3bob

this is a no no according to the historic Buddha x1000 x1000 etc..

that is: 1% faith in federal gov. 1% faith is state gov. 1% faith in county gov. 1% faith in city gov. 1% faith in the "law" 0% faith in banks and financial institutions thus 95% knowledge that the sun is shining somewhere... over the clouds

"mind" as clear and calm does not get in the way and thus is brought into its natural place and alignment, whereas ego will always be holding out for itself in some way or another and at best can only go so far in the process. Ego's never attain enlightenment.

good point Bindi, although I'd add that mind and ego can only go so far since they are based on conditions, conditions which can be reduced but not unconditionally. (which is of the power of Spirit)

we're all beggars in a sense when it comes to trying to find or know certain meanings that we are having trouble with or can't find or don't know...

belief or not - is not a requirement - besides since when are beggars all that choosey?

MH, since you "reserve the right to change your mind and to be wrong" only time will tell and in the meantime nobody is getting younger...

in my experience I'd say karma has mass and inertia... one thing for sure it makes reaching escape velocity much more difficult. thus comes the saying, "earthbound souls". Btw, many of those drawings of beings suspended in heavenly states sitting on large beautiful lotus flowers is the real deal, not much karma there.

ut-oh, that "dependent origination" stuff, (I'm sure in the heck not a Buddhist whether I realize it or not) Btw, look at the tremendous harm westernized misapplication of Buddhism has bought about, what in the heck was the historic Buddha insightfully thinking anyway?

Leth, I don't know what he wants to do with his marbles but I'd rather play mine in an old pinball machine that just uses one at a time...

yea if we're doing the dharma the karma will take care of it self per same, but even that is not enough to complete the process as you put it.

if we are being continuously perfected then there is no "free will" and without that no joining with perfection is possible. (per choice) Besides at the end of the cosmic cycle time is up regardless or not of completion of "process".......

which is why cats and Jedi almost always land on their feet

yep, there is nothing that can stop the beginning and ending of the cosmic cycles - ready or not here we come.

there is both, transcendent and manifest, and its one heck of a game

"he who digs a ditch shall fall into it" along with those that watch such feats to closely.

besides, - standing in appreciation on the good green earth is a simple joy that is often taken for granted, - and frankly not found in the tormented depths of hell which is waiting with open arms to devour us while we sit on a self made fence.

with the shortened song version along the lines of, "first there is a mountain then there is no mountain then there is...."

then again if we want to go neo-quasi-transcendent-non-dual then "God" is playing the devils advocate all the time among other things...

"unconditional love" is backed up by great power and wisdom, otherwise it could not reach through time, space, body, mind, heart and soul with its healing touch... (edit: along with and including the ability to suspend and or bsorb enough karma to do so)

imo "empty" is often a seriously misused & misunderstood word in the context of anything to do with meaningful spirituality. btw, an easier to handle analogy might be, 'near zero resistance then near infinite amperage flow'. lastly, if one can't be a devils advocate once in awhile then how could one claim to understand both sides?

Many spiritual masters don't dilly-dally around with luke warm B.S. about good and evil, heaven or hell, etc.. I to know about some of the flowery neo-whatever ramblings - like how we are already enlightened but just don't know it yet -, hell I can even relate directly to certain sayings along those lines, then again such is empty, meaningless hog wash to those that aren't fortunate to have had such realizations for then the reality is that all beings suffer and for what?

its aka "bad" karma in the west. I'm obviously using those physics term lightly although I believe they have some use as analogies. Btw, the inertia of a mass can be moving in a certain direction, thus not just a relative and unmoving mass.

A simple Zen saying also contradicts RT's quote. (I imagine he knows it quite well ?)

...some say we purposely set ourselves up or get entangled in dark karma (in a veiled way that humans don't normally remember) so that we will gain lessons in dealing with it... if that is so maybe we are over-doing our lessons? (as sprits having a very costly human experience including a gathering of karmic mass that acts centrifugally to cast us into outer darkess for who knows how long?)