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Apologizing for being true to your feelings? Please do not 'short change' yourself, Non.. Honesty, sorry to say, is an 'endangered' quality that many have forsaken. Without it, no amount of study, practice, or any cultivation, will lead to genuine fruition. It is one of the highest virtues, one that carries many others. If integrity were the child, honesty would be the parent. Generally speaking, just before paths become blocked, U-Turn signs show up prominently. Follow them, and you will be okay Who knows, you may have found one or two here already..

captures the moment.. waves lapping upon the shore tides wait for no man..

Aha, Mr. Songs.. Your reply has jolted my memory! You have every right to feel the way you felt when that little thing was going on, so no dispute there okay? Since its now past, might be better to drop the load off your back i think - your journey will be all the more pleasant! I agree with you - Reality IS. To say it is some 'thing' is one extreme, and to say it is no 'thing' is the other extreme. Try to grasp it, and we end up clutching at a whole bunch of meaningless words. Peace. Equally your pal, Mr Cow.

Hi there Scotty, I am really keen to hear your own views on the matter. What does the term "becoming enlightened" mean to you?Do you think that enlightenment is the pinnacle of one's quest, or there could be something more to it? Is it a goal, or a process, rather? Your thoughts? Thank you!

Dear Mr Songs, It looks to me like your comment here is as fundamental as they come. You just happen to be standing on the other bank, thats all. Naturally, we would tend to assume that standing on the one side automatically accord us the privilege of 'spitting' across at the other side, but what you do not realize is, in effect, what you are doing is spitting up over your head. I have no quarrels with you Songs, but sometimes your comments (in the form of subtle jabs) about Buddhists and their views does leave a bit of an aftertaste. (Apologies to ES for veering off-topic. I just didn't find that remark about fundamentalist Buddhists necessary or useful).

Content is their king - haha! Form is emptiness! Emptiness is form..

the cat at rest still the clock ticks for its supper the sage sleeps content

What if its not? What if its in the flour where untruth began?

Childhood memory of days spent at the priory chasing the ol' cat..

With all due respect, Blasto - this thread has helped to remind and reinforce the importance of transforming the way the mind view things, so it did not cause me any suffering. According to the teachings of the Buddha, whatever situation arises can be viewed in two ways basically. The situation itself is neither good nor bad, ugly nor beautiful, cruel nor kind. Essentially, it is the deluded mind that ascertains and projects distinctions, values, judgements and prejudices, giving rise to dualistic perceptions, which is the root cause of grasping and aversion. This in turn gives rise to dissatisfaction, creating the false notions that things are not okay in themselves, that we constantly and habitually have to 'do' this or that to 'make' things happen, thereby trapping ourselves in the illusion that we can 'will' change, and before we know it, a lifetime passes, and towards the end of it all, many are left bewildered, due to the hapless realization that they have not 'done' enough in this lifetime, hence a dissatisfactory passing into death, with the final thoughts focussed on all that is left undone, hence the 'need' for the consciousness to return for another lifetime, and another, to complete the mission, so to speak. But if the mind can be transformed, then every perception or action that is carried out can be done with pure and utter mindfulness, complete, and with closure. Hence little or no residual thoughts remain that things are 'undone'. This can be habituated, and when 'transcendent insight' permeates the mindstream, then at the end of our lives, chances are we can leave without regret, allowing then for the possibility of an auspicious rebirth in the 'higher' realms. This is my own surface interpretation of the teachings on karma and rebirth, which may or may not be shared by other Buddhists. When i first viewed the video you posted, the first question i asked myself was, what is the right way to look at this apparently debasing image? Then i thought to myself, if just one of these diners, sometime after the 'party', can recall his/her participation and have connected with it in such a way where it would generate some disgust and remorse, and then vow never to take part in such atrocious and senseless acts again, then the fish would not have 'suffered' in vain for its contribution to the whole episode, and that would indeed make the fish some kind of a 'teacher' in the process, hence my allusion that the fish was indeed a Boddhisattva. In my view, any animate or inanimate object that can wake us up, or teach us a life lesson, can be regarded as a Boddhisattva, even a pebble that gets into one's shoe, for that matter. This is my contribution anyway. If this has offended anyone, apologies.

nice... imagination child-like, almost innocent giggles make the day..

There's enough hypocrites in the world as it is. Not sure if another one's needed.. but if it was, i am sure you are well qualified.

Hey Hagar, Have you considered subtle damp rising from the floor? With windows and door shut, cant think how drafts could happen. Try sleeping in another part of the house to determine what other factors could be involved. Where i am the weather gets quite damp sometimes, and a dehumidifier helps greatly. You'll be amazed at how much moisture, which can be another cause of stiffness and chill, the dehumidifier actually removes from the air! Leaving it running in our bedroom for 2 hours could remove as much as half a litre of water! Hope you get to the root of the matter soon enough. Good luck!

To me, compassion means the quality which surfaces from within one's being when all gross and subtle defilements that is associated with apathy, cynicism, envy and greed has been removed from the individual and collective mindstream. On a relative level, any act of kindness where the 'self' is absent may also be regarded as acts of true compassion.

yank that haiku chain! flush the mind of perceptions feast on the sublime..

That's strange.. these were almost the exact same words some guy i knew used when he was told the Twin Towers were being attacked. Well, i suppose it takes all kinds.. ps - the essence of your mentality is the same essence as the mentality of those diners featured in the video.

Without seeing deeply into the true nature of your own mind, even if you met the Buddha or Chuang Tzu, you will be depressed and disappointed. When you have trained and stabilized in knowing what Mind is, even if you met the most evil person, or experience the most dire circumstance, depression and disappointment will be absent from your stream of being. I believe Jed McKenna speaks of similar things. Glad he gave you a helpful grounding, but try not to mistake the finger for the moon.

Wow, after being scripturally admonished by 'your eminence' a few posts back, i thought you were "straight" as an arrow, on the verge of arhatship, but to my amazement, now you openly declare that you participate in such serious discussions with an attitude of self-amusement! I truly hope your need for an 'amusing' fix has been met with some degree of satisfaction here.

Here is a nice little observation by Jed McKenna: "Spiritual awakening is about discovering what is true. Anything that is not about getting to the truth must be discarded. Truth isn't about knowing things - you already know too much! Its about un-knowing. Its not about becoming truer, its about un-becoming false so that all thats left is truth. If you want to become a priest, a lama, or a rabbi, or a theologian, then there's lots to learn -- tons and tons. But if you want to figure out what's true, then its a whole different process, and the last thing you need is more knowledge".

WHERE IS ENLIGHTENMENT? (a poem by Jed McKenna) Why not? Spiritual enlightenment sits next to an empty milk carton on an orange tray in a grade school cafeteria Its lying among the grass in a ditch besides a rusting hubcap Its on a button holding closed the left cuff of a somewhat important man's shirt Enlightenment can be found next to the elevator on the 4th level of an airport parking garage You can ask your dog for it but he may not give it to you... Look for it next to the pin in the pocket of the check-out girl's red vest .. but only on wednesdays.... Enlightenment is in the trunk, behind the jack You can hear it in the squeak of a hinge at the local library Its in the breeze blowing unheard thru an unseen tree... Its in the space after the exhale and before the next inhale You can find enlightenment in church in that scratch on the back of the pew in front of you You can find it in the desert just before the wind picks up again Enlightenment is.. Nothing! Delusion is the greatest wonder! Enlightenment was in your coffee cup before you poured in the coffee Now? Its in your coffee cup! 2.2 billion years before your coffee cup was created Enlightenment was in your coffee cup An hour and fifteen minutes after time swallows the universe Enlightenment will be..... in your coffee cup! You have always known where it is because its exactly where you left it How can you not return to a place you never left? You are dreaming that you are enlightened You are dreaming that you are awake The question is -- Why? The answer is -- why not?

And yet everything manifest spontaneously no need to browbeat..

Well spoken! Words that 'build' bridges of understanding.. It takes honesty, courage and integrity to admit to oversight. Rare qualities indeed.

Hey Scotty, Its very easy to get on the high horse and pass moral judgements, to determine with foggy lenses what is right and wrong, and adopt a "Holier than thou" attitude. I can understand why this is so prevalent among those who have been brought up in Christian-influenced societies. Hence i am not going to pointlessly debate on moralistic issues and how it is viewed differently in the East and West. My comments here looks as if i have attempted to portray an attitude of nonchalance and hitman-like coldness, but if we look at the teachings of Buddha, the goal (if there is one) of practice is to lead the practitioner towards transcendent insight(lhag thong in tib). Not sure if you know what this means, but i am sure the Buddhists would know (but knowing is one thing, applying it practically is another). So there are two ways to look at the atrocities of the world -- one, with tainted views, or with the view taught by the Buddha, which is with transcendent insight. Viewing things with transcended insight does not mean turning a blind eye towards the cruelties and suffering of beings. By training the mind to rediscover this form of perception within, one can act, under any circumstances, in such a way whereby there will be little or no karmic consequences for all involved. Lets take this video as an example. Lets say we were present there and decided to take action. The actions we take, no matter how just and right we deem them to be, will still be tainted and corrupted by our dualistic views of whats right and wrong, and even after the action has been performed, there will be 'seeds' or 'tendencies' that remain in our mindstream, which we will carry with us, in a dormant fashion, until we encounter another similar situation, and they will again resurface and like before, 'color' our new actions. The situation might be new, but the way we handle the 'new' situation is with 'old' thoughts. So this is how karma gets to pass on and on, like an unbreakable chain. Lets say the Buddha was there at the restaurant. You and I know that He will definitely attend to the situation without a moment's hesitation. He would probably do the same thing any normal, decent person would do, but I am certain He will act in a way where there would be no possibility for further karmic consequences for all involved. Hence the emphasis on Right Insight, if you are familiar with the tenets of the 8Fold Path. Many have mixed Christian morality with Eastern philosophy, and become confused in the process.Thats okay. But its a different thing to be mollycoddled by the teachings, the sutras and all the holy texts, hiding behind them, and getting all dogmatic and religiously judgmental. Time to get real, and understand the Teachings the way its suppose to be understood, and put the teachings into practice -- in some lineages, this is known as "Uniting the View and Conduct". One last thing.. if i were on a sinking ship, it would give me great reassurance if the skipper acted with clarity and non-attachment to his emotional response to the situation. Emphasis here on NON-ATTACHMENT TO HIS EMOTIONAL RESPONSE TO THE SITUATION. NOT detachment for the plight of his crew members and passengers, BUT ACTING in such a way for the highest good of all, and not just for some. You know something, the truth is, sadly, WE ARE on a sinking ship. And we are not yet sure how to act in a way that is for the highest good of all. So we remain hiding in our little world, with our little insights on rights and wrongs, and point fingers and toes at those that are able to see things with insightful clarity, which allows for conduct that is appropriate at all times. Have a think. Comments if you wish.

Acting out these emotional frustrations in your mind is the same, if not worse, than acting them out physically. What remains in the mind often do not offer closure, and will instead give birth to more seeds of delusion. Yes, put the fish out of its misery. Stab the chef, cut him into a 100 pieces and coat each piece with batter to be deepfried, and then shoot every single one of the diners there, and those that survive the shooting, cut off their limbs slowly, so that they die a slow death, just like the fish. And then what? Does that improve the sad state of affairs of this world? Or does it selfishly give you a false sense of satisfaction that what your idea of justice is has been fairly carried out? And these selfish, deluded ideas of yours will be perpetuated down thru the generations, just like it has been handed down to us by our previous generations, layer upon layer of stupidity, falsely leading us to believe that the world is becoming a better place for our great deluded ideas of what is right and wrong, and the exacting of justice for the wrongs that people do -- well, results are plain to see that it aint working the way we think it should have. The world is dying. Somewhere down the line, there has been a big screw-up, and people are now screaming for help. If you sincerely want to help, i suggest help yourself first, by transforming your mind, and perceiving without prejudice, without any preconceived notions, and then your actions will no longer carry any karmic consequences, thereby putting a stop to the perpetuation of suffering. IT STARTS WITH YOU AND HOW YOU TAME YOUR OWN MIND. This is the real meaning of compassion, as taught by Gautama, -- to act without the action(movement) of karma. Its the only way to transcend the wheel of samsara, the perpetuation of ignorance.

If action be needed, i would look into my own mind, and understand deeply what the term 'half dead being' and the word 'torture' really means, and to ask myself, if these concepts no longer bind me to form judgements and emotional responses based on preconceived notions, would that not uncloud and unburden the Mind? So even in the face of the the most extreme hardship and cruelty, if I am able to remain mentally clear, and without any taint of delusion, would that not allow me to then act appropriately, instead of re-acting out of sheer blindness and confusion? What would you do, if i may ask?