Vanir Thunder Dojo Tan

I wouldnt know.... never heard that one before <.< next time you're passing through salem slow down enough to pick up a certain drifter!

I Love you man! what if it's not extinction but uniting of the psychic field and human consciousness or the bondage of past, present, and future as one "object" of time? what then? I bet you a superb bowl of Ramen, with veggies, that something DOES happen.

Test my words against "his" four noble truths. are we in disagreement? The way itself transmits my education and experience. i have the utmost faith that the absolute master of all masters is my master and teacher... as well is all of ours, if we are so willing to submit to the ultimate will of The Way. I apologize for the double post, but it told me i breached the quotation limit... heh... probably by one, but i clipped two just to be sure. I further apologize for contributing to this argument, it's not one apt to be resolved by being understanding if only one of us is. Buti am simply fascinated by Vaj's passionate expression of Buddha's path over all other paths, even going so far as to portray natural paths as lacking of validity. My final thoughts are that liberation is not singular or universally definable... the emperor is as liberated by labor as the laborer is by luxuries. acquiring an "ultimate liberation" begets an "ultimate sacrifice", which would then be the sacrifice of physical liberation for spiritual liberation. The spirit without the body is as stagnant as the body without the spirit. "liberation" is merely the cessation of experience in this case. With that, i end my participation in this argument. Vaj, i hope that one day yo can see the diversity of reality is not as strict and limiting as there being "only one correct path to liberation." To you, i place a pine tree in your hands

That much is generally stressed throughout nearly all philosophies. There is no "only" way to reach realization. unless that is you mean to say that you inherently follow the teachings and guidance upon the realization of true liberation, but that negates there being a direct following. We would thus "follow" in the examples of liberated wisefolk even without experiencing their example. the most thorough way to test your experiences is to not rely on the teachings of those who have done it already, but learn first hand what the inherent lessons are. One gains experience from the muddled, and can find clairity upon reflecting. You seek to deprive us of this by promoting Buddha's tautological way? "if the goal is made clear through learning" is a little muddled... but i think i understand what you mean, that if the individual takes the time to reflect and learn from their experiences that clarity can be had. and we always have the choice to either acknowledge or deny the proper examples. I do not deny Buddha's example of a correct path. But i do deny Buddha's example being the sole example, for it deprives the infinite whole of it's inherent diversity. A VERY diverse way, mind you. I think of the tao as the way of reality. what do you think of it as? and more importantly, why? Isnt the WAY of the cosmos the "background for all things"? You are engaging in doublespeak. expand your mind beyond 'handed down practice' and delve into uncharted territory brother! Through the studying of the mind without the guidance of mind masters, i have come to understand these particulars jsut fine. Lacking an example of correct composure and self discipline only slows my progress, it does not annihilate my efforts or render them null or void. It affirms my experiences when compared to the masters who have already succeeded. Due to my lacking of guidance i skipped the voice step entirely, not even aware that it was a step. perhaps it is a step holding me back, but i have FAITH that what is meant to be is what will be, that my experiences were never mine to control and that upon aligning with the will of the way, my power of choice has become restricted to the will of the way, and i have faith that the way will work to my ultimate liberation and enlightenment so long as i am putting forth an effort to earn them. my efforts are everpresent.

in the great infinite mmorpg of life everyone's first reaction is "wtf? i can only make mine cry sleep eat and poop!" It takes a lot of calibration to get used to piloting a physical vessel.

^ WOOH! POWER TO THE PEOPLE!!! ^ ^ Ah, yes, however by organizing specific practices, one deprives the self of the diversity of finding and engaging in the correct processes. The "taught" and "learned" path are confused by organized effort. There is no "only one way" either. naming things gives being to them and creates fear, why not just let these things-which-are-not-things simply be in their isness without name? we have plenty enough words to describe our ways of life without naming them. is [why] your own name not sufficient? I do not disagree with what the Buddha taught I find that everything that the buddha has taught, which i have read so far, has generally agreed with my personal experiences, although there are some differences of perception, for example a lotus to a pine tree. truly the symbols are no different, but our names, footsteps, paths, and strides are. they are as different as a lotus and a pine tree, and yet their symbols, practices, and fruits remain generally alike.

While munching popcorn... Hey, wait, i have some popcorn! I think, let me check. Okay so feel free to ignore that one

What frequency are dog whistles, generally? I can hear them, and those things can hurt.

To find a way home... It is the only true path... The purpose of life...

The Tao of Natural Sovereignty: You have no teacher but the innate self. You have no guidance but reflection and recognition. There are no authorities above or below you but the ultimate authority; you, and you alone are responsible for your well being, your placement, and your function and flow. You cannot be taught the natural path, you must take that step and begin to learn it. To master the mind and the body as omnipresent self, you cannot be shown what your unique anatomy needs, you cannot be taught what movements will help or hinder your body, you can only try and test your motions. To begin, declare yourself sovereign and willingly aligned to the will of the ultimate authority, out loud. A declaration cannot simply be spoken, but must be meant in order to take effect. Do not simply say these words, but mean them with the fullest intent to uphold your end of the contract. If your contract is accepted, you are then and from then on the only person who can teach you until you give up your sovereign rights and allow others' words to hold authority over your actions. Upon receiving sovereignty, I recommend immediate high intensity tension exercises in the form of T'ai Chi, Qi Gong, and Yoga, to find your true self and the nature of your movements. This can be everything from stretching to running to pushups to handstands. you might or might not desire privacy for these steps. just dont hurt yourself until you are ready to use pain as a tool for becoming stronger and recognize the true representatives that pain, pleasure, itching, and relaxation are.

funny thing about personal power, energy, the body, and evolution.... Extinction is a universal fallacy. matter can neither be created or destroyed, SO WHAT if THIS interpretation of our spirit is crushed and all but completely annihilated over the next hundred years? We will live through it and evolve from it. The body is and always was temporary, but the experience is omnipresent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orgone

silly notions, ludicrous completely. experiences which distract and dissettle the mind are merely training aides! So naturally, smoking and keeping focus are an exercise that immunize you to the ills of the smoke. However, as with all things, moderation and balance are necessary. just as all things are beneficial in moderation and harmful in excess, you msut learn what the excessive levels are and be mindful not to breach them, lest you lose control of your faculties and engage in "exercise" you might not be able to endure. So let it be known that your habits and intakes will undoubtedly affect your perceptions and conduct, but maintaining control of your faculties will help immunize you of the ill effects and allow you to conduct yourself efficiently even under the influences. Substances slow y/our spiritual and energy progress while they quicken the physical development. Deprivation slows y/our physical and mental progress, while hastening your spiritual understanding.

Teaching us tools for the use on our own spiritual paths. might as well call shop class constructionism. More simply, I mean to say that Buddhism is not a religion, but a tool. Regardless of what he taught, he was no more a messiah than anyone's 6'th grade math teachers, nor was what he taught an organized religious effort any more than shop class is. Free yourself of attachments, of bondage, to "The" Buddha. It is what "The Buddha" taught after all. Siddhartha was it? I am no good with names...

if he peddles, rather than wears lingerie, then i was close indeed if not then i need to meditate more

It is never realized, for that is fixed and unmoving, but constantly realizing, which is always moving, as ever we all are.

Ah yes, you are speaking along the lines of AI more than physics. Things like alignments, ratios, factions, and personal nature and how to rationally calculate a fluid transitory balance between them through interactions - definitely an element i would demand for "my" game

obviously we're not talking about the queen, but the gender of this "businessman". You live in a house with four walls. All four walls face south. A bear sits out front. What color is the bear?

Pardon me for butting in, but a glaring flaw in your logic prompted my response: We have the free will to make choices, not decide the outcomes of our choices, by engaging in and acting on free will, we physically enter into contract that we agree to sustain all outcomes of the choices of our free will, regardless of weather or not we are aware that this physical contract is in effect or the rules of engagement. We have complete rights to our free will so long as we retain our sovereignty. we are also allowed to give up or abstain from personal sovereignty, thereby giving up our free will to the public at large, or whom so ever might be able to buy/afford/steal y/our time. You have a CHOICE. accept punishment, or fight it. if you are unwilling to fight it, you forsake your sovereignty, and thus your free will to determine an alternate outcome; you have a choice between extremes, give up your lifestyle for your freedom, or accept punishment for your lifestyle. The eternal struggle between selfish and selfless effort for either the self or for the community.... it's eternal indeed. Seek balance to find sovereignty if you so choose to retain your ever-present right to own and operate the gift of free will. If you engage in the correct physical contracts (read as: rituals) you can learn the true source of authority and decide weather or not you wish to take the responsibility of owning and operating the freedom of choice, or if your choices are preferably the responsibilities of others, and thus the choices thereof. It is still inevitably your choice. to have or not to have... the gift of free will. I apologize for intruding in your argument. P.S. THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS FRICKING BUDDHISM. Buddha taught [us] how to breathe properly; and the functioning intent of meditation. that is it. To expand the consciousness/awareness/conscious awareness which requires the understanding of the way of the whole is breathing. Inhale, hold, relax, exhale. When the earth breathes in, it nourishes us with rains and fertility. The earth holds that breath, warming us up and preparing our resources. When the earth relaxes, she lets go of her breath and with it, our resources-prompting us to harvest and prepare for winter. When the earth fully exhales, she becomes cooled, and her resources become dormant. The tao of earth is that we are perpetually engulfed in both night and day simultaneously, one half of the day is summer, the other half of the day is winter. Buddha only showed us the Tao of meditation and the Tao of breathing... He is not any more or less deity than anyone else nor any more or less messiah than any of us either.

Double the sims in interactivity capability/potential then, double THAT as an afterlife version complete with death-as-birth transition between material and energy life... NOW we have to deal with stupid AI you know how all those "sims moments" were? setting yourself on fire by not knowing how to cook.... cereal... Computers have a long ways to go before they are going to catch up with humanity, let alone able to effectively portray any genuine spirituality, rather than mere mythology. Throw in atomic particle physics, and then maybe, MAYBE, we'd have the basis for a cyber-world in which my mind could enjoy as a playground.... hehe As for already existing spiritual games, look at RPGs, they fill their stories with a lot of ancient mythological elements. Tales of Phantasia is a great example of norse mythology presented on a christian palette painted by a japanese hand... hahah! Cultural! The warcraft series 'borrows' a lot of spiritual influences for their characters and classes. Holy Paladins, naturalistic shamans... not terribly accurate, but the influences are there all the same. If we want an accurate game to portray general spiritual influences... we've got a lot of doing to manage with our present limitations of technology and market demand. I would Love to help design a world that is as entertaining as it is educational however, so if anything ever comes of this, i hope i will catch wind and be able to lend a hand!

Free Will? Do we hve it? I don't know... I think that is a CHOICE. I am a practitioner, follower, educator, and upholder of the "Law of Free Will", which is plainly and simply to respect the consenting will and/or willful consent of all individuals, lest you forsake any potentially inherent rights thereof to free will. To reiterate: That which you do unto others, you physically speak into effect as condoned treatment upon your own person. I shall reiterate again: That which i have done to you, i forsake any right to disallow you to inflict upon me. The law of free will protects all individuals who give consent to protect and respect the free will of others. Those who follow the law of free will earn the protection of free will by protecting the free wills of others who also follow the law of free will. The law of free will is exempt to no one, exclusive to all but willing participants, cannot be enforced upon any unwilling individual, and is universally binding to all individuals who wish to own and operate any level of free will.

sugar exists in all things your body breaks down to digest. even in dried meats, there exist trace amounts of sugars. Elimination of elements from your diet is irrational. find balance.

To america i say goodbye. Let the homeless revolution take place. no longer do we pay tribute to our kings, for we are our own kings. no longer do we sign over our time and lives to corporate contracts, for our time and lives belong to our selves! Let the bum revolution take the place of the monarchs of economics, the corporate kings and queens to be beheaded, congress to be tried for treason. WE the PEOPLE of the WORLD are SOVEREIGN IN THE EYES OF GOD and NO AUTHORITY EXISTS to deprive u of that without our prior consent. Let us WALK this path now, and not just speak it. I cannot make change alone, but i will continue to walk this path in example of the change that could be made.

Well thanks for the links and whatnot! has been an interesting read so far. Cant say I'm terribly agreeable with a few smaller semantics, but the general eye opening recommendations and think for yourself ways of living are definitely all there. It's great to see someone pointing out the seemingly obvious yet so clearly ignored mass of general lack of common sense and personal responsibility. We can only hope more eyes open to see what we have done to ourselves.