Grand Master Wang Liping Ten day Private Intensive

[Informer]

[MarkB]

I'm not doubting anything, I can feel his power from here

and it's gross

Reflecting there, hey?

[C T]

 

I can buy a lot of solar panels for $3600, and not really sure how much of assistance a retreat would be in comparison.

Who knows, you might learn some 'secret' after which you wont need no solar panels no more.

 

One thing i have learnt in my 51 and a half years here on earth is that achieving and maintaining good health is best achieved through living a simple lifestyle, without giving way to any overindulgence whatsoever. Any pursuit will be worthwhile as long as its honest and transparent, for this creates trust and the causes of trust from others. Where needs are concerned, practice moderation - let go of greed, envy and anger in the process, thru mindful awareness of body, speech and mind. Learn to live without guilt and regret, enjoy simplicity, laugh as much as one can, and never give up on compassionate works and thoughts.

 

Some people can attain freedom from attachments by practicing very basic teachings, and gain siddhis just from reciting the Mani all their lives. But the world is getting very impatient by the day... the element of wanting and expecting tangible results asap is spinning this world forward in an unhealthy fashion, i think. Be careful out there.

[Informer]

Reflecting there, hey?

 

Just watch out for the sleeping dragon

[Lao Tzu]

ok, I didn't do that. And will never do that.

[Informer]

ok, I didn't do that. And will never do that.

 

What do you practice?

[Informer]

Have you ever practiced metta or loving kindness?

[Lao Tzu]

Have you ever practiced metta or loving kindness?

what are those?

[Informer]

"Visuddhimagga instructions

 

Contemporary instruction for the cultivation of loving-kindness – such as is found in the works of Sharon Salzberg,[11] the Triratna Buddhist Community's Kamalashila,[5] and Matthieu Ricard[12] – is often based in part on a method found in Buddhaghosa's 5th c. CE Pāli exegetical text, the Path to Purification (Pali:Visuddhimagga), Chapter IX.[13][14] This traditional approach is best known for identifying successive stages of meditation during which one progressively cultivates loving-kindness towards:

<edit>

 

oneself[15]

a good friend[16]

a "neutral" person

a difficult person[17]

all four of the above equally[18][19]

and then gradually the entire universe[20]

 

One should avoid choosing someone to whom one is sexually attracted or who is dead.[21] For a "neutral" person, choose someone that you might come into contact with every day, but who does not give rise to strong positive nor strong negative emotions. For a "difficult" person, traditionally choose an enemy, but avoid choosing a person who has just wrecked your life, unless you are very well grounded in awareness.

 

Matthieu Ricard has recommended we choose to meditate on somebody for whom it is very easy for us to feel unconditional love and compassion.

Contemporary trainings

 

Mettā signifies friendship and non-violence, "a strong wish for the happiness of others" and also less obvious or direct qualities such as showing patience, receptivity, and appreciation. Loving-kindness is a very specific feeling – a caring for the well-being of another living being, independent of approving or disapproving of them, or expecting anything in return.[22] Practice includes reciting specific words and phrases in order to evoke a "boundless warm-hearted feeling," or visualizing suffering and wishing well for those beings. Non-referential compassion, also known as "pure compassion", involves simply experiencing the feeling of caring for another sentient being.[22] One special technique recommended by Matthieu Ricard is to, "imagine," the state of another.[22] Richard J. Davidson has shown metta to induce changes in the tempoparietal lobe.[23] Loving-kindness is the application of love to suffering. Metta is applied to all beings and, as a consequence, one experiences another of the sublime states: joy (mudita), which is true happiness in another person's happiness."

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mett%C4%81

Edited January 2, 2012 by Informer

[Lao Tzu]

[Lao Tzu]

What do you practice?

I learnt philosophy of Taoism, and apply it in my life.

[C T]

I am not sure. But it looks like a useless practice.

This is like a natural way of being between a loving mother and child, so how can it be useless? Did your mother not raise you well? Anyway, its off topic, so that's all for now.

[Lao Tzu]

This is like a natural way of being between a loving mother and child, so how can it be useless? Did your mother not raise you well? Anyway, its off topic, so that's all for now.

I said useless, it refers to for living in Dao.

[Informer]

I learnt philosophy of Taoism, and apply it in my life.

 

Does that cause life to be without stress?

 

Have you ever considered the philosophy to be pointing at something more than the words can convey?

 

Sorry for the thousand questions. I like to learn of others perspective.

 

Mine is that most religion, rather it be tao or christian, are all pointing to the heart center, which must be experienced as it is beyond descriptions to do it proper justice.

Edited January 3, 2012 by Informer

[C T]

I said useless, it refers to for living in Dao.

Dao is not exclusive to your understanding alone. There are many practices one can undertake that when integrated correctly will lead to harmony, which is the fundamental essence of Dao, and will make the meaning of living in Dao come alive - the practice which Informer explained to you (or tried to) is one of the effective ones which can lead to such harmonization, so how can that be un-Dao in any shape or form? Why get so hung up on a term like 'dao' anyway? Its just a word. Try to look above, beneath, behind and infront of the word so that you may get a chance to see further than the current scope of your philosophical investigation.

[Lao Tzu]

Does that cause life to be without stress?

 

Have you ever considered the philosophy to be pointing at something more than the words can convey?

 

Sorry for the thousand questions. I like to learn of others perspective.

 

Mine is that most religion, rather it be tao or christian, are all pointing to the heart center, which must be experienced as it is beyond descriptions to do it proper justice.

I think so.

[Informer]

I think so.

 

Then why is the Tao any different?

[Lao Tzu]

Dao is not exclusive to your understanding alone. There are many practices one can undertake that when integrated correctly will lead to harmony, which is the fundamental essence of Dao, and will make the meaning of living in Dao come alive - the practice which Informer explained to you (or tried to) is one of the effective ones which can lead to such harmonization, so how can that be un-Dao in any shape or form? Why get so hung up on a term like 'dao' anyway? Its just a word. Try to look above, beneath, behind and infront of the word so that you may get a chance to see further than the current scope of your philosophical investigation.

I think we need more comunication.

The general "love" we used in daily life, is out of the spirit of Dao.

Living in Dao, there is no love, no hate, no emotions.

[Lao Tzu]

Then why is the Tao any different?

different from what?

[Informer]

different from what?

 

Let me rephrase it better.

 

How is the Tao philosophy, that you hold so dear to live by, different from another religion. What distinguishes it?

[Lao Tzu]

Let me rephrase it better.

 

How is the Tao philosophy, that you hold so dear to live by, different from another religion. What distinguishes it?

Basically, Tao has no different with Buddhism or Christian.

The differece among them is only the way how the philosophies are conveyed.

[C T]

I think we need more comunication.

The general "love" we used in daily life, is out of the spirit of Dao.

Living in Dao, there is no love, no hate, no emotions.

I disagree with the last statement.

 

Maybe if you try to live in Dao, such will be your experiences. For those that allow Dao to live in them, they can experience the whole spectrum of what it means to be human, without being overwhelmed and swept away like driftwood.

 

Sad is he who attempts to live a life devoid of emotions.

[Lao Tzu]

I disagree with the last statement.

 

Maybe if you try to live in Dao, such will be your experiences. For those that allow Dao to live in them, they can experience the whole spectrum of what it means to be human, without being overwhelmed and swept away like driftwood.

 

Sad is he who attempts to live a life devoid of emotions.

When you are really out of emotions, you will feel the happiness you have never experienced before.

[C T]

When you are really out of emotions, you will feel the happiness you have never experienced before.

Happiness in your book is not an emotion? How so?

[Informer]

IMO, the Tao leave room for Buddhism and Christianity, whereas many religions, teachings and philosophies do not return that favor.