Tesla3

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Posts posted by Tesla3


  1. 2 hours ago, Creation said:

    Hey, didn't you just come to an epiphany about questioning formerly held beliefs?

     

    In all seriousness though, I know this is what many say, but I know quite a few people who have awakened, to varying degrees, some full-on, 24/7 anatta/sunyata realization, and I can put you in touch with them if you would like to talk about what that means.  But they are not free from "all delusion" in the sense that they can be wrong about things, and I don't see any reason to think they are free from reincarnation, seeing as they likely had such realization in past lives in order to get it so young in this life, and yet here they are.  

     

    Think of it like this - suppose you awakened to your nature in a past life and were told "There is nothing more to do, you will not reincarnate", and it seemed sensible enough, because there was no you and no doing anymore, but life carried on, chop wood carry water.  Then you reincarnated anyway, no big deal, no you no doing.  Maybe you awaken again, maybe you repeat this a few times.  Eventually, one of these lives you awaken and even though there is no you and no doing, there arises in experience an investigation, "There is occasional anger, greed or lust arising here, that is, self-interested behavior even though it is seen that there is no self, does that have to be the case?", or "When awakening happened, there was a sense of energy released in my system, or a profound absorption into a state where the body was no longer perceived, is that something that can be deepened?" etc etc.  So even though there is no you and no doing, aspects of the spiritual path emerge, because life has carried on.  Maybe such a person would find an alchemical path at some point, and there would be a natural attraction to it.  

    This makes a lot of sense. I'm most familiar with what Krishna teaches in the Gita pertaining to this. He taught Karma yoga. Krishna says one should perform all actions without expectations for results. This includes not only "spiritual practices" but worldly duties as well. Performing all of one's duties in this manner leads to freedom. Karma yoga says that after one has realized union, they go on performing all of their duties as if nothing has changed. I think this caries on to sadhana as well. I have wondered, what is the reason a liberated person would continue with these practices? With that logic, you could also ask, why would a liberated person stop their practices? From what I've noticed many saints have continued their sadhana long after people around them think they have become fully realized. I don't know as much about Buddhism. I have read a handful of books on Zen. From what I remember they said that Satori was certainly not the end and that practices should be continued. I don't know if the reasoning to continue with practices is the same as Karma yoga's, or if it's purpose is to better fine tune one's Buddha nature. With your reasoning both make sense. It is obvious that people go through awakenings and think they have reached the final goal, when they have not. I think India's dogmatic view of a true guru needing to be fully realized to teach, has become engrained in Hindus. Of course we can get much help from people that are farther than us on the path but the fundamental thinking is, if they are not fully realized they are not valid. So we have an endless supply of fully realized beings. So if some Buddhists believe that fine tuning is needed after Satori, that makes sense to me. 

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  2. On 11/11/2020 at 12:41 PM, dwai said:

    Thanks. I don't know much about Bibles.  But I know some of my Christian nondualist friends refer to The Sermon on the Mount as a good example of Nonduality therein -- https://estudantedavedanta.net/uploads/1/0/9/5/109527077/sermon_vedanta.pdf

     

    In fact even at a very superficial level, when I hear/read references to statements attributed to Jesus, such as "My father and I are One" or "The kingdom of Heaven is within you", it seems very clear to me what is being referred to here -- The Nondual Self --- that is foundational knowledge for Hindu Nondual traditions (not in such language per se, but what is being pointed towards). 

    Dwai you definitely need to check out, "I am, The first name of God." It is a very good read and makes a lot of sense. https://www.davidgodman.org/i-am-the-first-name-of-god/

    • Like 1

  3. On 11/10/2020 at 7:06 PM, sagebrush said:

     

     

    Can you give me part of the NIV bible that express this?   Maybe through another lens or angle.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

    When I read John 17 the prayer of jesus, it cemented for me that Jesus is teaching about non dualism. I'll include some of the excerpts from that chapter.

     

    "Holy Father, you have given me your name now protect them by the power of your name so that they will be united just as we are." (Part of John17.11).                    "I pray that they will all be one, just as you and I are one—as you are in me, Father, and I am in you. And may they be in us so that the world will believe you sent me. I have given them the glory you gave me, so they may be one as we are one. I am in them and you are in me. May they experience such perfect unity that the world will know that you sent me and that you love them as much as you love me. (John 17.21-23).

     

    I don't know how it could be any more clear.

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  4. I think coming under the guidance of a master is very helpful. Or someone more spiritually advanced than you, even if they are a ways from the goal. Enlightenment is most often the culmination of many lives of spiritual practice. People that have instantaneous satori didn't hear about spirituality for the first in this life. They surely practiced many things in the past, and from many degrees of enlightened people. Maybe a master or two. For me me getting guidance has been helpful. I felt a little overwhelmed before following someone. Must be my temperament for now. Learning crap techniques from fake gurus/teachers is so common though. I know of two small Zen Sanghas within 100 miles of where I live. I would happily take dokusan from those teachers if I was practising Zen right now. 

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  5. On 4/27/2019 at 2:05 AM, Bruce Qi said:

     , i have just received a nice book on her life and her teachings, such a presence,

    Such a presence indeed! About six months ago I was scrolling through photos of her, and her eyes on one photo sent a shock throughout my body. Her presence is still with us today very much. I hope you liked the book. I always get the impression that her teachings come from her own realization. For so many people I feel they are just repeating what they've been taught or heard elsewhere. Maybe this is the mark of a true Saint. 

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  6. Hello this is my intro post to say hello to the community. I am  a practitioner of Kriya mainly, and I am interested in deepening my understanding of it here. As well as other philosophies. My first spiritual practices a few years ago were Zen. Thank you

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