Sunya

nac, mindstreams always remain individual. when we say nobody gets enlightened that means there is no longer a sense of I, or ego, but that doesn't mean that the mindstream does not exist individually. cessation as spoken about in the pali suttas means cessation of ignorance, cessation of the belief in an I, not disappearance entirely. so Buddhas still exist individually and act. there is no becoming one with the universe. union in Buddhism only goes as far as complete access to wisdom not merging with the universe and no longer existing individually lol you can't get away from doctrine. even Zen emphasizes study, especially Heart Sutra. you need proper view or you get lost.

Buddha is not equal to Buddha Nature. Buddha nature is the potentiality for you to become enlightened, inherent to every individual. a Buddha is an enlightened mindstream, completely identified with the Dharmakaya wisdom, manifesting Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya bodies to help all beings.

not trying to start an argument, i'm genuinely interested because I don't understand. could you please tell me how an EEG monitor helps you progress?

I just don't see how this helps. meditation is not about entering into deep states. it's about what you do in those deep states. it's not a race, these states are not the goal. having a monitor will not help you with Tummo, because having a monitor will not help you melt drops or ignite the inner fire or bring energy into the central channel. Nor will this monitor help you enter deep vipassana states and attain insights about the true nature of reality. All this monitor will tell you is how fast your brainwaves are going. If i'm meditating, knowing whether i'm in Beta or Theta doesn't change anything. What matters is my own conscious experience. Am i remaining fixated on the object? am I remaining in a clear and open state not disturbed by thoughts and emotions? the EEG monitor will not tell you anything that you don't already know. It just gives you more bullshit to think about and worry about. Another product of the materialistic age. just my opinion

and how does this monitor reduce the time to get into deep meditative states? the methods used would still be the same. concentrating on breath, relaxation. classifying your state by brain wave terminology changes what? I don't get it.

ignorance has existed even before the 'age of enlightenment' of the New Agers. in fact, there is no beginning. the cosmos = beginningless. and you have been in ignorance for a very long time :/ we all have. not just humans, but you've been a goat too, and a firefly. everything in fact. so don't worry about what humans were 50,000 years ago. they were still ignorant. If you were one of the mindstreams that lived in an enlightened society then you didn't do a very good job in achieving liberation because you're still here a lot of new agers focus on the past and think that humans were enlightened and then shit got ugly. well, who cares even if thats so? what does that really change? you're still here, and you're still ignorant. i think this comes from identifying too much with the human race. maybe it can be good to imagine the possibility (damn near definite probability) that there are infinite worlds out there with civilizations, and if you like the idea of reincarnation (who doesn't?) then chances are, you were a member of many many different societies society really doesn't exist as an evolving entity. there is no Self in society, there is no Self in humanity. its the individuals in the society that matter, and its their evolution that matters. the evolution of humanity only happens because of the individual evolution of the mindstreams who happen to incarnate on Earth during this time because of their karma. There is a possibility that the mindstreams that were incarnated on Earth 50,000 years ago are all elsewhere right now, and humanity is made up of completely different beings. so you see, there is no such thing as 'humanity'. for that to be so there would have to be continual reincarnation of the same mindstreams on Earth. but how can that be if the population has gone up so dramatically? and if you take into account the INSANE size of the Universe, and the high probability of many civilizations existing, then the probability of humanity continually having the same mindstreams is very low.

but the interpretation and view is different of these gods, where in Hinduism the Gods are seen as aspects of the One, that is seen as wrong view in Buddhism as there is no One. all Buddhas have the same qualities of wisdom and compassion but remain separate individual mindstreams. as for "God", no there is no Theism in Buddhism. no Creator, no Divine Will. i'm not sure how this compares to Taoism since everyone has a different interpretation due to the metaphorical nature of Taoist philosophy. and there not being one main text. Historically, Buddhism is a tree, Taoism is a river. the tree grows from the one seed, while the river flows and takes whatever goes with it. so I think this poses a problem in trying to understand Taoist philosophy, but the Dao De Jing can be said to be the one main sutra and in my understanding the view presented in Dao De Jing of the 'Dao' is different than the emptiness of Buddhism. where it seems that the Dao is nothing more than a very subtle non-conceptual state of mind beyond-thought that is made to be an Ultimate Reality that is the source of all things. Buddhists say that in meditation, this appears so, but only because of wrong view. but since non-conceptual is grasped at by Taoists, they will easily dismiss what Buddhists say as too conceptual. It's too bad that Taoists have this repulsion towards understanding consciously their experiences, because they fail to see that it is impossible to be truly non-conceptual. the Dao De Jing, try as it might, is far from non-conceptual. One passage says you can't talk about it, and the other says its the source of all things. the 2nd is a very heavy concept. Non-conceptual is the goal we can say, but to get to that goal its necessary to question our subtle beliefs and make sure we have proper interpretation of experience.

a Buddha realizes the three bodies, very roughly its: Dharmakaya (could be equated to unmanifest), Sambhogakaya (energy), and Nirmanakaya (physical). Buddhists are not obsessed with the Dharmakaya, because the 3 kayas are interdependent, one cannot exist without the other, the Dharmakaya is not the true source and the Nirmanakaya is not ignored. 3 kayas have to be integrated for true realization. in fact, there is no unmanifest separate from the manifest. because all the Kayas are empty, they lack inherent existence. and there is no mystery in Buddhism, at least for a Buddha since the mark of a Buddha is total omniscience.

I've found this book to be the best beginners book on Buddhism http://www.amazon.com/What-Makes-You-Not-B...0501&sr=8-1 this is also excellent, more scholarly, but focuses on the pali suttas which are the original teachings of the Buddha. these are the foundation of all Buddhist schools http://www.amazon.com/What-Buddha-Taught-E...0531&sr=8-1 also, anything written by the Dalai Lama and Trungpa Rinpoche such as http://www.amazon.com/Heart-Buddha-Dharma-...0686&sr=8-4 I would really recommend Trungpa Rinpoche, he writes in such a clear style that is very practical and really hits home as he truly understood the Western mindset I would also suggest, to save money as I do, to buy all your books used off amazon.

whos this I? where is it?

of course you like your ego, you ARE your ego, LOL

Why?

can try these

How about you contribute more than 3 posts to the forum before you worry about making moderating suggestions? lol! LOL

Buddhism points to the interdependence of the sky and the moon, not just the sky or just the moon. You gotta see both are mutually dependent! seems like the Dao of Laozi is pointing to the sky, and saying that the moon comes from the sky because the sky is the source of all things. Am I wrong?

well its not finished, there are 13 chapters, so 6 are missing I can already spot some major differences. for example: Akrishi: When a mortal takes shelter in an embryo, the primordial spirit resides in the square inch (in between the eyebrows), and the discerning spirit resides in the lower heart. The lower heart of blood and flesh, is of shape like a big peach, with the lungs to cover and shelter it, the liver to assist it, and the intestines to bear it. Cleary's translation is simply: This is possible only by seeing essence. This is what is called the original face. another example: Akrishi: This ever and again reverting light can still be practised when having no mental image, moreover there is the reverting light when really showing mental image. Cleary: If you can look back again and again into the source of mind, whatever you are doing, not sticking to any image of person or self at all, then this is "turning the light around wherever you are" This is the finest practice. In the first example, Akrishi adds a lot of detail.. where's this guy get all that extra information? he probably added all that detail because he 'thinks' he knows what the original author meant, but Cleary translated the text in the specific Chan/ early Taoist context that it was written in. I trust Cleary's translation, he knew what he was doing, and he has notes in the back of the book for each sentence explaining what is meant. the second example is much more clear in Cleary's (clear Cleary ha!) translation. Cleary writes his translation as an actual method that is meant to be understood, not just a rough translation via Babelfish. Just my opinion.

not Tibetan Buddhist, but Buddhist in general. And if people aren't prepared to openly question their religions goal then I don't think they are truly being open and honest. This is just a discussion, don't get angry

Hm that is chapter 4? well in my translation (Gia Fu Feng and Jane English) it says: The Tao is an empty vessel; it is used, but never filled. Oh, unfathomable source of ten thousand things! Blunt the sharpness. Untangle the knot. Soften the glare, Merge with the dust. Oh, hidden deep but ever present! I do not know from whence it comes. It is the forefather of the gods. I think that the point that Laozi was making was that the unnameable Dao is beginingless and the source of all that arises. Chapter 42 The Tao begot one. One begot two. Two begot three. And three begot the ten thousand things. Chapter 51 All things arise from Tao Chapter 52 The beginning of the universe is the mother of all things. KNowing the mother, one also knows the sons. Knowing the sons, yet remaining in touch with the mother brings freedom from the fear of death. Chapter 21 The greatest virtue is to follow Tao and Tao alone. The Tao is elusive and intangible. Oh it is intangible and elusive, and yet within is image. Oh, it is elusive and intangible, and yet within is form. Oh it is dim and dark, and yet within is essence. This essence is very real, and therin lies faith. Well, it was certainly radical for its time and no doubt Laozi was a great sage; this realization is much higher than anything i've ever attained. But.. this is, according to my understanding, is a realization that is tainted by grasping at an Ultimate and Absolute source, no different than the Brahman of Vedanta. This is not the Buddhist realization that there is no true and absolute source, using Taoist terms: the Mother and Sons and Tao and all the things arising from the Tao are all interdependent, no one higher than the other. According to Buddhism, Form is not within Tao. Tao is Form. Tao as described in the hatched up translations of the Dao De Jing sounds like Stage 4 http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/200...experience.html where non-dual presence is experienced but taken as an ultimate reality

mmmm.... there are different stages of enlightenment. they are not fully enlightened, no. a Kundalini awakening is not enlightenment. though you get a taste. check it - http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/200...experience.html for most people, Kundalini brings them to stage 1 or 2 or maybe even stage 4 if they were good little boys or girls. UG could've been at stage 5. I haven't really read him recently.

hey brother, if you're serious about this and don't have money.. you should sell a kidney, or maybe not a kidney since they are fairly important in alchemy. I would go see a TCM Doctor or PM Santiago directly and ask which body part is less needed and then go ahead and sell that.

I concur on the suggestion to read Daniel Ingram http://www.interactivebuddha.com/

Gagyupas? lol

curiouswanderer, you might find this interesting/beneficial/motivating http://www.thetaobums.com/index.php?showto...mp;#entry134429

there are many Vajrayana practies to be practiced at death. that is the purpose of Dream Yoga so there is clarity and also there has to be recognition of the Clear Light which occurs at the moment of death, if the Clear Light is not recognized then other practices are given for a high rebirth.. Chod practice is meant to kill attachment to the physical body. Phowa is like an OBE technique where consciousness is shot out of the crown of the head, meant to be done at the moment of death to project consciousness to a pureland where enlightenment can be hastily achieved. i've had a couple spontaneous OBEs but need to do some Chod or something as the attachment to the physical body is tough to break for me. there are many other ways, working with energy is only one.

This is what you want. http://www.amazon.com/Treasury-Knowledge-B...s/dp/155939188X