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I kept wondering why the baseball kept getting bigger. Then it hit me. The soldier who survived mustard gas and being pepper sprayed is now a seasoned veteran. Atheism is a non-prophet movement.

Real gratitude is not in what one receives, rather, it is to be thankful for what one has, to give... If you have a little, share a little; if you have much, give more. That sort of spontaneous gratitude that wells up within from giving, words cannot describe. For it is always good to heed the reminder that howsoever blessed we are, are also gifts we have received along the way.

Look to the essence of appearance, And only emptiness is seen; Look to the nature of that emptiness, And only awareness is seen; Look to the expression of that awareness, And only appearance is seen. Such is the inseparability of essence, nature, and expression— Emptiness, awareness, and appearance. ~ Paramito Ladakh ~

Did you hear about the buddhist who refused Novocain during a dental procedure? He was trying to transcend dental medication.

"Thus in this way, Ananda, skilful virtues have freedom from remorse as their reward. Freedom from remorse has joy as its reward. Joy has rapture as its reward. Rapture has serenity as its reward. Serenity has pleasure as its reward. Pleasure has concentration as its reward. Concentration has knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its reward. Knowledge & vision of things as they actually are has disenchantment as its reward. Disenchantment has dispassion as its reward. Dispassion has knowledge & vision of release as its reward. In this way, Ananda, skilful virtues lead step-by-step to the consummation of arahantship." Kimattha Sutta

This body is like a bubble, floating on a stream, Our breathing is like a candle in the wind. Those best friends of ours seem like children of the gods, But once we’ve left them behind, they can never be by our side again. We may have stacked up wealth and possessions the size of a mountain, But not even a single needle can we carry with us. ~ Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ~

THIs EXISTS... Prem Baba -- Journey of a South American spiritual seeker on the path of guru yoga

The root of all phenomena is your mind. If unexamined, it rushes after experiences, ingenious in the games of deception. If you look right into it, it is free of any ground or origin. In essence it is free of any coming, staying or going. ~ Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro ~

There are claims going around some yoga schools that 'yoga' (which basically means 'to yoke' or 'union') first originated in Egypt, and not India. The first mentions of yogic exercises, classified under the term Smai Tawi, apparently can be found in the Papyrus of Ani, or commonly referred to as the Egyptian Book of the Dead. Some 10,000 years ago. Interesting eh?

A practitioner must not be caught in the dualistic sensory world of samsara; the victorious ones view samsara as a pure realm, devoid of seeming dualities. The manifestations of the five emotional poisons is the secret path to timeless awareness. Such statements above, and others of a similar nature, are rife in the world of Vajrayana and tantric Buddhism. These can be easily manipulated by sleazy teachers and their ilk. Does it encourage inappropriate conduct? Personally, I think such statements must only reinforce exceptional and irreproachable conduct on both sides, otherwise the whole purpose of entering the 'swift path', which btw all mature students have been reminded can be dangerous, is defeated.

Very sensible feedback, Chang. Its all down to human weakness, on every side. We frequently hear of people with power and influence, across all professions and social strata misusing and abusing their position (in fact there's a current media blitz going on in this regard), and religious leaders, sadly, are not removed from such unwholesome deeds, though one would think this is the group that will least likely to act in ways that will actually undermine ethical and moral responsibilities, but its not something that is unheard of, so there is still a degree of ignorance placed on the side of the 'victims'. I have had tantric encounters before, but never once did the question of improprietiness enter the picture. It was all very upfront, matter of fact, and no lust attached on both sides. Just mature, consenting adults exploring mutually beneficial esoteric practices with the full understanding that either party may terminate the 'agreement' at any time.

A Vajrayana master will impose Tibetan culture on an Israeli student, even though that culture means nothing to the Israeli. Of course, if an enlightened master enforces Tibetan dress, Tibetan food, and Tibetan ways of thinking, and this really crushes the Israeli ego and habits, it can be taken as an enlightened method. But ultimately, if the Dharma is to be established outside Tibet, culture and habits must communicate. Culture is not what is being transferred; it’s not the point. If you are Israeli, no matter how fully devoted to your Tibetan master you are, the chance of you becoming a Tibetan in this life is zero, whereas tapping into your buddha nature and applying appropriate methods for waking yourself up from delusion and reaching enlightenment are very possible. There is no right and wrong here. You cannot say outright that cultural trappings don’t work at all. For centuries, the Tibetans had never seen a lotus flower. There are no lotuses in Tibet; the idea was imported from Indian culture. The only thing they knew was that the lotus grows in mud, yet they painted lotuses and visualized lotuses. They were and are such a big symbol. The same is true of the wish-fulfilling cow. There were no cows in Tibet in those days. Cultural images and icons have their purpose. They are definitely not the Dharma, but they can serve to communicate it. (Dzongsar K. Rinpoche) Just something to ponder over.

It is more than 36 hours since I reported this post but have yet to be notified of measurements being considered with regards to said post. I am hoping to hear from one of the Team soon (via pm if deemed necessary) on what i see as an accusatory and strongly worded post which is basically incorrect, spiteful, misleading, and which serves no purpose other than to undermine another member's reputation and integrity. Thank you 谢谢

Let water under the bridge lie. Hmm.. Im quite sure thats not how it goes, but to bob@marley with it

hmm.. i wonder who is the nice bum

I believe unconscious resistance to be a direct result of conscious unawareness (ignorance) of simple habitual traits that can be observed and subsequently transmuted. Many such habits are conveniently allowed to fester under the 'reflexive' banner, and has been proven problematic for some people.

If resistance relates to disciplining the body, speech and mind, gearing and guiding these 3 aspects with joyful effort towards the awareness and eradication of habits deemed detrimental to peace, contentment and other enlightening qualities, then it's not a negative implication, imo.

Its available on Scribd, and they offer a free 30 day trial if you're really interested in it. Or you could try requesting it from Nalanda Institute. They might turn out to be quite accommodating (or not).

Its been so long since I have had a cough or cold that I had forgotten about the wonders of raspberry preserves! It is the national folk remedy (for listed ailments above) in Poland too, and my partner, who's Polish, gets jars of it from home whenever she visits. Good reminder. Thank you! umf = unique manuka factor

and this is the ugly outflow that is currently besetting the manuka industry in NZ. (just for information purposes, should there be any interest in finding out why manuka honey is so bloody costly) https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/nov/04/manuka-honey-wars-new-zealand-crime-booming-industry-poisoning-beatings There's only 2 brands of NZ manuka available in health food stores in Ireland, plus another half dozen marketed commercially by local honey producers who have jumped on the money train and stuck the word 'manuka' onto some of their honeys. Im not going to mention their prices as its immaterial. The 2 NZ brands each have a range on the shelves, with MGOs ranging from 50 upwards. The last jar of MGO100+ that I bought, maybe 6 months or so back, costs about 17euro for 250g. Now its retailing at 25euro. At the upper end of the scale, 250g of MGO 550+ would set one back 75euro. Thats a lot of money for 250g of honey. The rhyming call, "NO money, NO honey" comes to mind... One of the brands, in addition to listing the MGO level, also lists the UMF. This is what sets Manuka apart from all other honeys available, and it is this property that is apparently of more significance. edit -- The reason I keep a jar at home is that I find it is highly efficacious in treating sore throats and easing flu symptoms.

It'd have been a non-issue if the root topic which caused the problem was redirected out of General Discussion when it first appeared, for example, the ppd section would have been the ideal spot to hang the buntings and pop the crackers. Mods would not have to mother anything then. Even as the course of the thread began to show signs of conflict, it was permitted to stay where it was, and some quarter might want to share some of the responsibility for the seeming escalation instead of the mere highlighting of how members ought to conduct themselves better in such situations. Where grounds are appropriately tended, the question of weeds does not arise.

Abstract Meditation research has begun to clarify the brain effects and mechanisms of contemplative practices while generating a range of typologies and explanatory models to guide further study. This comparative review explores a neglected area relevant to current research: the validity of a traditional central nervous system (CNS) model that coevolved with the practices most studied today and that provides the first comprehensive neural-based typology and mechanistic framework of contemplative practices. The subtle body model, popularly known as the chakra system from Indian yoga, was and is used as a map of CNS function in traditional Indian and Tibetan medicine, neuropsychiatry, and neuropsychology. The study presented here, based on the Nalanda tradition, shows that the subtle body model can be cross-referenced with modern CNS maps and challenges modern brain maps with its embodied network model of CNS function. It also challenges meditation research by: (1) presenting a more rigorous, neural-based typology of contemplative practices; (2) offering a more refined and complete network model of the mechanisms of contemplative practices; and (3) serving as an embodied, interoceptive neurofeedback aid that is more user friendly and complete than current teaching aids for clinical and practical applications of contemplative practice. Above is the abstract of an article (below) by Joe Loizzo which makes interesting reading in relation to this topic. Loizzo is the founder/director of Nalanda Institute for Contemplative Science. The Subtle Body: An interoceptive map of central nervous system function and meditative mind-brain-body integration Loizzo is quite accessible by writing to him via the Nalanda web page. Sometimes he replies quickly, other times might take longer.

You might want to put that question to the person whom I reported. Its an odd question anyhow, but thanks for asking.

The party concerned did the insulting. Was it called for? Surely not. Reflects accordingly anyhow, what the poster is attempting to represent. I am not aware of any warning, unless it was done privately.