Gaia: One Mind - Explore the Heart of Religion

Re: Advaita in action

http://serge-lanoe.gaia.com — Mon, 02 Jun 2008 20:50:12 GMT

Hi,

I think there is a way of speaking of Advaita in christian terms speaking of the Eternal Life.

(Translation BabelFish) :

The Eternal Life has already begun

If we have a vision and a comprehension right of which is God, that has fundamental implications in our life: indeed, God loves infinitely, It is infinitely good.

So in our life of tous.les.jours (daily), God puts himself completely at our service: he gives us all which we need and even beyond infinitely. That means that, in certain way, the eternal life is already started for us as of ici-bas (in this world).. Because can God limit in present the his gift of life and retain only one piece now of what can make our happiness?

Naturally, this gift of God holds account of the context in which we live and of our choices but without being limited by this context and these choices.

Where we can be in the joy, it is that God takes part in our way of life: It fully assumes it in Christ, the God-Man. Christ thus lives in us and with us. We are thus already by grace of God, “an other” Christ. He is only due to us to consciously ratify the infinite gift of God and to urge us to make it bear fruit.

(the original in french) :

La vie éternelle est déjà commencée

Si nous avons une vision et une compréhension justes de qui est Dieu, cela a des implications fondamentales dans notre vie : en effet, Dieu aime infiniment, Il est infiniment bon.

De ce fait, dans notre vie de tous les jours, Dieu se met complètement à notre service : il nous donne tout ce dont nous avons besoin et même au-delà infiniment. Cela signifie que, d’une certaine façon, la vie éternelle est déjà commencée pour nous dès ici-bas. Car Dieu peut-il limiter dans le présent son don de vie et retenir maintenant une seule parcelle de ce qui peut faire notre bonheur ?

Naturellement, ce don de Dieu tient compte du contexte dans lequel nous vivons et de nos choix mais sans être limité par ce contexte et ces choix.

Là où nous pouvons être dans la joie, c’est que Dieu participe à notre chemin de vie : Il l’assume pleinement dans le Christ, le Dieu-Homme. Le Christ vit donc en nous et avec nous. Nous sommes ainsi déjà par grâce de Dieu, un « autre » Christ. Il ne tient à nous que de ratifier consciemment le don infini de Dieu et à nous engager pour le faire fructifier.

Best regards.

Serge

Huang-Po's One Mind

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Sat, 05 May 2007 08:38:29 GMT

The following passages are from "The Zen Teachings of Huang Po," ed John Blofeld.

Regarding this Zen Doctrine of ours, since it was first trasmitted, it has never been taught that men should seek for learning or form concepts. "Studying the Way" is just a figure of speech. It is a method of arousing people's interest in the early stages of their development. In fact, the Way is not something which can be studied. Study leads to the retention of concepts and so the Way is entirely misunderstood. Moreover, the Way is not something specially existing; it is something called Mahayana Mind - Mind which is not to be found inside, outside, or in the middle. Truly it is not located anywhere. The first step is to refrain from knowledge-based concepts. This implies that if you were to follow the empirical method to the utmost limit, on reaching that limit you would still be unable to locate Mind. The way is spiritual Truth and was originally without name or title. It was only because people ignorantly sought for it empirically that the Buddhas appeared and taught them to eradicate this method of approach. Fearing that no one would understand, they selected the name 'Way.' You must not allow this name to lead you into a mental concept of a road. So it is said, 'When the fish is caught we pay no more attention to the trap.' When body and mind achieve spontaneity, the Way is reached and Mind is understood. A shramana is so called because he has penetrated to the original source of all things. The fruit of attaining the shramana stage is gained by putting an end to all anxiety; it does not come from book-learning.

Though others may talk of the Way of the Bhuddas as something to be reached by various pious practices and by sutra study, you must have nothing to do with such ideas. A perception, sudden as blinking, that subject and object are one, will lead to a deeply mysterious wordless understanding; and by this understanding will you awake to the truth of Zen. When you happen upon someone who has no understanding, you must claim to know nothing. He may he delighted by his discovery of some "way to Enlightenment"; yet if you allow yourselves to be persuaded by him, you will experience no delight at all, but suffer both sorrow and disappointment. What have such thoughts as his to do with the study of Zen? Even if you do obtain from him some trifling "method," it will only be a thought-constructed dharma having nothing to do with Zen. Thus, Bodhidharma sat rapt in meditation before a wall; he did not seek to lead people into having opinions. Therefore it is written: "To put out of the mind even the principle from which action springs is the true teaching of the Buddhas, while dualism belongs to the sphere of the demons." Your true nature is something never lost to you even in moments of delusion, nor is it gained at the moment of Enlightenment. It is the Nature of the Bhutatathata. In it is neither delusion nor right understanding. It fills the Void everywhere and is intrinsically of the substance of the One Mind. How, then, can your mind-created objects exist outside of the Void? The Void is fundamentally without spacial dimensions, passions, activities,delusions, or right understanding. You must clearly understand that in it there are no things, no men, no Buddhas; for this Void contains not the smallest hairsbreadth of anything that can be viewed spacially; it depends on nothing and is attached to nothing. It is all-pervading, spotless beauty;it is the self-existent and uncreated Absolute. Then how can it ever be a matter for discussion that the real Buddha has no mouth and preaches no dharma, or that real hearing requires no ears, for who could hear it? Ah,it is a jewel beyond all price!

The master said to me: All the Buddhas and all sentient beings are nothing but the One Mind, beside which nothing exists. This Mind, which is without beginning, is unborn and indestructible. It is not green nor yellow, and has neither form nor appearance. It does not belong to the categories of things which exist or do not exist, nor can it be thought of in terms of new or old. It is neither long nor short, big nor small, for it transcends all limits, measures, names, traces and comparisons. It is that which you see before you - begin to reason about it and you at once fall into error. It is like the boundless void which cannot be fathomed or measured. The One Mind alone is the Buddha, and there is no distinction between the Buddha and sentient things, but that sentient beings are attached to forms and so seek externally for Buddhahood. By their very seeking they lose it, for that is using the Buddha to seek for the Buddha and using mind to grasp Mind. Even though they do their utmost for a full aeon, they will not be able to attain it. They do not know that, if they put a stop to conceptual thought and forget their anxiety, the Buddha will appear before them, for this Mind is the Buddha and the Buddha is all living beings. It is not the less for being manifested in ordinary beings, nor is it greater for being manifested in the Buddhas.

Re: Spirituality or Religion ?

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Wed, 14 Feb 2007 16:23:49 GMT

Harnessing the power of the Absolute. Tempering and forging the the sword, making it stronger, sharper. Imbuing it with good loving spirit. Worshiping together, raising our voices, praying out aloud with a surrendered heart, with sincere maturity. Churning the sea, turning it into butter. All this applies to the training of Aikido, a japanese non-violent martial Art, a purification, giving birth to valor, strenght, integrity. It applies to religious and spiritual devotion.

Faith opens the door. Trust makes you relaxed. Love shines within.

Re: Spirituality or Religion ?

http://loveasthesubstrataofspace.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 16:58:30 GMT

hhhhmmmm "criticize short commings" There is never a need for this if folks have proper understanding of ceremonies, spiritual teachings, and religious ritual, if people are listening, paying attention and following through with what they are learning.

I like to explain this using the concept of a "burrden basket" that people carry around on their backs...the purpose of spiritual understanding, is to hold perspectives that keep your basket empty...or without any burdens..meaning NO doubts, no criticisms, no judgements, no resentments, angers, etc...as spiritual beings, our job is to become more spiritual, by cleaning these energies out of ourselves.

The point of religious ritual, is the same as the spiritual ceremony...This, is to create a container that can magnify spiritual energy. A container, or a ceremony or a ritual has the ability to make magnetic seals around the area, so the positive magnetic energy can be held inside the ceremony grounds, or container...and not leak any energy out of this area. Then, the energy is expanded through the prayer and workship that goes on for hours...this focused prayer and worship, when done properly, expands the magnetic positive energy in the gathered group, within this sealed container. If the heart is sincere enough, or...if there is enough positive light in the heart....this "triggers" an even bigger magnification...and POP...spontanteous healing from illness, spontaneous healing from mental heaviness or illness of the the spirit.

To criticise is to say "god is not perfect" which is not truth. Perfection exists now...from moment now to moment now....fine to express truth "hey..our goal was this...the result was that" which is not criticism...it is honesty....

If we, as humans cannot use our spiritual ceremony to heal our bodies and our minds, then we are not loving god well enough to magnify love well enough, to get this natural result, in our natural law system. All these medical centers and western medicines...are a gigantic diversion from truth...we are whole, born perfect...not in need of anything but more expansion of love, and wholeness to keep body and mind well.

It is negative mind..ego...the contraction of negative and critical thinking that has caused all this darkness and delusion and illness......check out the ceremony or ritual photo on this icon...(if it has changed, go see my photos blog) Amazing...this thing called spiritual ceremony...TRUST ME, FOLKS...CEREMONIES CAUSE SPONTANEOUS HEALINGS ALL THE TIME!!!!!! When you know how to use them.....

Re: Advaita in action

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:53:08 GMT

Seeing freed from misidentification one sees the world in its true light, and everything is seen as it is. False as false and true as true. All things perfect as they are. Of one taste, of one flavor. All being an expression of THAT which lays behind, -the never changing nature. Seeing all in this true perspective one knows how to act in accordance with the changing circumstances. Everything and everybody are revealed by their appearances. Nothing is hidden. All being of one taste, there is nothing to avoid. Seeing freed from belief in separate selfhood reveals a limitless and timeless objective view. In THAT oneself and everything else is seen clearly just as it is. Scrutinizing this view one understands the inherent unreality of this world, one understands non-duality and one understands the futility of trying to know with the mind. The mind looses its power and is rightly brought down from its pedestal, to serve instead of rule. This seeing is the goal and the path. There is no other way. Establish yourself in it and avoid the temptation to indulge in argumentation. Know it for yourself.

Re: Spirituality or Religion ?

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Tue, 13 Feb 2007 08:45:52 GMT

Liquid Light a beautiful description of Holy Spirit, or Ananda. To dive within in worship and in living faith, to honor God almighty, to pray for his coming, to believe in the power of resurrection, to "be still and know that I am God".

Life eternal is eternal life. There is power in the name of God. It turns our face towards Him.
When the Spirit manifests through humans it wants to commune, it wants to share itself with others. Communial experience of the Spirit enlarges the vision and points a way toward a saving grace among many. There and then, we have to let go of our private relationship with the spirit and allow it to flood the awareness of the group, let go of control and let it do its own business. How wonderous this communial experience is!

The structure of Religion is inevitable when people come together to share this communial Spirit. And if it is constantly being informed and renewed with this living Spirit, it will be able to carry a living message forward in time and even evolve its understanding as it grows. (not without its mistakes as we all like to point out).

To me, to be able to understand the growth of Culture, the evolution of mankind, of Gods plan, of people learning about Life, it is fundamental to come to a clear insight of the positive and true purpose of religious or spiritual structure. Then, and only then will we be able to criticize any shortcomings and help to overcome them.

Re: Spirituality or Religion ?

http://loveasthesubstrataofspace.gaia.com — Fri, 09 Feb 2007 20:41:26 GMT

I have adopted what many would call a religion, or a "cult". A ceremony system based in christiantiy, born in the Amazon bason of brazil. It only has enhanced my spiritual understandings and experience, because it is formed on truth, and this system breaks the traditional barriers of other forms of christian worship by including into the ceremony, the sacrament of the most ancient Queen of the forest...Rahinia da Floresta. Using the liquid consciusness of her Lord, Juramidam.

I understand the truth in what Bjorn is saying, because when going through very very intense electrical kundalini awakening experiences, I "expereinced" my body being pulled and shaped into many different yogic postures, I could never accomplish on my own, without the energy of "her" (kundalini shakti), moving me, and making my muscles capable of the crazy positions she put me in! Seriously, bending way over backwards to touch the ground, without loosing balance because her magnetic force was truly moving me. She would spinn me in circles (I later learned from my master this is the viver of the dervishes...to correct earth energies) and I came into comprehension of the reality the Hatha yoga postures themselves are a copying of those going through profound electrical awakenings, who later manifested the consciousness of shakit directly...so they COPIED their movements hoping to get the same results!!!!!!!!!!

(sorry, not possible, you gotta get the practices first...do them diligently, pray effectively, then loose your attachment to being in a body at all...so you can burn in the fires of devotion, and leave all delusion behind)

So all this copying and making a religion doesnt really work, unless, like the Brazilain indigenous folks knew, you keep the liquid light, the consciousness of divinity within your body, THEN do the "ceremony" the religion prescribes...this is the proper context of using one system, to enhance the other. Now I tell people ""so you wanna see god, huh?" Well then...go pactice the kriya every day, and then go do these ceremonies two or three times a month, and after some years, check in with yourself. Kriya electric breath practice is like rocket fule, and the ceremony...the liquid light within the container of this very strict and catholic looking ceremony container...is actually the rocket itself, the "vehicle" so to speak...

And now...I am bearing witness to the progress of those in my community that have made this combination and are working diligently, their spiritual program. Because, my freinds, our house is burning, and we must wake ourselves up as quickly as possible so we dont allow our mother, this earth...to become damaged any further. WE are the ones we have been waiting for...

Re: Spirituality or Religion ?

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 22:44:58 GMT

Why not bring light to a correct and meaningful understanding of religion, as a vehicle for spirituality in a communal setting and its evolution over time. It's much more interesting than to listen to someone dismissing religion outright. Dare to look deeper and study a bit more in order to be able to appreciate its true value for mankind.

No need to choose one over the other. Much nicer is to understand both.

Spirituality or Religion ?

http://zorbaziv.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 19:40:33 GMT

I think Spirituality is born from a personal occurrence with a divine, psychic or mystical experience of one form or another which inevitably connects a person to All that Is/God/Goddess/Allah/Great Spirit /whatever you want to call it.

Religion is second hand opinion of someone else's divine experience. I think you will find that religions, and especially fanatical religions, tend to separate and divide people, while spirituality brings people together.

Thank God that Spirituality is on the increase!

ZorbaZiv

Re: Advaita in action

http://loveasthesubstrataofspace.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:20:04 GMT

So sacred is this moment, it was given a holy name...Advaita.

It Is this love, permeating this moment so completely, that unification within this perfection is the only thing that can occur.
yes...
yes...
bliss me into this ecstacy again!

Re: Jesus and the Buddha

http://loveasthesubstrataofspace.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 17:15:18 GMT

And this moment, now, is all that exists, and so all the power of this universe lies here, in its unlimited potetential.

Siddharta was a Siddhanath yogi, of the nath lineage, he was a king, and so he was worshipped thusly. Jesus may have been from the house of DAvid...or so it is said...to what degree was his roayalty? Not very great, as his father, called a carpenter, I have been told by those with past life recollection that is authentic, and verifyable...
that Jesus' father, Joseph, made crosses for the government. Jesus made his own cross, with his father, I have heard, perhaps this aided him in not dying so completely, so great was this love...for humanity.

How can we know what went before us? Twins are often the carriers of profound spiritual rememberance and force, shramanically twins are very powerful. I have heard it said, by those I deeply trust, that Jesus had a twin...

I have been shown a brief reinicarnation of this profound soul within the haunts of profoundly faith filled people in South America...how can we deny the spiritual truth of anyone if we are not there with them, experiencing their moment?

profundity...yes let us dwell this moment within the profundity of truth...this...is SO sacred.

ooommmm nama shivaya!

Advaita in action

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:13:28 GMT

Advaita, the non-dual teachings of India, must, if to be understood properly, carry over into our personal behaviour in our interactions with others. If they are not, they will inevitably place us on our island of our self, of our I.
The Buddha called this the conceit of "I". Spiritual knowing turned into spiritual arrogance.

Let's free the beautiful concept of Advaita from the arrogant know-it-alls, from the deluded "self" realized individuals of both the east and the west.

Advaita is what we share when we meet in love and joint seeing. When we don't detract from what is normal between us.

Jesus and the Buddha

http://universalaikidojo.gaia.com — Thu, 08 Feb 2007 12:01:51 GMT

I have been thinking of the difference between Jesus and the Buddha and of their respective effect. It seems to me that Jesus upheld an uncompromising stand by not denying the absolute truth to anyone, while the Buddha administered his teachings according to the listeners' capacity. Their respective lives ended completely different, I believe due to this fact. By not compromising the Absolute Truth Jesus was a threat that could not be passed over by the authority. He had to be halted. While the Buddha had kings among his devotees and was very much respected throughout society. The Buddha apparently wasn't a big threat to the established order. This is so interesting. It led me to think about what you said about your vision. It is still not yet happening beside your own heart and mind. I believe if that will happen and when that happen it suddenly will be very clear to the world what you/we are all about, and then, for the first time really, become a real threat to society. It seems to me that when liberation really takes off, when we abandon our ego clinging, then the effect will be actually felt and seen in the world and it will be opposed by the world. So the struggle that was mainly a inner matter before (ones ego opposing ones own liberation) will now become a very real battle against society that now feel threatened by your uncompromising stand.

Why give sedatives to children? We can understand why, as the Buddha described in the aphorism of the burning house in the Lotus Sutra, but if, like Jesus, we hold out no "alternative lesser teachings" the result will be radically different. When the Buddha gave each person that came to him appropriate teachings suited for that particular person, Jesus gave the highest teaching to all that came to him, not compromising his passion for anyone. I believe such a person as Jesus will not be tolerated in society because he stands in opposition to all that society wants to keep intact. He will be a threat, a deadly threat that must be opposed. While if a teacher give teachings that suit each and every one depending on their understanding they will be celebrated and praised by all society, mainly because they do not pose a threat. That's why I believe the Buddha lived long and Jesus was put to the cross. I believe if anyone speaks the truths unadorned they will be hated and actively opposed, and I believe the result is vastly different from compromising the truth. So, why give sedatives? Isn't that just fitting in?

All mysteries are revealed. The truths of the Buddha, the mysteries of Christ, the symbols of Hinduism, the submission to Allah prescribed by Islam, the sayings of saints, the koans, the scriptures, the unfolding of God's plan in the Bible, the Holy Mother, and many, many more aphorisms.

With ease of mind, Gautama sat down at the root of the tree with the intention of not moving till he gained final understanding or die trying. When the morning star rose he gained final liberation: "All that is subject to arising is subject to cessation."

Sitting by the Ganga I saw that I had done what needed to be done in life. Now I could die without regrets. Nothing more needed to be done. Fully accomplished.
There was no more a future for me. I was alive but no plans ahead. Life laid open, vast and like a no-mans-land stretching itself out in front of me.
"…And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever."