steve

On 4/13/2024 at 5:43 PM, Vajra Fist said:

So what I'm asking is, where do you sit on this?

Nowhere in particular, I just sit.

🥴

On 4/13/2024 at 5:43 PM, Vajra Fist said:

Is shikantaza only something that should be practiced when you're close to kensho, or have already experienced kensho.

How does one know when or if they are close? Truth be told you are always close, as close as you are to your self. Nothing can promise success and yet it can occur anytime, anywhere, as a result of anything or nothing at all.

So why not just sit?

On 4/13/2024 at 5:43 PM, Vajra Fist said:

Or is it a viable path to enlightenment even for beginners?

Yes, a viable, simple, and accessible path for anyone but it will only be effective if you are fortunate enough to be karmically suited to the approach. The focus on different practices is understandable as we always tend to look outward as opposed to in, but the most important variable is always the practitioner. We all need different things at different times in our lives. Figuring out what that is can be elusive but I feel a quiet mind and open heart can be a more effective guide to what that is than the inner analyst. Anyone can wake up at any time for any or no reason and no one, not even the greatest master, can tell another what is needed in their practice but for that very reason, just sitting is a suitable practice for anyone, even the greenest of beginners. Arguably, the freshness of “beginner’s mind” could be an advantage for many.

For me, the moment of kenshō was completely spontaneous and unexpected and did not occur during formal practice. One of the things that came out of the experience was a realization of the contrived and artificial aspect of all practices and an insight into the true meaning and value of “just sitting.” Over time, the value of practice once again became meaningful to me and there has been a waxing and waning with respect to feeling a “need” for practice over time. Practice simply becomes life and life becomes practice.

I don't recommend using the belly button as a reference point because that can vary depending on physical build and body habitus.

Better to use the kidneys as a reference for locating ming men, at least that is how I was taught.

3 hours ago, moment said:

nature's softest cue

every moment is art

forgive yourself now!

forgive yourself now!

embrace the judgmental one

soft shadows and tears

Misunderstandings of the dzogchen and nondual teachings are often related to conflating the characteristics of the natural state with the characteristics of the practitioner. The natural state has no likes or dislikes but people do. We can approach wisdom in our lives but as long as we have a mind and body we are living in samsara and collecting karma and we will have likes and dislikes.

On 4/5/2024 at 2:18 PM, johndoe2012 said:

Great Perfection texts tend to speak of rejecting the distinction between good and bad in the sphere of one's own mind, rather than encouraging unrestricted behavior. In other words, they deal with the issue of moral relativity  in the realm of thoughts and emotions (rnam rtog) rather than activities. The identification of thoughts as either good or bad is seen as a barrier to the process of meditation mentioned earlier in which all thoughts, whatever their nature, are liberated as they arise (shar grol).

I think this quote is potentially misleading, at least in my limited experience and understanding. In receiving and studying dzogchen teachings, I've never encountered the advice to 'reject the distinction between good and bad in the sphere of my own mind' [sic]. Furthermore, we don't generally deal with thoughts in one way and actions in another. What the teachings are saying to me is that distinctions between good and bad exist in the mind and only in the mind. Such distinctions do not exist in the nature of mind which is free of all partiality. We cannot free ourselves of such distinctions through rejection or denial. As practitioners, we are naturally subject to partiality and we need to be honest with ourselves about that. On the dzogchen path, nothing is rejected and all experiences are taken onto the path. When we get a taste of the nature of mind through our practice we can get a sense of what it is like to be free of judgements and distinctions but that is not our ongoing condition with very rare exceptions. To the extent that we are able to allow the activity and reactivity of the mind to liberate spontaneously, we create no karmic traces and experience no distinction between good and bad. For most of us, this is not a continuous flow of self-liberation so we need to deal with the good, the bad, and the ugly in one way or another. 

With regards to engaging in harmful or negative actions due to a misinterpretation of these teachings it is said that the dzogchen view should be as boundless as the sky and actions should be as fine as tsampa. This means in the state of the enlightened view (that is, the nature of mind) there is no distinction between good and bad but in the actions there is only the direct manifestation of enlightened activity defined and informed by the four immeasurables - joy, compassion, unconditional love, and equanimity.

posh

Hips!

22 hours ago, Apech said:

If someone is committed of being a serial killer or a terrorist (or similar) then you are better than them.  All else is moral relativism and a pathway to hell.  

19 hours ago, thelerner said:

At the extremes most analogies break down, but in everyday life its good to stretch the mind.  

I think Luke’s experience and direction of growth are related to wisdom, in particular the wisdom of equanimity and mirror-like wisdom. This can be a very elusive and challenging idea to the mind and is an area that often leads to frustration and disagreement. During such teachings it’s very common for people to bring up the most extreme examples to test the hypothesis. I think it is helpful to recognize this subject matter as occupying the boundary between the mind which judges and the mind’s nature, which has no argument with whatever arises (mirror-like wisdom). The nature of mind does not discriminate between murderer and saint, it is beyond good and evil such that both are a part of life’s experiences. Having a full realization of these aspects of wisdom is rare and I believe Luke’s comments to be an indication of becoming a bit more familiar with inhabiting this territory.

11 hours ago, Gerard said:

So I tried the copy-paste method and it worked. In the past it wouldn't.

 

Not sure what has changed but I'm pretty sure when I inserted the Egyptian hieroglyph in another thread in The Rabbit Hole section I used IMGBB. Not allowed now? I'll use the copy-paste method as an alternative.

Nothing has changed. Glad you found a way to make it work.

11 hours ago, Gerard said:

The IMG_0876.webp tag keeps posting itself automatically even after I delete it before posting.

 

Could you fix this bug?

As best I can tell the forum settings are optimal, not sure what else I can do to improve the situation.

Sorry

This subject is close to my heart.

How do we value people, or other sentient beings for that matter?

Is it based on intelligence, productivity, attractiveness?

Is it based on how closely they are related to us or is it more transactional?

I share your conclusion that life is innately precious and any system of ranking is arbitrary and more a reflection of the judge than of those being judged.

@Gerard

Nothing has changed in the forum software.

Were you posting links or files saved on your machine?

Not all 3rd party hosting sites and file types are compatible with the forum software.

If links, please paste them here and tag me.

Thanks

PS - is it this link you are referring to from the other thread?

https://ibb.co/VJW7NLH

The host site, ibb.co, is not on the list of sites from which the forum software allows automatic image embedding. That may be the issue and cannot be changed. That said, I was able to post that image as a test and it automatically embedded. Don't know if that has to do with my level of permissions vs yours or not. I suggest you clear your browsing data and try again. Also, be a bit cautious with files hosted at ibb.co, there are reports of embedded malware in some of their hosted files.

5 hours ago, Dedicated said:

Hi Steve, can I please have access? Kindest regards, D

You should now have access. 

Enjoy

On 3/21/2024 at 12:01 AM, idiot_stimpy said:

I was reading recently whereby someone stated it was impossible to gain enlightenment without transmission from a lineage. 

 

I also saw the below posted on a Facebook group.

 

 

Is it possible to awaken without transmission? Can you wake up by reading the cheat codes in a book as opposed to learning them from a living teacher?

 

There is also the possibility of unseen help from forces that are not of this realm. I'm in two minds about the answer to this question, some perspective would be appreciated

If you look at the number of spiritual practitioners in the history of our world and the number of verified enlightened human beings, living or "dead," I think it is equally true to say "the probability of attaining enlightenment WITH the help of an enlightened master is near zero." This might belong in the Unpopular Opinions threads but it seems relevant here -

Enlightenment does not exist outside of the mind.

It is a wonderful and exciting idea that is easy to conceptualize.

It can be great for motivation, for finding security, and for defining our personal metaphysics.

There are many of us who have experiences of freedom, clarity, and opening of the heart/mind to varying degrees, and these experiences can be unbelievably profound and transformative, but it is the mind that creates and grasps at a condition or ideal of human or spiritual perfection. While we may point to this or that person, historical or living, and claim they are evidence of our idea of enlightenment, no one can know the level of attainment, or lack thereof, for anyone other than themselves.

I don't exclude the possibility that a condition, or the unconditioned, exists that may align with how some of us conceptualize "enlightenment" but I question how useful it is to objectify and grasp at such an idea as an objective or support. In the Bön dzogchen teachings, enlightenment is considered a dissolution of body, speech, and mind into the 5 elemental lights. How useful is it for me to focus on dissolving into light? So far for me, not very. While it is good to have some idea of the big picture relating to my spiritual practice, I find it far more supportive to look at my own personal condition and how that is affected by my choices and practices on a day to day basis. 

Whatever "enlightenment" may be, I do not believe that anyone or any tradition has the key, has cheat codes, or a monopoly anymore than I believe that any one of the ~ 3,000 religions of the world have had the one precise and correct concept of "god" and how to approach and commune with Her. Consequently, while teachers, teachings, and transmissions may be helpful for many, they are not exclusive, only supportive. If we choose to follow a particular tradition, I do think a personal relationship with someone experienced in the paradigm and methods is better than trying to figure it out on our own through books. We each need to find our own path in this life and I think it is useful to keep an open mind and heart and to begin to trust in the subtle inner knowledge that only comes to light when we are still, quiet, and open enough.

Here is a study on some commonly used remedies and the bibliography should be useful.

It is biased towards Western medical paradigm so take that into consideration.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7309662/

3 hours ago, NaturaNaturans said:

@steveid like to lurk around If possible

You should now have access.

Enjoy

3 hours ago, idiot_stimpy said:

So 'current events' sub forum is the place of the TTB secret society? I never knew...

It was started when feathers were getting ruffled during Covid as a way to preserve some freedom of discussion without polluting the other forums. Access available, you just need to ask. All political discussion is limited to that area. Enter at your own risk but forum rules still apply. 

The developing tangent was moved to the Current Events forum as requested -

29 minutes ago, Apech said:

 

You know what they say about people who reply to their own posts?

They’re not two?

21 hours ago, stirling said:

While "self" has gone, there is no limit to how deep non-dual perception or understanding  become, it just keeps deepening. 

I really appreciate your sharing.

I’d like to offer my perspective on the subtle point of “deepening” of “non-dual perception or understanding” fwiw. I propose that deepening, understanding, and perception are unrelated to non-duality but are related to the self, as the nature of mind is beyond all such concepts and is unimputable. What this sense of deepening of understanding and perception represents is the continual release of subtle remnants of self, which are never completely gone in this lifetime with, perhaps, very rare exception. Even when we feel free of the constraints of self, it is there in increasingly subtle forms. It is that very release of these myriad aspects of self which give rise to the equally varied experiences of awakening.

Just my $.02, ymmv.

2 hours ago, Elysium said:

Hey Mark, how did you reach the Lotus position? I can barely do half-lotus and how good I do it is a matter of question. I did notice however, that meditation quality is increased with half-lotus compared to good old cross-legged.

While waiting for Mark to respond, here are books and websites that offer guidance in stretching to achieve lotus.

One of my fav books is Becoming the Lotus by Martin Faulks.

Here is a brief video guide - 

The key is patience and perseverence.

Good luck!

16 hours ago, Nungali said:

 

Some guy asked me to do  that in a public toilet -  but I decided   ..... nah , just leave , now .

 

 

.

My “Eiffel Tower” was once in the Guinness Book of World Records!

The librarian made me take it out…

🥴

In the beginning was disorientation, my sense of "reality" was tickled by entheogens and reading Castaneda excited my spiritual curiosity. Later, the horrors of Rwanda and Yugoslavia caused me to investigate what humanity means and helped me to begin looking for purpose.

A transmission through the writings of Jiddu Krishnamurti, got me to orient - to actively turn the light around, to look at my own condition, my subjective experience and interpretation of it. To see that I need to actually do the work rather than think and talk about it. To see the primacy of my personal perception in creating reality and to investigate and ultimately broaden that into empathy based on perspective.

Anthony Demello's admonishment to WAKE UP. To be aware of my own patterns, drives, and tendency to label experience rather than open to it. To be aware in order to give oneself the possibility of choice, expressing values rather than conditioning.  

And Ramana and Nisargadatta who reminded me to continually ask 'who/what is this sense of I?' with perseverance and openness.

From the precision of attention and transformation of Daoist practice to the simple suggestion of the Bönpo to "leave it as it is."

To simply being here, sharing this path and experience with all of you and to continue to observe and learn and course correct when I stray. 

4 hours ago, Taomeow said:

 

I own a vintage scarf with the map of Paris printed on it.

If there was no difference between the map and the territory, the Eiffel Tower would be poking me in the neck. 

I once read of a koan in which the master demanded the pupil pull the Eiffel Tower [sic] out of their pocket! The pupil was enlightened on the spot.

A potentially unpopular opinion - 

There has never been, nor will there ever be, any separation in any sense between wuji, taiji, and their limitless manifestations.

All such distinctions are inaccurate yet useful for purposes of analysis and discussion.

On 3/12/2024 at 8:46 PM, NaturaNaturans said:

I have heard hunther gatheres only «worked» (hunted) for 2-4 hours daily.

I read a very powerful autobiography called The Falcon by John Tanner.

It gives a first hand account of what it was like living as a hunter gatherer in the Great Lakes region in the late 18th century.

Highly recommended.