C T

The earth falls away from space life sneaks a return learnt lesson one hopes...

Well said, Jetsun. Fakir is the exact term i used in a previous post. As time passes, the level of sophistication becomes finer, yet underneath its exactly as you said - busking for a dime.

Well, and i am telling ya i have seen his father and probably his grandfather doing the same tricks ages ago. Nothing to get too flustered over. Not saying he is powerless, but to make it appear to be something its not is both duping yourself and others. Not nice.

This is apparent, otherwise how would you have recognized the magical spiritual power of the chap sitting comfortably in boiling oil, eh?

Try 'institutionalized discriminatory agendas'. Not exactly a word, but it came to mind....

What makes you think the Chinese are interested to reproduce any sort of farcical display of ability? You seem to be the only one who is impressed here, that may be why you call it a 'feat' while others simply and instantaneously see it as a farce. Not sure where you are from, but in most SE Asian countries, back in the 50s and the 60s, such demos happen on a regular basis. Every weekend in fact. Its called entertainment. These 'artistes' travel from town to town, village to village, set up show, the more bizarre the bigger the crowd, and towards the end of the elaborately choreographed act, they usually try to sell some magic potion, healing oils, protective amulets etc. It was fascinating - i have seen many of these shows as a kid back in the 60s. Loved it! One has to admire the ingenuity and the originality behind these displays. Guys who sell healing oils would put their hands into glass jars crawling with scorpions and centipedes, even snakes, get themselves stung/bitten and then apply the oil to show off the efficacy, and many other such feats of almost magical proportions. Some would change pebbles into gold nuggets, while others transform coconuts into jumping jelly beans. I was amused that such a tradition of side-show artistry is still alive and well today. I am certain the fascination has long died in Asia, but it appears that they are now trying to nudge into the western world. Amazing...

d p.. sorry

The 'process' does not have to be hard work though. Heart work more like. Once the heart takes over, it works off spontaneous impulses, like as if it takes on a life of its own. We no longer need to manufacture a process, just as we do not primarily control our heartbeat, nor do we need to. Heart work works every time... dig? We just need to create the momentum, and leave the rest to Nature. Too much meddling only befuddles the impulse.

I hear ya Yes, Malaysia is predominantly Muslim. Its a Muslim country after all, but its also fairly liberal. Indian and Chinese folks co-exist peacefully with the Muslims there. Great country to be in to experience the spiritual cultures of all three races. Quite unique in this sense.

sorry d.p.

Yes, the scale does appear rather enormous indeed. Hard to fathom the width and the depth of it, if one delves deeper. I think there are certain brilliant-minded individuals who are currently attempting to bridge the gap between Science and Consciousness/Mind. One whom i can think of is Alan Wallace. A taste of his words here -

No worries there. Just a caution though - i lived in Malaysia for well over 25 years, and this stuff is all over the place... hard to say who's genuine and who's a fakir (as in 'one who does it purely for entertainment purposes - delighting audiences for selfish gains').

Like evolution, you mean? If its intangible, why label it 'soul'? Is it like 'essence'?

Here: http://www.aurailahi.com/ Almost certain he could do with another one or two Mercedes'. (Looks as if there are plenty of willing, happy contributors!! )

I 4 Life, What's your definition of 'soul', if its okay to ask? Just curious.

Fascinating Indonesian martial arts demo. Not the internal kind, but still interesting... Amazing speed!

I'd be interested to hear where the source of this heritage arose from. Generally, if folks are more dependent on divine help, it would follow that more divine interveners would appear. Not to mention the hordes of charlatan healers and fakes who don their cheating capes to prey on the mentally weak. Maybe the SE Asian population demands such presence, whereas in China and the rest of the countries you mentioned, the folks are more self-reliant, so the real masters are afforded more privacy and the luxury of secluded contemplation. I dont think any conclusive statistical evidence can be garnered from this shaky premise that you have been attempting to present here.

Apo khabar? Selamat datang!

A1! Thanks. Great checklist.

Dont fret over what has past. Cut it off. Severing the past, concentrate on the present effects and causes of one's intentions, moment to moment, for it is these present self-knowing effects and causes of intentions that will tomorrow determine and shape how you look back at today. Mindfulness is the key - without mindfulness, self-knowing does not arise. Most of us have experienced a past that has induced us to seek for a better way. We are now on this way. How else can we help ourselves other than to cultivate the sort of attitude now that will ensure we remain unbound, in body, speech, and mind, in the future? The Buddha says its very simple to understand and to carry out this practice of intentionally creating your future by your present actions -

What's even more frustrating is that most of these 'masters' cannot even be honest about the fact that they are in it for the dosh. Instead they often disguise what they do by putting up, then hiding behind affronts of noble intentions while subversively playing on basic human survival impulses and instincts and dangling a ticket of hope and fear in front of the gullibles. Funny thing is that over in SE Asia, if some so-called master proclaims to 'sell' some advanced energetic or spiritual practice on the market, very few people, except for the really dense, would buy into their spin. They'd be laughed out of town. Anyone looking for any advanced techniques, if they looked hard enough, can find a genuine teacher who would already have a good base of students and would be teaching for free. Reputations over there are always passed/established by word-of-mouth. And the really good ones work off donations and/or have the support of benefactors, just as in ancient times. Back then, the nobility always supported and protected the welfare of the philosophers and martial arts masters whom they depend on for their mental and physical cultivation. The only exceptions are the Taoist priests who preside over funerals. They don't come cheap. I remember being told that for each day's work they get paid something between 500 to 800 dollars. Most of these guys can be openly seen whizzing round in the latest Range Rovers, Mercs, BMWs and what not. All thanks to the Chinese, who, unfortunately, are pretty much superstitiously obsessed with what happens in the afterlife. The good thing is they are unflinchingly upfront and never disguise themselves in flowery veils of deception.

Great! I am all for investigation and contemplation - not necessarily to find answers, nor conclude any findings, for these are often deadends, as far as i can see. Seeing can be a continuous process.... while what is seen, confronted with conclusions, already belong to the past. I agree with you about the animals and mammals. They have no blockages. A lot of animals are in this world to 'teach' humans compassion, by opening our soft hearts and helping to facilitate and speed up this inner connection. Unfortunately, some animals can suffer greatly due to human intolerance, indifference and cruelty, and if you believe in things like the burning of negative imprints, then these animals can be seen as doing just that to those who appear indifferent and cruel. Moreover, their extreme vulnerability alone can touch people's hearts deeply, and in some cases, wake up/transform people's ignorance instantaneously - strangely enough, even humans find it hard to do this to fellow humans. In such ways, one can regard animals as having great potential to generate sufficient merit for higher rebirths.

Alan Watts 6 min video - Determinism and Karma i found it relevant and insightful to Jetsun's reflections here.

Contemplate the voidness quality of space, and form appears. Contemplate the all-permeating fullness of space, and form dissolves. Merge Mind with space and appearance together, for that is essentially all we are. See this word... S P A C E In the front, behind, between, around, above and below each letter is absolute potential... your world arises here, just like SPACE appears and made to manifest from the blankness of the screen. If the word All implies the diversity of phenomena, then the word One signifies the void that makes the All appear. One holds everything. Though she contains everything, yet, she cannot be contained by any thing. Hence, it appears to be more appropriate to say One is all, rather than All is one.

Could you not see that i was coerced into stating the obvious? Sort of compromised, in fact. Shortcomings? How about long-goings? Maybe that needs to be tweaked as well, eh boyo? Glad to see you have come to your senses. About time too.