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Could even have been as early as September in the US.

The Buddhanussati Gatha (Sanskrit for song/verse/recitation) below is widely used in the Visuddhimagga to venerate/contemplate the Buddha's nine qualities (nava guna). Its not a mantra per se since the origins of mantras predates Buddhism and is believed by Theravadin elders to contain elements of magic and mysticism, both of which are not held in high regard, although its worth noting that very early on in the history of Buddhism (around 540 BCE) paritta texts were formatted, apparently at the advice of Gautama, as protective gathas to ward off various mundane afflictions that beset lay communities, including the placation of pesky and antagonistic earth elementals and other forms of spirit disturbances. This seems to contradict whats allegedly believed by the Theravadin elders cited above. The Buddhanussati Gatha "Thus indeed is the Exalted One (1) an accomplished one, (2) a fully-enlightened one, (3) endowed with knowledge and good conduct, (4) well gone or gone to bliss, (5) a knower of the world, (6) an unsurpassed leader of persons to be tamed, (7) a teacher of humans and devas, (8) the awakened or the one who knows, (9) the sublime or exalted." Iti’ pi so bhagava araham sammasambuddho vijjacaranasampanno sugato lokavidu anuttaro purisadammasarathi sattha devamanussanam buddho bhagava’ti.

Except the mountain in the case of Mt Meru in the centre of some of the earlier mandalas is inverted, like a pyramid, usually depicted with a lotus covering what was conventionally the base. Interestingly, the significance of the inversion is not merely to present an image of rightful placement of the base to indicate infinite vastness, enough to even support the sky, but simultaneously, the inverted summit at the centre symbolises that ascension is complete upon reaching the centre of the mandala. Some believe this debunks commonly held misconceptions about the spiritual path akin to a long and arduous journey of ascending a mountain, which tallies with the notion that Mantrayana (or Vajrayana), bypassing conventional approaches, is the swiftest path to enlightenment. 14th century Yuan dynasty silk tapestry mandala with Mt Meru at the centre. The dense floral border, with the four vases in the four corners, parallels the imagery of central Tibet, particularly monasteries with ties to the Yuan court.

∞ KHENPO SODARGYE ∞ - The Hundred Syllable Mantra of Vajrasattva

∞ PATRUL RINPOCHE ∞ Settling the Mind Within Whatever Occurs An hour-long guided meditation

Hi! Appreciate the interesting reflection and response to what was shared. Perhaps what follows below is moot, knowing that you already have much knowledge on mahamudra and dzogchen. But I'll go ahead and reiterate it just to get a certain flow going. Thanks for the patience. In essence, Dzogchen is simply a term that roughly translates as 'a realization of wakeful awareness' or something to that effect, and this wide body of Maha Ati/Dzogchen/Mahamudra/Madhyamika teachings, condensed into maha, anu and ati yoga, are like props, or support that are available to practitioners. As expedients, they should not be confused as means to bring about the realization of the nature of mind, rigpa, which is basic wakefulness beyond the three times, but their access are meant to engender gradual stability post-recognition - after rigpa is introduced by a vidyadhara or qualified awareness holder. No amount of intellectual probing, no matter how profound, will yield that direct experiential knowing of rigpa. For most practitioners, this introduction is merely the precursor to years of patient practice, but for a select few, they are able to bypass this arduous phase - fortunately, or unfortunately, I'm not one of them. The short answer is, yes, it is sufficient. But it bears mentioning that there was a long process taken to get to this point. Hundreds of thousands of accumulations of mantras, prostrations, visualizations - all encompassed in the merit-based Ngondro practice - its that long. I began this practice in 1996, and completed 3 cycles of the Ngondro in 2017. Since then, it can be said that I've somewhat managed to stabilize the View of rigpa, confirmed by the contents of what appear in dreams, which tally with the visualizations that is consciously induced in the waking state during all those years of practice. I've confirmed with my teacher that this is a reliable sign of stability in the View. Now I'm quite confident of what visions will appear in my consciousness at the threshold of the bardo, since it is stated in the Book of Great Liberation that the visions arising in the transitional phases of the bardo of dying is akin to the visions of what generally appears in our dreams. Speaking of the Book of Great Liberation, im reminded of a video that I happened upon years ago that really helped to deepen my practice. It was integral to my realization towards the concluding end of Ngondro. It probably wont mean as much to anyone else because maybe the resonance may differ based on individual proclivities and karmic propensities. Anyway, I'll leave it below just to give a feel of what Padmasambhava taught with regards to liberating the mind into its own essence. When one is able to penetrate with sufficient profundity into the experiential truth of transiency and impermanence, the values placed on what is normally regarded as crucial to one's well-being is radically transformed. Things that otherwise are deemed real and important, seeming states of discomfort and other mundane feelings that tend to generate doubt (whether we are doing enough mostly) due to remaining subtle traces of dualistic tendencies still embedded in the mindstream no longer matter as much. These are easily cut through with the sword of non-dual wisdom and compassion. I'll conclude with a teaching extract of Longchenpa's, taken from the book, Finding Rest in Illusion. This can also serve as a very helpful contemplative aid: "Things are dream-like; in the very moment they appear, no intrinsic being at all, and yet, their features are not lost to their appearance. There is no hindrance. Carefully investigate these dream-like and momentary forms - in every aspect, empty. They are neither false nor true; not existent, yet not non-existent; beyond all ontological extremes. They are like space. Beyond both thought and word, know that they are primordially pure. Thus, by means of such a view, you garner clear understanding that all things in samsara, and nirvana, are like dreams."

and now and now unfolding now and silence all experience unfolding within awareness dancing through unfolding in silence within meditation and stillness within emptiness and motion within thoughts and emotions unfolding within perception and senses awareness is neither accepting nor rejecting what arises within awareness unfolding is what is. awareness unfolding as it is. ∞ courtesy of silent thunder ∞

Briefly, perhaps.

Most wont understand this until they die. From the time the sense doors begin to form habits of grasping, almost all their energy is devoted to rising above the crowd and the noise - to be stronger, sexier, healthier, smarter, more spiritual, more moral, more compassionate, more realised, thus forcing into existence a "you" and an "others", when in reality, this is the only illusion. This dream of separation is at its most stark as the last few breaths are being drawn, when the perceived 3D world begin to slowly fold in on itself.

Just like clouds are not a physical thing. Got it. lol

Fondly remembering Thay's precious and comforting words that often shone a light on many a sorrowful night.

red, white, and purple a naked peacock with tatts inked from head to tail

21st century Heart Sutra chanting. So Zen...

I believe Young was giving a discourse on anapanasati aka mindfulness of breathing. This approach has no relation to your question regarding the pelvic floor.

Much in the same way wrestling obsession seeped into yours.

I mowed the lawn today, and after doing so I sat down and had a cold beer. The day was really quite beautiful, and combined with the drink, it facilitated some deep thinking. My wife walked by and asked what I was doing, and I said intuitively, "Nothing dear". The reason I said "nothing" instead of saying "just thinking" is because she then would have asked, "About what?" At that point I would have had to explain that men are by nature deep thinkers about various topics, which would then lead to other questions. Finally, I pondered an age old question: Is giving birth more painful than getting kicked in the nuts? Women always maintain that giving birth is way more painful than a guy getting kicked in the nuts, but how could they know? Well, after another really satisfying beer, and some more deductive thinking, I have come up with an answer to that question. Getting kicked in the nuts is more painful than having a baby, and even though I obviously couldn't really know, here is the reason for my conclusion... A year or so after giving birth, a woman will often say, "It might be nice to have another kid". On the other hand, you never ever hear a guy say, "You know, I think I would like another kick in the nuts". I rest my case. Time for another beer, and then maybe a nap.

Hypothetically, if one takes up a certain practice, one is effectively adopting, but not owning, the karma of the source of that practice, be it helpful or otherwise. It may not ripen immediately because some seeds take time to root. For eg, I come into possession of a magical spell, courtesy of a left-hand path shaman, that, in theory can destroy my perceived enemies. But I have no enemies now, so I put it aside, thinking, nah, my life is pretty good, I have no enemies, this spell is redundant. Sometime in the future, my life veers in a different direction, and there are those who want to cause me harm. I recall, ah.. I have this spell in my possession, I should use it now to neutralize my enemies, and proceed to do so. The cause and effect for activating the spell is your own karma - the cause and effect of manifesting such a spell is the shaman's karma. Its exclusive in this sense, but also overlaps in a different sense. Its quite complex, but I've tried to simplify it with the example given. As to the question of better practices, Im not sure what exactly is in your mind. If you are clear about what you want to cultivate and make this known, perhaps I or some other experienced members here may be able to help. One can always adapt some practices without the need to be in the presence of a live teacher, but of course, that would be quite ideal, although not always practical. There are many teachers now conducting online classes and even empowerments, or so I heard. Not sure how online empowerments work though as I have no experience with it. Traditionally, empowerments would require a neophyte to receive it in the presence of a live authorised lineage holder.

∞ KALU RINPOCHE ∞ So let’s go back to talk about ourselves. When we call ourselves practitioners, the most important is not about how we practice, it is about how we maintain it. When I say maintain, it is not necessarily about practicing seven days a week, every morning and evening. That’s everybody can do, anybody can do. Just to down with some beautiful incense in a beautiful shrine, just reflect on everyone as a sentient being, and think about compassion to everyone, and so on… To have that kind of attitude when we are alone is very-very-very easy. And of course, that’s how we start as well. But many people have much harder life than that. So when I say maintaining, actually I mean that we should maintain our Dharma quality in life. It means that, if you are a practitioner you should never look for power, you should never look for fame, you should never look for position (most importantly, position). Because I’ve seen many senior practitioners, who are very very good practitioners in the beginning, but then they fall into the illusion of the power and control, position and title, and so on. The moment you want to have a title or a great position is the moment you are lost. You are no longer different from politicians who want to make positions and legacy for themselves.

I may be wrong, but I would agree with your view regarding the final component of Right Concentration, since it relates to the jnanas. Initially, I had opened that response above with the inclusion of Right Concentration (alongside Developing mindfulness), but deleted it upon deeper reflection.

Developing mindfulness at the tail end of the path is not a common understanding among the many Buddhist schools. Your reasoning may well be valid as it pertains to your personal experience, so no argument there. The application of Right Mindfulness is aimed at cultivating insight into the causes of conceptual proliferations and tendencies which give rise to habitual mental elaborations. Right Mindfulness is like an integral support to all the other seven disciplines. Its generally accepted that cultivating the Eightfold Path need not be linear. In fact, I think it would be helpful, at the onset, to develop at least an intellectual familiarization with the concept of mindfulness as it crucially relates to Dhamma praxis (Right Effort) with discriminating awareness knowing what is to be accumulated and what is to be discarded. As Bhikkhu Bodhi points out, "The eight factors of the Noble Eightfold Path are not steps to be followed in sequence, one after another. They can be more aptly described as components rather than as steps, comparable to the intertwining strands of a single cable that requires the contributions of all the strands for maximum strength. With a certain degree of progress all eight factors can be present simultaneously, each supporting the others."

even warts and farts Mara's belly's bottomless give it all you got