doc benway

Playing some music

Easy with the half-cocked accusations @Nungali I'm not a mod, did nothing but post my reply here, and I certainly did not report any of his posts. I like old3bob, regardless of our differences, and posted what I did in support of him, and the rest of us.

For what it's worth, I feel a lot of empathy for what people are going through right now regarding current events and politics. I am feeling a lot of negative emotions on a daily basis and do my best to bring it into my spiritual practice. We are living through unprecedented times and events and I wish there was a way we could offer each other more support here. Debating current and events and politics has proven not to work out well here, but perhaps there's a way we could discuss the impact they are having on us and support each other in dealing with them as effectively as possible. To some degree, I think this thread is having somewhat of a positive effect and I appreciate everyone who added their comments and the mods keeping it open so far.

yeah that stuff, whatevs. I'm not overly picky pops needle in arm

As to the OP title, "the demonic host breaking through," I read a brief and interesting article describing the mythical figures of Moloch, a Canaanite demonic deity, and Wendigo, an Algonquian demonic spirit. I don't know all that much about either but it was an interesting read, linking some of the horrors of current events to the activity and nature of these demonic figures. Both are related to the act of consumption, reminiscent of the hungry ghosts of Buddhism. Moloch is more connected to child sacrifice, the idea that children must be sacrificed and consumed to safeguard the collective. Wendigo has a more intimate and individual nature, still closely related to unbridled consumption and cannibalism.

precursor of time the truth of impermanence continuous change

I don't believe there is a correct perspective on emotions. Every individual and every tradition has a perspective. All have value and validity to varying degrees. The perspective that is most effective and useful for me depends on me, most of all. I see emotions as energy, manifesting and moving through body, speech, and mind. They are a product of many factors - physical, mental, environmental, cultural, generational, karmic, celestial, and so on. Emotions can have profound effects on, and be held or trapped in, body, speech, and mind. They affect us with or without our knowledge. The relationship to the body is easily demonstrated by the connection between emotions and illness and by the effects of physical exercise, nutrition, hormonal, elemental balance, and illness or injury on emotional states. Trauma in particular can cause deep seated and sub-conscious emotional content to be fixed in the body, in the nervous system in particular. David Bercelli's work on this is useful and interesting. The relationship to our “speech” (this can refer to our breath, our energetic states, as well as inner and outer voices and stories we tell ourselves and others), is easily seen through our recurring stories, through how our breath affects and is affected by our emotions, through how our energy level is profoundly affected by our emotional state. Dealing with emotions can take many forms - psychotherapy, dream work, body work, qigong, martial practices, drugs, art, spiritual practices, EMDR, Bercelli's trauma release exercises, etc... I work mostly with Bön Buddhist methods at this point though I have some experience using Daoist techniques as well as a form of cognitive behavioral therapy called ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy). In the Bön tradition there are three types of approaches. The Sutric approach (path of renunciation) is similar to what Krenx describes above - a combination of mindfulness and the use of various practices known as antidotes to negative emotions that primarily involve working with the mind. The second group of methods, Tantra (path of transformation), involves a variety of things - rituals, prayers, mantra, visualization, concentration, breathing, postures, and body movements can all be used to transform negative emotions into positive qualities like compassion and equanimity. Finally there is the Dzogchen approach (path of self-liberation). This path sees all of life experience as being "perfected." Meaning it is as it is (I feel a sort of divinity there) and there is nothing inherently wrong with it, almost like there is nothing inherently wrong with what happens in our dreams, or even death itself, they are simply an expression of the inner workings of body, speech, and mind and karma, causes, and conditions. In the dzogchen method, you learn how to recognize, connect with, and abide with stability in the natural state of their own mind which is open, unbounded, and clear. It is a discovery of a state of being that cannot be adequately described or defined. It is NOT anything we make happen under any particular conditions, it is not the result of anything we do, say, even understand, but it’s not hard to get a taste if you look properly and once you recognize, you need to become very familiar. The Tibetan word for meditation is gom which means to become familiar. When emotion arises, either spontaneously or by invitation, they are fully and directly experienced in body, speech, and mind without engagement of any sort, just openness and awareness. Leave it as it is! Emotions need to be fed by our engagement, or by suppression/repression, to be maintained and strengthened. If we are able to remain connected to our natural state of mind (one of my teachers refers to it as pure and perfect mind) and allow the emotions to simply be as they are, they soon run their course and "self-liberate.” This applies to positive and negative emotions alike. Feel great? It will change at some point, I promise! Feel horrible? It will change sooner or later, one way or another - this is impermanence. We all have that experience. Doing this once is generally not a permanent solution, however. They continuously return but over time they weaken and eventually liberate themselves with no effort or directed attention whatsoever. Not sure any of this will be useful to you but it's fun to write about sometimes. Good luck on your path!

There are several for me, mostly from the Bön tradition: How to Practice Dzogchen in Daily Life by Drupdra Khenpo Tsultrim Tenzin. One of the most precise and concise manuals on dzogchen. meditation I've ever encountered. Living Wisdom by Lungtok Tenpai Nyima Rinpoche is a wonderful collection of pith instructions drawn from several retreats he taught in the US before his passing. Awakening the Luminous Mind by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. This is the book that introduced me to Bön dzogchen and describes both a very accessible dzogchen practice method and a more esoteric and advanced practice. Awakening the Sacred Body by Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. This book describes core practices from the tantric series of teachings that are a great support for daily dzogchen practice and can be used as an independent core practice by itself. Masters of the Zhang Zhung Nyengyüd by Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche is a series of teachings from 24 Bön dzogchen masters, each of whom is said to have attained the rainbow body. These are there core pith instructions given to their pupils. The Twenty-One Nails: Oral Commentaries by Yongdzing Tenzin Namdak RInpoche and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche. The 21 Nails is a series of teachings, each of which is a description of one particular characteristic of the nature of mind. Awareness and The Way to Love are two wonderful books by one of my favorite teachers, Father Anthony Demello. Finally, anything written by Jalal ad-Din Muhammad ar-Rumi. I have several collections of his poetry. Perhaps my favorite is a book of previously untranslated work along with beautiful illustrations called Rumi: Hidden Music by Maryam Mafi

His Eminence Yongdzin Tenzin Namdak Rinpoche passed into parinirvana on Thursday, June 12th. At 100 years of age, he was the most senior teacher and practitioner of Yungdrung Bön and was most authoritative living resource and lineage holder for the three paths of sutra, tantra, and dzogchen. He was instrumental in bringing Bön out of Tibet during the invasion and occupation of Tibet by Chinese forces in 1959. He fled Tibet on horseback and was shot in the thigh, sustaining a femur fracture, and imprisoned for 10 months before managing to escape and flee to Nepal. He was instrumental in establishing the two major Bön monasteries in exile, Triten Norbutse in Kathmandu, Nepal and Menri in Himachal Pradesh, India. He tirelessly dedicated his entire life to preserving the Yungdrung Bön teachings and traditions and was very dear to the entire Bönpo community. More information is available here.

just before before the instant of creation singularity?

I appreciate you spinning this off and also feel very grateful for Cobie's valuable insights. My approach to the Daodejing, and just about any other spiritual/philosophical scripture, is to treat them as personal instructions, maps or blueprints, to help guide and provide context for my own inner discovery. I don't get much out of considering them as explications of ontology. I think the Daodejing itself makes this very clear in the first chapter where the Dao is described as ineffable. What is the difference between the Dao and the One? In my opinion and experience, and as Cobie's translation suggests, they are one and the same, analogous to what Bön and Buddhist scripture refers to as the base of all which is not different from the nature of my own mind. While studying and practicing Daoist meditation about 20 years ago, I had a life and consciousness altering non-dual experience that heavily influenced my perspective and understanding of this. Again, this is valid for me and I'm not suggesting others need to adopt this perspective or allow it to influence your own personal investigation and conclusions. What is the One giving birth to Two? This for me is the arising of duality, subject/object and yin/yang differentiation. This is the arising of my mind as distinct from its objects, the nature of samsara in Bön and Buddhist parlance. This serves as the basis for comparison, for judgement, for awareness and interaction with each other and our environment, and thus the unlimited potential for manifestation, good and bad. Two giving birth to Three for me is a description of the inseparable nature of ying and yang, the eternal interplay of contrasting aspects of the duality of being. We can describe yin and we can describe yang, but what really counts is their interconnectedness, the ever changing dance of wholeness the two aspects describe. This is beautifully encapsulated by the taiji diagram and this serves as the basis for descriptions of all things being inherently perfect, something we've discussed quite a bit in another thread. Perfect referring to the completeness achieved by the balance of yin and yang as opposed to perfection in the sense of being exactly as I'd like things to be. Finally, this endless interplay of contrasting elements, of subject and object, yin and yang, of awareness and emptiness/openness (again making a personal connection to Bön teachings) allows for the arising of all possible experiences of life, the 10,000 things. In the Bön and Buddhist teachings the empty nature of things (wuji) is absolutely necessary to allow for the potential for anything to manifest. One caveat I'd like to share relates to the atemporal nature of this description. I don't believe there is any implication of conditional or sequential stages or phases. This description is independent of time and space. Each of these descriptions is always present, in each and every moment. We have limitations as beings in time and space in how we can conceptualize and communicate but the "process," the Way, does not. Anyhow, just some personal reflections on this wonderful chapter.

So that's what happened to the old Jake from State Farm! And that's why the site's anonymous! It all makes sense now.

I'm beyond impressed by Big Merla! This is one of my favorites but she's got quite a collection of covers.

Absolutely, do everything you can (and even what you think you can't) every time! Sail to Gaza, lay down under a logging truck, sit at the top of a 300 foot redwood, post angry messages anonymously online, whatever you can manage. I'm not talking about acceptance as being - abuse me and others, all is perfect, I won't resist. Acceptance is facing facts directly in order to deal with them with clarity and precision... and when necessary. Similar to wu wei - we act when we need to but that action comes from an intelligence that runs deeper than reactivity and conditioning.

I practice a method from the Tibetan tradition called the Nine Breathings of Purification. There are several variations, here is the one I use. People I've taught it to have had very positive results rather quickly. The other method I find extremely useful, especially in real time, is described in this article. This practice is also derived from the Tibetan tradition and has many variations. It's referred to as the practice of Inner Refuge. In dzogchen parlance it is a way to connect to the Nature of Mind, which is a powerful source of healing and awakening. This can be practiced formally on the cushion or informally in day to day situations. There are some other Tibetan techniques - tsa lung and trul khor, but they are too complicated for a brief instruction. Good luck!

There was so much to life, too much, more than Beaulieu could do justice to, more than any living thing could guess at or merit. She loved it all, even humans, for without the miracle of human consciousness, love for such a world would be just one more of a billion unnamed impulses. ~ Richard Powers, from Playground

I spent about 5 years working with a therapist who specialized in Acceptance Commitment Therapy developed by Stephen Hayes. A variation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is very similar to what you describe above. The first phase focuses on awareness and mindfulness. Then comes the work with acceptance as you describe. Once this foundation is there, a period of introspection begins in order to identify those core values which are most meaningful. Finally, the commitment is made to take action and make choices rooted in those core values, rather than in the transient and conditioned reactivity brought about by emotion, attachment, aversion, and so on. It was a wonderful and valuable process for me and, among other benefits, led me to focus more seriously on spiritual development.

Thanks Bob, I love my dangerous wishy washy! It reminds me of the Dharma of David...

There is an elegant Bön pith teaching I’ll paraphrase as - ~ the lesser practitioner sees their conflicts and challenges as the responsibility of another ~ the average practitioner shares responsibility ~ the advanced practitioner embraces full responsibility for every situation and decision

My opinion is that sitting cross-legged is not all that important. Others will no doubt disagree. It does have advantages but only if it is comfortable and sustainable. The primary importance of the seat is stability so that the body can fully rest with minimal tension or effort, for long periods of time with the spine and torso upright and stable. There are some energetic advantages to cross-legged postures related to containing what the Tibetans refer to as the winds. This becomes more important for energetic practices like tsa lung, trul khor, and tummo. In the tradition I follow there are many descriptions of meditation postures. Some are for basic sitting and there are others used for more advanced practices like sky-gazing, sun-gazing, tummo, and dark retreat. The basic sitting posture for practice emphasizes five points, so it's called the 5-point posture. 1 - stable seat, which can be cross legged or on a chair or bench, I often practice standing but that's another discussion 2 - upright spine and torso, this is achieved through balance and support of the seat rather than any tension 3 - chin tucked in - very slight tilting downward and pulling back of the chin to elongate the cervical spine 4 - elbows like a garuda - some space between the sides and elbows so as to open the chest and not restrict the breath 5 - hands in the mudra of equanimity - left hand rests above right, palms up, with ring fingers lightly touching the base of each ring finger

In my practice, there is no attempt to control thoughts, only to be aware of them and my relationship to them. My experience is that thoughts spontaneously arise without being invited necessarily. I have not found it possible to select or screen them before they appear in consciousness. What I can control is how much I engage with them, which affects how long they hang around. I can also control what actions I take as a result but I can't really control what shows up. I can go looking for specific trains of thought but I'm referring to those thoughts and feelings that simply show up without any particular reason or invitation. Certainly we can cultivate mental and physical discipline and this will affect what comes up as thoughts and feelings. On the other hand, I think it is impossible, at least for me, to control what arises in consciousness at any given moment. I'm curious about what it means to others to be in control of thought.

Some might not appreciate his humor but William S. Burroughs is one of my favorite authors and this adage reminds me of a satirical excerpt from his book The Place of Dead Roads. Somehow this has stuck with me since first reading the book in the mid 80s. https://genius.com/William-s-burroughs-introducing-john-stanley-hart-lyrics

There is nothing inherently wrong with things as they are. And there is nothing wrong with our reactivity, with wanting some things to be different. Problems arise for us when we are unable to accept things as they are but are unable to change them. Certainly we are free and encouraged to do what we can to change things that need to be changed but at some point we must face challenges in our lives which cannot be remediated to our satisfaction. In the "everything is perfect" approach (eg. dzogchen), the method is to face these things as they are without platitudes, without resistance, but directly, with honesty and openness; the word often used in the teachings is to face them nakedly. My teacher uses the language of "hosting" our challenges or, more precisely, hosting the sense of self who is struggling; host with a sense of openness, inner quiet, and genuine caring. In the beginning this is done under controlled circumstances, like the quiet room on the cushion. Eventually we can bring this more alive in our day to day on demand. If we can be with uncomfortable and challenging things in this way, we find they eventually become less loud, less invasive, and we begin to feel some space and freedom even in their presence. We are no longer over-identifying with that sense of self who is resisting and suffering. This is liberation, not escape. The challenges are still there but no longer command our attention and direct our actions in a dysfunctional way. This allows us far more flexibility which comes from a more grounded, clear, and creative place. A good example that practitioners can relate to is to look at what happens when we meditate in the presence of sounds or noise. In the beginning the noise can be very distracting. Our attention is repeatedly drawn away from openness (or whatever object of meditation we may be working with) and towards the sound, leading to thoughts and feelings that interfere with our practice. If we persevere, we become more familiar and stable and we find that the noise becomes less of a disturbance. It is still there but no longer interferes with our openness, focus, and stability. Eventually, the noise can become like fuel that strengthens our meditation, transforming from obstacle to support. This is a method of facing our problems directly and nakedly, giving them the time and space they need to express themselves fully in consciousness, and the time and space they need to liberate in the spaciousness of mind. This is the opposite of bypassing, in which problems are repressed, suppressed, or ignored in favor of focusing the attention on good feelings and words. Platitudes in this context are meaningless. Problems and challenges arise for us for many reasons and they need to be seen and heard, they need the time and space to express what needs to be expressed. Equally important is that they are put in proper perspective which is the role of meditation.