manitou

Nope. Can't think of any. But I do remember that Castaneda had to sew the eyes shut on a lizard, as a rite of passage.

Any chance it's the U.S president? After all, the creature is motivated by a cheeseburger.

This is the most marvelous post I've ever read on this forum. What makes this even better for me is the book I'm currently reading. The Day After Roswell, as recommended by my Bujinkan ninja buddie. Nungali - I'm so damn old I actually remember that episode when it first came out.

So I'm not sure I'm reading this right. Is the alien dangling the desire for enlightenment in front of a holy person with a third eye? And why would the holy person dangle a dollar bill in front of the bearded man with the beanie? Does that mean the robed holy person is a charlatan? He looks greedy. And is there any chance the cart being towed with the bearded man possibly be a metaphor for Israel? Being towed by America? Actually, it gets pretty accurate here - the American looks gluttonous, ambitioned by a mere cheeseburger and riding a geezer scooter..

That's the beauty of this place. I'll bet if you asked anyone who's been on this forum for years if they've grown because of the Bums. I would bet every single one of them would say 'yes'. It seems to be part of the process - we're all here because we want to achieve maximum growth on our paths, and finding like-minded individuals to talk to in everyday life can be a challenge. We talk to each other here, soul to soul - and every single one of us has had run-ins with others on the forum. But using the discomfort to actually grow and try to lessen the ego is what it's all about, IMO. We just keep getting better the more our ego is diminished. And we diminish it through each other. What an incredible forum this is, and how lucky we are to have found it. We all want to be enlightened Buddhas, at least metaphorically. We wouldn't be here if that weren't the case. But what separates this forum from some others is the amount of love and affection we have grown to have for each other, even if we've never physically met. We know each other in a very deep way. Your mind, your openness, and your knowledge are wonderful, 2ndChance. It is apparent that you are going to be a very strong presence on this forum, and you'll just be getting better and better as time goes on. We all seem to develop a different type of humility because of our interactions with each other - the buttons of ego within us seem to get filed down, and some would say that the most precious of mindsets is the one where we really 'know nothing' and keep our minds in a state of childlike openness, without opinion, without judgment. Please know that you are loved here, and a great addition.

Qualities of the Taoist (Ch 16, DDJ, Yutang) "When the highest type of men hear the Tao (truth) They practice it diligently. When the mediocre type hear the Tao, They seem to be aware and yet unaware of it. When the lowest type hear the Tao, They break into loud laughter, If it were not laughed at, it would not be Tao. Therefore there is the established saying: "Who understands Tao seems dull of comprehension; Who is advanced in Tao seems to slip backwards; Who moves on the even Tao (Path) seems to go up and down". Superior virtue appears like a hollow (valley); Sheer white appears like tarnished; Great character appears like insufficient; Solid character appears like infirm; Pure worth appear like contaminated. Great space has no corner; Great talent takes long to mature; Great music is faintly heard; Great Form has no contour; And Tao is hidden without a name. It is this Tao that is adept at lending (its power) and bringing fulfilment.

The definition of metaphysics, as defined in Wikipedia or Websters, is pretty much how I see metaphysics - the study of the essence of things, of the nature of matter, the unseen forces of nature that cause phenomena as we see it. As our physical sensory abilities are limited, I've wondered if there may not be other beings on this same plane who possess a different set of sensory organs - hearing in a different frequency, seeing in a different perception of light. For example, bats flying at night 'see' in a neon green (or at least that was the conclusion of scientists who studied the vision of bats). If true, bats inhabit a totally different world than we do, in their estimation. Metaphysics is an awfully broad umbrella. I have a lady friend in Pennsylvania who throws Metaphysical Fairs every few months. Vendors will show up and sell their crystals and their oils, palms will be read, reiki will be done. Magic rocks with their healing properties will be sold. This form of metaphysics, in my opinion, is not true metaphysics, at least not as I see it. I agree with the OP that there is great benefit of studying all forms of religion and philosophy - and what I've found, in my experience, is that they all end up going to the same place. The same 'metaphysical' place, which turns out to be the nature of matter, realizing that what we see as matter may be nothing more than 'thought'. This, to me, is the higher form of metaphysics. I don't know about gnomes and faeries and such things. I'd be real interested to hear of any interactions you've had with them, 2nd Chance. I've been at this for about 40 years and never run into one of the little fellows. But my left brain often gets in my way because it is highly conditioned (legal work and law enforcement), so I'm not blessed with a terribly imaginative brain. Like....I can't 'visualize' anything at all.

Is it a particle or is it a wave of probability? Oops. It's both.

I'm having a little trouble understanding the basis for your post. It feels like something that is trying to emerge from the mist. I can almost make out the shape, but not quite yet. I feel you're on to something probably very profound, but it might be at that special 'place' where words can't describe it. I too think about stuff like this all the time. So much of us is filled with space, not matter. And what makes this any realer than a dream which is also projected onto our basic consciousness? I just don't know if there's an answer that we have access to. We are nothing but our conditioning - until we get to the place where we realize that, and at that point we can start thinking and behaving in alternate ways. When I walk the dogs, I have gotten into the habit of trying not to label anything - to realize that the air we breathe is also a type of matter, only not visible to us. I try to look at everything as all connected with no differentiation. Once, about 35 years ago, I was driving across the desert - which is a bit of a mind deadening thing to do anyways. Almost hypnotizing. But suddenly I saw all these concentric lines attaching everything to everything else - surrounding the trees, the houses, the clouds, the people, the cars - everything. It was all the same thing, acting in concert. And for an instant, I was given a glimpse of how it all worked. I remember saying to myself "Aah! So that's how it works!" I truly saw it. And then, the next moment, it was all forgotten. It slipped away - it's still in there somewhere, and I suspect that I get access to it only when needed.

LOL. I thought everybody had it. Maybe they do and can't hear it. But I was at my brothers last week and I was talking to him and his wife. I said 'you know that emphatic little voice that tells you something off-the-wall, like 'Go give that homeless guy $20?' My brother and sister in law just shook their heads, said 'No', and were rolling their eyes for the rest of the evening. You'd think that by this age I would have learned to keep my mouth shut...

And then there's the Voice. Not an actual voice, but an off-the-wall thought that tells you to do something totally unexpected, but it comes in real strong. Like a real strong intuitive instruction. Disregard that one at your own peril. It always seems to make an appearance when one gets oneself out of the way.

ZenPig, you said that this morning you had a discussion with a real person. I'm assuming he fancied himself a teacher of sorts because he had a type of awakening? What got you to thinking about this?

I prefer going to a party with a bit of cannabis rather than going to a party where people are putting water in their ears. Am I missing something?

Some would say you always have existed and always will.

Not sure words can describe Awareness, but I look at it as being aware that we're the ones who are the blackboards on which we write our lives in chalk. I think from a certain perspective, it's the witness state; both witnessing our physical selves from a higher perch, and realizing that we're an essential part of the one life. And I just noticed last night that cannabis brings on an instant witness state, lol. It's like you separate in two without trying. (It was some really good shit...)

I hardly know what to say, Steve. Thank you.

This is going to be a difficult thread to write, because something of the most profound nature happened to me last night. I can offer no proofs other than a re-telling of my experience. As DB's, we can inadvertently get a little competitive, as evidenced by the occasional spats on the threads - but I ask you to set ego aside as I relate this. I offer this as a glimpse into what we all want here - enlightenment. About 7 months ago I moved to the Palm Springs, CA area after my husband died. The grief I experienced for over a year seems to have honed me in some way; like going through a fire and having the extraneous burned off. In the complex that I live in, there is a place I go daily to walk the dogs. I met the people who live right there because they have a dog that looks exactly like mine. We struck up a friendship. Unknown to me, the man in the duo is a Bujinkan master. He goes to Japan regularly to hone his incredible skills under Masaaki Hatsumi. He is a well known teacher of this incredible ninja martial art in the U.S.. and other parts of the world. I asked if he had videos online, and he indicated that there were several on youtube. I starting watching his videos and those of Masaaki Hatsumi. What I saw in them amazed me. It is the Dao brought into the physical. I recognized it immediately and confirmed it with him. Captivated for some reason, I watched them over and over - couldn't get enough. He gave me a study manual (much spiritual and psychological as well) and I've been reading it carefully. For some reason, this tying together of the Dao as a philosophy and the Dao in form (Bujinkan) was what I needed to see. I've talked about self-realization on this forum for a long time. Apparently I didn't know what it really was. I've walked the path of AA for 38 years and in working the steps, one removes layer after layer of shadow within - both through acknowledgment of the flaw and making amends for things done in the past. I knew I was on the path to self-realization (I used to go to Manley Hall lectures in Hollywood and the seed was planted early in me, in the 1970's). My association with TDB's has been just about the most instrumental vehicle for furtherance of this path because we come from so many points of view, and yet there are truths that lie at the bottom of these points of views, or paths, that are universal. After a while, rough edges and firm opinions within us are eliminated here. In addition to the study of multiple religions to the point of transcendence of any particular path. So, last night. I was walking the dogs before going to bed and I stopped and looked at the stars for a few moments. I was hit by a jolt of energy, seemingly coming from the stars, that I've never experienced in my life. I immediately thought about Saul on the road to Damascus, how he was hit by a jolt, from my old Christian days. I felt a little snap in my heart or brain, like someone snapping a small twig. Something unblocked. Immediately after being hit by this jolt which felt like an inner gulp of realization - not anything of the brain - I heard a voice in my head that said 'I AM an enlightened being'. I immediately felt energy rushing out of me, going in all directions. I started to tremble. I have been a proponent of the I AM consciousness for 20 years, ever since studying The Impersonal Life by Anonymous. Within this consciousness we realize who we really Are. But I know today that I had never taken the actual inner gulp of self-realization that I took last night, where I actually experienced it. At once, my whole essence had no fear, no discomfort, radiating warmth, and an overall feeling of love for everything. The realizations continued when I got home. I jotted them down so I could tell you about them today. First realization: There is a responsibility with enlightenment. It is our purpose as enlightened beings to act like an enlightened being, in speech and deeds. It doesn't matter what we do with it, on how big or little a scale. We are the torch bearers, the frequency holders. - We are all enlightened beings. Every single one of us. But it's not until we get that gulp of realization that we really are that we truly feel the truth of the matter. No doubt remains. No questions, no measurement of yourself vs. some master or fellow poster on the Bums. You know in your entire persona. Today I woke up with the thought 'I am an enlightened being' on my mind, first thing on waking up. The glow remains with me. I offer this experience to hear from others who may have gone through this, or as a little roadmap for what is no doubt coming for you too.

Isn't that the truth?

This is why I love the metaphysics of the commonality of all vehicles for enlightenment. When you say 'Enlightening experiences or nondual realization don't make enlightened or realized' - I couldn't agree with you more. An enlightening experience may be wonderful, but if it isn't accompanied by inner dissolution of the shadows within (prior conditioning, etc), it will only remain an enlightening experience. And I too understand that there is a responsibility that comes naturally with becoming realized. Actions must be tempered, buttons that others can push must be removed. I think this process continues either pre or post-realized - an eternal path where we become kinder, more loving, capable of deciding our own thoughts, realizing that our thinking controls our external life. And most importantly, realizing that if you had the same conditioning, same memories, and same level of awareness, you too would be doing or saying exactly as the other person is. Because you ARE the other person.

What a beautiful article, Dwai. Thank you. And when we see beautiful attributes in another, we are seeing our own Self. Like any third grader can tell you, "it takes one to know one". Love becomes a whole different situation altogether when we try to look at the world non-judgmentally. I try daily. I often fail and have to bring myself back to right-seeing. This is a lifetime work. The kind of movie-love that poses for the real love is so misunderstood. As it alludes to in the article, this type of love, that one "falls into" is trying to find a sense of completion within ourselves. Your article is mindful of the fact that the love we feel for another is not for the other, it is for ourself. Love can even be to let someone else have the last word in an argument. The ego stings for a moment, then it's over. You've come out ahead because your ego is diminished - enabling more light to enter.

Love means so many different things in different circumstances. Love might be stopping, getting out of the car, and giving a homeless person a few bucks. Or it may be picking up a piece of trash in an otherwise beautiful park. I still have remnants of Carlos Castaneda in me, wherein his nagual Don Juan Mateus was forever reminding him to be "impeccable" in his life. This is to be in the here and now, to take responsibility for our words and actions, to be a blessing when needed. Or love may be the power of attraction that is the glue that holds the universe together. It is to know that we are One with the earth and all other things/animals/minerals/worms/etc. and to act accordingly. Love's demands change continually and eternally. Sometimes it's just listening to another person, without opinion getting in the way. I love OldDog's previous comment about not being really here, but loving to argue with other people on the internet who aren't really here either. As I see it, the construction of an atom is approximately 99.99% space. Which to me means that the only thing that makes anything appear real is the fact that the other components of the atom, the electrons, neutrons, quarks, etc - are circulating at such a fast rate that they appear solid. I don't know, are the components rotating at 186,000 MPS? Maybe the whole concept of mutual attraction (love?) is the cohesion for everything in the galaxy or beyond, as everything is rotating with everything else. It also occurs to me that without rotation we would have no concept of Time, as there would be no days and nights.

Hi qullible - so nice to have you here. Prepare for an open mind, lol.

Hi Seb, you're in the right place. The action of the Dao is reversion. Back to simplicity.

Hi Dom - I don't think anyone really gets to this site by accident. What originally brought you here may not be the same as what keeps you here. Or, it may. You'll find what you're looking for on these threads. Welcome.

Hi cg4tw - glad you're here. You'll meet a lot of nice and helpful folks. Welcome.