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tiny deer takes on Rhino and comes out ahead! maybe its just play time for the Rhino...

(is this how she thinks?) ...what did you say honey?

I posted a reply on someone's personal practice thread--didn't realize that's what it was, at first. I thought it might be of interest to the wider community. Forthwith! You're right about the circumstances in which the teachings were finally committed to writing, and the language. I wouldn't have to rely on them so much, if anyone else taught the things that are in those texts. I think their uniqueness, especially with regard to states of concentration and mindfulness as a way of living, speaks to their authenticity. Something that might interest you. I spent part of yesterday reading an e-book by Kumari Bhikkyu, titled "What You Might Not Know About Jhana and Samadhi". In the book, he talks about modern Theravadin teachings that separate Samadhi/jhanas from Vipassana in the attainment of enlightenment, based largely on the Visuddhimagga commentary (composed a millennia after Gautama's death). He points out that the Pali sermon teachings do not make such a distinction. Would seem that present-day orthodox Theravadin teaching is not necessarily in accord with the early Buddhist texts. I did write to Kumari Bhikkyu, after I read what he had to say about "one-pointedness of mind": Ekaggacitta has three parts: eka (one) + agga + citta (mind). When a translator renders ekaggatā as “one-pointedness”, he would have to render ekaggacitta as “one-pointed mind”, which you may have seen. “One-pointed mind”—what does it mean? It is an odd expression, not understandable in normal English. Some of what I wrote: Here’s another way of looking at “one-pointedness”, from my experience: … “one-pointedness” occurs when the movement of breath necessitates the placement of attention at a singular location in the body, and a person “lays hold of one-pointedness” when they remain awake as the singular location shifts. (Just to Sit) I find support from modern neurobiology, which speaks of “the experience that the self is localized at a specific position in space within one’s bodily borders”: A key aspect of the bodily self is self-location, the experience that the self is localized at a specific position in space within one’s bodily borders (embodied self-location). (Journal of Neuroscience 26 May 2010, 30 (21) 7202-7214) I would have to guess that an inability to discover the correlate of "one-pointedness" or "one-pointedness of mind" in personal experience is the cause of the divergence of Theravadin teachings from the the Pali sermon teachings. If a person hasn't had the experience, they can't begin to talk about the concentrations outlined in the Pali sermons, since Gautama made clear that "right concentration" WAS "one-pointedness of mind". Bhikkyu Kumari is not alone in his dismay. Bhikkyu Thannisaro dedicated a sermon to deriding "one-pointedness" (How Pointy is One-pointedness), concluding that it meant focusing one's attention on a single object. I prefer Zen teacher Koun Franz's approach: So (in seated meditation), have your hands… palms up, thumbs touching, and there’s this common instruction: place your mind here. Different people interpret this differently. Some people will say this means to place your attention here, meaning to keep your attention on your hands. It’s a way of turning the lens to where you are in space so that you’re not looking out here and out here and out here. It’s the positive version, perhaps, of ‘navel gazing’. The other way to understand this is to literally place your mind where your hands are–to relocate mind (let’s not say your mind) to your center of gravity, so that mind is operating from a place other than your brain. Some traditions take this very seriously, this idea of moving your consciousness around the body. I wouldn’t recommend dedicating your life to it, but as an experiment, I recommend trying it, sitting in this posture and trying to feel what it’s like to let your mind, to let the base of your consciousness, move away from your head. One thing you’ll find, or that I have found, at least, is that you can’t will it to happen, because you’re willing it from your head. To the extent that you can do it, it’s an act of letting go–and a fascinating one. (No Struggle [Zazen Yojinki, Part 6], by Koun Franz, from the “Nyoho Zen” site) In Gautama's teaching, the first concentration follows "an act of letting go": Making self-surrender the object of thought, one lays hold of concentration, one lays hold of one-pointedness. (SN 48.10, tr. PTS vol. V p 174)

My wife loves it when I say: "when you say something important, I will start listening." Just kidding, she doesn't love that...

Thanks Mark! I remember reading a talk from Ajahn Buddhadasa, and thinking, this guy sounds like a Zen Master. Turns out he got in some trouble for teaching moment to moment DO, instead of lifetime to lifetime (See his book: Under the Bodhi Tree). Obviously, the Pali Canon is a tremendous wealth of teaching, and I have benefitted greatly from it. My quibble is not seeing it for what it is...how Buddhism developed when it left India and went to Southeast Asia. Here in the West, it gets interpreted as the original and "true" form of Buddhism. It isn't, as direct and useful as it is. Thanks for the "one pointedness" words. I always thought that was samadhi, which is something that happens while practicing, but not the goal. When I have experienced it, it felt like noticing everything in my field of experience, nothing left out. Like a spreading out of attention where everything is noticed. Nice, but not the point. I teach newcomers to allow our body's energy, our breathing, and our attention to settle down to the center (dan tian). That way there is no pushing or forcing activity, just a settling. I ran into a Tai Chi teaching that says: relaxed upper body, dynamic center, stable base. Great instructions for sitting! _/|\_

Ethel Mermin ?

Chapter 74 of the T.T.C. 'When people don’t appreciate living, And so aren’t afraid of dying, What good is threatening them with the death penalty? When they appreciate and love life, They fear heaven’s executioner, They naturally love and take care of their lives. But even if having a human executioner Would make people change for the better, Who could justly taking on this role? Only the karmic Net of Heaven can do that. Anyone usurping this role of heaven, Only causes great harm to themselves." (my underline, and I'd also add harm to others in the last line, yet we still have agreed upon human laws that are supposedly for the better of all by ideally being in line with the Tao)

Even this is false information. It's only free if you don't have a blockage and that is maybe 1/10 people. You had to have multiple blockages removed because you kept having them come back through incorrect lifestyle so they are easy to develop in this day and age. If someone goes on this trip, expecting it to be free, having paid their flight and hotel, then gets given a $10k medical bill or they aren't allowed to learn, then it's a big issue. You have to be completely transparent with such things because flights and hotels aren't cheap. Someone is already $1500 out of pocket just going on the trip. You cannot keep giving people verifiably false information. I have been on 30+ trips to Master Jiang Feng and Brother Wu, I am talking from experience here and many can chime in that this is the case. Don't misunderstand my message here, I am in no way saying there is anything wrong with the service that brother wu offers, blockages must be cleared or training isn't safe. I have a lot of respect for the blood clearing methods used and feel they are extremely useful. I hold a degree in TCM and sometimes use blood melting pills with some patients personally so i know it works. What I am saying is wrong is not making people aware of this from the offset.

As you can see, him being all for locking it gives him an escape out of his actions. Locking it benefits deception and makes life harder for earnest seekers going forward. Please allow people to have their say, to give their opinions on the situation and in doing so, help others make informed choices about teachers and methods out there. This is hopefully something daobums stands for. Helping new seekers find their way and not into the trap of those who would be dishonest. I am not bashing or flaming someone here, I am providing evidence showing that deception is taking place.

Hi everyone I have very little exposure to Rudi or authentic nei gong (as I have different teachers) but I noticed that Rudi published a book on amazon. It’s called Training with a mysterious master - journeys beyond the known. I think the book was a brilliant read and tbh I haven’t had chills like this since the magus of java and I frankly couldn’t put it down. It would be insane if the experiences Rudi described actually happened. Has anyone read it? Apparently it has some practice stuff as well as secret methods coded in the book and I was wondering if anyone found anything about it.. Thanks

I definitely agree. The story also expands your thought processes to what is possible and the world itself is really REALLY small. True Rudi isn’t my teacher but he made a damn good book that’s an excellent read if you are cultivating with any lineage.

more AI BS Lois ?

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