C T

I am wondering, when he (the maharaja) made that triumphant declaration, whether he was breathing thru his left or right nostril at that time. btw, the initial dawn of the realization of voidness does not require the energy winds to be fully dissolved at the heart chakra. All that is needed is for the winds to enter the central channels, this alone is enough to arouse palpable and actual experience of the true nature of union of the relative and absolute truths of reality. just saying.

Hmm.. i had always had the suspicion that the Marfia had some links with the muslim world.

Why do you (mostly) write in this roundabout fashion, et-t? So many words, swirling round and round and round, and they all basically point mostly to so very obvious experiences and stuff -- and then the attempts to dress it all up to look pretty (or wise, pick one) jeez, give it a break willya? Seriously. Do you ever see this at all?

It could well be, but i feel its not about loneliness. The OP is making a realization statement. Just my opinion tho.

"Suffering exists, not the sufferer. Actions exist, but not the actor. Nirvana is, but nobody is released. There is a Way, but no one on it." Buddhagosa Not disidentification... but to come to a point where one sees self as equal to all else. To disengage from the self is a dangerous practice, but, on the other hand, the realization that all beings want the same thing as oneself leads to deliverance from the selfish, self-contracting acts of grasping and aversion. It can be about 'you', but at the same time, this 'you' would allow for other's needs as well, that kind of way. Then a lot of anguish, craving, guilt and other associated negative emotions can have space to dissolve.

Where is this void? Dont throw the term around lightly. Once tasted, some never return.

Another contemporary Tibetan teacher whom i feel has a pretty good handle on the western mindset is Gyalwang Drukpa Rinpoche. He has presented a very helpful series of teachings on the 6 Paramitas for some of his western students which is available on YT. (many thanks to Seth A. for bringing his works to our attention via a link he posted on TTB FB.) Taster here ---

One aspect which sets Vajrayana apart from other traditions is the encouragement given to initiates to experiment and work with various enlightened aspects/qualities peculiar to the different Buddha families. This is very important, for practitioners, be they from the east or west. I believe one major cause of confusion, which quietly prompts inner frustration and disillusionment, is the fact that western practitioners do not fully grasp the vital import of this, and hence, either pick an unsuitable yidam (role model) or simply have not been made to understand why working with a yidam is fundamental to a harmonious and progressive practice (in Vajrayana, that is). Yidam explained: http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Yidam

International Shaolin Wu Chu Chuan, Australia Any Aussie bums trained with this school before? Video of the demo:

Missing for a whole month, and all you can talk about upon return, after a spiritual retreat, is sex... w e l c o m e b a c k !

Mindfulness you know about eh? That's brilliant. In meditation, well, at least in the Buddhistic one, to arrive at non-attachment (not detachment, btw... there's a minnow of a difference) one is encouraged to stay with the feelings, in this case, this overwhelming urge inside of you, without having any desire for it to be different. Then observe patiently how long and how far things can remain permanent without shifting. Sometimes, it takes guts and lots of courage and perseverance to wait for a shift -- and when it does, your mindfulness cultivation will come in very handy. What is happening now for you is like you are clutching at a piece of burning coal, and you are going around asking for advice on what to do with it. You are being displaced, yet you already possess the knowledge to return to the middle, to calm abiding. Have you the tenacity to do this? Most people have, but then, the clinging can be sooo sweet that its really hard to let go. Joy in realization is that you dont have to force the letting go, cos all things will change, in time. § all the best §

Meditation instructor? Shame that you would call yourself that, Grandmaster Po. Your posts (above) demonstrate shallowness, irreverence and a total lack of cultural sensitivity. Some of the jokes you try so hard to make is actually downright insulting -- among some Chinese folks that which you termed porky Chinese laughing buddhas are revered and held in esteem. But perhaps you dont give a flying duck about any other culture except yours. This shows disdain, bordering on racism. Not to mention the silly jibes about tibetan teachers and lamas. You might actually consider retracting your remarks.

We lose equanimity not because of the usage of labels, but the real displacer of one's mindfulness in the present are the emotional entanglements in the drama/stories that follow the labeling. To be mindful is to have a constant awareness of one's motives. One can call another 'murderer' if that label is justifiably used, with the right sort of intention. Calling someone a murderer does not need to involve passing further judgement on that someone. The term 'murderer' in itself means just that. Its harmless -- you need labels, conventionally speaking. What could potentially bring harm is when we start to imagine how murderers should be punished, and all the ensuing stories we tend to engage in after the fact. just my opinion.

Experiences does not mean what they write become authoritative or truth. Its their journey, meant for them. If you assert otherwise, then you are a dumbass practitioner and all your knowledge's worth jack****. These same experiences can be shared with the aim to benefit others in reflecting, perhaps to gain some perspective, perhaps to broaden the view, but at the end of the day, as Grandmaster P would quite definitely agree, it does not bring the moon to the reader or listener. I did not appreciate your attitude towards the one conversation i had with Grandmaster P a few posts back. Just so you know. Dont mean to burst your bubble. Word -- aren't you trying a bit too hard, dharma bro? You should try to find some real Dzogchen practitioners and hang out with them for a while. Hopeful that their view can rub off on you.

Dont know which is heavier... your axe or the grindstone, mr Grandmaster. Btw, your claim that born Buddhists take their path for granted... is, for the most part, an inaccurate assessment. Understandable tho, given that you're always passing judgement on your fellow Western buddhist practitioners. observation from a born Buddhist.

Indeed they are, when identified and solidified into a 'reality'. As with all things arising from mind.

'Dark age' is just a term. 'Kali yuga' is also a term, one indicative of the speeding up of the creation and destruction and re-creation of existence. If one ponders on the speed in which things are changing and evolving now, then it can be seen quite starkly that we are indeed in this age. Not dark, not light, not good, not bad... just that changes now happen at a super-fast rate, contrasted against previous phases of time. Why i shudder sometimes is not because i am being negatively inclined, but simply dizzied by the speed of change.

A couple of decades ago cars were made to last almost indefinitely... fathers who owned cars would pass it on to the children, and thence to grandchildren, and so it is for many other things. Today things are being created and made to decay or breakdown at such speeds. This some call 'achievements'... i call it humanity's own creation to consume itself back to zero, like a snake biting its own tail, en masse. Why en masse? Because the whole info technological whizz has trumped in creating a global mindset that now only takes seconds for the whole of humanity to avail of information that could generate emotional energies on such an unprecedented scale that just contemplating the eventualities actually sometimes makes me shudder..

Seems like a tough act to have to juggle picking out things/characteristics/imaginary stuff etc and sorting them/slotting them into various compartments, each with neat labels there to remind one what preferences ought one to have, or not. You dont have to like everyone, no... especially when there's enough validity to the choice. What becomes a contingent matter for self-introspection is when preferred biases, not based on factual encounters but on imagined content, that eventually become habitual, knee-jerk tendencies that usually end up causing unnecessary loathing of self and of others. Naturally, its easier to preach than to practice. Back to the drawing board for me.

Are you inferring that the subconscious mind is by nature yin? How do you know this? Im trying to figure out how only the subconscious mind remains after death, so your explanation could help clear up some questions. Also, there are so many (infinite perhaps?) layers to the subconscious... which ones get to remain, i wonder? These are genuine questions.

Separators --- aptly worded, M!

Hi Marbles! Havent had the pleasure to chat with you in a while... As a beginner like myself, i dont even think of escaping dualistic thinking -- i'd be so happy just to be aware when it happens, so i know that its happening, and not get lost or carried away. Sometimes it helps to remain in the middle, sometimes i get swayed for a while, but often, i find that when my awareness is present, i dont get swayed that much anymore. Im starting a bit late in life, but what the heck, its a start. hehe...

I wonder about you sometimes, SJ... You give new meaning to the term, 'poetic justice'.

:D