Understanding Reality - Outer Collection

[dwai]

The subtle body of the Buddha is omnipresent; myriad phenomena present no obstacle.

If you understand the true reality eye which is completely pervasive, then you will know that the triple world is your house.

 

Looking at it, you cannot see it's form; but when you call it responds.

Do not say that this sound is like a valley echo; if there is no valley, what sound is there?

 

The essence of Buddhahood is not the same or different:

A thousand lamps are together are one light --

Adding lamps doesn't make more lights,

removing lamps doesn't damage the light.

Neither grasping nor rejection impinges on it,

Neither fire nor water can obstruct it,

Nothing in perception or conception can assess it.

 

When you have seen true emptiness, emptiness is not empty;

complete illumination pervades everywhere.

Senses and objects, mind and phenomena -- there is no thing at all;

only by subtle function can you know how to assimilate.

 

The essence of the Self enters the essence of the Buddhas; the essence of Buddhahood is everywhere thus.

From on high, the cold light shines in the cold springs; one moon reflected in a thousand ponds.

Its smallness is smaller than a hair, its greatness fills the universe.

High and low do not restrict it, it may be square or round;

what long or short, deep or shallow can you say it has?

 

 

-- enjoy!

[C T]

The subtle body of the Buddha is omnipresent; myriad phenomena present no obstacle.

If you understand the true reality eye which is completely pervasive, then you will know that the triple world is your house.

 

Looking at it, you cannot see it's form; but when you call it responds.

Do not say that this sound is like a valley echo; if there is no valley, what sound is there?

 

The essence of Buddhahood is not the same or different:

A thousand lamps are together are one light --

Adding lamps doesn't make more lights,

removing lamps doesn't damage the light.

Neither grasping nor rejection impinges on it,

Neither fire nor water can obstruct it,

Nothing in perception or conception can assess it.

 

When you have seen true emptiness, emptiness is not empty;

complete illumination pervades everywhere.

Senses and objects, mind and phenomena -- there is no thing at all;

only by subtle function can you know how to assimilate.

 

The essence of the Self enters the essence of the Buddhas; the essence of Buddhahood is everywhere thus.

From on high, the cold light shines in the cold springs; one moon reflected in a thousand ponds.

Its smallness is smaller than a hair, its greatness fills the universe.

High and low do not restrict it, it may be square or round;

what long or short, deep or shallow can you say it has?

 

 

-- enjoy!

Thank you Dwai. Inspirational, to say the least.

[goldisheavy]

I like this dwai. Where is it from, if you don't mind me asking?

[Vajrahridaya]

The subtle body of the Buddha is omnipresent; myriad phenomena present no obstacle.

If you understand the true reality eye which is completely pervasive, then you will know that the triple world is your house.

 

Looking at it, you cannot see it's form; but when you call it responds.

Do not say that this sound is like a valley echo; if there is no valley, what sound is there?

 

The essence of Buddhahood is not the same or different:

A thousand lamps are together are one light --

Adding lamps doesn't make more lights,

removing lamps doesn't damage the light.

Neither grasping nor rejection impinges on it,

Neither fire nor water can obstruct it,

Nothing in perception or conception can assess it.

 

When you have seen true emptiness, emptiness is not empty;

complete illumination pervades everywhere.

Senses and objects, mind and phenomena -- there is no thing at all;

only by subtle function can you know how to assimilate.

 

The essence of the Self enters the essence of the Buddhas; the essence of Buddhahood is everywhere thus.

From on high, the cold light shines in the cold springs; one moon reflected in a thousand ponds.

Its smallness is smaller than a hair, its greatness fills the universe.

High and low do not restrict it, it may be square or round;

what long or short, deep or shallow can you say it has?

 

 

-- enjoy!

 

The Dharmakaya is a realization body directly experienced through contemplation and meditation on the 8 fold noble path. It is not Brahman or an inherent essence of all things that self exists from it's own side. The experience may be had by anyone, but how it's internalized and interpreted deep within is what decides liberation or not. If one grasps at the experience as a formless essence, then the realms of formless god's is your destination for countless eons but not forever. If you consider it a source of all myriad objects, then the creator god realm of bliss is your destination for many eons but not forever. But if you realize that the experience is merely the result of contemplation and meditation on the teaching of the Muni of dependent origination/emptiness... then you will not see it as a grand Self of all, or a source of all things, but merely the realization of the transparent and translucent nature of all phenomena and experiences both spiritual and mundane, both mental and physical and you will realize the triple kaya and be liberated always no matter what realm you may appear in.

 

The Dharmakaya is not "the reality" behind all things, or that non-thing that is all things. It's a result body that is the realization of the non-inherent nature of the all.

[dwai]

I like this dwai. Where is it from, if you don't mind me asking?

 

Thomas Cleary's translations of the Taoist Classics (Vol 2)

 

http://books.google.com/books?id=vGFs3yIMCFoC&printsec=frontcover&dq=taoist+classics+vol+2&source=bl&ots=C6L5VOyF0m&sig=pm2NQ8Pd7JhzjYBQhPG1gbYLbuo&hl=en&ei=hhwaTNi2PJ2QMrL02aMF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6&ved=0CDMQ6AEwBQ#v=onepage&q&f=false

[TzuJanLi]

[dwai]

Greetings..

 

Below is a posting i made in another forum.. it seems relevant to the discussion, here.. by removing 'cultural' influences and prejudices a fundamental realization is possible..

 

 

 

Excellent post! Thank you...

 

 

 

[dwai]

The Dharmakaya is a realization body directly experienced through contemplation and meditation on the 8 fold noble path. It is not Brahman or an inherent essence of all things that self exists from it's own side. The experience may be had by anyone, but how it's internalized and interpreted deep within is what decides liberation or not. If one grasps at the experience as a formless essence, then the realms of formless god's is your destination for countless eons but not forever. If you consider it a source of all myriad objects, then the creator god realm of bliss is your destination for many eons but not forever. But if you realize that the experience is merely the result of contemplation and meditation on the teaching of the Muni of dependent origination/emptiness... then you will not see it as a grand Self of all, or a source of all things, but merely the realization of the transparent and translucent nature of all phenomena and experiences both spiritual and mundane, both mental and physical and you will realize the triple kaya and be liberated always no matter what realm you may appear in.

 

The Dharmakaya is not "the reality" behind all things, or that non-thing that is all things. It's a result body that is the realization of the non-inherent nature of the all.

 

 

If you stop and drop your preconceptions about what Brahman is, you will realize what it is not. It IS NOT what you think it is. One cannot read someone's description of Brahman or Tao or Shunyata and understand what it is...or even what it is not. To understand there has to be prajna (or Pure-Intuitive awareness) operating...oh well! Never mind...we've been through this before

 

 

[Vajrahridaya]

If you stop and drop your preconceptions about what Brahman is, you will realize what it is not. It IS NOT what you think it is. One cannot read someone's description of Brahman or Tao or Shunyata and understand what it is...or even what it is not. To understand there has to be prajna (or Pure-Intuitive awareness) operating...oh well! Never mind...we've been through this before

 

Yes, we have been through this before. I am very, very familiar with what Brahman is, and how it is defined and reached and contemplated upon according to Hindu dogma, it is the ultimate "is". The ultimate Truth and the ultimate existence. It is considered a mis-cognition according to the Buddha. The Buddha has said so himself in so many quoted texts. Not all paths lead to Rome. Brahman and emptiness are not the same realization. Brahman is considered the ultimate identity of things, a meditative absorption that subsumes everything. It's a mis-identification with a state of formless Samadhi called "beyond being and non-being." This according to Hindus transcends dependent origination. But, you don't realize that this state also arises dependently and is inherently empty and does not subsume all, but is merely a state of expansive consciousness possible for an individual only because all things, mind, and phenomena are empty of inherent existence, thus the proliferation of a single beings consciousness is possible within an infinite spectrum. You think it is reached by dropping everything, but it is merely a state of focus mis-cognized as the end all be all of the all.

 

This is not the same as the goal of a Bodhisattva.

Edited June 18, 2010 by Vajrahridaya

[ralis]

While all of you are discussing from the rarefied air of Buddhism, the planet is being threatened by the Gulf oil gusher. Maybe you aren't aware of that fact. Why not come down to earth and deal with real life!

 

 

ralis

[Vajrahridaya]

... the planet is being threatened by the Gulf oil gusher.

 

 

ralis

 

I for one am boycotting BP. I also might get trained here in Fort Lauderdale, FL. in oil spill clean up if the oil reaches this side of Florida.

 

Other than this, it's another passing experience, just like Earth itself will pass. Buddhism deals with the bigger questions while making one internally better equipped to face the more immediate small things.

[goldisheavy]

While all of you are discussing from the rarefied air of Buddhism, the planet is being threatened by the Gulf oil gusher. Maybe you aren't aware of that fact. Why not come down to earth and deal with real life!

 

 

ralis

 

Calm down Ralis. Yes, shit is going down. You're right. Find some time to have a quiet cup of tea even in the middle of the Earth collapsing. I think most people here care about the environment more than profit (except a few rabid capitalists), and I think most of us would spend more money and take more precautions at the helm of BP than Tony Hayward took. I think most of us would rather make a smaller profit, safer, with more compassion and more kindness to the fellow human beings, both the ones in the Gulf, and the employees of BP and others on the rig, who are treated worse than farm animals in the name of profit.

 

So when some assholes put profit ahead of everything else, what can we do? Short-term -- nothing. Long-term we can speak against it and hope to change the business culture that regards profit more important than anything else. We could try starting companies and run things the right way ourselves. Etc. Meanwhile there is no need to burst your vein. Relax. There are more things in the Universe than what's happening here on Earth.

Edited June 18, 2010 by goldisheavy

[dwai]

Yes, we have been through this before. I am very, very familiar with what Brahman is, and how it is defined and reached and contemplated upon according to Hindu dogma, it is the ultimate "is". The ultimate Truth and the ultimate existence. It is considered a mis-cognition according to the Buddha. The Buddha has said so himself in so many quoted texts. Not all paths lead to Rome. Brahman and emptiness are not the same realization. Brahman is considered the ultimate identity of things, a meditative absorption that subsumes everything. It's a mis-identification with a state of formless Samadhi called "beyond being and non-being." This according to Hindus transcends dependent origination. But, you don't realize that this state also arises dependently and is inherently empty and does not subsume all, but is merely a state of expansive consciousness possible for an individual only because all things, mind, and phenomena are empty of inherent existence, thus the proliferation of a single beings consciousness is possible within an infinite spectrum. You think it is reached by dropping everything, but it is merely a state of focus mis-cognized as the end all be all of the all.

 

This is not the same as the goal of a Bodhisattva.

 

hmm...again...that is just your understanding...not what it REALLY is.

[goldisheavy]

hmm...again...that is just your understanding...not what it REALLY is.

 

You mean, Vajrahridaya's way of seeing things has no .... drum roll please ... (puts on the shades ) essence?

[Vajrahridaya]

[Vajrahridaya]

You mean, Vajrahridaya's way of seeing things has no .... drum roll please ... (puts on the shades ) essence?

 

That is correct. My understanding has no inherent existence, it arises relative to everything else.

[dwai]

[Vajrahridaya]

don't try so hard...it get's easier when you are effortless

 

Oh Dwai... it was very easy to cut and paste the majority of that from online, quite effortless.

 

It still stands, the Buddha pulled the rug from under the Upanishadic interpretation of the how and the why the universe cycles as well as what constitutes true liberation.

 

Just as you would say Hindu Yoga transcends the methodology of Christian Mystics like St. John of the Cross and St. Francis of Assisi.