the quickest and easyest way to godhead or tao or nirvana or enlightenment.

[mewtwo]

Just be yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

there are six or is it seven billion people on this planet each with there own way up the moutain. that is of course not including the countless other beings such as animals and spirits and such.

 

 

Why be something your not?

[Sloppy Zhang]

I am myself but have not reached godhead or tao or nirvana or enlightenment.

 

What is wrong with me?

 

Or maybe I am being someone else?

 

How do I know if I am being myself?

 

How do I know when I reach godhead or tao or nirvana or enlightenment?

 

Because otherwise it just feels like the same old same old.

 

Help me mew-bi-wan kenobi.

[Otis]

Just be yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes!

 

And ... don't tell stories to yourself, about who you are, or what the world is. Allow every moment to be a mystery.

 

And ... love life completely, without reservation. See no separation between self and life. Live in the first person.

 

And ... always unfold, always change, always grow.

[suninmyeyes]

Just be yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

there are six or is it seven billion people on this planet each with there own way up the moutain. that is of course not including the countless other beings such as animals and spirits and such.

 

 

Why be something your not?

Yes and what a relief that is.

[exorcist_1699]

Although I am mainly a supporter of Taoism , I have to admit that Zen's way :

 

"Having detached from all minds you get the real Mind, ie, enlightenment" ("離一切心即真心")

 

is undoubtedly the quickest . How? Concretely speaking:

 

" I walk every day, but never touch the ground; I eat every day, but chew no rice "

 

It is gong not artistic expression. Detachment is some kind of real gong fu : Detachment from anywhere, any minds is the important practice we have to try to do ; however, it is such a pity that nearly nobody believes in it. People more likely love those ways of visualizing something or sex practice...etc; It is why they are so far away from the way of the Buddha Heart , it is why real Taoist sifu searching for centuries but can't find a real disciple ...

 

The corresponding way of it in Taoism , as many people who read ChuangTze know, is forgetting.. You forget everything, even yourself, even this mind of forgetting ...to the utmost, from "Chaos", you awake...

It is like the cosmos abruptly ,becoming self-conscious of itself from "Chaos" at certain status , so we call it the " Heart of the Cosmos"( "天心")..This is why the book " Laotze" tells us : " People have to learn from the Heaven " ("人法天" ), yet are always ignored.

 

Such way , of course , is not the easiest. However, whether it is easy or not really dependent on people , on your mindset..

 

Buddha or Laotze , of course, does not cheat or make fun of us .

Edited July 8, 2011 by exorcist_1699

[Bluefront]

"I walk every day, but never touch the ground; I eat every day, but chew no rice"

 

What does this mean?

 

I picture a guy walking in the air and taking in food intravenously.

[Gerard]

.

Edited July 10, 2011 by Gerard

[mewtwo]

taichiquan.

[Vajrahridaya]

Dzogchen

[xabir2005]

Just be yourself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

there are six or is it seven billion people on this planet each with there own way up the moutain. that is of course not including the countless other beings such as animals and spirits and such.

 

 

Why be something your not?

six or seven billion people walking their own ways

 

some to ruin

some to (worldly) success

few towards spiritual enlightenment

much fewer found a direct and quickest path to enlightenment.

 

 

to short cut this path, here's a direct path that i and many (perhaps countless) others have walked and can testify is a direct, quickest path to enlightenment, starting but not ending with the practice of self-inquiry: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2010/12/my-e-booke-journal.html

 

 

“Not all spiritual paths lead to the Harmonious Oneness. Indeed, most are detours and distractions, nothing more.” - Lao Tzu from the Hua Hu Ching

 

 

p.s. not trying to 'sell' a method here, just sharing what worked for me, I'm sure there are many other direct paths that works for others. Dzogchen (Vajrahridaya just mentioned) and Mahamudra and Zen are great direct teachings too, all of which I had personally learnt a lot from (and still learning).

Edited July 8, 2011 by xabir2005

[mewtwo]

LOL I was just posting my favorite martial art cause the previous poster posted baguazhang.

[mewtwo]

didnt laotzu say something like the snow goose need not bath to make itself white. So you need not do anything but be yourself?

[xabir2005]

Having a diamond in your pocket but not realizing it is as good as useless. The poor man will still live a life of poverty.

 

Consider this:

 

http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/2007/03/self-liberation-through-seeing-with.html

 

Just as is the case with the sesame seed being the cause of the oil and the milk being the cause of butter,

But where the oil is not obtained without pressing and the butter is not obtained without churning,

So all sentient beings, even though they possess the actual essence of Buddhahood,

Will not realize Buddhahood without engaging in practice.

If he practices, then even a cowherd can realize liberation.

Even though he does not know the explanation, he can systematically establish himself in the experience of it.

(For example) when one has had the experience of actually tasting sugar in one's own mouth,

one does not need to have that taste explained by someone else.

Not understanding this (intrinsic awareness), even Panditas can fall into error.

Even though they are exceedingly learned and knowledgeable in explaining the nine vehicles,

it will only be like spreading rumors of places, which they have not seen personally.

And with respect to Buddhahood, they will not even approach it for a moment.

Edited July 8, 2011 by xabir2005

[zerostao]

LOL I was just posting my favorite martial art cause the previous poster posted baguazhang.

tai chi chuan imo would work. even if i have no interest in the

"quickest or easyest" (do you use spell check, i myself do but i usually let the

mis-spelled word stand )

even if i have no interest in the "quickest or easyest way" i much prefer the slow-slow path.

tai chi chuan imo would be in the slow category

for me, i play the baguazhang and i hope the path winds along very very slow

whatever physical practice you play you also need meditation, kinda like a yin/yang idea.

so in other words tai chi chuan is a great choice if you play it to the deep levels

but you will still need meditation to compliment it.

.......wonders if dzogchen has a baguazhang component?

imo i also feel martial arts are overlooked as being a good way to enlightenment.

[Vajrahridaya]

didnt laotzu say something like the snow goose need not bath to make itself white. So you need not do anything but be yourself?

 

That's a nice antidote if your spirituality is caught up in conceptualizations and trying to be some sort of outer ideal. But, for the vast majority of beings who haven't even started the path, that wouldn't be a good idea to tell them that. Generally selves need lots of work before they can practice the letting go of "spiritual ideals" phase of the program.

 

I know that you are on the path though, so... I'm not talking about you. Most people need to know how the self exists in the first place, they need to contemplate and meditate on the nature of their own personal self, it's energy and it's reactions and responses. They need a path with genuine methods of self inquiry and opening awareness.

 

I know there are plenty of Taoist lineages that incorporate both Buddhist philosophy with genuine martial arts paths and energy work programs, as well as food and herbal awareness.

[Vajrahridaya]

 

.......wonders if dzogchen has a baguazhang component?

 

 

Not exactly the same but... Yes. From Wiki Link

"Tsa lung, Trul khor (lit. "magical movement instrument, channels and inner breath currents") known for brevity as Trul khor (lit. "magical instrument" or "magic circle;" Sanskrit: adhisāra) is a Himalayan tantric discipline which includes breathwork (or pranayama), meditative contemplation (or dhyana) and precise dynamic movements (or Body work) to centre the practitioner and to engender the body-mind precision of a keened instrument. Chögyal Namkai Norbu Rinpoche, a prominent exponent of Trul khor, prefers to use the Sanskrit equivalent term, Yantra Yoga, when writing in English. Trul khor hones the practitioner's faculty and supports the mindstream re-emergence of natural body-mind or primordial awareness or rigpa (cf. Dzogchen).

 

Trul khor traditionally consists of 108 movements, including bodily movements (or dynamic asana), incantations (or mantra), breathwork, and visualizations, all timed to heart rhythms. The flow or vinyasa (Sanskrit) of movements are enlikened to beads on a mala. The body postures (or asanas) of ancient Himalayan yogis are depicted on the walls of the Dalai Lama's summer temple of Lukhang. Trul khor is the fruitful distillation of the confluence of centuries of ancient Bön movements, Indian yogic traditions, and Chinese movement forms (that developed into disciplines such as Tai Chi Chuan).

 

Himalayan physical yogas vary between lineages and the complexity of the practices are not disclosed until a deep level of samaya is realised by the practitioner."

 

Edited July 8, 2011 by Vajrahridaya

[Vajrahridaya]

imo i also feel martial arts are overlooked as being a good way to enlightenment.

 

I agree. Even though it's only a good way to enlightenment when coupled with philosophy, psychology, meditation and such things as this. Otherwise it's just healthy and good for protecting yourself on the bad streets.

[3bob]

An overwhelming, unconditional, all encompassing boundlessness of Love with Wisdom is the instant way!

 

Although...the blown mind or humpty-dumpty also have to be put back together again with certain preparations and maintained for such an instant to always remain instantly and fully manifest.

 

Om

[zerostao]

[Otis]

didnt laotzu say something like the snow goose need not bath to make itself white. So you need not do anything but be yourself?

I do think you're right, that living authentically can be the whole story.

 

The problem is: there are two very distinct forces that pull us toward seemingly spontaneous action. For most of us (myself included), habit is the more powerful of the two. So, just "being myself" usually means: stop being aware, and just follow my habits, for better or worse. Of course, there's no freedom in that, at all. That's precisely the sleep-walking, we're trying to wake up from.

 

Even if I manage to get the ego/habit out of the way (forgetting one's self, as someone said above), the whole self emerges, but only as an infant. My habit has been in control for so long, that the rest of the organism has atrophied. The whole self is joyful in its emergence, and its capacity far outstrips "mine" (i.e. my ego's), but it is not particularly skillful, because it has always been eclipsed by ego. Therefore, it's easy to despair, along this path, because surrender of ego brings freedom, but it also brings clumsiness and some chaos.

 

Which is why practice is so important. It seems odd to need to practice "being myself", but it is necessary, because habit is like a gravitational force, that always wants to drag me back into it.

 

And that practice also gives the whole self a chance to stretch its unused parts, warm up to being in charge, and grow.

[Vajrahridaya]

and who teaches trul khor?

 

The Rinpoche mentioned in the Wiki link is my Rinpoche actually. Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche.

 

He wrote a book and does have Yantra Yoga (trul khor) videos out.

 

Here's a link to it's website. Yantra Yoga site with Chogyal Namkhai Norbu Rinpoche

 

He actually doesn't do it anymore since various surgeries, but on youtube there are videos of him doing it when he was young and fit.

 

This is a video of him explaining it a bit, and showing some of the basic movements.

 

Here is a video of some of the more intense movements.

 

i have heard baguazhang has origins from tibet.

one of my sifu has offered a vajra transmission.

thanks vaj for the wiki link and the info.

i also liked that you mentioned herbs

everytime i ask a question and receive and answer ,

it is like , i now have 14 more questions

i do appreciate you, gerard, cow tao , and simple jack

and your willingness to find common ground.

at least that has been my experience and observation

 

i agree about having to combine philosophy,psychology,

meditation and such things (herbs) with the martial art.

it is a uniting of these things that makes one complete

i dont think you can leave a piece of the puzzle out

and expect to rely on just one part to reach enlightenment.

 

Yes, the path must be holistic, embracing all aspects of life from waking to sleep.

Edited July 8, 2011 by Vajrahridaya

[Vajrahridaya]

Which is why practice is so important. It seems odd to need to practice "being myself", but it is necessary, because habit is like a gravitational force, that always wants to drag me back into it.

 

 

Good post! Of course, most of your posts are good posts, well... all that I've read anyway.

[Otis]

Good post! Of course, most of your posts are good posts, well... all that I've read anyway.

Thank you.

[Otis]

There's one habit, in particular, that I think needs to be faced directly, and practiced with thoroughly. And that's the habit of avoiding pain. As long as I tune out from my pain, then I am controlled by it. As long as I am controlled by pain, then I have to cling to habits of pleasure, because they are what allow me to cover up suffering.

 

If I recognize pain, not as a harmful invader, but as a necessary sense, then I can embrace it, and follow its message, which is "pay attention here!" Pain is the body's way of begging the awareness for attention. And attention hugely speeds up healing in the body, whereas "tuning out" just puts it off, makes it chronic. Pain is the road map to self-healing.

 

The same, IME, is true with emotional pain. If, while contemplating a physical or emotion sensation, I find myself wanting to dissociate, to distract myself, then that is a habit that will postpone healing, indefinitely. Dissociation may be a useful short-term remedy, when things are overwhelming, but the compulsion to do it, is a signal that I need to pay more attention, not less. The more reactive I am, about my internal responses to things, the more necessary it is, that I practice loving the experience of pain, as being just one of my necessary and glorious senses.

[suninmyeyes]

didnt laotzu say something like the snow goose need not bath to make itself white. So you need not do anything but be yourself?

This really speaks to me.

It is just the way it is.No need for fancy dresses of perfection.