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BTW, Because Sadhguru's talk finally made the lightbulb turn on for me about the levels of mind (and Cundi mantra) I've decided to practice it again and pair it with the Vairocana mantra that Bodri says goes very well with it.

I wanted to pop in and add something to this thread. I think I now understand a little bit why the Cundi mantra is so powerful. Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev says the yoga tradition teaches there are 16 overarching aspects of Mind. The deepest, most powerful and most subtle is the aspect right before one reaches Nirvana like a Buddha (or since he's Shaivite, Shiva). He said when this aspect of one's mind is awakened its as if all of life and life energies within and without arranges itself according to one's wishes. He said without one's self even asking the Divine for 'this or that' [insert Desire here] - Life will seemingly simply arrange itself so it manifests. He said before you ever ask for it - it will already be so - (from this talk came my understanding: Cundi is that aspect of Awakened Mind that is the All-Wishes Fulfilled Jewel - interestingly I've heard the name Siddhartha translated into English also means "all wishes fulfilled"). Sadhguru says Everything...inner and outer begins to manifest great good fortune when this final and most subtle part of your mind is finally awake and functioning. It is this Mind - the deepest and most subtle (right before it crosses over into Shiva/Buddhahood) - that has the 32 Major marks and 80 minor ones. The level of good fortune this kind of Awakened Mind creates is astounding in its auspiciousness. Of course this talk implies there are other methods for awakening this deepest and most auspicious aspect of Mind. It's just that the Cundi mantra targets this part of Mind directly like a guided missile. That's its goal and aim. This is why Cundi is known as the Mother of Buddhas for 7 Kotis. Beyond Cundi (in Hindu teachings at least) one finally crosses into the realm of Shiva (masculine). In Buddhism, beyond Cundi is Nirvana like the Buddha's Parinirvana. Because of Sadhguru's talk about it I now understand why Bill Bodri (and thus Master Nan Hua-Chin since Bodri got it from Master Nan) said this one mantra is beyond comprehension in its ability to confer vast good fortune - to the point of making even really horrible karma not be nearly so bad while its working itself out as it otherwise would have been. Not to mention the vast good fortune on tap via one's fully Awakened Mind (ok, may take some folks 800,000 single-pointed repetitions to get fully Awakened Mind on tap but at least it's possible).

I was under the impression Mantra was one method available to quiet the mind yet recently have seen some TTBs insist this is not its purpose. If Mantra is not a tool to aid in quieting the mind then what exactly IS its purpose and why do so many different spiritual traditions around the world use it?

Thought I would share with the board this lovely video by Master Chin-Kung. While it's a talk about what to do if you're the sole person among your family and friends to follow the Buddha that's not why I am posting it. The real gem of the story is appended from an article account of what happened to Lady Clara Lin Kok Yuen at the moment of her death. She practiced the Amitabha Rebirth in Pureland mantra regularly. Let's just say...if the account is really true - well, I was blown away and knew I had to post this video to the board. If you want you can fast forward to 4 minutes. That's when Master Chin-Kung begins the story about Lady Clara and her family and friends. Don't exit the video after his talk because that's when the newspaper article begins. Read it. And if you're like me - be stunned at the power of this Pureland Mantra (and of Amitabha!). Lady Clara Lin Kok Yuen and the Amitabha Pureland Rebirth mantra

Namo Amitabhaya - Homage to Amitabha Tathagataya tadyatha - Homage to the Thus Come One Amrto Bhava - Nectar Occur (bhava = masc. sing. 'to get', 'to produce','turning into') Amrta Siddhambhava - Nectar (bhava - 'to produce') Siddha-accomplishment Amrta Vikrante - Nectar Go Beyond (vikrante masc. sing. - 'to step beyond, make mighty strides, to strive) Amrta Vikranta - Nectar Go Beyond Gamine - Glorious Gagane - 'emptiness' (the actual Sanskrit word means 'up to open sky' - ie. the mantra is capturing via simile that all beings are ultimately like an empty sky via use of this one word) kirtachare (sometimes spelled kirta kare) - Glorify (the) Name (some variants of this mantra add 'of the Nectar-Producing One) Svaha! - Hail! (with the intent of 'execute these verses to achieve perfection') - energetically (ie Chi-wise) according to some mantra yoga books and videos Svaha acts on the meridians and chakras like hitting the Enter key to input the Execute command of a computer program.

Combining the above information with the story from the video I now think at least one of the powers of the Pureland Rebirth mantra (in addition to what Lady Clara experienced!) is to open the way to becoming a Siddha. Amitabha Buddha at minimum is a Maha Siddha (as well as a Samyak-Sambuddha) imo. Edit: after all... one of the titles given to Amitabha Buddha is the Buddha of Infinite Life and Shakyamuni taught one of the abilities of a Buddha is the ability to have one's lifespan be as long as one wishes. Amitabha Buddha's lifespan is said to be incalculable it's so long.

I include the following excerpt from a book I have. I do so because this excerpt deals directly with the Amrita (Amrto, Amrta - aka Nectar of Immortality, aka Sweet Dew) the Rebirth in Pureland mantra invokes. The following comes from Kundalini: Aghora II by Robert Svoboda [ISBN: 978-0914732-31-0] pp. 88-89 Svoboda 's Guru: "Ordinary Kundalini Yoga is difficult enough, but an Aghori makes it even more intense. Do you know how you feel when you are full of lust? You can't wait to enjoy sex; you will rip off your own clothes, and then rip the clothes off your partner. Likewise an Aghori, filled with the desire to experience Reality, rips the coverings, the clothes, off the Universe when he wishes to love it. If you really want to progress at Kundalini Yoga you must forget your body, that thing which is clothing your consciousness, and to do that you must first forget food and water. After 3 days without water you begin to feel dizzy, your blood thickens, and so on. After 5 days you begin to gasp, and unless you are really dedicated you will decide you don't want to die and you'll drink. Aghora is the fast, direct way, but it is too difficult for most people. "If you don't want to force yourself to quit eating, and want to progress by stratagem instead, which is the way of the clever sadhaka, you must first understand the nature of food. To do this you must first thoroughly understand the nature of the 3 Coverings of the universe, which are----" Svoboda: "The 3 Gunas, the 6 Tastes, and the 5 Great Elements." Svoboda's Guru: "The 6 Tastes are within the body, not outside. Have they taught you this yet in the Ayurvedic college?" Svoboda: "They have alluded to it." Svoboda's Guru: "oh, they have alluded to it, have they? Anyway, if you want to do without food and drink entirely and live only on air you must manufacture all the tastes within the body; then there is no need to take them from outside. Amrita, the 'nectar of immortality,' is a glandular sustance created within the body which is necessary for this purpose." Svoboda: "That too had been alluded to in Ayurveda, with little explanation." Svoboda's Guru: "We exist only because of the 3 Gunas: Sattva, Rajas, and Tamas. Most people do not know that Sattva and Tamas are two sides of the same coin. Sattva is Amrita, which is of the essence of the Fire Element. The Amrita in your head, this glandular substance, is the physical manifestation of pure Sattva. Tamas is Visha, deadly poison, which is of the essence of the Water Element. The metabolic toxins in your body poison both it and your mind. When you remove the bad qualities from poison it becomes nectar, and if you add bad qualities to nectar it will become poison. Ayurveda is full of examples of how poisonous plants and minerals can be used for medicine, and how improperly used medicines become poisons. I believe I am correct?" Svoboda: "Yes, You are." Svoboda's Guru: "Rajas is the bridge between the two. Rajas can transmute Tamas into Sattva, and it can degrade Sattva into Tamas. Rajas is pure shakti, energy, the very incarnation of illusion, of Maha Maya. Rajas does not know what it is doing; it just does it, so it must be well controlled. When Rajas is properly controlled almost anything can be achieved. And the only being Who knows how to control Shakti is Shaktiman: Lord Shiva. [my note: my own preference here would be to say the One Who Knows and Properly Controls, With Pervasive, Perfected Wisdom is a Samyak-Sambuddha / Tatagatha but since this book is from a Hindu perspective I want to keep the words exactly as published.] Svoboda's Guru: "The name Rudra, which is another name for Lord Shiva, indicates the shedding of tears. Rudra brings you nothing but tears. Before the Rudra Granthi is pierced the sadhaka sheds tears of misery, of Maya, because he cannot be sure of himself, or of the existence of God. This doubt continues until that Knot is pierced, when all doubt is removed. The glands of the body then begin to secrete Amrita: they 'shed tears'. This Amrita causes the devotee to shed tears of joy. Shiva drinks poison but he converts it into Amrita. In order to do this you must know the relation between Visha, which is poison, and Vishaya, which means sense object. The world of sense objects is the true poison because it is impermanent. People fleetingly regard it as permanent, and this leads to delusion. During sex, for instance, a man feels, "Oh! What bliss I am enjoying!' But suddenly, pfssst! - emission. Then he realizes, "No, it is no longer there.". His dream construction of heaven has evaporated. "Everything Shiva takes in is converted into Amrita, which is called Amrita because it is permanent, not transitory. And that is why it is connected only with Lord Shiva, Who is your real Self, your soul. As long as you are in the world your consciousness is connected with sense objects; it is the state of transience, of ignorance. Only when you come to Shiva can you find Amrita. "To obtain Amrita the grace of your guru is also necessary, at the very end when you are just on the threshold of progress. It is like a Rishi's goat sacrifice. The Rishi who kills the goat will send it into a higher womb, but the goat doesn't know that and feels great pain at first. The sadhaka who wants to do without food also suffers, but a good guru is relentless, and finally the Amrita is obtained. The disciple goes beyond food and becomes a Siddha, an immortal." ***** edits: assorted typos

Flipped through my journal tonight and thought I'd share some notes I've taken over the years of various teachers from many diverse traditions. They're snippets. Some from books, some from videos. A lot of it is paraphrased but the gist of what was said I tried to make sure is accurate. This section of notes come from some (rather long if you have the time) Youtube vids of Shri Rohit Arya. (I've grown to like him as much as Master Nan Huai Chin and Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) If even one person finds something of interest here I'm glad I came up from the depths of lurkdom. **************** On Money Shakti 1. Money shakti has a golden hue. The vibration enters through the Mooladhara and Svadhistara. Which is why if the 2 lower chakras are damaged you very rarely get money. But here is the extraordinary thing...if your heart chakra is closed or damaged or you've suffered a lot of emotional trauma the money shakti is blocked. - Shri Rohit Arya 2. Money is not the same as abundance. Abundance shakti is not the same shakti as money. Lakshmi is the energy of abundance. Kubera is the shakti of money specifically. Lakshmi is bounty - overall abundance. Bounty/Abundance is known as "shri" (pronounced "shree"). When everything is at its peak, everything is going very well, (examples: you hit the jackpot at the casino, your business won the government contract bid) - that is Shri. Lakshmi power brings shri. Said differently Lakshmi is the energy/power of success. However, if money is what you are wanting specifically then that is Kubera. - Shri Rohit Arya On Mooladhara and Prana / Chi (Moola "core", adhara "foundation') 1. When one first becomes aware of prana (chi) most people experience a swirling movement. Clockwise, anti-clockwise, like a funnel. We feel certain movement and the feeling of tremendous heat. That is because there is resistance in the body to the flow of the prana (chi) and the resistance causes friction. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you feel a cold flow of energy but usually people feel the swirling and/or the heat. As you advance from doing your practices you can feel the cold flow of prana / chi and that is actually a very good sign. - Shri Rohit Arya 2. Of all the chakras in the body the Mooladhara is the most important for life. Not for spiritual progress but for life and the processes of life and of being embodied it is. All the troubles that come in your life, all the troubles that are removed from your life - both come from the Mooladhara. The state of your Mooladhara determines 3 primary things in your life. a. it determines the state of your health b. it determines the state of your money (income, gross / net wealth) c. it determines how long you will live. - Shri Rohit Arya 3. Mooladhara needs to be a strong chakra since it is the Rupa (rupa "form") and prana / chi of life energy. Everyone wants to work on their higher chakras these days so many people have them developed. There's also the aspect that working on the lower chakras runs up against many Society taboos for the lower sections of the body. So most practitioners do all kinds of practices working on the higher ones. There's a lot of information on working with the upper ones these days freely available. But for most practitioners their 3 lowest chakras are usually still a mess. - Shri Rohit Arya 4. Very often you will see people have 1 or 2 of the 3 things primarily granted by the energy of the mooladhara but it is rare to find a person with all 3. It's because their mooladhara is not vibrating / functioning optimally. examples: the person has health but no money the person has long life but no health and no money the person has a lot of money but poor health There is a 4th aspect of the moodhara too. It also has an impact on the Mind. - Shri Rohit Arya On Karma Yoga 1. Nassim Taleb's book The Black Swan is one of the most astounding works on karma yoga ever written. He gets why you have "the right to the action but not the fruit" better than any Indian or spiritual person I've ever known. - Shri Rohit Arya 2. Gurdjieff's method (the 4th Way) was primarily based around karma yoga. Can you throw everything about your being into an action without clinging to a desired outcome. Only those who can let go of any outcome - positive, negative, desired, not-desired - only those who let outcomes in life become what they become from those actions and don't cling to either failure or success of those actions have the capability to grow. They do what needs to be done then move on. - Shri Rohit Arya On Focusing on the Breath 1. The underside part / divide between both nostril outlets has its own chakra. All the texts were actually talking about that chakra and getting you to become aware of it by focusing on the breath at that single point. Focusing on this chakra also is related to the root chakra Mooladhara. The texts were not telling you to go cross eyed focusing on the tip of your nose. They were trying to get you to become aware of the chakra that lies at the fleshy strip between both nostril openings. - Shri Rohit Arya On things forgotten about the Markandeya Mantra 1. Markandeya mantra is typically taught in books and videos as a healing mantra. This is incorrect. It's actually a karma-burning mantra and often the fastest way to burn karma is to go through a lot of suffering in a short amount of time. This suffering might be short to Shiva but not necessarily to you, the mantra chanter. Markandeya himself was a highly advanced being and this mantra was given to him by Shiva to burn the very last of his karma and he - that is, Markandeya, is now outside of space and time. This mantra got the reputation of being a healing mantra because in the old days village Indian tantric healers would use it as part of a series of actions done on behalf of a seriously sick person. However, there were many other things they did along with that mantra that are important and much of that knowledge has been forgotten and not passed on. But the thing the lay people remembered was the use of the Markandeya mantra and so it acquired a reputation as a healing mantra. That's what you see in all the books and videos. But anyone who is aware of the energy of that mantra's shakti knows it burns karma - and often times not in a way the chanter is prepared for (read: they slam headlong into a lot more suffering instead of being alleviated of suffering instead). - Shri Rohit Arya edit: typos

Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev also had a video about the Meridians. He said one of the major conjunction points in the body takes the shape of a 6 pointed star. There is a lower triangle of shakti (chi) and an upper triangle of shakti (chi). They meet at Anahata. When one eats they separate and the Chi sinks to a lower level (ie lower triangle lowers and higher triangle rises). The more one fasts the closer they come until they finally meet and merge* at Anahata. The result is the 6 pointed star - the REAL 6 pointed star within one's own body. And it's made of Chi. This is why Jewish mystics took it and used it to teach their people the Jewish religion. It's based on 'as above, so below' - what they themselves saw happening energetically - chi-wise - within their own bodies during deep yogic meditation and the results it brings. Higher Consciousness becomes more possible when the two halves of the 6 pointed star come together and why so many religious traditions recommend some fasting. Just not obsessively so (as the Buddha famously pointed out). But some fasting is ok. *That is - they finally meet and merge at Anahata to create the 6 pointed star once one has fasted long enough.

Why Spiritual People Shave their Heads Yogis discovered that every new moon and every full moon the energy of the body naturally rises and if you shave your head at that time the energy (chi, shakti) gets a huge boost. Also, if you keep a shaven head immediately those in Yoga know what kind of yoga, what kind of Sadhana you are doing. What kind of breathing you are doing, what kind of meditation you are doing, because your energy (shakti, chi) rises so powerfully. Hair acts like a filter. The energy rises so powerfully that it will short-circuit if you have hair. The energy needs to circulate. I do meditation, I do breathing practices. I know because I do that. If I let my hair grow even one week there is big trouble. Ideally I need to shave every day but I'm lazy so I shave every other day. Those on the path - those in spirituality they understand what kind of practice, what kind of school, what kind of meditations, what kind of breathing you are doing. Often it will convey information to them. Things like, "Do I need to learn from this person or do I need to learn from somebody else?" Because everything doesn't work for everybody. Most places if you come to them (ie Ashrams, monasteries, convents, etc) they will ask you to demonstrate your readiness. Example: they will ask you to practice celibacy. If you shave your head celibacy often becomes easier. There is some connection to shaving your head that helps with this. That helps you to not become sexually aroused quite so easily. Now a lot of teachers will say it's for humility and wonderful knowledge but that's just for public reason. It's not the real reason and I don't see any reason to hide the real reasons any longer. Why hide it? When you come to a certain level of Shakti (aka Chi Development) and also depending on the kind of processes you are doing then it helps when you don't cut your hair anymore. Because the hair creates a layer of insulation. It helps to keep the Chi / Shakti you've cultivated. So the minute a person lets their hair grow out you know that something has happened and they need to block that energy (shakti / chi) from seepage, leakage. But again all of this depends a lot on the kind of processes you are doing. For example teachers often find they need to grow a beard because if you have a beard from here to here [ my note: Shri Rohit Arya indicates from lower half of face to approximately where the Anapata chakra is] it creates a certain kind of vibration within the body. So if you let your beard grow out the internal energy grows in a certain way. If you shave your head but let the beard grow out the internal energy goes in a certain way though I don't recommend that. So there are these multiple things that people can do that can help but it is still completely tied up to the breathing and the meditation. Hair has it's own properties. Hair is a peculiar substance because if you take a hair and a piece of steel wire of the same thickness the hair is actually stronger. So Ninja used to have ropes made of human hair. Kesha Cumb(...apologies couldn't make out what he was saying here). A [Kumba(?)] made of Kesh. He was protecting himself with a blanket of human hair from certain external negative energies. People hated him and they were always doing Black Magic at him so he wore the blanket of human hair to protect himself and stop the Black Magic. I've experimented with all kinds of hats as well (turbans, caps, hats, etc) and I found that the fedora is the best because there is a chakra about the head that needs protecting. The turban also protects it. But so does the fedora. It's not just stylishness. There are good energy reasons why. When I go out I'm vulnerable there so I wear them. Have you noticed how the Sufis tie their hair in a certain way? It is because they are activating a Nadi (Meridian) by tying it that way. So these are all ways of knowledge of spiritual growth that is not normally available.

Some more interesting things from my notes from Rohit Arya: On the Great Gunas The 3 great Tattvas / Bhutas are Black, Red, White Tamas - Black (it's what holds form, also it is inertia) Rajas - Red (activity) Satva - White (purity) Look at how the Hindu gods are married. Vishnu is everywhere. He is traditionally portrayed as black or very deep blue-black - ie: Tamas (form). Who is he married to? Lakshmi - Red (Rajas, activity). It is balanced. Shiva is White (Satva, purity, emptiness). Who is he married to? Kali (black - tamas, form). Kali is the feminine form of the sanskrit word Kala 'Time' (example: Kalachakra - the wheel / mandala of Time). They are balanced. Brahma is Red (Rajas, activity). Who is he married to? Saraswati (Satva, white). So again they are balanced. It is a male/female compliment of the universe - always Nature is red, white, black - red, white, black - red, white, black. All 3 happy couples (ie gunas) are represented there in the 6 pointed star. That's why it is one of the most powerful and stable of all visual symbols. Any country whose people focuses on that symbol benefits. Look at Israel, whom has adopted that 6 pointed star. Israel has never been beaten in modern times even once in war. They call it the Star of David. It's even on their flag. It is fundamentally the criss-cross that creates stability. The universe is held in place because of these 3 diodes*. 3 pairs of male/female energies - in criss-cross. The way we symbolize it is with the 6 pointed star. If one really knows how to use the 6 pointed star enormous, magnificent, really wonderful things can be done. Even Shri Aurobindo's symbol you will notice is the 6 pointed star. The 5 pointed star is different. That is Shiva. That is da Vinci's Man with his arms and legs spread out. The Pentacle. That is a very dynamic symbol. * My note: I suspect this is the pre-scientific method way of explaining things like protons, neutrons, and electrons etc in an understandable way to spiritual practitioners. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atomic_nucleus > *********************************** On Evolution and Rebirth Yogis always experience the memories of past lives so karma is never seriously challenged in India or Buddhist countries. It is just the bedrock of these cultures. Yogis always see evolution in meditation. From mineral to plant to animal to human. And always the last animal birth is that of a cow. Before you come to human always the final animal birth is as a cow. Which is why in India the cow is not to be slaughtered because in doing so you are stopping a very vital push forward by the universe in evolution. Yogis always know the final animal birth is that of a cow. Not a dog, cat, tiger, elephant, etc. It's always a cow. [my note: and now I understand why the ancient Hebrews used the symbol of the calf when coming out of Egypt despite the bad press Exodus gave it]. The cow is a potential future human. Being born human opens up Buddhi which only humans have (Buddhi = the Intellect - knowing that one knows and allows one to direct their own spiritual progress). This - being able to shape and consciously direct one's own spiritual evolution is one of the primary reasons it is regarded as the greatest of blessings to be born human.

I think the board might appreciate this video.

Just a little note to say that one of the reasons I like Sadhguru is that he has released a few videos wherein he praises the Buddha quite a bit.

Though he is not himself a Buddhist, Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev once touched on this topic in response to an audience question. He said a Buddha is one who is above Intellect (Buddhi). Intellect (Buddhi) is what separates humans from animals. Animals know and are aware. But only humans have Buddhi. We not only know but we know that we know. This opens up tremendous potential in humans that is not possible for animals - even highly intelligent ones. once Buddhi is active each person can actively choose and direct his or her own growth potential - going in whichever direction he/she prefers. Animals do not have this option because their Buddhi has not yet bloomed. Buddhi has also bloomed in devas and gods. They also have Buddhi. A Buddha has gone beyond even this. Has jumped beyond even Buddhi, he said (ie Sadhguru said). A Buddha's wisdom, compassion, power, etc is beyond comprehension (apparently literally < [my comment]). And though Sadhguru's talk did not state it I suspect it is nonetheless true - A Buddha's Power has therefore also jumped beyond Buddhi. That is why it is said only a Buddha can first turn the wheel of the Dharma after the Dharma has ended. Dharma, in this case, having a transcendent wisdom, compassion and transcendent energy component. It is an "energy" / Chi / Unsurpassed Spiritual Power thing (ie setting in motion the wheel of the energy/Shakti* that leads to liberation for sentient beings - it is an exceedingly rare special type of spiritual power that only Buddhas possess), not merely an Intellect (Buddhi-based) thing - a jump beyond on a scale so vast and limitless in scope even the greatest God(s) imaginable can not compare. Thus the Buddha was a world-honored one even among devas and deities. ****** Edit: * Now I think I understand why Maitreya Buddha said "For the sake of rescuing you all I have given to innumerable people my kingdom, my head, my eyes, my hands, my feet and my wife. Beginning today are my liberation and the unsurpassed great silence and stillness." I puzzled over that phrase - particularly the word wife but I think maybe I have an inkling of what he meant (or at least how it means to this little worldling). Wife = Shakti (which is always described as feminine). Taoism sees Yin as the powerhouse and is also seen as the feminine. And when one practices meditation and letting go it is often described as getting Shakti (female energy / unsurpassed power) to unite with Shiva (male stillness/unwaveringness/emptiness). According to Sadhguru: 'Shi' - 'va' = the syllables mean (and invoke) 'that-which-is-not' 'Shakti' = the syllables mean (and invoke) 'that-which-is' He says they are 2 sides of the same coin. Thus all things are empty.

So I was watching a Youtube vid about the Prophecy of Maitreya's Future Buddhahood when there was a line translated in the vid that talked about cultivating the Four Dharmas of Attraction. For some reason that line popped out at me tonight like it never had before ( I really like that video as it always makes me feel so happy and delightful when I watch it - especially when Maitreya Buddha honors Mahakasyapa and is honored in return by Mahakasyapa). Anyway...I wondered what that meant - the Four Dharmas of Attraction as I'd never noticed them before so I ran a search on it and found some commentary by Master Hsuan Hua translated into English from the Avatamsaka Sutra (isn't that the same as the Flower Ornament Sutra?). There was a transcription of a small bit of the sutra followed by Master Hua's commentary and I noticed it was giving an exacting description of precisely the things one needs to put into practice daily to attain to the 4 Dharmas of Attraction. Those being 1. Attracting living beings 2. The power to use kind and loving words to inspire them and inspire joy 3. Beneficial Conduct 4. Similarity in Deeds Master Hua states the first two are the beginning practices on the path to being a Bodhisattva and it all starts with the daily mental practice of seeing yourself giving offerings to all the Buddhas of all the time periods and all directions. Then you immediately imagine any reciprocal benefit coming to you from the first step - you then turn around and imagine yourself giving that benefit to the ground of all-wisdom. I presume the all-wisdom is prajna wisdom, yes? the article never really states what is meant by "all-wisdom" I assume it means 'prajna' wisdom. To my great surprise I noticed this document was a description of some things I like to do. I did them just because it's to a point that envisioning such is simply expressing a true desire I have. I was not aware it is actually considered a real cultivation method for the mind but apparently it is. I just do it because I want to at that particular moment when it pops up. Was not aware there is any particular kind of fruit from that practice but it seems to be that there is. Now where I am somewhat perplexed is with the final 2 "practices". Beneficial Conduct and Similarity in Deeds. Master Hua says these are not quite the same as practicing the paramita of giving (ie generosity). Practicing giving is a practice of the first two but not completely of the last two. That is...it shows this person is a beginner, a white belt, a greenhorn on the path to becoming a Bodhisattva. Which made me laugh because now I can definitely state I am a noob - Mind-wise - on the path even according to other Buddhists. Back to the last 2 dharmas. They seem obvious at first glance. Until I really started to wonder what those 2 practices must actually consist of as a daily routine. And that I confess I don't know for sure. Beneficial Conduct seems kind of happenstance...maybe that day you'll be lucky enough to practice it if you're around enough people but if you live alone or for whatever reason don't have much daily contact with other people it might not pop up as an opportunity at all. Or perhaps it involves some kind of practice I'm not aware of. Nor did the article extract mention one. Similarity in Deeds is even more puzzling. About the only thing I can think of is that old saw some religious people ask themselves, "what would Jesus do in this situation?" or "what would the Buddha do in this situation?" and then hopefully intuit the answer (Buddha-dharma-compliant of course). I want to practice the other 2 dharmas as well. Does anyone know if the Avatamsaka Sutra itself explains those last two and gives examples? I don't own a copy so unfortunately can not read the source document. Is there anyone here who practices along these lines daily to cultivate the four dharmas of attraction? If so what do you do and what has been your experience of such? Here is the extract I found: http://www.drbachinese.org/vbs/1_100/vbs93/93_3.html The original Youtube vid I watched:

Another addendum about the Cundi mantra. In that region of India Cundi is often spelled with dots above each of the letters - i.e - umlauts.

I have been chanting the Cundi mantra for quite some time now and am amazed at the benefits I'm getting from it. Here's another tip to aid you when chanting mantras. Find or create your own small and simple vegetable oil lamp. You can download a $3 book from Amazon on how to make them. You can also try using a beeswax candle while chanting but I don't know if you get all of the same benefits as with the oil lamp. I use the candle but my goal is to make one of these simple vegetable oil lamps and see if I get even better results. The reason is this: When one lights an oil lamp every one of the Great Elements comes into play - earth - the physical lamp that is the stable base, water - represented by the oil, fire - present by of course the candle flame and air - the element that allows the flame to burn. When all of these come together the final and most subtle of the Great Elements is there too - Aether. Aether creates an atmosphere that is favorable for meditation, mantra and yantra. When I first heard this being discussed by some Indian mystics (Shri Rohit Arya and also Sadhguru Jaggi Vasudev) on YouTube videos I decided to try it and I must say there does seem to be something special and helpful when chanting a mantra or meditating in the presence of flame. I haven't graduated to the oil lamp yet but even using a beeswax candle seems to help. Now I'm wondering if one of those little water floating votive candles might give the same results as an oil lamp. I also now understand why Kasina can be a good way to begin training in concentration before graduating to internal focusing on the breath or one of the Dantiens.

I have been reading Master Zhongxian Wu's Qigong Empowerment. If you can afford DVDs then you can't go wrong with one of the many recommended by other TBs in this thread. I have the first level of Spring Forest Qigong and it's a really good system. But any of the ones listed have plenty of material beginners can practice. There's always a risk with beginning energy practices but it seems most people have good experiences with learning and practicing Qigong from DVDs. If they truly had a history of causing problems then doubtless lawsuits and even just bad word of mouth would squeeze DVD instruction to the fringes. Certainly I've not had anything bad happen doing the Level 1 Spring Forest practice. Well...I've also done Kunlun Nei Gong and it helped when doing it (improved health, more balanced mind and emotions...etc) but as with anything in life... your mileage may vary. I guess I would say anything that enhances your perception of that which you call "myself" (and Qigong can potentially aid in that) is something I think more people would benefit from making time for.

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Thanks for the offer on the PPD but one will not be necessary. I doubt I'd use it often enough to make it worth while having. I am glad a few people found some of the notes interesting. Shri Rohit Arya often clarifies things about the spiritual process that I haven't been able to find in any other videos or books. If anyone is interested he has a The Money Tarot ISBN: 8188479632 and of Vaastu: The Indian Art of Placement ISBN: 0892818859 He also has a Facebook page where he is quite active. He doesn't seem to be very well known and I'm not sure if that is a good thing or not. But from what I can tell this guy knows his stuff amazingly deep. Still...he's not the only person I've got notes on that I've accumulated over the years. P.S. Anyone who is interested in sitting through his 30 minute or longer vids - check out the one where he talks about Patanjali and naga devas and the Yoga Sutra. People into Hermeticism will want to check it out too. Hint: Both India and Ancient Egypt are discussed in relation to "Typhonic Beings" - of which both cultures were intimately aware (think Thoth, Bastet, Anubis, Hanuman, (also possibly - Chiron the centaur famed for his deep wisdom), etc). edit: typo

I am having a hard time understanding the Buddhist view of Bodhicitta. Currently my view is that assorted meditation practices are designed to *uncover* or *discover* it. It's not so much something that we create or manufacture...it's something that's already there to be discovered. However, I do remember reading on this forum that the Buddha said that Bodhicitta practice alone will not get you to supreme enlightenment. It may win you rebirth into a higher realm but by itself won't get you to Supreme Enlightenment/Attaining the Tao. Thus it currently seems to me that it is a necessary but not sufficient prerequisite for Supreme Enlightenment/Attaining the Tao. Is it that one practices to uncover or discover that it's already there? Bodhicitta is never created, never born and so it never dies? Or is it something that also is by nature impermanent?

I recently purchased The Magician's I Ching by Swami Anand Nisarg. The book has helped me understand some things about the I Ching I didn't before. However, the one thing that has frustrated me to no end is the utter lack of explaining how a person throwing the sticks - using the method he describes - determines which line (lines?) is the changing line. This book using 4 carpenter's pencils rather than 50 yarrow stalks to create the hexagrams. He gives an explanation of why the 3 coin method is not as good as the 50 yarrow stalks (it has to do with mathematical probabilities). So he developed the 4 carpenter pencil method to duplicate the probabilities of the 50 stalk method without actually needing to haul around 50 stalks. Sounded great. Until I got to the section where he talks about creating a hexagram. And that's when I realized this book is probably meant for people whom already have been casting i ching hexagrams for many years. He just tosses out a single line about needing to determine the changing line but fails to explain how one goes about doing that. This in a book where he stresses in the introduction and the publisher has on the back cover how it's a book meant for i ching noobs. Can anyone here explain to me step by step how you go about determining which line (lines? can there be more than one changing line?) is the changing line? Any help is appreciated. **** Edit: corrected typo

July 3, 2015 Friday Just wanted to say that contrary to the warning thread on Dao Bums I am giving this company a good review. I just got my book today! I went ahead and ordered John Michael Greer's Circles of Power 2nd Edition which has a lot of additional information the first edition doesn't have. I sent an email to the company 5 minutes after seeing the warning thread at Dao Bums. Got a reply in 5 minutes back. The very next day got a tracking number for my book order. For some reason the Thailand postal service was used as the point of origin so maybe the original problems were because the company headquarters was moving to that country? Anyway...Salamander and Sons from my experience has been prompt with fullfilling my order.

Thought I'd share some observations from another thread that got me thinking. Commentary on the attacks in Germany. The original post that inspired the comments are here > http://thearchdruidreport.blogspot.com/ ******************* Juhana said... @ed boyle: I hear you man. As Scandinavian myself, I cannot even begin to describe disgust political correctness and liberal leftism causes in me and most working class males of Finland I know. We at least have started to defend ourselves, but Sweden is total madhouse nowadays. Throat cuttings and mass rapes by immigrants every week, and answer to that problem is to have more anti-racism rallies. I believe migrant crisis is THE biggest problem facing us now. If we as tribes of Europe do not survive and fight back this wave of conquest, other peak oil problems does not concern us anymore, as killed or enslaved persons don't have those worries any more. But you waste your breath here, because most readers of this blog attack you vehemently for expressing thoughts deviating from the Party line. Go to Return of Kings or Roosh V if you want more sympathetic internet crowd. Real life comrades are still far better. And even if your deviant thoughts come from your daily experience, and you only want to defend your dearest ones from rape and physical abuse, they still condemn you. In PC world, even having ideas about self-defence against dark skinned attackers is wrong wrong wrong, because racism and nazism and white privilege you know. Whites, even native European Whites who have been living in their lands from last Ice Age onwards are always wrong, always opressors for these folks. JMG, that is probably reason why Trump is doing so good in US right now. He attacks against those PC fortresses, that actually are status quo and the Man right now. Liberal leftist want to be seen as heroic counter-cultural revolutionaries, but there is nothing revolutionary in being feminist, multiculturalist, environmental activist or some other cultist of rainbow flag variety. Those "revolutionaries" are the staus quo today, the spearhead of liberalism. In the West, victory of generation of '68 is total. People who actually have to pay price for failures of that grandiose secular religion established by flower generation are sick of it, because it does not work on grassroots level. It is as simple as that. It does not work, as Marxism or radical nationalism did not work before this new secular religion of flower power. It must fall, and Trump is first ray of hope for bringing it down in US. He is first person in your internal politics who resembles vaguely the New Right of Europe. There are differences, his flamboyancy and moneyed status being most prominent, but still now you have had first breeze from New Right blowing to your face. And we who are its voting base, mostly native working classes and lower middle classes, for us they are our only and last hope. ************************ John Michael Greer said... Juhana, yes, that's an important part of it. I'll be exploring that in much more detail in the upcoming post I've mentioned. *********************** William Church said... John, I await your Trump post eagerly. I am really interested to see if we agree on the secret of his success. I've said for years that if a man or woman was willing to attack immigration and trade policy he could form a political consensus that would last for decades. It isn't immigration or trade per se that has people so enraged. It is that both have been used as economic and political weapons against an ever growing slice of the populace. Both parties have sold them out relentlessly on these issues for decades now. They are mad and why not? I'm mad about it myself. The fact that an imbecile like Trump can exploit these issues to rocket to the charts shows their potency. The fact that 95% of pundits can't crack this code tells you everything you need to know about the circles of people they never encounter. ************************ John Michael Greer said... William, I see your crystal ball is in good working order. You've touched on a core theme of the upcoming Trump post. *********************** Jason Panno said... I wasn't going to comment as it's rather late in the week, but I had to after I saw this. Juhana wrote: "JMG, that is probably reason why Trump is doing so good in US right now. He attacks against those PC fortresses, that actually are status quo and the Man right now. Liberal leftist want to be seen as heroic counter-cultural revolutionaries, but there is nothing revolutionary in being feminist, multiculturalist, environmental activist or some other cultist of rainbow flag variety. Those "revolutionaries" are the staus quo today, the spearhead of liberalism. In the West, victory of generation of '68 is total. People who actually have to pay price for failures of that grandiose secular religion established by flower generation are sick of it, because it does not work on grassroots level. It is as simple as that. It does not work, as Marxism or radical nationalism did not work before this new secular religion of flower power. It must fall, and Trump is first ray of hope for bringing it down in US. He is first person in your internal politics who resembles vaguely the New Right of Europe. There are differences, his flamboyancy and moneyed status being most prominent, but still now you have had first breeze from New Right blowing to your face. And we who are its voting base, mostly native working classes and lower middle classes, for us they are our only and last hope." As a 27 year old working class white male living in 'middle america', who is almost certainly going to vote for Trump, I'd say this is spot on the reason he is getting so much support. The economic angle is certainly part of it, but I'd say this is far greater. One of the subjects you've covered at length on this blog is how humans behave when the stories they've been telling themselves to explain the world stop matching the reality around them. That they double down on what used to work in the past, or what is 'supposed to work' according to their narrative, to the point of absurdity and eventually the 'story' in question is abandoned. I cant help but notice that this process is well into motion for the narratives underlying the social mores of the contemporary west. I've been wondering for a while why it hasn't been brought up here... I look forward to your analysis of the 'Trump phenomena' Mr. Greer, both for your unique perspective and to see how it stacks up with my own motivations and those of other trump supporters I've talked to. Anyway though, since everyone else in the comment section is making predictions for the year, I'll make my observation into one. I consider it to be of the slam-dunk variety: 'The narratives of equality that make up the social mores of today will continue to die. Activists for 'social justice' will continue to pursue strategies that actively hurt their own cause, and generally look more and more absurd to the general public. An increasing number of people will find that they cannot identify or agree with some part of the social mores of the day and will find themselves labeled as haters. With this 'hater' label they will find themselves far more open to the arguments of other 'haters', and the number of people who want to throw the entire edifice into the compost heap will grow.' ************************ John Michael Greer said... Jason, thanks for the input from the front lines. The self-defeating bullying of so-called "social justice warriors" is, to my mind, only one facet of a much broader phenomenon which has a great deal to do with the chasm in American society that Trump's figured out how to bridge -- and that bridge may well lead him straight to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, not least because none of his opponents are willing or able to see the chasm in the first place. More on this soon! **********************

Wanted to do something fun. So this thead is for a Taoism Giveaway. I'll let this run until 12 pm PST (2400 hrs) Sept. 5. I'm going to have Amazon ship a brand new copy of the following book to whomever wins. I'll even have it shipped internationally should someone outside the U.S. be the winner. The only exception being if that person lives somewhere that Amazon doesn't deliver. Embryonic Breathing by Yang Jwing-Ming So here it is: Think of a number between 0 and 200. The person closest to the number I'm thinking of will win the book. Post your guess. The winner can PM me once it's over for his/her shipping address. edit: revised date