old3bob

I wouldn't say so...also that saying about "he who hesitates is lost" comes to mind, and if used in this context points to an an inner knowing of when to take such a leap which has to be beyond hesitation or half ass-ing it.

all systems and a teachers help are for preparation with some being more "complete" than others, but making preparation's for a leap of faith into the unknown can only go so far or are not covered- since doing that is up to us alone. (and i don't mean blind faith)

Good fortune to you, may you find what you are looking for.

I'm 99% pork free because 99% those critters suffer horribly in tiny cages or very crowed pins until they are slaughtered. Btw. they are known to be smart animals) As for cattle at least some live for awhile on wide open semi-natural grazing land in the several western states, but sadly many don't and also suffer greatly in confined and dirty spaces! AKA as not kosher.

Alan Watts made some useful bridges for me in understanding Eastern ways...and it was also said that he drank a lot and whatever else against some of those eastern teachings.

well Tom Hanks survived for years on coconut fat and fish oils in his movie, whereas and unless one is an old fashion lumberjack or in other high fat burning occupations one does need much lard.

Some great links there Taomeow, thanks! I'm posting an excerpt copy from the last about sweetness addition, also the first link speaks about liver, kidney and gastro intestinal effects (as far as I read so far) which sound pretty hairy! "One of the major problems with sugar is that it is addicting. In fact, studies have shown that it is just as, and even more addicting than cocaine. For example, when lab rats are given free access to both cocaine and sugar, they prefer sugar over cocaine. Even rats who are already addicted to cocaine quickly switch their addiction to sugar as soon as they are offered a choice.1 People, too, become addicted to sugar. That is one of the reasons why we have an obesity epidemic. Like cocaine, sugar triggers pleasure centers in the brain that drive us to eat sweets and encourage us to overindulge. Haven’t you ever eaten a piece of chocolate and then just had to have another and another? You just had to eat more even though you knew you had eaten enough. When you ignore sound judgment and make decisions based on cravings, you are addicted. The addiction to sugar is not isolated to just sugar, but extends to all non-caloric sweeteners as well. It is not as much a “sugar” addiction as it is a “sweet” addiction. We become addicted to the sweetness rather than to sugar itself. Non-caloric sweeteners trigger the same pleasure centers in the brain that sugar does and causes the same cravings and addictions. Researchers tested rats using saccharine, which is completely different chemically from sugar. The results were the same. The type of sweetener didn't matter, it was the sweet taste that triggers the powerful effect, not the type of sweetener or the specific chemical makeup of the sweetener. Stevia has the same effect. When rats are given the choice between saccharine or stevia, their preference for stevia is just as strong as it is for saccharin.2 Addiction to stevia was one of the characteristics I first noticed. People would switch their addiction from sugar or aspartame to stevia once they began using it. Instead of eating desserts and junk foods sweetened with sugar, they were eating the same types of foods sweetened with stevia. And they had the same cravings for sweets. Stevia does not curb your sweet tooth at all, it feeds it, keeping sugar cravings and addictions alive and active".

ditto for U2 mate,

sounds you might need some help with your self created attack habit,

I wonder if any studies have been made about possible addictive effects of some products made with Stevia? I haven't looked around for same yet.

no, you don't need any special power to see or feel a lie or a truth, your intuition should tell you a lot, and if for whatever reason it doesn't tell you much then also use some of the other insights on healthy signposts that people have listed.

find where i said all drugs or certain other therapies in all cases are bad....you won't find that since i've never said it, in fact I've said that in some cases such may be needed (and carefully applied and monitored) So your unfortunate past, which most of us have a variation of in our lives is not unique, also you can also keep your presumptions about me in your pocket.

a yogi (who may have developed some powers) is not considered a Sat guru although they are supposed to be on the way ..there are only a few Sat guru's while there are thousands ("x" times whatever number?) of yogi's at several different levels in different schools, also if a yogi attains complete Self Realization they may still have "yogi" as part of their name but with their greater attainment comes recognition beyond the level of a yogi. A Sat guru in the complete meaning of that term has gone past the point of no return, namely they can no longer return to egotistic ways which can lead to falling or turning fake. (Btw. some people may co-opt the term yogi or Sat guru but not be so, thus being fake from the beginning.) Impressionable folks may cross paths with a certain yogi and mistakenly think they have found a true guru when in fact a yogi (in a traditional position) is often or is a helper for a true guru of a true school.

I'd say that the thousands of dead people from kids to older adults (and their loved ones that remain) wouldn't give a rats ass about your pet peeve.

some might want to do more research on a master manipulator! "...Earlier this year, after much deliberation and consultation with close friends and family, Erin chose to go public with her story on the A Little Bit Culty podcast. Immediately, once it aired, she was viciously attacked and harassed, verbally, in writing, and in public, by loyal Rajneeshis because she spoke of the abuse of the children. This is, in part, what led me to read Lily Dunn’s book. That book validated everything Erin spoke about and more. The sexual abuse started with Rajneesh. He created that perverse culture, and it was expressed throughout all his communes worldwide. Lily’s father, among all the many pedophiles, was attracted to Rajneesh’s communities because of the elevation of sexual freedom and self-satisfaction, minus any healthy moral compass. So, please, think twice before you post an Osho quote on social media." © 2022 Janja Lalich

I don't think Buddhists are making that saying up ..

Btw, I'm not looking for your judgement. I'd say for wu-wei to be in effect intrinsic Dharma has to be in effect, and not most forms of conditioning as you mention. Shit only happens when intrinsic Dharma is not in effect with beings. In a pure realm Dharma and karma actions/results are instantaneous & spontaneous, thus shit can not take place there; same with beings in a pure state. I'd also say that "natural flow" has two directions not just one, for example one is like the effect of water following per the laws of gravity or the laws of samsara, the other is going against the lesser laws of gravity or samsara. (thus the need for definition per context as I mentioned earlier)

that saying about letting nature take its course when human beings or other beings are involved needs context, for instance shall madmen be allowed to run amuck with destruction? If there was only the most simple elemental nature and no human, astral, or casual beings in "nature" then yes only the most elemental type of nature will take its course with no beings involved who have aspects of what is natural or Dharmic to them as more complex beings.

it's late so just a partial reply for now, I'd say the quote is partly right, "the good person does not imagine" the good person knows beyond normal knowing without a shadow of doubt, otherwise it would all be the "vanity of Vanities" . The historic Buddha knew that he went "beyond the beyond" (beyond the 8th liberation) from the witness he gave, did he not (?) and knew and said in realization, "wonder of Wonders!

Note FYI: "According to Hindu legends, Shiva, the god of devastation and rebirth, resides at the pinnacle of this famous mountain named Kailasa. Mount Kailasa is considered in many sects of Hinduism as heaven, the ultimate destination of souls and the holy center of the world".

that name reminded of Bubba Free John who pulled off a personality cult in the 70's and 80's... "Bubba’s downfall In April 1985, the San Francisco Chronicle ran a series of articles describing Bubba as the leader of a coercive cult. One month later, the Today Show aired its own exposé (transcript here). The accusations were the same that we’ve seen them leveled at so many gurus since then: sex with disciples. Drug abuse. Physical abuse. Rampant narcissism. Entrapment of people who tried to leave his community, and more. How do we make sense of all this? Lane offers one possibility: …it may well be that much of Da’s deep psychological insight into the human condition didn’t stem from his self-proclaimed “enlightenment” but from observing day to day his own neurotic behavior and his own self-centered interactions with those closest to him. Eventually I accepted the credibility of the charges against Bubba. My illusion turned into disillusionment — and then into a healing insight that I retain to this day: Never confuse the messenger with the message". or a false messenger can sometimes use a true message for corrupt personal advantage... and there is also the possibility that a true message (with inherent power) could turn the tables on a false messenger trying to take advantage of it..

and someone else's realization, no matter its level, is not ours even if we can quote it word for word doctrine wise or in any other way.

a few days is not a long time...and a nudge for some can act like a push over a cliff, and how many thousands of dead point that out? I don't know but far more than a few.

and there is "sunyata" that many Buddhists define or is pointed too as non-dual: "sunyata, in Buddhist philosophy, the voidness that constitutes ultimate reality; sunyata is seen not as a negation of existence but rather as the undifferentiation out of which all apparent entities, distinctions, and dualities arise".

since many Buddhist schools and teachers speak of the same "Buddha nature" in all beings then I'd say that that doesn't mean various dualities of Buddha nature. (or non-existence of Buddha nature)