C T

Except in Mahayana these enlightened symbols (yidams) are not regarded as external forces, but manifestations of the innate buddha nature present in all beings. In essence, Mahayana explores the self liberation (or liberation from self) ideal in greater width and depth, with more expansive resources, and expedients, but the work is still all on us. Dont mean to burst anyone's bubble.

Silence can be infinitely loud because of how its supposed to be resonated by one's whole being, and not just through the confines of the auditory spectrum. In effect, more significant than mere listening, silence is amplified to a greater degree via the doors of the other senses, to be then absorbed by laying aside, dropping, or forgetting these entrances all together.

And the most destructive cravings are the rousing desires associated with moments of well-being, of clarity, of peace, of gaps in confusion and dis-ease, even moments of non-dual experiences of profound ordinariness to remain as one feels them slipping away as the mind slowly begin to wander after a time of retreat or practice, and begin to trick itself into a narrative that then generates a karmic link to habits around the idea that thoughts and emotions that are anti to those other enlightening moments are to be shunned. So one sets about creating (doing/intellectualizing) what is believed to be situations conducive to the re-arising of those former states, and then normalizing these actions as somehow Dharmic. This is a very subtle trap.

∞ TILOPA TO NAROPA ∞ Child, it is not by appearances that you are fettered, but by craving.

∞ H U N G ∞

I would experience wakefulness at times to include also the vitality of knowing that at some point precious connections must disperse, regardless of depth of intimacy, not least because change underlies mundane existence. Therefore, to maintain a holistic view around this awareness is important for me. As the path narrows, the loneliness becomes more apparent, but if there is wisdom, then the resolve to strive for liberation actually becomes stronger.

Don't know about others, but to some extent, having an unstable individual in the position of leader of the most powerful nation in the world deserves close scrutiny. Period. Spiritual honesty is a virtue. As one, it means to the have courage to look at one's world in its totality, and not just the cotton candy aspects that appeal due to one's preference for peace and harmony, not realizing that Indra's net does not allow one to be selective in choosing to see only some aspects of existence and not others. Yes, I'm one of guilty ones who will not retreat from jumping onto controversial discussions, especially when it's clear some members are here for the sole intent of poisoning the well. My style may not reflect your ideals and expectations of what constitutes a cultivator, but my motives are sincere. I have no animosity towards those who choose to be rude and loud, but I'm more than willing to engage at their level in tones they understand, in context-specific terms. I do not resort to swear words, and will not initiate ridicule on anyone here. No matter how heated, I do not target individuals and go after them in subsequent posts in other topics, to hunt anyone out and continue inciting conflict. Where there is no aggression, none will be offered from my end. For clarification.

Maybe because wakefulness means there's no impediment to hearing the primordial sound of your true state, which is immaculate, pristine, faultless, and beyond time & space. It allows you to momentarily poke a hole thru this conceptual veil of relative existence, which instantaneously offers access to a reflection-free glimpse into your original being. Then the real work begins, because this window (or gap) opens and shuts according to how attuned, relaxed, and natural one is in maintaining that spacious view. To reintegrate this wakefulness by virtue of expanding on the duration where the gap remains freely available, until such time where the spiritual work one does dissolves all traces of grasping & desire to cling to this and subsequent experiences of a similar nature, is the journey - one that, surprisingly, is not directly dependent on, or correlated to the spiritual work. This means the work is secondary, and two neophytes following the exact same formula or system will not yield identical results. The right approach is to strike a balance between practice, and the allowance of that practice ample space to take root in the mindstream. This alternation between practice and effortless relaxation is key to expanding the view from the window - it is as if with each completion of practice/relaxation, one moves a step closer to the window that reveals, in degrees, the vista that is already pregnant in that state of primordial clarity and brightness.

That wont be necessary, but thanks for the suggestion. I was more interested in your input since it was your comment. And this thread is as good as any, seeing that you stated Spotless got pushed out or left. Would help if you quantify 'half the opinions' cos in my mind the site is much more balanced than before. Yes, I think the balance wasn't tilted that much with their assumed departure. Do you honestly believe they were pushed, or was it that they simply could not muster the patience, a vital element on the spiritual path and life in general, to self-reflect and conclude that maybe others are allowed to have their own opinions, and may not enjoy having things shoved down their throats, regardless? And when opposing views clash, to then resort to vile ad hominems and feeling justified for doing so? Is this the behavioural content that leads to the balance you hinted at? That sounds like a cop out, one laced with sarcasm too. I don't think it reflects the issue at hand accurately because your interpretation of what constitutes balance on TDB is still not clear.

Thats what i found intriguing too. And the hate. Where's the hate? Pushbacks, sure... but hate? Maybe from those who got kicked out, there was a fair amount of that. Lots of flame throwers in that camp. Still one or two lurking here who's escape the net. Drive-by shooters like Bax44 & that mortal fella, for example. As for Walker, that eloquent script writer who's got anger issues, I doubt he's gone for good, but if he has, then great.

Interesting observation. Some elaboration would make for good conversation, perhaps. Another point you made thats worth expanding upon: The forum still has the same forces that caused the problems. You can't replace right conspiracy and hate with left conspiracy and hate and expect it to get better here. What exactly did you mean by left conspiracy and hate in the context of this site? Who exactly are the haters you're referring to, that, in your opinion, have been left to their own devices here?

∞ KARL BRUNNHOLZL ∞ “As the 8th Karmapa extensively discussed, buddha nature is not just some small core or space that is literally and only located “within” every sentient being. In fact, it is the other way round—our whole existence as sentient beings is in itself the sum of adventitious stains that just float like clouds within the infinite, bright sky of buddha nature, the luminous, open expanse of our mind that has no limits or boundaries. Once these clouds dissolve due to the warm rays of the sun of wisdom shining within this sky, nothing within sentient beings has been freed or improved, but there is just this radiant expanse without any reference points of cloudlike sentient beings or cloud-free buddhas."

∞ ERIK PEMA KUNSANG ∞ Resting the mind from being caught up in hope and fear is authentic meditation practice (Erik is an accomplished Tibetan translator/interpreter, and illustrious student of Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche since the 70s)

Awful, isn't it? And the situation has deteriorated bigly in recent times, but a lot of it is just reactionary tit-for-tats. I honestly thought Malaysian Chinese were pretty unmindful of their speech until I went to live in Hong Kong - I was aghast! And then the influx of Chinese everywhere just exploded, and that sort of changed the way I looked at Hong Kong folks. But even among the Chinese, there are noticeable differences in behaviour depending on which part of China they come from. For a few years, my work involved interacting with Fujian locals, and they can certainly go toe to toe with the HK folks in terms of swearing, brashness etc. Those from Beijing and Shenzhen are only slightly more nuanced, but at least there's a noticeable balance of pleasant and less pleasant interactions. Even HK celebs are not that different - thats just how they are, I guess. Bumped into Jackie Chan, Karl Maka & a couple of lesser known actors in a Wanchai lobby bar once, and being new to the scene, my jaw nearly dropped having overheard some of their colourful and animated banters (was sitting at the bar next to their group). lol

They are generally quite uncouth, calling every other race 'devils' except their own. Whites are 'red haired devils' or 'devil person', and people of colour are 'black devils'. lol But for the majority, its too ingrained and no longer conscious to their speech. They are not particularly mindful of their manners anywhere they go. Can sometimes be quite embarrassing to be in a social setting with them.

Thats such a generalised non-statement. Parochial, even. Not realizing the hypocrisy injected in the comment, or perhaps that was the intent?

That was a crazy phase indeed. Delighted Sean assumed the wrathful emanation of Yamantaka in a timely manner and severed these virtually contracted heads. lol

For eg, in the US, there's a prevalent tendency to interpret freedom of speech to mean what the individual wants it to mean to fit subjective agendas. China do not have such a constitutional allowance. Not saying one is better than the other. Could you please provide some examples of institutional/systemic racism so that I'd be able to see your comparison in a clearer light. I know for a fact systemic racism is fairly problematic in my country, but im interested to hear what you've got to say about it. cheers!

How does one even qualify or argue that China is the most racist nation in the world? That really sounds like an intended stretch. Many parts of Asia, even today, are prone to white worship. Its especially prominent among the Chinese in Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, and probably as rife in other SE Asian countries too. Its also evident in China, but maybe a little more superficial than her neighbours - mainlanders have a reputation to be quite two-faced in their interactions with all foreigners, including those of their own kind. When asked, they simply wave off the question by saying they're just being realistic. Imo China is no more or less racist than other countries, but at least their policies, unlike some other first world/progressive/conservative countries, do not provide room for a large-ish segment of her people to misinterpret as freedom to discriminate others deemed different from them (the discriminators). Poland and a few other eastern European countries have been increasingly veering to the right in recent times, and along with this comes the resurgence of nationalistic sympathizers and the more extreme alt-right ideologists, and so has the UK and the US, to some extent, although in the latter two countries, the shift is less pronounced because there's always been tidal elements of stoically entrenched conservatism ideals present. late edit: 2nd para inserted to show that the tendency to white worship presents its own set of issues, and points to selective racist attitudes. While the general populace may indeed show racist inclinations, what actually happens on the ground in terms of interactions between Chinese and other Asians with white folks is an interesting dynamic to observe.

Plonker

Thanks for the chuckle, Walker. Seriously. You really ought to get your head checked. They're running free tests now, I heard. You have amazing writing skills, but unfortunately, all you know what to do with it is to puff yourself up at the expense of denigrating those who see differently from you. The hatred and the toxic spew coming out of your mouth makes all that disgusting stuff you mentioned seeing first hand in China sound tame. And to think at one time I had considered myself fortunate to meet a genuine cultivator in you here on TDB. Dont bother responding because to engage with you is nothing but an exercise in stupidity, because obviously you're just too hooked on your own delusional self-importance and dramatics. You'd do well in Hollywood as a script writer. Cream of the crop even.

Qouting Dr. William Schaffner in a recent news interview: "Its been a revelation. This is a very elusive virus. It snuck into this country unbeknownst, hiding under the guise of influenza, because influenza and this virus cause very similar symptoms when they present, and it was initially not recognized, and this case (referring to the first recorded covid death), this death, indicated that it had come not directly from China, but had been spreading in the community for some time already, so this virus was way ahead of us - we've been playing catch-up the whole time, but we didn't realize it had such a long head start. It was way ahead of us." Dr. Schaffner's professional bio: Schaffner continues to serve as professor of preventive medicine and infectious diseases at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. From 2010 to 2012, Schaffner served as president of NFID. In his new role, he will succeed Susan J. Rehm, M.D. who has served as NFID medical director since 2004. As medical director, Schaffner will help to advance NFID’s mission with a focus on education and increased awareness among both healthcare professionals and the public about the causes, treatment, and prevention of infectious diseases across the lifespan. His medical and scientific expertise will be critical to the development of new NFID programs, including continuing education and public outreach. In his new position, Schaffner will help to strengthen partner collaborations and will continue to serve as NFID medical spokesperson, a role he has shared since he first joined the NFID Board of Directors in 2001. He will also continue to represent NFID as liaison to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. How much the Trump admin has been hiding about this whole pandemic, relative to how much of a head start is too much is beginning to clarify. About time.

∞ IDIOT COMPASSION ∞ An interesting & sometimes misunderstood concept within the minds of enough TDB members, and Buddhist practitioners in general. Being 'nice', or abstaining from truthful self-expression in the face of perceived irrationality, often out of being overly sensitive to peer opinions may not always be the compassionate option. In fact, it's often detrimental to conflict resolution because, in the main, it causes outer and inner impotence of body and speech, and subtle impotence of the 'secret body' or 'truth body'. Standing by passively, and maintaining a stance about peace and love in the face of oppression or crass speech & behaviour is right attitude/wrong application. Smart compassion can sometimes require the exercise of wrathful options, even if it means making others uncomfortable. This discomfort is their own baggage, and one should never take responsibility for carrying another's psychological baggage, no matter how light they appear. The cultivation of smart compassion is a very lonely endeavour, one reserved for the few with deep resolve and courage enough to be okay under the glare of overwhelming criticism, castigation, and even ostracisation. It is a road less travelled, and one must walk it in full awareness that along the way, friends and companions will excuse themselves as the path increasingly narrows. Trungpa’s student Pema Chodron elaborated, “Nice” is often a strategy to avoid conflict. But isn’t avoiding conflict a good thing? Not always; there are times when engaging in conflict is compassion. Sometimes the urge to be “nice” is about maintaining a polite and pleasant facade over a situation we don’t want to confront. For example, we’ve had a few situations in western Buddhism in which a teacher was taking sexual advantage of students. And sometimes the situation was allowed to continue for some time, even after it became common knowledge, mostly because the other students thought they shouldn’t be judgmental. But sometimes issues need to be addressed, and saying the “safe” or “socially correct” thing so you can be part of the crowd is very far from Right Speech. There is a difference between “judgmental-ism” that tears other people down to build ourselves up, and making a qualitative judgment about a situation or behavior. If “Right Speech” means we’re supposed to stand by smiling while someone kicks a dog or endangers a child, you can have it. Fortunately, that isn’t what it means. However, a lot of us are well conditioned to keep our noses out of other peoples’ activities, and it can be really uncomfortable to speak up. It’s so much easier to shrug things off, avert your eyes, and tell yourself you are not being judgmental. But those are the times when you really aren’t being judgmental, because it’s not your ego telling you to speak up. If your gut is telling you something needs to be addressed, but you fear doing so because of how other people will react to you, then it’s your ego telling you to stay quiet. If you know something is wrong but have to club your way through an internal wall of conditioning and fear of social censure to speak up, very probably you really need to speak up. And other people need you to speak up, too.

∞ PARAMITO LADAKH ∞ Mind stands firm in awareness, while the body, subject to ageing, sickness and death, goes its own way. Other's concerns, even their most sincere and well-meaning compassion, should not crush one's clarity of understanding and purpose, particularly at the time of death.