Sunya

Man... who are you to talk? WHO ARE YOU MAN? Can you fly? Can you turn water into wine? Can you teach me in 5 minutes how to become Perfect? What qualifies you to post here.. man?

Very interesting Ya Mu, I have thought about what career path to go down and being a healer is very in line with my motivations to work with people and help them, while also developing spiritually (myself and others). I'm guessing that these sort of treatments do not just help people and their physical ailments, but that there is some sort of spiritual transmission that takes place, in other words.. the more you work on opening someones channels, to help with their health ailments, the more inclined they become to 'raise their vibrational frequency', as you say. Before I go down that path I need to develop myself first to enlightenment, or at least feeling/seeing energy. I'm going to Jenny Lamb's seminar in a week so I'm hoping those methods will be enough, or else I would have waited to go to one of your seminars. In any case, I might do that anyway after the summer, but I'm wary of mixing Qi Gong systems. Do you think that the specific Qi Gong method you teach is essential to the medical practice you teach? Or would you say the essence of Qi Gong methods are the same?

you identify with your body, and responded with fear.. that fear then created your experience of being dragged since in the dream state all is mind. you can try to contemplate the impermanence of the physical body.. how it will die and decay one day, maybe visualize this happening as you lie down, completely let go of all aspects of the body by relaxing and visualize body as pure white light. maybe that'll help. what do you mean by afterlife? there is no after-life, this is all life, where can you point the separation? there are different bodies of expression but there is no 'you', that's the ego talking. yes yes, surrender, and do meditate by resting in pure basic presence, or the awareness that is prior to all experience, thought, sensation. you should do this formally by sitting but also extend throughout the day in class, while walking, while talking, while breathing. be mindful of every sensation and don't get caught up in thoughts. always take a step back and observe the field of awareness. that might be too difficult if you are overly absorbed in thoughts.. so, if so, you should do shamata (concentration) and vipassana (insight) meditations. This is a great site to explore - http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/page/1st+Gear keep going!

a sword going through a flower... anyone care to guess at the symbology?

Nope.

Hi, this is interesting to discuss with you too. I don't agree with your portrayal of enlightenment and its effects on beings. It seems to me that you hold enlightenment as lunacy or going mad and that we should be afraid of it. The many Sages before us have tried to fix this sort of thinking by saying we are all already enlightened, the illusion of the ego is merely an illusion and has always been so; nothing truly changes upon enlightenment. Like the famous Zen saying: before enlightenment mountains were mountains, rivers were rivers... on the path to enlightenment (at a temporary stage of), mountains are no longer mountains, rivers no longer rivers.. after enlightenment, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers. So the point of this is integration which is an important value that both Buddhism and Taoism share. There is always a danger of remaining stuck at oneness, or the Absolute level, and not integrating that with this relative level that is before us, the ordinary human perception of you and me being here, existing, talking. But this danger is only a temporary lack of wisdom. People that go insane and can't function are not enlightened; this betrays the whole meaning of enlightenment which is possessing wisdom. Wouldn't you say that a necessary aspect of wisdom is functioning in this relative existence? About Jesus, well it's hard for us to judge his actions and his life. We have so little to go by and our judgement are always subjective. My opinion about what you said is that you are judging him by your subjective values. I think that upon enlightenment values change and these may differ from being to being. Some may choose to stick around and live a peaceful life, some may decide to just leave and explore the universe, some may teach and try to leave a big impact upon society because of seeing peoples' suffering and wanting to make a positive difference. I think Jesus was in the last category; just because he didn't hide from the Romans and live a recluse lifestyle doesn't mean he wasn't enlightened. He stood up to authority, he created new values, and he really made a positive impact (what happened later under his name was not his fault). Is enlightenment simply choosing the path of least resistance? Letting things be and going with the flow? Maybe, maybe not.

wonderful

bump! I want to see some Bums there!

We are given an ego? by who? I don't buy the Creator model nor do I believe that just because things are as they are, there is necessity for that. You're mistaken in that full enlightenment = no ego = can't survive or live or do anything conventional. Siddhas (highly awakened ones) tend to do just fine. They sometimes get married, they have students, they sometimes begin traditions that last for thousands of years (Buddha, Jesus). Enlightenment does not mean you disappear and can't do anything, like a leaf in a stream. Enlightenment is empowerment.

Too many words. Enlightenment is none of those things.. Enlightenment is simply waking up to what is. This is a joke, right? This has nothing to do with escape. If that's how you see it then you are grossly mistaken. Enlightenment is for those who aren't satisfied with the material world and the answers given by society and its goals. Enlightenment is for those unsatisfied with life the way they were raised to live. Enlightenment is for those who yearn to wake up to their original nature because the lie can only be lived for so long. You can only pretend for a finite amount of time before the mask starts itching. The more enlightened you are the more useful you become. The less ego the more wisdom. The less ego the more compassion. To what benefit? For the benefit of all beings.

Go live in China, its bloody cheap and many people practice in the parks; it's normal there. You can get work quite easily teaching English to support yourself.

Nobody mentioned Beethoven's 7th symphony 2nd movement? my gawddddddd. you don't even have to touch yourself to climax!!!

I'm going to the Colorado seminar... anyone here attending?

cinnamon raisin

My friend ordered the book from them and it was shipped couple days later.. even got a Fedex tracking # too. you must have bad luck!

anyone here ever take a seminar with Jenny?

Looking forward to it.

Man... you are so wrong! hahahaha!!! I laugh not at you.. but because I know how you feel! Man i've been there! Many of us have. I used to think the same way, that my looks defined me and since I wasn't Brad Pitt I was shit outta luck. But then I decided to take matters into my own hands, after isolating myself I learned the 'PUA' arts, which only did one thing: gave me confidence. And now I can tell you very easily that you are wrong. I think Kate, or another female (I can't think of any others so Kate is our designated female) will agree.. it's NOT about looks, it's ALL about confidence. it's about your energy, it's how you present yourself, it's how you act, its how you react, it's about your vibe, your PRESENCE. After I realized I can bed any girl I want I sort of lost that desire for a while. Isolation is only worthwhile when its a choice, not when its forced. When you know you can get sex you kind of don't need it anymore,.... well actually I had sex last week and it was great, but it wasn't out of comfort, it wasn't out of need, and that makes it SO much more enjoyable. Get in touch with yourself, your presence, let go of self-defeating thought patterns. Be aware of these patterns as they unfold your mind, they always carry a certain negativity and underlying emotion of fear and unworthiness. Go out and socialize, talk to guys first.. talk to old ladies! talk to anyone! Read stuff by Juggler. He taught me how to be a great conversationalist.. and actually got me into Buddhism suprisingly. He's the one 'pick up artist' that I know that teaches you to be genuine, honest, and yourself... others may teach you how to be cocky and memorize lines but Juggler teaches you how to be you. Meditating is important... I think you should do that. but you can't repress your needs. You gotta get laid, brother. Talk to people, gain confidence, meet girls and befriend them. Don't hit on them but be genuine and honest and if they attract you: tell them that, and tell them why. Make the move; don't expect the girl to. You're the man and you have the power, if you like a girl you can get her. If you walk and breath with that power then any girl will fall for you because women are naturally passive. It is in their nature to yearn for a man that knows what he wants. Create values with your actions, set values for yourself and LIVE those values. Don't live your life based on values created by society or the media. Don't become a slave to self-defeating values. Just do it man, stop making excuses. We're all with you.

^ Everything Mike said is true. I know from experience.. I was a chronic smoker.. and tried to meditate... I actually thought I was progressing! Hah! All that progress was gone once I quit, lol. Also, Mike forgot to mention that pot clouds the mind and kills your concentration skills, along with memory. But you already know that. Stop smoking if you want to actually make progress. I used to smoke to kill depressing/anxious feelings too... but the more I smoked the worse I got without pot. So what I did was: whenever I felt those feelings I'd just sit and breath.. and low and behold they were gone! Marijuana is like training wheels, you gotta learn to ride the bike yourself.

I concur.

Kenneth Folk is a wonderful, fairly low-key, teacher. He became enlightened through Burmese style Vipassana (and is a personal long-time friend to Daniel Ingram) but also teaches other, more direct, methods such as self-inquiry as well as open awareness-style practice. His site has lots of useful articles and theres a forum too. http://kennethfolkdharma.wetpaint.com/

I'm getting at this: the brain is great at getting you through the world, but it's not good at figuring out truth. There are things the brain is great at and there are things it's not. Some projects are especially futile, like using the brain to figure out the meaning of life, and lead the person to form beliefs. Beliefs are based on assumptions not experience and beliefs cause suffering and ignorance.. actually ignorance causes beliefs.. but whatever. Philosophy and concepts can, and should, be used to dismantle beliefs so as to truly experience the way things are. Arguing about concepts without understanding that they come from beliefs is I think very silly. Clinging to beliefs like "I exist, I have free will, the world must have meaning" will only prevent insight from dawning.

Your concept is hardly valid, unless your brain is capable of omniscience which I doubt is the case. Philosophy and concepts lack truth and can only be measured by their pragmatic ability in awakening insight, this is the Buddhist definition of truth and one which I completely agree with. If you don't then you have to examine your axioms. Here are mine: the human brain is limited, absolute truth is completely beyond the scope of human intellect, there is no way for a human to create a truly representational idea of the way things truly exist A pig's actions cling to a self, even if there is no conscious awareness of a 'doer', the actions of all animals hold to a self. A pig and a Buddha are both empty, and so there is no difference, but a Buddha's actions have the qualities of compassion and wisdom, they are selfless actions which arise from the comprehension of the true nature of reality. A pig, unfortunately, does not have these qualities. There is such thing as relative and absolute truths in Buddhism and I believe you are getting hung up on the absolute truth and forgetting about the relative truth. Relatively there are beings that suffer, and they exist from their own side. Buddha is awakened, pig is not.. both are empty absolutely, but exist individually relatively, therefore their actions dictated by their level of awakeness do matter because the relative nature of reality cannot be ignored. Let's look at it another way, say that you're really into science and you learn that in reality everything is just space, lots and lots of space, with chaotic yet orderly interactions between particles. On an absolute level then, there is no self here, there is just space/particles. If you have this insight, not just intellectual but I mean a true comprehension then this insight affects every facet of your being. You would then see no need to become greedy, angry, jealous, lustful, etc etc. right? You would find absolute peace and freedom through this insight. But at the same time, your ordinary experience cannot be denied.. for it's right before you. You still exist from your perspectival point of view and you still see others as existing, though you have the insight that they too do not exist as separate beings on an absolute level, you also know that they suffer subjectively just like you did once, and you know that they too can find freedom, peace, and happiness like you have.

this is a pretty interesting topic for me.. (and gold, I've ordered that book you recommended, Take Off Your Glasses and See) but I'm curious what your motivation is? I've had bad eyesight since very young, worn contacts (hated them) and now wear glasses, which I kind of like. They look good. A benefit of good vision would be not having to rely on glasses, but is that it? Are there any other benefits? because if I can see the same with glasses then that's just a reliance I don't care much about. I am interested in improving eyesight though because maybe there is some unconscious tension in the eyes and tension = bad, so that could be a good reason... not for the sake of vision but for the sake of removing tension.

Lucky, why are you so insistent that the self needs freedom of will? Is the non-existence of a do-er truly that scary? It seems you've been reacting only out of fear and your posts have thus been pretty angry. I think any arguments that are furthered by fear and led by anger should be questioned. Who is it that fears and why? I think of primary concern is recognizing that there is no way that your mind (the dualistic mind-brain phenomena) could ever form a true concept about what a self is and what reality is, it's just impossible. Our brains suck, they are broken calculators. So all concepts of free-will are wrong, all concepts of self are wrong. All that anatta does is deconstruct our concepts of self, and all that shunyata does is deconstruct our concepts of reality. Once concepts are fully let go of then insight/wisdom can arise.. but not when silly concepts of free will/self are still defended adamantly.