deci belle

I'm not sure about it because if the person is the experiencer in terms of ultimate authentic experience, that's not it. Why? Because there is no person. If it's you who is accomplishing by actions and momentum, that basically proves that whatever you're accomplishing isn't it. On one level, these things are cumulative, as long as potential is not leaked habitually. Nevertheless, it's not a matter of "progress." Whatever the nature of the experiencing, just avoid anticipatory consciousness, which strengthens the very thing that obstructs nonpsychological clarification. The deal is, the nature of reality is already complete, perfect and selflessly unified; that's one's inherent identity right now, so realizing this in terms of this shouldn't (can't) be dealt with by virtue of an instrument as crude as the psychological apparatus— simply because its operative function obscures reality. Awakening to nonpsychological awareness and nurturing its subtle function requires self-refining processes which serve to reform and revert the psychological apparatus (reversing its development) into its original supporting role (to nonpsychicological functionality). Sudden realization should be seen as a naturally occurring validation/proof of the foregoing self-refinement instead of a bulldozing effort to arrive at a predetermined experiential parameter. Taoism says to refine the self (first) and await the time (of proof). Strive to activate the mind without dwelling on its contents in terms of the scene before your eyes, and activate the natural subtly adaptive impersonal function by seeing through phenomena without denying their characteristics. That's dealing with things as they are without employing "belief" in their existence. The only reason I say this is because in the aftermath of the sudden, it's all you will be doing anyway. ed note: add last line

bonjour, Awayfarer~ not to worry-- I am still capable of hanging out and climbing up and down very tiny, exposed pedestals❤︎ Someone here asked, "Why are you using two accounts?" Well, it's kinda like my avatar— which can serve as a clue… if you go on my profile page you can enlarge the image a bit if you want to. Most people are habituated to employing only psychological awareness (ego-consciousness) at any given time, whereas both psychological and nonpsychological awareness seamlessly and impersonally apply on my account, depending on the situational timing, and according to the present potential, wherever I might find myself~ so it's a spontaneous element (function) that is automatically and naturally actualized. It's not that I deliberately have two separate accounts. I just have both functional aspects to account for at my disposal, which are automatically applied, in terms of subtle spiritual adaption. The situation itself is the determining factor, so it really depends on the gravity (or not) of the situation. It's not something I do arbitrarily by using my own power and discretion. The potential inherent in the situation is itself the determinate factor. I only am aware of the movement of the situational elements and momentum; I myself don't move anything; I only see the primordial by virtue of the temporal. Since I'm keyed into the Changeless, I don't have to go along with the changes accruing karmically within the context of the situation, as others might be so compelled to do by their own karmic momentum. Someone else (a different person), also noticed that… how did it come to your attention, Someone here? ed note: add 1st line

I wonder who the, um, kind soul is who has been following this and the last deci thread anonymously, hmmmmm? hahahaha~ As for those who have chimed in (below) because they relate to the word "kind soul", I know who you are…❤︎ The Book of Balance and Harmony has made reference to the critical period following "perfect attainment" (merging with cosmic space/shattering space): Carefully protecting the spiritual root is called "incubation." Incubation is like a dragon nurturing a pearl, like a hen sitting on her eggs; one carefully guards against straying, for with the slightest slip all the work that has gone before is wasted. Also: When Taoist scripture speaks of the profound mystery of the macrocosm [creation/delusion/eternity], this too is in reference to the supreme reality [being neither ordinary nor holy]. The Book of Balance and Harmony ISBN 0-86547-363-3 ed note: change "chicken shit" to "kind soul" in 1st line; add last two paragraphs

Your assessment of the relative in the aftermath of the sudden is spot-on, Breakingthewall— I feel your pain, heehee!! Chang Po-tuan, the great taoist teacher and writer said this in his tome, Understanding Reality, at the end of the second statement (page 28): This makes it obvious that for those who see their nature, it is necessary and essential for them to take up the endless task of further self-refinement in order to maturate and stabilize the foregone accomplishment. In some cases, when the experience of the absolute has been triggered prematurely, the task can prove to be more difficult than under "ordinary" circumstances. Ultimately, it doesn't matter though. The struggle is what it is. Taoism has long been associated with chemical and plant-based drug-use for the purposes of triggering the sudden under the auspices of an illumined teacher. It is necessary to "preserve the fundamental" by maintaining quiescence and immediate acquiescence in order to accommodate everyday ordinary situations without "leaking" potential— that is, overseeing mindfully continuous clarification of the the basis in not following thoughts unawares. In a word, this is all about equanimity and emptiness. Nevertheless, if it behooves one to act with ruthless compassion in turning over the money-changers' tables in the marketplace every once in a while, then so be it. The "moderators" aren't paid to understand the reality at hand, they are paid to follow and uphold the rules of convention. The will to enlightenment is an audacious affair. Timidity in the upholding of dubious conventions of so-called "compassion" and social protocol is tantamount to fealty to ever-shifting standards of political correctness. Objectivity in seeing reality and fluid adaption to it must become one's standard. Understanding Reality by Chang Po-tuan ISBN 0-8248-1139-9 ed note: add ISBN

Breakingthewall wrote: This seems usable… go with that.

I didn't want to address the following until things settled down… Breakingthewall wrote: What do you mean exactly when you say that reality is not originated? Originated for your mind? Creation is what it is in terms of karma, time , infinity, birth and death because it is originated. The nature of awareness is nonorigination itself. It could be said that awareness works the way it does by virtue of nonorigination itself. Why? Simply because that's its nature. Since awareness is already your true identity and the nature of awareness is nonorigination, awareness obviously has never fallen into the created realm. Our own everyday ordinary awareness is not created. Your own mind is not created, but it goes along with creation unawares; that's delusion. The fact that awareness is nonoriginated is how and why beings are inconceivable, whether they know it or not. Beings have the potential for not only experiencing their nature, in terms of the absolute, but beings can also experience their inconceivably transcendent nature in the midst of creation simply because creation's nature is the same inconceivability. It's just the way it is and no one knows why. The buzz-kill is habitually mistaking your brilliantly effective ego-function for your identity. Why? Ego isn't real. Why trade in the innate enlightening function for the innate psychological function? At least the innate enlightening function is itself transcendent accord in reality before the first thought. Habitually self-reflective thought is a killer. As for reality, which is neither absolute nor created, since it is itself the realm of transcendent nonorigination as the scene before your eyes, by seeing potential where ordinary deluded people see things to exploit, enlightening beings (those awakened to their innate spiritual function) don't go along with creation. Not going along with creation is simply a matter of seeing potential, which isn't apart (differentiated) from enlightening being. Not using the mind to differentiate self and other is automatic nonorigination on the spot. In this respect, one's self-refinement is carried out by not-doing. Simply nonoriginating conditioning before the first thought is transcendent enlightening activity unbeknownst to anybody. When I say that reality is nonoriginated, that means, by virtue of its nature (no different than who you really are), there is no reason to deliberately or unconsciously go out of your way to follow birth and death, not to mention get hung up on all kinds of fascinations in the process of accruing and perpetuating karmic burdens. I don't know about your mind, but… MIND IS ITSELF REALITY. THERE IS NO REALITY OUTSIDE OF MIND. NONORIGINATION IS SUCH DUE TO MIND ITSELF. MIND IS NOT A THING AS OPPOSED TO REALITY AS A THING. THERE IS NO THING. THE ABSOLUTE IS YOUR NATURE— BUT THE PERSON DIFFERENTIATING THOUGHT ISN'T IT. Enlightening accord in reality is simply abiding in the nature of mind which is nonoriginated, whereby one simply transcends creation's karmic rounds of situational and energetic rounds of birth and death. All that means is that it is possible to save a hell of a lot of energy that naturally and automatically goes towards fueling your spiritual evolution without end (as long as you don't set up your mentality as a checkpoint for discriminating self and other relative to ego). You have a choice: either maintain ego-reification at all times and go along with delusion and experience endless rounds of karmic evolution or forget self-differentiating habit-consciousness in order to spontaneously absorb creation's spiritual potential. All authentic teaching points toward the latter option. The two terms italicized in the quote above may serve to clarify certain notions frequently associated with the tathagatagarbha literature, specifically, the "natural purity of mind” (cittaprakrtivisuddhi). Creative potential is another term for "unrefined potential." Unrefined potential is the "raw" element inherent in the created aspect of situational evolution (karma) that spiritual adepts key into as is, instead of seeing (mistaking) potential as objects of speculation. Unrefined potential is the basic element of spiritual alchemy "absorbed" by enlightening beings in the course of subtle selfless adaption to temporal realms. Such potential is "absorbed" simply by seeing. Seeing is perception which is not relative to the person. Those who dwell in nonorigination and deal with situations in terms of reality as is (without employing self-reifying consciousness) absorb karma's inherent unrefined potential and seal it away void of intellectualism. The process of enlightening function is simply a matter of experiencing life without habitually referencing ego-consciousness. All wonder arises naturally from simply abiding in nonorigination. Taoism calls this "resting in the highest good." ed note: add quote and the following two paragraphs at the bottom

Yes, it's true— for those who see their nature, the sudden severs the compulsion to act but habit-awareness continues relative to one's accrued karmic burden. This is because even one's very life-time is a karmically bound event. Gautama Buddha wasn't above this and had to spend some considerable period of time under the Bodhi Tree after his complete perfect enlightenment, where he realized that absolutely nothing whatsoever is gained by sudden illumination. Gaining nothing whatsoever is proof of authentic realization of inherent selfless nonorigination. I gotta say, that is a completely logical statement in even rational terms. In the aftermath of the sudden, the Buddha still had to go through a maturation process. It's a universal aspect of enlightening accord in reality. The sudden is truly entry-level. That's why continued gradual refinement in the aftermath of the sudden is essential, otherwise the forgoing achievement is in vain. The compulsion is gone, but the habit is still intact. It must simply be worn out like a shoe, no different than the circumstantially karmic parameters defining one's existence in this very lifetime. There are no survivors. That's right, the perspective of selfless awareness is the touchstone of true objectivity. It is actually possible to carry out one's task with OBJECTIVITY in the aftermath of a glimpse of the Absolute. ed note: re-cast the contextual construction of the 1st line; add several lines to 1st paragraph

Ooh~ nice quote from "Setting the Standard", mon ami!! The human mentality tending not to stop "understanding" (relative to itself) is indicative of habit-awareness, alone. Quiescence (open awareness' silent illumination void of self-reifying pattern-awareness) and immediate acquiescence (incipient nonresistance to reality as is) are indicative of enlightening being's selfless activity before spontaneously going into action, i.e.: before the first thought, in terms of one's mutual response with creative potential. The only reason for compulsively needing to "understand"relative to one's human mentality is one's psychological habituation to turning reality into views relative to the psychological pattern-awareness of the being that is going to die. Even in terms of the absolute, you know that there is nothing to know. In terms of the relative, knowledge is immediate if psychological self-referencing is ended. If psychological momentum hasn't ceased, karmic bondage to following thought unawares is the perennial result— hardly what one would call the practice of self-refinement. Well, you already did that, didn't you? Why then has your mind not stopped trying to understand? Since you have already seen your nature, I wonder why you seem to be "begging the question." The human mentality is the working definition of instability. Otherwise, it's the chicken and the egg. The answer is nonorigination, which is inherent. I'm not saying one ought not see one's nature, but such is not a thing to await in anticipation. Having done so already, why is it still an issue? Bankei always said to awaken to one's everyday ordinary unborn mind. "All things resolve in the Unborn." There is no need for compulsive "understanding" relative to the human mentality, unless habit energy is still in control of one's psychological apparatus. If your know your own unborn mind, you know it does not originate views relative to the self that compulsively tenders reality in terms relative to ego's habituation to self-referencing. If you know and you can't act on that knowledge, it's the same as not knowing. If you are going to go around in circles… what can I do about it? ed note: add "hardly what one would call the practice of self-refinement" in 4th paragraph

haha~ not too early. Also, I'm not married and living in France like Lynn is~ so I'm almost in the same generation or so as Largo and Lynn though. They always seemed a bit older than me (to me). I remember them hanging out in John's white and yellow VW van up at Humber Park at the end of the road above Idyllwild when I used to hang out for weeks at a time in my old '50s truck. From Humber, I could always see the Sheriff driving up the road near dusk and then I'd dive into my camper and lock myself in my truck which I'm still driving (40 years later). After he'd shake the truck a bit and drive off down the road, I'd get out again~ heeheehee!! I remember watching Lynn lead Fred (on Tahquitz) once with a pack on her back from the top of "Lunch Rock." Those were the days~ haha. John also had a 911 Porsche, hmmm… "Ho-man…" was the Stonemasters call. I never knew until the last ten years or so from the Topo Forum threads about the Stonemasters and now I know that's why my Idyllwild local climbing partners would always say that. "Ho-o-oh-Man!!" I never knew… I would be up there in the sun in the morning doing my regular ballet stretches with Lynn and Mari sometimes watching me. I gotta doo what I gotta doo… haha!! I didn't see them that often. We (the group of Idyllwild locals I climbed with) weren't the Stonemasters and we were fine with it. I never saw Bridwell. In the 80s, some of those other "way-hones" weren't local to the Idyllwild, Riverside or Joshua Tree climbing scene (yet). Not originating pattern-awareness in the first place is all. That's "nonorigination" in action. Nonorigination is already the nature of Mind itself. Nothing needs to be let go when it's already not there. On the other hand, due to habit-energy, what is essential is subtle continuous observation of mind. Delusion is simply a matter of following pattern-awareness unawares. Enlightenment is simply nonoriginating pattern-awareness by yourself in the midst of everyday ordinary situations. It's not a matter of "controlling" anything. There is no enlightenment outside of delusional realms anyway. Beyond delusional realms is the definition of the absolute. The abstracted experience of the Absolute is such only because the intrinsic relative (created) aspect has never existed in terms of reality. That's why it is considered an "extreme", considered not proper to be identifying with— no different than (hopefully) not identifying as the relative aspect alone by virtue of the personality. Reality is seeing the absolute from within the relative in ordinary situations. Mystical revelation is having spontaneously reverted to pure awareness having never begun (the Unborn). You don't necessarily have to see your nature in mystical trance first. Dangs!! But if you do~ by all means: GETTING TO WORK is all the more viable!! yeehaaaa! By perpetuating subtle continuous concentration observing mind, one notes when arbitrary self-referencing occurs. In the instant of noting habit awareness' arising, it will evaporate on the spot, if you don't follow it. Ordinarily, being persistent in this over a long period of time naturally results in the sudden anyway. It's just what and how it is. Gradual > sudden > gradual… Having experienced the sudden, then in its aftermath, one continues gradual practice, "chopping wood, gathering water." Not originating ego's (psychologically self-referencing) expression in the first place is the easiest method of self refinement. It doesn't have to be rote formal sitting meditation. Formal meditation is practice for the real thing. Why not just do it for real as practice itself? The goal is habitual non-referencing of the psychological apparatus. Observe mind's subtle arising in terms of self-reification over a long long time and it will tend to cease arising unawares of itself. Ego simply cannot stand up to continuous concentrated scrutiny forever. One day, it will crap out, and the monkey will be off your back. ed note: add "They always seemed a bit older than me (to me)." in 1st paragraph; tweak 5th paragraph

Breakingthewall wrote: This is the obstruction to acting freely from within potential: Delusion is the truth, as is, since its inherent essence is enlightenment. There isn't a single thing that isn't already "the truth." Let the absolute go (it's not going to go anywhere). Seeing reality is seeing enlightening potential from within situational evolution. There is no reality without delusion and no delusion without reality. It's not a matter of some absolute aspect being the truth, it's a matter of it (delusion) being exactly what it is. Whatever it is, is just that. That's the reality one adapts to. When you aren't able adapt to just that without referencing your personally abstracted sense of the absolute nature of enlightened mind, even though you know the truth, you aren't able to act on the knowledge of the "truth", which is the essence of reality. Why? Because referencing one's recollection of the absolute is still referencing through the self that recollects. That is habit-awareness regardless of whether the experience is delusional or absolute. Referencing the psychological self is unconsciously separating the self from reality (which is undifferentiated selfless unified nonoriginated awareness). What isn't already just this unattributable nonoriginated unity? Self-referencing consciousness automatically differentiating itself, arbitrarily creates delusional attributes where there are none. Nonorigination is not coming up with notions of arbitrary differentiation, in terms of relative or even absolute "truth." It is necessary to deal with delusion on its terms without dredging up references to your understanding of "the truth." Trust that reality has always been the nature of all things without having to refer back to your experience of the Absolute. Clinging to one's experience of the Absolute is just as delusional as clinging to one's experience of everyday ordinary sense-impacts (relative to the personality). Both extremes of Absolute and Delusion are just that: extremes. This is the meaning of the "middle way" in that one transcends both extremes of delusion and absolute before the first thought. "Before the first thought" being nonorigination on the spot, transcends both absolute and creation without having set them up as such. "Before the first thought" is itself activating the mind without dwelling on anything because there is already no thing. The "middle way" is not a relativistic compromising approach to delusional attributes, it is already neither ordinary nor holy. That is, it is neither delusion nor absolute in that one sees external reality as no different than itself (or even oneself) as is, without referencing ego's personal perspective relative to itself or other (deemed not-itself). The personal perspective is "after the first thought." If you know selfless nonoriginated awareness, what is stopping you from seeing reality as is by virtue of this nonoriginated "truth" in the midst of delusion? After all, it's already your own mind right now. Seeing delusional attributes as delusional in the midst of situational evolution and adapting to just that is enlightening accord in reality. This is called the Supreme Vehicle of buddhas and tathagatas. Buddhas and tathagatas are those who dwell in nonorigination and deal with reality as is because reality is nonoriginated. If you use Mind to create illusion by referencing the functional apparatus of the personal psychology at every turn, where is nonoriginated aware potential? I don't want to coddle anyone, but I don't want to be harsh either ❤︎ ed note: add "in terms of relative or even absolute "truth." at end of 4th paragraph

Oh dear, well, I've done El Cap twice. Honnold's route was a variation of the route I was on in the mid 80s. His variation splits off from the classic route that was put up by Chuck Pratt, Royal Robbins, and Tom Frost in 1961, somewhere above the 11th pitch and left of the "Heart" (the prominent 1,000 foot recess between the West Buttress route and the Nose). As I recall, the variation goes left of the normal route. Much further below~ almost 4 rope-lengths from the bottom of the 35 pitch climb, is a spot that gave Alex the most trouble. Roper's guidebook states that the face-climbing on that section is only 5.9 in difficulty. Meyers' topographic guide indicates the section is rated at 5.10. The fact is, the face-climbing is on insanely slick and relatively steep granite polished to a sheen by wind and water over the course of millennia. Ask me why I know. It is crazy slippery. One just doesn't know if the feet are going to stick or not. The actual climbing is basically kind of easy (5.10 smearing), but the rock surface is absolutely slick. A free-solo on the scale of the Salathé Wall cannot tolerate a single throw-away move, much less a whole section of steep, continuous climbing on such unforgiving unstable footing, so the kind of uncertainty Alex was working on eliminating on that section is mind-boggling. He HAD to be sure. I believe Alex spent the most time during the whole project working out the factor of unknowability that section of rock represented. As for the video, I assure you, as one who has accrued 2.8 seconds of air-time on a 100 foot free-fall on overhanging ice, I don't need to watch climbing videos of anybody! It's just that I've invested possibly more than one life-time in climbing (I should be dead a few times over already). I've seen precisely two climbing movies in my entire life; one, in 1982, being the original black and white El Capitan, filmed in 1968 by Glen Denny and finally resurrected and edited by his film teacher, Fred Padilla. It won the Banff Film Festival in 1978. I watched the other one at night outside down in the center of the southern Californian mountain town of Idyllwild in the 70s. It was a short film depicting a climber soloing an aid pitch and starring a tiny frog he put in his pocket at the start of the ascent, which he then let loose at the top of the climb. It may be titled "Aid Climber", for all I know. Both films were absolutely authentic, factual representations of the climbing experience, as is the documentary of Alex's climb shot by Jimmy Chin. As you can imagine, big wall flameouts, long falls on overhanging ice, dubious epic alpine adventures, having partners and strangers alike die on the vertical… would naturally amount to unrepeatable and utterly intense concoctions able to match any mere chemically induced state of psychological deconstruction…Just hanging out on a wall was a continuous experience of opening and closing bardos for me. I forget about that sometimes, as well as the fact that I am still in the wild and crazy midst of an incredibly charmed life. At any rate, enlightenment is inconceivably beyond mere experience of the Absolute— which, as you know, does not confer buddhahood. The sudden is the entry-level experience of enlightening being. Most people (not you) assume that the sudden is all there is to spiritual evolution— what a huge misconception!! The fact is, there is no path until one gets to the end of the road, then learns to end fascinations (including that of the sudden in its aftermath) and step over the whole of creation without misgivings or doubts. Only then does the dusty path open up for one to follow in the gradual footsteps of all prior illuminates. Taoism says that the first trip is short, in that the sudden is experienced in terms of the absolute, in an instant, because the nature of the absolute is already selfless nonorigination before the first thought. It says the second trip is long, in that integration of one's experience of buddha-potential is endless, because creation is endless in terms of its incrementality, and wholly consistent with enlightenment in terms of its causeless essence. Gradual and sudden are one continuum without beginning or end. In the aftermath of the sudden, one must take up advanced practice based on prior practice. If one has taken chemical shortcuts to circumvent the natural process of self-refinement, one may very well have done oneself a disservice. Having said that, the traditions of authentic teaching have long employed drugs for accelerating the deconstruction process. But the drug-use was controlled by an experienced teacher— not the student. Ultimately, it doesn't matter because there are no shortcuts. Our karmic footprint is assured; all is accounted for without possibility of deviance. That's not destiny in terms of the person, that's reality in terms of potential. This is an absolutely beautiful line, Breakingthewall~ "Even before, without knowing it, there was a longing, everything led to this from the beginning." That is a really incredible statement. A thousand "heavy hearts" couldn't do that justice! As for the truth being glimpsed (in terms of the absolute, I'm assuming). If that's what you meant by the truth… the "truth" being our selfless nature in terms of the absolute— if that's what you mean, that is called "traces of enlightenment." We need to get you off that drug! In order to progress and further refine oneself in the aftermath of the sudden, all traces of enlightenment must be eliminated and forgotten. It's true. This is precisely what took five years for me to accomplish in the aftermath of my experience of the absolute. You simply must work through it in order to accept your enlightening function and fulfill its dharma in the world. What I said was "If you know but cannot act on that knowledge…" Seeing your nature is just seeing your nature, and only that— it doesn't mean anything. Otherwise, seeing potential in terms of situational karmic evolution in the midst of delusional realms is the same mind as the absolute, which is the same mind using habit energy to reify the personality perpetuating karmic bondage. Activate that mind without dwelling on its contents, is all one can do. As for acting on that knowledge~ THAT'S ALL I HAVE BEEN WRITING ABOUT SINCE 2008. hahahahhaaa!! The knowledge of no knowledge seen in terms of the sudden cannot be reconstituted for daily consumption; it's already your own mind. As for "polishing your mind" there is no such mind to polish. When I say that delusion is no different than your own mind, that is to say that the nature of delusion is the nature of Mind. That can be understood in terms of the relative aspect of Mind as well as in terms of the absolute aspect of Mind. Either way, the truth applies equally in terms of reality. Shen-hsiu wrote on the wall: The 5th Chan master said, "Your verse indicates that you have not yet seen your fundamental nature. You have only arrived outside the gate…" Hui-neng had someone write the following verse on the wall because, being illiterate, he could not write it himself: The Chan master saw the verse, and fearing for the safety of Hui-neng, erased the writing from the wall with his shoe, saying, "This is still not yet perception of essence." Later, the master met Hui-neng secretly. Hui-neng said, "The grain has been ready for a long time, but it still wants sifting." Hui-neng met with the master in the middle of the night. When the master said "You should activate the mind without dwelling on anything," Hui-neng spontaneously realized that all things are not apart from inherent nature. In the case of Hui-neng, he realized original nature himself after already understanding reality. In my case, I saw original nature after having already activated the inherent function of subtle spiritual adaption in the midst of delusional everyday ordinary situations. Even so, it is still necessary to eliminate all traces of enlightenment in the aftermath of selfless experience expressing transcendent absolute nonorigination. If you have seen your nature, do not tarry in eliminating all traces of enlightenment. Until this is accomplished, the "truth" of selfless realization will be a barrier to functional accord in reality. ed note: fix 1st paragraph; italicize "bardos" in 4th; add "As for the video…" and the bulk of the 3rd paragraph; add last 12 paragraphs; re-write 15th paragraph (above Shen-hsiu's quote)

haha!! I read somewhere that thought is itself indicative of mental illness… I've only been climbing since 1972. I'm a total granite above tree-line snob, that's for sure. Throw in a little (or a lot) of ice and I get to wear some trés posh Italian shoes~ avec 32mm razor-sharp teeth strapped onto my soles, and swinging 50cm razor-sharp ice-tools in my hands-- heehee!! ooh-ooh, my dominatrix is showing!! In my experience, and by countless others' as well, the actual climbing is the proof of one's assessment going into the adventure. Alex Honold's recently filmed and televised free-solo ascent of the Salathé, a 3,500' line on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley is proof of an obviously successful assessment of his own audacity, perseverance, aptitude and vision. For me, the adventure is a ticket to nowhere for the hell of it. There are more people climbing plastic holds under a roof than real rock and/or ice in the clouds, the sun, or often enough, under the stars. In the 80s, a pusillanimous derivative of gravity-dependent endeavors called "sport-climbing" arrived from Europe where anchors for clipping carabiners are drilled with a industrial battery-powered drill motor en-rappel (from the top-down) enabling egoic individuals to chase their purely technical ambitions void of any real consequence, i.e.: no danger, no risk, no adventure, no unknown element. That's a sport? I looks just like climbing though… I guess it is, in some sense. All my guide-partners latched onto it (as new clients beckoned), but I was never seduced by that, nor by international travel for the purpose of alpinism. I can die easy enough within 160kM of my home. For me, gazing on a 3,000 meter north face (in southern California!!) and feeling its (relative to human scale) ageless geological dynamic, I just want to be part of it… and in assimilating into a wonder such as that, one submits to the wonder and wanderlust, and one simply submits to the line. It is a creative act, in a sense. Eventually one either proves the line or doesn't. I've done plenty of both. One's self becomes the dynamic proof of one's inner vision in terms of before and after. I guess that deliberately submitting to adventure is essentially egoic. In terms of technological barriers that people have been developing for at least 2 million years to buffer the species from the ravages of biological, geological and meteorological elements in the planetary environment, submitting to the adventure in terms of climbing, per se, hasn't long been an option now entertained by as few as 2% of any given population at any given time in the history of the human species. The inception of alpinism as a "sport" can be traced (in European culture) to the "leisure" class (think "mad-dogs and Englishmen") as products of their industrial-age opulence whereby the textile and steel barons began hiring local shepherd guides in the community of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc in the Haute-Savoie region of France, thus creating a new industry, a new "sport" and a new field of technological research in terms of science at altitude. Nevertheless, I've seen photographs and read about an ordinary (non-climber) black-African who climbed Mount Kilimanjaro solo (back when there were still formidable year-round ice-formations on the mountain) with little more that an ordinary table-knife. For some, climbing is in their bones. It is Mind alone. Doing it yourself only goes so far, with or without drugs. Carlos Casteñeda is a famous drug employer in that sense, under the tutelage of the seer don Juan Matus. In seeing your nature by any means, it is not up to oneself to induce the experience. If you actually feel that you experienced enlightenment, it must have been something else, because the psychological apparatus has never been up to par with the real. If it wasn't the person experiencing itself as unborn nonoriginated aware potential, then you've arrived, but the rule is— if you know but you cannot act on that knowledge, it is the same as ignorance of reality. There are plenty of that kind floating around, clinging to the experience of the Absolute. Your absolute nature is you, but you aren't it. Having experienced it myself, I know nonoriginated selfless awareness isn't the person— neither in terms of the absolute nor in terms ofsubtle spiritual adaption to conditions. There never has been such a one in reality. Why? Because creation is illusion. A buddha cannot reach you in the absolute. There is no thing. That's your nature. I never had doubts about the real, in terms of seeing potential as well as the experience of the Absolute, but it took me five years to let it go and get on with assimilating potential with situational evolution, without doubting consequential ramifications relative to the self (ego). I found great help in arriving at that space by the writing of the 11th century Chan illuminate Hongzi Zhengjue, who instructed people to trust their luck, accept their (enlightening) function with open hands and to share themselves with the world. A recently published volume of his writing is called Cultivating the Empty Field, translated by Taigen Daniel Leighton. North Point Press ISBN 0-86547-475-3 The other book that helped me get beyond my post-sudden enlightenment funk twenty five years ago is The Unborn, by the 16th century Japanese Zen illuminate Bankei Yotaku, translated by Norman Waddell. North Point Press ISBN 0-86547-153-3 Earlier, I mentioned that I'd been dealing with the ins and outs of enlightening activity for thirty-five years. The discrepancy is that seeing essence being enlightening practice in which freeing potential from the karmic matrix is a seamless practicality of gradual practice, there is before and after. In terms of gradual practice, seeing essence isn't sudden enlightenment. One somehow awakens to essence by dealing with situational potential instead of dealing with things relative to the person. Seeing essence is seeing that things aren't things— enlightening activity is seeing creation as potential, and dealing with potential obviates self-reification and self-aggrandizement on the spot, simply because seeing isn't the person. So that bit of gradual practice amassing the fuel of enlightenment was a ten year long period. I did a lot of reading too, by the way… by which time I had long since stopped using hallucinogenic psychotropic synthetic and naturally derived compounds, mushrooms and cacti. The rule is to "work with what is the same." Work with essence and amassing potential by virtue of the immaterial body of awareness which has no location fuels the enlightening process resulting in a trip to the absolute. The trigger setting off your trip is circumstantial by any account. So it doesn't matter if you use drugs or not because unless you have also amassed the spiritual potential to fuel your trip to the inconceivable, you ain't going nowhere in terms of reality, absolute or otherwise. Work with essence and you end up with essence. Work with (created) energy and you end up up with energy— being the perpetuation of endless rounds of birth and death. And that won't do!! I so appreciate your posts, Breakingthewall!

William Grosnick continues: "The natural purity of mind can be thought of simply as the awareness of one who does not originate thoughts of "me" and "mine" and other illusory realities. Nothing special is being said about any kind of mystical penetration into an absolute or universal mental nature. The natural luminosity of mind is only the natural purity of one who does not generate foolish thoughts. It is completely unthinkable, unrealizable, and indescribable, and thus fully compatible with the prajnaparamita teaching of emptiness." The natural purity of mind is what is referenced when I say "it's your own mind right now." "Your own mind right now" is just this mind of nonorigination. Bankei used the term "Unborn" when saying that "All things resolve upon awakening to the Unborn." Not giving rise to personality-based affliction is the nonorigination of suffering. Not giving rise to pattern-awareness is itself enlightening activity. ed note: keep having to fix the italicized long Sanskrit word spelling after pasting

Yes, Breakingthewall, "planting lotuses in fire" is symbolic of adapting potential to conditions. That's all it is. If you saw your "true" nature (in terms of the absolute), where is it now? Who saw it? If it was you who saw your nature, then you are mistaken about the event. "You" have never existed, and neither has any buddha ever existed when seeing the Absolute. You did mention stark fear being encountered in this event of "seeing your nature." Fear is ego, plain and simple. YOU DID NOT SEE YOUR NATURE if you experienced fear. It won't hurt to get off that wheel asap. Just do it. Don't be the slightest bit concerned about seeing your nature. Seeing your nature dispels all doubt about reality, and you have plenty of doubts it seems. Just remove this "seeing your nature" from the equation and you'll be fine for the time being, I assure you. Whatever it was wasn't that powerful anyway.❤︎ There are much more important issues to attend to, Breakingthewall!! The Absolute does not "emanate" anything. It is itself the nature of your own mind, without beginning. It literally has never begun. It has never moved. If it did, it would be created. It is nonorigination itself. This is who you are; Unborn. Since it is so, and since it is your nature, you can actualize it at will by not thinking good or bad. Your own mind is none other than such as it is. Unborn, nonoriginated, awake. Right now! I see you are following the stages I presented as before and after (gradual and sudden)~ good! There is no new perspective either before or after the sudden. Authentic practice is NOT giving rise to thoughts by compulsive activity relative to the psychological patterns of the personality before the PRIOR gradual stage. Sudden realization of your nature IS THE RESULT of a long period of prior gradual enlightening activity. You would have been already practicing nonorigination BEFORE you experienced the sudden. So this "new" perspective is never going to happen either before or after sudden realization. One awakens to the potential of one's mind long before one sees the Absolute. Minimizing ego is just in practicing the nonorigination of its psychotic patterns of habitual mental activity. "Minimizing" ego is not giving rise to its habitual pattern-awareness. Not giving rise to ego-consciousness is already nonorigination on the spot. The sudden does not change anything, and neither does authentic practice of nonorigination in the midst of delusion. The buddha said that absolutely nothing is gained by complete perfect (sudden) enlightenment. If you did gain something, it wasn't enlightenment, because enlightenment is already nonoriginated. "Getting off this wheel" cannot be done by the person, since the person is itself the wheel it imagines of itself as karmic bondage— that's way real, even when it's delusion. That is the working definition of self-reifying. Just don't do things. The wheel exists relative to the person alone. The wheel is your own doing. Nonorigination, if you have been paying attention to this entire thread's contents, is simply NOT originating the wheel you have been dragging around all this time. That's all it is. So put that wheel down along with that sudden enlightenment thing! The whole premise of nonorigination is that your changeless nature is already thus. You may have had a glimpse of the absolute, but I seriously doubt the experience had any real power. At any rate, it doesn't even matter because such is already your nature. You should have learned that much just by seeing your nature on the spot. What does matter is that when one ceases using mind habitually by NOT perpetuating the illusory personality in everyday ordinary situations, the result is simply the selfless observation of reality as is, in the midst of delusion. It's nothing beyond natural and ordinary. It's just NOT your view of reality. Your view of reality is already deluded. Delusion is reality relative to your mind. Forget your mind and just see what is without self-reifying psychosis. That's all nonorigination is about, in terms of practice. What has changed between delusional psychosis and awakening to nonpsychological awareness? The scene is the same but there is no personality habitually imposing itself on situational evolution. The key word here is habitually. That's all it is. Great comments, by the way, Breakingthewal! Your questions and comments help those who are themselves going through the spiritually developmental experiences you yourself know first-hand❤︎!! ed note: add "That's all it is." to 1st line; add to 1st and 2nd paragraphs; swap paragraphs 1~3 to last three paragraphs.

The Sanskrit word "garbha" means seed, germ, womb, feminine essence, among other definitions in Sanskrit. "Tathagata" translates from the Sanskrit as "one who has thus gone" or "one who has thus come", as well as other similar and/or opposing aspects relative to the meaning Gautama Buddha used to refer to himself as inherently and thusly awake. Tathagatagarbha refers to one's nonoriginated essential and inherent buddha nature; one's potential seed or germ of buddhahood, as it were. This, itself, is the premise of Mahayana, or Mind Only teaching. Gautama Buddha didn't invent it. It is already thus. This is the open secret which all prior illuminates have been leaving behind since time immemorial and beyond, in order to keep the knowledge alive. All people have their task in discovering and actualizing the buddhadarmha. Again quoting from William Grosnick's Nonorigination and Nirvana in the Early Tathagatagarbha Literature article… "As noted earlier [in William Grosnick’s paper], the practice of not originating ignorance is not simply the means to liberation (as the cause), it is also liberation itself (as the result). By not originating false notions of reality, beings [automatically] actualize their innate purity [of mind] (cittaprakrtivisuddhi). All beings are said to possess the Buddha-nature because they possess the capacity to practice nonorigination—this is the Buddha-nature as cause. [Thus] when they practice [nonorigination], it becomes [the] result." As I have said many times, action relative to delusion is karmically bound, so transcendence (nonoriginating the personality) is simply a matter of seeing reality as is without conjuring the psychological patterns habitually reifying the personality. How is that different than practicing nonorigination? I hope there are students able and willing to study William Grosnick's paper and further research and study the early Tathagatagarbha literature in the Jnanalokalankarasutra and the Ratnagotravibhaga, which cut clearly through the thrust of my writing on the subject, in terms of describing enlightening activity by virtue of the essence of delusion. For those wondering about the term "Nirvana", supposing it to mean the equivalent of the theoretical Christian "heavenly hereafter", that term was concluded early on in Mr. Grosnick's paper as a signifier (of buddhist provisional teaching) as it is posited in terms relative to extinction. But in terms of the Mind Only schools of Mahayana, Chan and Zen buddhism, as well as Quanzhen (Complete Reality) taoism, since there is nothing to "get rid of", nirvana signifies nonorigination. Because reality is itself unborn, or nonoriginated, nirvana comes to constitute the living state of perfection operating transcendently within the midst, and by virtue of, all delusional realms no different than enlightenment. Since reality is the same as nonorigination and the nature of creation (delusion) is the essence of reality (unborn), the means to transcend delusion is by virtue of seeing its essence before the first thought. And rightly so, because before the first thought is already nonoriginated. It is so wonderful to learn that the earliest proponents of authentic teaching expressing reality (in Indian buddhism) including Gautama Buddha himself, who also attacked (depending on his audience) dualistic notions purporting origination (dependent or otherwise) and its counterpart, extinction, also elucidated the same description of transcendent (skillful) means by enlightening activity as do I by virtue of my own experience over the last thirty-five years. Not that I need the validation, because I had and have had no doubt regarding the inherent natural expression of enlightening being as Suchness, a singularly boundless, nonoriginated island, itself actualized by virtue of the eternal realm of delusion as one's selfsame planetary sea of jewels. ed note: add 1st paragraph; forgot to type "quote mark" at end of 2nd paragraph; add quote box and content; add last sentence in 4th; add 5th through 8th paragraphs

Breakingthewall wrote: Enlightening activity is powerful in the sense that one does not rely on one's own power to "take over creation and steal its potential", to use the taoist description of buddhism's teaching of mutual response. Therefore such response is spiritual adaption in that one sees by nonpsychological awareness and responds to situational karmic energy by virtue of karma's inherent uncreated potential. Potential is itself the nature of (created) energy, and since it is possible for one to see its essence, one is able to partake of its potential. Taoism says that one "takes over creation" by seeing its essence, and "steals its potential" by virtue of its (potential's) power to spiritually transcend karma from within its midst (because it's neither different nor created). What is "spiritually transcending karma from within its midst?" Enlightening activity is selfless action (because it is void of personality/ego consciousness). Seeing by virtue of nonspychological awareness is itself "enlightening activity", which is not the person (I swear, it's not that amazing), by which one's actions relative to non-differentiated perception of situational potential are free of karmic energy because one does not abide in karmic energy when seeing its essence. By seeing impersonally (nonpsychologically), one's selfless accord in reality is transcendent (in terms of delusion). Again, mind is one: seeing potential is seeing reality; seeing things is seeing delusion. It's all by mind alone. This is the transmission of the "mind only" teaching perpetuated by those who first awaken to essence, then who subsequently see their nature and clarify its substance by advance practice in the aftermath of sudden realization, and finally learn to adapt "harmonize" enlightenment to conditions in the process of passing through endless karmic cycles. Taoism calls this "planting lotuses in fire, sublimating the self spiritually and physically in endless transformations entering the Tao in reality." Certainly, one's takeover of creation is assuming partnership in creation, by virtue of its essence. This is specifically why and how one is not subject to Change's changes. How could that not be powerful? Another description of "stealing potential" is called freeing potential from the karmic matrix. This potential is what one absorbs for further refinement in the empty vessel, one's immaterial body of awareness which has no location. Taoism didn't invent this— it's natural. Buddhism calls this "saving energy". The mystic school of Judaism calls this "gathering the sparks." This planet's ancient enlightening teachings all have different terms for the same operation outside of doctrine. You see, all authentic teaching is an open secret derived of inconceivabilities that are our inherent nature. Creation's nature is inconceivable. People are inconceivable beings. To be alive is an incomprehensible and fathomless opportunity. All prior illuminates have left this secret behind in order to keep the knowledge alive. ed note: add "because it is void of personality/ego consciousness" in 2nd paragraph; split off/create the 3rd paragraph, remove word "and"; add "This is specifically why and how one is not subject to Change's changes."; typo last paragraph

Hi Breakingthewall— yes, the sudden and delusion do seem really different~ hahahaaaa! First, I will address the obvious point you raise (thank you for posting!) If one posits the Absolute (before the dichotomy of the primal organization) as different than everyday ordinary existence (being delusion), I would tend to agree with you. On the other hand, if one clings to the experience of Absolute nature as a thing, and then proceeds to reject delusional existence as something else (different), one has turned both the Absolute and delusion into things— which is itself delusion. And that won't do! The point I make is that reality (Suchness, being neither ordinary nor holy), is not dependent on the experience of sudden enlightenment. It not only is reality without distinctions (absolute/delusional), it is already thus, before the first thought, without needing to experience the Absolute (by virtue of sudden illumination). It's your own mind right now. If you see reality, it's your mind. If you see delusion, that's your mind too— if that's what you are doing with it. So, "reality and powerful enlightening activity do not depend on sudden enlightenment because enlightenment and delusion are not different" means that seeing everyday ordinary situations without relying on self-reifying distinctions and awakening to your innate enlightening function is a matter of it being thus a priori without first needing to see your nature. The point of this thread is the notion that nonorigination is not simply a reference to the realm beyond time. It is the unified operational ground of being, that is one's activity as the expression of enlightening being, selflessly so, adapting according to the time, from within the midst of, and by virtue of everyday ordinary situations. Potential is itself inherent in the karmically evolutionary process we refer to as "delusion." Delusion is the created aspect of reality, just as enlightening potential is the uncreated aspect of reality. Therefore, enlightenment and delusion are not different. Those who see reality, see potential, whereas those who see delusion see things. Seeing reality and adapting potential to karmic evolution is just a manner of speaking. For those who see reality, karma and potential are already causeless nondifferentiated unity without beginning. One sees delusion with the physical eyes, but one acts by sensing reality and adapting to its potential by having awakened to one's Dharma-eye. I said enlightenment and delusion are the same. I didn't say sudden enlightenment and delusion are the same. I said that reality (Suchness) and powerful enlightening activity do not depend on sudden enlightenment (the experience of seeing your nature in terms of the Absolute). ed note: add last sentence to penultimate paragraph; add first sentence to last paragraph

Hi mr Awake❤︎ It would be most advantageous for yourself and the other readers if you would take the trouble to say WHY you probably enjoy something you have referred to as it relates to the thrust of this topic. Would you please tell us about how the Ajata Project relates to this topic and how you relate to this topic as well? I would probably enjoy that. ed note: add bulk of reply to mr Awake

One must not assume or mistakenly conceive of creative evolution as different than the totality of universally ageless bondage by a self-consciously perpetuated matrix of karmic pattern-awareness. Karma is not an element of influence acting on a separate realm called creation in that existence is itself nothing but karmic momentum through and through. Karma doesn’t “happen” to you. It already defines your entire reason for being through and through. There is no other reason for being. I hope that fact doesn't shock you. Rest assured that the reality of existential properties falls into neither relative mode of philosophical eternalism nor nihilism. Existence is simply a mystery beyond the ken of empirical scientific method— based simply on the level of its own modalities of currently devised properties attributable to quantum physics. “Karma” isn’t even a thing. To believe it is a thing would be like believing “ego” is an absolute in terms of the identity of the being that is going to die. When it does, it is gone forever. People who actually believe as much are categorical "nihilists". "Eternalism" is a belief in a transmundane "soul" able to perpetuate the ultimate identity of the individual: either by reincarnation or by eternal salvation or damnation. Actually, creation and karma are both references to the mundane, the created, the realm of delusional existence, and all such references fall into the realm of process, time, or, the incremental. Even so, referring to the “transformational” properties attributable to the absolute essence of the created is only a provisional teaching device in that the essence of reality doesn’t change. Why? Nonorigination. Beginningless nonorigination. Beginninglessness isn't a reference to a far away time. It is literally without beginning. Such is the nature of reality, and its essence is awareness. Being uncreated, awareness is void of self and void of emptiness. As such, one's own quality of being is awake. Being is karmic and nonbeing is awake. Obviously, nonbeing is transcendent in its causelessness and being is a process of endless changes. Because one must first see essence oneself in order to “transform” the created into potential is only in a manner of speaking. Why? Because reality and delusion are even now, without a doubt, not different. It is only a matter of one's quality of unobscured clarity into the nature of reality that one realizes delusion or nondifferentiated unity by the being's inherent enlightening function. Why? Because the delusional created realm being none other than enlightenment for those who see essence, who see reality, it follows that those whose Dharma eye is obscured by habit energy (conditioned consciousness) consider enlightenment as something else, something other than their own mind. Even if deluded people afflicted by ignorance of their inherently nonoriginated enlightening function take it upon themselves to mistake the thieving human mentality for sincere open wonder, they still do not see reality and cannot partake of the vehicle of the unconditioned. By seeing reality, one naturally forms a partnership with creation and its karmic changes on par with the Causeless, thereby to transcend endless rounds of birth and death while in the very midst of delusional karmic evolution. This means that seeing delusional existence as potential in reality and not as things relative to the personality, one deals with essence directly and goes along with the uncreated. Ordinary people see transcendent reality as creation and see essence as things, and thereby go along with karmic momentum, changing along with things (birth and death). Though enlightenment and delusion are not different in terms of essence, whether or not people see reality or delusion is a matter of clarity or obscurity, in terms of one’s degree of awakening to self-refining practice. Some people have light karma and some people have heavy karma. But it doesn't matter because the rule is arriving at the cessation of future karmic generation by refining away the karmic basis of the being that is going to die in spite of circumstantial cycles karma of past and present. The simple fact is that if one isn't presently free, one won't be free in the end. The essence of reality has never been other than this very instant. ed note: change "(change)" to "(birth and death)" at end of 6th paragraph

I consider that an incredibly weak excuse. The last patriarch of Chan buddhism was an illiterate wood-cutter who had to hide from jealous contemporaries for 15 years after the prior patriarch passed on the robe and bowl to him. After six attempts on his life, he eventually succumbed to poisoning. Please submit a note from your moderator releasing you from further responsibility for your actions, zeroISinfinity. ed note: add 1st paragraph

hahhahahahhahhahahhahhahahahaa!!! Love you back, my little zero-boy❤︎!! People, please make it a general practice to JOIN the conversation— I may very well be a dominatrix, well versed in BDSM (I am), but I'm presenting something for those who have an affinity or have the potential to be so in terms of transcendent application of the essence of reality in the midst of actual delusional existence— otherwise, as mr zeroISinfinity has proven, comments such as his are just a jerk-off into the abyss. ed note: gave him a little kiss

Well, well~ god hisself has spoken! And how do we apply this actual love thing, mr godhead, oh mr 10 thousand-plus drive-by posts to his credit. Sure, as a rote definition being the selfless abstract intent of the Absolute— I got that much on my own AS GOD MYSELF. But SO WHAT. Discern its APPLICATION, in the midst of real human beings, dear— and PUT IT IN WRITING. There you go and here's a tip, ZERO-BOY> for extra credit, compare and contrast Reality and the essence of reality, since you brought it up in terms of two separate aspects. Don't be a flash in the pan— a wimpy drive-by. …and there YOU go❤︎!! mr zeroISinfinity, since you seem to be stuck in the absolute, which is indicative of CLINGING to emptiness, you might want to "take the forward step, accept your enlightening function, and share yourself freely with the world" without trying to protect your tiny little bit of white-hot enlightenment. ed note: add "in terms of two separate aspects" in 5th line; quote; last paragraph

This is a great example of the flowering of Complete Reality teaching by the founder of the Northern branch of this school, which had a very close affinity with Chan buddhism in the 11th~13th centuries. Here he aligns in a most simple and clear fashion, the three realms of desire, form and formlessness with thoughts, objects and emptiness, where clinging energy to these realms exacts illusion and detachment from within their midst clarifies one's open awareness, in terms of essence and settles the spirit in the homeland of all prior illuminates, in terms of potential. Here, I have noted that Wang Che has paired open awareness with essence and prior illuminates with potential. This is because the substance of essence is open awareness and the function of enlightening being is mastery of potential.

Well, I much prefer the question of "why", to the question of "so what"~ but the answer would be the same, Breakingthewall! I had a thread called "So What" on the daobums forum, but I haven't been able to locate it. Some of my threads here on the Actualized forum are adapted from topics previously published on other venues, but this one (The Essence of Reality) was started from scratch just a few days ago. The "curtain" is one's own mind not seeing in terms of selflessness. Dropping the façade of the personality's habitual perspective (unbeknownst to anyone else) draws the "curtain" aside. One doesn't act differently than ordinarily. One's own mind (no different than that experienced in the Absolute) is the nature of "who", seeing by virtue of the created conditional scene before the person. The "person" is not one's absolute identity, yet "who", is not something else either. Awareness is itself "who." "Who" be you. That's your own mind right now. The alternative is ordinary delusional bondage in karmic rounds of birth and death based on habit-consciousness. Either there is no habitual self-referencing inner dialogue accompanying sensory perception, or there is. Inner observation of self-reifying thought and/or open consciousness in turn, this 24/7 observation is called continuous subtle concentration. One's unbending intent maintaining the practice of continuous subtle observation is the basic method of self-refining practice. Formal meditation regimens carried out by beginners are only an introductory exercise for entering into authentic self-refining practice in the midst of ordinary situations. It is a huge mistake to consider zazen meditation as the pinnacle of solitary "spiritual" life. It may very well be, but unless such practice is "proven" in the context of real situations, it is a relatively powerless method of comfort. It is not an illusion that we live as separate individuals, but in dealing with everyday ordinary situations, conditioned activity is comprised of the sensory habits of ordinary people, or else the subtly non-reifying open consciousness maintained by those who dispense with self-conscious interaction with the situational environment and proceed with the forward step in full acceptance of one's inherent spiritual function of enlightening being. The illusion of time can actually be manipulated, in terms of oneself. Just consider the way time is experienced when brushing one's teeth in a hurry compared to how long it takes to boil an egg. So, the manipulative aspect of illusion is really not a barrier at all as it is all there is to work with, and so, strictly speaking in the context of enlightening self-refining practice, we use it beyond any discriminatory perspective of personal gain in terms of habitually complacent opportunism. So, in that sense, we use illusion for the purpose of self-refinement by not using it. We use it constructively in terms of self-refinement by exercising our initially faint ability to see the situation before us without habitual employment of selfish pattern-consciousness. There is nothing wrong with selfish pattern-consciousness, per se— it's the habit-energy that is the problem. There is nothing wrong with personal gain. It's just that habitually complacent opportunism being selfish activity does not serve to diminish the illusion of the false identity of the psychological apparatus that is usurping the functional power of one's natural inherent enlightening potential. The essence of reality just is. Those partaking of its potential already had that potential in terms of the situational milieu, but were unaware of it and only began to explore its potential at some point in their lives. Those who are still unaware of the essence of reality are just unaware and therefore unable to access the potential of the essence of reality. It does not change reality. This is the point: reality does not change. Illusion changes and the ignorant change along with illusions. Enlightening beings see Change and go along or not consciously. But in seeing Change, one absorbs its potential dynamically without being caught up in karmic momentum as created energy. As I mention from time to time, it is necessary to work with what is the same. If one works with polluted, creative energy by seeing potential as created things, or else works with psychosomatic energy in the various body-aware methods of so-called "inner alchemy" and other sexually-transmitted grafting techniques, still, all one has accomplished is relative to the created, and the created is nothing but birth and death— no matter what the temporary benefit is conceived of. On the other hand, in seeing the essence of reality by virtue of recognizing the inherent potential of illusionary, created cycles in terms of situational karmic evolution, one not only absorbs its potential for further spiritual evolution, but one also diminishes influences of karmic retribution and further dissolves accumulated accretions of karmic residue cloying the aperture of perpetually upwelling incipient potential (Dharma-eye). Yes, the secret of spiritual realization is simply "evolving" in terms of refining away the conditional aspect of habit-energy (karmic momentum). "Evolving", per se, is only a matter of discovering what's already completely intact without ever having originated. Pablo Picasso said , “We have invented nothing new”, after seeing the ancient cave paintings at Lascaux, France. “After Altamira, all is decadence.” The paleolithic "Stone Age" is an immensely long prehistoric period of time in which people were being people, same as ever. We have invented nothing new, other than the tools of "progress" which keep us occupied in the realm of convenience by virtue of all-consuming technological manipulations and processes— not that I'm complaining… Enlightening activity absolutely does not save on suffering— in fact, it faces it fearlessly; "neither courting honor nor avoiding ignominy." So, in terms of "why", it's just a matter of realizing and exercising enlightening potential by virtue of the natural essence of reality or else striving to maintain one's ignorance of that very same nonoriginated unconditional nature underlying the conditional illusion, albeit unawares. The conditional and the unconditional are the same, in essence, whether one knows it and acts like it or not. Reason is essential for this side (in terms of this side) for those unaware of reality. For those who are aware, there is no "side" to speak of: it's all the same. Nevertheless, enlightening activity adapts enlightenment to conditions, and such activity isn't void of situationally contextual "reason". Ordinary people do not know of enlightening activity, one way or the other— even while accomplishing such virtuous adaption. Those awakened to potential do not have a monopoly on "enlightening" activity. Action independent of thought relative to self and other, only deployed by virtue of spontaneous sensitivity to situational potential IS enlightening activity. Enlightening activity is absolutely inconspicuous, as it "makes sense" in terms of the situation. This is because potential is itself inherent in the created situationally karmic cycle comprising the situation in the first place. The "other" side isn't somewhere else and isn't even something else at all. It's just a matter of dropping the habitual self-referencing perspective one perpetuates from birth, and awakening to what is, without perpetuating personalistic views of self and not-self 24 hours a day. Just this is authentic meditation. Just this is the day-job of enlightening beings harmonizing enlightenment to conditions. ed note: swap out five words at end of 7th paragraph

ahhahahhahaaa!! We doo all right, you should know I taught Conan all he knows, monsieur~ heehee!! Yes, Breakingthewall, you should also already know that it was a woman who taught Huang Di (Yellow Emperor) the art of strategy. It was only much later that Sun Tzu codified the martial lore in extent due to the 500 Years War that was ravaging China between the moribund later Zhou dynasty and the meteoric and extremely short-lived Xin dynasty. I don't want to rile anybody's feathers by omitting the former and latter Han which book-ended the Xin by a couple hundred years preceding and following the Xin's 20 or so year reign. At any rate, Conan is an old friend~ after all, he did come from the west, did he not? I want to summarize below, the former discussion points in hopes of possibly delving further into the application of enlightening activity by virtue of the knowledge of potential inherently comprising the essence of reality as practiced by spiritual adepts of all authentic teaching. As expressed in the provisional teachings of individual liberation, the term illusion is relative to the sphere of psychological function in each individual. In terms of taoist Complete Reality (Quanzhen), Chan/Zen and Mahayana (Mind Only) buddhist teaching, illusion refers to the entire realm of creation, the created, karmic process and the incremental, (time), without limit, including the psychological function of all sentient beings (actually, we really shouldn't leave out insentient beings as described by Don Juan Matus of the Toltec Nahual shamanic teaching tradition). As well, without reservation, all buddhas, wizards, saints, sages and all prior illuminates also comprise the extent examples of delusional existence— not just ordinary ignoramuses. Thus, in both provisional and authentic teaching, illusion is another name for temporal existence and denotes that which is bound to karmic rounds of birth and death continuously throughout lifetimes as a direct result of ignorance of the being's enlightened real essence. As for the Absolute (unlimited) range of human experience as tendered by the nonoriginated (nonpsychological) spiritually perceptive capacity, it does have a limit, nevertheless, in terms of the unknowable. Also, the absolute does not "produce" manifestation of karmic evolutionary process. The only reason higher teachings refer to creation as "illusion" is that its created aspect is void of an absolute nature based on itself. The mystery of mysteries is that the essence of absolute (nonorigination) and creative (karmic evolution) is undifferentiated unified awareness. They are the same in essence, therefore spiritual adepts manipulate this homogeneity to arrive at the secret operation of the Celestial Mechanism to transcend creation's killing energy and instead, gather its unrefined potential for the purpose of further self-refining activity in the midst of everyday ordinary delusional situations without admitting intellectualism. Therefore, creation has no need of some far-off creator or creatrix because it simply isn't necessary to believe in supreme being. What authentic teaching espouses is that one experience supreme natural being for oneself and realize one's a priori selfless identity as inherent nonoriginated selfless awareness. This is as far as a person (in terms of selfless potential) can go. The ultimate reality of human being is nonoriginated selfless awareness. It's just the way it is and no one knows why. The topic of this thread is the essence of reality which is posited as neither manifest nor un-manifest, neither stillness nor movement, neither self nor other, and pertains to inconceivable entry into reality rendered by the uncreated essence of human awareness, which does not depend on sudden illumination. Why? Because nothing whatsoever is gained by the experience of complete, perfect enlightenment. It is already one's true nature. Rather, the selfless event of spontaneous enlightening experience is the direct and cumulative result of authentic enlightening activity by virtue of awakening to (recognition of) one's inherent enlightening capacity. One's inherent enlightening function is in seeing potential and responding impersonally to situational evolution without relying on self-reifying karmic pattern-awareness. Potential is inherent in the situation, not the person. For those who see Suchness, or the essence of complete reality, in terms of everyday ordinary existence, arrival is not really a matter of stages, or personal developmental leaps and bounds toward brilliance in the manifestation of "spiritual powers". It is simply a matter of diligence, excellence, humility, patience and selfless open and clear intent based on a sense of selfless wonder and acceptance of one's inherent goodness. The end-point of all authentic teaching is in the actual application of enlightening experience in terms of everyday ordinary situations, unbeknownst to anyone. It is necessarily my task to divulge the celestial properties of inherent real knowledge in the application of potential by virtue of delusional existence. Why is it possible to do so? Endless spiritual transformation along with creation without following karmic bondage in rounds of birth and death is possible only because illusion and reality are not different in terms of their essence. But it is necessary to work with essence directly, without intermediary, in order to transcend karma while intimately in its midst. It is by virtue of the false that the true is manifest and absorbed. The firing process as described in taoist spiritual alchemy is the process of recognition, absorption and further selfless refinement of the creative's unrefined potential. It is naturally refined in the immaterial body of awareness, which has no location. That's a fancy way to say "you" don't do it. "You" don't recognize it. "You" don't absorb it. "You" don't seal it away in the empty vessel of nonpsychological awareness. And "you" don't "pass through" transcendent experience in its aftermath. For now, this is enough. ed note: add last line