TzuJanLi

Greetings.. Hi Ralis: Be careful, Clarity is not favored by 'religious types'.. and, you tend to exhibit an abundance.. Hi Contrivedname!: i appreciate that you possess the sincere curiosity to actually 'listen'.. agreement is a bonus, the sincerity the issue.. Thanks.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Contrivedname!: Well.. it was intended to be my message in a 'Satire' of the intellectual Buddha Banter prevalent in this 'Taoist' forum.. Be well..

Greetings.. When do people release this insipid intellectualism.. Pretending your own wisdoms by parroting the words of past experiencers, while too timid or too lame to explore your own existence.. when do you stop playing word-games, as if Awareness were anything other than the messenger of a reality you haven't the courage to embrace.. Individual persons, bantering their deep understandings of "what they want to hear themselves say", and tacitly approving of each other's pretensions by engaging in the nuance of the pretension, rather than rebuking its absurdity.. no different in its pretentiousness than the cultivated etiquette of social nobility, yet so much more sinister in its influence over the impressionistic minds of the sincerely curious.. Life is an elegant simplicity, it is experienced by a unique individualized Self, plainly obvious without resorting to conceptual constructions that conflict with the basic function of awareness, to observe.. The absence of faith in one's own existence, or the belief in 'no-self' by self, is hardly the criteria for posting advice about, or 'pointing to', 'self-formed' opinions regarding a reality with which you have no familiarity.. Liberation is experienced when there is no need to define 'self/no-self', that need is unmanifested due to the self-evident nature of observing your existence without 'expectations'.. 'expectations' that are constructed by attaching to belief systems, programming, gurus of choice, or the unfounded fears of 'self' passing into non-existence.. it is the latter, the fear of 'self' passing into non-existence, that inspires the belief in 'no-self', which ironically, is a deep attachment to self.. as if by pretending there is 'no-self' then it can't pass.. Self is constant, eternal, and merely changes perspectives to accomodate its own existence and the evolution of its self-awareness.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi 3bob: I experience 'mind' as the interface between the unique physical experience and the Unified Collective experience.. through which Consciousness experiences itself from both perspectives by knowing that neither perspective dominates the other.. we exist as the unique physical perspective of Consciousness, unique by virtue of temporary attachment an independently functioning energetic form, an interactive 'vehicle'.. the 'interactions' or experiences are shared by Consciousness regardless of prespective.. and useful only by the degree of Clarity afforded by the mind's 'structure'.. beliefs, programming, and ideology are components of 'structure'.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi mikaelz: Thank you for noticing.. you know, if i wasn't aware of your affinity for Buddhism, and therefore your reluctance to be anything other than sincere, i might mistake that quote for petty juvenile sarcasm.. If you yank your head out of Buddha's butt for a moment and simply observe Life with genuine curiosity, you might see some merit to the observations i posted, and.. that's all i ask, honest evaluation from the perspective of a 'stilled-mind, Clarity.. but, that's unlikely, like most followers of belief systems, whatever they are, the system over-rides Clarity, Authenticity, and common-sense.. the developers of systems are no greater nor lesser than 'you'.. except that you choose to abandon your own authenticity.. while i ask that you simply evaluate information with Clarity, you expect that i accept someone else's interpretations as more accurate than my own.. that i abandon Clarity in favor of dogma? That just doesn't feel consistent with what 'is'.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Marblehead: 'Nature', by which i mean wilderness or systems less impacted by human intervention, has counseled me well and consistently for as long as i can recall.. I acknowledge that nothing is 'un-natural', but.. there are changes brought about by the influence of humanity, that increase the difficulty of discerning the appropriate counsel of 'nature'.. I was talking with some friends about this topic a while back, and the 'quiet one' listened for while, then said: "Nah, people are the source".. at first we made fun of him, but.. he was spot-on.. Be well..

Greetings.. Thanks Ralis.. nice find.. the energy, creativity, joy, and connectedness are good reminders of how we should interact with each other.. Be well..

Greetings.. I have highlighted the phrase that describes the misunderstanding that is the cause of suffering.. Not only do we experience 'reality', we ARE reality.. suffering is the conflict of trying to resolve what we ARE, with the 'belief' that we are not.. everyone knows they experience reality, it's just that simple.. it's the 'conceptual gurus' using clever word-games and creating separation between what we 'know' and what we are 'programmed to believe' that causes 'suffering'... Be well..

Greetings.. Hi Ralis: A good read for an introduction to Tibetan Mysticism is Alexandra David-Neel's 'Magic and Mystery in Tibet'.. otherwise, this thread contradicts its own title.. the intellectual one-ups-manship vividly demonstrates the hyprocicy of 'selfs' proclaiming 'there is no self'.. Be well..

Greetings.. For more than three decades i have studied various philosophies and belief systems.. i find it to be shallow and insincere to judge beliefs without having a reasonably good experiential understanding of those beliefs.. this method of study quickly taught me how to suspend my personal preferences in order to have an authentic experience of whichever system i was interested in at the time. From this i have come to some fundamental understandings, some of which i will try to communicate here.. As i studied various beliefs, i would hear or experience certain concepts that simply 'made sense', without contemplation or comparative analysis.. as some would refer to it, there was a certain 'resonance' or "good vibe".. As i studied various beliefs, i began to notice that the "good vibes" were related to very similar concepts that were present, in one form or another, in most of the belief systems.. the 'words' the belief systems used to present these 'similar concepts' might be radically different, but the principle was very similar.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that the followers of a particular system generally assumed their beliefs to be superior to other beliefs.. as such, they frequently assumed the roles of 'defenders and recruiters'.. and, in doing so, they would challenge the different 'words' of another system, unaware that the 'principles' were not different.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that reliance on pre-existing 'authority' or 'tradition' as the 'source' of 'belief' was used to validate the follower's current beliefs.. and that same 'authority' holds sway over the follower's own common-sense.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that 'ritual' is used as an effective tool to establish heirarchy and authority.. a tool for separating experiences into successively more complex rituals, each supporting the next more complex ritual.. such that the rituals become the 'separation' between the seeker and that which is sought.. the follower's accomplishment of ritual complexity is managed by the system's appointed structure of 'authority.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that every system has provisions for 'sudden understanding'.. a sort of 'instant complete awareness'.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that most hold a belief that the Human Being and the physical Life experience are, in some way, flawed, or incomplete, or less than 'real or true'.. a notable exception to this observation is Taoist Philosophy.. As i studied various beliefs, i notice that most followers of a belief system find it easier to tear-down the beliefs of others than to explain the actuallities and benefits of their own beliefs.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that when the follower of a belief system is faced with an undeniable example of inconsistency by their system's beliefs, the follower will abandon common-sense and integrity to preserve their belief in the system.. regardless of the irrational or disagreeable perspective necessary to accomplish it, the follower will maintain denial rather than seek understanding.. As i studied various beliefs, i noticed that the fundamental principles of the beliefs are conceptual, and as such unverifiable by simple observation.. as 'concepts', the principles are subjective and cannot be scrutinized by a dependable standard.. So.. i have arrived at my current understanding, which i will try to describe.. i understand that every belief system that i have studied is based on a perception of 'truth and reality'.. that 'perception' is subject to the condition of the 'mind' upon which it is deposited by the perceiver's awareness.. an active mind will not receive the information 'exactly' as perceived.. a still mind will receive the information 'exactly' as perceived, based, of course, on the degree of stillness.. A belief system that utilizes 'ritual' also engages the 'mind' to insure that the information received is consistent with the system.. I find that by not choosing a particular system, the consistencies common to most systems reveal principles that are fundamental to all systems or to NO system.. for the individual interested in 'understanding' the nature of existence, the clarity offered by a still mind is essential.. The first awareness noticed by the still mind is that 'it' is aware of itself, it experiences 'stuff' that is not 'it', it is 'self-aware', which.. is 'self-evident. This 'self' is the 'why' of all of the belief systems.. there are NO belief systems without the 'selfs' to believe.. the system serves the self, created by the self. I cannot explain the choice to pretend there is no self, it's an irrational misinterpretation of Life.. which is very simply observable as the interactive relationships of individualities.. the interactive relationships result in a Unified Awareness of the 'Source' of ALL things.. Be well..

Greetings.. Hi alwayson: Actually, stilling the mind is HOW you achieve "tension-free CLARITY and VIVIDNESS".. IF the mind is active, you are not in 'the present moment'.. Be well..

Greetings.. 'Time' is a measurement.. it measures intervals between events based on an arbitrary standard. This measurement we call 'Time' is used by everyone in one way or another.. To deny that people use this 'measurement' we call 'Time', is... you betcha, ignorant! There is no 'substance' called 'Time', you can't go to the supermarket and buy a 'loaf of Time', and everybody already knows that.. so, what's the point? Time and self are tied together.. "I" just checked to see what 'Time' it is.. and, it's 'Time' for alwayson to deal with reality.. 'Self' is very real, it's a functional concept you refer to frequently.. it identifies the awareness one has of its own existence.. if it were not so, you would not be able to pretend your imagination is superior to reality.. Be well..

Greetings.. LOL, are just discovering this delightful little word game.. don't bother 'dumbing it down', this is old news.. let it go. I 'got it' a long 'time' ago.. Now, your little word-game is precisely correct, AND completely useless.. please show me the benefit of this 'insight'.. Be well..

Greetings.. Well.. Change of heart!! You're an idiot! you just want to see yourself write on the pretty screen.. Be well..

Greetings.. You didn't? Be well..

Greetings.. Let's be clear, i have a doctor's appointment.. i will refer to a device that displays the equally divided increments of the interval between subsequent light and dark events relative to this planet's rotation on its axis and the dispersal of light from its nearest star.. this measurement is referred to as 'Time", the word and the act of measurement are verifiable, so.. i will arrive at my doctor's office at the appointed 'Time'.. to deny that this system functions as designed, is.. well, i'll be kind.. nonsensical.. Be well..

Greetings.. Ooops.. my mistake.. LOL.. my dad used to say: "it takes sense to make sense".. i think i see the problem, were you distracted by something? a loud noise, something shiny? read it again, focus this time.. keep at it, practice makes perfect.. Now, this is really no fun, but i'm fairly good at it.... if you care to, we can examine the issues with open minds and clarity, or we can have a go.. Be well..

Greetings.. 'Stilling the mind' is not the 'holy grail', it's the 'key to the chamber of truth'.. it provides the Clarity, from which we must still engage the mind and correlate with Life and our interactive contribution to it.. as Life spontaneously unfolds 'in the Now', there is no 'time' to engage the thought processes, you rely on 'who you are', who you have evolved into, to engage Life head-on, in real-time.. then, in quiet moments of reflection, you 'correlate' these experiences into a more 'evolved 'you'.. fully aware that 'you' are BOTH an Individualization of Oneness AND Oneness itself.. Brilliantly interdependent.. Be well..

Greetings.. Agreed!! but, it represents an existent condition, that in a forum like this, uses the "ENGLISH LANGUAGE" to communicate the 'thoughtform' which evokes a memory that is intended to be so similar as to complete the act of communicating.. "I" is essential for ALL of this communicating stuff, for ALL of this existence stuff.. it's just a self-imagery issue to banter about a bunch Philosophical 'stuff'.. for example: There was this rich kid thousands of years ago, his over-protective parents created this 'illusion of perfection' to shield him from 'reality.. one day, the rich kid slips away from his parent's influence and experiences 'reality'.. he freaks completely out!! runs away and spends the next few decades creating a 'story' that would recreate the 'illusion of perfection' his parents had made for him.. he wanted to 'help' humanity feel the safety of his childhood 'illusion'.. what WAS that kid's name? oh, yeah, Buddha... as you can see, it's all a matter of perception.. Still the mind', the 'stories' vanish, and .. 'see' for yourself.. Be well..

Greetings.. Precisely!!! See below for a great example!! See what i mean??? Be well..

Greetings.. Yep, as Consciousness undifferentiated, you/we set the evolution of the Cosmos in motion, a tangible reality within which we experience our existence as Individualizations of Oneness.. oh, and the part you 'overlooked', as Individualizations, we are bound by a few physical constraints, like 'moving the Sun around' .. That's a widely held 'belief', but.. i'll wager that you have a 'particular' philosophy that you believe is superior to others, right? I'll further wager this 'philosophy' prejudices the 'clarity' you wish you could claim, am i 'close'? This is what the 'Clarity' of a stilled mind reveals about the vast majority of the dialogue on this forum.. yes, this is what i was pointing to.. Be well..

Greetings.. Nope, 'YOU' are Consciousness incarnate 'doing' exactly as YOU choose, within the parameters of the tangible reality YOU have created with which, to experience YOUR own existence.. now, get out of your overactive imagination and start experiencing Life.. Nope, Philosophy is a trick designed to keep the mind active.. it is the 'stilled mind' that sees/experiences "the way things truly are".. but, this will not be received well, the mind prefers being active.. the issue is do you have the courage to 'still-the mind' and see/experience the way things truly are? Be well..

Greetings.. I agree with your statement, as quoted, Marblehead.. but, to state the 'Time' doesn't exist, is ignorant.. tell that to the IRS on April "16th", tell it to the Boarding Agent about the flight you just missed.. tell it to the Silver Medal winner who missed the Gold by 2/100ths of a second.. 'Time' is quite real, it serves a very useful function.. it's relative, so what? it's most rudimentary form was observed as the intervals of light and dark, later described as night and day.. There is an observable interval/duration between your birth and your current experience.. it can be described in many ways, relative ways.. but, the interval is an existent function of the time/space continuum.. that we use the 'word' Time, and certain convenient standardizations, is just common-sense efficiency.. blathering-on about 'Time' not existing is just 'see how new-agey cool "I" am' sorts of self-imagery.. Be well..

Greetings.. No, you don't.. but, you like to pretend you do.. it's a very clever intellectual game, very nourishing to the self-image, but.. no one alive in physical manifestation actually believes time doesn't exist.. they're just pissed because relativity won't agree with their conceptual preferences.. so, they stomp their feet, make-up elaborate intellectual stories, and pretend.. it's great fun to watch.. oh, by the way, what do you call the interval/duration between your birth and your current experience? Be well..

Greetings.. I know it seems too simple, and i know i keep mentioning it, but.. dang, after more that 30 years of this sort of seeking, searching, debating, etc.. nothing has more consistently revealed itself as the 'fundamental way' than.. still the mind. The entireity of the debate and the Taoist, Buddhist, Hindu, Yogi, competitions are no more than 'stories' about perceptions.. these perceptions will be made in the Clarity of a stilled mind, or the prejudice of an active mind.. the wood gets chopped and the water gets carried, regardless of the beliefs.. simplicity pays attention to chopping and carrying.. the rest, just mental distractions.. Be well..