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All wisps waft away Like wishes waved by the wind Which way? Which way now?

so lovely this year draped in your mother’s curtains Luke is now Leia.

Which way? Which way now? Why not traipse through the garden, so lovely this year?

"Everything is perfect" may be something a dzogchenpa might say and I'll address that. Some New Age types may use the expression and may not fully appreciate its meaning. Dzogchen literally means Great Perfection or Great Completion. it does not refer to everything being perfect in the sense that everyone is happy and satisfied with their lot. It has nothing to do with human judgment, opinions, pain, suffering, or preferences. It is not at all an idealistic platitude. I acknowledge that it does feel and sound that way and is easily misinterpreted. This is one reason why these teachings were kept secret for millennia and why they have always been controversial and polarizing in Buddhist monastic and lay communities. The Great Perfection or Great Completion refers to the fact that inherent in every sentient being is the primordially pure natural state which never has and never will require anything to be added or removed. It is the un-stainable, perfected essence of being that underlies all of the experiences and visions of life. We cannot do anything to create or destroy it, we cannot create or cause enlightenment. All we can do is discover it is always already present in the stillness, silence, and spaciousness of our body, speech, and mind. Whether samsara (suffering and delusion) or nirvana (liberation and freedom), all sentient experience arises, abides, and departs in the base of all without bias or exception. The base does not prefer one or another outcome or condition, all possible experience may arise whether we like it or not, whether it supports us or destroys us as sentient beings. There is similarity here to the Daoist description of the Dao treating all as straw dogs. Another similarity is that we cannot improve nor harm the Dao, similarly we cannot improve or harm the nature of our mind, hence the frequent use of the metaphor of a diamond, whose beauty and integrity we cannot enhance or detract. This is the type of perfection being indicated by the term dzogchen and when practitioners refer to innate perfection. No doubt the term is misused and misunderstood by some. At least that's my take on it, fwiw.

Luke is now Leia I wish that Maddie could see my transformation.

the ten thousand things like Dr. Evil's ransom a low estimate

I remember thinking she had nothing on me except for that leather and fur bikini ! I think I would pay good money to see ' Taomeow 1 Million BC ' with you in that outfit ( made of fur and lace leather , of course ) battling dinosaurs , going to school in a cave .... although neither dinosaurs nor humans were around 1 Million ya.

I did once .... for a moment .... it was a rather wonderful moment . I was staying at my teacher and friends camp at Rocky River, he is a full blood Bunjalung Aboriginal elder and site guardian (amongst other things ) . The camp is a blend of ancient and modern . All sorts of people go there for the experience , being a not too far journey from a major tourist coastal town . Some places are restricted access , eg, don't go up on the mountain (hunting ) , down stream too far ( 'mission' ) or upstream (sacred site ... shhh ... 'Grandma' sleeping - keep out ! ) . I asked how far upstream I should go and where I should not go , I was told I could go up there as far as I want . Wow , that's some trust .... well, not trust I suppose , I guess I was well 'sussed out ' . I realized when I entered the area , braided rock streams with pools of fresh clear water and river sand little beaches and various shrubs and bushes , and 'bonsai' by the floods , low growing and twisted and all in flower ... butterflies and honey eater birds ... amazing . But then I saw something unusual ahead amongst the low twisted trees ... a mass of driftwood . I got closer and realized it was a 'gunya' a shelter . Someone had been living there for a while . Constructed out of large piece of Riverwood fitted together with a branch and bark roof , remains of a fire , a few kangaroo bones .... some spear heads ! and some half worked stone tools about . Nothing there was modern ... just me . It was a step back in time . I realized who had done it and been living there ; 'Tooley' , whose 'nickname ' now made perfect sense . Some of these guys 'know all that ' , as one of their major initiations is , after training of course , they go into the wilderness naked , with nothing, except their teaching and survive there for a set time and then come back . What an adventure ..... in a nice 'good place' and during a good season ..... I have seen what it is like otherwise ... no thanks . WAAAAAY too soft ! Some adventures , they just will not take you on , especially out west , even with some that know them well and know they can survive a harsh journey and have experience with them and heave done it before ; Can I come ? - Not this time . - Why ? - ( simply ) because you will die . Some seem supernaturally tough .... stories, even today about people stranded in a car somewhere , no water , walk for 2 days to get to a settlement , one was pregnant ! They get there , re-hydrate " I better lie down for a bit ... tired . "

thanks for sharing the intense experience/vison Taomeow...on a side note its good to know that there are benevolent beings that can see right into our past like watching a movie and have us see it with them for understanding its effect on us! As for the future that was shown as likely (and karmic) possibilities although not written in stone.

Good point. Although in some ways the program behaves in a quite inhuman, or at least unBumlike, fashion. When confronted about it´s duplicity, Chat GPT immediately confesses, says "there are no excuses," and promises to do better. There´s no dodging. I often ask Gemini (Google´s free version of AI) for culinary advice and recipes. It always seems happy to help out and disconcertingly enthusiastic about my kitchen plans. My partner, on the other hand, is less keen on my cooking.

I have started doing the first 5 standing from Flying Phoenix. After the DVD set which i ordered arrives (6 volumes total), then I will begin adding seated movements from Vol. 2). This long thread has been and is an excellent source of information. I have read sections which came up when I did Google searches on line, but now I am reading the entire 241 pages straight through from the beginning. It is a great resource and has answered many questions which have come up for me. I am at page 34 (out of 241 pages). Previously i did Zhang Zhuang for a few years but i would always end up with sore back and shoulders when i did it in 30-minute stretches, which resolved when i took a break from doing it. Shorter sessions were fine 15 or 20 minutes. And some positions were fine (Wu Ji and hands in front of lower abdomen). Wu ji for 30 minutes was no problem and it has always felt the best to me. What's interesting is that in the one week so far that I have been doing Flying Phoenix standing, and it contains some similar postures I recognize, I have been able to do it for an hour with ease and no soreness afterwards which is quite pleasing to notice. When i did it for 75 minutes (all 5 postures) it was too much but not in terms of soreness in back and shoulders. It just felt like too much in my system. So i scaled it back to 60 minutes for all 5 together in a row. And that feels really good. The one time i felt like it was "too much" was also when i did it first thing in the morning, so I am not doing that. I have moved it to a mid day slot for practice. And keeping Zhineng qi gong for my first thing in the morning practice (about 70-90 minutes). I also do Zhineng in the evening. For the standing postures in Flying Phoenix, one resource says do them one at a time and gradually add more each week or 2, but i also saw on this thread that Sifu Terry Dunn said do all 5 together in a single session and that really appeals to me and feels really good. So I am going to keep doing that. Even though I have not yet received the DVD yet for the first 5 standing, there is an interview with Sifu Terry Dunn where he explains the breathing; and the breathing sequences for the five standing are on line, plus there is a video from someone who trained with Sifu Terry Dunn detailing each of the first five standing; plus the wealth of information provided in this thread. So i feel safe and equipped to do those five standing for now. Plenty to work with there. In the past I also did BaDuanJin which felt more like physical exercise but not much else. I did not develop a feeling of ease with it. Nor did i see improvement in for instance being able to drop lower in the horse stance. And when i read on Dao Bums (i had done a search on line for "pain after doing qi gong") a brilliant post which for me was a light bulb moment of insight, the post said simply "maybe a different type of qi gong would be better for you, maybe try a different qi gong like _____" and then people chimed in with different types of qi gong. It felt so good to be able to put down what had become honestly a chore that felt like it wasn't getting me anywhere. So I am now quite happily practicing Zhineng and learning Flying Phoenix. Qigong is dear to me (literally got me out of a bedridden state in 2019 when nothing was working and there was much despair) and will always be part of my daily life. I am happy to wake up once again wanting to do the practice, and also seeing benefits and improvement.

This translates 聖人 sheng4 ren2 as the ‘sage’. But 聖人 had many different meanings, it was also a name for the Emperor. 天 地 不 仁 之 以 Heaven and Earth are not humane, treat 萬 物 為 芻 狗 也 the myriad creatures as straw dogs 聖 人 不 仁 之 以 The Emperor is not humane, treats 百 姓 為 芻 狗 也 common people as straw dogs. (DDJ Ch. 5)

dragon wings thunder raising arms in defiance I care for others

Its better for you today . ..... so far .

By the Way. This thread is going Way off-topic... 😊

Which way? Which way now? TAO now, brown cow. Where stones sing and your wild mind soars.

me? Forget your self and think of others 😁

a low estimate matters not when dreamer wakes all wisps waft away

First, it is worth saying that nirodha samapatti is not necessary for complete understanding. It IS a piece of territory that we all naturally traverse, and might notice IF we have some knowledge about what it is. The most outlandish BELIEVABLE stories I have heard about nirodha samapatti recently are probably Delson Armstrong's. Sitting for weeks outside while your beard grows undiscovered by search parties? Seems far fetched, but I reserve judgement. Personally I couldn't be gone and out of contact for 2 hours without my wife freaking out. I'm not saying it is impossible, but I AM saying that it isn't important in any way whatsoever. It is not a sign of any deeper understanding about the nature of reality. What isn't clear to me is why this chap didn't take this opportunity to lay out the very real implications of permanently shifting perspective. The truth is: If someone turned a camera on ME, I'd be taking that opportunity to say the most outlandish material I could muster in an attempt to wake up every suffering being that would ever encounter it. A point that needs repeating that I might not have made as clear as I could in my previous post is that the "supernatural" trappings and experiences on the path are just noise. They happen... they are interesting, but they don't indicate anything but that you are definitely ON the path. I could tell (and have told) stories about siddhis too, but they are just distractions from the real goal of any of these practices - non-dual realization. From the perspective from THAT realization, seeing angels and demons, or talking with trees and seeing auras, etc. are not supercharged moments of REAL meaning and implications, they are just experiences like any other experience. They are part of the show, but not the core material in any way. _/\_

dharma blossoms now. The ten thousand things dissolve in sweet clear stillness.

I expect that is true, but I have already completed all of my teacher training. Now there is only Rigpa doing the training. _/\_

Do you think that sounds a bit like nirodha samapatti? Although three weeks sounds perhaps a bit far out.

Gold turtle greets me Oogway opens his arms wide Dharma blossoms now

You'd need to attend a retreat in order to learn about his moment-to-moment life and/or do teacher training with him & his wife Melissa. I highly recommend both options... 😊

TOO slow , and 2 X bad gateways . I give up.

What a great topic for thread! Two come to mind for me, which I have found to be consistently potent and effective. The first one i will list i found to be not only powerful but also unnerving and at the time disturbing. So be forewarned. I ran across it about 25 years ago and thought oh that sounds good and carelessly said it a few times. "I RELEASE THAT WHICH NO LONGER SERVES ME." The very next day i was "let go" from my job and told the position had been "downsized" and eliminated. It was totally out of the blue and unexpected. My boss was overseas on assignment and she was furious this happened in her absence. At any rate I was dumbfounded and astonished. On the one hand it was upsetting to suddently have my position eliminated and be unemployed. At the same time I remember being absolutely in awe that "holey moley this stuff really works." I still use that, but have a healthy regard for its potency and far-reaching effects, and since then always brace myself for what may come. The second one that comes to mind which i have found to also be effective, particularly where other methods have not worked, is "REMOVE MY DESIRE FOR THAT WHICH IS NOT GOOD FOR ME." I have used this for food cravings that i could just not give up or get rid of. It worked like a charm like flipping a switch. I decided at one point to stop eating pork and shellfish (I made a commitment to keeping kosher). Literally the next day when i thought about those foods or saw them in the market or remembered eating them (and I cooked wonderful Chinese dishes for many years with pork, or prawns, or lobster sauce, or oyster sauce, you get the idea) i did not feel deprived, there was no struggle. it was bizarre and no willpower or forcing myself was involved at all. Later I decided to also stop eating beef and chicken and used that invocation again and again it worked like flipping a switch. No craving at all, no feeling deprived, no desire to eat it at all, even the good stuff at the Rabbi's house when I went over there for supper. I remember having a bite and it just had no appeal whatsoever. About once every year or two, usually at a barbecue, i will try the meat dishes prepared by the chef, because i wonder if it is still in effect or will bbq beef start tasting yummy again, and every time i find nope, still flat. really strange. it has also come in handy with people or situations that are shall we say not good for me but i don't have the fortitude or development yet to stay away from, i.e. getting sucked into drama instead of having the skill or tools to stay away from it. Works great with co-workers and office drama and other sticky interpersonal circumstances or unhealthy attachments to people places things or situations. Breaks patterns that i am not able to stop otherwise.

THE MESOAMERICAN SACRUM BONE: DOORWAY TO THE OTHERWORLD Brian Stross The University of Texas at Austin I guess Dao Bums is having technical issues again. Half my post was lost, here. I wrote Brian, and he wrote back with encouragement, the mark of a great teacher as far as I'm concerned. My letter to Brian: The Gospel of Mary and the Mesoamerican Sacrum Bone He also has a paper on "the armadillo stool": Seating and seats were important to the Classic Maya nobility, just as the short-legged stool is still an important item of household furniture for many modern day Maya and neighboring peoples. Identification of the stone armadillo as a ceremonial stool informs a brief discussion of forms and functions of the Mesoamerican seat in past and present times, and of the role of the armadillo in Mesoamerican thought. (f No. 25, 2007 WAYEB NOTES ISSN 1379-8286 THE ARMADILLO STOOL) Fascinating to look at the touch points on the figure in that carving, Taomeow, the sacrum being the primary one (and low on the sacrum, near the tail-bone). Also the ball of the foot, the knee, the base of the neck and points down the back. The nose. All about the thoracolumbar fascia, IMHO. RIP, Brian Stross.

THE MESOAMERICAN SACRUM BONE: DOORWAY TO THEOTHERWORLD Brian Stross The University of Texas at Austin I wrote to Brian, that's here: The Gospel of Mary and the Mesoamerican Sacrum Bone He was kind enough to respond, and encourage me. A teacher, was Brian, passed away now. He also had a paper on the Mexican/Central American three-legged stool, which I guess was something that was given to someone when they became an elder of the community. Sort of like: … Hsiang Lin said, “Sitting for a long time becomes toilsome.” If you understand this way, you are “turning to the left, turning to the right, following up behind.” (“The Blue Cliff Record”, Yuanwu, Case 17; tr. Cleary & Cleary, ed. Shambala, p 114) The three-legged stool.

I don't know his work at all, but I've seen the structure of Time through ayahuasca-opened eyes. The "present" was like an observation point from which I could look at Time in all directions, the easiest was looking down onto the past. It was like a layered cake of winding rivers (or maybe of one river snaking this way and that way, its segments layered on top of each other), going all the way into deep infinity. The layers were see-through, so I could look down at the recent past, further down at the past that was more remote, etc.. Rivers were not just loopy but some loops did indeed cause Time to flow backward. I could focus on a particular section and "zoom in." It also appeared that I could dive anywhere into that river from my observation point -- but it was as scary as jumping from the edge of a cliff into an abyss, so I didn't. (I also didn't want to go UP but SHE dragged me there anyway and showed me the source of all that flow. This source I should liken perhaps to a dripping sink or some plumbing piping underneath it -- Time we experience and everything in it was apparently a side effect of operations of that "sink," That World -- a very incomprehensible place where you couldn't tell biology from technology, a bit like one of those Borg cubes and a lot like one of those Mesoamerican bas reliefs. SHE wanted to show and explain things to me but that place terrified me and I begged HER to get me outta there.)

Finished this a few minutes ago, out of curiosity. He describes what probably (in Buddhist terms) describes a couple of "Arising and Passing Away" moments (though with some questionable time travel stories), that do not represent real insight and then speaking about his last episode he says he realized: This isn't wrong, but is a fairly tepid and indistinct description considering the effort he put into the other experiences, but let's allow for translation and cultural differences. In his favor, he DOES seem relaxed, gently good-humored, and KIND, one of the most major characteristics of those who have lived in the world with insight for a long time. What is actually important, that almost any "awakened being" would know to point to is: --How awake are you RIGHT NOW?-- Can you see or hear "emptiness" in this moment.. even if you have to turn your attention to it? What does that mean to you? Can you see that "self" is a delusion, even if you occasionally lose sight of this for a few minutes? How about the constructs of time and space? This insight is not an experience, it is a permanent shift in perception. It would have been nice to hear him share with the world the nature of his moment-to-moment life.

if I remember correctly P.D. Ouspensky did a lot of pondering/theories along such lines of "going back", but I haven't studied those materials in like 40 years...

Thank you! Wishing you all the best in your practices too! 😊

Lost Dog by Ellen Bass It's just getting dark, fog drifting in, damp grasses fragrant with anise and mint, and though I call his name until my voice cracks, there's no faint tinkling of tag against collar, no sleek black silhouette with tall ears rushing toward me through the wild radish. As it turns out, he's trotted home, tracing the route of his trusty urine. Now he sprawls on the deep red rug, not dead, not stolen by a car on West Cliff Drive. Every time I look at him, the wide head resting on outstretched paws, joy does another lap around the racetrack of my heart. Even in sleep when I turn over to ease my bad hip, I'm suffused with contentment. If I could lose him like this every day I'd be the happiest woman alive.

The Patience of Ordinary Things by Pat Schneider It is a kind of love, is it not? How the cup holds the tea, How the chair stands sturdy and foursquare, How the floor receives the bottoms of shoes Or toes. How soles of feet know Where they're supposed to be. I've been thinking about the patience Of ordinary things, how clothes Wait respectfully in closets And soap dries quietly in the dish, And towels drink the wet From the skin of the back. And the lovely repetition of stairs. And what is more generous than a window?

In Praise of Craziness, of a Certain Kind by Mary Oliver On cold evenings my grandmother, with ownership of half her mind- the other half having flown back to Bohemia- spread newspapers over the porch floor so, she said, the garden ants could crawl beneath, as under a blanket, and keep warm, and what shall I wish for, for myself, but, being so struck by the lightning of years, to be like her with what is left, that loving.

The Blue Bowl by Jane Kenyon Like primitives we buried the cat with his bowl. Bare-handed we scraped sand and gravel back into the hole. They fell with a hiss and thud on his side, on his long red fur, the white feathers between his toes, and his long, not to say aquiline, nose. We stood and brushed each other off. There are sorrows keener than these. Silent the rest of the day, we worked, ate, stared, and slept. It stormed all night; now it clears, and a robin burbles from a dripping bush like the neighbor who means well but always says the wrong thing.

The only way to find out is try. Just leave a few hours in between to be safe

Where the heart is home, fierce cactus blooms tall and strong. Gold turtle greets me.

places me back in home is where the heart is, and where the heart is, home

After 9 months of training with Yuan Tze, I'm starting to wake-up properly.

Tall eucalyptus listening now quietly places me back in

stepping lively now leaping, as it were, through space words flow unconscious words flow unconscious from the unenlightened hand worse than misplaced feet worse than misplaced feet in a pasture, thick with stuff haiku-writing 'roo haiku-writing 'roo bouncing around the outback tall eucalyptus

Feel free to re-orient. _/\_

Nothing hidden or special. It's everywhere! https://www.rigpawiki.org/index.php?title=Rigpa