C T

woven, slanted light crisscross its way through the night like an owl in flight...

You said it much better here, sir. "First make peace in your own mind..." - that's not at all a tall order is it? When inside there is contentment, how can there be anything different on the outside? When this is, that is, said the Buddha... spot on. Good to see you back, GiH.

There is perhaps another way to look at sharing experiences. It may be an option to view cognition as the capacity to take on perspectives. Role-taking, or taking the view of another person, is something we can only do mentally or cognitively. While we can only 'feel' our own feelings, nothing is there to prevent us from cognitively taking the role of others, or mentally putting ourselves in their shoes. This allows the opportunity to feel what the other person is feeling, and empathize with their point of view. To develop cognitively could mean to develop the capacity to increase the number of others one can identify with, thereby increasing the number of perspectives one can take on board. In certain schools of Buddhism, contemplatives take on Boddhisattvic vows, which in modern terms, one of the ways of looking at it simply means enlarging one's world-view, enabling one to be more empathic and hence becoming more sensitive to others, which hopefully leads to generosity and altruism. The more narrow the development, the less one feels for others, leaving no room for much positive interactions. I think the outcome of this can be quite a disaster.

This sense of being is quite the norm really after one has been on the path a while. Its the same as when one takes a physical journey to a new destination. Halfway on, one will more than likely experience something resembling this - a kind of anticipation, fear, loathing, exhilaration, unsureness, all rolled into one at times, and then at other times seem to hit like huge waves, one after another. Even after arriving, this state will persist for quite a while, so be prepared. One needs then to learn to adjust and settle in. The fact of the matter is that at every moment during the course of one waking day, and even in dreams sometimes, these sensations are present. But most do not see it, or choose not to, preferring the easier route of getting mired in distraction after distraction and on and on, until one day they find themselves at the end of the road, with the best music still to be played. What your teacher have revealed to you is a heightened sense of awareness, which now allows you to recognize these ever-present sensations, and yes, it can be rather daunting at times, quite like being in a big hall, standing right smack in the midst of the biggest philharmonic orchestra playing the grandest ever piece of composition, parts of which lifts you up to the heavens and then at other times, silence, and yet again, at times drags you to the lowest low. Disoriented, we frighten ourselves with our own imaginings, but when bearings are found, it becomes easy to enjoy the music... hell, we may even learn to conduct after a while, taking charge when the 'other' conductor gets a bit worn.. I am reminded here of a popular saying among contemplatives - Before one embarks on the spiritual path, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers; once on the path, mountains and rivers do not appear like mountains and rivers all the time; when awake, mountains will again be SEEN as mountains, and rivers will again be SEEN as rivers. When i first heard this, it really bugged me - and one of the first associations i had with it was with tea-drinking haha! I reflected how i had been taking this simple act for granted, when in some cultures it can be such an important ritual, so then i made the effort to be more mindful of this, and then i became even more disoriented - went thru a phase where emphasis was put so much on being aware of the process that the actual purpose of the act was oftentimes overlooked or forgotten, but now, the joy of it is almost spontaneous most of the time, that is when awareness is directed towards the act - its very nice when this is happening, but when it does not, its also nice, because it means i can notice the lack of attention, and it awakens the mindfulness again, so thats helpful. Don't worry too much. As the others have said, it will pass - but even if it does not, so what? Just flow with it, and see what the next tune brings... Everything is movement, after all.

^ enjoyed that! else the game is up lest another sucker found just keeps goin 'round...

...and yet it never loses the way.

Hi Stig, Cool pics! Them tools are a waste of time and money. They do not make 'em like they used to, like every modern apparatus and machine nowadays, which is designed to malfunction within a short span. I find this traditional Chinese farm tool (A048C) http://www.bossgoo.com/photo/product/173554/garden-tools.jpg to be indispensable - it literally does the job of all other garden tools, which saves time, effort, money and blisters! They come in 2 or 3 different sizes, and you might be able to pick one up in your local chinese provision shop. Ideally get one with the shaft included, otherwise it might be a bit of a hassle to find and fit one. I was told in by-gone days this tool used to be passed on from farmer to son and so on, with some remaining in the same family for generations. Its like a kind of reverential immortality thing among the farming community. Symbolically that is. You get the drift. Anyway, Happy gardening! Have fun... May the fruits of your labor be abundantly sweet!

From, and to space, perhaps? After all, space is that in which all things are 'held'? I am wondering here, after reading thru some of the most interesting posts, if space is not that which is the only 'constant'? (I am sorry A7... just returned from a two-hour walk, feeling a bit giddy and naughty-ish...)

The funny thing about meditation is that there isn't really a goal (in this instance, 'a stilled mind') is there? That's what makes it worthwhile, for me at least... actually being conscious of the need to watch the movements of the mind, and then taking up the necessary practices to enable this process of observation is more rewarding imo, because a time will come when the mind naturally settles, and when that happens, all effort from then on can be set aside - and you will have achieved the ultimate... Wu Wei. After that it all comes down to getting used to this state. The Tibetan word for meditation is 'Gom', which literally means "to familiarize", or "get used to". Further to this, as one writer says, "The term 'Gom' is applied not only to the process of cultivation or development of familiarity, it is also applied to the resultant state achieved thru such processes. So, in this sense, meditation can refer both to the practice of disciplined cultivation as well as the cultivated result of such a discipline." The practices, whatever they may be, or whatever you decide you are comfortable with, sort of help fine-tune the way 'mind' is perceived. Or they can be a means towards identifying what 'stillness' really means to you personally, and not what others think they mean (for themselves). I think this is very crucial. To begin, it will be good to know your level of tolerance (For some practitioners, it takes a lot to distract their state of equilibrium, while others, at the slightest influence, becomes distracted immediately). When this is known, you will begin to understand what can and cannot disturb or distract your level of stillness. This insight will come to you during the practice itself, as it will gradually be evident if you stick to the investigation of mind/stillness long enough. How long would depend on what you have mentally accumulated over the years - the lighter the baggage, the swifter one walks, as they say. If you become too focussed on a goal, then things can get very tight and pressure will build and stress ensues, but if you are too laxed, then there will be dullness and stupor, and interest is lost. The process of investigation, in principle, is the exact same as tuning a string instrument, say a guitar for example: tune it too tight, and the string might snap; too loose, and the guitar loses its potential. So for optimum performance, it has to be neither too tight or too loose. This approach may be quite helpful for those who seek to begin understanding what 'stillness' really means. Just some thoughts... A wish: May you enjoy the journey, without being too concerned about the destination

Thank you for your gracious acknowledgement of my credentials. I had suspicions this mind has gone beyond 'stuckness', and you have kind of confirmed that. Knowledge can be cumbersome at times. Anyway, I am glad you are full of substance and education. The world needs your esteemed services.

Why? Cos you think you have been 'elevated'? The only war of words comes from 2 places - your own head, and the choice of words you use here on this thread. I bow to your strangeness.

I do not drink. Irish, Scottish, American, Indian, Chinese, English... everyone enters and exit thru the same point. The Way is a process of continuous comprehension. Whomsoever says it can be comprehended is stuck. I am no teacher, and neither are you. But then, i Know i am not one... Do you? I am not Irish. I am no body.

So well put. Practice sometimes tear down walls, yet at other times build new ones, only to require more effort to remain in the cycle. Its good to see practice for its limited function. If the spirals of the cycle get smaller and smaller, there is progress, leading to insights. If not, then its no more than being a puppet caught in a whirlpool of self-delusion, masked as stillness and clarity. Abiding in transcendent insight, the clamor to construct meanings and build assumptions so that these same can be dissected, hanging on to the good ones and discarding the bad ones, hence giving forth a false sense of wisdom, can be forever put aside, and then what's left? Not clarity, not truth, not bliss, in fact, not anything the mind can conjure up - as these are yet held within the bounds of physical and psychical memories. I guess, at such a point, the idea of walls, be it existing within or without, becomes absolutely meaningless.

balled up in a knot fishermen's nets are rested troubled by oil spill...

Its quite difficult not to be critical, unappreciative and suspicious of posts that demean/belittle others through emphasizing one's own experiences as above the majority of others deemed less fortunate. For all your pompous assertions alluding to your elevated experiential prowess gleaned from years of living in China, you have failed to grasp one of the most fundamental principle of the Tao, which will be very explicit to those who truly 'live' the Way. If you are such a one, you will see it too, and hopefully wake up, but if you do not see it, then all your time and effort spent in thinking you are somehow extra fortunate to be in a such an advantaged locale, and all your practice, would have been in vain. Of course, you create your own destiny.. we all do, but then, at the end of the day, we all meet and exit thru the same gate. Unless you think you are somehow going to exit via a different, more exclusive one, then it might pay to remember this.

on fresh gravel here footprints are vividly seen zig-zagging all over...

guinness it good, sure wearing Wednesday's old boots on a Friday night...

Remember this? Where were you when THIS SONG was number ONE? Enjoy!

might have a Guinness the first sip always tastes best do not waste the rest...

My o my... buddhist ambush? Where in the post above did you find any Buddhist reference or hints at conversion? In the previous post i inferred the term 'Bu Ren' as i understood it from the Chinese Buddhist perspective, as something to reflect upon. Did i say that it was a more superior view? For the record, not once have i quoted scripture in all my exchanges with other posters here, regardless of their path, preferring instead to draw from my own reflections and thoughts. You engaged, and i replied... and now you say its brow-beating - amazing! Btw, my mother is Taoist, (not that you really care) and she certainly was not 'badgered' into becoming a Buddhist before or after marrying my dad. To this day, even after 54 years of marriage, she still remains a Taoist. So please dont jump too quickly to assumptions Tao99, and learn to be less patronizing, for the sake of your 'retreat' - and btw, may it go well for you. Enough said. In future, if you are unhappy with my posts, just ignore them, cos if you make quoted replies, then please have the courtesy to refrain from jumping to baseless assumptions and/or accusations when the exchanges becomes a wee bit drawn out for you liking. Not sure where you really stand, but i am all for getting along.

Life, as we understand it, is fluid. If it was static there could not be any reincarnation. As an analogy, think of the candle-flame being passed on from one candle to another. If the flame was static transference would not be possible. Even though each flame on the surface looks the exact same, in essence they are neither the same, nor are they different. Even the original flame is going thru change at each moment, and as long as the conditions are present (in this case the wax which sustains the flame) ideally the flame will exist. The consideration here is that what is reincarnated is not a static self, as in one single flame that gets passed on endlessly, but merely conditions that allow re-existence to take place. That which some think they remember, the memories of lives past, are also conditions. When this is seen deeply enough, then one could arrive at the probable conclusion, as i have, that life neither gives a damn, which could also imply favoring some beings over others, or being selectively prejudiced in other words, nor is it operating at the other end of the scale. But when the notion of a solid 'Ren' (self) is held on to fervently, then it is quite impossible not to find oneself favoring one end, while seeing some others as favoring the other end. In this way, it is hard to lead a harmonious life. True harmony begins when preferences subside. The Way, which is a path that is fully open to fluid change, where extremes do not exist as a true view, and that which is Real is embraced wholeheartedly, is without any preferences or emotional attachment to want to make things different than what they are. Only the gift of being human provides the ability to discern in this way, which some regard as seeds that when planted with the correct insight, would blossom into equanimous empathy and compassion. It is a precious human legacy, not present in any other sentient realms.

see post below.

Cheers for that! I always knew someday this incantation would be made clear - who would have thought you'd be the source of clarification eh? hehe... Could have fished it out over the translator i know, but its less fun somehow.. all things come to those who wait, right? As for the mantra, i think you may have left out the significance of the seed syllable 'Hrih' (for this particular one) - tell us more about this? Sorry for diverting from topic though...

Cool! So does the invocation mean something, Drusus Maximus? I am rather curious.

If its really on the outside, shouldn't it be called "outernet" instead? Maybe its really in the Twilight Zone.... (play theme?) :lol: