Vmarco

Phenomena does not exist. However, phenomena is perceivable on the non-conceptual level of Suchness,...not because phenomena is real, or part of Suchness,...but because from Suchness, or the Way Things really Are, the illusion of phenomena can be interacted with, through what Bodhisattvas call Enumerations of Phenomena. Thus, Sakyamuni himself enter samadhi by way of the Enumerations of Phenomena, to discuss the Perception of the Profound, or Nature of Emptiness, as described in the Heart Sutra. Enumerations include the skandhas, and aspects of all phenomena. This is, according to the Heart Sutra, how Bodhisattvas see. Obviously, most here do not want to see as a Bodhisattva,...that is, with full awareness of the Nature of Emptiness. Karl Brunnholzl discusses the Enumerations of Phenomena in his commentary on the Heart Sutra (The Heart Attack Sutra). The phenomena is seen,...but not object-ively. It is seen for what it is,....Empty.

Again,...more Spoiler nonsense. This thread is not about some Americanized urban BS defining a Bodhisattva,...but the definition alluded to in the top post: Thus, teachers such as Robert Thurman, an esteemed student of HH Dalai Lama, stated, "Buddhist teachings on compassion are grounded in the direct realization of Emptiness; without which, compassion is impossible." And what does HH Dalai Lama say about compassion? "If I have any understanding of compassion..., it all comes from studying the Bodhicharyavatara" HH Dalai Lama What does the Bodhicharyavatara (Way of the Bodhisattva) say? "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." Lao-zu said, "If you want to awaken all of humanity, then awaken all of your self." The intent of this thread is about how to See as a Bodhisattva. How to see as a Bodhisattva can be fully understood from the Heart Sutra. If one needs extra help in understanding the Heart Sutra, an excellent commentary was suggested, The Heart Attack Sutra, by an internationally known scholar of the Prajnaparamita. Afterwards, VMarco has offered to converse about anything in the Heart Sutra, or Commentary, to help those desireous to better or fully understand the Perception of the Profound. VMarco first became familiar with the nature of emptiness in 1974, as can be seen in the thread What is Light http://thetaobums.com/topic/19803-what-is-light/ Later, in the 1990's, while studying Zero in Mesoamerica, VMarco realized the spiritual nature of emptiness,...its How, Why, Where, When. VMarco is easily accessible for peer discussions on Emptiness, Dependent Origination, Nirvana, Who's Who in Duality, etc. VMarco is not a teacher, nor accepts, under any condition, students. Teachers and Students belong to the World's Long Path's,...that is, those who are not ready to wake up.

The actions you're observing arise from that which Bodhisattvas wish you can be liberated from,...thus a flawed exercize from the onset. Would it not be better to realize the nature of emptiness,...and through that would be the awareness of what a Bodhisattva and compassion really is,...according to the Eight foremost Bodhisattvas, Shantideva, HH Dalai Lama, etc. They say compassion is impossible without the realization of emptiness,...so why do you insist on all this nonsense fed to you by CowTow and others, who obviously do not want you to acquire the sight of a Bodhisattva because it is not palatable to their paradigms. The Heart Sutra, as agreed upon by all High Level Buddhists, is how a Bodhisattva sees. A Bodhisattva does not accumulate knowledge and imagined good karma. Karma is a product of samsaric consciousness,...it is not real. As a Buddhist once said, "We condemn the real and we enforce the unreal, because the unreal is going to be helpful in an unreal society and the unreal is going to be convenient…A child is born in a society, and a society is already there with its fixed rules, regulations, behaviors and moralities which the child has to learn. When he will grow he will become false. Then children will be born to him, and he will help make them false, and this goes on and on. What to do?" .

You're parroting your same old beliefs. I fully agree however,...that Spoilers like yourself saying someone is parroting is a personal truth of yours. C&P is only parroting in your dream perception. For those interested in the subject, that is, non-Spoilers, quotes bring a broader view from other sources that may have spent a lifetime observing something. Those like yourself and CowTow, are pretty much lost causes living in an illusory sentient dream world,...delaring how your empirical knowledge is superior to everyone else,...getting upset if anyone wishes to go beyond the sciential mind. Delusion likes company. Actually, at one time, considered your veils much thinner than CowTow's. Yet you continue to refuse refuge in any possible truth. That is how folks like yourself may eventually uncover truth, by looking at such as a possibility,...at which point. you reduce everything,...squeeze out the fiction so-to-say,...until you arrive at something that is true. In Buddhism, which yourself and CowTow understand little about, beyond what you were indoctrinated to believe, is a process of prajnaparamita, or perfection of prajna. Prajna has nothing to do with the accumulated knowledge you enjoy flaunting,...it doesn't arise from the 6 senses. I fully understanding why it doesn't arise from the 6 senses, however, enjoying quoting others, like the Eight foremost Bodhisattvas, to accentuate the discussion,...only to it ridiculed as parroting,...a truth suppressing tactic of sentient beings. I've been to Ixtlan many times,...sat in the plaza looking at auras. Never met Don Juan, but connected with others interested in truth realization. Didn't set out to spend time in Ixtlan,...it was merely the half-way point between my home in Playa los Meurtes and the great shopping at Guadalajara. The book was OK,...frankly, I found the Art of Dreaming the most rewarding,...of course, the other books needed to be grasped first. No surprise about your familiarity with the Casteneda books,...as a whole I don't recall the word love ever being mentioned. I am puzzled by your comments on Don Miguell Ruiz,...especially cultivating impeccability. I've seen no impeccability in your recent attacks on me, in now three different treads. Although I did observe much fear and suffering, and an attempt to suppress the dialogue,...instead of pursuing any semblance of impeccability.

Yes, you are quite apt at parroting. And your posts are proof that you have yet to access the Heart of Essence. "Contradictions in perspective among those Seeing the profound do not occur" Taranatha If ever you accept the Perception of the Profound (see Heart Sutra), I'll be available for your apology.

If you are really chomping at the bit for an excellent book about Bodhisattvas,...try the Heart Attack Sutra,...written in today's language, for people in the 21st century. Delicious! http://www.shambhala.com/the-heart-attack-sutra.html SereneBlue, you are surely ready for the quantum leap.

You don't need that at all. If you understood the one-sentence mantra, in the one-page Heart Sutra, there would be no reason to spend a single day, let alone lifetimes as you suggested, to realize the way things are. Unfortunately, most, like yourself, are mentally attached to a Long Path,...those on the Long Paths are just not ready to wake up. Maybe next life. However, why spoil things for those who want to wake up in this lifetime?

Interesting. What about your belief "people who have actually realized emptiness know you can't discuss it."? Suppose Avalokitesvara's Dharma Gate in the Shurangama Sutra is nonsense, because it doesn't jive with your belief system,...or what about Bubbles "The 37 Practices of a Bodhisattva By Ngulchu Thogme" those too must be false. However, all your mental stuff can go on endlessly, because you obviously have no wherewithall to wake up. Your points (Bubbles, Seth Ananda, Anamatva, etc) are clear,...only those you say can be Bodhisattvas ,can be Bodhisattvas. For those others, who are not Spoilers, I wholly agree with the Practices of a Bodhisattva above,...although not in the relative way that believers see it. The Practice begins, "You see that all phenomena neither come nor go." Until that is understood, the rest of the Practice is merely conceptual. As I have mentioned several times recently,...the simpliest definition of a Bodhisattva and Compassion is found in the one-page Heart Sutra,...delivered by the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Avalokitesvara. As mentioned several times recently,...if any wished to discussed the best commentary on the Heart Sutra, by Karl Brunnholzl, I'd be happy to participate in such discussion. I have not contradicted a single statement found in the Heart sutra in any post on this forum. I have a nonconceptual understanding that "all phenomena neither comes nor goes".... because the nature of emptiness has been realized. The mantra of the Heart Sutra says, Gate, Gate, Paragate, Parasamgate, Bodhi Svaha! which means, to go, to come, beyond going and coming, into complete going and coming, where enlightenment is welcomed. I must have mentioned this more than a hundred times on TTB. Besides being a Buddhist statement, it is equally a Daoist one,... "the Tao doesn't come and go." Lao-zu.

Intersting that the above glossary was written a hundred years ago. Check out the word Uragas http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/ua-uz.htm

Yes,...many interesting connections with naga. http://www.theosociety.org/pasadena/etgloss/na-ne.htm The Naga in Nagarjuna gave him the wings of a feminine being. Ever read my attempt to discuss Sky Dancers? http://thetaobums.com/topic/20285-sky-dancers/page__hl__lilith

As I said,...I'm not an appeasor, into inter-faith moderation, nor coddler. If a sentient being has an emotional charge with something, I don't comfort them with esta bien, esta bien. Although Gurdjieff toasted the idiots nearly everyday,...my discussion is focus on two mindsets here,...first are the Spoilers,...those on TTB who seldom have anything meaningful to say, but respond to posts in an ad hominem, denigrating, bulling way,...and most importantly to those who resonate with the Four Agreement,...striving to be impeccable (that is honest in an absolute sense), and genuinely desireous to focus on uncovering truth,...beyond hope and belief. You (K) mistaken me for presenting personal ideas,...sorry to pop your bubble,...I have none. If you wanted to get something out of my posts, you must see them impersonally. Personal, individualistic, relative things are lies. Although I'm constantly responding to ad hominem attacks by various Spoilers,...the motive behind all my posts is for dialogue with those courageous enough to relate with what will never leave them, and from which they will never leave. There are actually,...if my TTB off-forum messages are any indication,...many members who find truth talk very refreshing. Reviewing your favorite quotes, such as, "If your beliefs affect the way that you conduct your life and the way you treat other people- they are meaningful;" - Xakari, it is obvious that you will get very little from my posts. I want to converse with those who are light-years beyond such sentiments. But please,...if your beliefs are palatable for you, then good for you. My interests is with those who have already seen through that,...like what Osho said,..."it is not the right thing,...they are barriers for your eyes, so you can't see" Of course,....when most see such a youtube,...they bash, denigrate the messenger, because they are unable to respond to the message. One could imagine that with more than 381,000 views, what if 10% were willing to discuss it? Or maybe even 1%,...who feel truth realization is more important than striving for happiness within a sentient, sciential groupthink.

Are you aware of anyone here on TTB who understands the nature of emptiness? One is not a Bodhisattva without such realization. As for peers,...although it is obvious that you are far too belef-based to be a peer,....there are several who visit this forum who already have uncovered the Second level of Compassion (as mentioned in an above post) and are likely just waiting to see if the bullies and Spoilers will subside enough to allow them to have a meaningful dialogue. An awakened being, which you felt needful to denigrate, is simply one that has realized absolute bodhiciita. Criteria is available to discern anyone suggesting that a level of absolute bodhicitta has been comprehended,...for example, one who has realized absolute bodhicitta, thus the nature of emptiness, can easily discuss the following statements: *Treat everything you perceive as a dream. *Find the consciousness you had before you were born. *You will never understand Who you are, until you realize When you are. *There is no Present in Time. "humility is just a degree of pride." Wei Wu Wei

This is typical of New Age thinking,...support and sustain sentience at all cost. Sentience is not an "unfathomable mystery",...according to Prajnaparamita it's a delusion. The Bodhisattva of Compassion said, "As soon as one sense-organ returns to the source, All the six are liberated." Why would Avalokitesvara say such a thing if Seth Ananda's concept that sentient beings should be content in their illusory world as sentient beings? Naguals and Nagas are a fun distraction,...did so myself in the 70's, and even read Casteneda's later works, along with those of his supporting cast. However,...why are Naguals/Nagas enemies of the Garudas. http://keithdowman.net/books/fg.htm How impeccable are Naguals? Likely very much in a relative sense,...but can the relative ever be truly impeccable? Is not an Impeccable Sentient Being an oxymoron? Sentience is a delusion. How can a delusion be meaningful? My first realization of the nature of light came on Nagal Peak in 1974,....should I have stopped there? Should I have dedicated my life to the voice of the Nagual? Or should one go Further? As most have no interest in truth realization,...they become tethered to belief systems. However, no belief is true.

There are two Buddhisms,...one, the larger vehicle and greater vehicles are belief based systems,...in a nutshell, the Long Paths. Then there is another Buddhism, more associated with Dzogchen, Kagyu, and some Zen. A commonality between them is the use of the Prajnaparamita Sutras. These sutras are not belief driven, but guidelines to unlearn, let go, of beliefs. Belief is the main barrier to Heart-Mind. The idea is not to believe that belief is a barrier to Heart-Mind, but to prove it. Isaac Newton famously wrote: "If I have seen further... it is by standing on the shoulders of giants". We do not want to believe giants,...not even Buddha,...not even Avalokitesvara,...we want to prove them wrong. It's called Neti-Neti,...uncovering truth through identifying what is false. This leads to Truth Realization. Without Truth Realization,...one will never uncover Suchness,...the way things acually are. The "giants" has continually said that the senses are liars. René Descartes articulated, "All that I have tried to understand to the present time has been affected by my senses; now I know these senses are deceivers, and it is prudent to be distrustful after one has been deceived once." That is not something to be believed,...what good would it be to believe it? The "giant" pointed to something,...can you reduce it to the truth? Unlike the imaginings of the cerebral-centered (of which there are any on this forum), an authentic Bodhisattva can be known through their intolerance of anything that steps between a sentient being and their direct experience. "...everbody thinks that compassion is important, and everyone has compassion. True enough, but the Buddha gave uncommon quintessential instructions when he taught the methods for cultivating compassion, and the differences are extraordinarily important." Kenchen Thrangu Rinpoche "In fact, one of the precepts of the Bodhisattva vows is to take strong countermeasures when the situation calls for it. If a Bodhisattva doesn't take strong countermeasures when the situation requires, then that constitutes an infraction of one of the vows." HH Dalai Lama Quoting Buddhist, Daoist, or any other texts is for one, mentioning "giants" so we don't have to begin from scratch,...and second, it attempts to remove me as an authority. I am here to discuss messages with peers,...not to be a teacher.

What is most dangerous, is those Spoilers who believe that everything is Teacher/Student. I am neither a Teacher nor Student. To take that further, I'm quite uninterested in Teachers and Students. Spoilers are near always Teachers and Students,...attempting to protect their Teacher/Student indoctrination. There are, although perhaps few, who are what has been called Freethinker. For example, the term Freethought Buddhism is intended to differentiate Freethought from various (Teacher/Student) Lineages and Traditions (sometimes referred to Long Path's) of Buddhism which have developed their ideas base on interpretations of various texts and teachers. Although Long Path practices serve many who are ready to uncover a spiritual life, the focus of Freethought is for those who resonate with the Short Path or Fourth Way to realize Full Spectrum Consciousness in a single lifetime.　 Shakyamuni Buddha may have been the first to define freethought when he said in the Kalama Sutra, "Do not accept anything by mere tradition. . . Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. . . Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your preconceived notions." Buddha taught irreligion; that is, to not accept "sets of belief." 　 Freethought Buddhism is not, in any traditional way, a meditation group. Esther Hicks (an inspirational speaker, Law of Attraction) said, "We teach meditation, or quieting the mind, because it is really easier to teach you to have no thoughts, than to teach you to have pure, positive thought. We would rather you be in a state of appreciation, than in a state of meditation, because in appreciation you are a vibrational match to your [Higher Self]."　 In the Hua Hu Ching, Lao Tzu purportedly said, "Do you think you can clear your mind by sitting constantly in silent meditation? This makes your mind narrow, not clear." 　 Kagyu, the fourth stream of mastery, says, "In a state of non-meditation, you attain Mahamudra." Surely meditation is helpful to quiet the Six Senses,...because the senses cannot observe Stillness,...meaning that they can only observe motion or vibration. All vibration is in the past. There is no stillness, present, nor instant in time. Anyone who has realized Emptiness, is intimately aware that there is no Present in time. A most frightening statement for the Object-ive Minded.

"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 Sentient beings, especially Spoilers in service to the Relative, see real compassion as a threat against the sentience of their ego. And thus, Spoilers will continue their spoiling, advocating the contrived, coarse compassion of samsara, which appeases, moderates, and coddles sentience. Theirs is the lowest of the Three Compassions. To a lesser extent, this thread was begun to expose the object-ive compassion of Spoilers (those who try to suppress truth, through ad hominem, ridicule, fear, and sycophancy), but moreso for those who have observed the suffering inherent in the dream, and ready for the Compassion inherent through the Dharma. The Third level of Compassion, that which only arises through the realization of Emptiness, obviously cannot be discussed with Object-ive Minded Spoilers, but only those who wish to explore what is beyond ego. Emptiness (the Perception of the Profound) is not a theory,...but the realization of how things truly are. Upon awakening, Sakyamuni shared what is known as the first Turning of the Wheel,...that suffering is a consequence of the desire for things to be other than they are,....and that sentience cannot see things (Suchness) the way the are. Again,...the only definition of a Bodhisattva is one who has realized that the Nature of Phenomena is Empty. Most other attributes, usually contrived by Sentient Beings to make their beliefs more palatable, are nonsense. Sentient Beings hear the term Bodhisattva and think of Mother Teresa,...Mother Teresa was not a Bodhisattva. Even HH Dalai Lama is not, by his own words, a Bodhisattva, and has said (see the film Dalai Lama's Four Noble Truths) real compassion is impossible without the realization of emptiness, and by consequence, Dependent Origination. I understand that the many Spoilers here at TTB, seek to bully, disconnect, disempower, ridicule, intimidate others because of their fear of letting go of their sentient based beliefs that step between them and their authentic experience. The subject of emptiness (non-dual awareness) is far too nonconceptual for them. I understand that many flee from threads when these suppressor Spoilers come attacking,....instead of dialoguing on the subject of the thread,...both in vicious ways, and by posting off-subject comic like nonsense. Their various tactics are all predictable. However, for those interested in going beyong, going further, to where the going no longer is, you must consider the price of being a victim of Spoilers. Really observe who are the "open-minded" posters,..by way of how they address the subject in a meaningful way,...not by mindlessly attacking the messenger. I'm quite willing to discuss Emptiness with any who are interested. It's quite a simple subject for the open-minded. If you feel that you're getting an emotional charge about it,...then one merely works on where/why such a charge is arising. Emptiness cannot be realized through the conditions of beliefs.

A rough estimate, after reveiwing about a years worth of posts, suggests that nearly 20% of TTB'ers are interested in enlightenment. The intent of this thread is to use the Heart Sutra to pivot a discussion from,...thus keeping personal opinion, beliefs, and interpretations to a minimum. Of course, TTB is known for its spoilers,...those who seldom have anything to share, except ad hominem, to dampen, injure, blot, disempower, and troll; that is, post inflammatory, nonsensical, extraneous, off-topic messages to disrupt the experience of others. I can promise, a most sublime thread, less any disruptions,...which I will not respond to, as has been the case in other threads. In Buddhism, a prerequisite for enlightenment is compassion. This appears synonymous with Taoist sources, such as the Hua Hu Ching. Thus, the Short Way to Enlightenment is through compassion. However, Buddhism has specific statements regarding the realization of compassion. HH Dalai Lama said, "If I have any understanding of compassion..., it all comes from studying the Bodhicharyavatara" "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 Way of the Bodhisattva With that in mind, the following quote is understandable: "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. The goal of a Bodhisattva is compassion. Is the goal any different for a Taoist? Lao-zu said, "Who can enjoy enlightenment and remain indifferent to suffering in the world? This is not keeping with the Way?" The Short Way to enlightenment is through compassion,...and yet according those closest to the subject, compassion is impossible without the realization of emptiness. The Heart Sutra is a single page guide to the realization of emptiness, by way of prajnaparamita,...or the Perfection of the Prajna or wisdom beyond the 5 skandhas,...an insight not tethered to the 6 senses. The realization of emptiness only occurs upon the dissolution of beliefs,...something that the monkey-mind rejects. Lao-zu said, "the ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle; totally fascinated by the realm of the senses....if anyone threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go. Let the senses go." Besides the Heart Sutra itself,...the commentary "The Heart Attack Sutra" by Karl Brunnholzl would be most helpful in this thread. Look forward to a discussion,...on the Short Way to Enlightenment. 　 "All the joy the world contains Has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." Shantideva 　 　

This thread, and its minimal response, has been an excellent tell as to the state of committment to awareness on this forum.

Yes thelerner, I did have the impression that you were of the inconsiderate-of-others sort that would own a pit bull. Very glad you named it after me,....perhaps you'll think of your inconsiderateness to others everytime you call it. "All the joy the world contains Has come through wishing happiness for others. All the misery the world contains Has come through wanting pleasure for oneself." Shantideva What you misinterpret as "aching giant buttons" are simple impersonal windows of light,...Real Compassion is not having any hesitation to reflect your light on things. As light has no hesitation, no inhibition about reflecting on things, it does not discriminate whether to reflect on a pile of shit or on a pile of rock or on a pile of diamonds. It reflects on everything it faces. Chögyam Trungpa Inconsiderate people, like owners of vicious breeds, machine guns, and Tea Party literature, love provoking posts and spoiling threads (see top post). Congratulations! Your soul-essence has shown itself to be void of any meaningful contribution to anything but your own faith-based agenda. Lao-zu said, "A superior person cares for the well-being of all things..." Spoilers care only to to spoil,...even those who lips pronounce a "devotion to the truth." Spoilers have no clue what truth is,...if they did, they would not be spoilers. That concludes my involvement with this thread.

Belief is more than merely an unquestioning acceptance of something in the absence of reason or a conviction to make palatable something that we do not understand. Beliefs hold rein on the physical body and its relationships, which, through the frequency of the belief itself, suppresses, denies, disempowers, and disconnects. Beliefs and their words arise from the head. All religion, by definition, are merely sets of belief. Beliefs arise from the reptilian brain, which the Greeks called psyche. Among the Greeks, Egyptians, early Buddhists, etc., the Higher Mind was associated with the thymus. Beliefs cannot recognize the Heart-Mind. There is no 'real life' without truth. Believers are lost within a falsity that they consider real, and will never be real. Spiritual Friendship (Kalyana Mittata) cannot occur through belief and faith-based agendas.

Is there a more dishonest, perniciousness word than hope? hope n. from ME. hopa, an expectation. 1. expectation of something desired; anticipation of some future event. 2. a guess or belief. 3. that which gives hope; a substance or object hoped for; an expected payoff. No matter what level we wish to view it from, hope is false. Hope is an anticipation of the future; thus it must arise from a predisposition, a belief, and attachment to the past. Hope implies lack,...how else could we possibly define it? Hope is for something we think we don't possess. How could hope ever be expressed through an Open-Mind or Open-Heart ? The belief of hope is a barrier that obscures the present. The Heart of our Essence would not express lack or need, nor see positive or negative as good or evil, beauty or blight. If our attention is on seeking hope, how are we to ever experience the immediacy required to be in the Present? If we seek hope, our overall frequency pattern projects a self-manifested incompleteness, and thus can only attract to itself, that incompleteness. It is no different than a mirror in ones bathroom; if you look into the mirror with a frown, it will not reflect back a smile. In other words, our hope will never be realized as long as we hope; just like joy is never actualized if we are looking for it.

Surely, the idea of being impeccable with our word is one of the principles of the Mexican nagual (similar in ways to the pre-Buddhist naga). This quite misunderstood principle of power and creativity has not only been embraced in many new age marketing seminars, but also among religions selling their particular brand of faith. However, that is not impeccableness. In fact, if one would step aside of their ego for a moment, they’d clearly recognize that it is impossible for a religious or belief-centered person to be impeccable with their word, because religion is nothing more than a set of beliefs. Impeccable suggests being faultless, flawless, and irreproachable with one’s word. This impeccability is not only being careful in speech while communicating to the outside world, but while dialoguing with the inside as well. If someone tells you, "Be impeccable with your word, for it is a gift from god", that’s being dishonest, not impeccable. Impeccable means being fully honest and truthful. They are using the idea of impeccability to mislead and deceive. All faith-based words mislead and deceive. 　 Recognizing the false is nearly impossible for someone who is not honest,...that is, impeccable with the words both spoken and thought. 　 For the most part, being impeccable with one's word is often unacceptable on TTB. For many, beliefs are more important than honesty. 　 A favorite quote about honest that I often use is: "Start knowing what you really know, and stop believing what you really don’t know. Somebody asks you. "Is there a God?" and you say, "Yes, God is." Remember: Do you really know? If you don’t know, please don’t say that you do. Say, "I don’t know.". . . False knowing is the enemy of true knowledge. All beliefs are false knowledge." Yet so many cling to gods and divine delusions. Shakyamuni Buddha said in the Kalama Sutra, "Do not accept anything by mere tradition. . . Do not accept anything just because it accords with your scriptures. . . Do not accept anything merely because it agrees with your preconceived notions." Buddha taught irreligion; that is, to not accept "sets of belief." Lao Tzu said, "Do not go about worshipping deities and religious institutions as the source of the subtle truth.....religions are desperate, clever, human inventions that rely on hypnotic manipulation of undeveloped minds."

Naga, meaning Wise Serpent, is one of the few words that span both centuries and continents. For instance, Nargals were Chaldean chiefs of the Magi, and Naguals were, and are, the title of the brujos of some tribes of Mexican Indians, dating back to at least Quetzlcoatl, the Plumed Serpent. For many years the Nagual in Central America would meet during Solar Apex over Lake Catemaca following the vernal equinox. I was there in 1998. 　 Like the biblical Abraham, who traveled west from south-central Asia’s Pakistan region (Jos 24:2–3), many groups journeyed west. One of these is said to be the Goddess-oriented Tuatha de Danann. The Tuatha de Danann honored the goddess Danu and appear to have settled for a while in Greece before going north through Germania and then across the English Channel to the Emerald Isle. With them traveled many words and the roots for new ones. Before the Míl Espáine (Soldiers of Hispania) invaded Ireland, the Emerald Island was inhabited by the Tuatha De Danann; Naga's who migrated from the Swat Valley region. This Naga shamanic clan is said to have briefly settled in Greece, and used their magick to revive slain Athenians who were battling Assyrians, giving them an endless number of soldiers for battle. The Aryan Naga's, like the Tuatha De Danann, were associated with Dakini’s, Faeries, Astronomy, and Arts of sorcery, magick and necromancy,...like the Mahasiddhas. Some say that the Naga were present at Buddha's birth. To more fully understand the nature of Naga's, ponder upon those entities associated with wings: http://thetaobums.com/topic/20285-sky-dancers/page__hl__lilith

For me, understanding the nature of duality has come from Undivided Light (Tao) and Divided Light (yin/Yang) http://thetaobums.com/topic/19803-what-is-light/ That understanding appears fully compatable with texts like the Hua Hu Ching, Heart Sutra, Shurangama Sutra, Tantric Mahamudra, etc. Yin/Yang is always relative,...however, do we observe it from the effect of the moving lever (Yin/Yang), or from the causeless fulcrum (Tao)?

Convoluted can point to a variety of things. In one sense, the idea that Jesus ever said anything worthwhile is convoluted, as it is a twisted version of history. Most religious scholars would agree that Jesus never said "be in the world but not of it." For example, in the 1980s, Biblical scholars concluded that only the word father could be traced to Matthew’s so-called Sermon on the Mount. The greater part of the sermon consisted of words placed in Jesus’ mouth by others long after he was dead. During that same period in the 1980s, over a hundred Bible scholars at another seminar agreed that Jesus never promised to return and that he never had any intention of starting a religion. Commenting on these scholars’ conclusions, the Jesuit Rev. Edward Beutner said, "These are not maverick scholars; they take a very careful approach to how sayings were transmitted and evolved in the Bible texts." As this is a Daoist forum, Lao-zu takes precedence over Christianity. "the ego is a monkey catapulting through the jungle; totally fascinated by the realm of the senses....if anyone threaten it, it actually fears for its life. Let this monkey go. Let the senses go." Lao-tzu Of course, ego clings to the 6 senses, and will kill to protect them. To ego, the 6 senses represents one's treasured human-ness. In the below youtube,..check out how many times the term human-ness is used: