Sunya

I have the strong impression that this fascinating teacher makes You feel better in An abstract realm of your mind, without affecting The quality of your life And your Health.

So deep

I'm detecting a kind of contradiction here Kyle. I found this thread and not only does it tell me that you do occasionally broadcast your realizations, but it gives us more insight on your understanding of space...

 

http://awakeningtoreality.blogspot.ca/search/label/asunthatneversets

 

Just as an aside, when you are in the space, you realize that thousands of thoughts can and do exist simultaneously, so I would have to disagree with the part in that post where G Goode posits that disfigured koan about only one thought can exist at a time. Perhaps to the subject in the immediate present, but "space" is beyond the subject.

 

 

I think this quote from Kyle is pretty clear on the meaning of space in Dzogchen, which like the term 'mirror is used as a symbol or metaphor, not as a literal description which would only lead to formless state.

 

 

'Space' is merely a metaphor for awakened wisdom. Like space is unconditioned, unproduced, vast, open, clear, pure, unborn, undying, unadulterated, unassailable etc. awakened wisdom is like that. Emptiness is like that.

 

Emptiness in Dzogchen and Madhyamaka are exactly the same (so it would actually be inaccurate to say there's two differing philosophical uses): lack of inherency, freedom from extremes, illusory, unfindability. Everything is 100% empty in Dzogchen and in Madhyamaka. Emptiness allows for process and dynamism, if things existed inherently they'd be dead, stagnant, the basis (gzhi) wouldn't be able to display itself, there would be no possibility for awakening.

 

Dependent origination in Dzogchen and Madhyamaka both apply to the 12 Nidanas. Dzogchen (unlike Madhyamaka) has both (i) afflicted dependent origination; which applies to the structuring of ignorance (Skt. avidyā, Tib. ma rig pa) and, (ii) unafflicted dependent origination; i.e. lhun grub which is known in vidyā (Tib. rig pa). Lhun grub, which means 'not made by anyone', is spontaneous natural formation (autopoiesis), which is truly self-origination.

 

Dharmakāya is the epitome of emptiness, but also signifies the condition of a Buddha. It is a total freedom from extremes so we cannot say it is the 'fundamental nature of being as awareness', if dharmakāya was 'being' it would be conditioned, so free from extremes.

Parinirvana means non-returning to the rounds of rebirth, absolute cessation. Not sure where you get the idea that it means one has reached the highest wisdom. Who is this 'one who reaches highest wisdom?'

 

This seems more like hinayana view, rather than mahayana. In mahayana it isn't understood that the mindstream ceases completely, ever, but that may be a goal in hinayana. Certainly is not a goal in mahayana, at least based on what I've read and heard

 

 

Who is this 'one who reaches highest wisdom?'

 

From Walpola Rahula's What the Buddha Taught: "If there is no Self, no Atman, who realizes Nirvana? Before we go on to Nirvana, let us ask the question: Who thinks now, if there is no Self? We have seen earlier that it is the thought that thinks, that there is no thinker behind the thought. In the same way, it is wisdom (panna), realization, that realizes. There is no other self behind the realization."

TI,

 

 

 

Well, there are so many conginitive dissonant ideas in your post, that I may be once again just wasting my time talking to you.

 

This is just a friendly discussion. There's no need to take things personally.

Also, the quote you used does not say anything which supports what you say. You're reading too much into it based on your expectations and experiences, which is why I suggested a teacher, but of course it's your life and you don't have to listen to me.

"To penetrate the light is not to realize the cause of the light." It says so in the footnotes of the pdf you linked to, since you do not believe me.

 

Also from http://dharmafarer.org/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/19.7-Nimitta-piya.pdf

 

 

 

According to the Upakkilesa Sutta (M 128), when Anuruddha complains about his inability to

progress—when “light and the vision of forms”28 arise in his meditation, he simply let them cease—but

the Buddha advises that he “should penetrate the sign” (nimitta paivijjhitabba), that is, he should

know or master it.29 The Sutta’s Commentary explains this phrase as taṁ vo kāraṇaṁ jānitabbaṁ (“the

reason should be known”)

 

 

"To penetrate the light means to actually submerge in the light " Nowhere is this suggested in the sutta. If you disagree, please show the exact sentence where this is implied.

 

Vipassana is the practice of penetration, and in fact this language is used quite often by vipassana teachers, such as Mahasi Sayadaw. The goal is to penetrate the object, whether that's the nimitta or any other phenomena. To try to merge with the object is jhana meditation, but this in and of itself will not lead to liberation. Anyway, see this thread where Daniel Ingram talks about this http://www.dharmaoverground.org/web/guest/discussion/-/message_boards/message/283675

 

 

That link you quoted for learning about nimittas is just a piece of crap, written by a non-practitioner who has poor understanding of the factors and events. Radical interpretations of what Buddha really meant don't interest me.

 

You're saying Venerable Bhikkhu Sona, abbot of the Birken Forest Monastery is a non-practitioner who is full of crap? And where is the radical interpretation?

 

 

Vispassana is a practice, it is not a cause (as you stated). You do not 'directly see vispassana', you see something. You see the light with great clarity. It is not seeing with the eyes, it is seeing with third-eye sight or from the very clear clean crisp space which lies above, near the crown in the center of the head.

 

I did not say vipassana is a cause. I said " to penetrate the light (the nimitta) means to directly see, or realize the cause of, which is vipassana." Vipassana is the practice of seeing the cause, gaining knowledge of, clearly seeing, etc. phenomena. You see the light with great clarity, but that's jhana. If you see the light and penetrate it, that means you see that the light is impermanent (made up of smaller moments of light which cause the next moment of light) and lacks inherency, thus penetrating the object to see its true nature. This is vipassana.

 

 

In the meantime, I recommend reading:

"Mindfulness, Bliss and Beyond" - Ajahn Brahm

"Focused and Fearless" - Shaila Catherine

"The Attention Revolution" - Alan Wallace

"Wonders of the Natural Mind" - Tenzin Wangyal

 

Yes, these are good books. If you're interested in vipassana, Shaila Catherine's Wisdom Wide and Deep is quite good.

 

In both Ajan Brahm's and Shaila Catherine's books, the nimitta is used as an object to enter jhana, so if that's your goal, that's great and I do not mean to discourage you. I am only saying that the Buddha did not gain enlightenment by focusing on the nimitta and entering jhana. That's all.

 

Hi,

I'm so excited! I found a passage where the Buddha tells the story of how he became enlightened.

 

What I find exciting about it is that Buddha worked on obtaining his enlightenment. He worked with the Light and the Visions. Through trial and error, he gradually learned how to make the Light and the Visions remain. He learned how to penetrate the Light. The Light!!! (now I'm once again mad at AYP for parroting so many times that the Light is just scenery and should be ignored). Oh well..

 

I also ask myself, if Buddha got enlightened by working hard, analysing and finally determining the factors that caused the Light and the Visions to remain, then why isn't everyone using this method?

 

 

I think the clincher might be that in order to see the Light and Visions, one must have the "divine eye" developed sufficiently. Right now, I equate the 'divine eye' with the third eye. I get the visions and I see the Light. I just didn't realize that they are the key to enlightenment and that one has to learn, by themselves, exactly how to make them remain.

 

Perhaps I am lucky that I see the Light and the Visions, but then I have spent many years developing the third eye and if you'd ask me how it is done, I would simply say, location location location.. When you withdraw your consciousness starting from the area between the brow and then go back into the center of the head (after the body has fallen away), at a certain layer or frequency of consciousness, the visions appear. The area is about 1 1/2 inches behind the brow. Then, if you pull your attention back closer to the watcher, but not all the way to the watcher, that is where the intense bright light breaks through.

 

 

 

 

 

How are you getting all this from that passage? Nowhere does it say that the Buddha 'gradually learned how to make the light and the visions remain' This is the complete opposite of what the passage suggests. The light described is also not the light you're talking about. It's the nimitta, or sign, which precedes jhana or one pointed concentration. It is a mental phenomena correlated with the breath. If you want to learn more about nimitta, see this http://www.urbandharma.org/udharma/nimitta.html and this http://simplesuttas.wordpress.com/2013/05/27/jhana-wars-pt-6-the-great-nimitta-debate/ Also, you seem to be obsessing about visions and such, when the passage is clear that the Buddha realized the cause of the nimitta and visions by analyzing his experience. When it says "the knowledge and vision arose in me:" it does not mean that the knowledge and vision of forms arose. Vision in this context means seeing clearly. See this sutta: http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn56/sn56.011.than.html Also, to penetrate the light (the nimitta) means to directly see, or realize the cause of, which is vipassana.

 

IMO you would really benefit from finding a teacher to guide you since you are mixing too many different ideas which are not very useful. If you are interested in jhana/vipassana meditation, a Theravada teacher can be of use. You can also contact Daniel Ingram directly for guidance on the Dharma Overground forum. He's an expert in both jhana and vipassana and is an authorizd teacher in the Mahasi Sayadaw lineage. If you're interested in Dzogchen, then it's best to find a teacher in a Dzogchen lineage. But learning from various passages and books and creating your own interpretations will only cause confusion.

What's with the hostility GrandmasterP? Thusness is not a guru and isn't selling anything. You're making baseless assumptions. The lingo here is standard dharma talk. If there's something you don't understand, you can simply ask. But coming in here and acting this way is pretty disrespectful

 

As far as I know Lhundrup (Presence is Spontaneously Perfected) is only discussed , introduced and actualized in dzogchen via thogal and yangti methodology.

How did he came to know about this aspect without the practice of dzogchen ?

Not even the hindu sages of the past who practiced self-enquiry and such came this far .

All Buddhist paths lead at least to realization of clarity. What makes Buddhist paths unique is the emptiness aspect (kadag)

That's xabirs site, and he does post stuff about Malcolm sometimes :-P

Unless you've tried Tapatalk, you won't know just how good it is on a mobile device. The interface is really good and preferable to the mobile version of this forum. Every other forum that I frequent supports it so I can access them all using the Tapatalk app. I really like its features where you can easily see all threads you've participated in and see updates, so it saves a lot of time when browsing. Anyway, it should only take 5 minutes to install the plugin and it's free, so there isn't any downside to installing it.

 

Here is the link to installing it on IP Board. Very simple. http://tapatalk.com/activate_tapatalk.php?plugin=ipb

Bump.

 

Sean, please enable Tapatalk plugin on here

I loved this anime, season 1 much more than season 2. Really fun watch!

Got a message from Sean that he will have a look at tapatalk

 

Any word back? This would be awesome. I use my Android phone more often than my computer these days and would love to browse this forum on Tapatalk.

I am considering saving up pennies to get a translation of Shantideva's Boddhisattva path. Thing is...there are several translations and I don't know which one is the best. Can anyone tell me the pros and cons of each version? Or what they liked about the one they have (or don't and wish they'd gotten a different one)?

 

I recommend getting this book - A Flash of Lightning in the Dark of Night: A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life by Dalai Lama -- It's not just a translation (although the text is included) but also a commentary by one of the greatest Buddhist masters of our time.

Fricke and Madgison made Baraka, and the -quatsi trilogy, and their movies have no dialogue

 

if you have never seen baraka, look the trailer up for it and watch it.. then stream it or rent it or pirate it or view it by any means necessary!

 

http://www.spiritofbaraka.com/samsara-trailer-available-to-watch-online

 

Can't wait.

 

I love Baraka. Simply wonderful.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.spotlightsix.zentimer&hl=en

 

I was looking for a meditation timer and came upon Insight Timer. There's a free version, but I got the paid version to support the developers. It includes some nice sounds of tibetan singing bowls which go off after the alotted time. You can also create interval bells too, like a 5 minute warning bell to tell you that time is almost up. It's not only a timer, but it keeps track of your meditation history and gives you statistics. You can also see who is meditating at the same time as you, which is nice... kind of like a virtual sangha

good post Steve

I do not feel anything or think about my ethnicity, nationality, religion. The particular religion I was born into, well the members consider the religion to be an ethnicity, so even if you do not believe in the religion, "you're always one of us." I greatly dislike this thinking. It's very tribal. I just don't understand it. I also do not feel any pride in being American. I'm sure I would be just as happy and free being Swiss, Canadian, or Portuguese.

If you need a quote from any sutra or bible to understand the role and existence of higher beings in our lives, then I think you haven't gone deep enough into your meditations.

 

There's no dharma secrets that aren't written down in a sutra. It's all there. If you can't find it, it's not part of Buddhism. You can believe your revelatory hallucinations if you wish, but don't ascribe them to be dharma.

there is a lot of shamanism in Buddhism

 

to differentiate between shamanism and Buddhism would be to indulge in the buddhist sin of "differentiation"

 

There is no such "sin" in Buddhism.

 

as i said before, i suggest you examine Buddhism at a much more deeper level..

 

Please quote a sutra which says that gods control our lives.

Funny.. you study buddhism and yet you don't know about the gods who pull the strings of our everyday lives?

 

i suggest you study further..

 

No, Buddhism says nothing about gods pulling the strings. Our karma is what's pulling the strings. You're making Buddhism out to be some primitive shamanistic polytheistic religion.

a human birth is nothing compared to a birth of a god..

 

stop regurgitating buddhist liners endlessly.. just because a teacher say something is good doesn't mean it is good for everyone and all situations..

 

for eg, if the gods determine that our current world is too full of sin and it needs to experience Armageddon in order to cleanse this world of sin, does this mean the gods are evil?

 

Use your innate wisdom to analyze things for once.

 

So where are these invisible gods that control the fate of our world? Have you actually experienced one of them outside of your imagination? Why talk about these hypothetical gods and how great they are, yet downplaying your own existence as a human?

I will leave you with this one thought. All of the Buddha's and Bodisatvas in the Heavens, including my own master, Chi Tien Da Shun (Monkey God) have not made a single move to prevent thousands (probably millions) of lives being lost for as long as they have been Gods with ultimate power to save life with compassion, when they could have done. WHY?

 

Because we create our own karma, so not even the Buddha with his infinite compassion could save everyone. We have to create the causes for liberation ourselves. The Buddha can only show us the way.

 

 

I've argued the other side of this, but I understand it. Take the difference between an Eastern 'saint' and a Western one. As I understand the Eastern saint doesn't try to do good

 

By "Eastern saint" do you mean Taoist? This is certainly not true for a Buddhist saint.

we are all born to suffer...It is just a part of life and has gone on like that since the very beginning. No one can change this and to try and change this is to corrupt the world.

 

Actually there is a way to live without suffering, and that's what the Buddhadharma is all about.

 

Amongst millions of life, which species do you think makes up the CONCEPT of compassion?

 

Compassion is not a concept. It is a naturally arising motivating force which is there once the sentient being realizes they are not separate from other beings.

Any old fool can have compassion and think they are doing good, but a wise person can see beyond compassion and all of the human labels that we make of good and bad etc. and see that the world is ruled by letting things take their course and by not interfering.

 

Ohh, I see. Suffering is not bad then. Got it. Very deep. The word you're looking for is apathy. I guess every selfish teenager is enlightened?

The Buddha became enlightened and a god only by the grace of the Jade Emperor. Remember Immortals are enlightened and have developed their divine power when they were alive, their spirits having left their bodies when they died became immortal. The Buddha did not develop his divine power when alive, so when he died he was given divine power by the Jade Emperor. The Buddha may have been 'awake' to some things, but not to others.

 

 

Well, you're going to have to talk to the Hindus about that. They think Buddha was an avatar of Vishnu. Maybe Vishnu made a deal with the Jade Emporer?

 

Those that are enlightened sit in silence and allow the world to follow its own course, they never interfere, not unless they really have to!!!

 

Those who are truly enlightened have great compassion for the world and act to help others. Sitting in silence does not help anyone, except the blissed out fool who think he's enlightened.