dwai

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Posts posted by dwai

  3. Posted

    1 hour ago, stirling said:

    Without checking to see if you have the quote exactly correct, yes, that is my experience with it. Any good meditator that can rest in stillness could see the "not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded" in this moment. It's always right here, and can be seen alongside the "born, become, made, compounded". Moment to moment the "born, become, made, compounded" arises OUT of the "not-born, a not-become, a not-made, a not-compounded". 

     

    that is what I was referring to as recognizing the immanent after "transcending" 

    • Like 1

  5. Posted

    On 12/8/2024 at 1:03 PM, Sahaja said:

    .my understanding is that  succumbing to our urges/habits/addictions  burns Jing, applying discipline/willpower (zhi - kidneys) to not succumb builds it. So I would say both sex and looking at our cell phones are a small part of the equation, but it’s a much broader issue and  more fundamental than any one thing.  If one could avoid or reduce the stress of attachments, either desires or aversion, that helps return the Jing towards its original state- stills the Jing. 

     

    The Nei Yeh quote you mentioned points to a different approach altogether, imho. Not using willpower but developing a natural release of the mind. Not by force (willpower) but as a result of understanding/realization of the empty nature of those things. 

    • Like 2

  7. Posted

    The mind is a mirror in which we see the reflection of our Self -- that's the seeing and recognizing part.

    The dust of life settles on this mirror gradually and obscures the image.  So we clean the mirror every day -- that's the maintaining part. 


    Is it necessary to keep cleaning the mirror after seeing and recognizing it? The question arises "Who is recognizing, and who is cleaning/maintaining? Who knows if the image is clear or obscure?"  That one doesn't (need to) do anything. 

    • Like 2

  9. Posted

    15 hours ago, stirling said:

     

    I agree with you... they are something one can tune into like radio stations, but impermanent. 

    Interesting stuff about the 'jhanas'...

    In the Advaita Vedanta tradition, "stages" of meditation are not given much importance since realization requires the intellect to be active. It could be said that even if you enter into nirvikalpa samadhi in yogic meditation, you are still you (i.e., the body-mind complex) when you come out of it. Savikalpa samadhi (a still/settled mind with active intellect) is necessary for nondual inquiry.  

     

    There are preparatory practices that include a combination of yogic meditation (dhyana), selfless service (seva), good company (satsang), and devotion (bhakti). These will help the individual seeker achieve mental focus and establish an active silence/stillness.

     

    The problems encountered in the Advaitic path are as follows -

    1. Chitta mala - Impurity of the mind (can be resolved using selfless service)
    2. Chitta Viksepa - Scattered mind (can be resolved by using meditation)
    3. Asambhavana - Doubts about the veracity of the teachings (these can be resolved in the company of fellow travelers and realized teachers, as well as with devotion to the lineage/teachings)
    4. Viparita Bhavana - Regressive tendencies - these are usually a result of incomplete foundational work, such that even after reaching a certain degree of understanding and clarity, from time to time a "slipping" occurs in the mind of the seeker. These are a result of vasanas (karmic patterns) that re-emerge. On a side note, a holistic medicine practitioner I used to visit told me that problems tend to rise in cycles (sometimes, it is a 13-month cycle, some larger and some smaller).
    • Like 2

  10. Posted

    On 11/17/2024 at 11:48 AM, Sahaja said:

     

    https://youtu.be/hwGk0k2NNRM?si=BZyaM9iUrvnwqsEc

    This video by him has a very interesting and clear differentiation of the various frames of yang tai chi. From his perspective Large frame uses internal qi (ti qi), middle frame uses external qi (ling qi) and small frame uses yi.  Interesting discussion of application to weapons as well. 

    He also goes into a very esoteric concept here. 

     

  11. Posted

    On 11/7/2024 at 4:17 PM, Mark Foote said:



    My understanding of the teachings of Gautama the Shakyan is that the first four concentrations end in automatic activity of the body in inhalation and exhalation solely by virtue of the location of consciousness.

     

    The five further concentrations end with the cessation of habit and volition in the activity of the mind in feeling and perceiving,  presumably feeling and perceiving solely by virtue of the experience of consciousness without habit or volition.

     

    The first three of the further states Gautama declared as "the excellence of the heart's release" through the extension of the minds of compassion, of sympathetic joy, and of equanimity, respectively,.  The extensions were each the extension of "the mind of" beyond the boundaries of sense in all directions, and without limit.

     

    Some objective, particular instruction, although Gautama declared that some were freed through the further concentrations and "intuitive wisdom", while others were freed through "intuitive wisdom" alone.
     

     

    Hi Mark,

     

    Can you elucidate this for me? It'd be great if you could explain the first four concentrations in lay-person terms, etc. 

  12. Posted

    1 minute ago, Maddie said:

     

    I would say another point most Buddhists would make between Buddhism and Hinduism would be Hinduism's focus on god's and goddesses, but at least with Mahayana Buddhism functionally Bodhisattvas and cosmic Buddha's fill the same role.  

    The role of deities is necessary, depending on the path one travels, IMHO. Understanding that Deities are "real" at the transactional/causal level is essential. Deities can help individuals progress spiritually so long as one knows how to practice with them.

     

    Not having deities and not having a practical approach to spiritual practice, but only theory about a formless G_d (half-baked IMHO) will lead to problems such as fundamentalism and violence. Having deities but not having a practical approach to working with the deities (such as tantra, etc.) will also cause problems of superstition and delusion/dependency. 

     

    • Like 3

  13. Posted

    2 minutes ago, Maddie said:

     

    I feel like a lot of Buddhists would say that one of the primary differences between Hinduism and Buddhism is the teaching of "no self" but the Buddha never actually taught there wasn't a self (or that there was). He just taught that the five aggregates were not self. 

    Which is the locus standi of Advaita Vedanta as well. The 'self" and "no self" debate is inconsequential (IMHO) beyond the preliminary stages of study/practice. We should simply do the work and the truth will be revealed. 

    • Like 2

  14. Posted

    23 minutes ago, old3bob said:

    the Upanishads do not entertain the  idea of being "accident prone" to enlightenment although imo the idea has certain validity if in the sense of  of preparation,  but still one can prepare until the cows come home but it is The Self that chooses the Self, and not by any culmination of "accidents". 

    Technically, the Self doesn't choose the Self; the Self is always and forever the Self. The "accident" is for the so-called separate individual who seems to suffer from the delusion of separateness and individuality. 

     

    P.S. This kind of thinking (Self choose the Self) arises from being unable to discern between the jiva and Atman.. From the jiva's perspective, there is ignorance and corresponding liberation/enlightenment. From Atman's perspective, there never was any ignorance or a need for liberation. 

    • Thanks 1

  15. Posted

    I recently saw someone "raging" against the Advaita Vedanta teachers (such as Ma Anandamayi), asking if their perspective -- that, at the highest level, most religious traditions have more in common than not -- isn't a disregard for each tradition's view.

     

    Most spiritual traditions have a vacyaartha (literal meaning) and a lakshyartha (implied meaning). People who have not had a realization shift (not yet had the profound accident) cannot understand the implied meaning, so they stick with the literal meaning (or the word of the teacher/lineage/tradition). While this might seem patronizing, it is not intended to be that way—it is merely an empirical statement (based on observation). The literal meaning is like an encoded message; the implied meaning is understood once a practitioner can access the decoder. 

     

    Many accouterments accompany specific spiritual traditions in their specific socio-cultural and temporal contexts. One doesn't need to discard these - they have a lot of beauty (for those who choose to see it that way). 

    • Like 1

  16. Posted

    In Classical Advaita Vedanta, three levels of "reality" are defined.

    1. Pratibhasika Satya - Pratibha means image, pratibhasika means imaginary. This is what can be called illusory - imagination-driven, the stuff of most dreams, etc.
    2. Vyavaharika Satya - Transactional reality - this makes up our waking world and waking experiences
    3. Paramarthika Satya - The Ultimate Reality - This is the undifferentiated nature of Pure Consciousness, where there are no longer differences (dualities) such as me and you, this and that, subject-object. One could also call it pure objectless consciousness. 

     

    The practical aspect of Advaita is to discern between Vyavaharika and Paramarthika by recognizing that our true nature is pure, undifferentiated consciousness. Towards that end, a few different methodologies are provided. These are both phenomenological as well as intellectual in nature, and requires some preparatory work such as the ability to steady the mind and body -

    1. Drik-Drsya Viveka - The method of seer and seen
    2. Pancha Kosha Viveka - The method of processing the five layers/sheaths of our being
    3. Avastha-traya Viveka - The method of the three experiences (waking, dreaming and deep sleep) 

     

    • Like 3

  17. Posted

    On 11/6/2024 at 6:08 AM, DynamicEquilibrium said:

    According to the Taiji theory logic, "taijiquan for self-defense" makes no sense because where there is really a Taiji there are no opponents, if there is an opponent that means Taiji already differentiated into Yin and Yang and for some reasons one attacks the other, but yes martial arts can teach how to recognize and avoid dangerous situations and how to improve our self-control abilities to make better decisions in the struggle to maintain this dynamic state of balance, if that's what we are looking for of course. 

     

    In real life, yin and yang are usually not in equilibrium. So, taijiquan gives us a practical tool to practice bringing them into balance internally and externally. Taijiquan practice does several things—when we do solo practice, it works mainly on the internal aspects of balance and harmony. When we do partner drills, it simulates situations where we can harmonize externally. It teaches us not to react blindly and how to neutralize/harmonize disruptive external forces with minimal effort. 

    • Like 2

  25. Posted

    46 minutes ago, Taomeow said:

    "Non-violence" is an empty set, as a mathematician might put it.  What constitutes violence?  If one is attacked by a murderer, is defending one's life "violence?"  How about defending a child?  Everyone and everything that is being threatened with annihilation?  How about planet Earth if it gets in the way of some nefarious, demonic entities bent on unleashing extinction?  "Non-violence" would be a crime against humanity under many special circumstances.  Peaceful folks might train for such circumstances -- they are not the ones unleashing violence, but to be someone who can oppose it is fully compatible with both high spirituality, high moral standards,  and common sense. 

     

    I couldn't agree more. There is no honor in being a pacifist in the face of tyranny. The Indian strategist Chanakya wrote in his treatise on statecraft - Arthashastra, some 2000 years ago that the following course of action should be taken (when faced with those who mean us harm) -

    1. Negotiate (Sāma) - Try to negotiate for peace.
    2. Payment (Dāma) - If talks don't work, try compensating the other party within reasonable means (and depending on your ability to endure a conflict)
    3. Divide (bheda)  - If that fails, divide your enemy and scuttle their will 
    4. Punish (Danda) - Use force (if you have the ability) 

    Violence should be the last resort, but one should be prepared to deal with it. While the above guidelines are intended for statecraft, they also apply in everyday life. 

    • Like 2