zenbrook

The honour has been all mine, Father P. Rest easy. ZenB

But that gives me dharmarhoea.

I'd agree here...... but we are perhaps complicit in allowing things to screw themselves up. Please don't get me wrong. I'm absolutely NOT of the opinion that how we are today is a result of our past actions - I'm disabled, consequently I must have been 'bad' in a past life - such triteness is both obscene in its implications and childishly facile. Karma is about how we view the world and consequently respond to it. Habituated behaviour that results in overall unsatisfactoriness. The idea of karma as something independent of the individual experiencing karma is a fairytale told to scare people into 'good behaviour'. We really can drive our own karma, as Swami Beyondananda would say Peace, ZenB Can you recommend a good physician?

No.

Karma is often described as cause & effect, but we should not confound cause & effect with some kind of mechanism inherent in the fabric of reality. The root of karma is the dualistic mind. When the dualistic mind is not present, then karma is also not present. If karma is seen as independent of the individual experiencing karma, then we have a form of fatalism. It's perhaps more useful to see karma in terms of perception & response rather than cause & effect (though the essential meaning is the same). If the cause which is our perception perceives a focus of attraction, aversion, or indifference, the effect will be the response to that cause. There is no sense in which the actual circumstances of our lives are preordained according to a system of rewards & punishments for our previous actions. This is a primitive misconception and one which would make enlightenment dependent upon karma. Karma nonetheless is described as cause & effect, which means that through distorted perception we respond inappropriately and create the cyclic patterns of our neurotic conditioning. Once we have touched the idea that we create our own unsatisfactoriness through dualistic preconception, the possibility of allowing our view to change suggests itself. We can then let go of the form of unsatisfactoriness. Which would be nice ZenB

Once again, bct, you're way ahead of the game Couldn't have put it better myself. Which I guess is why I haven't. That, and apathy. I think this again returns to what I was trying to get at when i started the 'What breed of bum?' thread. A lot of the questions/subjects brought up for discussion here often make little sense precisely because our 'practices' (if indeed we have a practice at all) are many and varied. We're all seeking very different things and consequently our paths are different too. I suppose I was interested in what our unique individual bases were so that I could (hopefully) correspond more effectively with the people here. I'm not sure it quite worked out like that. I'd go with the above, absolutely. If you're not practicing 24/7 you're indulging. BUT that's because for me awareness is the name of the game - everything else is just ornamentation. Like the story says: Like the story, anyway. One assumes Yundon actually meant what he said. As opposed to saying it simply to make a point. Kinda like I'm doing here. Bugger. ZenB

Beautiful, Yoda I don't know about 'divine', but how about these from the Sixth Dalai Lama: 'I incline myself To the teachings of my lama But my heart secretly escapes To the thoughts of my sweetheart' . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'Even if meditated upon, The face of my lama comes not to me, But again and again comes to me The smiling face of my beloved' . . . . . . . . . . . . . 'If I could meditate upon the dharma As intensely as I muse on my beloved I would certainly attain enlightenment Surely, in this one lifetime' . . . . . . . . . . . . . Oh, and guess a topical one for all you bums 'Never have I slept without a sweetheart Nor have I spent a single drop of sperm' . . . . . . . . . . . . . Peace, ZenB

Thank the lord for that - saves me the bother ZenB

Bravo, Hundun! By jove, I think you've got it Peace, ZenB

Thank you all so much for your suggestions and insight. It never fails to amaze at how much wisdom there is crammed into this little corner of cyberspace. Rest assured I'm taking all comments seriously and will feedback progress (or lack thereof) in my new personal practice thingie, just as soon as I get one/get committed to writing one. In the meantime, please feel free to keep the posts rolling in Peace & gratitude, ZenB

Don't be so sure......... It's been a pleasure, Yen Hui. Peace, ZenB

I was going to throw in my two penneth upon first reading your post - I'm glad I held off. My initial take was to suggest you trust yourself and your path - follow your heart and allow your natural wisdom and awareness to guide you - but the above post shows real maturity and you're right, there are people out there who work hard and have something to offer others. It sounds like you've reached a place in your practice where such a teacher can challenge you to take the next step. That being said, the pine tree's wisdom should not be overlooked and neither should your own. It takes real presence to know when one's meditation becomes 'stuck' and real bravery to attempt to move forward from this point. You have my admiration. I'm sorry I cannot suggest anyone myself who may be able to help, though I'm sure you'll get many good suggestions from the others here. I do, however, wish you all the very best and thank you for your sharing and your honesty. Peace, ZenB

I don't know much about 5 rhythms nowadays, but years ago I stayed with a fellow whose wife taught it - I think it was pretty new then - I believe she was one of the first students of Gabrielle Roth. Ex-wife, I should say. It's no exaggeration to say she detested me.... something about her marriage breakdown being the result of her husband's interest in Tibetan Vajrayana, which I taught at the time. Funny thing was, I quite liked her, though she exemplified (to me at least) the disparity between 'new age' intentions and emotional reality. Her dance seemed to be all about connecting with and opening to the world, her dislike of anything that didn't conform to her understanding of it seeming to all but cut her off from any connection whatsoever. She sure could move, though. I even had a go myself and had a mighty time of it, though copious amounts of alcohol probably helped. Ended up buying a car off her - nearly killed me when the brakes failed on my way to a three month retreat in the hills. She sure could move, though. Peace, ZenB

Great post, xeno Nonetheless, I'd have to disagree. If you can't find (Life) within the computer monitor you're staring at, you certainly won't find it anywhere else either. It's right..... ....here Peace, ZenB