DentyDao

For you

Sorry dude, my bad. Hugs okay, seriously.

Humor me.

Ya, I got that. I agree with most of the stuff you posted from the website that you read. I guess my question is do you really believe you're a Buddha; not in the absolute sense that we are all Buddhas, but in the sense that you have freed your self from the cycle of death and rebirth and nolonger suffer. If you're saying yes, that's totally fine with me, but I guess I'm just not buying into that interpretation. I understand it's a popular one and all that. I'm just not sure it's true and I haven't seen any convincing proof yet. This doesn't mean I don't see the divinity in others or that I don't respect other approachs and life styles. I of course agree with the idea that our true nature is Buddha; and in that sense the Buddha truly doesn't exist. I think it's another thing entirely to totally 'unmask' that true self and be it permenently. Perhaps I was confused about what you were trying to point out. S

Of the three Ling Bao that were given, not all were passed down into every lineage. The neikung that exists in the Lei Shan Dao, in some lines at least, is alive and well and was passed down the same way that Da Mo received it according the lineage transmission. What mostly remains in Shaolin today is the external skill developement along with the Buddhist teachings. I would say that, for the most part, this is true of Chan in general, that is that Buddhist philosophy and teaching makes up the majority of what's passed on there. These teachings may never even have been transmitted in the Chan tradition, although I'm certainly not an expert on the subject. Facinating historical info. there 林愛偉. Beautiful

Well, go get some personal experience then.

If they're not yours, who's are they? I'm not trying to be contrary, but your undertanding of Buddhism is different than mine and the teachers I've studied with. There aren't lots of Buddhas walking around. If there were that would be great, but I don't think we're there yet. I will go meditate on that koan, right now.

It's a much over used and misunderstood statement and needs to be framed in the correct context. The external Buddha, or seeking the divine outside yourself, is not the true Buddha. The statement is a simple cautionary not to seek the Buddha in a 'form.' Buddha means vast awakening, it's the true nature of mind. It's the Shen; the mind of God which is dreaming to be you. Kind of; it's not that Buddhas are really all that common relatively speaking. Example, if you think your really a Buddha, you might want to really examine that belief and test it out. Are you really free from all suffering? Or do you perhaps have some more work to do before you can say you've achieved Buddhahood? He be a light unto your self. It means answer the question, "Who am I?" He didn't say this is all there is to being a Buddha. Sure they can, if they're a Buddha or a realized teacher. I think you make some really good points, but I think a teacher can tell a student how they ought to practice; especially if they are a gifted teacher. That's my take.

In all fairness, there is a lot to the story that I know personally that has not been written about. I know this because I went to China and met, through David, a direct decendent of the lineage of Da Mo. What most people don't know is that he did a lot more than just sit in front of a wall for nine years; and yes he did this twenty for hours a day without a break. At least that's my understanding; I wasn't actually there of course. The end of the nine years produced what are called Ling Bao. These are sacred texts that spontaniously manifest from the the heavens. In these books were contained the secrets of the tendon changing, and Bone marrow neikung; as well as some other high level stuff. Da Mo, probably not a Buddhist btw, in turn taught these to the Buddhist monks who lived near by. Thus Zen was born. I think your on the right path Cameron. If you do these work shops and carry out a regular meditaion practice in a dedicated way, you can probably acieve some degree of realization in this lifetime. Who knows you could become the next 'it' guru and actually really help some people see things clearly. I would recommend sticking with a more authentic tradition like Chan or Dzogchen and stay away from some of teh comtempory interpritations of Taoist cultivation, etc... Who knows. Personally, when I looked for a method, because this thing is my life, I sought out the most effective, tested, practical method I could find. I have spent tens of thousands of dollars to do this over the past decade. I realize this is not the way for everyone, but I personally am not willing to hold out for some kind of possible 'instant' enlightenment that may or may not happen. I don't believe so.

I think it's okay to have goals. 'Do your work and leave the fruits of your labor to the lord.' You're observation is elementary my dear Watson. What the hell are you talking about? Do you even know? No one has said that it's got to be done quickly. Who's rushing? Not really. 'Nei Gong' or internal 'work' requires effort. Thus the term 'work.' And yet here you are, talking it up. I'm not trying to be better. Just sharing. If you had information that you thought would help people, would you share it or just keep it to yourself? Take your own advice.

Cameron, At the risk of sounding condesending, not my intention, I would just like to say that there's nothing to worry about. Reincarnation is real (take that however you want). The implication is we have all the time in enternity to explore whatever we want to and live however we what to without fear (my personal belief). One of the biggest pitfalls is unnatural emotion and worry. I think your 'be natural approach' is right on. I just think it's the first step, not the last. Peace, S

What about teaching just for the summer? Ever heard of anything like that? Thanks, Sean

Not at all. "Spiritual knowledge is the only thing that can destroy our miseries forever; any other knowledge removes wants only for a time. It is only with the knowledge of the spirit that the root cause of want is destroyed forever; so helping man [or women] spiritually is the highest help that can be given... we must always strive not to commit the mistake of thinking that physical help is the only help that can be given. It's not only the last but the least, because it cannot give permanent satisfaction." -Swami Vivekananda 1955 Who is the greater doctor, the one who staves off death and suffering for a number of years or the one who frees you from death forever? Time to start thinking outside the box. If we read the diamond sutra we can understand the heart of true spirituality and start to see why Buddha's teachng along with the the teaching of other 'Buddhas,' saints and sages in the various spiritual traditions was perhaps the greatest gift ever given to humanity. It's life that is Dukka (full of disatisfaction), not the small ups and down in between. Once you understand the problem you can fix it. Imagine a world where everyone experiences and understands the reality of reincarnation; that's the real break through. The end of fear, a least to an extent.

Thinking something is true does not make it so. Check out a book called 'clear light of bliss.' When you have reached this stage you have just begun the journey to enlightenment. You rise above karma by reaching the first true stage of enlightenment which is beyond karma. Often refered to as salvation or liberation. In simple terms elightenment = 0% negative karma or beyond karma. Just to give a simple model, if most of us have say 90% negative karma, we can say a liberated being has maybe 25% negative karma. This person would be a saint in the eyes of most of us; we wouldn't be able to help ourselves from feeling drawn to the energy and charisma of such a person. People like the popular Indian Yogis are often around this stage. At least the more evolved ones. This stage is called Arhat in Buddhism. At this stage the cycle of birth and death nolonger hold sway over you. Basically your right, karma is the law of cause and effect. What does it mean? A lot of people, even long time practioners don't understand karma as clearly as they should. If we can say that all that exists is the present moment, then karma is the 'power of the past moment' manifested in this present moment. Different practices effectively destroy negative karma, or tramatic mental imprints from your past, at different rates. In effect, these practices (meditation, the eight fold path, etc...) can delete negative karma; neikung or what are commonly called vajrayana tantras in Tibetan Buddhism can delete negative karma at an exponential rate. The Chinese Taoists have the most intact forms of this practice in our current day. Not to knock the tantra of India and Tibet, but, relatively speaking, the Chinese appear to have maintained the highest levels of these traditions (neikung) while other areas have declined to the degree that only the shell of what once may have been remains. Yoganada, the great yogi saint who became famous in the 1940's and 50's was fond of calling Tantra the 'jet airplane ride' of the religious world. He was refering to the fact that, if applied in a dedicated way, one can 'rise above' the cycle of birth, old age, death and rebirth in one life time; thus rising above the bonds of worldly karma and becoming a jiva mukti (freed soul). Unfortunitly, yogis like yogananda are hard to come by these days. He had some basic accomplishment and was probably a true self realized saint.

No offense Michael. Just trying to be cute... and failing.

Impressive. I'll take your word for it; sorry I didn'y realize you were a bad ass. Actually one of the most famous Buddhists in the world, Lama Surya Das, is a Jewish guy named Jeffery. He spent about ten years combined in retreat in the Himalayas and a monastery in Europe. He has probably helped more mentally sick (depressed, lost, unhappy) people than 10 Jewish doctors put together. The few who undertake this type of life are heroes and help people in ways we cannot comprehend. This goes without saying. It's the foundation of Buddhism and Taoism. The Buddha spent over a decade in retreat seeking enlightenment; he left his wife and kids; was he a heartless, self absorbed person? I really don't think so.

Exactly my point. Now you could be on to somethinge here.