C T

The prince of drama rides again. You must be related to Kevin Solway in some mystified manner. He loves stirring poo too.

watching this now.

Significant report on the medicinal uses of vinegar -- http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1785201/

gaining warning points treat others like lil' children tantrums will be thrown...

I agree.

Thats perfectly ok.

Glad Malcolm 'saw the light' and left. I dont think he was much help to anyone while he was there. He was not known to be fond of engaging with others on their level, and i got the impression he often talked down to others, but i could be wrong. I had felt stifled on the few visits made there. So many scholars, so few authentic practitioners. Nonetheless, I am glad you have decided to post here. Always good to have fresh perspectives to chew on. As you will come to notice in time, T TB has a much warmer feel to the place.

spread on carbs and breathe o! Wonderful aroma catch a whiff and faint...

Good of you to come on board, Jax. Are you aware that the link you provided says, 'bad request'. Not helpful. Hope its not a malware carrier. I am wondering if the tone of the first paragraph is a bit harsh, given that you have chosen to express your understanding on the 'unestablished'.

will help me awake see life for what it is now dog pees on my car...

Would it be ok to assume that Grandmaster P feels the same expressed sentiment, MH? We all have our own biases on what constitutes 'false info'. I must input that even in Buddhist centres now, there is an ever-increasing cost for teachings and associated aids like books, commentaries, CDs, videos, empowerments and what not. Its something i have an issue with (my own struggle i know) which is why i have stepped off the buddhist grid altogether, in the sense that i do not mingle with the in-crowd anymore. These folks have plenty of spare cash and can afford to follow teachers all over Europe... more power to them, but in my view, its not really helpful. I'm quite comfortable going it alone. I do make a good living from my business, but i'd rather choose to discreetly share some of it with those who could genuinely benefit from a bit of assistance. There are people who are sincerely struggling, and it feels righter to help this sector of people than to direct more money into 'spiritual' organizations when most are already thriving as it is. I have, sometime in the past, been fairly 'inside' one of these groups, and can vouch that they rake in silly amounts of donations every month, and halve as much from the courses they run. Yes, a good chunk goes back into maintaining the centres (all over the world!!) and staffing (literally hundreds under the payroll) but one wonders where the rest of the money go? Its quite puzzling when a week of retreat with spiritual teachings begin to cost attendees the equivalent of a month's wages (or more, for some). To me, this is overwhelming evidence of, dare i say, greed. In conclusion, i would have to agree with the OP that its not right to be charging people over and over for teachings which is supposed to lead one back to the essence, which is a peaceful mind and a loving heart. Naturally, those who feel the urge to pay to purchase knowledge on peace, love and optimal health can do as they please, but at the end of the day, profound peace and genuine affection for self (which includes physical health and well-being) and others are rewards in themselves, so, i have to ask whether it really makes sense to pay a third party to find out how to reward oneself with such fundamental wisdoms? I think the problem with those who have the ability to spend money and who are jaded by material pursuits have somehow just swapped ideologies. Nothing has really changed. People find it hard to believe that the inner life can be accessed freely, and along the way, have lost the focus, hence, in order to recover it, they think they have to pay someone (or lineage) to tell them that are indeed capable of becoming more than what they are now. More could mean all sorts of things that people desire on the spiritual level. Something to ponder over certainly.

take me home please away from this foggy pass blanketed by mist...

but she talks to much better than talking to walls they know all secrets...

About practice, which my post was referring to, Longchenpa said: "Begin with bodhicitta, do the main practice without concepts, conclude by dedicating the merit. These, together and complete, are the three vital supports for progressing on the path to liberation." http://www.lotsawahouse.org/tibetan-masters/khenpo-shenga/three-noble-principles

Manifesting all these qualities are crucial on the training path. Integrating/metabolizing the learned qualities are also very crucial. Sometimes i forget that dissolving the manifested are equally vital. I think a lot of practitioners concentrate highly on the manifesting and integrating aspects, and tend to ignore the dissolving practices, which will result in imbalances eventually. The thing to bear in mind with adhering to these three 'steps' is to make it habitual, so that when death occurs, the sequence will arise spontaneously, and this can assist to allay all associated fears at that time so that death can be transitioned with as little obstacles as possible. Before death occurs, check conduct. During dying phase, check conduct. After death, check conduct. According to Vajrayana teachings, this should be at the heart of all practices -- hence, the advice that in all approaches in terms of one's daily practice and also in life, there ought to be a mindfulness that intentions must be good in the beginning, good in the middle, and good in the end. Dedications of merit before one ends formal sessions of meditative absorptions are very powerful and of immense benefit, for it seals the accumulated merit so that leaks do not occur. I think this is the one practice which sets the Vajrayana path apart from many others. Reading the contributions here reminded me of the 3 goods... Arising, Abiding and Cessation. The tendency to be 'caught in the self' can be avoided as one begins to become more and more conscious of this useful practice tool.

most people don't know Rob Roy sardines' so yummy puts hair on one's chest...

the old just don't know the fun side of stone-skimming its BIG in Scotland!

I am almost certain 'tale' is monosyllabic, but you are welcome to tell me otherwise..

Hey, no cheating, NAjA! where are the last 5 syllables in your latest two haikuieeu?

quiet as the dead medications are too late no tales left to tell...

out turning it does this way, that way, twisty sways clear, wondrous mind days...

rise, sunny-side up lazysamadhi is back merriment aplenty...

`is that you, tulku?

This may be right, Jetsun. I have personally known a few (maybe 4?) of one-year retreatants whose time spent in retreat did not match up to the retreats' full potential, and they were Westerners. Yet, the numbers that i speak of are far too low for any significant conclusion to be drawn, although, on the whole, thru past observation when i was a fully active sangha member, its safe, i think, to deduce that Tsoknyi Rinpoche's appraisal is fairly accurate. But then, long term retreats do contain very real, very up-close confrontational themes, often hazardous to even the subtlest ego-clinging -- while those who get accepted into these are far from novice practitioners, quite a few still find the whole retreat journey daunting, to say the least, and more than a few actually had to withdraw their participation (midways some) due to insufficient stamina more than anything else. The good thing is, for those who have strong resolve and the affinity, they will be re-admitted at some later date, dependent on a final ok from the retreat master.

wash it down with suds make sure it drains properly hang it out to dry..