Capital

And you're sure there was no bias on the part of the journalist? Often, verifying whatever you wish to prove correct in journalism is simply a matter of only providing certain sources and comparing them in a particular way. You would probably be able to find just as well-made articles that say exactly the opposite.

I'm not saying that most astrologists aren't probably BSing, but don't you think that in a universe where energy permeates and cycles constantly the positioning of giant spheres of matter (matter being energy) might perhaps affect us little humans? Other animals are powerfully affected by the shifts of the moon and sun, and most likely other 'stars' as well, so what makes us humans so imperiously unaffected?

Bump!

All the contradictions will get to you, especially if you came on this site in order to try to understand energy use. They got to me at first, until I realized that getting 'energy' isn't really important to me. I'd rather I never get a lick of energy ability, if it's not naturally along my path. Meditation should be an opening up and a loosening, not a grasping. If you have to concentrate to feel it, then you're making it up. Every intuitive truth I've ever felt came at moments when I wasn't trying.

Also, to the original poster, I think you need to accept your fear and laugh with it. When weird shit happens during meditation, I go with the flow. The time I didn't, which I posted a thread about when I first joined, I felt tired and drained for days afterward.

@Tao99 - The quote you highlighted in red by Vajrahridaya (I can't type that name so many times... ) seems to say that Ralis' interpretation was simplistic and black and white. It wasn't an attack unless taken as one. Ralis seems to take every statement Vajrah says as an attack in the posts I've seen (and he then responds with all the emotion of an abused victim), whether I can find said attack in the context or not.

This has led me to the conclusion, perhaps too black and white itself, that Ralis (and SotDE) is the primary instigator in most of these arguments.

This seemed logical from what I've read in quite a few threads, but I didn't read through the many other threads hosting the same arguments again and again, so I don't know enough to be fully objective; regardless, I should stop casting judgment. In this very thread, I didn't read any page but the last couple; worse, my response was one made in foolish frustration at the fighting that seems to spawn from nothing more than a misinterpreted line here or there.

EDIT:

Tao99, if the following quote is the quote you took as 'an attack', then perhaps it is misinterpreting more than just a line here or there. Nothing, nothing in that post is offensive, unless you have a skin as thin as that which covers a baby's scalp.

Actually this is something that every Buddhist does, is take refuge in the Buddha/Dharma/Sangha, or the triple jewel. It is considered the life line for Buddhists. But, that doesn't mean that all other beings are damned. Everyone will reap the fruits of their efforts. Even someone who takes refuge, but does not follow the dharma and only pays lip service will only reap the fruits of their efforts.

 

When we Buddhists take refuge in the Buddha, we are basically taking refuge in the faith that we can become just like the Buddha, so it's not that he saves us in the magical sense that Christianity poses that Christ is the son of God and that we are to worship him but we will never be like him.

 

We understand that when we focus on the Buddha and all his virtues that our mind becomes like that of the Buddha, like that which we focus upon. Of course this happens for real Christians as well, as many of the autobiographies of the saints talk about if you read them they talk about becoming one with Christ.

 

Anyway, we more like realize that same potential within ourselves and actualize it by keeping the company of those that are like minded and follow the same path to the same goal as us, so this is inspiring and keeps our mind focused in the right direction. We also read the teachings of the Buddha which is a whole assortment of methodology for how to become a Buddha ourselves. It's not a doctrine of blind faith, or metaphors, like the NT which is very, very short compared to the teachings of the Buddha.

 

We realize that we are not punished in any way, but we just reap the fruits of our actions, which is interesting because Jesus say's this in the Bible, that we reap what we sow. We just don't blame anybody, not even God for our existence. We see that we are reaping the fruit of our own past lives in this life, not as punishment, as karma is not good or bad as Dwai say's, but is merely action and reaction, cause and effect.

 

For instance, it could be good for someone to go to jail after committing a crime, because if not, that person might continue to commit the crime, making more bad karma and that person might not be given a chance to think about the consequences of their actions. So, it's all perspective, as it doesn't have to be seen as punishment, but rather a time to contemplate and re-direct ones mind and focus in life, then when they get out of jail, they have an entirely different state of mind and their life takes on a new direction.

 

It's really perspective and understanding really. Nothing is as it seems and what things seem to be is generally how we are making them seem through our own conception.

 

----

 

[The part to Ralis]

 

Depends on your perspective. I was born with the karma of having a yogically inclined mother, so this was a great help for me in my life. At the same time I grew up quite poor so I didn't have many of the monetary advantages. So, both are due to the response of past lives. Your view only works if one were to think one was just born. I know that I was born many, many times in different circumstances. I was never really born per say, I just go through different manifestations of the cause and effect chain.

 

To me, it seems that you have decided to look at it in this way, so you experience the information in that way. But, I don't see it like this at all. I don't find this perspective very helpful.

 

It doesn't answer why bad things happen to good people and why good people sometimes do bad things. Why good things happen to bad people, and why people are born in the situations they are born into. If you want to accept chaotic nihilism, that's your choice. I don't find this helpful at all. Nor do I find this the truth through both introspection and consideration of life as a whole, I see that everyone reaps what they sow in a complicated manor. Rinpoche talks about this, how a circumstance can leave seeds of primary conditions that don't come to fruition until the appropriate secondary conditions are ripe for the primary condition to manifest it's fruit.

 

Tainted existence is merely a perspective. Yes, there are positive and negative polarities, there is night and day, yes our body can get hurt or feel pleasure, it's a paradox. We are born into this world due to causes and conditions. If you see things as inherently liberated, that's on a deeper dimension of vision through Rigpa. But, this is merely the non-dual vision, that does not take away the facts of duality.

 

From a certain perspective Ralis... if your body is so pure, why does it get hurt? There are realms that you can take birth in where your body cannot get hurt, where you can manifest your thoughts desire instantaneously without having to put forth the work and effort that you have to in this realm. If you have no taints in your body or mind karma, why are you born in this realm? Why do you suffer?

 

Your teacher believes in karma and see's that yes, for the most part, we are born with dualistic vision, because we are reaping the fruits of past lives. How do you see this teaching?

 

It seems to me that you are interpreting things in very simplistic black and white ways. Your not seeing the grey.

They don't seem to want to say anything profound without money being involved... That's enough for me to say peace and goodbye.

I feel it important to mention that I am certainly no Buddhist. Neither am I a true Taoist, to be honest. I simply don't know enough to call myself either.

My interruptions in these constant fights have been mostly on Vajrahridaya's "side" because in each thread that I've read, he has simply posted an opinion, and you (Ralis and theSofDE) attack him again and again simply because his opinion differs.

I think if Karma is a reality, which I don't insist on or insist against, as I have no say in the workings of nature, then you are reaping in bad karma with your nasty thoughts and responses. It is repugnant to see apparently grown adults become so very passionately angry on an internet forum that is supposed to discuss (primarily, not as a rule) Taoism, a religion of compassionate moderation.

EDIT: Funny how Peace and Love changed to War and Peace, eh TheSongsofDistantEarth...?

I guess you think that if one takes teachings from Norbu, then one should follow the party line and not think. I think and question everything. You write with no heart or feeling for the human condition. By putting me down, you show your true self. Heartless!

ralis

 

...What? If I have seen anyone putting someone down, it has been you. To do so as constantly as you do, and then to blame the very person who you've been putting down for putting you down is simply saddening. You think and question everything? Think and question yourself and your defensive, enraged responses then.

Mixing the first two gives a wonderfully dynamic sound, in my opinion.

Good post, Vajrahridaya. I think that once your stalkers read that post, they may actually be forced to comprehend what you're writing, as it was quite clear.

I was going to say something similar last night, but I didn't feel that I had the experience to negate someone's comments about Qigong practice, as I'm an absolute beginner.

I will say that I think it is silly that every one of those rules ends in 'dangerous' or some other negative. It's the kind of fear-mongering that harms any practice far worse than breaking any of those rules will.

You can't meditate being constantly afraid that 'your doing it wrong!'

The idea of anything being unchanging and eternal seems contradictory to all I've heard about Buddhism on this site.

Don't take my word for it, as this is only a paraphrase from a book I read, but if you aren't holding your tongue up to the roof of your mouth during meditation, I heard it can cause very bad things to happen with your head and neck when the energy first rushes through the far more sensitive energetic areas in those two places.

For some reason, what you said reminded me of that, and that could be important, you know?

You question seems odd to me, as 'Practicing awareness', in my book, should never include something to 'do', because you are then creating expectations.

To be truly aware of yourself, you have to stop hiding from yourself, but that isn't really an action. It's more of a cessation of one.

That doesn't imply 'bringing down' the mental walls around you. That would involve a nasty crash. Instead, you merely stop building them; time will eventually see them crumble naturally.

I'd like to mention that capitalizing words does not add emphasis. Italics and bold-font should be used for such things. ALL CAPS is shouting, and it should only be used in the English language if one is meaning to shout.

Perhaps it is because I spent most of my online-forum time on a forum that was very strict on literary standards, but capitalizing every word really gets to me.

Honestly, though, if one needs to shout when they aren't even talking face-to-face with someone (i.e. the lovely internets that we are communicating on), then they need to reflect on some anger.

EDIT: I cannot speak for threads before I arrived, but in those that I've read that have recently come up, you and Ralis have been the instigators...

I must say, I laughed.

How many threads have you derailed, my angsty friends?

Forget your arguments, for you are bringing much stress to the whole board with your thread-stalking and contests of dogma.

I know I have little right to say anything, as I have not been here long, but the constant fighting is ridiculous. Let each other be free to feel as he/she may. Both Taoism and Buddhism preach dispassion towards both praise and ridicule.

No one around me meditates. No one believes in inherent energy. It's either Christianity or post-Christianity Atheism/Agnosticism with everyone I meet.

It was only due to weed, quite honestly, that I ever realized how silly my own post-Christianity Atheism was. Just because the majority of those in the Judeo-Christian sects are narrow-minded and hateful of the unknown doesn't mean that 'god' is instantly a lost cause for me.

I started meditating, out of the blue, while under the effects of cannabinoids; I made some of my most deep-felt acceptances of nature under the same effects.

To be clear, I agree that marijuana (and any drug with ranging hallucinogenic effects) are not needed for meditation, and certainly do cloud perceptions- and increase fear and paranoia needlessly, but I would also say that for those of us with no possible connections to anything esoteric perhaps a mind-altering substance is quite needed.

Congratulations! If you are 23, that means you came into legal drinking age about the same time that the global consumer economy danced the Victory Dance before imploding in 2008. You will never see a return to the consumer economy of Hummers and Black Angus and easy credit. You are now living a life in the death spiral of capitalism. Good timing!

Haha, I turned eighteen in 2008... What a good time to become an adult in America, eh?

-------

@ Original Poster

Do what the above posters describe if you have the will for it. Perhaps you will find your ability to 'overcome death'.

So the lion deserves compassion, has "Buddha Nature" (I only put this in quotes because I have not even a simplistic understanding of what it means), and suffers, but does not 'understand' like a human, so it cannot reach liberation?

What separates the man from the animal, and allows us to forget our original nature as animals? What is the Buddhist opinion on the evolution of creatures? What controls the movements of souls from one class of being to the next, and how did enlightenment occur before our species had the ability to think with our monkey minds?

Now, this is somewhat unrelated, but I thought it was cool. Isn't it interesting how at times creatures were so much larger than they are in today's time? Giant Ground Sloth.

Today's sloths don't even compare, but they are apparently from a similar Order. Someone please explain how that is even possible!

Do lions suffer, Vajrahridaya? From a Buddhist point of view, or at least your specific Buddhist point of view, can an animal suffer?

I asked this question to a cow once. It said "MU"

 

Good enough for me.

 

The cow says "Mu"

The dog says "bark."

The pig squeals and oinks.

The human can say all of these things, if it wants.

Then again, so could the parrot.

magic of the game

does not reside in the game

but in its player

EDIT:

Rather,

Magic of the game

resides not just in the game

but in its players

An alternative option, and the option many seem to take, is being completely secret about everything that is fundamental, yet pulling fools in with 'detailed (usually wrong) directions' on how to do the powerful and obtuse.

I cannot say that I have never pondered on the depths of what a being can experience, but I'd much rather have abundant direction on the basics and the theory than a how-to-do on Telekinesis.

I must be in the minority here with this opinion, but I think psychic powers are awesome, and attaining psychic powers is one of the reasons why I got interested in meditation to begin with. *insert statement about not getting attached*

 

What kind of irks me is how people bring up the topic of psychic powers but in the same sentence tell you don't worry about it.

 

It's like when a friend comes up to you and says, "hey, you know.... uh, nevermind."

 

And you're like, "what is it? Tell me."

 

And they say, "oh no, never mind. It's nothing, don't worry about it."

 

And you're like, "well now I want to know."

 

And they respond, "it's not a big deal, just forget about it."

 

They SAY it's not a big deal, but they are really just drawing your attention to it.

 

It's even WORSE when you hear people say, "yeah, I have psychic powers, but I don't want to show you because you won't believe me/it'll freak you out/some other excuse."

 

Maybe I'm just not advanced enough to understand.

That was quite beautiful. It helps one to realize that emotions are far purer than our conditioned mind when one sees them so clearly in an animal like the elephant.

Also, to see the first breaths... I wonder how that elephant breathed before it had access to the air.

Hmm, the following is my opinion on the matter.

There 'is' not a creator, because 'is' is a form of 'to be' and... that's really already too far.

Once something 'is', it has already been created, and that means it is as illusory and waning as everything else.

Even stars and solar systems and galaxies come to an end. The universe will, I feel, and then it will perhaps be created again.

Do not take me too seriously. They say one only speaks who understands little.