Patrick Brown

I have to agree with 3bob as mixing systems up or trying to compare them often ends in chaos. I used to use a standard occult model (Theosophy) but now I just work with my own more abstract way using elements of Tibetan Buddhism, Daoism (Dao Te Ching) and a sprinkling of Occultism and that's me on my way!

I think this is when it starts to get tricky as words are no longer functional. In mysticism/occultism I think the bridge between the realms of ego and whatever else there may be is known as the 'Causal body' which is something I've been unable to get my head around. I don't think anybody can really understand it as it's beyond conceptual mind and is sometimes said to be abstract in nature or possibly a kind of matrix! Of course the term 'causal' implies that it is the realm of cause effecting the journeying ego/soul/atman so it is the seed from which we unfold and which defines our being. So our unfolding manifests a vehicle/s to experience but this unfolding would yield windows of experience on all planes as we build our consciousness. So our perception of reality is defined by our seed matrix as it cascades through different states of being, building layer upon layer, culminating in us as a human entity. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Causal_body

OK I watched it and it very pretty interesting although it didn't mention 'dry fasting' which I'm a bit sceptical about anyway. I've been thinking of fasting for one day every week and I already only eat once a day. Of course I won't be overly rigid about it all but I do notice when I fast, for even one day, that I feel so much better for days after. As for the 'dry fasting' it's not something I'm keen on trying but it did make me decide to try and lessen my fluid intake. Of course excess fluid intake especially bad fluids like tea, coffee and sugary drinks are bad for us anyway but also carry good stuff out of the body, minerals, vitamins etc. Maybe in a few weeks I'll try a three day fast which I'm kinda looking forward to! Just need to research a few things first like drinking bicarbonate of soda at the end of fasting etc.

I managed to force lucid dreaming a couple of times in my twenties, very trippy. I decided not to pursue that practice as I figured it could lead to confusion as to what's real and what's a dream i.e. Madness! I also didn't think it was of use to me.

Sorry forgot, the pathless land!

Well, maybe. Ignorance and a lack of Enlightenment is definitely a problem. Just trying to get back on track with this thread!

Anyway about this overly emotional state which we can fall into:

We've actually had those kind of laws here for a while yet people with stupid amounts of money seemed to be ignored so this case is interesting. I have my suspicions that money laundering is rampant in most modern societies yet nothing is done about it. Funny that!!! Not sure what goes on in the States but I have a rough idea. We have Brexit to deal with over here which is basically money trying to override the will of the people.

I think you might be right! Chilled out but not unemotional. The idea of people screaming with happiness is worrying and suggests mental illness. As Marbles said. "To know when we have enough" and Fa Xin, "might be a stage/phase" as the ego is cunning and loves deceiving the self. This is funny in a not funny kind of way: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45812210

Yes and this is what it's all about! When people shout 'why me', 'why me' they need to understand that they're choosing their suffering. Although not 100% relevant this information may help a few. In many studies from around the world that have been done examining wealth and happiness one thing always stands out. There is a plateau that is reached when people have the basics, clean water, food, clothing and a home and at this point people are their happiest yet many/most still strive for more which ends up making them unhappy! And:

Another vid on autophagy:

Nirvana and Enlightenment are not the same thing. Nirvana is more like a state of being whereas Enlightenment is a realisation that one is creating a repetitive narrative that is made of happiness, sorrow, fear, pain, suffering and death. You can become Enlightened and choose not to enter Nirvana and stay as a Bodhisattva who chooses to educate and help others to become Enlightened. You can experience Nirvana without realising what it is or how to return to such a state and then fall back into mundane existence and consequently return to the wheel of perpetual suffering. Obviously drugs are one example of how to touch Nirvana but we know how that ends, suffering! We are constantly told (con!) that we need to be happy and this causes us to cleave to the wheel of ever changing emotion and perpetuate the thoughts that we build to define and reinforce our emotions. If we temper our emotions we begin to experience a more subtle state of being and ultimately realise that emotions hinder a more tranquil and serene state where clarity and insight are born. Once our emotions are under control we then strive to untangle our thoughts and learn to dismiss bias and errors in out thinking. With clarity and insight we deepen out experience and the self begins to fall away revealing our Buddha nature which eternally resides in a state of sublime Nirvanic bliss.

I think it's complicated and people will always disagree just to create conversation or perhaps they're just playing 'devils advocate'? I figure most people, retarded and otherwise, are happy to 'live-and-let-live' but then problems arise when karma's start running over dogma's! At the end of the day it's a case of 'as you sow so shall you reap'. So whereas most people tend to be fairly compassionate there does come a point at which those that choose ignorance are cut loose! Choosing to remain ignorant is no defence so people with their heads in the feeding trough not wanting to learn and understand will pay a price for their ignorance!

Well this show is a mini series then because I'll have things to do soon. Unless anybody gets a hurt butt, then I might hang around for the comedy special!

I agree with others here that people don't think for themselves they would rather be lead. It's like having a lazy mind or perhaps they're just frightened to see certain things. Ideas have become another commodity for many as they buy into whatever the herd take on-board. It's like adult peer pressure and is normally lead by simpleminded yet charismatic people that think they're clever. The modern celebrity obsession has made it even worse and taken people even further away from reality. Reality TV!!!! Oh well, fock em!

Firstly the bump on the head thing. Well many will say this has something to do with the crown chakra and others may further point out a Tibetan practice which draws seamen to the brain where it accumulates at the top of the head, the formation is said to be like a large cyst. As for the shaved head of Buddhists I always assumed it simply helped them keep a cool head, literally. I mean if monks are celibate then, as we are all aware, they will retain a massive amount of energy. So the Buddha has grown his hair and appears as androgynous perhaps It's because he is enlightened and the hair symbolise the awakened crown chakra and energy flowing back down his body (MCO perhaps). Buddhas and Bodhisattva are often depicted having their hair flowing down past their shoulders. I think imagery can be a great teacher whether the yin yang or the depiction of the Buddha's or Hindu gods. Concepts are less rigid when abstract and also more accessible as well as being hidden in plane sight!

OK I'll kick off with: Askhole: Someone who keeps asking stupid questions.

Enjoying yourself is what it's all about otherwise what the point in having a self!

We're all eternal just that most are chasing the next me, me, me! Eternal and immortal are not the same thing. I sometimes wonder about being someone else but that's just silly isn't it? At the end of the day it doesn't make much difference as we're all in the asylum together!

Well the saying goes "we're all born equal but some more equal than others"! Those that hold to the one immutable truth beyond birth and death may be said to be immortal those that chase the relative truth are 'transitionary beings' for ever in a state of flux so have an impermanent transitory self. Even immortals are born and then die but their core nature is that of a child and eternal. I suppose this is why immortals have a hard time early in life because they tend to not fit into the currently accepted mindset, a relative one, but once they realise their true nature! "Between birth and death, Three in ten are followers of life, Three in ten are followers of death, And men just passing from birth to death also number three in ten. Why is this so? Because they live their lives on the gross level."

Yes this view of a non permanent self has been popularized in recent years. I don't think it's complete but helps people deal with difficult situations. At a deeper level you start thinking these are not my thoughts and these are not my feelings etc. In truth we are all self cultivators and therefore as we sow... We choose who we are and if we choose truth then perhaps there is a permanent self!

One meal a day within a fairly small window, say fours hours, is what everybody seems to agree is the way to go. Part of the reason is 'aqutophagy' which is explained below. Many of us will have figured out that eating less is wise especially as you get older say over the age of 40-50. Fasting plays a part but if you minimise your window for food intact the body will essential be on a mini fast most of the time by default. If you want to go for a full blown fast for a few days then it's actually easier for people that only eat once a day. Of course don't eat junk/refined food and eat what suits your metabolism so more meat or more vegetables depending on what feels right for you.

“Sell crazy someplace else. We’re all stocked up here.” As Good As it Gets