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For clarification purposes, is that an expansion of 'Bore' or 'Boor'? (clarity being a staple of spiritual insights?) Allow me to assist, assuming its this: BORRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRING!!!!!

.....dibble post..... dubble post?

To lend a bit of impetus, and inspiration, perhaps? http://www.gratefulness.org/brotherdavid/a-good-day.htm Hava greatfull grateful weekend all!!

A practical, straightforward starter read i would recommend is "The Secret Oral Teachings" by Alexandra David-Neel (foreword by Alan Watts). It details the hows and whys of Tantra as it is transmitted from master to student in the Himalayan regions. From Watts: "...yet despite the occultist flavor of its title, The Secret Oral Teachings is the most direct, no nonsense, and down-to-earth explanation on Mahayana Buddhism which has thus far been written. Specifically, it is a wonderfully lucid account of the Madhyamika school of Buddhism.... Man may have potentialities of all kinds for the psycho-technology of clairvoyance, telekinesis, precognition, and telepathy (not to mention epipathy, catapathy, apopathy and peripathy). Power games of this kind are not, however, the concern of Tibetan Buddhism. On the contrary, the point is to realize that by virtue of what you always are, have been, and will be, there is no need whatsoever to defend yourself or prove yourself." (Sausalito, Calif. August 1967)

Do i detect a sort of contempt here, Marblehead? What does a statement like this aim to demonstrate? That your wisdom is somehow more advanced than those you have neatly boxed up above? Do you feel more holy after such an utterance? Its words like these, and those who say them, that causes such divisiveness in the world. Think about it. (and please do not attempt to dismiss it as humor, because its not. cant understand why you are not able to get over such narrow views while many others here do actually and sincerely strive to do so. ) And to make matters worse, you portray yourself as a philosophical taoist. This is a shame. Perhaps it might do you well to reassess what this term really implies, because i am certain you are not as philosophical as you want to think you are. Apologies if you took offense to this. I could be wrong of course.... maybe this is part of what philosophical Taoism imparts to its adherents, and if this is so, then i have nothing more to say.

This is what i have observed as i mingle with my spiritual friends and teachers from different traditions - and i have done observing and mingling over the last 20+ years - those who are genuine cultivators generally have around them a sense of wonderment and non-expectation, and are quite indifferent to their own well-being, for they seem to be always doing something for the welfare and benefit of others. In my opinion, these 3 states of beingness are in themselves siddhis of sorts, for without them, of what good are other powers? One has to bear in mind that most do not set out to cultivate these 3 states... it extends out from within the heart, and forms some sort of magnetic field around them, making others want to come into their presence for no apparent reason other than simply sharing in this 'glow'. Moreover, i do not believe that these 3 qualities are cultivatable in themselves, that they bloom as a sort of bonus of having a sincere and integrated path of cultivation and practice. I am willing to believe that with a sense of wonderment and non-expectation, many of the things we deem 'dull' and 'routine' and 'mundane' are, to these individuals, anything but... perhaps this is what sets them apart, and how they are able to be always grateful for the smallest surprise, or kind act from others, and ever compassionate toward the smallest hurt, anguish and pain they feel in others, which somehow, we tend to often miss, even though we like to think we are so 'spiritual', and have our eyes and chakras wide open. Perhaps, again, it is precisely the growth of these 2 qualities that enable the actualization of the third state - that of altruistic intent and actions, without which all other complementary siddhis become empty, meaningless and nullified. I suppose to a degree this observation is in accord with what Forest had mentioned, that siddhis have more to do with karma. Thank you, Cat Pillar... and welcome to TTB!

:lol: Naughty!

Hey OP.... You might find this interview quite relevant to your query - (Its an insightful interview for anyone who wants to understand the concept of Dzogchen practice from a learned and credible source) http://wearebuddhamind.blogspot.com/2009/10/tulku-urgyen-rinpoche-interview-for.html

And is this your own discovery, unique only to your own process? I agree that yoga can be quite conducive as a means to become more bodily aware, but at the same time, how does one ready the mind? The spirit? Is awareness alone sufficient to take one's life off of autopilot? Is ego the only forceful thing that drives the wheels? How did these wheels begin turning in the first instance? Were they in sync with the universal wheels at the beginning? At what point would they be regarded as out of sync? Harmony - is this a direct result of becoming more conscious that one's wheels are out of sync with the cosmic wheels? Or is it a result of realizing that personal wheels have never been out of alignment with universal ones... that the perception of misalignment is only an illusion caused by dualistic conditionings? Apologies for all the questions. Your interesting take on personal and universal karma, although quite new to me in terms of interpretation, sounds quite neat. Thanks for the time.

Where did you get the notion that the(your) wheels of karma will cease to turn? And by what means would you propose to slow it down? This sounds very interesting, hence i was wondering if you would be willing to elaborate further? Cheers.

How about starting a parallel thread entitled "Happiness - What it is not?" hehe, or "Unhappiness - What it is"...

Agreed without reservation! Nicely said, Cat. Even my puppy's puppiness takes on different shades at different times... sometimes he is all 'old dog' in his ways, and yet at other times he is all fun and games! However, i suspect that no matter what conditions are surfacing, and being experienced, one can still remain in 'one state' within. What this state is, and how it manifests, and what it means, may differ from person to person. Some would like to name this inner poise 'Equanimity', but thats only because people can be odd in the sense that they have to put restrictive labels on their discoveries, which only serves nothing more than boxing it up so for ease of recollection, mostly out of fear that they may lose the poise and not know how to rekindle it, or perhaps to enable it as a topic of conversation over dinner with friends. If only words were that effective... now, mantras, they are a different story altogether.

It is precisely because others do not perceive the difference that affords one space to be free! Not so much freedom as a destination, but the very recognition of absence of volition, and effortless, on-going mindfulness of this process, is in itself self-liberating! Wonderful stuff! Such sweetness to stand between being and non-being, neither still nor moving, with zero impedance nor need for structural support, either from self or others... perpetual potential, where one's intentions, thoughts and actions begin and end simultaneously, seamlessly, without any residual stain to soil the next one. To even describe this as 'absolute freedom' is to somehow imbue it with a hint of limitation... hence tis better to keep quiet, and go even deeper, to the coreless center. Am grateful to have found some inspiration from your experiential sharing, Mark.... thanks! Wonderful insight, yet again.

Doing all the right things may not result in happiness, rather, i think happiness can well be the cause for doing many things right.

After meditation, sometimes i feel like i am in the back seat of a Bentley Mulsanne, being driven around the place, like the countryside, or perhaps along the coast, and just leisurely watching the scenery roll by.... without any cares. After a while, i could get a whiff of an odd smell, and then notice that my new puppy have pooped, and from the comfort of the ride, i would have to get up and quickly make a grab for the poop scoop. What a return to reality! Its a celebration!! Its called dignifying Reality, without having to alter any of it one bit.

Little deaths are experienced with each cycle of the breath, so what is there to fear? Breathe in fully, then a gap forms... this gap is the momentary, empty yet essential bridge to life, the primordial one that welcomed all of us into consciousness at birth. With the end of the outbreath, another gap forms... this space is our experience with 'little deaths'. With a bit of awareness, we can become mindful of how precious the spaces are, how they add meaning to life - for without them, continuity(tantra) would not be possible. from an old cow.

A small contribution to this thread.... (the secret of staying youthful lies in the ability to serenely rest in the unseen spaces between moments, and not in seizing moments as they come and go, a practice that many seem attracted to. the wonders of all existence unfold in the illuminated gaps between thoughts, between one waking moment to the next, between one action to the next, between one world to another.... this is why it is said that the Tao that can be named is not the true Tao. Why cant it be named? Cos where it is found, the mind cannot go....) May all be forever young!!

Gaps between two thoughts become more pronounced during meditation. The noticing of this voidness often arouses fear and loathing in some practitioners at certain times, yet there will also be times when bliss and ecstasy replaces the fearful apparitions . Find some way to familiarize yourself with these empty spaces - this is a good grounding practice for your particular enquiry. Neither avert when you notice the fear, nor cling to the blissful states should they arise. Both are empty... they come out of the void, and since their nature is empty, they return to the void. You cannot be harmed by these unless you give permission to be harmed, usually through excessive post-meditative mental analysis. Understand the basis of all that arises are impermanent and non-self. When you keep this in view, there is nothing to really prevent you from going further along the path. Familiarity is vital. It leads to a kind of comfort, like when you step into your own room, you dont feel afraid or apprehensive for obvious reasons. Noticing these gaps is, in the beginning, like stepping into a strange room... it puts us on edge. But when we return to the same room again and again, the fear goes away. In the bigger picture, there is this thing about the bardo of death, which happens when we die, and according to the teachings on the bardo, what the subtle consciousness experiences at that point is also a bit similar to what you have described here, albeit in a very much heightened and much more intensive fashion. Those who are unfamiliar, or who meet death unexpectedly, will become confused and bewildered by what appears, and as a countermeasure, immediate and reflexive grasping at familiar past memories ensue, which is one way to explain the inability to escape the wheel of rebirth. So you are actually quite fortunate to get to experience such unfoldings now as these are opportunities to learn how not to be afraid in the bardos. When you can master these appearances and see their illusory nature as insubstantial, therefore cannot harm you, this sets the groundwork for you to navigate the bardos fearlessly, whereby you can then choose where and how you want to return. Of course, this is explained here not in too great a detail, so if you want to know more, a good source to get more understanding on the bardos is The Tibetan Book of the Dead, and i understand Chogyam Trungpa's commentary is very good. Here: http://www.amazon.com/Tibetan-Book-Shambala-Pocket-Classics/dp/0877736758 Another thing i want to mention is the method, or a kind of ritual that some buddhist meditators find helpful when they delve deeper into their meditation practice, and that is to keep in mind the 3 Noble Principles of meditation practice: Good in the beginning, Good in the middle, and Good in the end. Before starting your session, check your motivation. During the session, be mindful of your aspiration (for example, why do you practice? To ease your own burdens alone, or could you enlarge your compassion to include the easing of other's burdens as well? ). And then at the close of practice, dedicate whatever merit you think you have derived from the session to the welfare and happiness of all sentient beings. When your meditation is structured in this manner, there is really nothing to be worried about during your practice. Wishing you all the very best.

You say it lasts only for a day or so? Maybe its because for you its a feeling. For those who make it a Realization, or in most instances where the Realization makes them (either way applies), it goes deeper and lasts much longer. No need to get hung up on things. Should be easy for you since you recognize your unique difference from the lot of others...below your status? Hope not.

You did. Your post suggests that by putting up any or all three of the mentioned items in the house, it will be sufficient to get the buddhas and the bodhisattvas to extend their blessings and protection. I find this misleading, Gerard (apologies), because its inaccurate and too simplistic. If only negative forces can be averted merely by hanging stuff up around the house... Amulets and other protective paraphernalia have to undergo a process of being imbued with specific 'protective energies', usually by high monks, abbots or senior lamas, in order for their powers to be activated. This requires some attention to detail. The more serious the situation, the more info they need - birthdate, locale/vicinity, how the house is situated, for eg, what direction the front/back door is facing, and other nitty gritty stuff, and then they will have to select a specific date to initiate prayers to transfer the protective energy from said prayer ritual into the amulet/fu. Then, whoever made the request will have to perform certain cleansing acts on themselves before being permitted to the temple to 'invite' said amulet back to the house. Such amulets are asked to be put up very specifically at a certain time of the day and at a very specific location either within or just outside the house. Its not as simple as buying baguas, windchimes and what-have-yous from the local crystal shop and then putting them up around the house, like they do in those vampire movies where those who fear the creatures of the night hang crucifixes all over the house and on their bodies in the hope of warding these things off. If only it was this easy! Your advice could potentially land someone in some unwarranted trouble. For those who think their house could do with a boost of protection, may i suggest not to make it a DIY job... please.

Wind chimes, baguas and obsidian glass are not Buddhist amulets!

Very noble view indeed, VJ. On a relative and conceptual level, on the level of practice, yes, there is an ultimate breakthrough, but at that point of breaking through, one actually non-attains, in that one attains no thing, coupled with the realization that there is no one to attain anything... there is, however, a revelation of primordial clarity, a touching of the void.... which cannot be a final insight by virtue of its unceasing voidness and a clarity with no boundaries. There is really nothing to get in Buddhism, so many masters use the word 'attainment' cautiously and sparingly, because it can be potentially misleading. But i can understand that many Westerners are caught up with attainments, its a biggie for them. They (the masters and teachers) choose, if they can, to emphasize Non-attainment, since Buddhism is very much about deep investigations leading to wisdom which then allows the letting go of fundamental causes of suffering and attachment, rather than attaining anything. Its quite a matter of how far we are willing to relinquish clinging to what is false, and for this reason, there is no end goal, no final insight.... but endless liberation, yes, that i agree fully. Spontaneous, continual recognition of shunyata creates the cause for this endless liberation to stabilize. Its good.

And maybe it lies in the illuminated, silent, empty spaces and pauses when one word stops and before the next one rises.

In Buddhism, insights are endless, therefore it is not appropriate to say 'existence' is a wrong view. It may be incomplete, and limited, nonetheless it sets the ground for progression, as do all other realizations. 'Wrong' here suggests there is a ceiling, an ultimatum of one final, grandest Insight, of which, in Buddhism, there is none. Even the Buddha says there is a better way to catch a snake, He did not say there is a best way to do so.