Hands Together for Sean and Valerie

Posted on May 21st, 2009 by Tharlam in Three Turns Buddhism Forum

My friends! It is a pleasure to announce two new additions to the moderating team here at Three Turns Buddhism Forum:  Sean, also known as Silent Temple , and Valerie , known both as Flower... More »

Re: Evolution and Enactment 2.

Posted on May 20th, 2009 by David in Integral Archipelago

Is : Are you telling us we have to wait until we can ultra-“witness” in deep sleep before we are somehow “authorized” to see through the subject/object delusion? :P I'm not saying it's a matter of authorization; it's just... More »

Re: Evolution and Enactment 2.

Posted on May 20th, 2009 by e in Integral Archipelago

Tom: But how can something never never change in an evolving universe?   What if that something is not a thing bound to a beginning and end in time? Neither existing in the past nor... More »

Re: Evolution and Enactment 2.

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by David in Integral Archipelago

Is: Huh? Just like law and order is a product of the evolutionary structure Amber, so emptiness (the non-finding of independent persons or phenomena) is a product of the evolutionary structures Green-Turquoise. All understandings have a kosmic... More »

Re: To what extent is "enlightenment" useful and relevant today?

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Deepak in What Is Enlightenment?

I like this topic! Thanks Bill and thanks to the others that have responded; very interesting. Ah yes... The science of Quantum Psychics does shed "light" on this"matter". In my limited experience, an important aspect... More »

Re: Shaping Integral Judaism

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by andrew in A Stranger's Torah

there's a guy whos marriage is gonna last!)))) yeah don't worry, ken's on a trademark flurry!lol integral christianity, integral judaism, integral islam, integral hinduism, integral buddhism! well your a credit to your people dov........i hope... More »

Re: Shaping Integral Judaism

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by SillyOldBear in A Stranger's Torah

A bigpart of the problem with Integral in terms of dealing with any religionis the basic assumption that if one is truly religious, one is at avery low level on the scale - one has... More »

Appeal for Moderation

Posted on May 19th, 2009 by Tharlam in Three Turns Buddhism Forum

My friends. The title may suggest a discourse on the middle way - but it is not the case! The type of moderation I speak of is that which is at the heart of every... More »

Re: OSHO TEACHINGS

Posted on May 15th, 2009 by sanmugan in Ancient works of wisdom

I am all for richness in every possible way.....OSHO Do not be deceived by the old idea that you will be spiritually rich if you starve your body; if you physically torture your body you... More »

Re: The End of the World - What's Next?

Posted on May 11th, 2009 by inlink in The GLOBAL PEACE POD.

Sandy brought our attention to self- governing individuals with "such as Aboriginal Self-Government." The tribe is where self-awareness first advanced, but not in a strong personal self, more a social self—an incomplete self. Gradually, an... More »

Obammer* wows 'em in Cairo

Posted on Jun 9th, 2009 by Cinc

  Introduction: President Blacque Obammer's* speech in Cairo has been highly praised, mostly by people who haven't actually read it. Today, I will analyze some of Obammer's* text. For over three years, my contention has... More »

Gnostic Consciousness: Knowing With Spiritual Beings

Posted on May 21st, 2009 by buddhacious

Introduction Despite my resolute sense of the sacred nature of earthly existence, religious belief has yet to strike me as a particularly appropriate form of response to the presence of the holy. Belief is to... More »

Israel's loyalty oath: Our brother's "keeper"

Posted on May 16th, 2009 by Cinc

  QUESTION:   Are we not our brother's keeper? ANSWER: If your name is Avigdor Lieberman, then you will answer "no" to this question - especially if the "brother" in question is an Arab Israeli... More »

The Mandala

Posted on May 16th, 2009 by Gien

From Wikipaedia: Mandalas are commonly used by tantric Buddhists as an aid to meditation. More specifically, a Buddhist mandala is envisaged as a "sacred space," a Pure Buddha Realm and also as an abode of... More »

Where would you like to go deeper in your life?

Posted on May 15th, 2009 by Jordan

I would like to go deeper in the exploration of peace and see it for it's full capacity. Hellen Keller says,  "I do not want the peace that passeth understanding. I want the understanding which... More »

Buddha's unfinished business in Indonesia

Posted on May 10th, 2009 by Deepak

Buddha's unfinished business in Indonesia Craig Warren Smith ,  Magelang, Central Java   |  Fri, 05/08/2009 1:21 PM  |  Opinion Article from the Jakarta Post, 8 May 2009 On May 9 the moon over Jakarta... More »

Wesak 2009: Buddha’s birthday celebrated around the world

Posted on May 8th, 2009 by DrDeb

The Buddha's birthday is this weekend, and Buddhists around the world will be marking the occasion with celebrations ranging from quiet meditation and charitable donations, to elaborate and joyful rituals such as setting caged birds... More »

R300 essayIII

Posted on May 3rd, 2009 by Fa- La- La- La- La- La- La-

It Takes Two to Tango                 Tantra’s esoteric use of language and the ambiguity between visualization and physical practice, combined with the prominence of the male pronoun in tantric texts, may yield a rather one-sided... More »

Come seek peace and enlightenment with Buddhist Masters

Posted on Apr 30th, 2009 by DrDeb

If you're looking for a unique retreat or sabbatical, an opportunity is now available for you to travel to Thailand and interact directly with Buddhist Masters, immersing yourself in the monastic lifestyle of the Wat... More »

Jet Li's Fearless

Posted on Apr 27th, 2009 by Sky High

Warning: Contains Spoilers    Just got to see this move for the second time and I've decided to move it to my top 15 of all time. This film is excellent on several levels. The... More »

Koans are the folk stories of Zen Buddhism, metaphorical narratives that particularize essential nature.

NIRVANA, n. In the Buddhist religion, a state of pleasurable annihilation awarded to the wise, particularly to those wise enough to understand it.

Bodhidharma: Even if a buddha or bodhisattva should suddenly appear before you, there's no need for reverence. This mind of ours is empty and contains no such form. Those who hold onto appearances are devils. They fall from the Path. Why worship illusions born of the mind? . . . The basic nature of a buddha has no such form. Keep this in mind, even if something unusual should appear. Don't embrace it, and don't fear it, and don't doubt that your mind is basically pure. . . . Also at the appearance of spirits, demons, or divine beings, conceive neither respect nor fear. Your mind is basically empty. All appearances are illusions. Don't hold on to appearances. If you envision a buddha, a dharma, or a bodhisattva and conceive respect for them, you relegate yourself to the realm of mortals. If you seek direct understanding, don't hold on to any appearance whatsoever, and you'll succeed. . . . The sutras say, "That which is free of all form is the buddha." Disciple: But why shouldn't we worship buddhas and bodhisattvas? Bodhidharma: Devils and demons possess the power of manifestation. They can create the appearance of bodhisattvas in all sorts of guises. But they're false. None of them are buddhas. The buddha is your own mind. Don't misdirect your worship.

The buddha is your real body, your original mind. This mind has no form or characteristics, no cause or effect, no tendons or bones. It's like space. You can't hold it. It's not the mind of materialists or nihilists. Except for a tathagata, no one else - no mortal, no deluded being - can fathom it.

Disciple: But the Bathhouse Sutra says, "By contributing to the bathing of monks, people receive limitless blessings." This would appear to be an instance of external practice achieving merit. How does this relate to beholding the mind? Bodhidharma: . . . Our true buddha-nature has no shape. And the dust of affliction has no form. How can people use ordinary water to wash an intangible body? It won't work. . . . To clean such a body you have to behold it. Once impurities and filth arise from desire, they multiply until they cover you inside and out. But if you try to wash this body of yours, you'll have to scrub until it's nearly gone before it's clean.

A buddha is someone who finds freedom in good fortune and bad. Such is his power that karma can't hold him. No matter what kind of karma, a buddha transforms it. Heaven and hell are nothing to him. But the awareness of a mortal is dim compared to that of a buddha, who penetrates everything, inside and out.

To go from mortal to buddha, you have to put an end to karma, nurture your awareness, and accept what life brings.

To invoke the Buddha's name you have to understand the dharma of invoking. If it's not present in your mind, your mouth chants an empty name. As long as you're troubled by the three poisons or by thoughts of yourself, your deluded mind will keep you form seeing the Buddha and you'll only waste your effort. Chanting and invoking are worlds apart. Chanting is done with the mouth. Invoking is done with the mind. And because invoking comes from the mind, it's called the door to awareness. Chanting is centered in the mouth and appears as sound. If you cling to appearances while searching for meaning, you won't find a thing. . . .

Not thinking about anything is zen. Once you know this, walking, standing, sitting, or lying down, everything you do is zen. To know that the mind is empty is to see the buddha. . . . Using the mind to reality is delusion. Not using the mind to look for reality is awareness. Freeing oneself from words is liberation.

When delusions are absent, the mind is the land of buddhas. When delusions are present, the mind is hell. Mortals create delusions. And by using the mind to give birth to mind they always find themselves in hell. Bodhisattvas see through delusions. And by not using the mind to give birth to mind they always find themselves in the land of buddhas. If you don't use your mind to create mind, every state of mind is empty and every thought is still. You go from one buddha-land to another. If you use your mind to create mind, every state of mind is disturbed and every thought is in motion. You go from one hell to the next.

Three Turns Buddhism Forum

Centralised meeting hub for Gaia Buddhists and those new to or interested in the Buddha Dharma as... More »

Attaining Buddhahood in This Lifetime

I invite you to learn about and explore the teachings of Nichiren Daishonin (1222-1282), the founder of... More »

Nonduality Group

This is the place to explore nonduality - as well as Advaita Vedanta, Zen Buddhism, Jnana Yoga,... More »

ZenChrist

Set primarily (but certainly not exclusively) against the texture of Buddhism, this is a dialogue that goes... More »

The SGI: Applying Buddhism in Every Day Life

The Soka Gakkai International (SGI) is a Buddhist association with more than 12 million members in over... More »

ACTIVISM: Spiritual/Physical/Psychological

Spiritual... engaged Buddhism, Gaia action, Sarvodaya/Gandhian non-violence, etc Physical... direct action, protests, lifestyle choices, boycotts, democracy, etc... More »

Silent Temple

In Silent Temple pod, we get to practice kindness. Silent Temple pod is an extension of the... More »

Tibetan Buddhism Pod

A Pod for the discussion of Tibetan Buddhism, including the Nyingma, Sakya, Kagyu, Geluk , and Jonang schools. Practitioners... More »

GLBT Buddhists

There are many online resources for people in the GLBT community to dialogue about Buddhism. It just... More »

Godhead in the Brain:Science-Spirituality Integration

Most US New Agers are not aware of just how advanced progress in Science-Spirituality Integration is as there... More »