Harmonious Emptiness

Hi again CT, I finally got around to reading the article you linked here. I also read the discussion by Master Chen which discussed Dharmakaya and God, posted in your recent topic. The article linked in this discussion seems to support what I'm saying, that God and Dharmakaya are equatable if we see God as being the ultimate of Wu Wei, that God's actions are not based on emotions and contemplations and desires, but just being a manifestation of God's Nature, in that God is fully Tao. The discussion by Master Chen was less inclined to cede the similarities, however, I think, also in light of the link above, that what I am doing here is more viewing "God" through the wisdom of Buddhism, rather than the other way around, while also through the wisdom of Taoism. Buddhist "Idealists" (I understand this is a sect) even say that all elements come from consciousness. Combining this with the way that a person can act in accordance with Tao (which some would translate as the will of Tao if that were possible), and it's not hard to see how Dharmakaya and God might be interchangeable. If you have any articles about the relationship between Amida, Vahradara, and Dharmakaya, that would be very interesting here as well. I suppose they could not be interchangeable in this way though since they had a beginning. If I'm not mistaken, Dharmakaya did not have a beginning...

Superb! Thanks. Brings me to realize that most of my earlier practices and convictions were more correct than they have become. I guess one issue many people face here is not being prepared for renunciation. I think that step, or leap, is really a Buddhist's best vehicle (like driving vs. walking), but in the meantime, practicing the moralities and meditation are still worthwhile. His discussions about pride are so necessary for modern practitioners especially in the West. This is one area where pre-conceptions can cause issue where there needn't be.

Well, to each there own. I just think that things are not always as they appear, so it's important not to just assume they are different merely because of a name. Sure, they might be different, but they might not be.

I just know that in Feng-Shui, blue is for knowledge, yin, water, and North-East

Thanks CT, it was much needed. I think I'll be limiting my posts significantly in the future. I'm glad I'm not alone in seeing that there is more to the story if we're willing to let it keep going... I mean, even Mahamudra and Dzogchen use different terms to talk about the same things .

Just in response to the OP, since I haven't read the book: Why should someone reject something they already know just because the new "system" doesn't acknowledge it? Naturally, people will take the best of both and do what they want to do. It's like the musical approach to spirituality: take some Classical harmony, Soul vocals, and whatever else, and do what you know. It insults the intelligence of every reader to say they ought to toss everything out just because the new "system" doesn't recognize it. Keep an open mind, obviously, but keep your mind too! What you stand to gain is an even richer and fuller picture of what everyone is trying to describe from their own side of the mountain. Maybe I'm slightly misunderstanding the intent of your statement.. not sure...

I just think that Arising and Creation are essentially the same. Also, "merging with" or "harmonizing with" is also meant figuratively by myself, however, I think that it is meant figuratively all around in the same way. Here is a quote from the intro (by Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche) to "Lamp of Mahamudra" by 17th century Tsele Natsok Rangdrol: In the teachings of Dzogchen and Mahamudra ".. the mind at the time of death merges with dharmakaya the instant the body disintegrates. It is also possible to attain full and complete enlightenment in the dharmadatu realm of Akanishtha while still remaining in this physical body." The "dharmadatu realm of Akanishtha" is defined in the glossary as "Figurative expression for the Abode of Vajradara, the dharmakaya buddha." Essentially, different Buddhas are seen as manifestations of dharmakaya, such as Amida Buddha, and Vajradara. People pray to these Buddhas much the same as Christians pray to Jesus who is essentially a the manifestation of "God." So, we might say that dharmakaya is not a "creator", though everything essentially comes from it nonetheless in a "wu-wei" sort of way. Regardless of some of the attempts to describe the way that God works, I don't think many would have issue in seeing God's actions arising the same way.. If people get hung-up on definitions of The Ultimate projected by control freaks, then sure, there will be issues connecting all these ideas. But for those of us who's experience is more direct, I'd say the descriptions are interchangeable for describing The Source. Again, I'm not talking about the invented boogie-man that is used to scare school children, I'm talking about The Source, The One Spirit. I suppose there is still an issue about the "personality" that "does" things, but, for me, I see that the attributes of dharmakaya ARE the "personality" which does things, things arise, in accordance to these attributes or "personality" of Tao and dharmakaya. I think the issue is to see through the terms and descriptions to what they are all really pointing to, and think they are pointing to the same "Source." Peace.

I'm pretty confused about the raw vs. cooked situation. On one hand I can see how it's easier for the spleen to digest cooked food. On the other hand, cooking food destroys much of the enzymes which can be seen as the "chi glow" in the food, and which also provide that which is needed by the stomach to digest the food. I know that eating the salad first is a good way to make sure the other food is chewed up by the digestive enzymes in the raw salad. I guess it goes back to the "not too much" rule, depending on your present endeavours...

V, I think maybe you vaguely stated with that Canadian poem why knowing Emptiness allows for compassion, but not really why everyone else could not. Maybe you're saying that everyone who doesn't understand Emptiness is a conservative, but that obviously doesn't fly.. So, rather than not reply in "wtf was that" fashion, just going to say the above as I wouldn't want to imply that you successfully provided any personal explanation of why you believe one must understand Emptiness to be capable of compassion. The troublesome part is that you have made so many accusations against anyone with a personal understanding of theism, saying they accept these "beliefs" without question, yet I'm failing to see the same staunchly consistent determination to reject all belief based merely on the authority of the source that you would like them to follow. Perhaps you make certain exceptions for this favourite rule?

I suppose it really depends on where you're looking at Buddhism and other religions from. "The kingdom of God is within" too.. The quote in the OP is from a Shin Buddhist source, but Shin is considered the most widely practiced form of Buddhism, and is scripturally based as well though not focussing as much on those of Zen and Tantra. They also understand dependent origination but it doesn't cancel out The Dharmakaya.

Thanks. That is a good start for sure. I did read Campbell's "Power of Myth" so I know what you mean about the recurring myth sequence, though that list seems more detailed than I remember, and definitely helps lay down the plot.

Well, still, all I see there is other people saying it is so, which as we both know, does not cut the mustard for a Buddhist.. so, maybe highlight for me again why this is the case as I did not see a why, again, other than "because they said it is the case" unless that is your reasoning, which is fine with me, but you seem to say you have another reason, so I would like to know what this reasoning is since you're other messages seem to show that you would not merely accept doctrine without first having personal understanding of why it is true.

Vmarco, you said that compassion is impossible without understanding Emptiness and D.O., but would you care to explain your reasoning behind this? There is plenty of suffering in the world to make people compassionate without contemplating E. & D.O. You're backup was rather inconsistent as it consisted only of "authoritative" quotes making the statement you already made.

Thanks for the clarification. Thing about mushrooms though is they are really high in phosphorus. Phosphorus is also necessary but it should be in balance with calcium 2cal to 1phos, and phosphorus is much easier to get (corn is 1cal to 20phos). Hardy leafs like kale and dandelion and cabbage are important to counter all the phosphorus in most peoples diets.. just an aside...

I picked up Screenwriting From the Soul: Letters to an Aspiring Screenwriter about a year ago and it made me want to write a screen play. I came up with a basic premise and a few conversations and characters, but I've been mostly got stumped on the build ups and "raising the stakes" and plot weavings and stuff. That's the stuff I try to think of now and really what separates poets from screenwriters and novelists I think. Any suggestions, tricks, or techniques for that?

licorice root is a spleen tonic. like all medicinal roots, it should be boiled (or simmered I think is fine) for 20 minutes to get the medicine out. It makes a good iced tea as well, so you could add some other things in there, though I havent tried it with ginger or lemon that might be good. An interesting herb for kidneys is Borage, however, it can have negative effects on the liver. It's more of a once in a while thing to clear out stagnant adrenal fluid. I do not recommend using it without proper guidance from a trained herbalist (I'm just a dabbler more or less.. you know, curiosity killed the cat..). Schizandra berries (wu wei zi, 5 flavour berries, in Chinese) are a good overall tonic and I find they clear away the fog pretty good just by chewing on them. The powerful sour and bitterness may contribute to that effect. You could check out some info in my old thread "Chakra Nutrition" for some other info.

I don't get where the anti-lecithin stuff comes from..? Lecithin bascially provides the matter for every cell in our body, is excellent for the brain, and also for joint cartilage. Why exactly do people want to avoid lecithin?

Zen is part of Mahayana, so studies on Empintess and dependent origination are helpful to understand where the haikus and riddles are coming from philosphically (though they are great for immediate experiential understandings all on their own). The Lankavatara Sutra, and Nagarjuna's teaching on the Middle Path are pretty central. The Pali cannon also talks a fair bit about Emptiness in discussing Right View. I highly recommend the 2nd edition of Dwight Goddards compilation "A Buddhist Bible." Of course, meditation practice of basically any kind to get started. Where are you with them now? How have you been practicing? Best H.E. (edited to change studying for practing)

more @ http://www.nembutsu.info/primshin.htm#amida "Amida (Amitabha in the original Sanskrit) is the Buddha of Infinite Light and Eternal Life. He is a manifestation of the absolute and supreme reality which is known in Mahayana Buddhism as the Dharmakaya. The Dharmakaya completely transcends time and space but is also, at the same time, to be found in all things and within all sentient beings. It constitutes the fundamental essence of all existence and possesses, pre-eminently, the qualities of absolute wisdom, compassion and bliss. It is the principal aim of Mahayana Buddhism to ultimately attain, for oneself and others, blissful and eternal union with this reality - a state more commonly referred to as Nirvana. In itself, the Dharmakaya remains unknowable and imperceptible to our ordinary human faculties of sense and cognition. One can only be made aware of it through prajna which is an intuitive power capable of seeing things as they are, undistorted by the influence of ignorance and the myriad passions that afflict us constantly. As only very few people have had the capacity and strength to cultivate prajna through meditation and other practices, the Dharmakaya, in its dynamic compassion, has chosen to manifest itself in a form more readily accessible to the multitudes of suffering and ignorant beings - a form that allows all people to share in its inexhaustible blessings, wisdom and power. This form is Amida Buddha. Amida Buddha and the Dharmakaya are, in fact, identical, differing only in function. One could say that Amida Buddha is the 'personal' face of the formless Absolute and the only medium through which ordinary beings can ever get to know its treasures. In this sense, the revelation of Amida Buddha to the world can be seen as an act of compassion which serves to illuminate one's path in this turbid world of birth-and-death (samsara)."

Thanks to Shin Buddhism, I see no inconsistency in doctrine (not that doctrine is a reason to believe or disbelieve anything) between seeing the sacred life in all things, the drop of water in all life corresponding to the ocean, or the spirit in us that is the spirit of the Creator, that is, that is the Creator, that is, that the Creator is, or whatev we experience this as. I never felt like going for transmissions and all that stuff. I've been reading about Dzogchen and Rigpa, and what they describe as rigpa does not seem so impossible to realize on one's own with the righ amount of background study, yet they still say "but you can't know it properly without one of our transmissions." I'm just not buying that. So I'm going to go and get someone to touch me on the shoulder and make me feel nice and then strive for that feeling all time, when it's only something that already happens within me at certain times. Not to mention, as Seth did, so many people get these "transmissions" only to fall into the trap of all this pride that "now I've got a transmission, and Speedy's gonna do my windows finally. (non-westerners google "cause at speedy" if you missed that one)" when if this transmission doesn't even get them over THIS hump then they need to get granny's transmission of a slap upside the head for thinkin they's a big shot first. Hurts to know that the places we migt believe we can really get farther spiritually are just full of too many people that just "wanna be somebody" and they don't even get past THAT stage before they receive some super high double double transmission. WTF. The spiritual world has always been like this. Every serious dude says this exact same stuff (not that doing so makes me any more or less like them). Anyway, for these reasons, to whoever cares for advice (let alone MY advice) I say read everything you can and get every angle possible from the people who you know really know what there was to know, and then seek to learn more about what you want to learn about. Just figure out what you want to learn and then learn that from who ever and however you want to or can. Learn to love more, to fear less, to have energy, to dream and create, and to make macromay. If I can meditate for 12 days straight, thats great, but if I gained nothing more of what I really want to accomplish spiritually and otherwise from doing so.. ok, rant over

1000!!!

Every aspect of life applying in some way to the nature of Tao, 5 elements, the seasons, rejuvination, fluctuations from yang to yin; the artistic process, the art itself... what does observing your artistic process show you about Tao? One of the biggest obstacles to an artists development, imo, is the role that fame plays in their lives, such as it being necessary for some artists (musicians esp.) to have a number of people present in order to develop abilities and a livelihood in that form. With great abilities comes more risk of susceptibility to the thieves of vanity and self-reflective admiration. Though these thieves ought to have been stamped out, they will perpetually be encouraged by fame and the world of fame. So what do you learn about Tao from practicing your art, whether "fine arts" or gardening, swimming, building, cooking, making $$,$$$, Bonsai, hacking, organizing, research, writing? Feng Shui, meditation, dual-cultivation, and martial arts.. somebody should make a website.... It will be interesting to hear what all the "warrior-scholars" practice on the side as well.... So, to start, for me, music is my primary art (guitar, percussion, drums, wooden flute, voice, bass, harmonica, cello, mandolin, sampling/drum machine/production). One of my first major connections between the two was the Wu Wei of RESONANCE -and silence-... "take the action of no action and [the natural] order will prevail" more recently I've found the same principle to be part of meditation bells Also the flexible submission to the movements of the song teaches something about the other side of strength required to "go with the flow" and maintain attunement to energies which might steer the ship in different directions. There's an incredible amount of sense-ability, and subtlety of communication, that emerges just standing close to another person when you're both creating. This I've found especially true in rhythm sections. To my knowledge, most classical Chinese music, like some western classical, was themed seasonally. This is helpful to think about with improvisation and writing to colour the emotional side of it (spring = nice, growing, chillin'; summer = bright strong energy; fall = chillin', descending; winter = quite space, storing/retaining, endurance/survival) One might use the five elements for inspiration with positive/negative associations of emotional changes, or story developments that follow elemental creating/consuming/controlling patterns . I believe it was Billy Corgan of smashing Pumpkins who put out an album based on the character development of Tarot. Hazrat Inayat Khan has been, imho, the most prolific writer to date on musical mysticism. Probably some more about him soon.... I once lived with a cat who was a really awesome flute teacher. When I was playing notes too rough he would complain, lol! And then I would know that I wasn't playing nicely enough. While at the same time would be totally attentive and sit near me sort of "looking at the tip of the nose" when I did what I was told Cats are great music teachers, they're really aware of vibrational quality and will give you shit when you're not playing right !

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