Vmarco

There are likely many ideas about sangha. In some Buddhism traditions Id say that sangha is synonymous with the term admirable friends. In discussing the Three Jewels,...Buddha, Dharma, Sangha; Shakyamuni Buddha (Upaddha Sutta) said that admirable friendship is the whole of spiritual life. Most Buddhist commentators since Shakyamuni have suggested to be careful of the company we keep. Mahayanists say, "recognizing the simple fact that an unexamined lifestyle, in which we are immersed in the materialistic values and behavior of worldly friends, will get us nowhere." Buddha purportedly commented that (Sambodhi Sutta), "If wanderers who are members of other sects should ask you, 'What are the prerequisites for the development of the wings to self-awakening?' you should answer, that admirable friends, admirable companions, admirable comrades, is the first prerequisite for the development of the wings to self-awakening." Justin Whitaker wrote, "Let friendship be a central part of your practice. Meditate on the relationships in your life to see how they bring you toward or away from awareness, toward or away from skillful and unskillful mental states and activities. As you become more aware of the friendships in your life that are indeed admirable, these relationships will naturally grow and deepen, while ordinary friendships will either fall away the Buddha is also quite clear that solitude is far preferable to being in the company of those disinterested in cultivating positive qualities or these friendships will begin to change for the better. Here's a crux however,...having one or more admirable friends becomes more and more fleeting for those involved with uncovering truth realization. In a way, association with a sangha not committed to the admirable pursuit of impeccable inquiry, has little to do with the Spiritual Life as Sakyamuni espoused, but supports a life of mediocity. Sanghas, for the most part, have become places of a status quo, where maintaining the groupthink is more important than honest transformation. Admirable friends, from the point of view left by Sakyamuni, puts the dharma before human-centric or 6 sense viewpoints, thus making available a fertile ground for cultivating Heart-mind.

Several philosophies suggest that there are 7 levels of humanity. One way to analogize this for discussion is the prison construct. Roughly 84% - 95% of humanity are considered Man #1 ( or level 1),…they are in prison, but don’t realize they are in prison (or the dream). Man #2 (a term used by Gurdjieff and Kagyu Buddhism), suspects they are in prison (a dream) and become as prison trustees,…exploiting the prison for their perceived harmony,…This level is said to amount to about 5% -15% of humanity (although I find 2% - 3% more likely). Man #3, who is said to represent about .04% of humanity, understands that they are in prison, and seek way to get out. To get out of the box, so to say. Man #4 has a consciousness that pivots from out of the box. The higher levels of humanity are of no concern here,…because 99.6% could not understand it if someone at that level were standing in front of them. Lao Tzu said, "To attain pure Tao you must understand and integrate within yourself the three main energies of the universe: The first is the Earth energy (Man #1). Centered in the belly, itexpresses itself as sexuality. Those who cultivate and master the physical energy attain partial purity; Second is the Heaven energy (Man #2). Centered in the mind, it expresses itself as knowledge and wisdom. Those whose minds merge with the Universal Mind also attain partial purity. Third is the Harmonized energy (Man #3). Centered in the heart, it expresses itself as spiritual insight. Those who develop spiritual insight also attain partial purity. Only when you attain all three - mastery of physical energy, universal mindedness, and spiritual insight - and express them in a virturous integral life, can you attain pure Tao (Man #4)" I posted this in the Pit,…because at least 1 moderator here is a hardcore Man #1, meaning, fully enclosed in the “box”…and will likely toss it into the Pit anyway,…because it doesn’t meet with their Western media-ted theocratic opinions. For the few open-hearted enough to get the point,…that is, those who realize the delusion of the “box”…and instead, wish to know the Tao, which is not in the box,,…the 7 Levels of humanity points to a consciousness that is outside the “box”…and a very different way of viewing things,…which Man #1 and Man #2 will see as an extreme threat to their ego beliefs.

What Matters? "Soon we all will die; our hopes and fears will be irrelevant...." Padmasambhava

Meditation is often a topic during discussions. Of course there is much to be said for meditation. On an other hand, history, which is of course written by the dominating, usually cerebral-centric tradition, is often considered the authority,…after all, many owe their livelihoods to sustaining such views. In Buddhist/Daoist philosophy, there are two takes on meditation. One is non-meditation,...which Westerners loathe "Do you think you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear." Lao-Tzu "The practice of meditation is represented by the three monkeys, who cover their eyes, ears and mouths so as to avoid the phenomenal world. The practice of non-meditation is ceasing to be the see-er, hearer or speaker while eyes, ears and mouths are fulfilling their function in daily life." - Wei Wu Wei “Mind is the basis of samsara and nirvana. Once you realize (its nature), rest in the ease of non-meditation.” Saraha Refuge in sahaja, which is not preoccuppied with meditation or yoga techniques, is a permanent and effortless state of realization. Kagyu, the fourth stream of mastery, says, "In a state of non-meditation, you attain Mahamudra." Hui Neng reportedly scolded his monks for spending too much time sitting in meditation....He said that meditation is unnecessary, and warned that such practice can easily become a narcotic. “…gurus, meditation, and spiritual teachings are all gentle deceptions meant to soothe the inner coward, not forge the inner hero." Jed McKenna "The state of non-meditation is born in the heart...." Jigme Lingpa

This is a huge subject. Thinking for oneself would be an significant step towards the end of thinking,...that is, getting beyond thinking. However, most,...and I'm literally talking 84% or more,...as you said "can't or prefer not to." So,...can they,...or do they prefer not to? Either way,...those (the majority) who prefer not to think for themselves, elect those like themselves who can't think for themselves,...and thus society,...that is the anti-society,...governs the whole. “As a man is, so he sees.” William Blake

The first would work,...and I appreciate the offer,...the second wouldn't,...because some here are quite familiar that I'm not personal about anything.

I really disagree with that,...a religion, as a set of beliefs,...covers all atheists who do not "believe" in a god. Thus,...semantically,...atheism is a religious point of view. Those who reject any notion of a god out of honesty, or have realized that there is no god, probably should not be called atheist,...the former, usually being Buddhists. LOL

MODERATORS....PLEASE RETURN THIS TO THE PIT...or I will be unable to continuing posting on this thread. V

You could take my word for this,...that no one uncovers the Heart through belief. Religion, as far as I'm concerned, is defined as a set of beliefs. Yet, I also see religion as that which limits. If Taoism is limited to the TTC,...I would suspect religion. I the TTC is a spring board you use to realize the Tao,...I would suspect it is a non-religion. I recall the member Aaron,...very well versed on the TTC,...and vigorously challenged my use of the Hua Hu Ching. However,...Aaron strives for something deeper,...so he read the HHC, and reported back (my paraphrase) that he found it helpful with his understanding of the TTC. I like quoting the HHC because it is generally outside the box of traditional Taoism,...thus forcing a broader view,...or identifying one's self limitations. "When people say 'I have faith' [in the Bible, the Qu'ran, or the TTC], what they really mean is 'I don't want to know the truth'." Nietzsche

There you go,....the path to Suchness. "those desiring speedily to be A refuge for themselves and other beings, Should interchange the terms of I and Other, And thus embrace a sacred mystery." Shantideva

Isn't it though,...that's why many shouldn't even visit this stuff. It really, really begins to challenge ego,...but if you stick with it, you cease working for ego, and ego starts working for you,...the you that you really are. What many get told is to let go of the you,...which is sort of correct,...you let go of the you that you think you are, that you sense you are,...and in so doing, you become aware, even if only in glimpses, which you may have already experienced, the you that you are. You will recognize the you that you really are, when such is being realized from beyond the 6 senses. Again, you may have already experienced it,...or as me, have had the experiences, but was years before it was even recognized,...as it just sort of blended in with the illusory stuff. As for inside and outside,...I assure you that this is a thread unto itself,...and a very worth while at that.

Truly Selfless? Elaborate. Abrahamic evangelists are not selfless,...they are acting from a belief. Beyond the belief of me, is simultaneously beyond the belief of other. Is it not?

Sharon Salzberg said, "Sometimes we think that to develop an open heart, to be truly loving and compassionate, means that we need to be passive, to allow others to abuse us, to smile and let anyone do what they want with us. Yet this is not what is meant by compassion. Quite the contrary. Compassion is not at all weak. It is the strength that arises out of seeing the true nature of suffering in the world. Compassion allows us to bear witness to that suffering, whether it is in ourselves or others, without fear; it allows us to name injustice without hesitation, and to act strongly, with all the skill at our disposal. To develop this mind state of compassion...is to learn to live, as the Buddha put it, with sympathy for all living beings, without exception."

Yes,...sort of. Real Compassion is surely beyond belief,...however real compassion, as Buddhism instructs, also has empathy for the suffering of sentient beings. If you could see suffering, and the cause of suffering, even though you understand it to be just a dream, would you as Lao Tzu said, "Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not keeping with the Way?" In a way however, we are getting tripped up on the sequence here. First we must understand the nature of compassion,...before we can really discuss in any depth, how it responds to suffering,...in other words,...before one can honestly argue if compassion is tolerant or intolerant of that which steps between a sentient being and their direct experience,...we should understand compassion itself,...of which, as stated in post #2,...I will be discussing from a Buddhist point of view,...not society's point of view as espoused by Marblehead. What is the good deed that Marblehead recommended? Do not Christian and Muslin evangelists perform good deeds everyday? Flolfolil's comment is too sophomoric to respond to,...yet if you watch, one that the overwhelming majority share. It's sort of, if you're in the box, and the box is sustained by beliefs, then anything outside the box must also be a belief.

My own responses/contributions in this thread will pivot from a Buddhist point of view of Compassion. "Buddhist teachings on compassion are grounded in the direct realization of Emptiness; without which, compassion is impossible." Robert Thurman commentary on the Dalai Lama's The Four Noble Truth's. "If I have any understanding of compassion..., it all comes from studying the Bodhicharyavatara" HH Dalai Lama "The whole of the Bodhicharyvatara is geared toward prajna, the direct realization of emptiness, absolute bodhichitta, without which the true practice of compassion is impossible." The Bodhicharyvatara "A wise man, recognizing that the world is but an illusion, does not act as if it is real"...Buddha Lao Tzu said, "Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not keeping with the Way?" What is suffering in the world? The attachment to any belief system for one’s identity. Is Lao Tzu suggesting that enlightenment and the Tao is a belief system? Absolutely not. Real compassion is intolerant of all belief systems.

I'd suggest Carl Brunnholzl 'The Heart Attack Sutra' as a primer for prajnaparamita. http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Attack-Sutra-Commentary/dp/1559393912 It doesn't appear to be on audio,...which is ok,...my copy is the most scribbled in book I own....cover to cover underlining and notes. LOL Prajnaparamita IMO is the greatest of subjects,...look forward to discussing it sometime. The Pit will be perfect,...as the content is very upsetting to ego.. One of my "bucket list" goals is to go to Jakarta to see the Prajnaparamita statue at the museum,...she is so beautiful,...I plan on getting there this year. http://images.search.yahoo.com/search/images?_adv_prop=image&fr=fp-yie10&va=prajnaparamita+statue.

The question in the video (3:48 min) is What Matters? To say for example, nothing matters after you die, is dishonest. Perhaps your hopes and dreams no longer matter,...but to say nothing matters, is like saying there are no stars above you in the day time.

I would differ with that,...Religious Taoists loathe it,...but non-religious Taoists use it. Same with Buddhism,...the majority of Buddhists are religious, especially Theravada. At the Mahayana level, religion begins to break down,...and at the prajnaparamita level, religion is seen as a barrier to Heart Consciousness.

Yes,....pretty similar to how the Christian Church Fathers threw out the Gospel of Thomas, and call it gnostic trash that pollutes the institution of Christianity,...and of course, their own indoctrination. "The biggest crux to the evolution of humanity is breaking through your own indoctrination. It is very, very difficult to overcome emotional elements that have become so engrained in you, that you have an immediate reaction, an immediate suffering and pain, if something interfers with [your idea of the status quo]. It's a very, very complex problem. We have to learn how to identify and break our own indoctrination if we expect to move forward at all as a civilization" PJ Merola

I'd suggest that Loving Kindness is quite different than egoic accepting humor.

I agree. As I recently mentioned somewhere,...Milarepa suggested that (talking of Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana) Buddhahood is not attainable if any of the three is lacking. I disagree that "cutting down ego" as you said can be accomplished with humor. People do not want to see that what they considered meaningful, is actually meaningless,...and humor is not going to achieve that. For example,...Why do Christians go to Church? Remember, it's a joke. Christians go to Church because they have faith. It's hilarious,....first time I heard I cheeks hurt from the laughter. A very good example of how "ego is cut down" can be found in the story of Tilopa's Shoe (the enlightenment of Naropa) This is part of my copyrighted version: The biography of Naropa is both an amusing and illuminating description of the tests devised by a master of the Short Path to train and direct an initiate. Naropa, born around 1010, c.e., was considered a man of refinement, a learned doctor and deeply convinced of his superiority as a member of the Brahmin caste. Having been greatly offended by a rajah to whom he was chaplain, he resolved to kill the prince by an occult process. For this purpose, he shut himself up in an isolated house and began a magic rite to bring about death; the dragpoi dubhab. As he was performing the rite, a Dakini faery appeared at a corner of the magic diagram and asked Naropa if he deemed himself capable of sending the spirit of the rajah towards a happy place in another world, or of bring it back into the body which it had left and resuscitating it. The magician could only confess that his science did not extend so far. Then the faery assumed a stern presence and reproached him for his nefarious undertaking. She told him that no one had the right to destroy who could not build up again the being destroyed or establish it in a better condition. The consequence of his criminal thought, she added, would be his own rebirth in one of the purgatories. Terror-stricken, Naropa inquired how he could escape that terrible fate. The Dakini advised him to seek the Sage named Tilopa and beg from him initiation into the mystic doctrine of the Short Path which frees a man from the consequences of his actions, whatever they may be, by the revelation of their true nature, and ensures enlightenment in one single life. If he succeeded in grasping the meaning of that teaching and realize it, he would not be reborn again and consequently would escape a life of torment in the purgatories. Naropa stopped the performance of the rite and hastened towards Bengal where Tilopa lived. However, before Naropa would meet the Sage and receive the Ultimate Teaching, that is, Tilopa's Mahamudra, through which Enlightenment could be realized in one lifetime, he would first undergo twelve astonishments, followed by twelve ordeals. The Twelve Astonishments were challenges to Naropa's conditioning, that is, his ego and beliefs; whereas the Twelve Ordeals, or Hardships, were intended to encourage complete surrender. The first meeting of Naropa with Tilopa occurred in the courtyard of a Buddhist monastery. The cynic Sage, nearly naked, was seated on the ground eating fish. As the meal went on, he put down the fish's backbones beside him. However, in order not to defile his cast purity, Naropa was on the point of passing by at some little distance from the eater, when a monk started to reproach Tilopa for parading his lack of compassion for the animals, that is, killing and eating the fish, in the very premises of a Buddhist Monastery; and ordered him to leave at once. Tilopa did not even condescend to answer. He muttered some words, snapped his fingers and the fish bones were again covered with flesh. The fishes then moved as if living and swam away through the air as if it was water. No vestige remained of the cruel meal on the ground. Naropa was dazed, but suddenly thought that this strange wonder worker, no doubt, was the very Tilopa whom he was seeking. He hurriedly inquired about him, and the information given by the monks agreed with his own intuition. He ran after the Sage, but Tilopa was nowhere to be found. Then in his eagerness to learn the doctrine that could save him from the purgatories, Naropa wanders from town to town with the only result being that each time he reaches a place where Tilopa is said to be staying, the latter has, invariably just left it a little before his arrival. In the coming months, as if by chance on his way, Naropa would meet singular beings who were phantoms created by Tilopa. Once, knocking at the door of a house to beg food, a man comes out who offers him wine. To offer wine or spirit to a high caste Brahmin is an insult, so Naropa feels deeply offended and indignantly refuses the impure beverage. The house and its master vanish immediately. The proud Brahmin is left alone on the solitary road, while a mocking voice laughs that man was I, Tilopa. Again, the traveler sees a brutal husband who drags his wife buy her hair, and when he interferes, the cruel fellow tells him, you had better help me, I want to kill her. At least pass your way and let me do it. Naropa can hear no more. He knocks the man down on the ground, sets free the woman, and, lo!, once more the pantasmagoria disappears while the same voice repeats scornfully, I was there, I, Tilopa. The adventures continue in the same vein. Proficient magician though he may be, Naropa has never even conceived the idea of such display of supernormal powers. He stands on the brink of madness, the beliefs he clung to for his identity shaken to their core, but his fortitude to become Tilopa's disciple grew still stronger. He roamed at random across the country, calling Tilopa aloud and, knowing by experience that the Sage is capable of assuming any form, he bows down at the feet of any passer-by and even before any animal he happens to see on the road. One evening, after a long walk, he reaches a cemetary. A fire is smouldering in a corner; at times, a dark, reddish flame leaps from it showing shriveled- up, carbonized remains. The glimmer allows Naropa to vaguely discern a man laying beside the fire. He looks at him, and a mocking laugh answers his inspection. He falls prostrate on the ground at Tilopa's feet. This time the Sage does not disappear. The obscurations which inhibited Naropa from recognizing the Sage had waned. During the next several years, Naropa followed Tilopa without being treated as of any import, athough the Sage engages him in twelve ordeals, as mentioned above. Each Ordeal or Hardship, according to later Mahasiddhas of the lineage, contained one of twelve instructions of the Fourth Empowerment. As the first three empowerments encouraged the blossoming of the sapiential mind, the Fourth liberated the sapiential mind. However, only a few of the ordeals will be given here to grasp the principle of Naropa's release from his belief barriers and surrender to the Sage, whereby he fully understood the acquenscence of who he thought he was, and realized who he actually was. One of Naropa's first hardships arose following a begging round. According to the custom of Indian ascetics can beg for food, or alms, once a day. Coming back to his master, he offered him the rice and curry which he had received as alms. The rule is that a disciple eats only after his guru is satisfied, but far from leaving something for his follower, Tilopa ate up the whole contents of the bowl, and even declared that the food was so much to his taste that he could have eaten another bowl full with pleasure. Without waiting for a more direct command, Naropa took the bowl and started again for the house where generous householders bestowed such tasty alms, even though he knew he could not beg again. When he arrived, he found the door closed. However, burning with zeal, the devoted disciple did not let himself be stopped for so little. He forced the door open, discovered some rice and various stews keeping warm on the stove in the kitchen and helped himself to more of what Tilopa had so much enjoyed. The masters of the house came back as he was plunging a spoon in their pots and gave him a harsh thrashing. Bruised from head to feet, Naropa returned to the Sage, who showed no compassion whatever for his suffering. What adventure has befallen you on my account, he said with a cynical calm. Do you not regret having become my disciple? With all the strength that his pitiful condition left at his disposal, Naropa protested that far from regretting having followed such a Sage, he deemed the privilege of being his disciple could never be paid for too dearly, even if one was to purchase it at the cost of one's life. Another ordeal took place while Sage and disciple lived in a hut near a forest. Once, returning from the village with Tilopa's meal, Naropa saw that during his absence, the latter had fabricated a number of long bamboo needles, and with covered with molten butter, hardened them in a fire. Inquisitively he inquired about the use Tilopa meant to make of these implements. The Sage responded with a queer smile. Could you, he asked, bear some pain if it pleased me? Naropa answered that he belonged entirely to him and that he would do whatever he liked with him. Well, replied Tilopa, stretch out your hand. And when Naropa had obeyed, he thrust one of the needles under each of the nails of one hand, did the same to the other, and finished with the toes. Then he pushed the tortured Naropa into the hut, commanded him to wait there till he returned, closed the door, and went away. Several days elapsed before he came back. He found Naropa seated on the ground, the bamboo needles still in his flesh. What did you think while alone?, inquired Tilopa. Have you not come to 'believe' that I am a cruel master and that you had better leave me? I have been thinking of the dreadful life of torments which will be mine in the purgatories if I do not succeed, by your grace, in becoming enlightened in the mystic doctrine, and so escaping a new rebirth and having to begin all over, answered Naropa. As the years went by, Naropa drank fowl water, a defiling thing according to religious law; crossed a blazing fire, nearly drowned in icy water, and performed other fantastic feats which often put his life in jeopardy. Once, Sage and disciple were strolling in the streets when they happened to meet a wedding procession accompanying a bride to her husband's house. I desire that woman, said Tilopa to Naropa. Go bring her to me. He had scarcely finished speaking before Naropa joined the cortege. Seeing that he was a Brahmin, the men of the wedding party allowed him to approach the bride, thinking that he meant to bless her. But when they saw that he took her in his arms and intended to carry her away, they seized on everything they could find and belabored poor Naropa so soundly that he fainted and was left for dead. Tilopa had not waited for the end of the performance to pass quietly on his way. When Naropa came to his senses again and had painfully dragged himself along until he overtook his whimsical guru, the latter, as welcome, asked him once more the usual question, Do you not regret?. And as usual, Naropa protested that a thousand deaths seemed to him but a trifle to purchase the privilege of being his disciple. By some accounts, Naropa's last ordeal was said to have occurred at the end of a day walking in a remote mountainous region. Stopping at a cliff, Tilopa asked, what if it would please me for you to jump off this cliff? Before the final word was finished, Naropa leaps off the cliff, breaking nearly every bone in his body. Tilopa made his way down the steep, rocky cliff and asked Naropa who was clearly in agony, How are you?. Naropa answered that the pain was unbearable. Then, in a calm voice, Tilopa commanded him to heal himself. Instantaneously Naropa healed himself, and his broken body was fully restored. That evening, while seated at a fire, quite unexpectedly Tilopa took off one of his shoes and soundly slapped Naropa on the head with it. In that instant Naropa saw the inverse flow of forward moving waves of Light, and would not again transgress into the sleep of samsara, the always changing and impermanent dream of Maya. The full meaning of the Short Path was then told to Naropa through Tilopa's twenty-eight verse Mahamudra, or Ultimate Teaching. The story of Tilopa's Shoe is considered a historic occurrence. Several variations of the story exist, some handed down by oral tradition, others written in the biographies of famous lamas. Yet, unlike other philosophies, the historical legitimacy of Kagyu makes no difference, for the essence of the Short Path, the realization of the sapiential Mind in a single lifetime, is contained within the story. .

What would a healthy world look like? Competition = anti-society.....Cooperation = society. Competition is not only a distraction to spirituality, but has an inherently hostile, us verses them mentality that is contrary to the true nature of basic human beingness. Competition is about as natural and needed as the Abrahamic religions. Just as there is no such thing as healthy delusion or a healthy religion, there is no healthy competition. Competition does not build character, it reinforces low self-esteem. Competiion encourages animosity, envy, hostility, hate, war, and illiberalism. The synonyms of competition include contention, rivalry, conflict, strife, struggle and combativeness. For competition, there is only a winner if their is a loser When viewed integrally, competition undermines all healthy human enterprises. Competition reinforces a psychological dependence on external, object-ive activities. In a competitive society only the winner is good enough. Success is seen through defeating others, not cooperation. Harvard Business School professor Dr. Teresa Amabile, author of Creativity in Context and Growing Up Creative, has given much attention to team creativity, organizational innovation, assessing creativity and motivation.. In one experiment she had two groups make artistic collages. One group competed for prizes through a contest, while the other was unaware of any competition. The art was then independently judged by seven professionals. Those competing for prizes were considered much less creative and complex than the non-competitive crafted collages. Social psychologist Alfie Kohn pointed out in his impressive 'No Contest - The Case Against Competition' a multitude of negative effects of competition, many of them subtle. Kohn articulates that competition arises from four myths. First, the "survival of the fittest", which really manifests a purpetual struggle in society. Second, that competition builds character. Yet it has been shown that only those with low self-esttem require competitive activities. People with high self-esteem has no need to externally prove anything or beat others. Thirdly, that competition is fun. Competition reduces spontaneous play to superiority/humiliation dynamic. Fourthly is the fallacy that competition increases productivity. However, study after study shows that cooperation, not competition, leads to higher levels of achievement. "That most of us consistently fail to consider the alternatives to competition is a testament to the effectiveness of our socialization." Alfie Kohn How could a truely loving parent put their children in competitive surroundings? For me, I never hesitated to play games with my kids. For example, we'd occasionally play the word game known as Scrabble. It wasn't played competitively, but cooperatively. We didn't take part to beat each other, but to continually see how many overall maximum points could be extracted from our play. We would help and encourage each other to find fantastic words. We would use a dictionary to learn new words and their suggested meanings. Competitive contests encourage division, thus reinforcing the illusion of separation. As long as the belief that we are separate is clung to, we keep our sapiential mind obscured, and our thymus glands atrophied. Competition stimulates physical aging. Cooperation on the other hand, not only perpetuates an enhancing of human potential, but promotes a healthy relationship with humanity and our environment. 　

Authentically, a vajrayana sangha should be the last place to find egomaniacs. Surely, someone who did the work to be on the Short Path, would have surrendered ego long ago. But yes,...many hear of the Short Path, and attempt to jump aboard before doing the work,...the work of letting go of beliefs. Personally speaking, I've observed that Admirable Friends are actually shunned from sangha's. An Adirmable Friend in the Buddhist/Doaist tradition would be considered an assassin by others,...an assassin who is a threat to their ego. So, IMO, a healthy sangha would be a gathering of impersonal assassins.

Yes,....dogmatic self-idealized purists don't like the Hua Hu Ching. I personally find it enhances the understanding of both Daoism and Buddhism. Buddha said, "the Tathagata does not come and go." Lao Tzu said, "the Tao doesn't come and go." As a contemporary example, many students of Chögyam Trungpa say that Trungpa died before presenting all that was to be presented, thus, the students were guided through Grade School, but not given the opportunity to attend High School or beyond,...so they have two options,...one, to maintain a strict purist tradition of the Grade School level teachings,...or two, like the Third Turning of the Wheel after Theravada, uncover higher education, and beyond by other methods, perhaps not to the liking of strict fundamentalists.

Lao Tzu said, "To attain pure Tao you must understand and integrate within yourself the three main energies of the universe: The first is the earth energy. Centered in the belly, itexpresses itself as sexuality. Those who cultivate and master the physical energy attain partial purity; Second is the heaven energy. Centered in the mind, it expresses itself as knowledge and wisdom. Those whose minds merge with the Universal Mind also attain partial purity. Third is the harmonized energy. Centered in the heart, it expresses itself as spiritual insight. Those who develop spiritual insight also attain partial purity. Only when you attain you achieve all three - mastery of physical energy, universal mindedness, and spiritual insight - and express them in a virturous integral life, can you attain pure Tao." Hua Hu Ching, sixty-two Lao-zu said, "Do not go about worshipping deities and religious institutions as the source of the subtle truth. (Hua Hu Ching 17) ....religions are desperate, clever, human inventions that rely on hypnotic manipulation of undeveloped minds. Hua Hu Ching 78