Seeking

I've often suspected that monkeys are way more intelligent than the current "evolution" of the human species. They're definitely far better embodied, more in touch with the earth and the resonant cycles of life whilst we have stripy toothpaste and flat screens. Yippee!

Yes, exactly. From what I see of Buddha he was very much attempting to get people to make the leap from mensch to ubermensch by thinking for themselves aka "Do the works I do and greater by being you" and instead people want to walk around looking like a straight up mess within but with a cutout Buddha face they wear as a mask. Who are they trying to fool? The circle jerk echo chambers congratulate each other on their fakeness as they buy into each others pretense and this is evidenced by the simple fact that none of the supposed "followers" have ever reached enlightenment or anything close to the insight and impact of the one they try and emulate. My intent was purely to question the ritualism, the contradiction, the surface level understanding of the obviously profound realizations of which he speaks. Later I came to realize that describing enlightenment and the steps required to get there is akin to instructing a blind paraplegic how to dance into the sunset. They simply lack the frame of reference but good on old Buddsy for giving it a pop as some us get his drift and stroll along the way via the guidance of our own inner glow. Nothing more needs to be said. This quote reflects my intent perfectly as you can't borrow anothers light and the plan is to make your own by recognizing your own glow ergo none is high nor low. Feel me?

So grateful for this interaction. Even though it grated on me as it occurred. Everything I said is valid, I still stand by all of it. Whats different is I appreciate the irritation you provided as it caused me to reflect then meditate and I made an immense leap in awareness that I wouldn’t have without this. Sometimes speed bumps slow you down. Other times they are ramps that help you bend the laws of time and space to achieve the seemingly impossible in an instant. Thank you all for your part in this. I will say though, those of you who pat yourselves on the back because you removed all the contentious (to your current level of perception at least) elements from this forum really did yourself a disservice. In terms of evolution, insight and cultivation as this all illustrates so well as I gained an immense amount of clarity from this friction. That made me a better person all round than I would’ve been without. Just imagine what you could’ve become had you not chased all the dragons out of town. Their presence could’ve trained you to be so much more if you let it and weren’t so quick to blame others for your inner interpretations of them. If you old members are reading and lurking please come back and join the movement. Everyone wins when we all do what we do best. Remember if you’re “triggered” thats all on you, not the other person because its your inner realm. You should already be aware of that if you claim to cultivate but as I mentioned previously, lot of Chapstick surface level lip service flying around these days.

It wasn't posted to seek attention, at least not in that way. I've already explained that I'm not going over it again if you didn't get it the first time. If you allow yourself to be shaped by the times and follow in ways blatantly false you are in effect betraying your own integrity. If thats an acceptable thing for you then have at it. There's plenty (un)happy to join you and I'll stand alone if needs be. So you're a social justice warrior then? Someone who goes around looking for things to be offended for on other peoples behalf? No wonder you're "on the internet" as its the only place your kind are. Real life NPCs unaware that they are unaware. On a spiritual forum. Oh the irony. Does "changing the tenor" mean running this place into the ground because as far as I can tell there about 10 people posting on here these days. Well done. Hitler would be proud with how you cleansed the place of "undesirables" (as you define them). Do you even see how dictatorial you sound? Either way I'm glad you shared because it explains why this forum feels so bombed out and depleted. From lurking and searching every now and then it seemed to be vibrant, filled with discussion and lots of experience. In reality its pretty much the opposite of that which means in between then and now something happened and you just filled in that blank. Well done. Here's to the next 10,000 posts in your "safe space". Just typing that makes me want to puke. How can any fully grown person even deign to use such a term? You know the inference right? That everywhere else is perceived as threat so what does that say about your internal world, emotional development and overall resilience? It seems this forum had a civil war at some point long past and drove what made it interesting out leaving the losers to claim a win by sheer default. No offense to those who aren't all riled up by a simple spoilered, warned and generally "safe-spaced" meme as I'm sure you're cool but the rest of you've who replied up in arms seem like a bunch of tools just looking for a reason to be unhappy. Glad we had this conversation though as I've realized you're not the kind of people I want to be anywhere near. Misery is contagious so I'm going to log out now and be on my merry way. This is not the congregation I'm seeking... May you find happiness and I truly mean that as all I know how to be is genuine.

In a nutshell: Life is hell and everyone dies. There it is. Distilled to its purest, shiny wisdom. Of course Big B doesn't say it that directly but he doesn't mince his words either because that is the message he repeated over and over. Hoping people would get it into their thick skulls. If you don't you'll get another go round on the wheel and have another chance. Rinse and repeat until you finally get what he means.

Its not really that hard. Most things aren't but people certainly like to complicate them. A lot of that comes from this tap dancing around what you think people might want to hear/not hear then self editing accordingly. Its why I prefer to just speak directly. Sheesh, I can't believe this response from you all from a simple amusing picture, even after explaining it to death which killed any humour that was there. There is a distinctly dour tone to so many of the posts and I've just met it directly here and it feels quite icky. Do you lot just lurk, waiting for something to be mad at because its the most response I've had to any post and that is quite sad. In things that count, yes. In self censorship and the editing it creates as you pussy foot around using politically correct euphemisms and other linguistic games? No. Why are you so bent out of shape by the quote? If you personally are offended by it just say and I will leave right now, forget the 24 hours. If that is how you define integrity then I don't know what to say. Petulant immaturity I'll give you as that comes with the territory. I'm quite dismayed that this, out of all I've posted, is whats garnered so much attention and that speaks volumes on the community here and what gets them clicking reply. Maybe something to reflect on all the way up there on your high horse?

Like I said, I didn't come here to teach but learn. If I'm drowning in ignorance why are the wise men of this forum throwing breeze blocks at me? Whose level of evolution does that speak on? Mine or theirs?

OK Boomer.

Come on in, the waters warm and the reception frosty!

Could you speak more on your experience of the energy forms of the body please? What are they? How did you feel them? What changes did you gain and insights did you come away with? Thanks

If you take the entirety of pretty much any religion in the world it can be distilled to "Treat everyone how you wanted to be treat yourself". The rest is just commentary and expansion on that. Reading the earlier fake Buddha quotes passed off as the real thing inspired me to lampoon it with an obvious absurdity. The absurdity however contains the exact same truth (albiet expressed in a more profane way) as the distilled wisdom above. It was all quite amusing in my head anyway as it tied together so many disparate points in quite a pithy way. The fact that it was hidden and warned ultimately means those making a song and dance of it are abnegating their own sense of autonomy and personal responsibility and thats yet another blatant case of ignoring Buddhas way. Clear enough?

Its not a challenge, just a statement of fact. I lurked before and mainly searched the db for insights and didn't realize quite how dead this place was till I signed up. To say the pace is glacial would be an understatement so I'm fine either way as I didn't realize quite how echo chambery/cliquish it was till posting and I wish to learn by asking questions about things I want to know from those who do. If I've offended the handful of people active on here the I'll leave the site voluntarily as that was never my intent but nor will I change the way I am.

I do believe these are the "thinly veiled insults" your friend spoke of previously. Have you ever considered getting "off the internet" because the time and effort you put into 9000 posts could've got you to the promised land and back. Just a thought.

Thank you, that is a very interesting response. The point about frustrated Christians is interesting as Buddhism seems to be the default go to for so many who drift away from that way of thinking. Also you're so right about its "exoticism" as that ties in with the diluted Western version and its marketing. At least they know who they are aiming for, eh? Personally from my (limited) experience of it they've over complicated what was intended as a direct path to enlightenment. There are massive disparities between what the man himself said/do and what others do. Like the blind leading the blind in many respects and people are too invested in this image and hype to see the reality. That being: How many enlightened people has this (or any other method, throwing it out there) produced since they were shared with the world? Its a uncomfortable truth but a truth nonetheless. The mark of madness is doing the same thing again while expecting different results.

Of course it is. If you can't see the joke (and truth) in this then I don't know what to say. I signed up to discuss things that interest me. I don't pull punches and am known for being quite blunt. Its interesting that you think I've got "an attitude of nonchalant bravado" so thanks for that insight. I'll give you 24 hours to decide whether to ban this username or sit down and be quiet as I've no intent of foregoing my nature on your, or anyone elses, account. If you want an echo chamber, have at it. You've already done quite well in that respect it seems. Discussion is born from people having different views and wishing to learn from one another. Otherwise what is the point in having a forum? 24 hours. Don't think too hard. Go with what feels good. But most of all, remember what Buddha said as it applies so perfectly in this situation.

I really like this quote from Buddha. It sums up the entirety of his teaching with a simple, snappy saying that just rolls off the Tongue. Warning. Do not open if easily offended, prone to hysterics or if you lack entirely in a sense of humour

Thank you, thats exactly what I was thinking. Much like Lipstick Lesbians there are lots of Chapstick Buddhists meaning they only cling to the image and apply a surface veneer of insight to appear "spiritual/enlightened". Lip service if you will and in the process disrespect not only the man but also the whole point of his teachings. Its interesting to see the cult of personality angle was that rife while he was still alive. Given time its only magnified. Like I said, they spin empty wheels thinking they're getting somewhere and clap each other on the back for their "progress" (or lack thereof) and how awesome they are at being spiritual. Granted the nature of the ego is to be slippery but it just makes me wonder. Can so many swathes of people have so little insight? The guy outlined a step by step plan for getting there, what to see, what to expect and what to avoid if you lacked the wherewithal to do it yourself. This article refers to "Toothless Buddhism" and makes a very good point about the McDonaldization of it all: https://tricycle.org/trikedaily/diluted-buddhism/ And its of this that I speak and hope others that read will comment too.

Genuinely wondering about this as there seems to be no clear cut definition/process of these two fundamental terms. Intended in a Qigong context but feel free to interpret however you feel. I think by sharing your own perspective you may be surprised by what others have to say. Together we can all learn as the basics are the key to everything. Don't you think?

That is very good and just what I mean. It came up in a conversation and everyone had totally different interpretations of what it actually is in real world application to a form. I thought it would be interesting to hear what everyone on here interpreted it as. As you said there are different levels which create different meanings/subtleties. A very intriguing aspect of cultivation as its ever present invisibility means its often overlooked so lets draw attention to it and discuss the meaning. The correct use of open/close can also mean the difference between an effective practice and a complete waste of time because once you feel the difference you quickly realize why its the key. I find it odd that its spoken of or elaborated so little. I do think that those who get it naturally think others will as well. Those who don't on the other hand have no idea of what they're missing. This makes it a very fruitful discussion as one learns and teaches simultaneously.

I'd prefer to here people express their insight/interpretation in their own words as it relates to their own experience. It generates far better discussion that way, wouldn't you agree? Especially as we are talking about the internal foundations of a practice here and ones so easy to overlook by beginners.

Yes. By design. Not nature.

Edited the first post to reflect context. Always good to clarify.

A very interesting insight, approached from a totally different angle: https://www.livescience.com/62343-psychedelics-lsd-effects-blind-people.html This made me think of closed eye visualizations that looks like code from The Matrix crossed with a Kaleidoscope crossed with electromagnetic currents during deep states of meditation. These are apparently due to phosphenes but I suspect Anandamide (and the entire endocannaboid system) is at play due to the very short half life of the state and how the altered state must be maintained/trained. Anyone familiar with this experience? There was a guy I know, heavily into Qigong, and he could "see" the energetic outlines of his limbs as he moved them in front of closed eyes during practice. He could also sense the distance to other people in group practice with unerring precision. This was a rarity in my research into cultivators inner processing but a very interesting one. He said the artist Alex Greys' style had underlying similarities with his perception but with a lot of artistic license thrown in: Who knows, maybe those old time religious figure artworks with light beaming out of their body were more true than we believe?

A lot of people think this guy is a dumb meathead. That is generally because they missed so much of the nuance at play and couldn't see what was right in front of their face the whole time. This video of him recutting Rocky IV and reminiscing on the Heros Tale of Rocky and how it relates to the average man in street may change your mind: Either way its worth a watch as this quote illustrates: "Nothing is perfect. Life is about the management of problems. And whoever manages their problems the best, has the best life."