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Everything posted by C T
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I'd say you have no worries here... you are playing your part with impeccable finesse and behavioral astuteness. Its me who needs propping up under the weight of such immense magnanimity.
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This has the makings of a grand opera, unless of course the mods are willing to step in to redirect the script? If not, i have all the time playing my part...
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Chugga chugga... you are on a roll, boyo. Keep em coming!
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Is that 'shoo' as in go away, or are you saying you prefer to take the train, but cant spell accurately?
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As a common mark of obeisance to a son of Noble family, i would say here, "Aye aye Sir!" (edit to add... endlessly)
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O Noble one, Tushita heaven is meant for that pretentious gang who cant quite make out the pop from the corn? Its apparent that you are more than capable of separating what's useful and what's dross, who is blind, and who has clarity shining ever so bright from beyond purity and impurity, as you say. For this, certainly Tushita is waaay too average a place for such a one as esteemed as yourself. Anyway, its always good to know you would be a willing substitute traveller should an empty seat come up on the tour. I'll definitely keep you on the short-list of intending travelers. O btw, if you had read the OP, this thread is actually about compassion, in case you would care to briefly re-examine your assumption. Or is Guan Yin a Medical Qigong practitioner too? You don't say.... i'll be darned.
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Good for you, o venerable Buddhist. 5* for admonishing the ignoble buddhist gang of high-fivers - that's what they are known in your book, right? Wonderful that you saw here, in this thread, an immense opposition from this group of ganger-banger-who-wants-a-rasher buddhists, and duly came to intervene and lent voice to the oppressed. Bravo! Your level of reflection on quantum BS arising from all sides, intentionally fouling up threads, is boundless. Tushita heaven awaits the saints who cant tell the pop from the corn. for all this, you deserve a smilie too!
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Sure, if you say i am ignorant, then perhaps i am. Probably a result of being drastically over-indoctrinated in some religion, as you hinted. If the moderating team concurs with your perception, i'd be glad to abide by their decisions based on the No Insults policy and accept whatever course of action they may wish to pursue, short of deleting my posts, that is. Failing which, i would request that you reconsider the possibility that the healer's path may not be the ultimate path for the cultivation of compassion, although, i must fully admit that the underlying effect of compassion is nothing short of a very healing experience, equally and naturally leveled out to both the one giving, and the recipient.
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If i did not have an idea, does that mean you are saying i haven't a clue at handling what you have written, both in words and in energetic release beneath the words? Or are you saying i should not be judging/projecting based on the premise that you deemed is not appropriately related to what is being discussed? Or, perhaps that i have no idea how noble and compassionate you really are, and that it was wrong to even entertain the thought that perhaps there are other callings and paths, other than a healer's, that are just as opportunistic in terms of planting the seeds of compassion? As a matter of fact, i do acknowledge and agree that the healer's path is indeed a very noble one, and it does present more than ample grounds to cultivate compassion. But this ground ought to be encouraged in all pursuits, the way i see it - everyone can benefit from such a wonderful and noble exchange. Surely there will be transformation happening if everyone becomes a degree more aware how precious it is to compassionate. Not everyone will ever make it to learn how to heal others, heck, some folks do not even have shoes on their feet, while some others may not even live to see another dawn, let alone contemplate the healing path - they, i am sure, could do with a bit of healing too. Prayers can be very healing as well, and its available to anyone interested enough, or have faith enough, to pursue the path. Moreover, it practically costs nothing. My mistake/weakness is that i tend to equate compassion with an overload of empathy, charitable kindness and self-effacing humility simultaneously shining forth. This has been my limited experience with compassionate beings (some of these being the non-human kind) thus far - perhaps there is a colder and harder version which i have yet to get a taste of, but am gradually learning to acquire one, thanks to some seriously sharp, no-nonsense individuals who present themselves here on this board. I know you are busy individual, sir, so please feel free to discount this post, or simply drop the matter altogether. Its not very beneficial to be seen squabbling over such trivialities (might not be to you, but it is to me - no offense). You have made your point, and i appreciate the trouble, so lets move on? Please?
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Yes, it was the seriousness in your tone with which you took a poke at those who supposedly sit in the void all day (i could assume which group you had in mind, but i wont ) that i thought was rather funny. In fact, it gave me a good chuckle, so thanks for that. But like anything i ever say, or reflect as words in a post, its simply how i perceive the contents of what's written by others. At times, we get lucky (for me, it depends on how much sleep i get, not sure about others) and feel the groove by reading accurately, get inspired along the way, and other times, we miss the mark. No big deal... happens to anyone, and you are no exception. Analogous to this, if someone no longer misses at darts, i would assume that that's the day s/he stops enjoying the game. So skip the "I've an image to uphold here hence i have to protect and defend this image" attitude, and you will gain a wider audience (not that you need one, but i am just saying...). We could all do with a bit of hanging loose and chilling out, and not take things so seriously. After all, life is indeed short, and we really do not have a clue when it all ends. But with esteemed masters all over the place, i am sure when it does end, i would hope we can leave more elevated than those poor idiots (the Void crowd?) who underestimate the power of quantum healing (did i get that right?) . I am sure those who spend too much time in the void would not need to protect their investment as much as some others, for in fact, they really have nothing (void?) to protect... all gone, gone beyond... sorta way.
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Thoughts and thinking are not the cause of your anxiety. What is the basic cause? It could be one or a combination of ill-conceived expectations, a craving for permanency of a new-found state, a misplaced concept about the fundamental purpose of meditation, or plain ignoring what your heart is telling you. The higher purpose in your life - what is it? Are you able to align your expectations with this higher purpose? This is cause for deeper reflection and contemplation. What is your spiritual thirst all about? Be honest in this investigation, and see what comes up. If you are a practicing Buddhist, then you would understand change. What constitutes change? When things change, how do you cope? Do you grasp after the good changes? Avoid the bad ones? Look deeply why this is so, and the answer will pleasantly surprise you, provided again there is honesty underlying this self-appraisal. What is the purpose of meditation and retreat? In relation to you, that is. We all have different motivations for such undertakings. Check the motives and the intents with an unflinching mindfulness - and again, listen to what your heart says. Are you being selfish, or do you have a more altruistic reason/s for such practices? Some people only care about their own awakening, while others, realizing equanimity, no longer differentiate between self-freeing and other-freeing; this means if one dedicates one's life to helping others find comfort and freedom from suffering, that is as good, if not better than finding comfort and freedom for oneself. In both instances, different motivations are involved, leading to different outcomes. Be true to yourself, first of all - strip off all pretenses. Very often, in retreat settings, people put up a lot of pretentious fronts - out of fear, out of needs to belong, out of desire to please, out of desperation to see immediate benefits... many factors are at play. It could be quite a bizarre situation that often produces results that are not congruent with one's basic self-view. This could be problematic, because after the retreat ends, people take away misconstrued benefits, which turn out to be poison instead of an elixir. Be very clear what you want. For example, chanting is very powerful - yet, for those who are not too clear, but still do it anyway, they will experience funny moods and sensations after it ends. Then no positive merit will follow, but instead, one ends up more confused, thinking that such practices must be so great, profound etc, yet do not experience the effects of profundity and as a result forming negative ideas around a potentially good practice. This is why its good to have a very concise and clear understanding of what serves you the best at this point of the journey. Retreats are suppose to be an activity for introspection, among other things, so at the very least you have begun this process, and that's excellent! Perhaps a good follow-thru, until you can say with conviction that you really know what your path is all about, will serve you well in furthering your journey. In my personal experience with retreats, i tend to favor letting go all expectations, and let this openness be the ground on which the seeds of dharma get planted, and as much as possible, generate the faith that when the right conditions gather, these seeds will germinate and grow and bear the fruits that its meant to bear, and also, along the way, simply ensure that the right methods of cultivation are in place. More than this is not necessary... less, and the desired outcomes will not be felt and experienced. Its hard work, quite challenging, but if you are very clear what your aims are, as far as a spiritual path goes, then when things do not pan out the way they are supposed to, at least you will not lose sight nor lose momentum, as long as you remain motivated in ways that do not bring about conflict as regards your aims, your thoughts and actions, and your daily mindfulness around these priorities. Hope this helps.
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he only thing you'll ever know is what you knew in life
C T replied to InfinityTruth's topic in General Discussion
Hi Steve, Tranquil mind is an apt description! Wonderful in fact! To have a mind that is tranquil is the desire of desires, and one who attains it has nothing more to do. Yes, there is a transcended aspect of mutual co-arising, because once it can be seen as a dynamic that permeates all of existence, it can be worked in reverse, and in so doing, can lead one out of cyclical samsara. From ignorance to full extinction of ignorance. If you have the time, these two articles explain the process very clearly - http://www.buddhanet.net/cmdsg/coarise9.htm http://www.dharma.org/ij/archives/1999a/christina.htm If we can move beyond labels, the understanding of DO can be a very practical and valuable tool to use as a format to deepen one's view of how suffering comes about, and subsequently, how, by following the Twelve Links, this same Dukkha can be booted out of existence. Those who get a good grasp of DO will see that suffering is not a fundamental requisite to life - with Right View, it becomes visible that dissatisfaction arises due to something else arising, and its cessation is also directly related to the cessation of this something else. Its a workable premise, not only from the buddhist perspective, but, IMO, from a universal one. Too much space has already been taken up here on the forum with regards to DO. I must apologize for once again dragging it in here, but its all Steve's fault for hauling it up from the baneful depths!! (sorry my learned friend... ) -
Just watched an hour-long documentary that touched upon the work of a contemporary messiah, whose life dedication is to restore the sight of thousands of Nepalese old folks who suffers premature blindness or partial sight loss due to living in high altitudes without proper UV protection. This is a tribute to Dr. Ruit's immense courage and selfless nature. A man of the people, for the people. His story touched me deeply, and i hope it will also offer some inspiration to all aspiring genuine healers here. Wiki bio - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanduk_Ruit His project - http://www.cureblindness.org/who/dr-sanduk-ruit/ A condensed video of his joyous work -
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Said well, Gold! Absolutely... to how kids pick up/sense the vibes of those closest to them, as mentioned above.
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Well, if anything, you do have a sense of humor. Thanks for addressing my question, albeit one that was asked out of context (according to you). Good day, Mr Healer.
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You have a point here, although its not a conclusive one. Modern medicine could well create more dependency compared to traditional methods, come to think of it. (cannot produce verifying figures though) ___________________________________________________________________ YaMu - It does seem a bit misplaced to identify/imply those without healing abilities as lacking in compassion, or that healers naturally generate more compassion than those who do not belief or practice healing. (apologies in advance if i had misunderstood the meaning of your post) Compassionate healing, in my (small) opinion, begins with the self, and acceptance is the forerunner of self-healing. Whatever comes after is secondary. Not that alternative and secondary healing is to be dismissed, but certainly cannot be regarded as the primary initiate to a healing process. Sometimes, even a cool breeze blowing upon someone aching with malaria fever can be quite healing. While it may not cure the sufferer as such, nevertheless any form of alleviation of discomfort/disenfranchisement can be considered compassionate, healing and noble. Healing does not always have to involve human intervention. Sorry for the interruption. Just some thoughts here.
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he only thing you'll ever know is what you knew in life
C T replied to InfinityTruth's topic in General Discussion
One thing's for certain... you know more about Buddhism than i do of Taoism, so you can rest assure that your views are well within the scope for serious consideration. For me anyway. Thanks for clarifying the connection btw. I understand what you have explained. Its just that in my experience, the settled mind, that one which stops chasing, is simple clarity... in this clarity, there is a sense of voidness, like feeling space, or the sky, empty of any essence, even the essence of Reality. Even so, in this emptiness, there is a heightened awareness becoming more and more acute as the mind gradually becomes more and more silent. So when thoughts settle, and one rests in this space of clarity, the mind ceases to create images of what Reality is, or is not. Discriminating/dualistic notions become disbanded with this settling of thoughts. Agitations of chasing and grasping after the needs to form conceptual images become less and less worrisome, and peace slowly arises from the depths and bubbles to the surface. In such instances of settling, things are still seen, and felt, but not so much chattering remain swirling inside. Eventually, even the small whispers lose their grip... have you ever felt such moments of pervasive stillness before, Steve? I am sure many here have.... and its a great 'place' to find oneself - some go as far as to say its likened to the very center of a whirlwind. Now, the question arises - does the whirlwind really have to exist for this stilled center to arise, or would we agree that it always exists? I am thinking here, relatively speaking, yes, the one brings about the existence of the other, sort of focusses it, but if this relative condition of mutual arising is transcended, what happens to the intrinsically stilled space within the revolving winds? Does it disappear when the rotations cease? Or does it remain essentially always present? If its always present, are we able to find a similar condition existing within the space of mind? Are we then able to touch and form some sort of connection with this primordial, deathless, changeless, empty yet tangible (so the masters tell us) space beyond words? Hmmm.... (Just to return to that part regarding focussing on the center - its clear that this stillness is that which is sought by and tried to be captured by many of us, and this is what causes the imaginary pain and unsatisfactoriness to arise. Imaginary because its always been there, but we still want to do more to try and get at this 'something' that has never been apart from us. Maybe this is why people create personal 'whirlwinds' just so they can taste and feel the stillness, and the peace? Silly though...) Too many questions to ponder.... What say you? -
he only thing you'll ever know is what you knew in life
C T replied to InfinityTruth's topic in General Discussion
It depends... Poor joke yikes! Would love to hear how you made the connection between DO pertaining to what has been said? With reference to what i wrote, i just wanted to convey that Reality does not care whether we grasp it or not, but the everyday mind seems extremely fond of chasing after it, as though it can really be grasped? By leaving thoughts to settle, would that not lend a better chance for Reality to reveal its Isness? -
he only thing you'll ever know is what you knew in life
C T replied to InfinityTruth's topic in General Discussion
Does Reality run after mind? I'd say not. Does mind run after Reality? Big time... Like a dog chasing its own tail. The wise Ones say mind will settle itself. We only think there is someone doing the settling, hence there follows incessant, never-ending activity. In truth, apparently, Spacious awareness arises without having to do anything. Glimpses of awakened nature, or nature of an everchanging Reality, arises from the gaps of empty awareness. Not that things are empty... only awareness is - and awareness is thingless. From the Buddha: "To enter contemplation for the time it takes an ant to walk from one end of one's nose to the other, will bring more progress towards Realization than a whole lifetime spent in the accumulation of good actions." If ever there is one thing that can be certain, is that death is real. When death comes, all that one accumulates will be as worthless as a handful of sand. No matter how much health and power you have, how high the serpent has reached, how still you have become, how masterful you have been, even if you can walk on water... you will still never evade death. As Milarepa says, "In horror of death, I took to the mountains - again and again I meditated on the uncertainty of the hour of death, until one day I captured the fortress of the deathless, unending nature of mind. Now all fear of death is over and done." -
I feel to ask what is spiritual or not is not too accurate. In my view, everything relates back to spirit. If one learns some form(s) or practices that fortifies the spirit, its of course beneficial. On the other hand, if one conducts life based on practices, principles, and attitudes which disperses spirit, then its counter-beneficial. Both are spiritual, in a sense. Increase and decrease. If a child is hugged with love and acceptance, that is an act of spirit - beneficial not only to self but at the same time the child's sense of well-being is enhanced. This is fortification. But if its done as a matter of fact, then it dissipates spirit, again, for both parties. For example, science and spirituality seems opposed. Yet, there are many scientists who know how to polarize a mind of science and a mind of spirit. When they are at work, their profession dictates that they operate within a scientific paradigm, and when they leave work, they are just as comfortable inquiring into things of the spirit. Many scientists do go to church, or have a spiritual base. Its not an indication of hypocrisy, dissonance or conflict... perhaps what this indicates is a trait that demands the expansion of limited views. Its when this compartmentalization becomes a burden, where stuff begins seeping and weaving in and out of these separate functions, and people lose sight of things, that life becomes challenging. However, this in no way indicates that spirit has been abandoned - in fact, its times like these that some find greater inspiration to regroup the spirit, and move beyond these challenges. Its all about acceptance, connection, and surpassing limitations, at some fundamental level. Of course, in present day earth, marketing plays a vital role in most things spiritual... but that's a different thing altogether....
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Hi L1, Interesting thoughts here. I hope you do not mind if i chip in a bit. As you know, i work within the Buddhist (Dzogchen) framework. It has a similar view with regards to this subject of method and effect/result. I am aware that you wanted input from Taoist practitioners, so i would hope to make this as brief as possible. Dzogchen talks about the View and Method. An expansion of this is Ground, Path and Fruition. Ground is likened to the mind, Path is likened to Instruction/Method, and Fruition is like the ultimate accomplishment, or Buddhahood. Buddhism emphasizes that the mind is the seat of all things known and yet to be known, which is why its called the Ground. When a student has completed the preliminary practices, and is ripe for advancing into the latter practices, he or she goes to the teacher and takes refuge in the path. At this point the teacher 'shows' or literally reveals to the student his or her real sky-like Nature, free from any concepts and beyond any analytical comprehension. This moment of being introduced to one's innate buddha nature is called the View. Its a taste, a glimpse of what it means to remain in unbroken awareness beyond dualistic thoughts. So its like an 'AH ha' moment... very profound, very deep, and at the point of seeing, its like suddenly all the clouds have vanished, and only the space and sky remain, with no one there to see feel this spacious experience. Separation is cut to the very core, like pouring water into the ocean. To use applicable language, one has found the Main Door, and has been given a peek at what is behind it. What is behind the Main Door is simply the recognition that in essence, the Ground in which we operate from, and the Ground in which Realized Beings, Buddhas and Sages operate from, is the exact same. This recognition is crucial, because it allows for the student to know beyond doubt that whatever he or she undertakes as practice from here on is going to lead him or her closer and closer to stabilizing the View, with the ultimate aim of the total cessation of all distractive and destructive clinging so that one can remain 24/7 in deep contemplative, non-dual awareness. At this juncture, the teacher tells the student to rest in this state for as long as possible, to allow a sense of deep familiarization to pervade the awareness. Usually such initiations are done one to one, and the process is not the same as awakening the kundalini, in case some readers are wondering. There are no explosions, no wild flailing of arms and no spontaneous knee jerks and body spasms/contortions. In fact, there is a lot of calm, serenity and deep insight pervading the moment. Of course, before this empowerment takes place, the student is made aware of all the hard work involved thereafter. This is where the Method or Path aspect takes over. Its all about practice. Practice pounds the foundations of recognizing the View deeper and deeper. As the practice progresses, all the neurotic tendencies, gathered over lifetimes, gets churned up, or to put it not in a nice way, all the shitty habitual traits rises up to the surface. Those who can hack it gets to remain, with a good chance of being able to walk thru the Main Door eventually. Those that dont, well, they go out the Pang Men of course! To minimize exiting the side doors, teachers and senior practitioners often help the newer students along. This is where the Sangha comes in. Support is very important. It is crucial that one has access to this supportive network of peers and spiritual friends so that one does not get into a rut. As the excitement begins to calm down, and practice and stability in the View becomes less and less conceptual, the student can then opt to go for retreats, which can range from a few days to a month to 3 months to a year to 3 years, and so on. Not everyone who begins this work need to go thru the upheavals. Some, especially those who are mature enough in terms of having years of grounding practice, experience a very peaceful transition. Such individuals work with the relevant Peaceful Deities that they have affinity with, while those who find their journey more traumatic and dramatic are introduced to the Wrathful Deities - basically the enlightened aspects of one's negativities - who will help to cut thru, subjugate and transform the difficult emotions quicker. It all depends on the make-up of the individual practitioner. Anyway, over a period of about a dozen years, gradually the enlightened qualities of a buddha will begin to take over the student's mind. At this point, there will arise the Fruition aspects of the training. Visible traits of transformed Body, Speech and Action will become clearer and more refined as time passes. Old habits die off, to be replaced by their enlightened counterparts. After another dozen or so years, one begins to think, feel and act like a buddha, and this is when complete alchemy has been actuated. At this point, it no longer matters if one takes the Main Door or the Side Doors. Everything becomes equalized, One Taste, no more discrimination. All concepts and associated fears have been eliminated. Buddha Nature dictates that when such a realized being steps behind the side doors, whatever is behind them becomes blessed and liberated. Thats the belief anyways. Thank you for the opportunity to share this for your consideration. Just something to reflect upon. Who knows, it might throw some ideas that may help to answer some questions about methods and why there are no quick fixes on the spiritual path, and also why its important to apply methods to enhance profitable effects and reduce the unwanted dross. I could expand more, but i think this is sufficient at this point. Thanks.
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Grass? Softness? Comfort? !! Things to be discarded. Westerners are spoilt and demanding. A good spank, a cold shower, or standing inside a giant vibrating bell works wonders! just kidding...
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I don't either... but from the '99', it suddenly made me think Steve could be referring to this - - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/99_Flake - - and if he was, then i would agree a hundred percent!! :lol: