林愛偉

haha yeah, well... Amituofo Lin

I have never met a Daoist Nun who shaved her head. (bald smiley) I know Chang Yi Xiang Tianshi ( Heavenly Master Lily Siu) Requests her disciples to shave their heads once before discipleship to show their detaching from personal discrimination, and also because long hair can become a distraction during cultivation. Men keep their hair long as a sign of a mature individual, proper and virtuous, upholding skill and wisdom. Of course its a symbol of covering, or keeping things stable in a sense. But it doesn't have to do with looking feminine in order to keep a feminine balance. Daoists in the past were chinese, and chinese features were similar for both men and women. A women can wear men's clothing and people would think she was a man. Peace and Blessings, Lin P.S.- This thread should end soon before it helps others develop further confusion. Not gay.

:-) What do you mean? Peace, Lin

Being homosexual doesn't mean one can not cultivate. They will only get so far, and when so far gets reached, it does matter. Despite what Michael Winn says, there was never a homosexual immortal... lol that's just silly. Peace, Lin

There was never a homosexual Daoist Immortal, and an Immortal would not be an Immortal if they were...hahaha Mixing those energies does damage to one's cultivation, and results in ill karmic afflictions as well. As in the words of Ven. Master Xuan Hua, " You know why we have Siamese Twins...?" hahaha Peace and Blessings. Lin

Here is the Medicine Buddha Mantra Wheel...as an extra..haha

गते गते पारगते पारसंगते बोधि स्वाहा That is the sanskrit...attached is the chinese caligraphy. I am looking for the mantra mandala for you. Will be some time. Peace and Blessings Brother. Lin

Nope. I'm not talking of experiencing whatsoever. I am saying that even recognizing the scenery, or action as a scenery, an action, is still experiencing ...passive and active are still views. Even though one's mind is passive, it is still acting in the passivity of the moment. It is still functioning. I'm talking about dropping the function altogether Even the floating leaf is active. It is a leaf...or in other words just a form of the mind. It is still a form, thus it is active. One may sit still in body and mind. But even the slightest notion of there being a stillness recognized is active. We may see things just moving without a hindrance. But our seeing and acknowledging there is a seeing is the hindrance. In terms of being in the experiencing mind, your words are good methods to put down attached discriminative views up to a point. It is still useful if pointing directly to the experiencing mind. The mind will be of the expressions of active and passive until there is no mind that is active or passive. You and I are talking of "different" expressions of the same mind Peace and Blessings Brother. Lin

Head On Top of A Head By: Lin Zi Yi The investigation of the Koan, or Hua Tou, is what cultivates the capacity to comprehend an answer. It is putting a head on top of a head, and then dropping them both. The Koan is the tool. It is a false thought used to end other false thoughts. The idea of an answer is also false. The investigation of a Koan is concentration power development. When the mind is without random thoughts, Wisdom is present. When the mind is scattered without concentration power, there is ignorance. The koan develops concentration power and a result of developing concentration power is lack of random, scattered thoughts which pull one in all directions. The koan is not the answer to anything, but the method which its function of stopping the mind from false thinking is emphasized through concentrating on it while not holding on to it by the words used, yet its literary structure (text) is a direct answer. The koan leads one to “individualize” its meaning, bring one to understanding through their own reasoning, and logic. In turn, the investigating of a koan is the dropping of one’s personal attachments to their views; makes them question it, take it apart and dissolve it. The answer sought in the koan is according to the capacity of the mind holding it. Koans are the tool whose function is to direct the mind to the mind. Then, both koan and mind must be dropped. The answer of the koan is not an answer. The thought of there being an answer, points to a no-answer. Then, there is defilement, discriminating mind. In the line(s) of a koan, the words are positioned specifically to make one lock into contemplation. 'Blue sky, black sky. Nothing at all.' Where's the answer? Not the words. The manner in which it is written causes the mind to investigate. The investigating develops concentration power, and as a result, an awakening through the koan. The answer is in loss. 'Blue sky, black sky. Nothing at all.' This sentence points to the non dual nature. Blue sky and Black sky is what one sees through discrimination. In actuality, there is no sky. Therefore, where do the distinction of colors attach to? For the sake of saying; One thinks with the mind about things that are created from the mind. They get attached to these things, and think them to be real. A koan will have one concentrate on the mind in investigating the meaning of the koan, which when understood is of the mind, yet the koan would point to one's non dual nature. The safe thing about it all, is that concentrating on the koan eventually stops the false thinking, or at least brings one's attention away from their false, and scattered thinking. Use a false thought to end all false thoughts. It returns the concentration of mind to see the mind, and drop the attachment of their being a mind. Drop all views and see the original nature. Peace and Blessings, Lin

That's a good one! I really like that. When I was a child, my sister directed me in meditation to "listen to the thought before the thought, and then to drop them both in order to get to the root cause of my thinking." With your permission, I would like to utilize your "thought" as a teaching to my future students when using contemplative methods for awakening. Your "thought" points to the conditions in which one associates their manner of thinking, reaction, and directs them to see the cause of their habit. It is very useful. Peace and Blessings, Lin

:-) Experiencing requires a view of an "I" experiencing. What is there that moves? In reference to The 6th Patriarch Diamond Platform Sutra; 'One day while Hui Neng had arrived at a monastery, he observed two monks arguing. Their arguement was over whether or not the Flag which seemed to be flapping in the wind was actually flapping, or was it the wind moving. Hui Neng watched the two monks as they debated eachother calling eachother deluded. Then, Hui Neng walked over and said " You are both deluded. It is your mind that moves." The monks saw this, and both awakened. At that time, the abbot of the monastery welcomed Hui Neng, and recognized him as the 6th Patriarch, shaved his head, and listened to him speak the Dharma. ' Try this verse I composed...and posted in the articles section: The ground, seeds, outcomes arise. Emotions, thoughts, our attachments of mind. What I? What place a mind can dwell? The emptiness of all reveals nothing to tell. Peace and Blessings, Lin

Yes, yet it is the personal attachment to the labeling which makes it a hindrance. THat personal attachment must be dropped. Then it would be Wisdom. Peace, Lin

Sometimes beings can manifest as spheres to watch you in cultivation, and influence you. There is nothing too mystical about it really. They are forms of a being's mind, therefore are also a consciousness. It takes good concentration to form one, but high concentration to let everyone see it. Their function is based on the one creating it. It can do almost anything one wishes, as long as they have the cultivation for it. Its really simple explanation. Sometimes these spheres can appear in a camera, where a photographer may claim it to be light trapped in the moisture in the air, and gets shined upon by a flash of light, caught on the film. BUT, some spheres look like faces, even without the mind tryng to figure it out. They can also be forms of spirits , both good and bad, just moving around the environment. Like I said, they can take any shape/form they wish. They can hold cultivation which would be a transmission to another cultivator. But if that energy isn't utilized, it is just wasted, and does nothing. Peace, Lin

good cultivation will usually send an attacker flying on their butt, or keep them frozen in their stance...sometimes make them fall on the floor in excruciating pain. Peace, Lin

fasting is fun. I did fasting this summer, by choice, during my stay at a temple. To keep from feeling hunger, I ate Mantras: Shurangama, Great Compassion, and Amitabha Buddha name recitation. Felt great, vibing high, and not an ounce of light-headedness. Lost weight too.. lol Peace, Lin

yes. Arising is just a term used for when something is no longer there, what has always been there appears to the cultivator. ---just to clear up the "arising" word for some--- Peace, Lin

haha wow.. this is serious huh

Wisdom has many levels to it as well. On one hand one can be wise enough to recognize their faults, but lack the will to change them. THerefore, further cultivation is needed. It doesn't end until it does. There is a saying in the Buddhist school; "The Dharma is neither sudden nor gradual. Ignorant beings take a long time to awaken, while enlighten beings drop everything on an instant." It is a long ways to go in terms of changing our behavior and mind, habits. If we had one inkling of special ability, but was irresponsible with our own daily life, then we would cause more harm than good, and not only to ourselves but our environment. As long as we are in our states/views we will be subject to their ebb and flow. Wisdom is the shears that cut off our ignorance. Constant delving into our wisdom mind strengthens that influence in all states, and eventually dissolves our states of mind, revealing the purity of wisdom. So wisdom is the mirror reflecting back to itself only to reveal no form of itself..which is Thus. Mouthful... Peace, Lin

From what you say of your teacher, he is taking you on the right path. As for power development, though there are specific methods to cultivate them, it is not mandatory to do so. For one reason; if one has wisdom, they will never put themselves in the range of demons and or situations which cause them or others harm. So, they will not need powers to fight back so to say. Another reason for not needing to develop powers is that if one has wisdom, they will never unwillingly be in a situation which leads to their unpleasantness...for they will not be in "view" of pleasant and unpleasant. Therefore, they will not need powers to alter their reality. Wisdom will automatically do that. In terms of attaining wisdom, and enlightenment, one will naturally, as an outcome of proper enlightenment, be able to tell the difference between beneficial and not beneficial for the choice of living they wish. They will not be subject to the ebbs and flows of their karma, and will realize their faults, and conditions in order to change them through wise discrimination. These abilities are inherent within proper wisdom, and come as a result of proper cultivation. Developing powers purposely without wisdom results in harmful states, and harmful realities, experiences. If one develops the ability to move others with energy/mind, they may put themselves in a situation where they have to show their skill, and most times than not, they cannot produce it, and then they get either beat up or pushed out of a quiet living. If one develops high skill abilities, and shows it off, they may cause a problem within society, and thus the law gets involved, taking those whom were taught the abilities, and the person teaching. THis will cause bad outcomes for many people. Within this, wisdom would not be present. A wise person who also cultivates abilities would seldom talk about them in terms of his own development, and would very rarely perform it for students or the public. He would utilize the abilities when it is life or death situations, such as saving one's life, assisting in one's awakening, and or assisting in helping a being heal themselves. A person can never heal another person through energetic means. They only move things around, transform here and there, and the person themself makes the change in mind and behavior. This is true healing. I asked your questions before as well. Who needs, or wants abilities?! Then it came down to, those who have wisdom, usually shake up the foundation of an unaware society. It is good to know how to alter reality when things change through other people's intervention. In this case, only wisdom would be needed in order to alter reality for the good of others, not for self benefit. So on one hand, wisdom is the overall key to it all, and on the other, wisdom results in realizing how to work with mind. Therefore, abilities come from proper wisdom, but only beneficial outcomes result form the cultivation of proper wisdom. Peace and Blessings, Lin

The million dollar question. One cultivates the eye to see, not only 3rd eye cultivation, but over all, a solidifying of the ability to see all things for as they are constantly, not just in states. It goes together with 3rd eye cultivation, but goes much higher than those basic methods. And it is best learnt through a being who can constantly guide the practitioner, for there are some wicked things outther, and it if stuck in a state, can bring upon ill results. Other than that, basic cultivation of 3rd eye will do for occasional tapping into the state of that seeing, and poof... Peace, Lin

Play Erhu, Gu Zheng and mess with the Gu Qin a bit. frequently play, and play by ear, or with what comes in. Peace, Lin

"Qi" balls are quite simple to form, but if one doesn't have the eyes to see it it isn't visible..or if one can make one dense enough for others to see it.... its visible. Also, they can be manifestations of beings, and or spheres of a transmission of cultivation; to pass to another, or to give in healing...but nothing special Peace, Lin

Hmmm... You know, once we see something for what it is , it is no longer what it was. In the Dao De Jing, and Buddhist Sutras, as an outline for a person with wisdom, and awakening; The sage stands in the background, influences the masses and disappears without a trace. If anyone were to recognize such a being, that being would run for the hills. Kind of says something about how it works into todays society when we are looking for high level masters whom either run to our pockets, or keep a low profile. If there was such publicity on high level masters in today's world, there would be a massive craze for these people, and the teachings would have to be watered down...also, gov.s would be on the search for them indeed. As long as the Sage, awakened one, does not influence the masses by standing before them, all is in harmony. Once the Sage claims recognition, there is resentment, anger, and dangerous situations ahead for the people and the Sage. Simply because, if he who was once thought a Sage stands in front of the crowd in recognition and accepts it willingly and enjoyably indulging in the "I" of accomplishment, that being was not originally a Sage...just an ordinary person. Mix in with the crowd, unless you are a monk. Then if your a monk, be patient and quiet like the sage mixing in the crowd, and stay strict to your vows as a guideline of virtue and moral, behavior. HAHA even some monks of both schools forget that they should be in the corner away from influencing directly. This is why there is much ego in today's monasteries, not all , but a good amount. Daoist and Buddhist monasteries alike. :-D Peace, Lin

Good post. Yes actuallythe idea with desire in cultivation is to actually use that as a fuel so to say in one's cultivation. Move them further. You see, desire, when put towards the path of enlightenment, is a desire that still can be clung to, but you are constantly reminded not to through your vows, and or the basic fundamental of your cultivation. So at some point it becomes apparent that you have to simply put even that desire down. BUT not until you reached a level where you wouldn't fall back into previous habits. That means cultivate till even the dust that sits at the bottom there transforms...hahaha if the water stirs, there is nothing being moved. Peace and Blessings, Lin

She should be returning by the end of November.I haven't visited there, but will once I am settled back in the states. Peace, Lin