adept

I'm in my 40's and my gaze does a lot of roaming. :D

There are many charlatans and fake teachers in all aspects of life. I feel it is our duty to expose these frauds. It sickens me that people can get away with this sort of behaviour. It is a shame when individuals fall for the spin. I would have no hesitation in voicing my opinion if it meant saving others wasted time and lots of hard earned cash. Please frequent the forums more. It's not all bad.

NONDUALITY Don't contemplate As mere activity. Be void contemplating void. Once one understands that the ultimate nature of this existence is void, one understands that to be void is the only true mode of meditation. Notice that void is not the object of meditation -- to pair meditator and object creates a dualistic relationship between self and environment that leads one astray. In meditation we are searching for unity. We need something that takes us out of the normal dualistic modes that are the origins of all our difficulties. Therefore, the only true meditation is one that does not put us into a relationship of viewer and object. Any object, no matter how holy, still reinforces the illusion that there is a reality outside of ourselves. What we are trying to gain is the true interior view : There is no difference between our inner and outer realities. The ultimate meditation is the realization that we ourselves are empty of distinctions, that our sense of identity is only the result of dualistic clinging. Along with that, we should understand that there is really nothing to contemplate, nothing to think about.

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Because he is attached to his views. So much for his Buddhist 'non-attachment'.

Martial art. Okay, that was two words.

Lots of info here

THRESHOLD Why mourn for a cocoon After the butterfly has flown? Death is one of the few givens in life, and yet we fear it. We immaturely deny its presence or refuse to take it into account. In life, where so few things are stable enough to serve as true reference points, death is one of our few assurances. Death is not an ending. It is a transformation. What dies is only our sense of identity, which was false to begin with. Death is the threshold of this life. Beyond it is something else, some mystery. We can only be sure that it is unlike this life. Let us be unabashed in admitting that no one knows death definitely. The closest we may come is a supposed near-death experience, which, by definition, cannot be death itself. Alternately, we can examine other people who have died. We can look at a corpse. When we do, we see that whoever or whatever it was that animated that body is longer in force. Is that body our dead friend? No. Whatever it was that was the person we knew is gone. What use is there to mourn over a lifeless shell in a casket? Death defines the limits of life. Within those limits, there is structure upon which to base one's decisions. Whenever one deems that one's life has been fulfilled, one can utilize death as the portal away from this existence.

RUNAWAY They call her useless And yet push for achievement. "I want a baby." They bicker between themselves, And reproach her for being distant. "My friends have so much fun." They dwell on money, And indenture her to loyalty. "I can't stand this every day." She is innocent. They have ambitions. There was a girl who was both a good student and a good athlete. Her family did not find that to be enough. They pushed her to spend all her time studying or practicing for her next sport competition. Finally, she could stand it no further. She ran away. Her family was firmly convinced that it was a kidnapping. In so many families, a girl is told how useless she is. Is it any wonder that she gets pregnant? A boy is told how lazy he is. Is it any wonder that he rebels as an act of individuality? When parents demand without understanding, they thwart development. Forcing children to fulfill parental ambitions destroys individuality. Before parents blame their children, they should first look to how their daughters and sons were raised.

Good point Taomeow.

Stay off the weed maaan !

Instant enlightenment, just add water !

Oh no ! Run for cover.

POETRY Anything is subject for a poem : A catalog of boxing equipment, a collage of other poems, Serpentine trail of incense, raised deer fur, old shoes pointed pigeon-toed, Glass and steel cityscape, almond eyes of a saint, weeping tiny flowers, Sunlight on whitewashed walls, blue shadows of stooped women, A spring mousetrap, a trickle of blood in the gutter, The homing swoop of a gull, chill whitecapped bay, scent of eucalyptus. Green lawn of broken blades, clods of fat earth. Anything is subject for a poem. Even in sleep, write a poem. When waking, write a poem. While loving, write a poem. Even voting, write a poem. When angry, write a poem. While dreaming, write a poem. The sages say quite seriously that those who wish to know better should cultivate the poet in themselves.

It is all mere speculation, we just don't know.

And so am I.

Looks like I've rustled a few Buddhist feathers.

DECLINE Fog chills heaven to gray, Nights come earlier. Everyone knows decline, But few discern its border. Although it is summer and there are many warm months to come, it is possible to sense that the heavens are already turning downward. Nearly imperceptibly, the fruit is ripening on the trees and the nights are lengthening once again. It is too early to talk of autumn, and yet the next season is on its way. Why do we never prepare for decline? We all realize that it is a valid phenomenon -- we know about the fall of empires, the aging of heroes, the lessening of our own skill -- but we are not always aware of its approach. We often realize too late that we are in a period of decline, and so we are unprepared. It takes a wise person to perceive the moment when things begin to change. Summer does not fade away in a day. Our actions must accord with the times. Just as the decline of summer is gradual, so too should our actions be commensurate with the pace of change. Even though decline may be approaching, we must gauge how quickly or how slowly events are moving. If we are too hasty -- like someone who notices the first cool breeze and immediately dons winter clothing -- we will be overreacting. It is important to think of decline as something natural and inevitable. Therefore there should be no emotional values attached to it. It simply happens, and that is all.

Like an ostrich who buries it's head in the sand.

Maybe the hacker who brought down E Sangha was one of the many people who were denied a voice on the forum ?

Read This And This And This There's lots more. Scandalicious !!!

But not directly from the Buddha himself. There is no proof that the Buddha did indeed say the things that were written down hundreds of years after his death. I find it hard to comprehend that the amount of Buddhist literature supposedly attributed to the Buddha, could be memorized over many generations, before being written down.

Where ?

What you mean to say is that they wanted to keep a sectarian bias towards certain types of Tibetan Buddhism and anyone who disagreed with it was met with hostility. There are loads of stories about experienced Buddhists ( many of who were ordained ) who were banned from E Sangha for disagreeing with the Namdrol. (He does sound like an orc chieftain from LOTR !)

I take it this is the same Namdrol that used to rule over E-Sangha with an iron fist. Banning members who didn't share his views. A rather controversial figure to say the least. Now I know where you get your evangelist type preaching from. You keep good company.