C T

Such irony! Now why would someone want to begin their holiday mood under such cloudy conditions? Strange... Better get out those mind-shades and a brolly - spittle everywhere!

I beg to differ here Santi. My view is that one need only to focus wholeheartedly on no.5, and 4,3,2,1 will flow (follow) naturally. Life is quite mysterious sometimes.. often the fruits only ripen for those who no longer view gains with overwhelming importance. Its like as if the harder and tighter we grasp onto the notions of what we deem to be vital that the actual manifestation of vitality and abundance gets squeezed out with the grasping, if you know what i mean. Correct me if i am off target here.

Classic one-liner!

Tibetan yantra yoga - exceptional practice on the Union of Sun and Moon. Here is an intro:

Soon they will be soup. 'Soup' to conquer, as they say! Life's a bowl of soup..

You make the tastiest soups out of the simplest ingredients A7!! Kudos!

Hmm.. its rather ironical that the Poster calls himself 'agape'. If i am not mistaken, the core meaning of agape is Unconditional Love.. That says it all. Best not respond any further.

Nice perspective Alexandrov.. Your input is very much appreciated! "Free indeed is one who has gone beyond extreme views."

Hi there Bobby! A warm welcome to TTB! Thanks for the input in the "Book of GL" thread. It was a gem! Regards, CT

Amazing! They all just label it "an experience"? That's pretty cool to know.. Thanks a mil for the insight. Btw, good post. Did not cross my mind that it was in any way academic. Cheers!

Perhaps the reason you felt nothing was because you rely too heavily on the sense faculties. Its not unusual for transmissions to extend beyond the 6 senses.. and manifest in mysterious ways! Many adepts train for years, and still feel nothing extraordinary. Maybe they just simply returned to being natural and ordinary again? Its not easy to be simply natural and ordinary - it takes extraordinary amounts of honest self-appraisals, patience and perseverance. Being overly attached to sensations, most people want and expect instant results. Why else do you think there are so many spiritual 'drifters' all over the world today?

I find this quite intriguing, Prince.. Isn't there a more 'Christian' term that could be applied to these spontaneous experiences? I mean, its not a 'new' thing, right? If i am not mistaken, the Christian mystics of old would have had such awakenings - so what was the term they had used to describe it, i wonder?

Greetings Haarheed, Welcome to The Tao Bums! Have a pleasant journey.. Regards, CT

Hello Ben! A warm welcome to you! May your visits be always fruitful! Regards, CT

Women are transcended healers. When healers themselves need healing they seek out the female healers.

In this time and age, I am afraid people just dont have that kind of patience anymore, 5ET. Mostly interested in instantaneous manifestations of results and visual displays of power, chi or whatever else is 'out there'. A bit sad really, to see that so much confusion has permeated the Western psyche in relation to authentic spiritual cultivation.

Nicely said, 5ET. I can relate to your observations based on personal experience at monasteries and retreat centers, and have friends who have had similar experiences at ashrams and temples as well. (I think nowadays even God charges for His services.. )

Hi John Zen, Enlightenment.. whats your personal definition? Is it an experiential process? An 'instant zap' kinda thing, or does it happen gradually? What does it entail? Does it effect one on different levels, or restricted only at the gross sensational level? Any other points you may want to add? Perhaps touch on a bit about your own experiences so that one can have a better idea where you are coming from before responding to your post(s)? Your thoughts please. Thanks.

Sorry Drew, but try as I did, I just could not relate to your post.

Look guys.. Its very simple. This thing about teachers and tuition fees, i mean. First of all, THERE AINT NO FREE LUNCH. Period. Free things nowadays make people suspicious. So its not a marketable concept anymore. No matter how authentic a teacher may be, if he says the teachings are for free, chances are he would be taken for a clown. Sadly, that is the way of the world today. The funny mentality with us now is that expensive = must be fantastic. So its not entirely a one-sided game. After all, the customers are always right, so if they want to fork out plenty to get a sense of fantastic value, its only logical there will be those who will gladly market accordingly. This is common business sensibility. There are established Teachers, with a stable of equally established senior students, who have become self-sufficient in that they have lined up plenty of 'benefactors' who support their cause, usually after enduring long periods of hardships. These are the ones who can afford to teach for free, and they do, well, most of them anyway. But in the early days, you can bet the first thing on their minds would be to devise an effective plan whereby these benefactors could be materialized as quickly as possible, before the 'ship' begins to flounder. And you can be sure there were many sleepless nights spent thinking about trying to make ends meet, while at the same time trying to maintain a sense of calmness and equanimity among the school or sangha etc. So its really not as straightforward and clear-cut as some of us might want to believe - it boils down to initial survival, and then the long and arduous process of establishing one's reputation thru various means. These things require money, somehow. Even if the students themselves are not asked for fees, you can be sure there are other sources that provide the finances. Just some thoughts on the matter.

Sweet and sour sauce. Pickled onions and gherkins half-baked truths indeed..

Your "signature" appears very noble indeed. Unfortunately it does not seem to be reflected in the manner in which your opinion is voiced. Just an observation.. no offense please. (apologies for side-tracking here.)

Then you wont exist! Ah! Emancipation lies among the reindeers..

Detached, disconnect switched-off, grounded, unperturbed. Lesson number one.