Empty Your Cup

[Forestgreen]

9 hours ago, stirling said:

 

The reason is "skillful means". It is generally abstract and unnecessary for the Western mind to use those particular concepts as a lens for the dharma. 

It's not abstract, or at least less abstract than 90% of other buddhist terms and concepts used.

Those terms describe things that happens within the body and the consciousness. 

So there must be another reason that explain why those particular concepts have been dropped. 

[Forestgreen]

6 hours ago, forestofclarity said:

I think Buddhism is practiced from different angles in different traditions. I personally don't think one way is right or wrong.

There are, and have been, numerous buddhist schools. They have argued most about every word in the sutras, and about how to practice. I try to narrow it down to "what I do", as long that it has support in texts and tradition. 

6 hours ago, forestofclarity said:

Personally, I think the reason is that these practices require a lot of work and teacher supervision or they go wrong. 

 

That would be my guess.

[Forestgreen]

10 hours ago, stirling said:

 

While not complete, some insight into this particular point can come with everyday cessation in meditation. It isn't hard to demonstrate what this means to most students who have managed to become somewhat familiar with learning to become a witness to their thoughts instead of being their thoughts. I find most students can come to understand to some degree, with direct pointing, what "emptiness" (or the Dao) is and begin questioning the constructed nature of their worlds. Seeing all things as "buddha nature" is a fairly common Mahayana practice that you don't have to be any kind of expert to do.... again with some ability to find cessation in meditation practice.

Here we use different frames of reference. 

For me, touching stillness and being mindfull of how conventional reality relates to dependant origination are early stages and still far removed from seing the buddha nature ( and the practitioner still needs methods/tools to develop further).

If this is the frame that is taught in the traditions you are familiar with, then that is fine, and there is no point in taking this discussion further.