liminal_luke

The Dalai Lama's behavior was certainly odd by conventional standards but he says he was being "innocent and playful" and I'm willing to take him at his word.

Musical interlude. This rendition of Amazing Grace may not be Buddhist per se but it feels to me like it could be. Amazing Grace with Overtone Singing by Nestor Kornblum (youtube.com)

Do something about it? What do you suggest? Perhaps everyone could hand over their credit card information so that the mods could fine them a $1 "vice tax" for every use of the word Abrahamic. At the end of the year the Bum who has gone the longest without mentioning any of the following -- semen retention, mopai, Trump -- gets the money.

Oh darn! I suspect climate change would of been more fun.

This resonates -- thanks! I used to study with a qigong master who, after a practice session, would instruct his students to feel themselves "one with the universe." Taoism leans towards an infinitely expanded self; Buddhism towards no self. I suspect this too is all the same. We are so small between the stars, so large against the sky And lost among the subway crowds I try to catch your eye -- Leonard Cohen

I agree with you on what seems like the main point: feelings are to be felt. I love your image of "a dry stony riverbed" filling with "cool clear water." So apt! What we disagree about is the nature of Buddhism. One of the things I find meritorious about Buddhism is precisely that it does lead practitioners to engage directly with their emotions. Buddhism doesn't reject emotion -- it doesn't reject anything at all. Buddhsim says: feel what's there. Never have I engaged the deeper psychological layers of my being so fully as when I've sat at Buddhist retreats. So if emotional honesty is what you want, Buddhism is gold. I'm sure you can find sources that seem to contradict my experience, teachers who say that "feelings aren't real" or something of that sort. Words about emptiness and nonduality may have a place for some, but for someone at my level they are mostly a distraction, or worse, a source of confusion. What I need is to sit. I don't want to read about architecture, I wanna take up the hammer. The view looks different when you're pounding nails on the roof.

For reasons I can't figure out, when Bums talk about Buddhism there's often a lot of intellectualizing and headiness. I think this headiness misrepresents Buddhism as it's actually practiced, at least in my limited experience. Hopefully teachers don't simply instruct their students to let go of the "I" and leave it at that. That wouldn't work and might indeed be counterproductive, as you suggest. A better plan would be to give students an experiential exercise (such as meditation) that could result in the "I" being let go of with time and experience.

The Taoist teachings I'm familiar with work directly with the subtle body, giving the various channels and pathways names and, in some cases, consciousy directing awareness and energy along their routes. Some Buddhist practice paths talk much less -- or perhaps not at all -- about the subtle body. Nevertheless, I suspect that meditative insight (letting go of attachments and aversions, recognizing impermanence, seeing through the "self") develops the subtle body just the same. The language may be different but the endpoints are, if not identical, in the same spiritual ballpark. Letting go of attachments, one opens the central channel; opening the central channel, one lets go of attachments. Chicken or egg.

Not to worry. Public success and adulation will bring their own character-building challenges. My partner Jose used to write stories. His therapist encouraged him to really go for it and put his heart into his creative writing -- what's the worst that could happen? Jose said that he was afraid he'd hit the big time like J.K. Rowling, author of the beloved Harry Potter series, and then he wouldn't be able to tell if people wanted to know him for who he really was or if they just wanted to be close to money and fame. I suspect you'll find yourself in a similar boat -- good luck!

Joyfully sharing modest talents with little concern for what others think -- this has got to be a major siddhi right up there with levitation.

Life is a complete system for enlightenment. All practicing Buddhists are alive so I guess they have as good a chance as anybody else.

I followed the switcharoo no problem. Gender changes but Buddhistic knowledge is forever.

An evening alone? That sounds heavenly. Hasn't happened in months though.

I generally avoid commenting on people's physical appearance, but I'll make an exception in this case and come right out with it: I've always thought of Apech as a tall glass of water.

In my view, emotions need not be tied to external objective circumstance: trauma is not a requirement. People are sad or afraid or mad all the time for (non)reasons all the time, purported explanations that leave family and friends scratching their heads. Sometimes such people are called -- to use a term mired in controvery of late -- delusional. I prefer to say that they are emotional for reasons I don't understand. And, speaking of delusion, I think we're all of a piece and the distinction between physical and emotional is not always helpful. Sometimes emotional things are expressed physically and physical things emotionally. As an asian bodywork teacher of mine, Gilles Marin, once put it: we don't have a liver, we are our liver.

Particle and wave. Each of us is ultimately alone and -- flip the coin -- never truly alone. -- a fellow solo cultivator

I think nearly everyone has unconscious emotional stuff that is "unwanted" (to put it mildly), stuff that could potentially surface during meditation. In a way, this surfacing process is the point; it's how meditation works. Once the gunk is cleared out we're likely to feel better, but, but, but...while the gunk is being cleared out we're likely to feel worse. Some people need to go slower than others. Some people need to go not at all. And for some, it's full speed ahead. It's a very individual thing and I think the key is to honor where we are.

Ah yes, I've heard of Dr. Breggin. I have mixed feelings about the anti-psychiatry movement. In general I'm a very alternative kind of guy and avoid mainstream medicine when I can. I've no doubt that SSRI antidepressents are overprescribed. And yet I find the insistence of some -- Dr. Kelly Brogan comes to mind -- that psych drugs should (almost) never be used to be naive. If my partner was to simply stop taking his meds (or taper down slowly, whatever) disaster would quickly ensue. Believe me, we've tried this. Is it possible that there's some sort of natural therapy that would allow him to get off the drugs? I'm still hopeful. The keto diet comes to mind as a possibility, although it's not easy to stick to. If there was a local doctor with experience treating schizophrenia holistically we'd go in a heartbeat. Maybe we've been lucky. All of Jose's psychiatrists (he's had several) have been caring people in my estimation, and seemed to want the best for him. Psych drugs aren't perfect. They often come with nasty side effects and don't work as well as a person would hope. But by and large the people prescribing them want to be helpful and are doing their best.

I'm not remembering your recommendation so I guess I didn't --- sorry! In any case, I've already ruled out ECT for my partner so at least I won't be going down that road.

My partner's psychiatrist suggested that if Jose's current drug regimen doesn't work the next step would be electroconvulsive therapy, which he described as a "very good treatment." Perhaps the doc is right. I might be overly influenced by One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Next. Still, I can't help but think that this is the modern version of a lobotomy. (Fortunately it doesn't look like it will be necessary -- whew.)

Thanks for the shout-out Trunk although this year Jose and I did very little. Credit where credit is due: @Trunk choose and artistically refined both the dragon image and font. I think it looks great! Happy new year, everyone!!!

Don't feel bad, Unota. Snacks are what matter in life.

Miror, mirror, you got what you had comin' Wise old Apech: keep on Bummin'!

The forum is like a spicy Thai curry with lots of balanced flavors. Some bums are a little sweet, some bursting with savory umami goodness, and yes, a few are a tad bitter. But it's the combination -- how we all come together -- that really make the dish. Most of us aren't the smartest or the funniest or the most spiritually advanced, but chances are we've got a little somethin' somethin' to contribute -- and that's enough.

What is an immortal? My understanding is that immortals die like everybody else (although they might be long-lived) but something of their consciousness remains intact after death so that there's a sense of seamless continuation as they enter whatever comes next. It's unlikely the existence of this kind of immortal -- or any other kind -- can be proven scientifically though we might come to feel it's true (or not) as we progress along our spiritual paths. In the meantime, what is to be gained or lost by believing or disbelieving? I prefer to rest in the "maybe" state -- open to the wondrous possibilities of life.