C T

I think karma and original sin, as concepts, have both been, and will always be, misconstrued by the masses who adhere to culture-based religious practices. This cannot be helped because, imo, many priests and monks do not themselves fully grasp the complete meaning and implications of these two factors, and within this *learned* group, there are also many today who actually question the validity of karma and original sin. Having spoken to monks and priests alike regarding this subject, very often they would just dismiss the questions citing irrelevance to one's religious beliefs, which is rather shocking! And those that do attempt to offer some sort of explanation often have left me thinking, "What the heck was he on about?" Most of the explanations given are mere extractions from texts that one can easily read up on oneself - in fact, if one were to insinuate that what they offer lacks depth and clarity, they would often say, "Oh we have a church/temple library here with loads of books for your convenience, so please feel free to access them" Are they to blame for this ignorance and misinformation? I do not think so. After all, to many of them, its just a job like any other, and like any profession, there are those who are highly skilled and some not so. It is just unfortunate that the ones who generally deal with the flock belong to the latter. I cant comment on the *sin* concept at all because i feel i do not have the right to, but karma, hmm, i believe, have many different levels and layers, so much so that if i were to state here that i know what it is, you should immediately regard me as a self-righteous idiot. Seriously. There is the outer, inner and secret aspects to take into consideration, and buddhist/hindu scholars spend years investigating these various aspects of karma before they even begin to get a clear understanding on this subject. On a practical level, i believe that if one lives mindfully, and have a good heart towards all beings and the environment, then one's karma can be purified as a result. The Chinese in my country have a saying - "Even the most powerful demon will not/cannot disturb one whose heart is pure". I am sure there are more ways than one to understand this simple statement. Thank you so much for reading. Be well, and live (com)passionately! CT

This analogy is rather like the practice of mindfulness in Buddhism imo. Sounds good! ps - Could the right word be 'coarse' as oppose to 'course'?

Have you ever considered subliminal stimuli, which is quite a prevalent media, advertising and institutional tool, as sinister means towards *enforcing* guilt and fear? Just a thought ralis. Be well!

*UNLEARNING* ... I like this very much! Its like, the more baggage one discards, the lighter one is, the swifter the journey. Unburdening oneself - coooool! Thanks M'head tis great!

Hello Xabir, I cant get my head around a couple of points you made here. It would be helpful if you could expand on: 1. "Awareness is deemed irrelevant - it becomes implied." (Can you give some examples of when awareness becomes irrelevant?) 2. "Eventually when the subject is gone, there is just arising and passing phenomena which is implicitly non-dual as there is no subject to divide". (Is the subject not a part of [within] this arising and passing of phenomena? If so, does the subject not arise and pass as phenomena arises and passes?) 3. (If duality is not within one's consciousness, what supports one's non-dual experiences?) I would be most grateful if you could offer some views regarding these 3 thoughts. I am new here, so if this sort of questions are inappropriate, i am sorry. Regards, CT

I would read 'vulgar' here as 'corrupt' or 'tainted'. Cheers!

Hello Forest, Thank you for the clarification. It is as you say. Have a good day!

"The wise man comes not from North, South, East or West. Coming naught from any direction, he seeks naught to go anywhere. Unfettered by mundane preoccupations, he is free to roam, and with each step, there, there...he is home". - Anon.

Hello there BT...greetings! I cannot offer you any precise explanation i am afraid. Firstly, i have no grounding in this philosophy, and secondly, whatever i say may be biased by my buddhistic influences. However, from a very limited perspective, i would take the above phrase to mean that one cannot enjoy a bountiful harvest from ill-prepared soil. Thank you for offering an opportunity to gaze into a tiny aspect of Tao philosophy. Very practical indeed! Have a good day. CT

Hello M'head, Yes both my grandpas were fascinating individuals. What a contrast - one a devout buddhist and astrologer, and the other a taoist who runs the only liquor store in the village, and i presume you would have preference for the latter, if only just to chance a whiff of the fragrance of all that exotic elixirs hehehehehe..... The TTC? Hmm, i might just be tempted enough to go get myself a copy, although i need to say that i have almost completely given up reading philosophical/spiritual texts now. I have only kept behind a handful for really boring evenings when the stars refuse to come out and play Thank you so much for your kind words, suffused with encouragement, humor and understanding. One can learn much from someone like you. Be well my friend.

This observation, if i may ask - Is it based on your personal experience and dialogue with many different buddhists? I have a few friends from both schools of practice, and they all seem quite grounded to me. Often the ones who go off the deep end, from what i have seen, are those who are merely infatuated with the *idea* of the philosophy, or some guru or lama, or because its the in thing to do. They were already confused prior to exposure, and their very enthusiasm only serve to compound this confusion. Am i being accurate here? What would your suggestion be to these people? Lets assume i am highly taken in by this amazing, powerful, charismatic teacher, and follows him/her everywhere, listening wide-eyed to every single word that he/she utters, buying every single book about this teacher, not to mention CDs, making hefty donations etc. What advice would you give me? How will you convince me of my errant ways so that my confusion can be dispelled? I hope this is a relevant enough issue to be examined in this thread, seeing it is about awareness. Thank you.

M'head, Hehehe such weakness i have to have given in to temptation and fell into the *whole* you dug for me, exposing myself to proudly (ego ego) declare that i am not a buddhist - an absolutist statement which i normally refrain from making. There - you got me! Should i go 'ouch'? hehehe Frankly, having been one for 49 and some years, i still wonder (hence the empty vessel allusion) what a dam buddhist is ! Yep, i am 49+ so i guess i was born one - my grandpappy was a Sri Lankan lay Buddhist elder, and hence our culture and heritage evolves very much around it, although my mom's side of the family are all traditionally Chinese Taoist influenced, so i can relate very easily to a lot of the Taoist posts here, but only superficially, as, being lazy and all, never made any attempt to learn more about this wise philosophy, which is a real shame. My ancestors must be fuming at this point - a traitor in the midst! But you know what? We all co-existed (it was a BIG family - 10 siblings mom's side and 12 in my dad's!) harmoniously! I had a great time growing up, you know, with all the traditional celebrations - it was like getting a double-dose of it all so it was wonderful! Every other week there was a celebration of some sort (a slight exaggeration but when one is that age there isnt a very concrete concept of time is there?). Where i grew up (Malaysia) i recall meeting quite a few Maoshan masters who were friends of my maternal grandpappy(gp), and these guys lived in isolation in deep forests in caves and huts, and they would occasionally come out into the village to *help* certain people with their problems, and because my gp used to own a liquor store, they would take the opportunity to visit and stock up on their favorite tipple, which was usually herbal wines from China, which i guess, had many uses. I have also witnessed some of their secret abilities, one of which was turning a few pebbles picked up off the dirt road and turning them into chinese dumplings. There were quite a few other astonishing incidents, all of which have left me, even to this day, in much awe. So miracles and magic are not that strange to those who come from the East. But this does not mean that we regard that all life is a miracle. Far from it. But it does stop us from negating the existence of things that is beyond the grasp of normal sensory perceptions. Having said all this, it is not my intention to convince you that you need to rethink your life-principle and beliefs. Any attempt to do so would only imply arrogance and silly self-righteousness. I am merely sharing a tiny portion of my childhood memories, just as you have shared some of your military adventures. Before i conclude, i would just like to add that, personally, i am quite sure i will not know if i have lived as a buddhist (or more like a hypocrite - perhaps just a hair's breadth separating the two) until i draw my last breath. This justifies the proclamation that i am not a buddhist, i guess. Until then, kow tow-ing to every one here, and my ancestors hehehe, i remain....an empty vessel trying to make some sort of noise! Be well!

Hello M'head! Hows your weekend going buddy? When i read this, it suddenly reminded me of a line from *Illusions* (Richard Bach) where he (the reluctant Messiah ) says, "Argue for your limitations, and sure enough, they are yours". Do you suppose he has a point there? Do you believe it is in accordance with your guiding principle of free-will to live a life where one defends one's limitations and declare, "So what? I am happy and contented" - which sounds a bit like that sad base commander that you mentioned who pee-d in his pants (god love him) - well, you did opine that that was rather pathetic so it kinda put a question into my mind when i read your declaration here. I (just an *empty* vessel ) might have totally misunderstood where you came from re. the commander story, and if i have, i apologize. Your views? You also mentioned miracles. Is it possible that all the small things we do everyday, like the ability to pick noses and stuff, are indeed miracles? Could it be that because we have taken all these simple gifts for granted that we no longer attribute any significance to these supernormal abilities that each of us have? Perhaps those without their full physical functions would consent to the fact that you and i do indeed partake in miracles each and every moment while alive. If you think about it, even breathing is a supramundane activity, and there is a mindfulness practice within Buddhism (i think) that actually reminds us that to be alive, to be able to breathe, is indeed a gift! For clarity's sake, i just want to mention to you that i am not a Buddhist. I am just an impure and empty vessel who is just here to listen and learn from all the great sages and realized beings expounding their wisdom and sharing their experiences. For example, after a few days here, i am beginning to see you are quite a wise man yourself. Thanks! Be good, for goodness' sake!

Hi V! Thanks for the input. FH's feelings are totally reasonable within her own experiences - there are just too many out there who fits in with her description, unfortunately. However, i do question her view that meditation leads to higher morals. What do you think? @FH - You said that in your opinion all the striving leads to nothing. Within the limit of my own interpretation of this statement, i would say that to cultivate a good heart and to train the mind are necessarily fundamental to the serious Buddhist practitioner, which are very noble aspirations indeed, and definitely cannot be termed as *nothing*. It is very easy to see that such qualities would lead to much happiness and harmony, which i am sure you would agree we cannot have enough of. Unless we can tame this monkey mind of ours, the aim of *just being* can be quite a struggle, not impossible of course, but a challenge nonetheless. BTW, liberation (a more appropriate term for me as compared to enlightenment) is anything but boring, because the very word itself says it all, dont you agree? And it definitely does not mean non-existence (god forbid lol). It simply means to kick-ass all our notions, ignorance, fears, and wrong views out the back door and mindfully keep them at bay until a new set of virtuous habits permeate our daily life. This, i assure you, is a real adventure, and one that can fulfill all our basic longing for freedom and emancipation. Hope you find this helpful. I am sure there are many here who knows much more about the nitty-gritty stuff and who can go into all the specifics with you if you are so inclined to learn more of the authentic teachings. Have a good weekend!

Words of true wisdom from a deeply reflective mind IMO. I share the belief regarding acceptance, with all my heart, and i sincerely hope Mestena can see a way into her own wisdom light, and find the gentleness and compassion to allow for this quality to shine through. @ Mestena - I am not in any position to offer you advice, so please accept my apologies. Perhaps an attempt to do so at this juncture may serve more as a hindrance. All i can wish for you is to have the courage and patience to remain steadfast in the goodness of your own heart. Very often, when emotions are wild, we tend to forget to be grateful for all the gifts that are still abundantly offered to us daily despite our challenges. Perhaps it would be helpful to focus a little on these. It can at least give you some space to appreciate that there is still beauty around you. This is my only humble suggestion. All the best to you, CT

Hi MayDay! Thank you for the facial slaps! Good thing i am not into SM What an ass i made of myself by mentioning that i have not read many of your posts, not realizing how new you are! Welcome! And thank you for the passing interest! Rather presumptuous if i may say so, but that has nothing to do with how much i admire the imaginative content presentation, the manner of which almost oiled these ol'joints of mine, from the neck down to my toes, so to speak. *Which might be pleasurable, to some people.* Hmm, i wonder what pleasures you... perhaps the feel of rolling them dice in your hands? Or the anticipation and the hunger for constant renewals of physical and mental phases? Or both? Answers, buddy, answers please!

Hi MayDay, I see you do not post very much, so it is quite an honor (?) to have got your mention in here. No seeking, and no non-seeking, therefore, no achievement, and no non-achievement. I am looking forward to hear about your own personal experience in this regard, if you are so inclined.

Aa ha! No worries there about your fish losing their marbles then... Just kidding buddy Sorry!

You have honored my ancestors. How can i ever, ever repay this magnanimous act of yours? Hehehe.... Marblehead. Cute name.

I wonder what Buddha Shakyamuni would say here. Perhaps, just perhaps, He might point out that because there is no Highest Ultimate Truth, therefore it gives rise to what is perceived as the Highest Ultimate Truth. Hmm, i wonder.... Salam.

Hello Singapore Guy! This is Malaysian Guy here Greetings from Ireland dear friend. We have much geographical connections i see! I am a Malaysian but now residing in Ireland, since 1993. How is the beautiful Singapore these days? God i miss it so much! Anyway, sorry to hear of your little *distubance*. It is no laughing matter, and not something that should be dismissed lightly. I used to have a Sikh friend in Malaysia who is an Exorcist, and have had a few opportunities to witness stuff first hand to know that its really not a joke. I do not know what is your background regarding practice, so would not offer any specific advice here. If you are a Buddhist, then it is good to speak to your teacher (if you have one) because there are 2 or 3 very potent mantras/mudras that can be performed to clear the space and for self-protection. Your teacher may also have talismans that have been blessed and will offer them to you gladly, i am sure. As an introduction, and perhaps to get an idea or ideas about this, there is a video on youtube based on a teaching about entity provocations by HE Tsem Tulku Rinpoche. Its aptly titled "Tsem Tulku Rinpoche the GHOSTBUSTER!!". In it he did suggest what he said was the most powerful mantra that can be used to deflect negative energies, but if you are not familiar with Tib Buddhism, i would advice against using it before you have received proper instructions. Please update me on your situation, as I have a (cheeky) interest in this area. If there is anything i can help you with further, drop me a private note if you feel that is more appropriate. It can be helpful to have prayers done on your behalf, but we can discuss this later. Thank you, and take care. May the protection and blessings of the Awakened Ones be upon you.

Good on you Mal! You have gifted me smiles for the weekend...and its only Friday hahaha!