Cheshire Cat

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It's a good idea to love one-self. Yet, it's tremendously difficult to translate a "mental affirmation" or some sort of self-conviction into a real genuine emotional feeling. At least, in my experience Any suggestions?

Thank you! Now I have to train to perform headstand... it looks difficult

I want to start a thread about Therevada and Mahayana schools. It seems to me that in this section there's a lot of talk about Mahayana teachings, so that it seems that there's just a single sect.

This thread is about Karma, but since Karma means "action" or cause & effect law... maybe I want to talk about one of the aspects of Karma. It's some kind of "balancing force" that keep things in order. Everything is connected in some way and every tiny transformation influences the whole world: it's like taking a cup of water from the sea and causing the movements of hundreds of particles to "tap the hole". In this way, by practicing magic we sometime experience unwanted outcomes: we cause unexpected movements. For example, if one uses magic to win the lottery, he may win 1000 today ... but unexpectedly he will have to spend 1100 after few days for a car accident. What do you think? Do you have some methods to avoid those things? ...and win the lottery continuously

In the past, people like us (who were called mystic at that time) had only Christianity to play with... they haven't Zhan Zhuang, but we know that many Saints (especially orthodox) used to pray with their arms raised to the sky in a rudimentary form of the standing exercise.... for hours of course. We know that St. Seraphim did it for few nights in a row after he was severely wounded at the spine.

The Dao of rejecting conventional morality of Chuang-Tzu has a purpose based on the spiritual search of what is true inside men. The Dao of nazis reject conventional morality for various reasons: race, politic, etc... Hence, they're two different things, the latter being some sort of mental illness.

The Master said: "If you want the theory, lust is empty and emptiness is lust" This shows how the Shen can be converted into jing.

There's a lot of misunderstanding about this matter. 99% of people who talk about this, know nothing and experienced little. Now, I tell you what nobody was able to tell me when I had your questions. I practiced concentration in the heart center until absurd pain: it's not a safe spot. The safe points are: third eye and navel, or arms and legs. Stop. I say this from my personal experience. You may think that the sacrum could be safe. It's not. Don't practice concentration on the spine if you are serious. When one starts to open chi channels in the spine for real, this will produce a dramatic increase of sexual energy: a tremendous lust. Nothing the ordinary men ever experienced. This is because sexual energy is affected by gravity: the energy from the spine falls down naturally to the sexual organ. And, if one is celibate (as he's supposed to be if he wants to have some real results and not delusions), semen will flow into the bladder and his pee will be foamy and whitish. But, if you start your cultivation from the dantien area, this will supply the necessary "pressure" for the energy to raise the spine safely and not fall down.

No, you speak of a buddhist mahayana concept, claiming that it's the absolute buddhist Truth. And of those who have a different view, you say "Their mind is inferior and they have an inferior teaching". This is unfair, in my opinion. But the teaching is the teacher's son and, as people say in my country "Ogni scarrafone è bello a mamma sua", Every child (no matter how ugly) is the most gracious creature in the eyes of his mother. Therefore, I think that you will never comprehend my point of view.

Hi, when you speak of buddha-hood, you do so in the perspective of Mahayana concepts of Enlightenment, which is something like acquiring all sorts of supernatural powers and work full time for the benefit of sentient beings 'till the end of the universe. Cooler than daoist immortality A mahayana enlightened being, can move as he please in the pure lands... But what about those buddhists who practice to reach "cessation", "nibbana", end of rebirth, end of existence?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQHm7oItkdA

Tantric Theravada? http://abhidharma.ru/A/Vedalla/Content/0003.pdf

Maybe, it could be a good idea to start the practice with stabilization. This constitutes shamata. Maybe, you can try this practice http://thetaobums.com/topic/26989-namo-amituofo-how-to-chant/ , which deals exactly with wandering thoughts.

You cannot make a golden ball out of a wooden block... as none could learn to build a bridge from an actor. From a Buddha, one can learn buddhahood. From the dharma, one can learn dharmahood. But sometimes, a wise person can use the dharma to build his own path. Hence, the external (dharma) reveals the internal (Buddha), in my opinion. This idea is strong in tantra in which initiations are the essential.

There was none like the Buddha. Only people who transmitted what they've learned. The same difference exists between learning from a book and learning from a live teacher.

It is generally believed that the Buddha didn't create any religions, nor had the idea of creating new religions. He just purely taught the methods that he learned and developed to help people in their quest for fundamental nature. He hadn't the purpose of convincing people to abandon their families and join monastic life... those people were naturally present and naturally inclined to this thing. No need for facilities and encouragement, imho. Later, people put together various Dharma discourses to establish a solid tradition, since apparently there was none who could take the place of the Buddha. He left a terrible hole... no lineage of gurus.. nothing... people were desperate. I don't know if other sects ever established lineages of teachings at that time... maybe this is a thing born with tantra. One Buddha teaches two Buddhas... two Buddhas teach 5 Buddhas... 5 Buddha teach 9 Buddhas...and today we should be an enlightened planet

I believe that the original and most fundamental problem that the Buddha tried to solve is... suffering. All speculations about reincarnations, vajra-body, infinite wisdom, etc... were later addition (maybe made by the Buddha himself, who knows?). To summarize: No salvation. We have a problem, buddhism offers a path to solve it. Simple.

Hi wolf, people who are marginally involved are usually quite happy. It's pleasant to chant all the time. Then, there are the initiates who should follow very strict rules. Good rules, of course. But most people are simply not qualified to follow them... it's too difficult and devotees usually end in developing emotional imbalances and psychological problems (when those things weren't already present). One rule that give terrible troubles to devotees is They give initiations to people who are not prepared... otherwise there would be few dozens of initiates in the all world. Search for stories of ex-hare krishna and you'll see what I mean.

The end of Rome may have different meanings... All the various christian movements of the west originated from the catholic church with various schisms. Our society, our science and our morality are based on christian view. "The end of Rome" may imply the end of our civilization, of our culture, of our values and of our beliefs... with terrible events in the process. This is not the end of christianity because the orthodox church is alive and vibrant since the time of St. Malachi... They deny the authority of the Pope since 1050 C.E. In addition, christian prophecies are quite inaccurate (Apocalypse, etc...). So, it's quite unlikely that the world will forget the name of Jesus...

Welcome!

Osho was a great Pandit, imho. Pandit means a person with great cultural knowledge, but not necessarily experience in actual practices. Just like some sort of Professor. As for the Karmapa, people usually say that he was a very special person and did many documented miracles. I haven't a definitive opinion about him.

from http://www.ashe-prem.org/two/jeevan.shtml An interview with the Tibetan Lama, His Holiness Lama Karmapa by Ma Prem Jeevan I In 1972, Swami Govind Siddharth visited the Monastery of the Tibetan Lama, His Holiness Lama Karmapa in Darjeeling. When he arrived, accompanied by his wife and two young daughters, the monastery was completely closed. He told, in an interview, of his disappointment at not meeting the Karmapa. Then all of a sudden, one lama came out to tell him that he was immediately wanted inside by His Holiness. He went in and was greeted by him as if he was expected there. His Holiness never even knew anything about him beforehand, as he had never made any appointment... he never knew anything about him except that he was in sannyasin’s dress. About His Holiness, he is said to be a ‘Divine Incarnation’. In Tibet, they believe that whosoever attains to buddhahood, to enlightenment, if by their own wishes they are born again to help people in the world, then they are divine incarnations — bodhisatvas. His Holiness is said to be the sixteenth incarnation of Dsum Khyenpa, the first Karmapa, who was born about 1110 AD. He is descended from the chain of master going back to Marpa, one of Tibet’s great yogis. When Swami Siddharth first entered, the Karmapa immediately told him that he knew where he was coming from. He said, “I am seeing that you have somewhere some photograph or something which is printed on two sides, of your master.” Swami Siddharth answered that he had nothing like that which is printed on two sides. He had completely forgotten about the locket hanging from his mala of Osho’s photograph on both sides! There was an English woman who was acting as an interpreter since the Lama Karmapa does not know English. She immediately saw his mala and said, “What is this?” He then remembered that the locket was printed on two sides and he said, “This is the photograph of my master.” She was curious to see it, so Siddharth took it off and showed it to her. Immediately, His Holiness said, “That is it.” He took the locket of Osho in his hand and he touched it to his forehead and then said: He is the greatest incarnation since Buddha in India — he is a living Buddha!” His Holiness went on to say, “You may be feeling that he is speaking for you, but it is not only for you that he speaks. Osho speaks for the Akashic records also, the records of events and words recorded on the astral planes. Whatever is spoken is not forgotten. That is why you will find that he goes on repeating things and you will feel that he is doing this for you, but as a matter of fact, he speaks only for a few people. Only a few people realize who Osho is. His words will remain there in Akashic records, so that they will also be helpful to people of the future.” His Holiness went on to say that Osho was with them in past lives. “If you want to see one of Osho’s previous incarnations — who he was in Tibet — you can go to Tibet and see his golden statue there which is preserved in the Hall of Incarnations.” He went on to say that about Osho and his work, “My blessings are always there, and I know that whatever we are not going to be able to do to help others, Osho will do.” The main aim of the lamas in coming to India was to preserve their occult sciences. Osho also confirmed this in his Kashmir lectures given in 1969. The Dalai Lama has not escaped only to save himself, but to save the Tibetan religion, the meditation secrets and the occult sciences. “We have gotten these things from India in the past, and now we want to return them back. Now we have come to know that here is an incarnation, Osho, who is doing our job in India and the world and we are very happy about it. The world will know him, but only a few people will realize what he actually is. He will be the only person who can guide properly, who can be a World Teacher in this age, and he had taken birth only for this purpose.” Is this a real story? What do you think?

Does this mean that the XVI° karmapa was a fool? this question goes directly in the buddhist section...

His holiness the XVI karmapa said something about Osho: He took the locket of Osho in his hand and he touched it to his forehead and then said: He is the greatest incarnation since Buddha in India — he is a living Buddha!” His Holiness went on to say, “You may be feeling that he is speaking for you, but it is not only for you that he speaks. Osho speaks for the Akashic records also, the records of events and words recorded on the astral planes. Whatever is spoken is not forgotten. That is why you will find that he goes on repeating things and you will feel that he is doing this for you, but as a matter of fact, he speaks only for a few people. Only a few people realize who Osho is. His words will remain there in Akashic records, so that they will also be helpful to people of the future.” His Holiness went on to say that Osho was with them in past lives. “If you want to see one of Osho’s previous incarnations — who he was in Tibet — you can go to Tibet and see his golden statue there which is preserved in the Hall of Incarnations.” He went on to say that about Osho and his work, “My blessings are always there, and I know that whatever we are not going to be able to do to help others, Osho will do.” The main aim of the lamas in coming to India was to preserve their occult sciences. Osho also confirmed this in his Kashmir lectures given in 1969. The Dalai Lama has not escaped only to save himself, but to save the Tibetan religion, the meditation secrets and the occult sciences. “We have gotten these things from India in the past, and now we want to return them back. Now we have come to know that here is an incarnation, Osho, who is doing our job in India and the world and we are very happy about it. The world will know him, but only a few people will realize what he actually is. He will be the only person who can guide properly, who can be a World Teacher in this age, and he had taken birth only for this purpose.” (http://www.ashe-prem.org/two/jeevan.shtml) The XVI karmapa was a renowned Mahasiddha