C T

Thanks for sharing.. Quite interesting meetings there

In the same accounts, it was mentioned that Himalayan yogis were occasionally seen mingling in Taoist cells too. Lost to China was a reference to the gradual takeover of Tibet that began in 1950.

cant wait trust that you will keep us posted!

It could be that rushing such a practice, and approached without authentic guidance could result in some sort of anomaly or other. These are practices that span years of dedication for yogis, so if one avoids the mistakes that come with hastiness, the probability of that happening is almost zero.

Its wonderful that quite a number of previously 'hidden' secret mantra practices from the old masters have now become accessible and with such clear and systematic commentaries that explain the practices in depth so that followers need not have to figure out twilight terms and coded meanings. All thanks to the wonderful Tibetan translators.

22'56 to 35'.oo breath mastery

good news!

Why, did you think dying is extra-mundane? I reckon that it's the 2nd most mundane occurrence after birth. Could anything in between, therefore, be considered outside the mundane?

He who clings to Sunyata And neglects Compassion, Does not reach the highest stage. But he who practices only Compassion, Does not gain release from the toils of existence. He, however, who is strong in practice of both, Remains neither in samsara nor in nirvana. ~ Saraha ~

Wu-shun said, "The path is in daily activities. If one seeks a special life outside of daily activities, that is like brushing aside the waves to look for water."

Have read accounts of Taoist adepts mingling with Tibetan yogis long before it was lost to China.

sgt pepper's!! lol

Great points! If I may, I'd like to offer a little Buddhist tantric perspective on the above, having been reminded of a text (common to both the Guhyasamaja and Kalachakra Tantras) that mentioned the importance of aligning one's practice with the seasons, as well as insights into the merging of the red and white drops. It is said that vital essences (the red and white drops in this case) are subject to daily, monthly, yearly, and life cycles. These cycles influence, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively, the physical functions and emotional reactivity of humans. The cycles that most clearly represent the patterns of vital essences are the daily, monthly, and yearly cycles since these correspond to the movements of the sun and moon. Corresponding to the cycle of a day, determined by the rising and setting of the sun, the red vital essence increases with the rising of the sun and decreases with its setting. The opposite is true for the white vital essence. Corresponding to the cycle of a month, determined by the waxing and waning phases of the moon, the white vital essence increases from the first to the fifteenth of the lunar month and then decreases from the sixteenth to the thirtieth, while the red vital essence decreases from the first to the 15th and increases during the waning phase of the moon. In this cycle, the past aspect, when the essence has fully completed its function and has become residual, is said to be the 'dissolved' vital essence. The present aspect, the refined essence (principally the white aspect) currently performing its function, is the 'engaged'. The future aspect, the cause or root of both the refined and the residual, is the 'dominant' vital essence. Corresponding to the cycle of a year, determined by what appears as the movement of the sun toward the north for 6 months and toward the south for 6 months, the white vital essence increases for 6 months beginning from the summer solstice and then decreases as the red vital essence increases for 6 months beginning from the winter solstice. Although both cycles are necessary and complementary, generally speaking the cycle of increase of the white vital essence is one of growth and therefore has a positive influence on the human body and mind complex, while the cycle of increase of the red vital essence is one of decline and has a detrimental influence,, with body and mind becoming susceptible to obstacles. Vital essences are also distinguished as the vital essences of body, speech, mind, and pristine awareness, each of which has its particular location in the body, principally the head, throat, heart, and navel. Imprints that are the source of emotional and cognitive obscurations, accumulated since beginningless time, are present within these essences as a subtle union of wind and mind. Thus, in the ordinary state of unawareness, these 4 types of vital essences give rise to the 4 states of an individual: the waking or ordinary state, deep sleep, dream, and sexual union respectively, together with the delusions and deceptions that are related to these states. In order to purify the 4 vital essences, the practitioner trains in 4 methods, involving the generation of various forms, the creation of sounds, nonconceptual contemplation, and use of sexual bliss. At the time of the path, the experiences from these methods arise as the vision of empty forms, invincible sound, nonceptual consciousness, and immutable bliss, respectively. As the ultimate effects of these methods, the waking state transforms into the various manifestations of awakening (Nirmanakaya), the dream state transforms into the enjoyment dimension (Sambhogakaya), inclusive of all awakened bodies and voices (me: think heavenly angels with trumpet sounds lol); sleep transforms into the nonconceptual dimension of reality (Dharmakaya), awakened mind, free from all limitations imposed by mental constructs, and sexual bliss transforms into the dimension of great immutable bliss (Mahasukhakaya). These vital essences are thus possessed of a double potency: unrefined and unpurified, they bind one to illusion; purified, they grant freedom from illusion. Central to all (Buddhist) tantric methods is the experience of the 'Four Joys'. In the course of practice, the white vital essence situated at the head is intentionally melted in order to experience bliss. This process involves activating the energy of the red vital essence at the navel and causing it to blaze using breath control techniques and other means. Given the light nature of the elemental property of which it is composed (ie fire), the heat energy of the red essence moves upward, warming the cold nature of the white essence, The white essence then melt and drips, a process in which the vital essence becomes increasingly fluid as it reaches the reproductive organs. Given the heavy nature of the elemental properties of which the white essence is composed (ie earth and water), this vital essence moves downward. Since the original vital essences remain at the head and below the navel until death, the blaze of the red essence and the dripping of the white must refer to an accelaration of the energetic process mentioned above, in which the sub-products of these ascend and descend in the body. The descent of the white vital essence is marked by 4 main stages of experience known as 'Joys'. Each of the Four Joys arises in turn as molten white vital essence reaches the channel wheels or centres of energy, along the central channel. According to the Kalachakra system, as the stream of white 'nectar' from the upper part of the head reaches the throat, there occurs the initial joy. As it reaches the heart, there arises the supreme joy. As it reaches the navel, there occurs the special joy, and as it reaches the tip of the sexual organ, there occurs the innate joy. In tantras such as the Hevajra that postulate four channel-wheels (Chakras), this last joy occurs at the navel. The initial joy is a slight experience of bliss. Supreme joy is that first joy increased so that it overcomes the coarse levels of the conceptual mind. The special joy is the experience of bliss and emptiness becoming inseparable. As a result of this, attachment to the joy ceases and the limitation of passion is overcome. The innate joy which follows is the nondeceptive, concept-free realisation of the indivisibility of bliss and emptiness. Innate bliss is the very nature of ordinary consciousness but remains hidden until discovered through the experiences that accrues from these practices. In order to recognise this nature and stabilise one's awareness of it, it is necessary for the tantrika to withhold semen, the base of bliss. For this reason, great emphasis is placed on relative bodhicitta in the tantric path of transformation, and several pledges (samayas) are concerned with not allowing it to be released. From the above, it is quite interesting to note some commonalities between the esoteric approaches of both the Taoist secret arts and Buddhist secret mantra paths.

I suspect it had something to do with the beers.. lol

Light entertainment.. the swordplay is impressively well-choreographed. Pity no subtitles. In HD

Its like the difference between drawing on the finest piece of silk screen and drawing on water.

An expansion on the understanding of the practice of Karmamudra (sexual union) in Secret Mantra During ordinary sexual union, the male and female experience physical and mental pleasure produced by the melting and release of vital essence. This is common sexual bliss. In tantra, this experience of bliss itself is used as the basis of a special technique: the practitioner causes the melted vital essence to flow throughout all channels of the body, producing physical and mental bliss. With bliss serving as the secondary condition and the practitioner’s familiarity with the innate pristine awareness nature of the mind as the primary cause, winds and mind dissolve in the central channel. Thus stimulated, the vital essence present in the central channel melts and conceptions cease, allowing to manifest limpid, nonconceptual, pristine awareness, accompanied by the experience of the indivisibility of bliss and emptiness. When innate bliss is still attended by the dualistic impression of emptiness as the object and bliss as the subject, it is known as example innate bliss. When it is nonconceptual pristine awareness of the very nature of reality, resembling a clear sky, free from even the most subtle subject-object duality, it is known as real or actual innate bliss. The same kind of distinction is drawn between actual luminous clarity and example luminous clarity. In the experiential process, and according to the phases in which the innate is manifested through tantric methods, the innate as bliss is understood as the pristine awareness of the four joys. Being emptiness beyond any definition, how can the innate natural condition of everything be called bliss? It is known as bliss for a number of reasons: the innate is free from the concepts of arising, abiding, and ceasing; it does not abide in either cyclic existence or perfect peace; it is free from adherence to self and others; it is the pristine awareness of one’s intrinsic awareness, an awareness that cognises its own nature; it pervades everything; and it is always of the nature of bliss, whatever the circumstances. Furthermore, the innate reality that derives from the melting of vital essence is spoken of as “great bliss” because it is totally free from all suffering and adherence to subject-object duality. It is not the tainted pleasure experienced by ordinary persons but is manifested by “striking the crucial points of the body” through the method of inner heat or union with a consort. This indicates that this reality is found within the “temple” of one’s body. Accordingly, the tantras state: This is the great pristine awareness Which abides in the bodies of all. All highest yoga tantras, with different degrees of emphasis, teach that reliance on the method of union with a qualified consort is an indispensable step in the path to realisation.

Highest Yoga Tantra Highest yoga tantra, as its name yoga, or union (rnal ’byor, yoga), denotes, is characterized by the application of method and wisdom as an inseparable union. This is symbolised by tantric deities of this system depicted in sexual union. In this imagery, the male is method; the female, wisdom. In addition to their general meanings as explained above, in this context, the meaning of method is bliss (bde ba, sukha) produced by way of special meditations or union with a qualified consort; and that of wisdom, the understanding of innate reality, distinguished as being the very consciousness of that bliss. For the sake of training, method and wisdom are applied, in a sense, distinctly: first, bliss is generated and then united with the understanding of the innate. In fact, wisdom is already inherent in the nature of method since knowledge of the innate is of the nature of bliss. Moreover, in the phase of completion, the realisation of luminous clarity (’od gsal, prabh›svara) is wisdom, and the ensuing illusory body (sgyu lus, m›y›deha) of the deity actually manifesting is method. Thus, it is evident that the dual principles of method and wisdom are represented in different pairs of attributes— male and female, relative and ultimate truth, yoga with signs and without signs, phase of generation and phase of completion, appearance and emptiness, bliss and emptiness, and illusory body and luminous clarity. In fact, all aspects comprised by tantra can be distinguished according to these principles. From this, one understands that the meaning of method and wisdom cannot be restricted to simply the literal meaning of the two words. In the inner tantras of the ancient tradition, particularly anuyoga and atiyoga, we find a progressively finer gap between method and wisdom, but it is in atiyoga, or the “great perfection” (rdzogs chen), that the duality of method and wisdom that characterises the lower paths is totally transcended. Practice of atiyoga does not involve distinctions in method and wisdom or levels of application since, according to the view of atiyoga, all that exists is simply a single reality, one’s own authentic condition, primordial awakening, with no differentiation between relative and ultimate truths. This point is made clear in the Total Space of Vajrasattva (rDo rje sems dpa’ nam mkha’ che), a text of the mind division of atiyoga: A path to purity that proceeds from level to level does not agree with the teaching of no action. If there were truly paths to travel, one would never Reach one’s goal, just as there is no limit to space. and... The bliss of the intrinsically perfect state Is found only in instantaneous presence Illuminated by the power of matchless wisdom. Reality does not come from anything else.

Tell that to master Jeff. He seems to have said this thread is not about realisation, then went on to contradict himself in subsequent posts.

The entirety of the path and its fruit might be summarised as: Recognising, and then resting within, the pure heart of awareness. ~ Paramito Ladakh ~

I wouldn't dream of it, sir, but its good to be occasionally reminded of the obvious. wishing you a splendid time on TDB.

I know exactly what you mean, BES

wizard of oz, according to a pesky 4 yr old, who insists on nothing else for bedtime reads.