Anyone?

[jeff]

quote:Originally posted by Bodhi Tree

Bravo, Anima.

these chains of bondage
turn into kevlar shields against negativity
and the only shield i ever needed
was the eternal, unbreakable silence
that never runs out of ammunition.

Bodhi - very gifted poetry...

Chains keep one locked up and separate. Do not the shields that protect us do the same thing?

[Bodhi Tree]

Yes. That's why I say the only real shield is stillness, which is the unifying field of consciousness.

[mikkiji]

The Buddha came down from the mountain... a wise man asked him, "Are you a God?" "Are you a man?"...the Buddha said only, "I am Awake."
That's the best ever totally 100% perfect description of Self-Realization I've ever heard. This all comes down to everything being exactly the same, only now you--the big-S Self, the Self of Self-Realization, are awake to everything, in its full Being.  At all times.  But NOTHING changes from how it is now--THAT is the MOMENT of awakening!!  THAT very realization--Everything is exactly the same, only now I can see it clearly because now I am awake to the true nature of myself and therefore, also, of everything else.  Every moment becomes a high-voltage ZAP~! of on-going discovery.  I worked with a Japanese Zen Master, 45 years ago--I, being 19, had the balls to ask Master Nippo (who was the Real Deal, fully,realized Being), "Sensei, what is it like, in Enlightenment?" He was actually thoughtful for a long moment and then broke into a wide smile.  "Exactly the same," he said, "only it's hard to keep from laughing all the time", and then he giggled, broke into a wider guffaw, and thence quickly into gales of laughter until tears rolled down his cheeks!  Took me 40 years to get the joke, and I haven't stopped laughing since!
Michael

[jeff]

Hi Michael,

If one is interested in knowing what is meant by a buddha being "awake" as opposed to a "man" or a "god". I would highly recommend reading the Lotus Sutra. Buddha explains the meaning of being a buddha in great detail.

Best wishes,
Jeff

[Bodhi Tree]

quote:Originally posted by mikkiji

The Buddha came down from the mountain... a wise man asked him, "Are you a God?" "Are you a man?"...the Buddha said only, "I am Awake."
That's the best ever totally 100% perfect description of Self-Realization I've ever heard. This all comes down to everything being exactly the same, only now you--the big-S Self, the Self of Self-Realization, are awake to everything, in its full Being.  At all times.  But NOTHING changes from how it is now--THAT is the MOMENT of awakening!!  THAT very realization--Everything is exactly the same, only now I can see it clearly because now I am awake to the true nature of myself and therefore, also, of everything else.  Every moment becomes a high-voltage ZAP~! of on-going discovery.  I worked with a Japanese Zen Master, 45 years ago--I, being 19, had the balls to ask Master Nippo (who was the Real Deal, fully,realized Being), "Sensei, what is it like, in Enlightenment?" He was actually thoughtful for a long moment and then broke into a wide smile.  "Exactly the same," he said, "only it's hard to keep from laughing all the time", and then he giggled, broke into a wider guffaw, and thence quickly into gales of laughter until tears rolled down his cheeks!  Took me 40 years to get the joke, and I haven't stopped laughing since!
Michael

Love it! I can relate. That kind of non-sensical laughter is highly enjoyable when it supercedes the logic and analysis of the whole deal.

[lufa1212]

quote:
______________________________________________________________
Originally posted by mikkiji

The Buddha came down from the mountain... a wise man asked him, "Are you a God?" "Are you a man?"...the Buddha said only, "I am Awake."
That's the best ever totally 100% perfect description of Self-Realization I've ever heard. This all comes down to everything being exactly the same, only now you--the big-S Self, the Self of Self-Realization, are awake to everything, in its full Being. At all times. But NOTHING changes from how it is now--THAT is the MOMENT of awakening!! THAT very realization--Everything is exactly the same, only now I can see it clearly because now I am awake to the true nature of myself and therefore, also, of everything else. Every moment becomes a high-voltage ZAP~! of on-going discovery. I worked with a Japanese Zen Master, 45 years ago--I, being 19, had the balls to ask Master Nippo (who was the Real Deal, fully,realized Being), "Sensei, what is it like, in Enlightenment?" He was actually thoughtful for a long moment and then broke into a wide smile. "Exactly the same," he said, "only it's hard to keep from laughing all the time", and then he giggled, broke into a wider guffaw, and thence quickly into gales of laughter until tears rolled down his cheeks! Took me 40 years to get the joke, and I haven't stopped laughing since!
_________________________________________________________________

[Chhinnamasta]

quote:Originally posted by Bodhi Tree

Well said, Zlarp. Spirituality can become escapism.

I know about running headlong into pain. Got a few self-imposed cigarette burns on my arm to prove it, too. But lately, I don't go seeking pain. I figure life will dole out pain in proportional measures without me trying, and I can just take it in stride.

Incidentally, here's a good AYP lesson on pain:
Lesson 168 - Q&A – Is pain a prerequisite for inner peace?
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/168.html

In AA, it's sometimes said that pain is a "touchstone" of spiritual progress. It's kind of a macho, sacrificial angle. Sacrifice one's comfort for the sake of atonement and adhering to the will of God...there's no "easier, softer" way.

I prefer the other angle, in which Jesus said: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." I've had enough heaviness in life already. I'll take the "Akasha - Lightness of Air" sutra, thank you.

Also, I've had to keep an eye on the pain level that arises from overload and the flow of energy through my nervous system. The pressure can be high, and it can get a little too crispy. Hence, self-pacing, and favoring stability and comfort over strain and acceleration.

To each his own. Godspeed.

When do you know if you're using spirituality to escape? Is that bad? I was very dedicated to my path for a long time. Then I lost my way. I found it again after a really difficult event. During the event, I spontaneously starting using mantra again and felt I was back on the path climbing up instead of around.    

But maybe it's not real and I am just trying tone sale pain? I admit that having a practice and "faith"  does help pain easier to bear. Now I'm wondering if I'm being false...avoiding ? How does one know?

[Anima]

quote:Originally posted by Chhinnamasta

quote:Originally posted by Bodhi Tree

Well said, Zlarp. Spirituality can become escapism.

I know about running headlong into pain. Got a few self-imposed cigarette burns on my arm to prove it, too. But lately, I don't go seeking pain. I figure life will dole out pain in proportional measures without me trying, and I can just take it in stride.

Incidentally, here's a good AYP lesson on pain:
Lesson 168 - Q&A – Is pain a prerequisite for inner peace?
http://www.aypsite.com/plus/168.html

In AA, it's sometimes said that pain is a "touchstone" of spiritual progress. It's kind of a macho, sacrificial angle. Sacrifice one's comfort for the sake of atonement and adhering to the will of God...there's no "easier, softer" way.

I prefer the other angle, in which Jesus said: "My yoke is easy and my burden is light." I've had enough heaviness in life already. I'll take the "Akasha - Lightness of Air" sutra, thank you.

Also, I've had to keep an eye on the pain level that arises from overload and the flow of energy through my nervous system. The pressure can be high, and it can get a little too crispy. Hence, self-pacing, and favoring stability and comfort over strain and acceleration.

To each his own. Godspeed.

When do you know if you're using spirituality to escape? Is that bad? I was very dedicated to my path for a long time. Then I lost my way. I found it again after a really difficult event. During the event, I spontaneously starting using mantra again and felt I was back on the path climbing up instead of around.    

But maybe it's not real and I am just trying tone sale pain? I admit that having a practice and "faith"  does help pain easier to bear. Now I'm wondering if I'm being false...avoiding ? How does one know?

Don't worry. God will let you know. Trust Him.

[Bodhi Tree]

quote:Originally posted by Chhinnamasta

When do you know if you're using spirituality to escape? Is that bad?

Well, Yogani has used the term "flights of fancy" to describe escapist tendencies. I've fallen prey to my own indulgences in such choices, both mental and behavioral.

I think the consistent barometer is always how I feel during the regularity of life. At work, with friends and family, sleeping in my own bed. If the purpose of spirituality is to "be here now", then I guess there's no need to escape, when the practice and results are true. Yesterday I was sitting in the backyard, playing guitar barefoot, and I saw four kittens crawling along the fenceline because my roommate had put a bowl of milk out for them. Then I went up to them and petted them a little, and re-filled the milk bowl. And that experience of playing music and feeding some tiny creatures was quite sublime, in its own right.

I wish for the big, big fireworks of higher dimensions and beings, etc., but what about the kittens, you know? Have I maximally appreciated and served this realm? Probably not. So I bounce back and forth between the tension of striving and contentment. Cycling through striving and contentment. Striving and contentment. It's just a linear spiral into realization.

I recently read that realization is the combination of knowledge and experience. And to quote Morpheus from The Matrix: There's a difference between knowing the path, and walking the path.

And so it is.