xabir2005

Just to clarify: Buddhism's emptiness does not deny the luminous clear vivid nature of awareness -- just that it does not make it into an Absolute or an ontological essence. In Buddhism, Buddha-Nature is as they say: luminosity and emptiness inseparable.

This is where the distinction between advaita and buddhism lies, because in Buddhism our teaching is free of the 4 extremes (existence, non-existence, both and neither) and is not known by negation of 'neti neti'. That said this is probably beyond the scope of this topic.

Action and doing is dependently originated along with causes, conditions, various factors (including past imprints, habits, intentions, and so called 'external' influences). There is no agent or doer, just spontaneous happenings. But at the same time the arising is not without causes and conditions -- it is dependently originated. The entire interdependent universe is giving its very best for this moment of experience to arise. There is just what is done. There is happenings but no movement, and no separate perceiver to perceive movement and linkage. Just this, and this, and this. There is change, but no changing 'thing'. Nobody perceives, there is just perception. This: On Anatta (No-Self), Emptiness, Maha and Ordinariness, and Spontaneous Perfection and This: Thusness/PasserBy's Seven Stages of Experience on Spiritual Enlightenment is a good read.

Wei wu wei. (i.e. action without action, or nondual action) is more complete There's a good article by David Loy: Wei-wu-wei: Nondual action If consciousness of self is the ultimate source of unnatural action, then natural action must be that in which there is no such self-consciousness -- in which there is no awareness of the agent as being distinct from "his" act.

For a more theoretical exposition, see Non-Dual Emptiness Teachings by Dr. Greg Goode; for a more experiential narration, see the subsection "On Emptiness" and "On Maha" of the post "On Anatta (No-Self), Emptiness and Spontaneous Perfection".

Yes... Taoism, Buddhism, and other teachings on Emptiness differs. In non-Buddhist systems it's likely refering to a thoughtless state, or the all pervading 'formless' presence, which is not what Buddhism meant (in buddhism emptiness refers to dependent origination), so there is indeed many definitions and not just a single one.

For another perspective on his alcohol habit check out page 41 onwards in http://books.google.com.sg/books?id=oFKM49...snum=4#PPA41,M1

That is only one aspect of enlightenment according to masters and traditions. It does not talk about the insights that occur during enlightenment which Scotty has already summarized well. There is no need to focus too much about this.

Enlightenment to a high degree is supposed to end uncontrolled rebirth. Arhats will then enter into personal nirvana (cessation). Bodhisattvas of a high degree of enlightenment do not have to return to samsara, are no longer bound by karma and defilements, but intentionally chooses to return to samsara to fulfill his bodhisattva path, continue his journey to Buddhahood, and save countless sentient beings. And yes, we either take this by faith or not. There's a lot of people I know who remember their past lives vividly in meditation, and many scientific evidence to support this (see Dr. Ian Stevensons), but you still either believe this or not believe this, until you truly see it for yourselves then it is no longer a belief but an unshakeable conviction due to direct experience.

Is there a cure? I have a friend who is hearing voices. Psychiatrist of cos give him medicines but it's not much use. When he start cultivating or practice (mostly chanting) the voice will fight back and make 'war' with him, preventing him from successfully cultivating. They will 'claim' to be devas or gods and is 'judging' him. He did visit some lamas and teachers and they told him they are ghosts and ignore them and continue practice but it is very hard for him.

Possibly, but it has to be exceedingly rare, I've never known any living examples of people 'enlightened by birth'. Even reincarnate lamas have to study all over again, attend many years retreat to gain realisations.

I can understand that certain stages may be bypassed, but all insight traditions should eventually lead to the realisation of No-Self and Emptiness for liberation. Regarding no universal disease are you saying there are people by birth who have realised no-self and emptiness? As I see it, everyone on Earth starts with the delusion of being a separate self, and seeing 'inherent existence' in phenomena. I've never seen any other cases.

No prob. Yes meditation is important and I am also trying to spend more time in it.

Just clarified with Thusness on Wisdom Eye: Thusness says: *insight is permanent *but having the insight doesn't mean u also have permanent experience *just like having experience does not mean arising of insight *what dharma dan means (by wisdom eye is) insight and experience as one. [me] says: *oic.. *dharma dan said some arhats have it fade but some arhats have the wisdom eyes open without ever fading *its due to karmic propensities? Thusness says: *yes ------- In short, all arhats have insight and realisation of Anatta, centerlessness, agentless, etc. which is always and already so as the nature of reality. Some may have their experience fade, which is meant by the fading of Wisdom Eye. But regardless of whether the experience fades, the insight has arisen and will never be lost. Some people (including me) have non-dual experiences but not the insight and thus cannot be considered as Arhats. Non dual experience is much more common than non dual realisation. About the lower stages of enlightenment, certain insights must be there, to even be stream enterer. However, there are also different phases and depth of insight. Also, perceiving non-duality and luminosity and centerlessness in real time and daily lives start at Anagami.

An e-mail reply to me by Thusness in 2006:The AMness can be said to be a form of absorption where the object of concentration is the Self. It can be a question "Who am I" that leads one to the experience of the subject-object becoming one. Till a point the practitioner simply experiences a pure sense of existence. However such mode of experience has no understanding of its luminous clarity and its nature as anatta. The key point about mindful awareness is there is no keeping of the mind on anything and by not resting on anything, it fuses into everything; therefore it cannot be concentrated; rather it is to relax into nothingness empty of self, empty of any artifical doing so that the natural luminosity can take its own course. There is no focusing, there is only allowing the mirror bright clarity to shine with it natural radiance. In essence there is no one there, only the phenomenon arisng and ceasing telling their stories. And an excerpt from "The Spiritual Teachings of Ramana Maharshi": "D. But is it not funny that the 'I' should be searching for the 'I'? Does not the enquiry, 'Who am I?' turn out in the end an empty formula? Or, am I put the question to myself endlessly, repeating it like some mantra? M. Self-enquiry is certainly not an empty formula; it is more than repetition of any mantra. If the enquiry, "Who am I?'' were a mere mental questioning, it would not be of much value. The very purpose of Self-enquiry is to focus the entire mind at its Source. It is not, therefore, a case of one 'I' searching for another 'I'. Much less is Self-enquiry an empty formula, for it involves an intense activity of the entire mind to keep it steadily poised in pure Self-awareness. Self-enquiry is the one, infallible means, the only direct one, to realize the unconditioned, absolute Being that you really are." I also find the first article by Ken Wilber pretty helpful: http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.com/200...ity-by-ken.html

It's not a question of how, why, etc... but rather it is the nature of reality, the nature of consciousness. It is just like that. And if you investigate, practise, sooner or later you will see what is meant. You will see that consciousness is not a perceiver, and consciousness is not limited and constricted in this body-mind looking outward at many things. You are not an entity behind your eyes looking out. Rather, you are the seeing, and that seeing is the tree, the mountains, the rivers. There is just the whole phenomenological world, self-aware where it is, without an observer. This will become clear as you practise. The more you drop the self, the more transparent the self is, the more vivid, clear and luminous phenomena becomes. Until a point where there's no longer a central reference point, only sights, sounds, etc. You'll see that hearing, smelling etc has nothing to do with a self. There's just smells registered, sounds registered, no entity 'self' is involved at all. In fact awareness is happening regardless whether you are paying attention. When you pay attention to breathe, something still hears sounds, the sound is still naturally occuring regardless whether attention is being payed to it. There's simply what is happening effortlessly and choicelessly and naturally. (as Lao Tzu says: Man follows Earth. Earth follows heaven. Heaven follows the Tao. Tao follows what is natural.) It is simply what is self-arising. The Tao is self-so. Everything is a luminous, natural spontaneous self-arising. No controller or perceiver involved. That's why Taoism places so much emphasis on naturalness and non-action. When an airplane passes, the noise is naturally heard, or is naturally self-arising along with causes and conditions, and even if you hated it you cannot avoid hearing. There is in truth neither a 'you' that is hearing, nor a 'you' that can avoid what is heard, simply because there is no such self-entity. Awareness is choicelessly happening and has nothing to do with a perceiver or a controller, and is not even about attention or concentration. And as I wrote, ...That is Buddha-Nature. It is the sum of all our parts, that which sees, hears, feels and tastes all at once as One Reality. Before you think that this awareness is a 'thing' -- a Mirror or a Witness, it's not separate -- it's just sound hearing, scenery seeing, it's not a something tangible (a Mirror or a Witness) yet is vividly manifesting. It will be seen very clearly: in hearing, only vivid sounds, no hearer. In seeing, just vivid scene, mountain, rivers, no seer. In thinker, just vivid thought, no thinker nor watcher of thought. (Same goes for taste, smell, touch) And lastly, this is a dharma seal, the ever-present nature of reality, this is not a stage to be achieved. However it is also true that in the beginning this will certainly not be apparent. The karmic propensities/tendencies/deep conditioning that gives rise to the sense of self is very strong. As my friend Thusness says, if we are unable to arise this insight (No-Self, Non-Dual) and with the tendencies still strong, then we have no choice but resort to the gradual path of practice. Resorting to watching the arising and ceasing of the 5 aggregates as if there is a separate watcher but with the right view that there is no self apart from the aggregates. By practicing this way, insight into Anatta can still arise eventually. But if the path consists of practice without the right view, almost without fail it will result in Advaita sort of experience.