Ian

What I really like is how he's so straightforward about what enlightenment of his sort does NOT do.

Man, that's so weird. I was just thinking about you a couple of days ago and wondering where you'd got to. I was delivering something to an Islamic Centre and they had this amazing photo of everyone walking round the big black thing. (Sorry - I'm so ignorant, but you know what I mean, I hope.) And I remembered your report of doing the same. Nice to hear from you again. And yes, I love Tolle. People often think he's "not enough" somehow, which illustrates his point beautifully. All the best, Ian

Jeez, I'm not surprised! I'm really impressed that you have enough focus to do this, but also quite concerned about what the effects on you may be. I imagine it would really fuck me up. Perhaps?

If you want a very detailed piece of analysis from someone who has experienced both insanity and enlightenment, do check out this thread and follow the link to the blook. Thing is, and this is just my opinion, you can never ever be absolutely sure you're not insane. But you can establish whether you're at peace or not.

Talking of homework, "passim" is a latin adverb meaning everywhere. "In passim" is meaningless.

Barry Long always used to require his listeners to do this...

Afraid I don't draw the same conclusion. I would like to emphasise that a lot of traditions hold that accumulating energy anywhere in the head is a really bad idea. My vote for big accumulator would be the plain old fashioned LTT. My reading of Gurdjieff understood him to speak of two accumulators, one large, one small, both in the body. Because you tap into somthing via the brain, maybe, does not make part of the brain an accumulator. Nor does Bill Bodri's opinion of tantra necessarily have anything to do with it. I'm sorry if I seem hostile, but there's no rigour in your argument here. Please don't encourage people to accumulate in their heads: that way lies madness. Literally.

Recipes here

I think there's also a yin/yang thing going on. For me, laughter releases more than crying. When I cry, at least, I'm keeping some of it, not willing to move on, whereas with laughter I don't care whose it is and the situation is over. Maybe I just don't cry right.... Agree!

Looks like Hoegaarden to me. Mmmm.

Um, yes, confirming that the nearest thing these days would be Bovril. You might just wanna boil down a couple of cows in the back yard.

It seemed to me as if you were banned from the particular page to which Smile posted the link simply because you spewed out several huge blasts of text which had nothing whatever to do with the topic people were discussing. That seemed to be what the chap banning you was saying. I'm not trying to be unkind: I really am curious to find out whether you really think there was a hidden agenda there, because it looked to me like a very ordinary reaction to inappropriate communication. Best wishes, Ian

Seeing as how a master wouldn't necessarily be recognised unless they wanted to be, wouldn't it be a much more useful exercise to consider how you might get a master to recognise you?

Faith is what allows you to trust that if you stop directing and supervising stuff, it will be ok. It could be characterised as an acceptance that universe is not hostile, or it could just be a recognition that things couldn't get any worse, regardless. Faith involves leaving the thinking mind. Faith makes you able to jump into the doubt. Faith is a gift. Still waiting, personally, though I've had a few tastes.

Question for Dragon Gate Master: What is the ultimate goal of the practice, what state or realm do you end up in if you succeed, is it different from Buddhist enlightenment, i.e. becoming a Buddha, and if it is different, why is it desirable? Thank you very much.

There were examples in The Magus of Strovolos of Daskalos taking on other people's stuff. Literally, like he'd get the diseased leg. It is possible. But it was no picnic. But I think for ordinary folks like us, you can't change much about other people's karma unless you're willing to share it by getting that involved with them.

Beautiful post. It's all so close and yet never there until it is. But what do you mean about licking windows? Are you telling me I need to find another hobby?

My very basic British calendar says it's Chinese New Year today. Is that right? What should we expect from the year of the rat? Any experts care to fling loads of fascinating detail our way? Taomeow?

Has anyone experienced anything like the following: I've just begun to feel this strange electric shock like feeling which is as if it flashes between my upper and lower teeth, around the canines on left side. I would normally think that it was just my teeth being in bad repair, but it's kind of weird, because it's just there for a second or so, gets intense and then fades, happens in response only to my jaw hanging reasonably limp, i.e. not chewing or using my mouth at all, and it just doesn't feel like normal toothache. And it would be quite odd for it to be happening in upper and lower jaw at the same time. If I prod and push the teeth in the area nothing seems to be wrong. That said, it's a very odd way for some kind of circuit to complete. Any thoughts?

Talking of which, there's a bunch of clips of him on you tube now. Just put Barry Long in the search bit and he's the first ten or so. Sorry, book people. Please carry on with what you were doing.

Where have you read what you've read? How does it look for monkeys and snakes?

Oh yes, thank you. Do you know any reference for what all the various teeth relate to?

My last two years in a nutshell. April 2006 I was as calm and steady as I've ever been. Since I've been in love again, I've been completely insane and acting like a freak. Not quite full time, but damn close.