Vmarco

In the 2nd, 3rd and 4th Turnings of the Wheel of Dharma http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Turnings_of_the_Wheel_of_Dharma that is, most Buddhists with the exception of the Theravadans,...those who have realized, or are in the process of realizing, the way things are, which is to say, the real Suchness of reality, often take a vow to postpone their own enlightenment until all sentient beings are liberated from their sentience. As I see it, an authentic compassionate being, that is to say, one who sees the world as it is (try reading the Heart Attack Sutra by Karl Brunnholzl for futher info), are naturally intolerant of anything that steps between sentient beings and their direct experience. Such righteous intolerance is very much in harmony with humanity,...although those who believe other will surely take offense. "Most men would kill the truth if truth would kill their beliefs." Lemuel K. Washburn You seem to suggest that there is a higher purpose than speaking the truth? And that speaking the truth is somehow not wu wei. Why would Lao Tzu say, "Recognize that eveything you see and think is a falsehood, an illusion, a veil over the truth." Is one not suppose to recognize the false? Lao Tzu said, "Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not keeping with the Way?" Viator appears to suggest that is not wu wei. That we should remain indifferent to suffering and the cause of suffering. My question would be,...why are you afraid of the truth?

In the prajnaparamita practice of Buddhism, knowledge is synonymous with ignorance, thus real compassion is not arrive at through knowledge, but uncovering that which is beyond knowledge. Right Actions, although important, are relative. For example, consider the Lojong,...there is the Absolute Lojong, and the Relative. Although the Relative gives a foundation for understanding the Absolute, they do not, by themselves uncover the Absolute. Same with the 4 Noble Truths and 8 Fold Path. The 4 Noble Truths, which in one sentence is: that suffering is a consequence of the desire for things to be other than they are, cannot be realized by living the (relative) 8 Fold Path along,...it is merely a beginning. If there was only one turning of the wheel of Dharma (Theravada), our predicament would be dire. For myself, there is no goal to secure a better place in my next life,...my goal as it were, is to wake up in this one. That doesn't mean I negate the 8 Fold Path, but merely don't focus on it. I'm already aware of Right view, attention, speech, action, livelihood, effort, mindfulness and concentration,...or moreso, when I am not. Thus my focus is on the 4 Noble Truths, and seeing the world as it is, which is not about the 8 Fold Path. Again,...the 4 Noble Truths are Absolute,....the 8 Fold Path is Relative. "Relative and absolute, These the two truths are declared to be. The absolute is not within the reach of intellect, For the intellect is grounded in the relative." Shantideva Focusing on relative compassion will never lead to the uncovering of absolute compassion. There is nothing wrong with providing relative compassion, however, not only is relative compassion is significantly enhance by understanding that it is not absolute (real) compassion, but encourages the uncovering of real compassion. Again,...According to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, real compassion arises from seeing the world as it really is. Without seeing the world as it really is, real compassion is impossible.

For the meticulous, I'll revise that so it is irrefutable: According to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, real compassion arises from seeing the world as it really is. Without seeing the world as it really is, real compassion is impossible.

It is obvious that the majority on TTB will not allow the clarity to discuss the subject of compassion,...and thus my contribution on this thread will likely not continue. The truth about compassion is this,...there is a relative compassion,...a man-made invention that is as real as any illusion within maya. And then there is real compassion. As most cannot get beyond their sentient based indoctrinations, most condemn real compassion, and enforce relative or unreal compassion. Genuine interest in compassion demands attention on the world as it really is,...whereas sentient beings predominantly focus on the illusory world of maya. You are where your attention is, and where your attention is, you are. http://thetaobums.com/topic/25990-bodhisattva/?hl=%2Bvmarco+%2Bcompassion#entry387552 Why bother having a thread on compassion,...among those who have no intention of wanting to understand the nature of compassion. According to the Bodhisattva of Compassion, real compassion means seeing the world as it really is.

All seems on-topic to me,...we are discussing Selling-Out,...and thus if that is actually possible for a sentient being.

As I mentioned.... To differentiate my assessment of astrology from a relative perspective, consider Bode’s law. If the earth were one measure from the Sun, then Mars would be 1.5, the asteroid belt 2.5, Jupiter 5, and Saturn 9.5, relationships less in relative distance than the particles within the volumes of many atoms. In other words, your idea of gravity and cups of tea all fall within Bode's law. Of course, the thinking of sentient beings don't readily see things like that. Sentient beings are more into the BS of empirical evidence,...evidence based on the knowledge of the senses. For example, for many people, the daily temperature can fluxuate 35 degress a day,...and thus most don't understand that a 3.5 degree rise in the Earths surface temperature would pretty much bring the end of humanity.

An afflicted 8th House Saturn does restrict 8th House activities. Try Liz Greene's book Saturn for an intro to Saturn in one's chart. Although we (that is, the we that we are) are not our charts,...the body, that is, the vehicle we use, is surely astrologically influenced. Not true about Planets having no influence over us,....Jupiter's magneto-tail is 435 million miles long.

A romantic getaway with a seasoned backpacker? You're living (according to your location) in a pretty good place for such a wish to manifest

Sounds more like that you keep it sentient. Try this for a twist: For anyone to say that the planets around us do not exert forces, albeit subtle, is like saying that the seasons do not affect the clothes that we wear or the foods that we crave. It would be like claiming that our moon has nothing to do with ocean’s tides or that the orbital distribution of electrons within an atom does not influence its nucleus. Viewing astrology only through the blinders of a sciential point of view, instead of through the point of view of what is being observed, is paralogical. To differentiate my assessment of astrology from a relative perspective, consider Bode’s law. If the earth were one measure from the Sun, then Mars would be 1.5, the asteroid belt 2.5, Jupiter 5, and Saturn 9.5, relationships less in relative distance than the particles within the volumes of many atoms. The influence that celestial bodies have upon the disposition and character of our bio-electrodynamic form within the invisible energy field of physical life, from my observations, is real, not imaginary. Therefore, throughout the first five years after I realized the existence of this influence, I computed, before the touch-a-button personal computer age, as many birth charts as I could. For many, especially skeptics, I would often bet them, with no strings attached, my services as their slave for one year if they could do one thing that was not in their natal astrology chart or cosmograph. It was a sort of neti-neti approach to astrology. By identifying what they cannot do, show that astrology has yet to be proven false. I would tell them what wasn’t in their natal graph or chart that they could not do. For example, one woman, eager to win my services to liberate herself from cleaning house and preparing food for a year, had a particularly aspected Saturn positioned in her eighth house. Essentially, the eighth house signifies sex, and with Saturn being the planet of limitations, her sexual activities were restricted, which is to say, she could not satisfy a partner sexually, no matter how much technique she attempted to develop. Her task, then, was to sexually satisfy a partner. However, the moment I articulated this, she had a light-bulb moment that my challenge accurately described her, and she immediately conceded the bet. At the same time, I showed her the strengths in her natal graph or chart, and since then, she has become quite successful and joyous, aware of how to flow with the nature of her own unique vibrational current. VMarco So,...are you a simple (sentient) guy by choice,...or is it your astrological temperment? If it is an astrological temperment, or in case of one believing that they are "selling-out"...an astrological transit,...is choice really just a perception, like everything else in maya?

Odilon Redon is my favorite,....Rothko, Chagall, and Kandinsky close runners-up, perhaps Paul Klee to top off a 5. http://wisdomsgoldenrod.org/notebooks/14 http://www.odilon-redon.org/The-Buddha-2.html

It's all on-topic,...does one really have a choice? Oh yes,...there is certainly a perception of choice,...but what if we reduced it down? IMO Buddha could claim choice,...in that after he uncovered his Buddha, he could have chose to live happily ever after with Sujata,...the girl how talked him out of killing himself through meditation. Was that a choice for Buddha not to die as a stupid ascetic, and parttake of Sujata's food? No,...not IMO,...he had no choice,...he was suppose to eat Sujata's food. From the point of view of esoteric Buddhism and Taoism, who does a sentient being really make a choice? A sentient being is someone who perceives the universe through their 6 senses. While esoteric Buddhism and Taoism instructs that sentience is incapable of seeing the universe as it is. Thus, can there be such a thing as selling-out within the illision of maya? Does a sentient being actually have the so-called free-will to make any choice? For many, if entertained philosophically, will surely hurt their head. IMO, a sentient being, at some level, resonate with an inherent vibration that, if it could speak, would say, relate with what will never leave you, and from which you can never leave. Until we uncover that,...what will never leave us,...my suspicion is that real choice may be impossible.

Yes, that was the ultimate reduction for me also,...just allow. Her appearance was neither an invitation to go or come,...neither consciously nor subconsciously. It occurred at a place called Nogal Peak in 1974, and altered my views on meditation and the 6 senses.

That's a great one! Once I was in a meditative-appreciative state on a remote mountain, when a beautiful naked woman walked along the boundary of a field. From out of nowhere, I loudly said in my head, "be gone satan!" and turned away. By the time I finished my WTF analysis,....about 10-15 seconds,...and turned around, she was gone. The slow learner I am, it took years before it made any sense to me. First was where did that come from,...then if I rejected some dakini or something,...but eventually arose a calm abiding about it. The process to understand it will take as long as it needs to take. The good news is that you have had an experience not likely to be forgotten. To me, they are the most precious.

An unusual post for TTB,...but thanks! I was born and raised in Philadelphia, and quite familiar with the Art Museum area. A grand Asia exhibit there. Nearly every sizable city in the US has an Asian district now. Where I grew up in Philly is now predominently Korean. It is so awesome how most Asians coming to the US don't readily abandon their culture, and respect for elders,...although this is likely to change as the young are more and more influenced by American individualist lifestyles. If you're ever in the San Antonio, Tx area, check out SAMA,...they have an fabulous Asian exhibit, including a large Tibetan sand mandala.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Razor%27s_Edge_(1946_film)

Normal? A Buddhist said, "Psychologies based on pathologies are good; they help ill people. But that can never be the goal. It is good, but just to become healthy, normal, is nothing much. Just to be normal is nothing much because everybody else is normal. It is bad to be ill because you suffer, but it is not much good to be normal because normal people are suffering in millions of ways. In fact, to be normal means only to adjust to the society. The society itself may be abnormal, the whole society may be itself ill. To adjust to it only means you are normally abnormal, that's all. That's not much of a gain. You have to go beyond social normality. You have to go beyond the social madness. Then only, for the first time do you become healthy." Who wants to be normal? Osho said, "Man can be considered in three ways: in terms of the normal, the abnormal and the supernormal. Western psychology is basically concerned with the abnormal, the pathological, with the man who has fallen down from the normal, who has fallen down from the norm. Eastern psychology, tantra and yoga, consider man from the standpoint of the supernormal -- of the one who has gone beyond the norm. Both are abnormal. One who is pathological is abnormal because he is not healthy, and one who is supernormal is abnormal because he is MORE healthy than any normal human being. The difference is of negative and positive. Western psychology developed as part of psychotherapy. Freud, Jung, Adler and other psychologists were treating the abnormal man, the man who is mentally ill. Because of this the whole Western attitude towards man has become erroneous. Freud was studying pathological cases. Of course, no healthy man would go to him -- only those who were mentally ill. They were studied by him, and because of that study he thought that now he understood man. Pathological men are not really men, they are ill, and anything based on a study of them is bound to be deeply erroneous and harmful. This has proved harmful because man is looked at from a pathological standpoint. If a particular state of mind is chosen and that state is ill, pathological, then the whole image of man becomes disease-based. Because of this attitude, the whole Western society has fallen down -- because the ill man is the base, the perverted has become the foundation. And if you study only the abnormal, you cannot conceive of any possibility of supernormal beings. A buddha is impossible for Freud, not conceivable. He must be fictitious, mythological. A buddha cannot be a reality. Freud has only come in contact with ill men who are not even normal, and whatsoever he says about normal man is based on the study of abnormal man. It is just like a physician who is doing a study. No healthy man will go to him, there is no need. Only unhealthy people will go. By studying so many unhealthy people, he creates a picture in his mind of man, but that picture cannot be of man. It cannot be because man is not only illnesses. And if you base your concept of man on illnesses, the whole society will suffer." Thus,...if CT is a seeker of normality, and only appreciates the pathology of normal, it becomes quite easy to see the conflict he has with my posts. There are no, nor can there be Bodhisattvas in the current "normal" world view. To uncover Shambhala, normal must be let go of. May all children of the world be exposed to the Prajnaparamitas.

Haven't you heard,...I'm famous for C&Ps. Anyway, Nan Huai-Chin, whom Mantak Chia is considered a pupil of, has some interesting points that could be helpful to the thread. Glad you liked it

　 　 Is that really how some see my posts here? As "hahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahaha...." What an interesting view. I must assume that "skanty" implies scanty,...that is, my post are seen as lacking and insufficient in explaination. Personally, don't see that as the real issue, but I'll try to be more "ample" in my posts.

In the words of Nan Huai-Chin: In fact, when all of us study Buddhism and cultivate the Path, we all want to experience the fruit of enlightenment. But why is it that so many people study Buddhism, and so rarely do we see people who are truly able to realize the fruit of enlightenment? The main reason is that most people do not carry out their vows sufficiently, not that their meditation work is inadequate. If you do not carry out vows, then your perception of truth cannot be thorough and complete. Without the genuine carrying out of vows, your work of cultivating realization cannot progress. But it is this aspect of carrying out vows that is so easy for us to neglect. This is why all of you try hard but feel you are not getting on the right track. Now let me explain by unifying the three aspects of seeing truth, cultivating realization, and carrying out vows. For example, there is a psychological question that is very obvious. Why do so many people in the world want to study the Buddhist Path? Even if they don't follow the road of studying Buddhism and seeking the Path, they still look for some other religious belief. Those people who do not seek religious belief search elsewhere for something to rely on. Fundamentally speaking, subconsciously, they all have something they are seeking. It is like doing business, and looking for the greatest result for the lowest price. It is the same way with people who seek the supernatural protection of bodhisattvas. They spend a few dollars on bananas, and a few dollars on cakes, and a few dollars on incense, they spend at least a hundred dollars altogether on offerings. When they go to a temple, they burn incense, and bow their heads to the floor, and prostrate themselves. They ask for their husbands to be well, and their children to be healthy. Or they ask for promotions, or for wealth. After they have finished asking for everything, they burn incense, and at the end they take their bananas home with them, and slowly eat them themselves. How terrible this mentality of praying for gain is! It's the same way when a person who has made a mistake kneels there praying, and makes his confession. What kind of mentality is this? We must think this over for ourselves. As for those of us who cultivate practice, in our minds we will surely be thinking: "I certainly do not have this kind of mentality." But the way I see it is all the same: it is only a different style. Though we do not have this mentality of praying for gain, nevertheless, we think that by sitting in meditation we will be able to attain enlightenment. Though we are not seeking with bananas, we are seeking with our crossed legs. Everyone sits in meditation wanting to illuminate mind and see true nature, to achieve buddhahood and consummate the Path. What people like the most is meditation work and experiential states. All you have to do is hear that someone has the Path and has meditative accomplishments, and no matter what, you feel curious and go off to find him. You are not clear about what the Path and what meditation work ultimately mean: this means your perception of the truth is not pure. Why isn't your perception of truth pure? If we pursue this matter rigorously, it is because you do not correctly carry out your vows. The foundation of the Buddha Dharma is built on the six planes of cyclical existence, on past, present, and future cause and effect. But based on what I know from several decades of experience, very few of the people who study the Buddhist Path really believe in the six planes of cyclical existence, and even fewer believe in past, present, and future cause and effect. Or at least they do not believe absolutely in these basic Buddhist teachings. These are not superstitious beliefs. No one understands it clearly in principle, and even fewer people seek and find realization of it in actual fact. All of you ought to reflect back within yourselves on these points. Because you do not believe in the six planes of cyclical existence, and you do not believe in past present, and future cause and effect, no matter whether you study Zen, or Esoteric Buddhism, or Pure Land, your basic foundation is wrong. It is like wanting to build a house on sand: it is impossible. But our mental activities are always going in this direction. . . . Another example are the spiritual powers. What are spiritual powers like? What is the power to know things in advance like? So many people who claim to have spiritual powers die of high blood pressure and diabetes. So what about an even bigger question? Have we given careful thought to what studying Buddhism and cultivating practice are ultimately for? We always indulge in high-flown talk, but it is not realistic. In genuine cultivation of practice, in the end there is just one road: carrying out vows. So what does it mean to carry out vows? It means to correct your own mental conduct. Our thinking, the process of arousing mind and setting thoughts in motion: this is behavior that has not yet come forth. All conduct is the active expression of thoughts. When we want to seek emptiness, this is a matter of seeking a metaphysical issue, seeking the root source that can give birth to thinking. To really reach emptiness at the behavioral level and at the level of thinking is almost impossible. If someone manages to have his or her thinking entirely empty, and has become unknowing, then why would he or she have to cultivate the Path? Thus the principle of emptiness is not like this. . . . When we work at sitting meditation, why can't we make progress? All of you are sure to think that it is because our method is incorrect, and do all you can to find an enlightened teacher to ask about methods. This is not it! Don't deceive yourselves. Why can't you advance in your meditation work? Why can't you attain samadhi. It is because your mental activity has not been transformed. If you have not changed your mental activity at all, your meditation work cannot progress, and your perception of truth cannot be complete. In Chinese civilization, no matter whether Confucian or Taoist, all teachings are united on this point, all agree on this view. . . . What are virtuous practices? By Taoist standards, to rescue someone who is in imminent danger, and on the brink of death, and save his life, is just one virtuous practice. Using this as the standard, you must complete three thousand virtuous practices and accumulate several thousand merits, and only then will it be enough to cultivate and attain the station of the heavenly immortals. It is the same for Confucianism and for Buddhism. Buddhism requires us to transform completely the way we give rise to mind and set our thoughts in motion, our internal thinking and behavior. But based on what I know, not one of you has budged at all in your mental activity. This is very frightening. Why can't you realize the fruit of enlightenment? Because you have not untied your mental bonds. The bonds of the eighty-eight compulsions are strong and deeply rooted. People who study Buddhism have one basic defect. All of you should reflect on this. First of all, because you study Buddhism, you look upon the human world as empty. Therefore you seek to leave it behind, to leap beyond it and pay no attention to it. Because you leap beyond it and pay no attention to it you are incapable of compassion. We constantly speak of compassion. You should check into your own mental state and see how much compassion you are capable of. This is a very serious question. The second thing is this: to what extent have we eliminated greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt? Here is an example. The better all of us cultivate practice, the more quick-tempered we become. why is this? You sit in meditation and are sitting very comfortably. If someone comes and bothers you, don't you get angry? Isn't this sort of mental functioning the opposite of compassion? . . . To my knowledge, generally people who have studied Buddhism or people who believe in any other religion are more arrogant than anyone in the world. They think that other people are devils who have no faith, and they think they themselves are sages. We who study Buddhism make the same mistake, only we call it by another name. When we see someone outside the Path we feel: "Alas! How pitiful! These are the seeds of hell!" The same principle is involved here: we are unwilling to be humble. . . . This is especially true of people who have done a bit of meditation work. All they have to do is study Buddhism and do sitting meditation for three days, and already the attitude that "In heaven and on earth, I alone am the honored one" arises. They think that other people's meditation does not work. They specialize in measuring other people by the standards of a sage, but they themselves have arbitrarily set this standard: things are the size they say they are. Of course when they measure other people, none of them are sages. But they never measure themselves to see how long they are or how big they are. They never reflect back on themselves: this is what's most terrible. What can be done about such mental behavior? Why can't they realize the fruit of enlightenment? Why can't they attain samadhi? Because they have not transformed this mental behavior one little bit, they have not transformed greed, anger, ignorance, arrogance, and doubt at all. This is very frightening. When we reflect on it, it is very serious. I emphasize over and over again to everyone that if you cultivate the Path without realizing the fruit of enlightenment and you are unable to experience emptiness, this is because you have not been able to transform your mental activity. Thus, when you sit and meditate, you are only holding onto a bit of emptiness created by the realm of consciousness, and you think that is the Path. Therefore, if we only want to sit in meditation and reach emptiness, and we cannot achieve selflessness at the level of mental activity, then we cannot become empty. This is because as we sit there preserving emptiness, it is the self that is trying to preserve emptiness, and we have not achieved selfless emptiness. If there is no self, what's the need to seek emptiness? Selflessness is already empty. . . . Now the foregoing refers to practice, but what about vows? That is even harder to talk about. If you cannot carry out your vows, you cannot manage to see truth. To put it another way, if you cannot carry out your vows, then you cannot succeed in the work of cultivating realization. What's the use of sitting well? You may say: When I sit in meditation, I can sit for three hours, and my mind becomes very pure." But really you are sitting there being lazy. This can be called a form of what is described in the play on words in classical Chinese: "The Tao means stealing [tao]." The meaning of this saying from The Yin Convergence Scripture is that people make use of the essence of heaven and earth, and borrow the original capacity of life, in order to be able to cultivate themselves and achieve the Path. Once people are born, they steal food and air from heaven and earth. They sit in meditation at all hours of the day and night wanting to imbibe the correct energy of heaven and earth, and the refined essence of the sun and moon. How terrible this thievery is! But The Yin Convergence Scripture is encouraging us to be thieves. If we really steal certain things from the universe, then our lives will be perfected: our lives will be the universe. After you do this, then you can let other people steal from you. This is the Taoist viewpoint. The thought of the classical Chinese philosopher Mo-tzu [fl. fourth century B.C.] came out of Taoism. Mo-tzu demanded that we "sacrifice ourselves to benefit the whole world." This is equivalent to the Buddhist spirit of great mercy and compassion. Self-sacrifice is the philosophy of Mo-tzu. Mo-tzu is a figure in the Taoist classic Biographies of the Spirit Immortals, where it says that Mo-tzu was still in the world during the time of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty [who reigned 140-87 B.C.). But who still saw him then? Yang Zhu [c. fourth century B.C.], another classical Chinese philosopher, advocated the primacy of absolute individualism and self interest. His philosophy, which resembles classical 19th century liberalism, also came out of Taoism. Now let us return to the main topic. We who study Buddhism are there sitting in meditation stealing, while at the same time, out in society so many people are busy on our behalf. For this reason the Buddhists have a saying which is very special, a saying that is recited every morning and evening: "To those above we repay the four major forms of benevolence. Below we help those beings suffering in the three mires." This is a vow. Every day it alerts us to do meritorious deeds. We who study Buddhism must examine ourselves at all times wherever we are to see if we are fulfilling this vow. Every day we must repay the four major forms of benevolence. We are indebted to all four forms of benevolence: the benevolence of the buddhas, the benevolence of our parents, the benevolence of the nation, and the benevolence of sentient beings. What is the benevolence that sentient beings show toward us? A person lives in the world, and depends on the fruits of the labor of many people. This is why we must repay the four forms of benevolence. To live for one day, we must trouble many people to provide us with the necessities of life. This is really the way it is. "Below we help those beings suffering in the three mires," means that at the same time we must be mindful of the sufferings of those in the three lower planes of existence: animals, those in hell, and hungry ghosts. In other words, we must be mindful at all times of the sufferings of those who are not like us humans, and we must think of ways to help them. But do we do this or not? We who study Buddhism only think of how to find for ourselves companions who have the wealth of the Dharma, so they can help us achieve the Path. This kind of motivation is the basis of selfishness. Why don't you first help someone else achieve the Path? So first I spoke of practice, and then I spoke of vows. Have you really taken vows or not? Think it over. Consider the classic Mahayana vows: "I vow to deliver infinite numbers of sentient beings. I vow to cut off endless afflictions. I vow to study innumerable Dharma Gates. I vow to achieve the supreme Path of the buddhas." In reality, while we are chanting sutras, we chant through these vows, and that's the end of it. There are actually no such things in our minds. The first vow is to save infinite numbers of sentient beings, but all we want to do is save ourselves. The second vow is to cut off endless afflictions, but we think: "It would be best if you helped me cut them off." The third vow is to study innumerable Dharma Gates, but we think: "You teach me, and it will be fine." The fourth vow is to achieve the supreme Path of the buddhas, but we think: "One day in the future I may succeed." Usually this is the way we interpret these four vows. Just reflect back, and you will see how serious this is. This is why it is said that the gate of practice is very hard. The whole Buddhist canon tells us about the practice of carrying out vows. Practice means the thirty-seven components of the Path and the myriad practices of the six perfections. The foundation for studying Buddhism is here. When you understand past present, and future cause and effect and the six planes of cyclical existence, and you improve yourself at the level of mental activity, gradually you will naturally advance in your meditation work and your perception of truth. In saying this I am not just repeating the Buddhist teaching: this has been my personal experience. If you do not start your work from here, it is an insoluble problem, and you will not be able to realize the fruit of enlightenment. Changing your mental activity is much more important than sitting in meditation or cultivating realization. All you have to do is correct your mental activity for one day, and your samadhi power and your sitting meditation will improve along with it for that day. . . . To summarize what's been said, you need three things to succeed on the Path: to see the Path, to practice the Path, and to always be correcting yourself, to rid your conduct and behavior of defilements. Now in this entire series of lectures, we've given enough for you to be able to find the Path, and we've presented enough indications for you to be able to practice meditation and achieve samadhi. We've discussed what is and what isn't samadhi as well as the various semblance Dharmas that tend to mislead people. We've explained the use of anapana and contemplations on provisional existence for achieving concentration and insight, the genuine basis behind any of the methods for attainment. So what's left is for you to put energy into the effort and actually get to it. If you put your energy into cultivation work, and into the effort to correct your faults and shortcomings, you will develop enough merit to surely succeed. In this way you can become the savior of self and others. On the Path of cultivation, you must know that everything starts with and ends with behavior. The whole Path has to do with conduct and behavior, the carrying out of vows. This is the highest truth and also the simplest truth: like a great circle, to do good and refrain from evil, is the very beginning and end of the path. Enlightenment has little to do with supernormal powers and supernatural feats, but rather with accessing our great transcendental wisdom awareness and employing our potential for great functioning in order to help others. You now know that reaching this stage requires that we both accumulate merit and work hard at meditation so as to rid ourselves of defilements. But after they're gone, what's left is to exercise our clear functioning capacity in compassionate behavior for the welfare of others. This is carrying out vows. So strive hard with your efforts and don't settle for simply building an intellectual edifice of cultivation, like some university professors or academicians do with Zen. Without attainment, such efforts are quite useless. Rather, throw yourself into the cultivation of realization in order to gain attainment. Seeing the Path is one thing, but you will gain power in the Path only through the cultivation of practice. The buddhas and ancients have given us all we need to know, so it's left up to you to make the effort. Don't wait until it's too late. Start now and the blessings of the Path are sure to reach you. Cultivate with your entire mind and body. Settle for no less. This is the way to succeed.

I agree that dwai has a nice skill with words, and like you I'd rather see something in the direction of Terry Pratchett's Thief of Time, than Ayn Rand or C.S. Lewis. The Sweeper character (Lu-Tze) in Thief of Time was a very convincing Enlightened Being,...yet simultaneously a lowly sweeper (janiter/grounds keeper). I couldn't put the book down.

I didn't say a vagabond is stupid,...you wrote: that Bhadramanu claimed he was a stupid vagabond without any knowledge to share....upon which the villagers knew he must be an important sadhu. Here is the fuller quote: What I take from this, as already mentioned, either Bhadramanu is dishonest, or the villagers, especially Madappa, is dishonest. In addition, you seem quite confused about the difference between bragging, and answering a question honestly. Bhadramanu supposed honest response to if he was a sadhu was no, that he was a stupid vagabond without any knowledge to share. That is what you wrote. If he turns out to be some sort of sadhu, than he has blantantly lied. I thought of hijras with the comments about the Mother Temple. That which is beyond wisdom is called prajna in Buddhism. Ever see a statue of Prajnaparamita? When the male monk Avalokitesvara realized prajna (a feminine noun) he became the female Bodhisattva of Compassion, Guan Yin. Doesn't matter how this occurred,...it did occur,...and like the Japanese Bodhisattvas Nikko and Gakko, males becoming Bodhisattvas evolve feminine qualities. A Zen Buddhist once said, "The very qualities of being a disciple are the qualities which are feminine -- receptivity, openness, trust, love, a deep surrender. And if a man becomes a disciple, he will automatically grow qualities which are female. There is nothing wrong in it. Qualities are qualities, and all beautiful qualities are feminine -- love and trust and compassion and gratitude and surrender. All beautiful qualities are feminine. It is not a question concerned with your sexuality; your being a male or female has many dimensions. One of the dimensions is that there are qualities intrinsic to females which make them easily disciples. There are men who have those qualities -- those qualities are not the monopoly of anybody. There are men who are more soft than any woman, more loving than any woman, more grateful than any woman -- but the qualities are feminine."

Who derailed what? Inbetween the constructive dialogue here, a few Spoilers keep injecting their inappropriate emotional charges. The first derailing of the thread was suggested by Sati, in #19, referring to himself,...the first ad hominem was by Konchog Uma in post #20. The chronology is easy to follow. The record is within the thread. CowTow chimes in at post #30 with nothing but contempt,...like Konchog uma, not even a flicker regarding the theme of the thread, while VMarco attempts to discuss the nuances around the theme of the thread. Nevertheless, Konchog Uma, along with CowTow, continue this "VMarco is off-topic and derailing the thread,...again I say, go figure! For better clarity, the following phrases are not VMarco's, but dwai's words from his story: Bhadramanu claims to be a stupid vagabond without any knowledge to share. Madappa continues to see Bhadramanu as the presence of a powerful sadhu. [The villagers see Bhadramanu's humility] as proof that his countenance and presence is really a sadhu. Maybe Konchog Uma and CowTow didn't read dwai's narrative and just assumed VMarco was attacking him. No,...this is not an isolated case. CowTow has done the samething in every post I'm engaged in,...he attacks me, without even a modicum of attention to the subject of the thread. Just because my posts upset some folks westernized view of Buddhism, is no reason for inconsiderateness and rudeness. On the other hand, this could be a valuable part of the story for dwai,...I'm sure the same groupthink occurs in Southern India. How do we get past the beliefs people cling to for their identity? Without such believers wanting to kill you for pointing out that what they have thought to meaningful,...things they spent a lifetime developing,...may be meaningless.

Whenever I see that "golden rule" I think of Elizabeth Bathory, the mass murderer Justinian, or George W Bush. Would I want them to treat me like they do themselves? Not!

As in an alchemical process? Would not that still be a manifestation of Yin/Yang,...thus duality? I used to read Manly Hall dozens of years ago,...but didn't notice anything meaningful in that system,...however, I haven't uncovered anything unmeaningful in Taoism. Is there a Philosopher's Stone in Taoism? A formula that uncovers what is beyond the One and the Many?

If you're focused on concepts, how can you have the wholeness to observe the non-conceptual?