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In Vajrayana, non-duality is an experience of the nature of mind in which thought (form) and the *cessation of thought no longer appears mutually exclusive (meaning thought and the absence of thought have become inseparably merged ~ *Skt. Yug* = yoga = union). From the realisation of this union comes the subsequent experiences of equipoise, one taste, and ultimately, reaching a stable state of Equanimity, usually signified by one's pure vision of seeing the absolute in the relative, and the relative in the absolute. As a Vajrayana practitioner, this realisation, as per tradition, needs to be verified by one's guru or lineage master. In a Vajrayana context, Non-duality has the same connotation as the experience of Equipoise, which is like a kind of inner confidence that one can feel, without even the slightest trace of doubt, that indeed the mind is essentially a continual flux of emptiness suffused with cognisance, both arising/dissolving not as two split events, one after the other, which is like what 'ordinary' (deluded) minds tend to see most of the time. *cessation of thought is where thought is absented by will, or it could also be that one simply rests in the observation of the gradual lengthening of the silent gaps between 2 thoughts without losing alertness and sharp awareness, which is differentiated from stupor and also contrasted against drugged states, or states of blank consciousness.

Eight Kinds of Silences in Dharma Practice With silence of the body, without fanatical fixation, you will avoid the allurement of violation. With silence of the speech, you will keep your practice free from mindless rhetorical diversion. With silence of the mind, you will not be affected by mindless deliberation, thus enabling you to reside in the pure consciousness of dharmakaya (the non-dualistic primordial mind) without the hindrance of ordinary cognisance. With silence of sense-gratification, you will set yourself free from the conceptual fixation of pure and impure experiences, thus enabling you to be blessed with an existence devoid of conflict, and bring about the protective influences of the Tantric Assembly. With silence of transmission, do not offer instruction to people who are unsuited for such teaching, thus enabling you to receive the blessing of the lineage. With silence of behaviour, act unpretentiously and without deceit, thus enabling you to make advancement and protect the mind from afflictive influences. With silence of experience, do not form attachment with your experience, and do not elaborate your encounter to others, thus enabling you to attain full enlightenment in this lifetime. With silence of realisation, do not cling to mundane longing and reside in the calm abiding of non-duality, thus enabling you to be free from the bondage of samsara in the moment of realisation. ~ Guru Padmasambhava ~

I think zazen is a tremendously helpful practice for those who have great affinity with Patience (aka Forbearance in some Buddhist schools). Not all practitioners have that essential affinity though, and the Tathagata certainly acknowledged that in many of his teachings. This explains all the different 'keys', methods, or antidotes skilfully and systematically laid out in all the major Buddhist lineages, yet all harmoniously leading back to the essence of Buddhadharma, which is the union of wisdom and compassion. Zazen is one very effective cultivation method to arrive at this union.

since all is going with causes and conditions, the phrase 'free of obstructions' is an unnecessary addition since obstructions do not inherently exist. The notions of obstacles and the opposing factors which constitute that which are deemed as non-obstacles arise together, remember?

Science and religion have been at odds for a long time, with some notable scientists disagreeing with religion, and some religious scholars disagreeing with scientific theories. I would like to know what they are in disagreement about. Ans: wtf kind of question is that???

Except that there will always be jesters who seem to take delight and comfort in causing rifts.

The capacity of the mind is broad and huge, like the vast sky. Do not sit with a mind fixed on emptiness. If you do, you will fall into a dulled kind of emptiness. Emptiness includes the sun, moon, stars, and planets, the great earth, mountains and rivers, all trees and grasses, bad people and good people, bad things and good things, heaven and hell; they are all in the midst of emptiness. The emptiness of human nature is also like this. ~ Hui Neng ~

be true to self, imo, is indicative of a call to fulfill one's potential to the best of one's abilities and circumstances.

your information is not up to date, or maybe you have been misinformed. Point no. 1 - You said Taoists are critical of Buddhism, yet most if not all Taoist places of worship (temples and monasteries) pay great reverence to the Buddha Shakyamuni by setting aside altars to honour his teachings. (I know cos I am from a culture that's steeped in both Taoist and Buddhist customs). Point no. 2 - You allude to the false notion that Buddhist practitioners are somehow taught to repress their needs. This is another mistaken notion. Maybe its you who might consider learning to separate the wheat from the chaff. Sorry for sounding curt, but I dont have the sort of patience like Steve has. Btw, if you are genuinely interested in a debate, you are welcome to list all the points of contention here, and we can discuss or debate them individually. But if you are here simply to air your grievances, I think you will quickly run out of sensible things to say simply because it appears, from reading your posts, that even your basic understanding about what Buddhism represents is not clear to you yet.

Wonder,Who has the magic to make the sunappear every morning? Who makes that bird on the elegant tree chirp? Breath, pulse, music, dew, sunset, The burning ambers of the fall. There is unfathomable joy in all that. Life is a stream, It flows on its own. No one knows why we are here. Stop trying to figure out the great mystery. The tea in front of you is getting cold. Drink it. Enjoy every drop of it. And dance. Dance until there is no more dancer, It is the dance without dancer. This is how great mystics dance. ~ Anam Thubten Rinpoche ~

good article on the benefits of training the mind using compassion as a foundational approach https://info-buddhism.com/Empathy-Compassion-Neuroscience-Ricard-Altruism.html

Maybe some mothers have some traits that are not very different from a scorpion's. Humans have limitless means to evolve, after all. Live and learn until one gets it right, at some point.

Maybe you saved that person's life too? Selfless acts are 99.9% synergistic. No one really understands how resulting transformations can impact a being in such profound ways.

Except for the little doubt about the soul, i am in agreement with the above. A few pages back I mentioned something about how compassion is weaved into the process of beings' evolution. Similar view.

some will say compassion is a type of action resulting from a feeling of deep empathy. this is ok - after all, its difficult to relate to concepts that one is not familiar with, but i think compassion extends far beyond the limits of human understanding. To me, it is the very nature of existence itself. Look around... its starkly evident - even weeds and grass have its nature. The assumption that one can 'do' compassion is quite a bold one, almost arrogant even; In actuality, i think its the other way round. Compassion that arises without motive, without self-concern, is instinctual. Just like a snail that withdraws into its shell when agitated, or you pulling a runaway child who stumbles onto a busy street. Its a reflex, but humans have a tendency to train themselves out of that reflexiveness. Some call this 'ignorance'. On some fundamental level, spiritual cultivation is a kind of process of getting familiar with it again. To reconnect with one's heart. Cliched, but hey, thats what it comes down to.

it is easier to remove the veils and fetters that hide one's compassionate heart than to act in the limited human understanding of what compassion is. Compassion is like the sun - the sun naturally emits warmth and light, it doesnt have to force itself to do so, nor does the question of whether the sun shines selectively or not even arise. It simply rests in its own nature, effortlessly. What is the nature of a true human being?

Impersonal as in 'non-discriminatory', or dispassionateness. Or, maybe to help one understand what to do with compassion and its impersonal process, simply consider, not just the outer displays, but the very nature of how compassion unfolds without the least bias present.

Compassion is a universal principle, evident in the most fundamental to the most profound change. Its impersonal, and it permeates to levels far above & beyond considerations limited to the alleviation of human sufferings.

sometimes it helps when we give ourselves permission to be vulnerable. It is actually ok to do that. Those who grief seldom find the space to acknowledge that. Most are either caught up in guilt, pain or anger. These are all very contractive states that prevents reconciliation. People tend to busy themselves with these emotions out of fear of vulnerability. Its like building walls to shield reality out. To be open is to be vulnerable. To be real is to be vulnerable. Reality, at some point, ensures that all beings will have to yield, in one way or another. or else get broken. Be not afraid to be real.

short Tai Chi movie with an all-star cast

Distinctions does not seem as apparent in the East. Over there, its quite common to find Buddhists being very receptive to Taoist health-cultivation regimes, and Taoists likewise are very receptive to Buddhist mind trainings and philosophy. Mutual respect is very much to the fore. Many Taoist temples adorn their altars with statuettes of Buddha Shakyamuni and celebrate Vesak together with Buddhists. Since Buddhism is not strictly a religion (although some do find affinity in choosing to work with the ritualistic and religious aspects of Buddhism, which is ok too) practitioners tend to be flexible and unrestricted in terms of what they might choose to practice aside from Buddhist meditation - just that, in whatever he or she opts for in terms of self-improvement, to remain watchful so as not to become overly attached to the practice, at the same time, to keep the precepts as close to the heart as possible.

fiore di loto

~ snuffed ~