Jetsun

Well I have to use convention language or there is no communication, but yeah the I won't realise anything yet there is still realisation it just isn't done by you. Without the experience it is pretty much impossible to get or understand this because the ego can't comprehend anything exists beyond its own domain.

It's impossible to say what or who that one is. If you follow this out far enough you are doing self enquiry in the line of Ramana Maharshi, who says that I is just a thought which when tracked goes back to the heart, the primary I-identity thought which then breaks down leading to realisation. If you are prepared to go beyond where you are stuck Karl you could realise it

Exactly, it still can't be found in the body or mind content

If you are honest and go deep enough with your enquiry of where am I? The answer always has to be "I dont know", because when you examine what you take yourself to be a center of I can never be found, there is nothing you can specifically pin a flag on and say it is I.

In my experience spirituality can work in a kind of bait and switch way, so there is a lot of things attractive to the ego in it all, for me it was the image of becoming some kind of open hearted all loving kind of Saintly guy who brings healing and peace to all those around me, along with a few Siddhi's and wisdom thrown in. That and some other stuff baited me in and made me interested in all this stuff and I learned to meditate and read loads of books and went to spiritual events and met teachers. But then when reality struck one moment the realisation clearly emerged that the person who imagined achieving all that doesn't survive the journey, I will never be enlightened, only enlightenment gets enlightened, which was ultimately a blow and a disappointment to my ego and also brought up a lot of fear, but I was in too deep and turning around wasn't really possible. Bait and switch, its all a setup. Without some kind of bait for the ego I doubt anyone except those living in extreme suffering would bother with spirituality

Personally if two years showed nothing I would give it up. Yet you can't blame the Buddhadharma as practically every single instruction and teaching by every single Dzogchen master ever written says you need direct introduction or pointing out instructions in person from a realised master. If you don't follow the most fundamental basic instruction of a system you can't blame the system for not producing results. Yet I think you have a point about Norbu, I see nothing of value from his students, or at least those who post online, he is a great scholar and has done some wonderful work for the Dharma but I personally see no evidence he has the capacity to bring students to the realisations which are outlined in the texts. Yet you can't judge an entire system by one master.

It comes from genuinely realising that you don't actually know what is good for them

The first episode of the new season of Black Mirror has a good take on this

As a foreigner myself Obama has one of the best reputations abroad, he is clearly very intelligent and a good orator and is scandal free. Personally I think the state of American healthcare is an absolute disgrace for a supposed advanced nation, so it is the humane moral thing to do to try to improve it in the face of extreme hostility and a Senate which did everything it could to block anything he did. That's the way it looks anyway from the outside , apparently most Americans who actually live with him don't agree.

There is a lot of evidence that it increases your own happiness and sense of wellbeing to practice altruism. So even if it's a form of intelligent selfishness everyone benefits.

They might go back to the Russians, like they did before

You can do both meditation and enquiry, they aren't contradictory rather they can compliment and empower each other. Ramana prescribed enquiry for some yet he said the best thing is to be in the stillness, to marinade in it. While we can no longer be in Ramana's presence where the stillness was most palpable and obvious it doesn't mean we can't still access it, which can be done through meditation or there are other living people who can bridge it.

It is said that the Ramayana is happening in your own body. Your soul is Rama, your mind is Sita, your breath or life-force is Hanuman, your awareness is Laxmana and your ego is Ravana. When Sita (mind) was stolen by Ravana (Ego) then Rama (soul) got restless. Now the soul (Rama) cannot reach the mind (Sita) on its own, it has to take the help of the breath (Hanuman) - the prana. With the help of the prana ( Hanuman) the mind (Sita) got reunited with the soul ( Rama) , and the ego (Ravana) vanished. This is the spiritual significance of the story.

I'm undecided about Kufayev, do you know him well? Or have attended many of his teachings in person? Why do you consider him your teacher if you don't mind me asking

The theory around the liver is basically that it is one of the main organs to remove toxins and if it is struggling or overloaded the skin has to come in to help out the detox process, leaving the toxins on the skin. The liver can be overloaded due to a number of reasons, could be environmental or dietary but there is often emotional and karmic issues at play too which can influence its functioning, usually around anger and power. Beets can help the liver detox, but don't overdo it only a few times a week But then it could all be allergic reaction as well

In terms of my own healing training eczema can be related to issues in the liver, possibly anger, so could be a combination of past life karmic, ancestral as well as genetic reasons. Each case is going to be different. I could do a reading for you if you if you like but would need you to send me a photo of you, plus I am not a doctor, I have a few years training in an alternative healing called Vortex Healing, so I cannot officially diagnose any medical issues yet can give friendly advice.

I am a History graduate who did my dissertation on the US and UK relations after the war That article is full of speculation and short of evidence, and while the US may have wanted a unified Europe as a strategic interest during the Cold War that doesn't mean that the EU an American project, if it had that much control and influence it wouldn't have such difficulty passing its trade agreements with the EU today. While Israel was only founded in 1948, it is hard to see that it had such influence and power so quickly that it could suddenly shape the entire European continent around its wishes. Its not that hard to believe the official story, that people who had first hand witnessed the utter devastation of the World Wars wanted to find a way for it to never happen again, far more likely than some sort of Zionist conspiracy. Its true that the US tried to bleed the UK dry after the war but that also changed with the rise of the Cold War as it was in American interests that what was left of the British Empire was strong. While I don't believe in the "special relationship" you will find that is was almost always British lawyers, politicians and policy makers who would lobby on behalf of the Americans and their business inside the EU, and Britain who does much of the spying on the European leaders and countries on behalf of the Americans. Why do you think Obama wanted us to stay so much?

Not sure where the idea that the EU is an American/Israeli idea has come from, historically the people who were instrumental in creating the EU were Europeans who did it to try to prevent Germany and France from going to war ever again, and so far at least on that level it has been a success. Really the main American influence into the EU came from Britain, who was seen as a US cheerleader and usually put forward US interests, so there are quite a few in the EU especially on the French side are happy that Britain is leaving as it helps to nullify American pressure and strengthen their own position. More than likely Britain leaving will mean a closer union between the other states rather than a disintegration and is still the trading block just about every other country on the planet is trying to get access to, so its going to be around for some time yet.

I guess there is a tipping point where public opinion becomes so strong that something needs to be done, in other words it's about being popular and going with the wind of things rather than any kind of moral stance.

If a party with an electable leader stood firm on the basis of not leaving the EU they would probably win a general election. There is no love for the Tories and even less love for the Brexiters within the party. The majority of people who voted Brexit don't usually vote in general elections. Problem is the Labour are screwed by the SNP and Corbyn so we need a new party.

Enlightenment via God's flatulence

As my understanding has developed the way I see it now is that some of your Vasana's or destructive latent tendencies can be overcome through discipline and structure and by right living, including paying attention to developing karmic merit. Yet there are other of your latent tendencies which can only be overcome through divine grace, or through the long process of paying off your karmic burden. So really both are true, you need both discipline and grace, they aren't mutually exclusive. Although at least these days you can awaken before you have conquered your Vasanas, the reason for this is not clear, for many it appears like it is completely random like in the case of Eckhart Tolle or Byron Katie, but I wouldn't recommend giving up on effort just yet just because some cases are random or divine providence, the majority use effort until the time effort isn't necessary, so it all depends on where you are at. The way one of my teachers put it is that yes it is true that union or awakening is down to divine grace, there absolutely is nothing you can do to make it happen, yet similar to trying to get a promotion at work you do whatever you can to make yourself attractive and in the best position and situation that you are a good candidate for it to occur. Or as Adyashanti says you can bring yourself to the cliff edge and there is no way that you would ever jump yourself as the survival drive of the ego is too strong, but if you are at the edge then its possible a "strong wind" may come and blow you over.

I think there are different ways of looking at physical cultivation. For example I know a long distance fell runner who pushes his limits of endurance to the absolute limit and the way he talks about the states he gets into running he could be talking about spiritual experiences. For some people you could say that their dharma for this life is to explore and go beyond the physical boundaries as a human. For others the main purpose of physical cultivation is to make the body a better vessel for energy, for example in Yogic paths physical exercises are more used to open up the energy channels and make it a strong vessel not so much to store energy but to become an open empty vessel for the divine to come in.

I wouldn't trust most of the odds and polls which come out about who is going to win. On the eve of Brexit all the bookmakers had all the odds saying a clear easy win for Remain vote, my father went to bed saying the polls are so far for remain there is no chance of Brexit, only to wake up in shock. Either all the media and polls makers were deluded or had an agenda.

Our great hero Tony Blair is going to save us from Brexit