GrandmasterP

Right on man! Way to stir that pot.

Agree that spiritual and career do not go together. Unlike 'jobs', careers are associated with professions requiring some degree of professional formation. There is a living to be had in the spirituality business. There's some who advertise on here doing pretty well. Jobbing psychics will usually manage to pay the bills. Channelers who don't lose the plot get a living albeit only a few make the big time. Guru- ing pays well for those who can make it work. Sarlos Guru Rating Service has a league table, get into the upper brackets on Sarlo's and you are earning a decent living. Tarot Card readers can pick up useful pin money or more via a seaside booth in a popular resort if you can get in and bribe the gypsies - who got there first- to leave you alone. Stage Mediums do well in the UK working the civic hall and regional theatre circuit with their one person shows. You do need someone with you to staff the box office and sell your merchandise after the gig though, if not your life partner; then that person has to be paid. Healing Sanctuary work can pay well if you can heal but that relies mainly on donations. Mindfulness Coaching and Mentoring ( if qualified) can bring in a reasonable wage but it is seasonal work September through May. You'll not earn through the summer. Teaching a Martial Art will bring pin money or a good living if you own ( not rent space in) the dojo. There are job opportunities aplenty in the spirituality industry but none of them are 'careers' as such.

EW What sort of sorry excuse for parents would do this?

Bikers eh! Whatyagonnado? Enjoy the rally. Pics would be lovely.

Give it a go in order to experience whether or not it suits you. If you are a young man try the MA form. If not then the meditative approach to the circle walking would possibly suit you better. In every case, go to a teacher for correct instruction. Books and DVDs will only get you so far and may even compound mistakes. Only a Bagua teacher can coach and mentor you during training to correct any mistakes right there and then as those arise. Which they will.

Thank you.

The only spirits who hang around are those who get stuck for one reason or another. Your Bardo ritual has been around long enough for it to probably work. Zen in Japan is almost entirely subsidised by the funeral-ritual business. Zen Temples still have a state monopoly on conducting funeral ceremonies and officially registering deaths. Your departed relative is safe in spirit.

Bison

Any fool can be uncomfortable. As long as one has back up systems then enjoy the benefits of 'on grid' living whilst it is available. There's an entire package of barking mad redneck bigotry packaged up with a lot of these 'sustainable lifestyle' merchants. That guy Bunker who wrote that ( excellent) off grid book has since authored some pretty dubious 'novels'. His annual get-togethers are beyond strange too. We spent some time back in the late eighties up in Montana with a community of off gridders. Those were good people by and large but with a phenomenally restricted and restrictive negative-world-view. Those places are OK just so long as one is prepared to hang up one's critical acuity at the gate upon entering. That or bite your tongue quite a lot during conversations. If TSHTF the only viable option is sustainable communities. Isolationists may as well put up a sign directing the looters to their door. Those poor folks will be toast.

No they do not.There are 72 virgins 'each' involved in the Moslem afterlife narrative. Some translations have it as 72 white raisins but the 72 virgins version retains widespread popularity for some reason. More here... http://wikiislam.net/wiki/72_Virgins Hope that helps.

Gnostics gnow gnothing gnor gnever did. Meet someone socially and they begin telling you that they are a Gnostic then you'll soon enough be looking over their shoulder for means of escape. There is a direct and verifiable correlation between interest in Gnosticism and social isolation due to oddness. Those are not well balanced people at all. Gnever were. Gnever will be. Gnostic BS is best left to those sad sorts who feel the need to become involved with it.

What colour of mushroom?

May as well rename this whole sub forum 'Dzogchen Discussion' cos most of the live threads round these parts are about Dzogchen.

From TI's post.... Please quit calling T Namdak or C NN Norbu "my gurus" They are not my gurus. Further, it is not a competition of whose guru can win the race. It all about capacity of the practitioner and the realizations that he/she can achieve. The first obstacle you have to overcome with Dzogchen is the very bad English translations of the Tibetan texts. The second obstacle is the inability to experience samadhi. The third obstacle is not opening the third eye, divine eye, or wisdom eye. If you can't do that then you are a beginner and should start at the beginning. HTH

Yep. That one works. "Namo Guan Shi Yin Pusa"

There's penguins at Skegness. 53.1400° N, 0.3400° E They stink. More so in warm weather.

A bowl of fresh fruit never goes amiss either. Buddha statues like fresh fruit. ( You can eat it afterwards).

Many. Sadly.

Buddhists are not fanatical. 'Jock' ( not his real name) is a fanatic. Therefore Jock is not a Buddhist.

A-maize-ing.

Buddhists aren't fanatical. Some posters on here are fanatics. Ergo sum, they're not Buddhists at all.

Chocolate - harvested by kids. For kids.

If that's the one with the punchline ending..... "But I eat meat for a living honey." Then please don't.

Q: How many carnivores does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. They prefer to stay in the dark! Q: How many vegetarians does it take to change a light bulb? A: None. Every vegetarian knows that they can't change anything.

+1 Every single one of those defined 'obstacles' ... were all made up in some dude's mind. Delusions fostering delusions. What we call 'jug and mug instruction' - - BS poured out of the teacher 'jug' direct into the mind of the student 'mug'. Common-sense bypassed along the way.