s. While everyone speaks of olive oil, there are other plant oils which merit consideration, and which i personally found to exceed the scope of olive oil. For example, not many know of the immense benefits of styrian pumpkin seed oil. http://www.realrawfood.com/pumpkinseeds-styrian-health-benefits-and-nutritional-info

i toss the pebble my mind follows the motion the ears follow sounds...

It may not be in line with 'your' Dzogchen view, but there are all these Dzogchen masters whom you have quoted, whose combined works can probably fill a library, why do you think that there is so much to talk about, if not to help a student fully ground the realization of unfabricated presence? Its very easy to say 'simply rest in the vivid unestablished', but to many people, this resting comes in spurts, or flashes. Now its seen, now its not seen, that kind of way. It needs to be known the formula for this resting to remain unceasingly. Dont know about you, but from the little that i know of Dzogchen and Mahamudra, the only way to reach maturity/stability of being undistracted from the present is thru the combined practices of visualization, vipassana and shamatha. In other words, its easy to erect the 'posture' of rigpa, but after its been erected, how does one keep from wobbling? Its all well and good to say there is nothing to do except to linger with unwavering awareness of this moment, but the relative world as its known, with all its distractive qualities, is not that accommodating most of the time. If its really that simple, all that was needed from you was to write a handful of words, and all the bums who scan those same words will have attained to the 'unestablished'. But see, a lot of words are needed. For all these words to be put here by you, surely that requires some effort as well. So its really not that simple. Please dont assume that i disagree with the above points you have made. Actually, i fully endorse them a hundred percent, and i would say similar things to others, and have done so, on many occasions. But i always remind myself that talking is so easy, to actually remove obstacles and the subtlest traces of obscurations need some work.

words will carry me one step.. and one step only going nowhere fast...

The one i used at home has been with me for 17 years, and has not lost any firmness. Its about 7 inches high, and roughly 15 inches in diameter. Not sure what material is used as stuffing. Suits me well. Looks like this -- http://www.tradeindia.com/fp632049/Round-Cotton-Zafus-Yoga-Meditation-Cushion.html Outdoors, i would normally find a stone or a log to sit on. I would think if you are going on longer treks then an inflatable one would be quite ideal. Some places which suddenly arouse the need to sit might not have logs or stones lying around.

Is there anything which does not contain the seed of experience, Xabir? To many, its the implications which give rise to grasping, and not the actual experiences per se. Its easy to get 'lost' or distracted in trying to match the various implications against experience. This process of sifting, which can be very attractive as it seems to add dimension and depth to one's knowledge (not wisdom) is exactly what Dzogchen is not about, relatively speaking. In the absolute sense, after rigpa has become stable, then the latent distractive properties or seeds no longer have any ground to take root. This signals the end of new karma. Old karma will ripen quicker, dissolving simultaneously as it ripens, due to the final removal of obscurations. Those who do not have a good foundation in the prelims will tend to become unhinged at around this time, once again, creating a new cycle of karma, albeit a slightly less problematic one. But for those who have established a strong foundation of prelim practices and have realized the spontaneous liberation of arising thoughts, this potentially distractive, karmic-inducing phase will not occur. This is my understanding.

A few years ago, a friend of mine went salmon fishing along the Shannon river. Shortly after he got there, another fisherman came by, and they both had a brief exchange of fisherman's tales, as fishing fellows do. So then, after the niceties were done, they both started casting their rods. About an hour into their adventure, a thunderstorm began brewing, but these two avid chaps paid no heed, and carried on fishing. Lightning is quite a rare thing here in Ireland, but shortly after the storm broke, my friend literally got a shock when there was this big flash and bang right next to him, threw him a few yards back, and temporarily blurred/numbed his senses. After he regained a fraction of composure, he tried to see what had happened to his new compadre. In utter horror and disbelief, he saw the chap had unfortunately been killed by the blast. Sometimes it pays to be a little cautious. Respect is good. Challenge? Hmm... If that's your thing, then that is your thing, i guess.

undulates gently my bottle of ginger ale must be seeing things...

tasty ready meal three for two offers abound spiraling with glee!

Starkly so. But not in the sense that its meant to be understood.

Silly man in the picture. Having an 'existent self' is not so bad; projecting that this self needs more of some things and less of others, which creates another layer of self, or a false, continually-compensating idea of what the self should or should not have, is the problem. The practice is to learn to fully come to terms with where one is, and what one has, without imputing thoughts of 'i dont have enough' into the processional equation.

run naked outdoors the windchill biting my ass frozen-bummed bum...

you didn't try hard enough.

Copying? Hardly. Solway has a bit of a reputation, so your assessment is way off. Try again.