Sunya

you misunderstand me. stop judging my posts. let go of your attachment to Bodri as this all started when I pointed out he has no clue about what emptiness means.

yes thats really all I can do, point him in the right direction. he should of course investigate teachers for himself and find one he has a connection with.. i would only find centers in his area and send him a list to investigate. i'm not going to say, his name is XXX he lives at YYY go there at 5pm and you will become enlightened it's really all up to Alfa. i'll only send him a list of teachers in his area.

oh so you're enlightened? what is this "self" that you speak of? you say that "your" self can teach you about the "self" ?? first of all, where is this self? does it really exist? secondly, if it does exist (which it doesn't) how can the self teach the self about itself? lol, how can illusion teach illusion about illusion? a real master, though lacking in self, has complete realization that goes beyond illusion. we lack a self, but your true nature of mind has qualities of wisdom. accessing this wisdom is a problem because of countless past lives of obscurations. like.. REALLY thick dark clouds blocking the sun. this is why being your own Guru is very difficult. you may think you are accessing the Sun, but in reality its just a really pretty cloud. a true master has access to the Sun 24/7 and points you in that direction. through transmission he helps break up the clouds, and through guidance he shows you how to do it yourself. ULTIMATELY you have to do everything yourself as a teacher can never enlighten you and do all the work for you. the very fact that you are here and are able to receive teachings and find connections to teachers is because of your actions in past lives. you have to create the conditions through which you become enlightened.

you're all using 'emptiness' as a state of 'nothingness' or 'no-thought', this is not what Buddhist emptiness means. maybe they shoulda picked a different word :> Emptiness is the realization that everything is interconnected and lacks Self quality. Alfa, you reek of confusion. where do you live? I can help you find a teacher... they are so important really, to set you straight. no offense to anyone here, but how can you trust the advice you receive here from complete strangers on something so important? theres no doubt that members here have some realization, but its so much better to find a genuine teacher you can trust that can give you practical advice. a real teacher is clairvoyant and gives you advice that is best for you and through his own experience really knows what he is talking about. nobody here really has those qualities.

^ good stuff Alfa, everyone has given you great advice. but I can relate a lot to what you said because i've had similar issues... and honestly i've meditated for a long time so it doesn't get easier. i've meditated on and off for over 3 years.. and I still get sleepy/bored. so lately i've been wondering whats wrong with me? and I realized that I need to do more physical movement, so i've implemented physical yoga into my daily routine (see the link posted above) and thats been helping a lot. i've also lately realized through consulting with Chinese Medicine that my fatigue is caused by a Spleen Qi deficiency so I'm healing that with traditional chinese herbs. this has been a big factor in not having enough energy to meditate properly. I'm not saying you have the same thing.. but definitely get some exercise. Yoga or Tai Chi will really help you out... and if you do happen to have a traditional chinese medicine (TCM) doctor near by.. have him give you a look, maybe he can give you some acupuncture or herbs to help circulate energy better. i've learned that the body is very very important as the mind and body are interdependent, interconnected, one affects the other.. so not taking care of the body with activity/proper diety will affect the mind. no doubt.

yes you're speaking of the physical body as being separate.. look at the 12 links again. it all begins with ignorance then the chain continues. Birth is there.. so the Physical body you speak of is a cause of ignoranc and is formed as a direct result of the previous chains.. though in Buddhism its taught that enlightenment can happen in this very life, so its possible to have Pure Vision while having a body yes, but talking about it is impossible. whats it like? hows it happen? these are all questions I can't answer. though I can speculate that craving and desire simply don't exist. craving is much more than being hungry and going to get food. craving status for example, and wealth. craving pleasure. these are not needs, they are wants.

well what is desire based on? what is craving based on? there is a fundamental 'assumption' or 'deeply held thought held to be true' that is the root of desire. no? this is the thought of "I" that this self exists and must continue to go on. that I must survive, that I must feel good, that I musnt feel pain. that I must succeed, that I must have. I must be. this is the root of craving, the root of desire. so the Buddha didn't necessarily teach that craving is bad, he taught that the root of craving is ignorance that there really isn't a me, and nothing can be grasped anyway because everything is temporary, nothing is 'real'. this is not to say that the I doesn't exist and everything is One. that is another extreme. the Buddha taught that the I doesn't exist because its interdependent (dependent upon other elements for its existence) and compounded (made up of many different elements). so this I is always changing and interdependent with environment and other beings, how can we say that an I exists? there is no fundamental essence that carries forth. you may think that you are the same person you were 10 years ago, but that isn't true. modern science even shows that on a molecular level the body changes very often, but Buddhism says even on a deeper, spiritual or energetic, level there is no fundamental essence or Soul. what carries forth is volition, or will, and this is directly related with craving and desire. though, I said earlier that craving is because of ignorance, it's kind of like the chicken and the egg. there is no 'first cause' for ignorance.. rather the Buddha taught the 12 links of Dependent Origination to teach the cyclical nature of existence, never teaching a 'first moment' or any form of Creation. 12 Links o Dependent Origination 1. Ignorance is the condition for mental formation. 2. Mental formation is the condition for consciousness. 3. Consciousness is the condition for name and form. 4. Name and form is the condition for the six senses. 5. The six senses are the conditions for contact. 6. Contact is the condition for feeling. 7. Feeling is the condition for craving. 8. Craving is the condition for clinging. 9. Clinging is the condition for becoming. 10. Becoming is the condition for birth. 11. Birth is the condition for aging and death. 12. Aging and death is the condition for ignorance. Nagarjuna said: Two deluded actions (links 2 and 10) arise from three deluded causes (links 1, 8 and 9); seven uncontrolled results (links 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11 and 12) arise from those two deluded actions. Again three deluded causes arise from these seven results. Such a wheel of life goes round and round. (further reading: http://www.bodhicitta.net/Wheel%20of%20Life.htm ) as symbolized by the Wheel of Life

i find the 5 Tibetans to be great beginning yoga. good exercise for energy, pre meditation, http://www.mkprojects.com/pf_TibetanRites.htm

findley forgot his PMS meds this morning

this is america you fucking speak AMERICAN

no, it isn't. it's probably an imbalance, go see a TCM doctor (traditional chinese medicine)

I relapsed >< must..stop. i decided to try the EQ2 14 day trial...by the 3rd day I subscribed lol. I got to level 42 in 10 days. and today I just think I've had enough. I get addicted so easily.. because there is this purpose, this goal. the excitement of getting there. wow.. level 80. that will be so cool, such a childish thing, I remember thinking the same thoughts when I was 14 and got Everquest 1. so its the same thought pattern... I tried it just for fun and ended up being addicted again because I have a lot of free time and basically let myself get sucked into the fantasy of temporary pleasure/excitement. now i'm thinking.. well, what happens when i'm the highest level? well then theres more to do.. you get Achivement points which unlock certain skills.. and theres always more equipment! so theres always goals. you knock off one goal, and then theres more. and then theres always expansions coming out every 6 months.. so thats what they do. they give you these goals and you scamper off, pretending that this goal will somehow bring you happiness. the race to get to that goal is obsessive and compulsive. they dangle a carrot infront of your face... its like a grand social experiment. putting mice in those labyrinths with cheese at the end, except the labyrinth is very pretty and decorated, and the cheese is complex. once you get the cheese, to the end, you see that theres more to go! what keeps sucking me back in is my addiction to entertainment..so samsaric... hahaha

then why post? I'll try to help you through the best of my ability but I recommend seeing a Lama to help you understand this better, as i'm not clairvoyant I can't tell you what you need to know to truly understand yes, its true. ..there is much karma that is "in queue" or waiting to ripen in the subtle deepest reaches of your mind, like seeds waiting to sprout. as you meditate and purify, these seeds get awakened and burnt up. meditation quickens the process of karmic activity because through meditation you access deeper layers of mind and purifying bad karma.. once karma from this life is burnt up (ie. negative habits are dismissed) past lives, and this goes pretty far. I have a friend who burnt up all his karma from this universe and thought he was done, until karma from the previous universe (before the end of the cosmic eon) unfolded, and now he's going through a lot of crap. since the mindstream is beginningless, there is much karma to experience and burn up.

how can tranquility and clarity last if death is complete cessation with no continuation? you need to think more deeply into this matter, as its very important. nothing should be taken on faith, but you're stopping short. how can there be eternal peace if there is no 'after-life' ? afterlife has many meanings to different people, the buddha did hint at the beyond, but just didn't give any concepts about it. Nirvana is non-conceptual. to completely dismiss the true nature of mind which is beyond the physical is merely foolish since you are cutting yourself short and creating a concept that needs to be broken. to say that the physical continuum is the self is wrong because then there would be no difference between your version of Buddha's enlightenment and shooting yourself in the head. since suffering comes from physical existence all one has to do is kill themselves. this has been said before. you cannot have Buddhism without rebirth and karma. the Buddha taught these. you should look into the 5 skhandas which make up the self, and realize that these 5 skhandas are not the 5 senses, there is more to the 5 skhandas than the physical body and brain. as much as you dislike Buddhism and claim to be all about what the Buddha taught, you really don't understand that Buddhism is based on what the Buddha taught. all of Buddhism is method to get you to the realization that Buddha taught himself. unless you get yourself a teacher and stop pretending that you already know what the Buddha taught, you will never truly realize it.

umm, because it's not? one has the Vedas as authority while the other does not? you're joking right?

I've been having some physical issues for the past couple years that I now decided to focus on. They appeared very minor to me but now I'm feeling the connection between body, mind, and energy... and see that I need to fix these issues. my symptoms are chronic sinus issues like phlegm and mucus.. cysts/lipomas around my body on lower back and thighs... fatigue sometimes,cloudy head, white coating on tongue.. looking all this up, it seems I have dampness in my body...the fatigue/sleepiness is what bothers me most as it affects my meditative ability. the lipomas are also bothering me, I went to a surgeon and he said they aren't dangerous but can be removed.. i don't want that. so I looked into TCM. cases of lipomas were cured by herbal tonics focusing on the spleen, see here: http://www.bluepoppy.com/cfwebstorefb/imag...ures/rr_277.pdf i've already changed my diet, implementing more physical movement (doing some hatha yoga), but am thinking of trying herbal remedies aimed at spleen dampness to help the Qi circulate. something like this: http://www.agelessherbs.com/RestoretheMiddleWayFormula.html (any thoughts?) i'm also thinking about what I can do self-healing wise to help correct my circulation problem and get the spleen working again. I know theres something like the 6 healing sounds, though I never tried that. would that help? any other methods recommended? any advice would be appreciated from those who know a thing or two about such matters thanks

well I emailed this lady that sells herbs http://www.agelessherbs.com/ says she has 25 years of experiences, I gave her all my symptoms. she actually has an online evaluation so I did that. she responded that all my symptoms that I listed in my first post are caused by Spleen Qi Deficiency. can this lady be trusted? or should I see a "real" TCM doctor seems like she has some experience, but idk about these things! http://www.agelessherbs.com/aboutcatherine.html

you do not learn well with teachers and yet you ask people here for advice? how is that learning on your own?

why not go to one of the free vipassana retreats that are held in just about every area of the world? thats the best way to learn IMO. http://www.dhamma.org/

yes I remember quite well reading a post by Namdrol where he said he respects all religions, especially Hinduism. but respect doesn't mean you take on this religions views, and doesn't necessarily mean that you equal their goal with your own. I don't see this hateful at all, it's just realistic.. and following the teachings of the Buddha. respecting all religions is progressive and necessary for all people, but following one path in a conservative manner and not lumping all religious views/practices into one big stew is also necessary i believe.

you lectured at Princeton University about Buddhism? I highly doubt that. though Wikipedia isn't the best resource, it's still enough to quell your silly ideas about Buddhism as rejecting life, being pessimistic, and somehow misunderstanding the Tao. it's not that I don't agree with you, it's that Buddhism doesn't agree with you. you misunderstand the whole point of Buddhism, it's not about flowing with life and being one and all of that.. its about being realistic, understanding suffering and its causes. the Buddha was not a pessimistic spoiled brat as you claim, he was just like us. delusional, attached, enjoying sense pleasures, grasping at an illusory self but then he woke up. it's as simple as that. reading isn't so bad, many have already gone the journey with success and reading their accounts and advice gives much to the seeker. making arbitrary judgments about a philosophy you have no understanding of and thinking you know everything can hardly be called "awakened", so why don't you awaken first and then give that sort of advice to others, my friend. I'm not awakened, but I know Buddhism pretty well so I can safely say you have no clue what you are talking about, Princeton University or not. Taoism on the other hand, I don't doubt your knowledge, so I won't go saying something silly as Taoists grasp at a self by wishing for eternal immortality and bliss... because such generalized speculation is ignorant and I clearly don't know Taoism well enough to say that.

it's pretty damn good. I sold my copy a while ago but i've been a fan of Robert for a long time and we speak often. but since i'm more interested these days in understanding subtle levels of mind rather than working with energy.. I sold the book. Energy Work is very much like a mixture of Qi Gong and Yoga; he recognizes both the dan tiens and the chakras. he claims not to be influenced by Qi Gong or Tantra though and that he figured it all out by himself. the methods are all aimed at opening your channels, getting rid of blockages, and building your 'energy body' there are also techniques at healing, self and others, and other methods, i forgot.... his methods are different in that he teaches you to go into a theta-like trance state saying that its much better to do energy work in that state than in the waking state. he teaches how to stimulate the 'primary centers' and store energy in the 'storage centers'. there are also many graphic illustrations which i found very helpful. IMO he is a modern Qi Gong master.

for anyone trying to throw Indian Hindu/Buddhist cosmology into the mix by saying that its Kali Yuga and that means the world will end in 2012...... don't bother. Kali Yuga just started, theres over 400,000 years left until the end of the universe according to Indian cosmology.

this is the Siddhi among all Siddhis. I bow to your greatness, your holiness.