Sunya

I remember masturbating when I was 3. Seriously. lol Anyway.....

I came from a philosophical background, and so I used to really get excited when people mentioned 'mysticism' and 'ultimate truth' and all that exciting stuff.. then I got to practicing and got more in touch with the junk that proliferates my mind. Now, I don't really yearn so much for truth and just desire some peace. The way I see it is that seeking enlightenment is like looking for an oasis with beautiful cool crystal clear blue lake that will provide the nourishment you seek. Once you get there though, you realize that it's a lake of burning hot lava. You have no choice but to jump in because you want the nourishment, but everything that I hold to be "me" will be burned up in the process. So knowing that, I'm sort of taking my time.. dipping my toes in...

I suck at visualizing too. I recommend you get the book Essentials of Mahamudra. It's very clearly written with a gradual approach to meditation that will take you all the way to enlightenment, but it begins at the beginning so there's no reason to get dismayed. There are different options given for building concentration with visualization only being one. You can stare at something like a marble or candle. What really works for me to cut down the chatter is count my inbreaths to 10 and then repeat. On the outbreath, try to deep into a state of presence and aliveness. The best way to make progress is do to it everyday, even if it's 5 minutes. Try 5 minutes when you wake up and 5 minutes before sleep to start. It usually takes about 21 days to start a new pattern, so after 21 days it'll just be part of your routine to meditate. Then gradually you can lengthen the times. Good luck. Have no fear. Stay motivated.

Greg understands emptiness quite well. That doesn't really make much sense because I don't see the distinction. There is no discrepancy because both thoughtform and reality are concepts. There is neither an actual world out there (reality) nor an in here subjective world (thoughtform) -- both are empty concepts. The point of separating rigpa from sems is to have realization of rigpa, but then there is integration. An advanced insight is that rigpa is sems, nirvana is samsara, thoughtform is reality, etc. Aren't you like 20? I don't get why you act so cocky...

I don't want to turn this into another flamewar... but in that article he writes "Atman is Emptiness, devoid of any percepts and concepts" -- and earlier -- "...the appearance of Brahman, the ultimate reality, non-different from Atman, pure, objectless consciousness" The latter quote contradicts the first quote, because "pure" and "objectless" are concepts. They signify two distinctions. First that ultimate reality is separate from everyday reality and second that Atman is a state of pure consciousness beyond appearances or objects. The famous from the Heart Sutra "form is emptiness and emptiness is form" and also "nirvana is samsara" bridges the gap between this subtle duality that exists in the Vedic tradition. Emptiness is not a state of pure objectless consciousness like Atman, nor is emptiness an altered state at all. From Greg Goode: Emptiness is not a substance Emptiness is not a substratum or background Emptiness is not light Emptiness is not consciousness or awareness Emptiness is not the Absolute Emptiness does not exist on its own Objects do not consist of emptiness Objects do not arise from emptiness Emptiness of the "I" does not negate the "I" Emptiness is not the feeling that results when no objects are appearing to the mind Meditating on emptiness does not consist of quieting the mind (I have italicized what I perceive to be the differences between Emptiness and Atman/Brahman.

I have no clue. I'm not really into ritual, so I don't even have those.

Anyway, it really is best to work on foundational practices than worrying about transforming your physical body. Mind training is very important as well as meditative stability. This is what the first 2 cycles of the practice program focus on. I think such a gradual system is very appropriate for many people and can really bring about much faster and lasting progress than worrying about the esoteric practices without a stable platform

You didn't address any of my points and instead just backpedaled and restated your beliefs. That's fine, but I asked for evidence. Where is it? I am curious. I never said it was impossible for non-Vajrayana practitioners to attain Rainbow Body. I just said I've never heard of it. All religions talk about an immortal soul or something similar, but this is not the Vajrakaya. Anyway, for 99% of us it's a waste of time to talk about these things. Sure, it's interesting and fun and intriguing, but you won't make progress. Dzogchen isn't the best path. We have different conditions and capacities, and the best path is relative to each of us. What is best for someone else isn't best for you, so just because someone says Dzogchen is the highest and best and Rainbow Body is best is completely meaningless unless you have the capacity to practice Dzogchen.

I'm not sure where you got such ideas from. I'm not aware of any solid academic research on the topic, nor do I think there's any evidence of such people practicing it. You can believe whatever you'd like to believe though. Just because other traditions use the same words doesn't mean that they're talking about the same thing. The rainbow body is attained at the time of death where the body disappears and only the hair and nails are left, and as far as I know only Tibetans talk about this phenomenon. Tibetans talk about many different types of bodies. You can see some talked about here http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/introduction/extra_bodily_states.html lol ok. Go buy Heartdrops of Dharmakaya and practice thogal then. The full instructions are there. You'll find that nothing happens since you haven't mastered trekcho. It's a common misunderstanding to mistake skillful means for arrogance. Would you give a laptop to a 2 year old? They wouldn't know what to do with it I used to be pretty obsessed with the highest and most esoteric practices too. Then I realized it's all ego. As I told someone else in this forum, you have to realize that you will die through these practices. Nobody becomes enlightened. Nobody becomes immortal or attains rainbow body. You die because you're not real, you're a self-grasping thought-pattern. 'Body' is a figure of speech. It's not a body. It's a continuum of compassionate energy. There's no 'you' in there.

Solar meditation? Never heard that, perhaps you're talking about sky gazing. Anyway, the practice of Thogal which transforms the body into body of light is generally kept secret because rarely ever does anyone get to the level where it's even relevant. You need to master Trekcho first, which is the last practice taught in the program. Trekcho is when you practice resting in Rigpa. Most people are lucky to even get a taste of Rigpa once during their entire life, so obviously mastering the practice is difficult, but once you are resting 24/7 in Rigpa you go see a teacher personally, and they will teach you Thogal. That's generally how it works. I wouldn't worry about Thogal. Trekcho is hard enough, believe me.

Found it, really interesting. Reading it now http://www.opednews.com/articles/Noam-Chomsky-Has-Never-Se-by-Chris-Hedges-100420-466.html

I can't imagine her winning presidency if she runs (is she?) let alone being nominated by the Republican party. Many conservatives think McCain could've won if he had a different running mate. Terrible choice really... If Republicans can find a charming person to run, they might win in 2012. People don't understand economics and will probably swing to the right in '12 if a charming conservative runs (not an old guy and a dumb soccer mom). Obama is gaining popularity but that's only because he's finally addressing what this country should do to gain economic stability again. Focusing on healthcare right away was a bad choice with our deficit, two wars, and climbing unemployment. That hit him hard, even though I think a lot of people would've supported healthcare if they weren't worried about losing their job.

Thank you, and I appreciate yours as well.

Sorry then, misunderstood...

Yep. It's not a fun ride as there is nobody that becomes enlightened. There's nothing the ego will gain from any spiritual path let alone Dzogchen

But you don't listen. You hear whatever you want to hear and let go of the rest. This is from Namdrol's most recent article Dzogchen without Buddhism: Motivation does not mean mouthing words about saving all sentient beings, here it means that it is not sufficient to merely seeks one's own liberation, whether through Dzogchen or any other vehicle, one must have compassion and loving kindness as one's basis for entering practice. Dedication here means that we dedicate all our practice to others, in the usual Mahāyāna way, not necessarily with words, but with our intention, so that all others will reach the state of the adibuddha, Samantabhadra, quickly. Without these, whatever practice we are doing cannot be considered Dzogchen practice let alone Buddhist. Dzogchen without Buddhism therefore is "Ati Lite™". It may sound good, it may look good, it might have a nice package, but in the end, it has no value. It is not spiritually nourishing, it is spiritually depleting. Ati Lite™ will have the exact opposite effect of Dzogchen: instead of becoming a more open, more humble person, one will become more self-involved and afflicted. Instead of developing a broader mind, free and flexible, able to accommodate changing conditions, one will become more and more constricted, selfish and narrow. And in the end, one will have nothing worth giving to anyone. Just a friendly pointer, I suggest you read the last paragraph multiple times and see if that relates to you

The body feeds. There is no body. There is only feeding. Nom nom nom

That's really good that you have a lot of motivation for truth. Very good indeed. Think about this for a second and perhaps contemplate your real motivation: You will not attain anything. You will not become enlightened. Nobody becomes enlightened. The ego has to die, and you are the ego. You're an illusion and these 'highest levels of the highest paths' that you seek so much will kill you because they reveal truth, and you are not real. You're seeking your own funeral. Are you still so motivated for truth? Indeed. As I said in my previous post, those are completion practices. Completion practices will be taught in this program. Tummo is just one completion practice. It isn't the only one, nor the best. All tantric practices aim at working with the channels in the body to develop the central channel. When I said this program will give you all you need for enlightenment, I wasn't kidding. Enlightenment is it, you know? If there was something beyond enlightenment, then enlightenment wouldn't be enlightenment. Of course there are different 'stages' of enlightenment, but Vajrayana takes you all the way. You will learn the highest practices. Don't worry, lol. The better question is, are you ready for them? You sound like you're still in the exploration phase. That's fine, and perhaps you're not ready to commit to a path yet. This program might not be for you then. I already made that choice because this is my path. I used to screw around and I got no where. You need to commit to one path, one system to make progress. I'm not the only one that will tell you this. After you're done exploring, you'll realize you need to commit and you'll then search for the right path. Yours might not be Vajrayana. It's not for everyone. Maybe, but why? Learn from those who came before you and follow their footsteps. Systems are systems for a reason. They work. Running around like a headless chicken from system to system is a sign of ego not wisdom. Human life is too short and precious to waste time with ego games, wanting to have it all and experience it all. On a deeper level, this might be a fear of making progress so you stay on the sidelines afraid to commit. Maybe that's not you though.

I'm just curious, if you could clarify, why do you want high level systems of yoga and energy development? For what goal? And what do you mean by "how far can this program take you?" As for mixing practices, it's up to you. The first cycle is mostly mind training. The second cycle is meditation. The third cycle is tantra. For the third cycle, I wouldn't mix it with anything. It's better to focus on one system of energy development at a time. There is a clear purpose for that. Different energy systems develop different energies in different ways, so it might be counter-productive.

Don't worry about that stuff. You need to train your mind. This is what the program will focus on. Later, practices will be taught that focus on the channels and energy. You'll be taught everything to become enlightened in this program. It's quite a deal Highest tantra yoga is another name for 'completion stage' http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Completion_stage The practices in those videos are completion stage practices. You'll be taught practices with the same purpose, but I doubt they'll be as physical. First, you will be taught how to train your mind by generating the right kind of motivation and the right understanding. The people in those videos have that already, so you can't just skip the necessary preliminaries.

I understand your confusion. It can be a very complex topic, especially Tibetan Buddhism. Your best bet is to pick up a book such as Beginner's Guide to Tibetan Buddhism by Bruce Newman and Introduction to Tibetan Buddhism by John Powers -- both can be found cheap used on Amazon. The first one doesn't cover the history of Tibetan Buddhism and each branch like the second one, but the first one is great because it's written by a Western Lama. The second book is more academic. If you only get one, i'd get the first one. There is no best branch. They're all the same really. As for how to practice and who to learn from, this online program is quite perfect really. It starts at the basics and moves up gradually, and there will be teachers there to communicate with. It's run by Chokyi Nyima Rinpoche who is a very well known Tibetan teacher. If you sincerely want to learn and practice Tibetan Buddhism, I would really recommend this online program.

Yep. I'm hungry. Eat for me.

It would be appreciated if you could respond with a little more of thought out response and an actual rebuttal with content rather than an authoritative denial. The Dzogchen view is the same as the view of Madhyamaka which is the same as the view that the Buddha taught. The emphasis is different, but the views are the same. You should read Small Boat, Great Mountain for a dialogue between Theravada and Dzogchen. I didn't say I didn't like it. It's not relevant. There's a reason Tibetans focus on compassion and wisdom and rarely talk about the esoteric stuff. It can turn into an ego wank very easily. Perhaps because you said Dzogchen supersedes all views, and right there in that article Namdrol points out that Dzogchen has the same view as Mahayana.

What does primordial purity mean? You say these words as if everybody understands them. What does pure mean? It has many different meanings for people. Purity in Dzogchen means untainted by concepts, so primordial purity is just the Dzogchen way of saying emptiness. Dzogchen views do not supersede 'lower' views because they have the same views but through different perspectives. There is much more to Dzogchen than esoteric practices that transform the body. That's advanced stuff and isn't relevant to us at all. First you realize and stabilize Rigpa, which is a term that many people mistake for something beyond other Buddhist schools. It's not. All Buddhist schools aim for Rigpa because Rigpa is the natural state of being and the recognition and realization of emptiness. As for dependent origination and Dzogchen, you can read this article if you'd like: Dzogchen, Rigpa and Dependent Origination Dependent origination and emptiness are realizations of the way things are, so I guess yeah it has to do with esoteric practices that liberate the body. Dependent origination also has to do with taking a piss and drinking coffee.