stefos

Hi everyone, Non-duality is one thing..............Atheism vs. Theism another. -In Tibetan Buddhism, Dzogchen which is the non-dual essence of each one of us, is considered as non-Buddhist by different sects in Tibetan Buddhism! Mahamudra or the non-dual state found in non Bonpo/Nyingma schools, in Tibetan Buddhist circles, is not considered "non-Buddhist." -What the Buddha taught, or is perpetrated as having taught in the Pali texts, is a state beyond the conditioned consciousness or the state of unconditioned consciousness.......This sounds identical with Advaita Vedanta any way you slice it. So now to speak about Christianity and it's mystical bent, which was IN Christianity from the beginning anyway: The New Testament records Jesus as saying "I am in the Father and the Father is in me." The Holy Spirit is described as the Paraclete or in Greek= "one who stands aside/with another" The Holy Spirit is God, not an angel or deva or a Will O' the Wisp thing. Paul said "God's Spirit has become one with your spirit making you children of God." So, that's our bible and not Stefos's bent about the bible.....Read it for yourselves.......I rest my case. God bless you, Stefos

Look man..... The book of Revelation was written AFTER the Tanakh brother.......C'mon man. Also, You aren't even speaking about the Septuagint!.........WHY???? Job is probably older than most of Genesis and the Septuagint adds a paragraph beyond where the Masoretic text stops! Furthermore, Genesis is composed of multiple books.....How do I know? Genesis/Beresheis says so. Stefos out......More to come

I have a concern for your well being too: This particular "Buddhist" forum is inundated with people who are mostly Tibetan Buddhist practitioners and who, I would say, have no in depth knowledge of Theravada meditation or of Jhanic states nor of the use of Kasinas, etc. Essentially, they've Deified Tibetan Buddhism higher than God! LOL Be careful of posting here..........No one on this particular sub-forum could give me an in depth understanding of the approach of the Theras but they have minimized it, due to Tibetan Buddhist bias. You've been forewarned.....ahahaha.....seriously. Stefos

Hi everyone, I've been agonizing to get this out but must. There seems to be in Buddhist circles, an Atheism which states: No Ishvara No Self as in a fixed static self Now, What the Buddha actually taught FULLY no one will really know because a tape recorder wasn't there to catch his words. Today however we have dogmatic "Buddhists" who have made up a ton of various beliefs around what the Buddha taught & said. Some of these said "Buddhist" schools believe in praying to Amitabha Buddha for salvation, much like a Christian would to Jesus. Very weird in fact and not found in the earliest Buddhist writings, the Pali canon. I revert back to my original understanding which is: I believe that the Buddha did mention a transcendent state called Nibbana. I believe that the Buddha did understand that "we are composed of parts & these parts being impermanent aren't the real us" per se. I also believe that the Buddha understood Nibbana to be an aspect of Brahman, which is to say Nibbana is the release of the personal "self." In Buddhism, if there is no substratum which allows for the momentary fusion of atoms & quarks occur, then all discussion about "Enlightenment" "Nibbana" "various states of consciousness" become nothing but stupid verbal alphabet soup. Comments? Stefos

Hi Turtle Shell, Some of my thoughts regarding the mysteries: Lesser & Greater, per se, of course. The ancient Pagan traditions differentiated between the two: The qualifications of the lesser & greater differed. Having said the above...... Rudolf Steiner's Anthroposophy still is around actually. Freemasonry also which has it's roots in the hermetic thought of the enlightenment, still exists. In Freemasonry, one is never approached about it.....One asks a Freemason regarding Freemasonry. only. In some places in the U.S., Freemasonry is being advertised on the radio & television.....This is wrong. My two cents, Stefos

I will....Thank you! That is a wonderful idea! There is a Drikung Kagyu Lama that I'm aware of.......In Massachusetts. I will call him & talk with him regarding Mahamudra, Dzogchen & Jhanic states! Be well, Stefos

Thank you. I still need to speak with a Theravada monk! One should not be ignorant (Referring to myself) of the most ancient expression of Buddhism around. Let's see what they say. Stefos

Please forgive me....I was NOT slamming you sir. I was only explaining some things that I've discovered and to share on the thread. That's all.....No insults meant to you! Stefos

Look man: If you read "The Two Babylons" you will come to an IMMEDIATE understanding between modern Catholicism being an amalgamation of Pagan concepts & Biblical Christianity.....The 2 are not the same. Also, When you look at the "mystery cults," most of the happened AFTER Jesus showed up, not before. Now, In Genesis, a primeval promise was made about the serpent killing a man by biting him in the heel.... This is found in world myth over & over with modifications: Thor & the Midgard serpent, Achilles tendon, Osiris & Thoth, etc. My understanding and point is that when something is repeated over & over again in one, two, three cultures....It's probably true at a particular point. Ex. The Great Flood: EVERY ancient cultures roots mentions a flood & some mention 8 people surviving it too just like Genesis! Native American nations mention a canoe with 8 people.........No, Christians & Jews didn't tell them about it! Giants living with men: Ancient culture spoke about giants as well: Greek, Norse, Indian, Mesopotamian myths. Genesis states that "The Nephilim were on the earth both before AND after the flood!" So these events would be easily transmitted orally. See? Stefos

Hey man, It goes like this: Lord Jesus Christ in the New Testament has a gematric value of 888. The Beasts number is 666 Damascus's gematric value is 444 I'm not talking numerology....I'm talking gematria......Completely different actually! Stefos

Turtle shell, That's a good one man! Right on, Stefos P.S. Here is something for everyone: The Holy of Holies in the Temple of Soloman was a perfect cube. If one unfolds the cube to 2 dimensions, it becomes a cross composed of 6 squares having a measurement of 20 by 20 which can be inferred as a "40" per se. Numbers in the bible almost always point to spiritual gems... Ex. 6 = short of Godhood.....number of man 7 = Divine completion/fulness 5 = Grace 4 = Entire World 40= testing, trial, temptation (Each particular instance in the Bible gives one the proper context) Now, Superimpose a human body upon that cross and where the ark of the covenant is, the heart of the human would be also! To push the point further: Before & During the Temple of Solomon, the High Priest would have a Breastplate with 12 gems that had the 12 tribes of Israel on each one, set on a gold plate which was placed over the HIgh Priests heart area of his chest. The Urim and Thummin were actually placed underneath the Breastplate, over the High Priests heart...the bible says. Think about this........

Look brother, I don't really know why you posted this...........I'm not elevating Sri Lanka above any other Theravadin "nationality", be they Thai or Burmese or wherever else they may be found. I'm interested in Theravadin teachings & perspective at this point in time. I choose not to participate in this discussion anymore. I will examine things further & come to my own conclusions. Thank you for posting & for your kindness! Stefos

Hey Brother/Sister, This is a TERRIBLE video & Racist as well........"an upper hand on the white boys?" "Ghetto tales from the dark side?"..............These clowns don't know what they're talking about. Come on man. Stefos

A salient & subtle point is being missed: The "is-ness or Am-ness" of God always & everywhere. What do I mean? This: God is..............God is motion in rest.......Love reposing in Love......Whether Active or Passive, the "is-ness" abides. Boehme's Aurora speaks of this. We tend to think of "rest" as cessation of physical labor or Love as an emotion. Rest is relying upon God who IS..........Love is God manifested in gross manifestation & as inner qualities/states. "I swore in my wrath: They will not enter my rest" Hebrews "Therefore, there remains a rest for the people of God" Hebrews Biblical Christianity is spirit & spirit intermingling: God & man and then on a continual "personal" and subsequent "corporate" level....Not the hierarchies seen today. As Paul is recorded as saying "God does not dwell in temples made with human hands nor does he have need of human hands to serve him.." Book of Acts.............Sure changes one's perspective about "Modern Christiantiy" now doesn't it. Biblical Christianity is not denominational Christianity and is actually the antithesis of it. Stefos

Hi everyone, I thank you for your participation. I appreciate your insights but beg to differ. Sectarianism is alive & well, even from the Dzogchen standpoint! Moot point. Be Well! Stefos

Hi everyone, Here's something: Non-duality in Genesis! God & Adam & Eve.......1st Non-Duality Adam & Eve being called "Adam"...........2nd Non-Duality Non-duality in the New Testament! "Before the foundation of the world, we were in Christ" "Before the foundation of the world, The lamb of God was slain" As Jacob Boehme would say "God is Love reposing in Love"

To me it's no "trouble" to view what the Theras teach. Nor do I deny what ChNN teaches either! The point is: Do these 2 coincide? Are the Theras teaching something older & thus more truer to Buddha's actual words? Dzogchen says: "Essence = Emptiness" "Clarity = Unimpeded mental contact" "Energy = Thoughts/emotions & the state of no thoughts/emotions" Jhanic experience seems to say the same thing BUT I must investigate this further. So, I am visiting a Sri Lankan Theravada monk on 9/9 (U.S.Date) to ask deep & fundamental questions. Thank you! The main problem sir, is "What actually is REAL Buddhadharma?" I'm not denying people's experiences or experience but that experience can also be merely a rung on the ladder! So, Theravada states one Ultimate, Dzogchen states another Ultimate.....Do these 2 coincide? If not, Someone somewhere must be suspect, not to mention that the Pali texts are part of the tradition of the Theras & not the pre-schism Sangha!

Hi everyone, I own a black & white copy of William Law's "The works of Jacob Boehme." I was struck by how different Christian Theosophy: Hermeticism, Alchemical thought, Kabbalah & Christianity are from Blavatsky's Thesophy & Rudolf Steiner's Theosophy/Anthroposophy. I would what you, the reader, think about this. Also, I wonder if any groups exist which teach Christian Theosophy as found in Boehme & in works like "Opus Magnum Cabbalisticum et Theosophicum" or whatever the title particularly is. Stefos

Hi, Thanks for posting! I appreciate it. Hmmm...I think that by & large you are right in regards to Boehme & Georg Weller's worldviews per se. I DO believe that Rosicrucian groups with legitimate ties exist but they are very secretive & probably selective as well! Your thoughts? Stefos P.S. What Boehme saw, he said, everyone could see/experience. It wasn't a closed phenomenon!

Hi Seth, Well, here's what I currently understand sir: 1. Boehme used the alchemical/hermetic understanding of his day to convey spiritual truth & truths. Steiner spoke plainly as it were. 2. Blavatsky's Theosophy was heavily Anti-Christian. Period. She didn't want Christianity but did talk about the "Christos" and even then extremely rarely. Steiner's Theosophy acknowledges Christ & Jesus but distinguishes the "Christ" as being a spirit who was "separate" per se than Jesus. He didn't deny that Jesus was a spirit, only that the Christ being became one with Jesus. Boehme embraces & expresses Jesus Christ, God/man, as the reconciler between God & man and that Jesus was & is God. 3. Boehme spoke by & large of Sophia or Wisdom as being integrally part of God's very fabric. Steiner did also. 4. Boehme mentions a "virginic state" (I'm not quoting directly but this IS the intent) in which God thru Christ desires to bring man & the entire cosmos back to......A spiritual, psychological & physical state. The analogy is that of Adam & Eve being virgins in the garden with a truly moral & upright mind, heart & spirit as well being unsullied by Sin & a sin based/"terror of God if I sin"based mindset. In this last statement, Non-duality is hid.....Why "hid?" because God made Adam/Eve & Adam/Eve was called Adam and they, being, one & being identified as non-dual by the scripture: "He named/called Adam & Eve Adam" had a larger Non-duality which hid them: God & Humans being one & the cosmos being one in an unfallen state. Steiner's viewpoint is different than Boehme's in this expression & terminology as well. That's my insight & understanding for what it's worth. It's interesting to note that in the Pre-Fall state of man, there was no 10 commandments, just 1 in the Garden/Orchard. Even in Noah's life, there were no 10 commandments either! Think about this. Stefos P.S. Jacob Boehme is not an "easy read" by any stretch of the imagination.....rough reading man, rougher than Steiner, if you ask me!

See, you don't know me, nor understand my motives. I'll briefly explain my thoughts to you first: 1. I believe in ultimate & relative reality.....this is a fact 2. The ultimate reality is only 1, not 2 or 3 or 5 billion which is to say that reality IS God (non-conceptually speaking...raw "God" as it were for lack of more refined expression at the moment. 3. I believe that God expressed & expresses God's self always using people, nature, spiritual beings like Mamos & nature spirits, etc. & Buddhas. 4. I believe that Shakyamuni Buddha was used by God to express reality to his immediate culture in their particular way. 5. Enlightenment is knowing God, not emptiness only, as some buddhists (Theras) would say, nor "emptiness & energy" only (Vajrayanists) would express, nor just "emptiness, & energy & clarity" (Dzogchenpas) would express. In the final view, Since Shakyamuni's teachings are not fundamentally known, logically a person would approach the Theras & ask them about Shakyamuni's teachings. The Theras however have been viewed upon by scholars as being only 1 sect which exists from ancient times & is therefore categorically NOT indicative of the corpus of Buddhist thought & teaching which I believe was in fact Theistic in nature to include Tantric & Dzogchen modes of consciousness. God's consciousness is not limited to "empty" or "full" or "non-dual" because when we examine nature & the universe we see colour, movement, sound, scientific laws-be they static or non-static. My motives are to be a blessing to people, no matter what faith or lack thereof (which is sad.....not blind faith mind you) and to perceive "what is happening." To me, both science & "religion" are not separate but approach reality from 2 different yet converging streams. The Pali, Chinese, Ghandaran, and Tibetan scripts were written down after Shakyamuni died and therefore do not express the sum total of his words which makes embracing the religious edifice of Buddhism a tenuous affair, while embracing Shakyamuni's intent & whatever teachings he authentically gave as being worthy of research & merit & incorporation into my life. Done....... Stefos I'm actually looking into this! Since you categorically embrace Tantra, the fact that the Buddha was taught by Upanishadic teachers who taught him yogic techniques, etc............I suggest you dig deeper into the Pali texts...my gut instinct is to say you have not studied them. Nor do I claim to be a "Buddhologist" who has studied & researched deeply although I have studied & meditated along several lines. This is not an attack on you, This is only a suggestion. Be blessed & Have a beautiful day sir. Stefos

The sum total of your post is "No shit" You are not a Buddhist otherwise you would have taken into consideration your emotional state in saying what you've stated which is overtly toned with anger. Grow up & actually practice Buddhadharma. Whatever happened to Right speech/Perfect speech for example? You are not presenting yourself properly but are emotion charged. 1. Yes, you're right. That nun was sticking to her Theravada guns for sure. I never said anything more than what she said. I'm not ignorant! 2. Yes, you're right: Come soon Lord Jesus! No, this isn't correct. The impersonal Brahman philosophy did exist before & during the time of the Buddha. The Pali Tipitaka contains many elements taken from "Hindu" sources: A. Pranayama B. Cosmological view: Earth, Wind, Water, Fire, Akasa (ETC.) C. The Buddhas 2 teachers prior to his enlightenment were yogis who knew the vedas and understood the jhanas. Having stated the above, there are no immediate sources of what the Buddha said, only the Pali Tipitaka which was written 500 years after Shakyamuni died and in which great divisions & controversies over what he taught sprung up (24 schools period, etc.) leading to the existence of modern Theravada & Mahayana. This is not true because your definition of "flexibility" is syncretism which is to say: Wherever you teach Buddhadharma, combine it with the local gods/goddesses & regional spirits of the land and it's all cool, no problems. Shakyamuni would have probably said "Why are you telling the people lies by combining things into what I taught?" Either Shakyamuni believed in an Ultimate deity or not, Either the noble 8 fold path is right or not, etc. etc. Incidentally, THIS is how & why Christianity has so many different denominations: Syncretism & "The traditions of men" tacked on to what Jesus & the New Testament letters state! So, it's not a closed phenomenon to Buddhist circles as the Ch'an did the same in China with the mixing of Daoism & Buddhadharma. I don't care about what the Thai, Burmese, Cambodian, Vietnamese, Sri Lankans, etc. do outside of the actual Buddhadharma itself as of deep importance although I do care about why it exists, I really care about Buddhadharma as it was taught by Shakyamuni himself alone! Thank you....... The Buddha taught one thing and not the various flavorings of Buddhist syncretism found all over the modern Buddhist world today. Stefos

You say that as a tantric Buddhist........Not found in Pali texts......Hence your bias Besides, in Dzogchen "guru yoga' is not the teacher it's the primordial nature First off, I'm not nor ever was "bashing" anyone. However the way you address "Geezus" is demeaning to the person. Right? Why can't you just type "Yeshua" or "Yehoshua" what his name actually was? I'm simply stating: Early Buddhism, Mahayana, Vajrayana, Mahamudra/Dzogchen are not the same. Why can't you understand that? People are trying to reconcile all of them & you can't. I spoke with a Theravada nun & she said that "Vajrayana is Buddhism with Hinduism mixed in." There you go! Case in point. Why not? What bad did Jesus do? None We don't live in a bubble world anymore. What Jesus taught was being reconciled to God and God was described by Jesus as his Father. In early Buddhism, Nibbana = Brahman can definitely be viewed as God the Father Impersonal: I believe that Buddha Shakyamuni believed in Brahman = Nibbana & NOT Brahma = Nibbana or Vishnu = Nibbana or Shiva = Nibbana. I have no problems viewing what little, I believe, Shakyamuni actually taught in the Pali texts as being in sympathy with biblical Christianity, not "denominational" Christianity, which is a watering down & Pagan amalgamation into & of biblical Christianity. Mahayana, Tantric Buddhism, Mahamudra/Dzogchen came later. I also believe that there were indeed tantric teachings taught by Shakyamuni to people openly but who knows what actually happened historically? Were you there? For example: The Buddha spoke of "Winds" tearing his insides, head and entire body upon the stopping of the breath of the nose/mouth and then he mentions closing the eyes and ears also with similar results. This is Prana, Kumbhaka & Rechaka and a particular Mudra which is about "closing the 10 apertures" respectively and the Buddha knew it & practiced it, it would clearly appear. And finally, No one truly knows what Shakyamuni truly fully taught because the earliest records, just like the Jains are lost. If we examine the Pali texts & the Vimuttimagga/Visuddhimagga, we see that Kasinas, Jhanas and other things are mentioned & taught. Tibetans know nothing about these things....Why? Zen practitioners don't....Why? Is there way superior vs. the Pali inferior? Hinayana is not synonymous with Theravada only nor is Mahayana synonymous with Zen/Ch'an/Pure Land Buddhism only. Not the same. Bye bye, Stefos

The TRUE statements to make are these: What did the Buddha actually teach? Period. If that isn't nailed down ANY so called "Dharma" can be pushed as "Buddhist." NONSENSE..... Did the Mahasiddhas attain something? Perhaps...probably as I saw bands of color near someone and I never saw them before or since. The issue is "Where did the Mahasiddhas get their information from in order to "attain" what they did?" What's the source? By the way, don't tell me Milarepa got it from Marpa who got it from Tilopa. Go back further....sorry, it's not good enough for me. Lastly, Chogyal Namkhai Norbu can absolutely be duped...He himself stated he's not enlightened., Longchenpa can absolutely be deceived and Guru Padmasambhava could have been deceived also. My last statement reiterates what I've said all along: First, which is to say of primarily importance: What did Shakyamuni Buddha actually teach? All other so called "Buddhist Dharma" must be put to Shakyamuni's litmus test FIRST. I don't deny subtle energy channels or chakras or koshas. I DO completely question the validity of what I've read about another spiritually "attained" person. Anything can be replicated, It doesn't qualify it as Truth in the Ultimate sense. Stefos

Hi everyone, Looking at the "Tibetan Buddhist" posts here is showing me one thing: Tibetan Buddhism needs to be clearer insofar as what different schools believe. Furthermore, Many Tibetan Buddhists seem to know nothing of what Shakyamuni Buddha taught insofar as the Pali texts are concerned. I for one have never seen any Tibetan Buddhist talk in depth about the Nikayas! It's either transformation as a deity or a "Dorje Shugden" problem or just a general sense of weirdness that I've experienced around Tibetan Buddhist Americans anyway. What ever happened to the 4 noble truths, 8 fold path, Anapanasati, Vipassana, etc.? Bring it back Tibetan Buddhists and state what you believe in clear terms. Stefos