Simple_Jack

That was excellent. Thanks for posting this, I haven't come across his material before. @ 42:32 "What a relief...until we see it was just a security not a cop. We should have known because they didn't have donuts."

Dude, I love that video.

Garchen Rinpoche on bodhicitta and the nature of mind: http://www.khandro.net/lama_Garchen_Rinpoche.htm ...You have to look at the nature of obscurations and eliminate them, whether they are greed, anger, or ignorance. It is very important to know how obscurations develop. If you don't know this, you can't dispel them. I spoke of the analogy of the child and its mother. First the mother likes the child, which is one layer, then the mother sees the child as beautiful, which is a second layer, then as intelligent which is a third layer. It is like being bound by a rope. If the child dies because of impermanence the mother will suffer greatly. If you know how obscuration develops, you can immediately look at the nature of the obscuration when it appears. Our minds are like ice that is frozen by the cold of the afflictive emotions. In order to melt it, we need sunlight, which is the cultivation of bodhicitta. Ordinarily, if your enemy harms you, you will feel anger. This is like cold freezing water into ice. In a situation like this it is important to be mindful and to cultivate bodhicitta. If you can make the distinction between thoughts and mind, within that moment you can be enlightened. If you see the nature of mind and remain in that awareness you are enlightened. But when thoughts appear and you fail to recognize their nature, you become ordinary. So ordinary beings and enlightened beings are only separated by one moment. So first you must know the nature of your own mind. ... Q: What is the difference between relative and absolute bodhicitta? A: Relative bodhicitta is based on the understanding of cause and effect and karma. Absolute bodhicitta is based on seeing the nature of afflictive emotions. When you see their nature is emptiness, that is absolute bodhicitta. Then you are beyond these concepts. Cause, effect and karma do not affect absolute bodhicitta because absolute bodhicitta is beyond concept. But until you have realized absolute bodhicitta, you must believe in cause, effect, and karma. Until then you should practice virtuous actions. The unity of absolute and relative bodhicitta will happen when you understand emptiness as the nature of the mind. At this time you will develop great compassion for those who have not seen it. So at that point relative and absolute bodhicitta unite. ... Until now we have not practiced mindfulness. That is the basis of our obscurations and how our perceptions have become deluded. Now is the time to be mindful of our thoughts and how they arise so that our afflictive emotions will lessen. In that way mindfulness is like a strong fire. ... I have said many things but there are two main points. First, you have to see all beings as your beloved. This has an immense benefit, like a wish fulfilling jewel. This is the practice of relative bodhicitta. The second point is absolute bodhicitta. You have to be aware of the nature of mind, no matter how many thoughts arise. You should not be distracted by thoughts, but be mindful. All disasters are caused by mistaken thought. Mistaken thoughts cause disasters when you are careless. Not only will there be attacks from the outside, but from the inside too. The attacks from the inside are the afflictive emotions. Supporting the practice of recognizing the nature of mind is relative bodhicitta, Of all emotions, anger is the worst. It will destroy yourself and others. So you have to be careful. The result of anger is obvious in the recent attacks. There will be endless destruction if you engage in anger. If you attack one, they will attack two, and so forth. So you should be mindful of the result of anger. Think that if anger arises again it is like committing suicide.

Yeah, taking bodhisattva vows should only be done unless you're serious about upholding them. Fair enough.

@ 9th & cat I apologize for my accusations of tirthika views and for my sarcastically assholish remarks.

Not really, what I've posted is actually emphasized as the starting point in sutrayana: which is discerning correct view i.e. dependent origination. Of course, in Vajarayana as a whole, the view is introduced by the guru, but what I posted about the Gelugpas is not something I made up. Even within Dzogchen, which is beyond sems: tantras and commentaries from different masters, goes to lengths to distinguish this view from other paths (then there's people like Longchenpa and ChNN who have said that the view of Dzogchen is the same as Prasanga Madhyamaka - the difference being that the former is not a result of intellectual analysis).

....If only I had the wisdom and compassionate influence of Skeletor memes on my life....

Did you read this before making that comment?: "The Milindapanha, which is almost as old as the [rest of (Burmese ed.)] Pali Canon above implies that lay people do/did attain enlightenment. It is just that they all ordained or died within 7 days or less. Many of the arahants mentioned in the Pali Canon who attained enlightenment were either monks or nuns or ascetics from other traditions, so technically, perhaps the ascetics were not lay followers. But there is a list of 21 lay followers in AN 6.131 - 151 / 3:450 f; PTS ed AN 6.119-120 who attained full enlightenment. One is listed as a doctor, others as householders, so it does not appear they were all ascetics." The fact that the Pali canon has discourses where Shakyamuni Buddha or his disciples, gave the complete teachings to kings, householders, etc., shows that the teachings were just as applicable to lay followers. Obviously, you've entirely missed the point of buddhadharma, if you think it pertains to this. I started out in Buddhism with Therevada. Also, I can tell from your posts on Dzogchen that you haven't received transmission and instructions from a guru. Well for starters, instead of complaining that me and Rongzomfan are always trolling, you could receive instruction and training on buddhadharma.

::Sigh:: I posted this on TTB's before: http://www.dhammawiki.com/index.php?title=Lay_arahant "Although there are about 3,000 lay sotapannas mentioned in the Pali Canon, at least 90 sakadagamis, at least 500 anagamis, and about 21 lay arahants mentioned in the Pali Canon, there are far more monastic monks and nuns mentioned as reaching full enlightenment..." "Full enlightenment" in this case is arahantship.

1. TI, SeekerofTao, etc. haven't received transmission and explanation on practices related to Vajrayana. 2. Almost no one who posts on this board, understands the basic factors of the sutrayana path, such as the 8-fold noble path and the role of satipatthana among other things. Yeah, there's a reason why bodhisattva vows are separate to refuge vows.

We also have to take into account the tantric vows on top that... http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/practice_material/vows/general_tantra/common_root_tantric_pledges.html "If, with the intention of identifying and teaching higher and lower views, other precepts are deprecated, this is not transgression, but greatly increases merit." - Commentary on The 14 Root Downfalls | rtsa ltung bcu bzhi

Right, but IMO, cultivating the 4 immeasurables of aspiring bodhicitta on the paths of accumulation and preparation, is a means of calming the affictions and gaining merit by taking into account the bodhisattva vows: http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/aspiring_and_engaging_bodhicitta.html http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/practice_material/vows/bodhisattva/root_bodhisattva_pledges.html Vow number 6: "...Maintaining this vow does not mean forsaking a historical perspective." P.S. I fail at most of the auxiliary vows on a daily basis.

There are several instances of Buddha teaching the 4 bhramaviharas to lay people, the Kalamas being one example: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html

You realize, I wasn't the one who originally posted those images right? Yet you commented as if I was the one who posted them.

How about you tell me what's acceptable humor and I'll get right to doing that.

You'd probably feel the same way if you knew the Dhammapada story of Moggallana/Maudgalyayana grinning when he saw a skeleton-ghost tormented by fire while flying through the air. Because you people commenting on these threads aren't practitioners of buddhadharma and don't understand the basics such as the 37 factors of awakening.

Neither, It made me EL O EL.

This is missing the point completely. The 4 immeasurables are antidotes to closed minded behavior which can actually help towards cutting the links of self-grasping: which is the condition for experiencing samsara. In Hinayana, cultivating the brahmaviharas lead to experiencing the different form realm samadhi's.

Other than Lama's, no. From what I heard, the Kalacakra Tantra, really doesn't have the most positive view of women. I can see that you're not mature enough to objectively discuss the implications of these views without being overly defensive to challenges made against these views. Traditionally, Gelugpa's emphasize ascertaining correct view i.e. dependent origination during study/hearing (the teachings), contemplation (of the teachings) and meditation (on the teachings); from the beginning up till the moment of realization, this is the prime objective. Needless, to mention, is the approach of sutrayana. Says the guy with the quote from the Bhagavad Gita in his signature.

The meeting of the drops in the sushumna.

It's eventually about the meeting of the white and red drops.

Yeah. Definitely not the Kalacakra, from what I heard. It's from the tantric perspective.