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Mr Gauss... This is a forum for spiritual practitioners - i sense that the majority of the members here do not give in to fear-mongering so easily, if at all. What judgement and karma are you speaking about here? Have you not realized in all your wisdom that such things only affect mindstreams which are ensnared by past guilt and future uncertainties? Those who can fully abide in the present, and those who choose to remain present as much as they can with full awareness are not bound by judgement and karma. Such forces only come into play when there are associations made with past guilty thoughts/intent/words/actions, which all loosely fall under the term Karma, which simply translates as Action, and not reprisals and atonement of sins as some would ignorantly believe. Its our actions now that determine where we will be tomorrow. Thats the gist of the lesson of Karma. What we all do in this present decides where/what we land on in the future. What has happened in the past remains in the past, and cannot harm. Its poison only takes effect when the mind swings backwards and forwards all the time, so in order to transcend this samsaric mode, the more practical teachings of the more practical schools would encourage its students to live in the present as much as possible. This is one of the reasons why remaining present is so crucial - when one is present, one is awake -- any mind-movements into the past, or any projections into the future knocks one off the greasy pole of reality, and it takes time and much effort to then clamber back on. You clear about this? Living in presence means living fully, gratefully, joyfully... no need for any rectification as far as i can see. In this sense, i would argue that your ideas are flawed and in some ways reminds me of you willingly throwing yourself into a pool of quicksand, and when compassionate souls try to throw you lifelines, you smile serenely at them and say you are okay, that its them who are actually in trouble. Ironical isn't it? There is no 'someone up there' Mr Gauss. Its all in your head. When you project the future (which is hope), it appears as if there is someone upstairs, with a giant lasso waiting to gather you up - alternatively, when past guilts (which is fear) surface, it feels as if there are demons below waiting to bite your butt. That is all. Nothing complicated about it. SO why do you insist on making simple things so complex? Isnt life hard enough as it is? Here, have a break and listen to this song, there is a message in there somewhere for you: ps- never crossed my mind you were insulting at all. On the contrary, i find you quite pleasant and even mannerly, so no worries there.

:lol: Are you trying to scare the kids again, Mr Gauss? Most members here have years and years of cultivation mileage behind them, so if you think that your apocalyptic theories are going to hold any water, its best you give it a good re-think. Even those who are new on the cultivation scene, but who are able to exercise an average degree of discernment, would shudder and find your convoluted fire/brimstone account of whats in store for the 'sinners' a bit too 'out there', if you know what i mean. I am just flabbergasted by the things you keep pulling out of your Dafa hat, Mr Gauss. No disrespect, but i think the way you go on and on about how precise FD is goes to show you have little or no respect/regard for the authentic traditions/experience that other members here belong/have. This reflects clearly what sort of 'disciples' your movement churn out, and if there is anyone who cannot see this, they must surely be so ignoring the obvious. Apologies for the insistence.

Yes, i enjoyed it too. Each time i pick A7's thoughts i go away feeling invigorated. Often there is a lot of credence to what he posits. (He has many apples in his basket, and he dont mind sharing!! )

Have you seen the Japanese supernatural thriller 'Onmyoji'? If not you might find it quite interesting. Demons, Sorcerers, Magic... and Onmyodo aka The Yin Yang Master! YT trailer: Enjoy!

which way did i go? not sure that i ever left did i miss something?

Most of what you have reflected here is very sound A7. You have this unassuming knack for creating posts that makes plenty of sense Was just pondering a bit.... I think watching the process ought to be simply that - to watch how things arise and subside without resorting to analysis. I am just wondering if by asking how/why things happen would in some way obscure the mere act of mindful attention to what is in the present? Since everything is energy, as you say, perhaps it would be quite futile then to investigate the nuts and bolts of the process cos that sometimes make things more solid than they actually are. In Tantrayana, its taught that the moment arisings are seen and recognized to be without solidity, these arisings, as mind-winds, whatever form or shape they take, are instantly pacified and let go of right at the moment of noticing the mind's empty nature. It takes practice, but when distilled into habit, it can be intuited spontaneously that all what we call the world is essentially nothing but changing moments arising and ceasing by themselves. On a deeper level, actually there aren't even changing moments, but simply subtle winds stoking the mind that give rise to what we then perceive as 'Changing Moments'. Our mental involvement in trying to analyze the process may only serve to temporarily halt/hinder the luminous display of all that is. Its as if the moment we decide to think of something, then that very decision turns the mind outwards, giving rise immediately to reflections of past/future, or to put it another way, mind is born when thoughts arise. Am thinking... Is there mind when/if at each moment we allow discursive thoughts to simply come and go without latching on to them and creating 'stories' from their self-generating energetic displays? The masters seem to point to 'No Mind' - and i am really interested to fully grasp what this means. Your thoughts? (I might have misunderstood that particular aspect of your post, and if thats so, please excuse this gibberish that have been written.) Have a good day A7.

Its obvious such indoctrinated information (among many other similar distortions) must have been faithfully gleaned from the guy who is the organization's top honcho- what's his name... Liu or Li was it not, and his followers are then requested not to question the authenticity/authority/legitimacy of this guy, or else their Fa bubble would pop. ........... ............. ............. @ Mal... KK is right... it looks like you have over-reacted to Paul's words, and also misread them. No disrespect intended. Just thought that action was quite harsh. Thanks for noting.

.. repeat post ..

garbage men at five picks up what others discard lowly junk, priceless...

Hi Cat... I hope you did not take offense to my post. It was not meant to lessen the impact of(disempower?) what you had shared. Apologies if it was read that way. Of course we agree that it was indeed highest-level mastery. You alluded to harmony, while i was implying that one at his level was able to let go of the deepest attachments, seen thru the empty nature of mind, and was also immensely proficient in compartmentalizing all that was going on around him. He saw everything just the way they were, each day, each event, each pain, each interaction, each moment... unfolding, with gaps in between each, and was able to access these very subtle, profound spaces at will, and seek rest therein. Its that kind of separation that i was pointing to - Not that he was in any way dis-integrated. So yes, harmony is one way of saying it, i suppose.

A few years ago, two days before a very crucial badminton tournament, i sprained an ankle terribly during a practice session. Thought that was the end of any hope of participation in the tourney. Headed straight to see an Acupuncturist. She gave me two sessions over the two days. I did some healing on it on my own to complement the treatment, and on the morning of the match, the swelling had subsided totally and it felt normal again enough to allow participation that evening. Did not even require ankle support nor painkillers. Went on to win the game too. You mentioned that there is no division between body and mind. This made me recall an account of a lama who was in hospital for cancer. It was pretty severe, and he was on the verge of dying already. His body was almost completely overcome by the disease, so he told the doctors he did not wish for drugs to be administered anymore. Most days he was too weak to walk around, so he just stayed on the bed and did his chanting and meditation. All the staff were quite amazed at how serene he was at all times. They said it was like he had this glow around his head, even though his physical body was almost totally crippled. Some days when he felt a little strong, he would get out of his room and with a big grin, walked around the hospital ward, unaided, chatting with anyone who passes, telling naughty jokes to the nurses, made everyone laughed, and then he would visit the other patients in the ward, and ever so gently and filled with warmth, would whisper words of encouragement and love to them. He kept this up till the day he passed away. I was told that not once did he succumb to the immense pain, and on top of that, he was completely without any mental angst of any sort. I believe he was able to separate his mind from his body, and to a great degree too, .

heartfelt condolences to you and all the family, Santiago. truly feel for your loss at this difficult time. words are utterly useless in times like these. may the Angels and Beings of the Light gently cradle your son as he travels on... _/\_

Wonderful! Ime, this is a most effective tool for transforming the mind. Most times people are told to cope with things, to accept whatever happens without any judgements - while this is good, its even more powerful when we can take whatever is bugging us and absorb that into the heart. This of course is quite uncomfortable in the beginning, and goes against conventional feel-good advice and systems, but if one is truly a cultivator/alchemist, this is the pinnacle of learning how to work with inner transformation. By willing to breathe in the agony/misery/blockage/afflictive emotions, the situation where the notion of me wanting something resolved immediately vs. that which prevents ME from resolving the issue is completely dismantled. Without any energy to drive the conflict further, the situation (that which is projected from the mind) will often resolve immediately. It just needs a bit of mindful awareness not to get caught up and carried away by the distractive and discursive forces of the mind winds. When we begin to feel off, agitated, when there is mindfulness of this, we can instantly breathe that in, and once this willingness to face any demon that crops up, and actually not be afraid to welcome them as they surface, they will no longer have any room to fester in, and over time, one can see that these little buggers do not even want to show themselves, since they no longer have any fear/negativity to feed off of. There is a a very good teaching in some Mahayana schools where the intricacies of this radical approach to conflict resolution are thoroughly examined - Its called 'Lojong', or Atisha's Seven Point Mind Training. Some notes here to further clarify: http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/sutra/level3_lojong_material/general/working_emotions_deal_with_anger.html http://www.shambhalasun.com/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=1562 Youtube video: Sarva Mangalam!

No need run to the mountains SZ. The good news is, if you really understood the doctrine of Emptiness, the mountain will come to you. Better yet, you and mountain are already as one. This is not theory, and i know you are wise enough to know that its not. From a spiritual perspective, we can intuit that as we turn the mind inwards, we already are what we ideate... so, for example, if we want to be like a buddha, all we need to do is be brave enough to think, feel and act like one. It does not have to be buddha - can be any ideal that you cherish. But for convenience, since i am such a fan of the Buddha, i use that as example, if thats ok with you. In Zen there is the idea that when one is sitting, one is no different from a buddha. Have you heard this before? So where does the determined bravery come in? It comes in when we go outside into the real world, and face all these things that you have mentioned here. Of course its tough. Its tough because we dont want, or are not ready, to assume the responsibilities that come with being a buddha. We are not sensitized to that role yet, or perhaps, we choose, knowingly or unknowingly, to relinquish our warrior-heart, to surrender it under the smallest challenge, difficulty, problem, issue... you name it. The spaciousness that we nurture during moments of clarity derived from formal practice can be our armor when we step out of our 'temple' (temple - could denote a physical sanctuary, sacred space, or our own mind) and into the real world. When beset by all these seemingly problematic situations, simply connect with those moments where you were feeling all the exhilaration during those moments of clarity. If they have happened before, or when you have tasted it before, you will always know what it is, right? When things get tough, just reconnect with that spaciousness, and as Scotty said, breathe. Personally, i go even further than breathing. I make a conscious effort to breathe in the discomfort of the situation, and because i am willing to do this, immediately i find there is no longer an object 'out there' where i can direct my blame, my insecurities, my lack, or whatever else i think could be wrong with the world outside. And then i breathe out whatever i think is worthy, good, wholesome, these great ideas i have of myself, consciously, to those whom i think are making my life miserable. I have seen that in this willingness to drive all blame into me, to meet the unpleasantness headlong, real and lasting transformation can take place. Over time, the fear goes away. It goes away by the simple fact that it no longer has a victim to latch on to. And we all know the only victim is that 'voodoo doll' we create of ourselves and then stick all these needles into it, and then blame the world for our own self-cherishing misery. Hope this will create a little spark of understanding. I am no scholar, so forgive me if certain things are not conveyed the way it should have been. (Guys like Blasto are always very particular about how others put their ideas into words, so i have begun to be quite self-conscious about this. If only he would learn to be more equanimous, his life would be all the more relaxed and even his troubling tooth might become less bothersome.) No matter, i do hope you get the gist of what i am trying to get across to you. Wishing all a peaceful weekend! Sarva Mangalam!

Nei Chuan is correct. Its all about first having the right frame of mind. Then follows the correct motivation. With the correct motivation, your intent is aligned, so harmony is created. When there is harmony, whatever arises will not impede the flow, and you can remain calm and centered most of the time. I was totally celibate for nine years. You are right... after the first few months, it becomes a 'no biggie'. But then i never experienced the issues you seem to be wrestling with. So i cant say if you are right or wrong in your understandings of celibacy and its usefulness. (btw i returned to having a normal relationship, by choice, in March 2008. Any post-trauma? None.)

Gauss... It seems you have taken something very simple and turned it into a monstrous, convoluted mess. For one who has let go (or are in the process of letting go) of attachments, good and bad are seen through as without any basis. These notions exist only in your mind, and they apparently have become your over-riding concern, which, from another angle, means that they have latched on heavily to your mindstream, as illustrated by your far-reaching preaching. Might be wise to not speak of letting go of attachments until you yourself realize how frozen, how stuck, how impeded you are by your own world-view, and in the process have imprisoned your mind to that very thing that you thought was the very key to your freedom. For your own peace of mind, i would urge you to cease deluding yourself. (Btw, Buddha Shakyamuni was never persecuted. You must have confused Him with someone else.)

Through His awakening, the historical Buddha has removed Himself from the wheel of existence, no longer bound to the cycle of birth and death. Hence it would not be accurate to categorize Him as an Immortal. Years ago, i remember asking Mother, who is Taoist, similar questions. She explained that in Taoist understanding, Immortals are mostly real people who had lived virtuously, have been extremely compassionate and benevolent to king and country, and after passing, get to become venerated as such. Deities are of many varieties and have a sort of hierarchy to which they belong. Some are very lowly, like local tree/forest/hill spirits that supposedly 'protected' local villages in exchange for a 'good meal' and alcohol. (yes its true) Then they are the more sophisticated ones higher up the ladder, who sits in the various layers of heaven, earth and hell. Usually worshipped by the middle/upper middle class. These deities get their images made in factories, then every Chinese household would buy all these images and put them on numerous altars around the house, in the kitchen and even in the outside of the houses. The richer the family, the more altars they have - the more altars they have, the more deities they can afford to worship. Its not cheap, because each major deity have their own special, auspicious day of worship, and on these days people generally make huge offerings as a form of repayment for a 'higher' form of protection and blessing (as compared to the earth-bound or local spirits, who mostly only get attention from the peasant folks). Each time one of these celebratory days come around, the villages come alive with processions, song and dance, temples get clouded over with smoke from an array of large to small spiralling incense and joss sticks, and the only person in the village who does not immediately benefit from these celebrations is the local undertaker, but then, sooner or later, his turn to reap some of the commercial benefits always come, so he is not too perturbed by it all. The gods are those beings who supposedly rule over the universe, where some of their duties include maintaining the balance between light and dark. They too have their place on altars, and are deeply venerated by those who care to ponder about being taken care of in the afterlife, for its only these gods that have the power to ensure that humans are 'safe' after death. Like benefactors of the after-life, sort of. Hope this helps explain certain things in a small way, from the original Chinese perspective (not necessarily the correct one, perhaps just one of a thousand other 'mistaken' ones i think - after all, who knows for sure?)

so sad

Actually, none of the criteria you mentioned here defines what a cult really is, and yet it could be all of these and more. Its also highly doubtful that in today's world something could exist with 'no money'. If Melanie have already seen the Falun, then she would have at least understood the basic premise of what one fundamental level of spiritual cultivation entails: that it is a path that goes beyond the mere notions of upkeeping and keeping up with positive attitudes; that very often its unwise to re-act to things people say, especially over the net, and on a slightly higher level, to be able to see that spirituality is also about maintaining equanimity, and not branding some folks as good people, while others bad. If we were to reflect on a deeper level, it is really because of the 'bad' that we need to cultivate more virtue, so that someday we may perhaps rise above both, and attain to absolute non-discrimination, like the wise sages. Its obvious Melanie has yet to get a taste of this side of spirituality, so for you to congratulate her, based simply upon her enthusiastic nature, is a bit of an oversight on your part, and goes some way to show how insincere you really are. What is the point of cultivation if we only use what we gather and share it among the good?

Most JW folks are also decent, upright people. They do good things, and practice much forbearance. Yet they too are labelled a cult. I think the determining factor is not how righteous or hideous cult-members are. When one person, or a group, takes something mainstream and conjure up a whole new set of teachings, and then telling its followers to forsake mainstream in favor of a more evolved, complete and genuine article (to include, of course, the glorification and veneration of the founder him/herself), when its obviously not that evolved, nor is it complete and certainly not genuine, then such a movement's motivation and underlying principles will definitely be scrutinized and its whole set-up be labelled dubious. Of course we can all choose to simply not pay attention to these folks, just as its become the norm to politely choose to not indulge JW callers to our doors, many of whom are very pleasant and well-mannered. They are mostly not entertained not because they are crass, evangelistic, or ill-behaved, but simply because of what they represent, which is supposedly a Higher Truth, when in truth, the Higher Truth itself, if it so speaks, does not even whisper that its Higher than any other truths.

.. double post (again..sigh ) ...

Hey Mikael... Congratulations on the job! And best of luck with it! Found a nice tea shop in Dublin, and thought this would be an apt spot to share the info: http://www.houseoftea.ie/

Dont blame you for feeling a bit snowed-under, Paul. Its amazing how easily unplugged we can be when mindfulness is left dwindling at the backs of our minds. The atmosphere here can do with a bit of re-ionizing i think. (Where is Ronnie Mahalingam, or whatever his name was? :lol: )

being multiplies disjointed, but still stable i watch the dancer....

.. triple post ..