yabyum24

. Based on what you said above I can only conclude that you've overlooked the subtleties and purpose of Buddhist view and practice.

Seriously not even worth answering that. As of now, you're on ignore.

Some distracting background noise but it can't destroy the beauty of the music...

Rabenballade

Take up residence in a massive, artificial hollowed out volcano, recruit a vast army of obedient drones and acquire a white cat to stroke, in preparation for taking over the world.

And relish that moment as a certain suited Englishman falls prisoner. "Ah Mieeester Bond! A pleasure to meet you at last - shame you must now die!"

Only John Chang or Obi Wan could stop me.

Well that's comforting in a way to hear. I have one particular very persistent and powerful thought pattern that at times flares up so powerfully that it almost takes over and I'm unable to focus on anything else for the duration of the flare up. Its been a bit disconcerting to realize that this happens on its own and I have no control over it.

I can relate to that.

Most people can see how certain situations engender certain responses but what also happens though is - in the absence of any external triggers - the mind still throws stuff up.

It's like the mind can't deal with the "sensory deprivation" of desire/aversion. It's the mind's MSG and it always needs more.

It's the affirmation, contraction and solidifying of a "self" within these responses which seems to provide the 'kick'. That's what brought us here in the first place, so I guess we shouldn't be so surprised.

Yeah, we're on thin ice there

[in Christian terms, I would also say that God = Emptiness and that I am a child of God, but discussing that (and describing it that way) would only lead to even greater confusion for the readers of this thread.]

I very much agree with this. There are different ways of explaining it - different words but I've often considered god = paramashiva = tao = dharmakaya. The further the light falls from that point, the more it refracts as diverse lights and colours in the multiple lenses of world religions and ultimately in each one of us.

I'll second that steve.

The point is that her type of experience may very well be more common among practitioners of various traditions, even those of traditional and neo-Advaita; by extension many people in ordinary life could very well encounter these same experiences, but due to clinging and views of inherency, they do not penetrate further.

Well, that's an big assumption regarding the OP. I would say that any unified experience is only possible when clinging and views are discarded. The extent may vary from case to case but how can anyone be sure that a non-Buddhist can't attain liberation?

If you are using Buddhist views to counter views you impute on others, then you are still clinging to views.

The point was to show that non-buddhists (you recall I mentioned Krishnamurti, right?) can have certain experiences that are similar to, but nonetheless, falling short of penetrating to the direct experiential realization of anatta.

Well, Buddhists themselves can have a range of experiences too. There is no definitive check list we can hold up and evaluate people off against. The attempt is doomed from the outset as we have the inadequate medium of language with which to define it. I would think that many Buddhists would count themselves lucky to have gone as far as she has.

Buddhardharma completely undermines both eternalism and annihilationism.

And which of the two was the lady allegedly positing? I don't know what the point was of trying to prove that she wasn't "enlightened" from a Buddhist POV.

Correct.

Well, that's pretty clear.

Having taken refuge and considering oneself a "Buddhist practitioner for over 25 years" does not necessarily mean an individual is engaging in the view of buddhardharma.

And you have evidently decided that I do not engage in the view of Buddhadharma (your definition) and am therefore a "non-practitioner".

 

Hardly, as it's self-evident in your posts. Anyone, who are themselves not biased towards buddhadharma, can see this.

It's not self-evident at all. You have already accused me of such things too - that I am a "non-practitioner", "Realist" and other such stuff, when I took refuge and have been a Buddhist practitioner for over 25 years.

You are very quick to accuse people in this way, without even bothering to establish the facts.

No, not all Gelugpas are Shugden practitioners.

Aye, that's true.

Interesting lady and obviously some very deep insight.

I'm a Gelugpa. I have no problem with it.

A Shugdenite?

Like, How come some folks have pix presented ,, ummm, full blown and others ( mine) are always in thumbnail ?

The only way I've found to get around that is to use an external image hoster like tumblr.com. Get an account and put some piccies onto it. Then copy the image location and paste it into your post. Best done in HTML view (top left hand switch) to see if the code is correct.

There may be other (more direct) ways but I'm not aware of them.

What I mean is that sometimes I'll be sitting there minding my own business and strong thoughts, feelings, desires, ect... arise and seemingly out of nowhere.

They arise habitually for your entertainment, nutriment and continuation.

If you want freedom from servitude to them, you will need to actually witness their true nature which is the stress of self-grasping. At the same time as this discovery occurs, the way of their release will manifest to you, as will the fact that you do not own them - they are not-self (anatta).

Being aware of them is a good first step. It may be depressing to acknowledge them, but at least you are not just reacting, like a puppet whose strings are being pulled.

Elves and Clint Eastwood both rock (but in different ways)

Looks like it works! Thanks Stosh. Until now I only thought it was possible by using an external URL.

Go to bottom of posting box , hit more reply options , hit choose files , browse your computer , find the pic , hit right click SELECT, then hit add to post and hit submit reply , make sure the data amount isnt too big. if it is resize the pic in windows or such to make a presentable file size,,, Im no computer wiz , so if you still have a difficulty ask Bagua Kicks ass or someone else who is for better directions.

Well, I'd never heard of John Chang before I came here. There's a ton of stuff on energy cultivation which I still don't understand, so perhaps over time (by osmosis) it'll seep in

Looks like some needless nit-picking has derailed this thread.

The right view is to seek motivation in the knowledge that stress can end, and follow the right path towards that. This is refuge.

Nicely said CT.

To teach only dhukka and the cessation of dhukka.

Or: "Very good, Anuradha. Very good. Both formerly & now, it is only stress that I describe, and the cessation of stress."

Perhaps my favourite sentence in the whole cannon. With it, a myriad of extraneous stuff is washed away - it cuts to the core of experiential release - as also described in Mahamudra and Spanda Shaivism. It's essentially the same process, as there is only your own subjective mind which can taste release when all is said and done.

The depth and profundity varies, but the essence of unbinding is captured in that very sentence.

P.S. I also covered this topic in my PPF thread.

all conditions for rebirth in the three realms i.e. samsara, have been eradicated.

That's clear enough.