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Very much so, Trunk. Good point actually... Aspirations do often lead to embodiment. Which is why one's intent and motivation is quite vital in the process. Thanks for contributing.

Modern times are no deterrent to women who decide on a path of renunciation. http://www.buddhanet.net/ordination02.htm Met a few Nuns in years past. In fact, one of my aunts is one in the Catholic faith. Strong individuals. Very clear, very compassionate.

Some points to note in this clip by Shinzen Young on "....becoming Impermanence" - - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eJ15Y6WrDTE&feature=related

the above brought on a chuckle... thanks!! Useful video playlist here for those interested in exploring Lucid Dreaming - - http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=stephen+laberge&aq=f I like this short clip by Shinzen Young as well, relating to same topic - - http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=GwctdxAn9v4

Habits drop... dead leaves Winter cometh, year 'pon year No invite needed...

A couple of articles which may point you in some sort of general direction, after which you might be inspired enough to explore further: http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma7/dreams.html https://docs.google.com/viewer?url=http://www.alanwallace.org/awakendream.pdf&embedded=true&chrome=true "Cultivating the Way is very difficult for people. When you're very clear and aware (during the day), you say, 'I see everything as empty. I've put everything down. No problems, nothing matters to me'. You can become very nonchalant. But when you dream, its difficult to put things down. You have to dream, and then it isn't so easy to say nothing matters. A woman comes, and you lust for her; A man comes, it stirs up desires from deep inside you; wine comes, and you like it; things appear, and you want to possess or steal them; drugs come and you want to take them. And you think in your dream, 'Oh, not bad at all!' You find it hard to keep in control." - - Ven Master Hsuan Hua "Doing the practice of lucid dreaming, a practitioner learns to steer dreams from worse to better; a practitioner learns to turn bad dreams into positive dreams... One way to look at dream yoga is to trust that it is a practice that actually brings your wake-awareness into sleep-awareness. It is in your own interest to learn this. Going to sleep with a positive attitude by thinking of good people and Noble Beings is very important and is a way of practicing dream yoga." - - Geshe Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche

Jim Carrey shares his story.... A dedication here to all those on the healing path, and to those who yearn to experience healing ~

Instead of being content with moderation, which is the surest way towards the promotion of well-being, a lot of people have been cornered into striving for extreme ideals, lost on the enjoyment of the practicalities of simplified thoughts and unsophisticated philosophies. The above statement illustrates this clearly. Some teachers call this sort of warped ideas a result of upside-down thinking. With such views, its no wonder there is an increasing feeling of forlornness among the people. With right understanding, the appropriateness of thinking can be brought back into alignment. http://www.buddhanet.net/4noble22.htm http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/karma/ka-wqj2.htm

Once again, your interesting contributions will be missed. Your lovely little Princess and wife will certainly appreciate this. All the very best, Scott. Must say that personally i think 6 months is quite lengthy. Nevertheless, i find your resolve admirable.

37? So you're a different Padma Norbu then. Wonder why you chose a handle that could, in all likelihood, make others mistake you for someone else. This Padma Norbu, for example: http://padmasambhavapureland.com/us/norbu.php

http://www.katinkahesselink.net/other/allegory.htm

I like the works of William Quan Judge ~ I find his wisdom to be fascinating and precise, for example: http://www.theosophy-nw.org/theosnw/death/de-wqj2.htm

Not this subject... again!!! (just kiddin') For those among us who are relatively quiescent, serene and in no particular rush, then this might be one of the more interesting, insightful topic-related article entitled, "Transformations of Emptiness: On the idea of sunyata and the thought of Masao Abe..." http://ccbs.ntu.edu.tw/FULLTEXT/JR-ADM/ornat.htm Enjoy! Oh, here is one of Abe's philosophical classics -- Zen and Comparative Studies ) Chapter 8 in particular is most interesting ( http://books.google.ie/books?id=Fp9YbwLnvWwC&pg=PA85&lpg=PA85&dq=comparative+study+on+emptiness&source=bl&ots=HsetfqfpxQ&sig=9G0sk4slR1k6_su1_u8lz16L5fo&hl=en&ei=D2CeTs_xAc-LhQep541Y&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CCEQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=comparative%20study%20on%20emptiness&f=false

Dharma talk - (posted this after i read Xie Jia's post. Very good, XJ. The grosser the mind, the thicker the realms... yes?)

2-part article related to this topic that some might find helpful: http://accessnewage.com/articles/HEALTH/psyack1.htm http://accessnewage.com/articles/HEALTH/psyack2.htm Some interesting points and questions have been raised. Kinda busy at the mo, so will try to be back later and get deeper into the discussion. @Sun.... thanks for sharing your experiences. I can certainly relate to them. Blessings all!

What has passed shall remain in the past... no need to feel bad. I'm sure we all have our little imperfections to polish up, and should first look at them before attempting to expertly scrutinize others'. May there always be benevolence and blessings as you begin this new phase of your journey. I'm glad for you....

In my years of Buddhist practice, and coming from the Far East, where black magic etc are very common, i can say with confidence that the best protection one can generate for oneself is the cultivation of loving-kindness. There is no greater shield from evil than the diamond shield of Compassion. According to one of my main teachers, most malevolent spirits disturb humans as a sign of crying out for help to ease their torment, hence, a good practice is to try and help bring relief by praying sincerely that these spirits be free from suffering. Should one find difficulty in harnessing the power of Compassion, a viable alternative in the event of any attacks by dark entities is to pray and request protection from the Four Heavenly Kings. http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/shitenno.shtml They are known to respond immediately to whomsoever prays to them with a sincere heart, and unlike some other protectors, they do not expect any favors in return. Do exercise caution when picking your personal protector cos some may end up as your puppet-master. Also, there may be some folks, out of desperation, make pledges to deities and/or protectors and forget about them after the problem is sorted... this is definitely not the best practice -- once a pledge has been offered in exchange for blessings, help etc make sure the pledge is kept. Remember - Protectors and Deities of Light work in mysterious ways, on their terms, and in places where you normally would have no access to, so dont dismiss them (especially if you have made pledges) with impatience just because your expectations are not met in ways that you think that they should. And trust me.... the moment you pray sincerely, they will appear, so please always remain humble when you are seeking for intercession. Amulets/pendants/relics which have been blessed by authentic masters or siddhas are also very potent as 'shields' from negative and/or malevolent energies and spirits. In cases of constant harassment best way to ease the situation would be to seek the help of authentic exorcists. Not all practitioners have the merit to cultivate necessary powers to ward off paranormal disturbances on their own, especially those who dabble in too many 'paths', so for such individuals, outside assistance may be the best and only option. Last but not least, take note of Friend's helpful pointers!

Chi Dragon, Not surprisingly, your understanding is shallow and off the mark. Karma is not a Buddhist term. Buddhists do not believe (as an example) that if one kills a pig then there is a likelihood that the pig killer will be reborn as a pig. This is sheer superstitious babble. Might be wise to consider putting an end to your spreading of half-truths and misleading other readers and forum members. A suggestion ~ Nothing wrong with asking questions of others instead of always trying to show how much of an authority you are regarding Taoist/Buddhist practices and custom.

I concur fully with 5ET's observations. Here's a YT channel containing various clips of Taoist rites, rituals and ceremonial proceedings relating to ancestral worship and funeral rites. http://www.youtube.com/user/Lidaozhang?blend=15&ob=5 Some random clips of same - - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SWjONCAxTzw&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByTOeaL0PiQ&feature=related There are scores of other clips available, but Chi Dragon hopefully gets the drift. I could further make a case here in relation to how he has ignorantly said i was confusing Buddhist and Taoist funeral practices but there's no need ~ let the vids speak for themselves.

It seems you are not willing to view the tradition thru the eyes of millions of Chinese Taoists... all of whom place prime emphasis on ancestral worship, and also place almost as vital an emphasis on elaborate rituals sought for deceased family members (sparing no expenses in the process) to get Taoist priests to intercede for the dead to ensure 'a comfortable life' in the hereafter. Just this observation alone is enough to convince that Chinese Taoists, going back generations, hold to the belief of Karma more than any other culture in the world today. The fact that they do not use the exact word Karma does not in any way imply they do not superstitiously belief in fear of Retribution, which is as far as the lay Chinese understanding of Karma goes. There is more, but 'more' is not necessary to be discussed here, nor elsewhere, for that matter. Alas, more than enough has already been plundered repeatedly, 'elsewhere'...

Thought some of you Martial Arts enthusiasts might want to check this guy out... I like his moves and techniques ~ a Martial Artist of substance even at his young age. The fact that spiritually he practices the Christian faith makes him all the more special!

Hello Joe, A warm welcome to The Tao Bums! This is good place to be if you are seriously looking for resources to deepen your practice. Since you mentioned Pema Chodron, i am assuming you could have a degree of affinity with meditation practices based upon the Mahayana path. One of the best contemporary Meditation Masters in the Tibetan tradition is Mingyur Rinpoche. A sizable number of my friends resonate well with his guidance and advice, and many of his talks are readily available on Youtube. Perhaps you will enjoy his approach too? Here he is offering a very simple and effective guided meditation (2 parts) - - An article which will further support Mingyur Rinpoche's meditation instructions - - http://archive.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2004/spring/khenpo_tsultrim.html Wishing you a happy retirement, sir... may your days be most fulfilling as you begin this wonderful, new, and adventurous journey into the world of meditation! "When we look inward, sitting up alone at midnight, with all noises hushed, we shall feel our real self show itself in bold relief and all our passions gone with that. It is at this moment that we awake to the understanding of the great Truth, and it makes us deeply ashamed to reflect how we have been slaves of earthly desires and passions". (Musings of a Chinese Vegetarian: Hung Tzu-ch'eng)

Splendid questions, Steve. All valid imho.

Aah... Hong Kong ~ what an awesome place. I think you will learn to love it and will find it hard to leave when the time comes. Go to Stanley Market http://www.hk-stanley-market.com/ and ask around for a little-known Qigong Master by the name of S. C. Tong. If he is still around, i believe he may be able to point you in the right direction. I met him 22 years ago. Could not be certain of his age then ~ my guess would be fortyish, which means he will now be in his sixties, but dont be surprised if you found him and he still looked in his forties.... A tip to take with you if you do go visit ~ please use a soft approach when trying to obtain information/demo. Not sure he appreciates when someone is too direct. Should Tong be unavailable or unhelpful, try visiting this master on Cheung Chau Island http://www.mastermak.com.hk/services.html No personal meeting or experience with him (cos i prefer searching for the more secret ones... for eg, those with no commercial websites ) but appears quite approachable ~ he may also be the man to ask with regards to furthering your search. Best of luck. Keep us posted.

This will be my next read http://www.wisdom-books.com/ProductExtract.asp?PID=11337 . (have a feeling it will be as profound as Flight of the Garuda.. we shall see.) _/\_