Harmonious Emptiness

So when did hip hop start? late 70s? early 80s? naw naw naw. check THIS out! Pigmeat Markham - Here Comes The Judge + The Trial - 1968, Chess Records [Chicago Blues label]

what I do sometimes is just read the nouns and a few adjectives to get the idea of what's going on. I find this especially good for fiction which I rarely read because I just want the message and all the long descriptions sort of drag down the process sometimes. This way I get mountain, shining, lake, travellers, frequented. Okay, so that pretty much gives me the short paragraph about this rolling such and such mountain which the sun hits in such a way at such time of day and such and such travellers go there... The poetry between the words can be nice but usually I'll just read dense poetry if that's what I'm looking for. I wouldn't do this all the time but it can help get past certain drawn out parts. Also if something is really testing my patience I'll just skip ahead a bit to see where it's going and then I know what is necessary and relevant and what I can afford to glance over.

Btw, this was a great illucidation of will and freedom; one that is really needed as the use of the word freedom is so dissociated from its contexts by soundbite newspeak. Thanks for that

herbalism

Seeing that things are beautiful just the way they are, especially easy outside in the Summer! I had a factory job that required a lot of right to left movements so I incorporated fluidity from tai chi into the movement. Had a department store security job where the manager would want me to remove this banned homeless guy once in a while. Instead of using force I just remembered Wu Wei and stood near him until he got the message and left rather than making a scene. Practicing full involvement like in my tag below. Walking slowly and observantly rather than rushing and ignoring.

The attention to detail in the pot making looks very meditative - focused but relaxed at the same time. It's funny that you mention clay in this too, because I remember a part in "Tai Chi Classics" from Waysun Liao where movements in Tai Chi were said to resemble those of a potter. I'm guessing martial arts and chi kung are the main "arts" of people here so I'm not sure how far this thread is going to go..

I recently started "In Search of the Medicine Buddha: A Himalayan Journey" by David Crow. It's written by a herbalist who goes to Nepal to learn sacred Tibetan medicine from a master and all the things that come along with that. It reminds me a bit of "Bones of the Master" which I couldn't put down, since the writing and imagery is very good without being superfluous, and the story is a bit similar.

In my psychologist hackery, I think that most people's issues with identity come about because everyone needs to feel like they are at least EFFECTIVE in the world. If they are grandiose or humble as a sage, one way or the other they have their place. Most people are in the middle, and it's easy to get lost in the fray, especially when the majority of cultures pay so much attention to status in the world. But really, being concerned about status only gives away your true power by being subjected to such narcissistic games, and playing into the hand of the ones who DECIDE status. Thereby, if someone seeks this status, they have automatically ENSLAVED themselves to higher masters anyway, so what was the logic of that? When you are free of the need to be part of the hierarchy, then you have real status, real power, real authority, and the easiest way to keep it that way is to keep it to yourself

edit: whoops, wrong topic but while I'm here, check out the Magical Egypt series on youtube, and WuDang: Cradle of Taoism series there too.

One helpful thing to keep in mind when reading the I Ching is that a lot of it's use is related to dealing with authority from the bottom or from the top. Sometimes the authority is a person, sometimes it might be a situation that has authority over you, sometimes you may be the authority figure but in reality you are controlled by those you have authority over, sometimes you have might have authority over a situation but if you don't handle the situation correctly you will find yourself being ruled by it instead. One thing the I Ching does is to show you how to handle these situations while maintaining your essential nature and integrity. When looking at the hexagrams, the bottom three is like the populace, and the top three are like the government. In each trigram you have varying degrees of power. So if the person on the bottom of the bottom 3 is yang, while those above him are both yin, then the bottom person is one who's integrity is actually in control, and the I Ching will explain how this situation must be handled for the dignity of all involved. If in the top trigram the middle line is yang and the other two are yin, then the counselor to the emperor is really the one in control. If the top line is yang and all the rest are yin, then there is a ruler without much help from the bottom. edit: I should also add that the third line up is the leader of the populace (person or otherwise), the 4th line is the government agent that communicates between the two trigrams. Now, like other people have said here, this is only one way to look at it. These relationships might be power based on some political structure, but these power dynamics are important in the body, in your mind, in your emotions, in you time, in your money, in your energy, in your education, your food, etc., etc., etc. Be sure to have at least one translation that accompanies the explanation of the hexagram with sort of a story to tell the whole situation. Otherwise it can be a bit confusing. You can read the I Ching from front to back or any random chapter and there will still be insightful advice to life in general no matter where you are.

So true! 10, 000 hours of anything and one has a new level of attention-focus and total absorption where an external object feels like it is being controlled directly from one's intention. I think that any artist, once they have reached this level, there is no better and best technician, it's all about what they do internally that makes for better and best results. Mentioning Japanese ceremonial objects, it also reminds of an aspect of this, about how Shinto shrines are usually natural objects or surroundings that brings one into a connectedness with nature and that purifies them so that they can experience Kami (sort of like spirit that is in everything). I find that art for the artist is sort of the same... it makes them feel like they have purified themselves in some way that makes them open to the Spirit that is all around them.

I'm pretty sure we're saying the same thing but with different words. It's true that the word usually implies sort of a disgust with the person and their situation. I still find pity a useful word (as I understand it) in this case though because it should involves a deep feeling of sympathy/empathy. Self pity is something else which has a lot of negative emotions involved. But there's also some use to it. Sometimes it takes that level of self-pity to say "Oh Shit! I need some help from a higher source, man, and I need it now!" bringing someone to seek divine guidance and change their life regardless of how bad it has to get before it gets better. Sometimes seeing oneselve's pitiful condition is a positive recognition of their relationship with heaven/earth/humanity, and humbles them enough to speak with the Heavenly Spirit. In both of these cases bravery plays a role, there is a positive role and connotation to "pity" while, like elements of the Tao, negative emotions are always a potential.

For discussion sake, where/how do you differentiate compassion from pity? Personally, I see the difference between pity based on fear of it happening to myself, and true compassion which can also involve pity though not a fear based pity.

I did see a couple swans doing it once. Man! was so ungraceful trying to get up in the water and flappin' about... not a good look.

Nice. Thanks.... I'm going to work some more with this later

Interesting! Are the prayers spontaneous or passed down? Is there a particular way of invoking the healing element? For myself, as much as I like the benefits of qi gong and sitting meditation, I still feel the most connected to the universe after a good drumming session.. all my smaller and larger muscles feel like they have communicated with rhythms of the universe, and my puny male intuition channels feel loose and receptive, and my entire being feels receptive to change.

Poor beggars are we Waltzing from birth to rebirth Rhythmic timelessness

Well then we're getting into a debate which would be beyond pretty much all available scholarship: what was added by followers and what was directly from Buddha? Is it more likely that Shakyamuni was far more liberal than what he apparently said in the Sutras? For laymen, that's more plausible, but for Arhats and higher levels he seemed to have a pretty non-negotiable system and I wouldn't assume that he was more of a spiritual liberalist towards things like lust and intoxicants regardless of our experiences of them as laymen. To have a genuine Buddhist worldview, I wouldn't say that all the prohibitions are necessary, but total spiritual and life commitment is a different matter. Keeping in mind that Buddha is usually addressing his followers who have already attained numerous levels of Awakening. When he's speaking to or of laymen, the level and intensity of commitment is not expected, but he does still point to ways that they can attain a higher level of liberation "within their own pond." I believe he also said that not everyone is supposed to be a Buddha, some people are supposed to maintain the periphery. Really, I can't debate on something which has no more than "subjective evidence." edit: also, the afterthought additions to Christianity and Islam were given as "this is what Christ or Mohammed said, and this is what some of his followers said" and the stuff that came after is where it got political. The same goes with Buddhism, where there is what The Buddha said, and then what Bodhidharma said, etc.. So even with Christianity there is an original, at least in Coptic texts... And the changes afterwards are fairly well documented. Aside from the Quran, probably none of the texts are word for word what the leader said, but the highest level of fidelity was sought. +++ The Buddha was alive and teaching the same message for about 50 years...

There is, but it's like most people are not conscious of this "bus ride," like they got on, fall asleep, and then "wake me up when it's over."

Meaning that when somebody realizes that their super ego is just a meaningless fabrication, that humility and service are wiser than pride and selfishness, that everyone is a struggling being as we are and we can have a love for all life regardless of its behaviour, that events are just cycles and not permanently disastrous, and such things... things like this when all put together are sometimes termed as "enlightenment" but really are just like "you must be at least this tall to go on this ride" requirements before they become journeymen or whatevermedevers on the path to True Knowledge.

Not sure who said it determines if you are "enlightened" but it does give the receiver an opportunity to look within for an answer, during which an abbot can see if the student is at least on the right track. For example, in the koan above, if you can find within yourself the gate by which Buddhas become Buddhas, you might be on the right track. Not Enlightened, but better off than someone who tries to find their answers in the Coles Notes for Arhats (and if you start looking for this book, man, forget it!) edit: and of course, it doesn't matter so much what your verbal response is to the question, so long as it's spontaneous enough that the teacher can see where it's coming from. The long explanations of Koans never really mean much more than a history lesson. What I love about koans is that my answers have pretty much no correlation to the long explanations, but they still make me see something ungraspable which is true for me, though maybe not anything resembling other's explanations. This might even be the wrong approach for all I know, but it works for me so I'm cool with my helpful misinterpretations

I agree that discussing Buddhism as if it were a complicated machine is sort of like a dog chasing its tail; however, as much as Ingram makes a lot of good points that may be well to be said, he also scoffs at a lot of ideas which were in fact stated by Shakyamuni himself, while Ingram states that demanding arhats to adhere to these principles is contrary to the teachings of Buddha. His part on "The action model" is what I refer to here. Thus, this is really just another "Buddhism." I would agree though that much of what is considered Enlightenment nowadays is really just "stream entry."

Sorry if I stole your answer

"What is it? this gate by which all Buddhas came into this world?" my answer (today): It wasn't Enkakuji But at the same time it was. the empty passageway.