manitou

How absolutely telling this dream is - especially since it was a Classic coke bottle. It's as though the Rinpoche had an awareness that his classic thoughts and the teachings of his prior gurus no longer fit him, that he had to figure out where in the universe he specifically stood - beyond anything that a teacher could give him. He outgrew the teachings of others and had to get to the moon on his own. and how wonderful the Buddhist Science of the Mind clip was. Thank you, CT. As a metaphysician, the whole concept of Science of Mind has been with me since being hauled off to Christian Science meetings as a young child, and seeing what the mind can do. And yet, late in my spiritual career, I have taken to Buddhism like a hand to a glove - because of the compassion and the humanity of the idea behind it. I had no idea - and I certainly don't profess to being a Buddhist because I followed no traditional Buddhist path at all. However, I think it is impossible to not​ run into Buddhism if one is a true seeker. My Christian aunt and uncle scoff at Buddhism because they are of the opinion that Buddhist 'worship' Buddha, much as they worship Jesus. I've tried to explain otherwise, but their minds are set in that Christian type of arrogance that is convinced that only Christianity is the true path, and will lead them to eternal life. They were confused when I ask them if they've ever considered that eternity runs in both directions. It is as though reading all the metaphysics has great benefit, but it's not until it is put into practice in a Buddhist sense of compassion and seeking self understanding in order to See the reality of life. And I too am trying to loosen my bonds to logic - the tendency to see only in the way I was conditioned to accept what others have called reality. I have much work to do, and I know nothing.

Your ideas bring to mind much of the Castenda path - although I know he's a controversial one on this forum. But his continual references to the assemblage point moving and changing our perspective is very much like what you are writing about, even including lucid dreaming. I suspect that your previous mention of wires correlates to his usage of the word filaments - of which I have only had the privilege of seeing on one occasion while driving out in the desert. The actual connectedness of everything to everything else. But once seen, very difficult to forget. Yes, how habitual we can become. Much of my being-ness for the past month has been in my head, although the study of Vasistha's Yoga has been at the forefront of this. But on our physical level, it has been a constant round of doctor's appointments and drudgery. The study of that particular tome has been invaluable to me, in order to transcend the drudgery. It's just where I am right now.

Thanks, allinone.

When you speak of 'it' being in your bones, your marrow, etc - I think you are saying the same that others are. It is the underlying Intelligence contained within all. Ancient Toltecs would call it the Manitou. No, it's not just my appreciation of aesthetics. The sense of bliss happened to occur during a particular beautiful moment, and those are the ones that are easy to come by. The more difficult ones are sitting in traffic, or having someone cut you off at an intersection, or waiting in line, or sitting and waiting for results in a doctor's office. But I imagine that a truly liberated person, liberated totally from ego, will experience those moments nearly constantly during the day, because he/she realizes in his core who, or what, he really is. He is​ the underlying force and as such doesn't fall prey to the dream. He realizes that his physical self and his ego are merely the shadow in Plato's cave. The essence, the fire, is behind him. To me, at this point in my practice, it becomes solely a question of remaining in Awareness of what I am. I am the cosmic broth in the cosmic vegetable soup, each vegetable one of the 10,000 things. Only there is no limit to the soup - it is all there is. We are Everything, and we are Nothing. We are the potentiality prior to the I Am. That thing that is warm inside us, that limitless sense that doesn't move from point A to point B, which remains constant regardless of what is happening to us - that is who we are. And we all share it, the same Consciousness, the same Awareness - just filtered differently from the inside to the outside.

A very practical view! This is about as good as it comes to exploring the physical. My view is that my universe is not the same as yours or anyone else's. We can't possibly see the same thing, at the same time, in the same way. We remanifest ourselves from second to second from the great underlying consciousness, but it is filtered through your brain, my brain, Prasanna's brain in different ways, because our conditioning, our memories, our mental habits, our karma, our attachments, our aversions are different. In some Sutras these would be called Buddhalands? (My understanding may be wrong there, and I would love a correction from Prasanna if that's the case) These universes are ad infinitum, springing from the nothingness of consciousness - consciousness which encompasses the past, present, and future as Now. This not only works in the breadth of quantity, but the height and depth of time, size, universes within universes, universes within atoms, that which we can't begin to imagine because of the limitations of our brains. Our universe may be contained within an atom, for all we know. This is actually a practical way to live, not an outdated meme, as I see it. The more I keep in the front of my awareness the unreality of the play that is playing out in front of my eyes, and don't buy into the separation of the 10,000 things, the more peace of heart I have. There is no cause for alarm, for anxiety, for stress. I walked my dogs this morning through a beautiful Florida group of trees, Spanish moss hanging, an eighth moon shining through the trees, a soft breeze hitting the receptor sensors on my skin. The sky was a mix of blue and coral. I started to cry, because I realized at that moment of bliss that 'I was all of this'. All of this was the dream contained within me, a projection of the Awareness of both the oneness and the nothingness of all of it. What is it? Neti, neti?

I think Prasanna says it very well. I just finished studying Vasistha's Yoga and this is the theme of the tome, repeated deeper and broader with each chapter and story. Vasistha describes to Lord Rama that the jiva is the same as a ripple upon still waters; a slight disturbance or a whirlpool that fancies itself separate from the ocean. Whereas in fact it is the ocean, the jiva (jeeva) merely thinking it is a separate entity. An onion is peeled on the journey; the onion of self-realization is peeled down to the point even below the jiva; peeled down to the place of Consciousness, pure void, pure potentiality; devoid of karma, conditioning, attachment, aversion, or seeing or realizing separation of what the Daodejing might call the 10,000 things. The entity of enlightenment is one who is unfazed by all occurrence and phenomena, realizing all to be illusion, all entities living (dreaming) in their separate universes. To 'rest in truth' or 'rest in peace' lies under even Brahma, as a creative entity, to Brahman, the potentiality of Awareness; the stone in which all sculptures (form) lie in potentiality.

the wind plays a tune a manifesting ditty from the mind of void

Yes - the message I wonder about is the one I mentioned in my last paragraph - maybe if I hadn't meddled something better would have come along for her. As to generosity - I figured out a while back that money is just stuck energy - energy stuck from somebody's work, in the form of an arbitrary number being printed on a worthless piece of paper; where it remains stuck until it is spent and turned into energy again. Seems like it always comes back around... In that vein, generosity is easy. Thanks for your kind words.

Interesting that this thread is popping up again. I just had my own action bite me in the arse. Maybe. There's a lady I often see at the dog park we go to daily - she is deaf and unable to speak. She does communicate with the microphone function on her phone (which I will speak into) and she types back. We've become good friends - she is very deeply Buddhist in nature and practice. She doesn't have much money - her last car was repossessed by the company for non-payment. She had a friend who was willing to sell her a car for $2,000 if she gave $1000 down, and paid her $100 a month until paid off. She asked me if I would be willing to loan her some money for the down, I told her no, that I didn't loan money. but I did ask her how short she was on the $1000. She said $900, lol. So I gave her $900, telling her it was a gift from the universe, not to mention it to anyone else, etc. It was between her and the universe. My heart was more than willing to do this, and in fact was greatly urging me to do so. These are instincts I follow. So she bought the car. Now, it turns out that there was a really bad smell to the car, she took it in to a mechanic, and he came up with ​$5,600.00 ​worth of repairs that this junker needs. she tried getting her money back from the woman and giving the car back (no deal, although Janet, my friend, insists that this woman is a "really good Christian woman and always tells the truth about things"). I also suggested to her that perhaps Janet could at least not owe her the remaining $1,000, but the really good Christian woman wouldn't go for that either. Claims she had no idea there was anything wrong with the beast. Now my thoughts are this. If I had just left the situation alone, if I had let her karma do its own thing and not interfered, she may not have gotten saddled with this lemon - something else better may have come to her down the pike. although I do tend to kick myself in the head a lot.....

From p. 12, "The Importance of Living" by Lin Yutang (Tao translator) THE SCAMP AS IDEAL (Written in 1937) "In short, my faith in human dignity consists in the belief that man is the greatest scamp on earth. Human dignity must be associated with the idea of a scamp and not with that of an obedient, disciplined and regimented soldier. The scamp is probably the most glorious type of human being, as the soldier is the lowest type, according to this conception....." "In this present age of threats to democracy and individual liberty, probably only the scamp and the spirit of the scamp alone will save us from becoming lost as serially numbered units in the masses of disciplined, obedient, regimented and uniformed coolies. The scamp will be the last and most formidable enemy of dictatorships. He will be the champion of human dignity and individual freedom, and will be the last to be conquered. All modern civilization depends entirely upon him. "Probably the Creator knew well that, when He created man upon this earth, He was producing a scamp, a brilliant scamp, it is true, but a scamp nonethelesas. The scamp-like qualities of man are, after all, his most hopeful qualities. This scamp that the Creator has produced is undoubtedly a brilliant chap. He is still a very unruly and awkward adolescent, thinking himself greater and wiser than he really is, still full of mischief and naughtiness and love of a free-for-all. Nevertheless, there is so much good in him that the Creator might still be willing to pin on him His hopes, as a father sometimes pins his hopes on a brilliant but somewhat erratic son of twenty. Would He be willing some day to retire and turn over the management of this universe to this erratic son of His? I wonder...."

I see it as the difference in something lodging into your heart (which stays with you), as opposed to something you remember (or don't remember) with your brain. If the tumblers fall into place in an Aha! moment, my experience is that this stays within, although the exact words may not be recalled later - but the wisdom is there. It is as though the tumblers inside a lock can be felt falling into place...this is due to the resonance of that inside you which already knows the truth; it recognizes itself. The affirmation is the internal Aha! This can be relied on, in my experience. And it comes back when needed, even if not recalled mentally at any given moment.

since we're all bums here no pretentious illusions; all equal no-things

Doublespeak speaks out always seek the highest ground in more than one way

Fix the health care mess; not best arena for this my apologies

public disservice let's not get political let him serve his term

shunnin' smiles n tears but still appreciating some real writers here

covers over truth when it waits in sweet silence for revelation

But a real headache as a field guide.... I just listened to the kukkaburra's laugh - I'm afraid I'd be pretty paranoid if I heard that when I was meditating or circle walking. What a great laugh. and he throws his head back with wild abandon as he's doing it. A truly evolved soul!

Thanks, Karen - that may explain it. A weak one or one dying in the nest. Imminent carrion, as it were. I am also delighted to see that I'm not the only one that poops on my legs.

how could it be wrong if all the world thinks it's right? Balderdash I say

I watched a blackbird of some sort (pretty far away) having at a turkey vulture today - as though she were shooing him away from her nest. The vulture kept circling back and down toward the place on the tree. Maybe there was a dead baby there? I wouldn't think a turkey vulture would be interested in live young? It seemed odd...

I am sobbing uncontrollably as I read that --

I wonder if that type of pigeon nests close to the ground - maybe protecting young-uns?

Chefs surprise... Hurry before it becomes primordial ooze

Welcome. Sounds like you've found exactly the right place