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"My hut lies in the middle of a dense forest; Every year the green ivy grows longer. No news of the affairs of men, only the occasional song of a woodcutter. The sun shines and i mend my robe; When the moon comes out i read Buddhist poems. I have nothing to report, my friends. If you want to find the meaning, stop chasing after so many things." --- Daigu RYOKAN (1758 - 1831)

Came across this clip just now, and had fun listening to the short talk given by Michael Neill, who is a quite well-received NLP/Life Coach in America, i think. I found it rather refreshing, and wanted to share it with you guys. Enjoy! http://www.mushin.eu/en/blog/

not one at the pass incredibly moribund a one-hit wonder...

ah - my room at last at the Whistlestop Hotel gunslingers abound...

Hey Mikael great thoughts as usual! Kudos! Just a note with reference to Contrivedname's allusion to (highlight) the subtle difference between the views of Non Self and No Self. I can totally see his point - i believe what he said was that suffering would be greatly enhanced when there is either extreme negation or affirmation of self, whereas maintaining the view of Non Self brings one back into focus, hence diminishing the potential for causing self-harm and harm to others. Not wanting to speak for him, but his take that No Self is a destructive view is fairly accurate, imho. As for Grandmaster Tzu... well, i have learnt to appreciate how his posts had always rubbed me in unpleasant ways too, and am thankful for they have shown i have much to learn in terms of letting go and losing the self centre, that part within me that is often quick to react blindly and/or to defend mindlessly. With this new wisdom, i no longer feel the need to entertain his musings. So thank you, Grandmaster... _/\_

Hey Kate! Nice thoughts... thank you for sharing. Imo, every action where one is totally present is a 'gong', regardless if its simple or complex. If one can practice mindfulness with the small things, like, for example, trying to eat breakfast with total presence, or when walking, or drinking tea, then these daily actions can be considered wakeful glimpses into the absolute nature of how things are. It sounds easy, but even experienced meditators can lose themselves in these small things which can be effortlessly taken for granted. Cant remember the countless times i have sat thru a meal, or walked from one place to another, without being able to recall how fulfilling or refreshing the meal or the walk was, and there in lies my ignorance. When acknowledged, it always reminds me of being more present now... Have a lovely, present day all..

I used to work/live on the outskirts of London years ago, and the back of the apartment overlooked a fairly large cemetery, and it was one of those that were really well-kept. I remember going there often for walks - such a peaceful place actually, and quite surreal too, especially in deep autumn/winter, or after snow had blanketed the place. I recall now having made some new friends there, in the form of squirrels. I wonder if they have their own brand of squirrel FS with their own FS consultants? hehe...

Hey there Mr Cadet, Tis a noble mission - wish you every success in this endeavor!

I like this take! Maybe its becos I am a chef (no...thats CHEF) The last para made a lot of sense esp. Cheers Gold.

the rain has lifted baby summer breezes blow dusty trucks roll by...

Hormonal imbalance???

The ease of tui na disentangle distresses a massage a day...

Was reading thru Thich Nhat Hanh's "Cultivating The Mind Of Love" when i came across these words - relevant to this thread somewhat... "According to the Lord Buddha, there are four notions we need to examine carefully: self, person, living being, and life span. 'When this innumerable, immeasurable, infinite number of beings has become liberated, we do not, in truth, think that a single being has been liberated. Why is this so? If, Subhuti, a bodhisattva holds on to the idea that a self, a person, a living being, or a life span exists, that person is not an authentic bodhisattva'. The bodhisattva is one who is liberated from the notions of self, person, living being, and life span. We know that a flower is made only of non-flower elements, like sunshine, earth, water, time, and space. Everything in the cosmos come together to bring about the presence of one flower, and these boundless conditions are what we call 'Non-flower elements.' Compost helps make the flower, and the flower creates more compost. If we meditate, we can see the compost right here and now in the flower. If you are an organic gardener, you know that already. These are not just words. It is our experience, the fruit of our practice of looking deeply. Looking at anything, we can see the nature of interbeing. A self is not possible without non-self elements. Looking deeply at any one thing, we see the whole cosmos. The one is made of the many. To take care of ourselves, we take care of those around us. Their happiness and stability is our happiness and stability. If we are free of the notions of self and non-self, we will not be afraid of the words 'self' and 'non-self'. But if we see the 'self' as our enemy and think that 'non-self' is our savior, we are caught. We are trying to push away one thing and embrace another. When we realize that to take care of the self is to take care of the non-self, we are free, and we dont have to push away either. The Buddha said, "Take refuge in the island of self." He was not afraid to use the word 'self' because He was free of notions. But we students of the Buddha do not dare use the word. Several years ago, when I proposed a gatha for listening to the bell, "Listen, listen...this wonderful sound brings me back to my true self", a number of Buddhists refused to recite it because it included the word 'self'. So they changed it to, "Listen, listen...this wonderful sound brings me back to my true nature." They tried to escape 'self' in order to be serious students of the Buddha, but instead they just became prisoners of their notions. If a bodhisattva holds on to the idea that a self, a person, a living being, or a life span exists, that person is not an authentic bodhisattva. If we are aware that the self is always made of non-self elements, we will never be enslaved by or afraid of the notions of self and non-self. If we say the notion of self is harmful or dangerous, the notion of non-self may be even more harmful and dangerous. Clinging to the notion of self is not good, but clinging to the notion of non-self is worse. Understanding that self is made of only of non-self elements is safe. The Buddha did not say, "You dont exist." He only said, "You are without self". Your nature is non-self. We suffer because we think He said we dont exist. From one extreme we fall into another extreme, but both extremes are just our notions. We never experience reality. We only have these notions, and we suffer because of them." -- Thich Nhat Hanh

It was a mindful stroll that i suggested.. not meditation, although there is nothing wrong with the latter. Many sadhus in India spend their lives on charnel grounds (please read - http://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Charnel_ground) and with pretty good reasons too.

You can't tuna fish from the great lakes of Guangzhou they live in the sea...

Quite a dilemma, BG. Perhaps it might be wise and certainly beneficial to seek further consultations with those (seriously) in the know about matters bordering into dimensions beyond ours. Maybe take a mindful stroll around the yard and gauge/intuit your own feelings.. this may be more crucial than any 3rd party observations. Wish you the very best in making the most appropriate decision, and may you always be protected.

I believe there are sound reasons why in most Asian countries graveyards are always located at quite a distance from residential and commercial sites. I also know that some graveyards are more 'negative' than others.. depending on the concentration of corpses that had died traumatically and/or in tragic circumstances. Having visited numerous graveyards (to honor my ancestors) it is my experience that some areas within the yards are more 'chilly' than others... especially where tombs of children and women who had died while giving birth are found. Just some thoughts i had.

mind still yet moving its the pause between two notes that music is made...

insect on my nose seems like the perfect couple a marriage of sorts...

Hey Alwayson... perhaps you would care to back up some of your observations with scholastic material eh?

This 'letting' suggests a premeditated action of sorts - in ultimate Dzogchen there is simply spontaneous, non-fabricated self-liberation - no doing at all... wu wei perhaps? In some circles, it is said that there isnt actually an individual entity to 'let' anything happen. Good point though.

Article: Buddha, The Refiner of Hinduism. http://hinduism.about.com/od/gurussaintsofthepast/a/buddha.htm The last paragraph is worthy to note.

Yes 3Bob... thank you for the added observation.. this 'greatest weapon' you mentioned is also symbolically represented as the adamantine, indestructible dorje/vajra, or thunderbolt sceptre (that which cuts through all duality). Here's an example - the Vajra Guru himself: Guru Padmasambhava with the dorje in his right palm -- http://www.khandro.net/images/GuRin_frm.jpg Blessings and peace to all.

The symbolic representation of wrathful deities armed with myriad weapons and skulls and bones etc are to demonstrate the subjugation of primal ignorance and delusion and other human weaknesses that need to be transformed in order to unveil the unblemished heart nature of all beings. (In Tib Buddhism).

Agreed. Well said ES. Siddhis always manifest from, and return to, potential. We hear stories of people performing supernormal feats in the face of mortal danger (like a mother lifting a car off her pinned daughter for eg) - where is the source of these 'siddhis'? Could it be that they already exist, not as some form of power, but as a resource that can be honed and tapped? Does it really require four score and twenty years before they begin to manifest in the being? Nature, for example, demonstrate her 'siddhis' unceasingly... this is plainly obvious to those who see... yet the majority cant and dont see. So for those who do see, and i'm sure many Bums here do, the question to be asked is - are the manifestations of such natural wonders seen as existing apart from 'you'? Or is the separation just an illusion, a mirage-like barrier that is created by the imprints of gross and subtle karma? What happens when these illusions and imagined barriers are suddenly banished, or just for an instant eradicated from memory? Perhaps miracles will manifest? Its certainly not impossible.