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As a water bead on a lotus leaf, as water on a red lily does not adhere, so the sage does not adhere to the seen, the heard, or the sensed. ~ Jara Sutta ~

Quite rare for the Tibetan & Chinese new year to begin on the same day. Happy New Year!

I did get the meaning. Wasn't being critical... was just musing on the good points you brought up, thats all.

Its fascinating that 'tough love' exists only within the human spectrum. Animals have no concept of it, and definitely do not respond to it the way humans do. Thats why I love dogs... they respond so well to unconditional kindness, so well in fact that we can learn much about our own capacity for empathy thru the interactions, but the moment we try to curtail their spontaneity and encroach on their naturalness, they immediately begin to develop distrust. I think most, if not all animals, would be the same. Tough love may not, after all, be a good measure of response, I believe. If it does not work on animals, which have a narrower emotional range, it certainly needs to be investigated if such a response is appropriate for humans.

“In Dzokchen, compassion is much more than the virtue of loving kindness. Nor does the word compassion in the Dzokchen context denote its English etymological meaning, “suffering together” or “empathy,” although both these meanings may be inferred. Essentially, compassion indicates an open and receptive mind responding spontaneously to the exigencies of an ever-changing field of vibration to sustain the optimal awareness that serves self-and-others’ ultimate desire for liberation and well-being. The conventional meaning of compassion denotes the latter, active part of this definition, and, due to the accretions of Christian connotation, response is limited specifically to virtuous activity. “Responsiveness” defines the origin and cause of selfless activity that can encompass all manner of response. On this nondual Dzokchen path, virtue is the effect, not the cause; the ultimate compassionate response is whatever action maximizes Knowledge — loving kindness is the automatic function of Awareness.” ~ Keith Dowman - Flight of the Garuda ~

We should learn to see everyday life as mandala - the luminous fringes of experience which radiate spontaneously from the empty nature of our being. The aspects of our mandala are the day-to-day objects of our life experience moving in the dance or play of the universe. By this symbolism the inner teacher reveals the profound and ultimate significance of being. Therefore we should be natural and spontaneous, accepting and learning from everything. This enables us to see the ironic and amusing side of events that usually irritate us. In meditation we can see through the illusion of past, present and future - our experience becomes the continuity of nowness. The past is only an unreliable memory held in the present. The future is only a projection of our present conceptions. The present itself vanishes as soon as we try to grasp it. So why bother with attempting to establish an illusion of solid ground? We should free ourselves from our past memories and preconceptions of meditation. Each moment of meditation is completely unique and full of potentiality. In such moments, we will be incapable of judging our meditation in terms of past experience, dry theory or hollow rhetoric. Simply plunging directly into meditation in the moment now, with our whole being, free from hesitation, boredom or excitement, is enlightenment. ~ Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche ~

Jeff, you stated above that what Siva said is very much like the Buddhist concept of transferring merit - Im interested to know what is your understanding on that concept as it relates to practice, specifically in Vajrayana, and also in a generic sense? Thanks.

You believe that your thoughts belong to a real person. At some point while listening to this ‘person’, you became confused, you forgot who you are and instead began to think that you are this person; you are not. What is more, this person that you take yourself to be doesn’t even exist outside of your imagination, it is merely a mental concept. Nevertheless, you are what you are, regardless of what you imagine yourself to be. When you no longer imagine yourself to be something you’re not, then all that is left is what you always were. Let go of everything you feel is you. When you reach the point where you fear the next step is total annihilation of your very self, put your fear aside, take the final step off from the sturdy ground of the known into the abyss of the great unknown, and find out for yourself just what you really are. Release the thinking mind whenever you become aware of it, and one day it will find its own freedom. What remains after is simply a profound awareness. With awareness comes unmitigated spontaneity. ~ Notes on Non-duality ~

One thing i have noticed is that not everyone have the same level of determination in wanting to fully accept that its their conditioning that keeps them trapped within a certain response range. Some say they want (have the intention) to eradicate negative patterns, but their tendency to remain 'grasping' at old habits contradicts their expressed wishes. So there is conflict. Unless such conflicts are addressed correctly by said conflicted individual, in my view its not possible for any intermediary action whereby such a conflict can be effectively pacified.

I have never heard any of my teachers indicate they can 'cut the root' of anyone's karma. Not that such requests aren't made, and they may secretly perform some sort of interceding prayers and pujas etc, but they have never openly made such a declaration, and i dont think they have ever encouraged the idea that its something to be sought out either. When discussing similar topics, they have expressed the opinion that practitioners will do well to understand that even Buddha himself did not (or chosed not to) 'escape' the traces of karma accrued from other lifetimes. I remember reading a sutra where this was highlighted but cannot remember now exactly which sutra it was.

I understood Jeff's assertion to mean that it is possible for a 'master' (broad term) to absolve another being's past karma. Does this assumption imply a likelihood that Jeff might have intended to equate karma with the Christian concept of sin? I think this is an important point for consideration that first needs to be made clear in order to further the discussion. Its evident (from a Buddhist standpoint) that both concepts differ vastly in terms of view and application. While there are many purification practices to be found across all Buddhist traditions, some of the ways in which these practices are carried out are quite dependent on social norms and localised customary lores and beliefs. In general, dictated by ancestral traditions, people seek out the help of monks, shamans and other intermediaries to intercede between them (the seekers) and the gods. This has been going on forever, across all civilisations. I guess the question of whether such intercessions are possible or not is as valid as the understanding of how the practice of such a custom affects the beliefs of one seeking intercession and/or absolution.

Uncontrived naturalness is not something that one does, even though it sounds like you do remain in naturalness, and you avoid fabricating. Actually, it is the opposite of doing. One does not do anything. By repeatedly letting be in the state of uncontrived naturalness, it becomes automatic. Don’t think that there is a long moment between two thoughts that you need to somehow nail down and own. That would not be automatic; it would be fabricated. Rather than improving upon the recognition of your own nature, simply remain completely at ease. It is a matter of self-existing wakefulness getting used to itself. Do not try to keep the state of naturalness. The state will be self-kept as the natural outcome of your growing familiarity with it. Do not fall into distraction. Short moments, repeated many times. Because of our very strong habit to always do something, the moment of non-doing doesn’t usually last long. That is why we practice recognizing for short moments, repeated many times. If we do not repeat the recognition of mind essence, we never grow used to it. “Short moments” ensures that it is the real, authentic naturalness. For a beginner, recognition of the authentic state does not last longer than a short moment. “Many times” means that we need to grow more and more familiar with this state. ~ Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche ~

Where I come from (SE Asia) such abuses in the name of spiritual benediction is rampant. It is deeply disturbing and saddening, some of the victim accounts I have heard over the years. And it continues to happen because human nature has that in-built gullibility, especially when it comes to 'divine intervention'. India is another country where so-called spiritual scams are extremely common, and in some places there are accounts of such scams being manipulated by the Indian version of the mafia. lol a crass example below (others can be much much sweeter and subtler)

The very reason I urged people to 'test' self-proclaimed conduits of whatever they profess to channel.

yes, apparently very different perspectives, but no worries.. free will to all.

In a sense, yes. Only to the extent that the individual is not full of holes In our lineage it works a little differently. Rather than keeping the idea of being 'influenced' by a divine being, for us beginners, using the various practices and visualisations that we have received the appropriate empowerments for, initially we learn to mimic the enlightened qualities of a chosen yidam. Leaving details aside, over time the practitioner begins to manifest the exact same qualities of that particular yidam, and in the process give birth to a realisation of an inseparability of one's mindstream, the mindstream of Buddhas, the Yidams and Dakinis. In the beginning stages, its as if there is a separation, but this separation is only self-created, an illusory view determined by habitual sensory perceptions. Although these sensory perceptions appear real, over time, the seeming solidity of separation brought about by ingrained habitual reactivity dissolves. From this perspective, the realisation arises that all along we were never apart from our true, enlightened nature. For the sake of conceptual reasoning, one can say its like a process of merging, which is partly right in a relative sense, but in the absolute ground, it is an unmerging from mistaken identity as one discovers the 'reality before dualistic view took over', and what happens then is a gradual return to a fundamentally self-perfected state, which has been there from beginningless time, exemplified by the Guru, Yidam and Dakini principle that is adopted as a basis, or reminder of perfection, by the Vajrayana practitioner. Thank you for the patience with my long-winded responses.

The blessings received are congruent and proportionately distributed depending on a number of factors that is directly related to individual effort in creating a fertile psycho-physical field for the blessings to manifest in one's stream of beingness. The more fertile the field the higher the yield. If there is no preparation, naturally the blessings will not have the right environment to germinate and provide a healthy return. Similarly, an heir to an estate needs to exercise sufficient self-governance and responsibility in the moral and ethical concerns regarding his or her inheritance - maintaining the 'legacy' is up to the individual. Some may inadvertently fail to take good care of the inheritance, with proportional consequences that will undermine his or her future, while others may opt for a more sensible and profitable approach, taking steps to 'grow' the inheritance. Dharma/spiritual heirs are no different when it comes to 'blessings'. Blessings are abundantly available in the universal field of merit - how these are accessed, utilised and maintained for growth is up to the individual. As the Buddha said, "We are all individually responsible for our own salvation."

It's nice contemplating divine grace but it's not exactly the kind of intervention that is supported in the traditional sense in our lineage.

Not to keep yourself from evil actions Is to have no pratimoksha, Not to work for others’ welfare Is to have no bodhicitta. Not to master pure perception Is to have no Secret Mantra. If illusions don’t collapse, There is no realization. If you opt for one side or the other, That is not the View. If you have a goal in mind, That is not the Meditation. If your conduct is a contrivance, That is not the Action. If you hope and wish, You’ll have no Fruit. Peaceful self-control: the sign of one who’s heard the teachings! Few defiled emotions are the mark of one who meditates. Harmony with others is the sign of one who practices. A blissful heart is witness to accomplishment. The root of Dharma is your very mind. Tame it and you’re practicing the Dharma. To practice Dharma is to tame your mind – And when you tame it, then you will be free! ~ Dudjom Rinpoche: Counsels from my Heart. ~

I sometimes fantasise that my relatives will magically transfer money to me, and maybe they actually have that wish to share their material wealth, but until the actual physical transference takes place, I can only act by saving up money myself. But if I hear that they truly have such big hearts and make sincere expressions that they genuinely want to share their wealth with me when they have accumulated enough to stabilise their own position first, then even hearing that will bring me much delight. Another analogy - Think of it like a creation of a spiritual estate so that one creates a legacy (spiritually rather than materially) worthy enough that others can 'draw' upon it. This is how the great masters and buddhas of the past, present & future leave a rich heritage of blessings for others to tap into. Its freely and openly given to all without discrimination, but so far I have not heard any of my teachers say they have built up a wealth of merit and, out of compassion, acted for our benefit. Its for us to realise this as the relationship grows and develop. All the teacher need to do is remain open, and give his wisdom and guidance selflessly. How this is accepted is not his concern. In this way, its definitely not a mistake, and where is the arrogance to be found?

'DZOGCHEN EXPLAINED' https://www.lionsroar.com/dzogchen-explained/

It wasn't a quote. Just to clarify again, speaking for myself, at the level where I am at, with the limited cultivation done, I will not attempt the arrogant assumption that i am able to 'burn off' other beings' karma. Such an immense power is beyond my scope. A fully accomplished mahasiddha, mahasattva bodhisattva or a buddha may choose to exercise that siddhi if they deem it necessary, otherwise, mediocre practitioners like myself try to adopt the 'ahimsa' (non-harming) path to the best of our ability. According to what the masters have said, one must have attained to a level of permanent (unimpeded) clairvoyance before even considering such a practice. (apologies to Dwai for contributing to the deviation of the OP)

Unless something drastically transformative happens to me, I don't see myself ever reaching the level where i will be able to alleviate/burn/halt the impact of another being's karmic propensities. Maybe a teeny weeny tweak would be the best I can hope for.

Just saw this post. View given above