C T

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Everything posted by C T

  1. Enlightenment and the Hermit

    The idea of enlightenment is of no concern to a hermit. Even those who spend most of their lives in retreats do not focus on enlightenment. They choose instead to live a life of clarity and non-harming, to themselves, to others and to the environment. In this way they return to total sanity, which some call Wholeness. Those who are single and who opt for this way of living would find it less complicated to adapt to such a change than say 'householders', namely those with family ties, mundane responsibilities, and jobs for example. The demands on a householder requires that his/her priorities are set right. Look after all mundane affairs mindfully, and then when all is in order, the spiritual path would have no hindrances. There is a certain auspiciousness tied in to this common sense. Some of the contemplative traditions recommend this sort of practical approach to spiritual cultivation. I know Buddhism/Hinduism/Confucianism encourages this format. My father is a Theravadin Buddhist. Born as one, and practiced as one. Daily meditations, surrender, devotion etc. Very devout. He was also a stockbroker for 35 years. One day he simply announced he was giving up the business and handing it over to my older brother, who is a qualified Accountant and working at that time as an Assistant Manager in a Financial Institution. He was given a six-month familiarization training, left his job and then assumed the role vacated by my father. He is still trading to date. Since his retirement my father became a recluse. Totally. He gave up all his little pleasurable hobbies and pursuits, and tuned out of everyday life. He has stopped leaving the house, and almost ceased to even walk around in it, preferring to stay in his study and contemplate on the Dharma and do his prayers and meditation. My mother cooks his meals (one a day) and looks after his meager needs, like once a week on Saturdays he has to make an offering of sweet black sesame custard to the holy ones, so she makes sure this is done. Other than this he asks for nothing. He is neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with his life as it is now. He is just present, as i can see it. He says he has fulfilled his responsibilities and no longer have any ties with society and owes nobody anything, hence there is little to obstruct the fulfillment of his final wish, which is to prepare himself for leaving with a clear, undistracted mind. I remember casually asking him once if enlightenment was his goal, he laughed, put his hand on shoulder, and said i am being very honorable (to him) to suggest that enlightenment is achievable. I wanted to hear more, to know what he meant, but was politely dismissed from the room. Three days later i got a mail in the post. It was a blank card save for a picture of a pippala leaf (or Bodhi tree leaf) [like this http://www.enlightenedhorsemanship.net/tag/pipal-tree/ on the front. Opening it, the words inside said, "Enlightenment is for those who seek. Would it mean anything to you if there is no seeking?" It was from him. That was the only card he ever sent me. Of course there were birthday cards and all that, but they were always sent by mother. That particular day i felt very close to my father. Such is a life of one. (Thought it might be okay to share this story here.)
  2. dropping reflection

    Nice!
  3. Surely I'm not enlightened..

    Another point to consider: There are a number of fairly stable enlightened individuals, of whom i know one or two, who can verify that the concept of enlightenment actually goes far beyond any thing one can 'do'. The idea is to let go of all value judgements: this is good/that is bad sort of mentality. If you want to bend the mind with substances, then do it, and measure the sustainability/stability of the experience, see into the experience deeply, and then transcend that. The same goes for those who suggest otherwise... look into the soberness, really be one with it, and then go past that looking, past even the oneness feeling of it. See what lies beyond. Doing/not doing the drug thing.. These calls are measurements of self-impositions. The problem is we tend not to see the restrictiveness of either stance - both are limiting ultimately, because both have a self as a reference point. According to the accepted notions surrounding 'enlightenment', it is said that in that state, the sense of small self is completely dissolved, and then what takes its place is a sense of what they call a 'Big Self', that aspect of self that is completely impersonal, or transpersonal. There is a point where all experiences, which are fleeting and transitory, will plateau out. Once that plane is accessed, all paradoxes, dichotomies, dualities will meet, they all come full-circle, and that is when everything begins to makes sense, without taking any view or position whatsoever. Its how much one can let go.. all the conditions that has been voluntarily or involuntarily acknowledged by us, drummed into our heads, and then used as criteria to measure what is fundamentally unmeasurable. No can do.
  4. Thoughts on vegetarianism?

    Very so often people tend to form the opinion that lack of optimal physical health and spiritual hunger are two holes in the same handkerchief. Naturally, due to the inherent idea that nothing is ever enough, some of us find it uneasy to live with even the tiniest feeling of lack. Hence we expend a lot of energy to compensate for this perceived lack. By doing so, we remain for always in the vicious circle of trying to find balance when none was missing. Maybe we just need to see that as time passes, there will be holes in any handkerchief, and it pays to learn to accept them, in order to see the 'wholeness' even with the perceived on-set of imperfections. Then the struggling can find a way to end itself, without us having to do anything in particular. When we do not take the view that we are the cause of the struggle, that struggle is actually its own creator, then it becomes easy to let it come and go by its own energy, without having to negate or avert it, which only tends to fuel it even more. Just have to bear in mind (i prefer the term 'mindful attention') that we are not the holes but the handkerchief, the essence of it, of which no holes can ever diminish.
  5. Of course there will be no clear comprehension without practice. Very much in agreement here. (Btw, there was no need to include your booklist. Your read too much. Whats the purpose? Life is not that complicated you know?)
  6. Haiku Chain

    :D nice input RV! Insightful indeed! beyond your front door open it, see what's not there unbeknownst essence...
  7. Surely I'm not enlightened..

    According to mystics of all traditions one of the most significant yardstick for the enlightenment experience (nothing more than a slightly more intense feeling of spaciousness, or weightlessness, much like the same feeling as when one is almost reaching a physical orgasm, although not exactly the same), is the spontaneous arising of a massive dose of compassion. An accepted measurement of one's compassion is the feeling that others are equally as important, if not more important, than oneself. The next time you get high, just bring your attention to all the misery that exists in our present quantum, and remain in this space if you can. If, while in this mode, tears of sadness begin to flow, then you would have a taste of what real 'enlightenment' is. (A good visualization is the present plight of the Pakistani people.) Hopefully, when the experience wears off, you realize you want to dedicate a part of your life to touching others' lives with joy and happiness, and by so doing, even if one person can have their misery alleviated as a direct result of your compassionate action, no matter how trivial others might think it was, then you are on the first step of the 'enlightenment' ladder. At the very least, your 'trip' would have yielded some positive outcome. Otherwise you will never be able to cease feeling that its all a trap. I hope one day you will realize its not just about the feelings, its also about what you do with them that adds meaning to the experience. (ps - what Matt said... wise words to take heed)
  8. With your level of 'intelligence' yet you found it hard to negotiate your away around this book. You also stipulated that up to a point in the reading, a physical master/guide is needed. Dont you think you are acting a little irresponsibly then by recommending it as the reference workbook for esoterica? I also think the translator/author is even more irresponsible, if that makes you feel better, in the event you might consider compensating for your lack of judgement.
  9. Haiku Chain

    flexing energies silent, wavy ebbs and flows meeting at one point...
  10. I quite agree with this actually. Nicely put. Both equally present, arising together, in varying degrees each. When one gains insight into the Continuum then the Inner meaning of the word Life is already understood to include death. Not two different states, but not one state either... fixation of views not the way to be, of course.
  11. Your Japanese is pretty good, Ms Kate! "So des' ka ne" can also mean "Aah! I see!". Or "I understand." Usually "Is that so?"/"Oh! Really?" is "So des' ka?" (ka being the questioning principle.) (was coerced into learning beginner's Japanese years ago when i had this Japanese employer who spoke very little English. Though most of my Japanese left with him when he went back to Japan! ) --- humph --- a japanese equivalent for humph? No idea! hehe ....maybe just a polite bow perhaps? Or a nod with a wink?
  12. Complexity

    Some of us prefer the simpler life, while there are others who simply thrive under pressure and shine in conflict. Gratefulness, allowing for gracious settling of the heart no matter what life throws up, is not to be confused with simplicity. It often takes an individual a lifetime of determination, heartaches and willful practice to reach the stage of 'allowing', of fully letting go, irrespective of conditions. The ends may be simple, but the means are certainly as complex as complex can be. (Sometimes i ponder about how the deadliest snakes, with the most complex venoms, are often the most strikingly [pun intended] graceful and silent. Would you say they are simple in their deadly nature, or complex in their gracefulness and silence?) The processes that lead to simplest of outcomes often require the most complex of applications of wisdom and understanding....
  13. Haiku Chain

    look again, they're gone those melon seeds in the sink where will they be born?
  14. Taoist Philosophy

    Hi MH.. Its really good to know you are not totally against the notions of allowing for the 'emptiness' aspects to play a vital role in life... Yes, the 3 pursuits may be invisible, yet their fruits can be very sweet indeed! Empty pursuits, yet completely cognizant fruition! Rings a bell? Thanks for sharing this!
  15. Haiku Chain

    out of a rabbit the last place one expects hats Magicians galore!
  16. Nondual Pointing Out Instructions

    Yes, you could be right, TaoIsFlowing! Thanks for the input. There are certainly hints of deconstruction at the onset of a spiritual sort of awakening, where insightful glimpses are first gained. (and a warm welcome to TTB! )
  17. Nondual Pointing Out Instructions

    Thanks for sharing Forest.. its really what spirituality is all about, on many levels. Nothing complicated, but at the same time work needs doing to sustain the coming and going awareness, until such time the coming, going and awareness becomes inseparable. Nice weekend everyone!
  18. Haiku Chain

    now there's no alarm one's free to roam carelessly pot the mind holes please... (oops my bad!) que sera sera my mom used to sing me this back in the old days... ... ... ... back in the old days one's free to roam carelessly pot the mind holes please!
  19. What is the source of experience?

    Those who perceive their current state is without need also brings about causes that will create the need to sustain that particular state they think they have attained, worked, and strived hard for. The need to protect and to preserve is a strong urge. That too is essentially a form of desire and craving. These feelings, according to Buddhist understanding, are not limited to craving for material possessions or the desiring of non-material things - it goes beyond that, to the understanding that any form of need has the potential (or contain the seeds) to bring about dissatisfaction, and in order to avoid the seeds from leading to a fruition of dissatisfaction, the way prescribed is to bring about the cessation of wrong views (as in seeing separation of self and other/subject and object) thru seeing directly into the nature of reality, which is the inseparability of mind and its arisings. The more one concentrates on the arisings, the more real the experience becomes. Whereupon a time will come when one becomes so caught up by the concentration on objects (the word is 'distraction') that the wisdom beneath, which is the insight that objects and mind arises in tandem as units of consciousness, becomes blurred. This is the root cause of dukkha, or unsatisfactoriness. Some want to use the word 'suffering' for dukkha, which is also correct, but has a less pleasant connotation. Not everyone accepts they are suffering, but no one can deny their life is so perfect that not a trace of unsatisfactoriness is present. So the Buddha taught that this is neither good or bad - this ability to concentrate. He suggests to practitioners to look deeply into the essence of the principle behind this ability, which, without the right seeing, ties one down to concentrating on objects of desire and being focussed on preventing 'bad' things from happening in one's life. The Buddha taught that we can learn to understand that this energy (that of one's ability to concentrate) can be transformed and then used as a tool for liberation instead of a tool for chaining one to cyclical, samsaric tendencies, thoughts and actions. Instead of concentrating on what is perceived as objects of distraction (meaning things we think are separate and outside of us), He encouraged to use the same concentrative ability for turning inwards, thru meditative practices, which, when stabilised, will lead to transcendent insights, one of which is the 'higher seeing' of the true nature of emptiness and luminosity. In the Bhikkhu Sutta, the Buddha declares, "Monks, whatsoever one stays obsessed with, that is what one is measured by". He elaborates on this: If one does not stay obsessed with form, Monks, that is not what one is measured by. Whatsoever one is not measured by, that is not how one is classified. If one does not stay obsessed with feeling/perception/fabrications, Monks, that is not what one is measured by. Whatsoever one is not measured by, that is not how one is classified. If one does not stay obsessed with consciousness, Monks, that is not what one is measured by. Whatsoever one is not measured by, that is not how one is classified. Whatever one is not measured by (meaning there is no defiling thoughts of grasping and aversion), then that is not how one is classified. In this teaching the Buddha declares that we can only measure or classify "what one is" when we obsess(concentrate) over the 5 aggregates (form, feeling, perception, fabrications and consciousness) or the diversity of experiences whereby we have the normal tendency to give it an alternate reality by assigning too much conceptual identity to the process, and this, according to some Buddhist thinkers, is what gives rise to static notions of I, Me and Mine. (The key word being static). Conversely, if we do not obsess or crave for sense gratification thru the 5 aggregates of experience, we release then our participation in the creation of false boundaries, of notions of the 'independent' being, and thus break the chains of limited and static measurements and stages of self-identification, which then leads ultimately to the dissolution of all wrong views. With the dissolution of wrong views, the positive causes or seeds of liberation and even beyond liberation are sown, leading one to the other shore, metaphorically speaking. "We all are given the keys to liberation; these are also the very same keys that unlock the gates to personal hell."
  20. no-self and free will

    Here... this blew me away, Bob! And it definitely was not in any way discouraging.. au contraire! (a friendship between Noself and Freewill) - http://www.kechara.com/support/resources/inspiration-corner/this-is-what-life-is-all-about/ (better not 'kill the Buddha' before one learns enough to step out of the wheel, i'd hazard a guess...) Good evening!
  21. What is the source of experience?

    "Desire is the root of all experiences, they arise from attention, their origin is contact, they meet in sensation; concentration is the foremost of experiences, and all experiences are mastered by being mindful; wisdom is higher than all experiences.. their essence is liberation; all experiences merge in the deathless, and conclude with nibbana." (Buddha - from the Roots discourse - Anguttara Nikaya) (was flipping thru a friend's blog and stumbled upon the above)
  22. Haiku Chain

    here, and here, and here Accupuncturist at work needles the yin nerves...
  23. Help me make a tasty stew!

    I think this tiddly-bit numbing spice you spoke of is Star Anise, Taomeow. Frequently used in chinese soups and stews, and marinades, naturally. Them Peking Spare Ribs? One of the essential spices used in marinating the ribs. (yum ) Good luck with your stewy adventures Mal! Allow me to offer a tip on appropriate herbs to use: Bay leaves, thyme and rosemary... lightly used, these herbs truly bring out the aroma and really add to the stew's character. (eg. cooking for two, i'd use 2 bay leaves in the pot and half a sprig of rosemary and/or thyme. Usually just one or the other. Sometimes both when feeling adventurous .) Another way i'd make stew is to first prep a large enough pot of vegetable and/or meat stock. Fill a large pan with all the bits you like, add two or three bay leaves and one star anise, and add water almost to the brim. (Some of my cheffing colleagues like to also add a stick of cinnamon, but i prefer not. Then with lid off, bring to the boil, and then simmer, with lid on, for about 3 to 4 hours until its reduced to about half. Use half of this half for making your stew and keep the other half, after its cooled, in the fridge for the next day's cooking. This essence can be used in curries and also for gravies too! This is the secret to any flavorsome, delicious cooking, in my experience as a Chef. Have fun!
  24. What is the source of experience?

    mmmm... them cookies sure look fine... anyways, back to the present! I think the source of mundane experiences is the sum total of all past, recollect-able memories, for without them, and without the ability to recall them, there cannot be any reference whereby one can describe experience. Safe to say that experience can never belong in the Present. Why? Because that which is being experienced in the 'now time' cannot be truly be called 'experience' while it is being experienced. Therefore, while experiencing an experience, there is actually no source of an experiencer. While one is engaged in looking at the experience, there can only be thoughts about the experience, whereby the experiencer is forgotten; likewise, when one is engaged in looking for the experiencer, there can only be thoughts of the experiencer, whereby at that point the experience is forgotten. It is not possible to look at/for both at the same time. If one examines and calls something an experience, It can only be so after the experience ends, or diminished, and some form of analysis begun from here, that a backdrop of reference is used to objectify the experience and this is what gives birth to a source. In the present there can only be a continuum of experiencing, without an experiencer. In order to discover the source of an experience, one has to break this continuum to make some kind of investigation. This investigation is what gives rise to a source (the self who experiences). Without feeling the need to investigate or analyze, what remains is simply experience experiencing experience, with no self-reference. (or something to this effect anyway) Great mind exercise though!
  25. Third Eye

    Why? If you think you are asleep with two, what makes you then think that an additional one would 'awaken' you?