deci belle

Thank you so much for the comment, Consilience! Yes, I have to admit that the content of my writing is quite technically oriented and dense, as it is loaded with culturally imbedded references to that which normally requires years of serious study in the various ancient Chan/Zen buddhist and Complete Reality/Quanzhen taoist lexicons. Of course, ultimately, it's not zen buddhism or taoism at all, it is Mind, alone. It's your own mind, right now. These two ancient teaching traditions are still viable in terms of their emphases denoting methods for efficacious self-refinement. I'm not referring to the well-known baby-sitting programs of rote formalist silent sitting (meditation), which is a method of comfort, primarily (and habit-forming as well). Sitting meditation should be dispensed with after its beneficial aspects have accrued. Ultimately, real practice is formless 24/7 subtle observation of mutual response and spontaneous accord in reality. Not to mention the fact that the nature of reality is inconceivable~ it is beyond words. People have to discover and develop their inherent capacity to function in this realm. It's really akin to wizardry, in a way. Simply put, it's not words at all that enables people to revert to their natural enlightening function that automatically unifies creation and nonorigination. Creation and nonorigination are undifferentiated potential in terms of the Absolute. Enlightening activity is the realm of no words [Suchness (buddhist) and Complete Reality (taoist) terminology]. This realm is accessible by seeing reality. It is neither ordinary nor holy. Buddhism calls such seeing capacity the Dharma Eye. Abiding in Suchness or Complete Reality is the Supreme Vehicle of Tathagatas (another transcendently exquisite Buddhist euphamism!). In simplest terms, it is none other than the "middle way". So you see, the middle way is not a matter comprised of reasonable conventionality at all. It is inconceivability itself, naturally so. Carried out oneself alone, unbeknownst to anyone, is solitary knowledge in terms of adapting to conditions. Yet the solitary knowledge of the Dharma Eye is not the perspective of the individual. Seeing reality is the capacity of activated enlightening being, which is the totality of unified selfless awareness in terms of any given situational sphere of potential in which one may find oneself. What you call interesting is the natural affinity the imbedded knowledge has with your inherent nonpsychological potential. These resonate because they're the same. Immediate knowledge is recognizing one's affinity beyond words. The style of writing is deliberate as well. It is a device to discourage the tendency of most readers to seek intellectual resolution. This kind of knowledge is best suited and most effective in terms of opening avenues to awakening by letting it work, alchemically, so to speak, in suspension without letting the psychological apparatus relegate its content as "intellectual property". This allows its potential to revert from habitual mental postures back to pristine wonder without bias or inclination. It's a long process, but "grain by grain", the elixir of immortality coalesces. ed note: add 3rd and 4th paragraphs; include quote from prior thread topic

While I like to say that inherent buddha-nature is simply one’s impersonal enlightening function as it meets the perpetual result of the dharma, intellectuals are very quick to refute this observation and counter with resentments at issue with “claims of realization”. This is what is referred to as the conceit of ignorance, which is patently irrelevant to one’s enlightening function meeting the perennial advance of the dharma. Enlightening function has no position (Panda recently wrote on the daobums forum that I and my threads have no position as a snarky comment (that I absolutely LOVED)— and so she has subsequently removed it from the Recognizing Reality thread). Too bad that Panda, Taomeow and rainbowvein just love to hate this realized woman ~ hahahaa!! Enlightening function having no position is so since it is the antithesis of conditional identities that exist by virtue of the relative position. Ego is a valid function itself, relative to the psychological apparatus of the being that is going to die. It being absolutely empty of identity is naturally effective in terms of its purpose and capacity. That it becomes habituated to “positions” relative to identities of self and other is the root of deluded karmic imprisonment and is hence the focus of self-refinement in terms of the raison d'être of the authentic teachings, not to mention the selfless imprint of primordial awakening— Mind being the singular signifier attributing any relevance of an historic lineage of teaching tradition. Seeing your nature is a pretty major deal, beyond simply being an evidence of efficacy of one’s practical achievement of self-refinement, in terms of setting up the potential permanent stabilization of one’s application of aware potential in ordinary situations. Buddha’s instructions were to refer everything to the self~ why would it be recommended to leave this particular experience out as “not that big of a deal”, quoting Taomeow, who doesn’t seem to be talking much about issues and challenges relevant to the application of subtle operation by virtue of having seen her nature. Touting enlightenment as not that big a deal is what Dogen referred to as “it-doesn’t-matter” Zen. It only doesn't matter after you see your nature. Even so, enlightening activity is not dependent on having already seen one’s nature. Why? The reason being is one’s nature is already thus. Everyone is already just this enlightened mind, but it is necessary to experience it for oneself to gain the power of unified awareness in order to apply it in actual situations unbeknownst to anyone. So, the selfless wonder doesn’t require experiencing sudden enlightenment to begin to develop the perspective attributable to the application of inherent enlightened mind. Mind is itself the universal peerless teacher. One’s own mind stripped of the human mentality is just this mind; just this teacher. As such, it is available to all with the discipline, audacity and selfless open wonder to step over eternity itself. How do I know? By going through this and surpassing thoughts of "the other side" to take up gradual practice once again. This is because the function of enlightening being is itself the endless process of self refinement. Self-refinement freeing the capacity of primordial open awareness from the calcification brought on by the human mentality’s penchant for routine habituation is the gradual process of dissolving the ingrained habit-clusters that perpetuate self-reification. Enlightening activity deepens as self-refinement clarifies the basic mind-ground Honzhi refers to as the Empty Field. One uses worldly situations (the empty field of the world being none other than Mind itself) to the point where sudden realization naturally resonates having reached a critical harmonic point of no return. The "point of no return" is just experiencing nonorigination. One discovers that one has never been but thus: nonoriginated, selfless, aware. The point of no return is selfless knowledge of that which one has never otherwise not been, without ever beginning to be so. It has never begun even now. The reason why the Absolute has no such Buddha is because such a one cannot exist by virtue of nondifferentiated unity. "People turn into buddhas and buddhas turn into people." It's not that there has ever been a separate buddha-nature to awaken to. Even now, one's awareness is not created. Reality is Unborn. Having seen, one then seamlessly returns to the world having achieved nothing whatsoever. Buddha said, “Nothing is gained by complete perfect enlightenment”, All beings are thus". Seamless return to the emptied human mentality now fully empowered as the mind of tao which had always been thus, only now just discovered as thus, proves that there is only one mind, not two. Therefore, enlightening experience of no-mind, empty of voidness, impersonal, uncreated; the essential nature of creation, nonbeing within being, is the result constituting a potential entry actualized outside of time, being, creation, psychological and hence karmic matrices by virtue of fusion with cosmic immaterial primordial uncreated aware reality. Though you are not it, just this is your nature, your mind, right now. By the way, It IS a mystery. Really!! It is inconceivability. It is beyond understanding. Don’t even try. Such knowledge is not by the person, but by Mind alone. This potential permanent stability no different than the nature of awareness itself is the entry-level achievement. Inasmuch as permanent stability of ever-awakening enlightening function selflessly adapting to creation has reached a critical juncture fully dependent on further self-refining activity no different than before experiencing the sudden, is proof of gradual and sudden being a singular continuum. This is why I say that enlightening being functioning impersonally therefore adapting independent of former habits of self-reifying psychological patterns relative to illusory created karmic cycles constituting everyday ordinary situations is not dependent on sudden enlightenment. Enlightened mind is already in place, is already your inherent function; only obstructed by the human mentality unawares. This is the root of beginningless karmic bondage. By becoming aware of one's karmic actions, one learns to respond without employing self-reflexive patterns: thus habit energy isn't perpetuated unawares, and the process of self-refinement gradually proceeds without end transforming through numberless creative karmic cycles. Intellectuals refute reality as Mind, and attribute the basis to the being's psychological apparatus— it is obvious why the ancient discipline of open sincere wonder activating an objectless process of self-refinement leading to authentic entry into the path of complete reality independent of before and after and free of conditional identities is the prerequisite illuminating the positionless perspective that abides as the Unborn: being none other than your own mind right now. The spontaneous power released in terms of one’s own potential by that which is inherent in each situation one finds oneself in proves the basis of aware function as being unity inherent in karmic evolution (conditions/change), awaiting the perennial advance of the dharma as is. This is just stating that selfless unity is inherent, and that karma and enlightenment are therefore actually the same for those who see potential. Seeing potential is simply a matter of not experiencing the world relative to the habitual thought-energy of the person. One awakens to spiritual awareness by intending subtle observation of psychological awareness, over a long long time. Eventually, it craps out and one's heretofore unbroken stream of habitual thought is interrupted forever. Resting in the highest good is floating around within the "center of the compass" without categorizing a separate self identifiable in terms of a relative position. This is itself dispensing with habit-consciousness to impersonally adapt to situations. It is not that enlightening activity requires doing anything. Seeing through phenomena without denying their characteristics, taking over creation and stealing its potential is as easy as turning over one’s hand. If people only knew… It is simply one’s inherent impersonal enlightening function naturally so. Should one discover this function and accept its subtle application, one should then (as Honzhi says), take the forward step, entering the world to adapt the spiritual subtlety freely without admitting one’s own power and generously give of oneself without reservation in terms of entering situations completely without thoughts of survival. ed note:change "because" to "since" in 4th paragraph; typo 12th paragraph; typo 18th paragraph

This is a response I received by PM: Let's see if I can offer something on topic, here. "When you find your place where you are, practice occurs, actualizing the fundamental point." ("Genjo Koan" by Eihei Dogen, trans. by Aitken and Tanahashi) Excellent, Mark— the quote you chose exhibits a practical understanding of real application of potential. Good job and thank you for the reference! Students who are ready should take advantage of this volume. Another excellent volume for study is a different translation of the same fascicle by Hakuun Yasutani titled, Flowers Fall, published by Shambhala copyright 1996 ISBN 1-57062-103-9 Furthermore: What is manifest (psychological and external phenomena), is absolute reality (not beyond one's original unborn face). What lies at one's feet is this complete reality in one foot being neither ordinary nor holy. Entry into inconceivability on the spot, is one's whole mind and body never having suffered existence, being the nature of enlightenment. Those who see this, see reality presently. Shining all along, following the heart's desire without ever once stepping beyond the singular rhythm.

There is an ancient taoist fable about a sheepherder boy who transcends the requirements of convention (maintenance of worldly concerns akin to duty), by changing the nature of his duty without violating the basis of what constitutes one’s natural relationship with creation. Yes, one actually has a relationship with Creation. Its activation is the selfless intent of the real human body which has no location. One’s intent beckons an open sincerity of enlightening being by its sustained, unbending quality. This is naturally inconceivable, naturally gradual entry into the nature of Power. Sincere openness beckons the fruition of the selfless intent of the body of reality, which is one’s immaterial center, the locus of one’s aware living potential energy. Beyond nexus, such is Mind. Open awareness is its substance, function, and intent. Sincere openness is the go-between, entering where the elements of the primal organization are not differentiated in the macrocosm nor in the microcosm. It is the most subtle and exquisite vessel of enlightening beings. It is the point where thought arises. It is the door to all marvels. It is just this open sincere intent of one’s real body where the Way alights and wells forth. Enlightening partnership in creation transcends one’s subjectivity to it. In working it, so to speak, one lets go of the small to partake of the great. It is a matter of clarifying the basis of one’s awareness, one’s relationship with awareness, that karmic evolution becomes a partner in oneself, and one is then no longer subject to its changes. Working it is the ability of buddhas, wizards, saints, sages and the enlightening beings of all times. Its active capacity is the inherent spiritual function of enlightening being. Self-reflective activity trapped within desire, form and formlessness is the function of sentient beings. The respective functions are carried out dutifully bound as a matter of course in everyday ordinary situations; the former, before the first thought, and the latter, after the first thought. What is this point of illumination at the cusp of the first thought? Who knows that it is possible to rest here at the point of incipient upwelling of potential before the first thought in perpetuity. Though "subject" to karmic influences, one adapts impersonally along with Creation, or not. Correct concentration and insight into the nature of Mind and furthermore maintaining a subtle continuous extension of mindful observation on this nature of Mind while functioning adaptively in ordinary affairs eventually develops into an unbending impersonal intent of open sincerity subtly harmonizing with the Way. Harmonizing with the Way and its Power is making a bid with its Power, since the essence of the Way is the nature of human being. Power is its source, whereas its nature is our affinity with its Virtue. This is why seeing reality is the Way (in terms of incipient potential) as one's manifest virtuous accord in Reality. Through a long process, self-refinement reaches a natural harmony with the Way, and one’s bid is recognized impersonally as resonance attuned to its Power. From that point on, enlightening being operates by a selfless fundamental reversal of the nature of one’s relationship with Creation hitherto unknown to ordinary people, who, furthermore, have no idea what constitutes their own nature. Ordinary people follow the light of creation within personalistic (selfishly) attuned ignorance, whereas enlightening beings turn the light around to align themselves with its universal undifferentiated source of illumination. There is nothing to understand. This is why it is called entry into inconceivability. No one knows there's nothing to know. The source isn’t anywhere else but here and now. It’s you; though you are not it. Being here and now without employing psychological patterns habitually differentiating before and after, self and other, is already the light turned around. The terminology is only words, not the reality. The work of self-refinement is the dissolution of the mental patterns veiling authentic presence. Negotiating the viscidities of here and now is enlightening being; it is neither different nor the same as before and after, self and others because real knowledge is void of habitual mental patterns of discriminatory consciousness. This is why the nonpsychological is spiritual. This is not a matter of sudden illumination, nor does its effect depend on the sudden. The spiritual is the very nature of the sudden. Therefore, the work of enlightening activity is the activation of the nature of the sudden operating in the midst of the gradual. Not only is this the nature of buddhahood, it is the nature of one’s own unborn awareness right now in the light of your eyes. It’s Mind through and through. This is not a meditative exercise. One does not see light!! The light does not look like lights. Even ordinary light is essentially immaterial. How can the light of awareness be conceived? If you see lights, and instead want to see reality, stop whatever it is you are doing. ”Wonders” derivative of the psychological storehouse are not the light. Seeing the light is a formative reversal of one’s relationship with creation whereby the psychological apparatus of the being that is going to die now reverts to facilitating enlightening activity instead of being its hinderance. As such, all things are just this light. The light looks just like things because the light is the essence of things. So seeing the light isn’t a mystical contrivance at all. It never has been. It’s just that people only see through self-reflective patterns of habit energy and don’t see the light of awareness by virtue of true reality, which is your own mind constituting nondifferentiated unity being the nature of reality alone. Essence is things, yet things are not it. Therefore seeing reality is the basis of not being subject to creation. Seeing is not visible, it is solitary knowledge constituting enlightening being, not the person. Reality is seeing without activation of personalistic patterns of habit energy. Such seeing is the means to absorption of potential. The ancient alchemic manuals state that “whatever can be seen is not to be used; only use that which cannot be seen.” The medicines are immaterial. Fusing them permanently in terms of the spiritual potential of the being that is going to die is the work of alchemy. Those who work with material and plasmic elements will come to an impasse. Clarifying the basis of one’s awareness, one’s relationship with awareness, karmic evolution becomes a partner in oneself, and one is no longer subject to its changes. All things reverting to potential in oneself doesn’t change anything. That’s the point of transcending changes. Changes aren’t potential. Only creation changes. The business of stealing potential is absorbing the stability inherent in one’s essential unborn awareness by virtue of and in spite of things. Partnership with creation is embodying the function of fundamental unity which is the light. The stability of illumination is your nature, which is changeless. One’s partnership with creation is proven by seeing Change. One sees Change by not following its changes unawares. How difficult is that? How difficult is it to not follow thoughts unawares? Not being subject to creation is before the first thought. That’s how close reality is. Before the first thought is Mind. Observing this Mind, how important is correct concentration and insight into the nature of Mind? Furthermore, how is maintaining a subtle continuous extension of mindful observation on this nature of Mind while functioning adaptively in ordinary affairs important to turning the light of this Mind around? In seeing the light, one partakes of the nature of the light and does not entertain acquisitive, speculative relationships with things based on patterns reifying the multifarious personality’s karmic imprint. Why? Because enlightening beings see that things are not absolute in terms of the nature of creation (which is karmic), in turning the light around. It is not a matter of belief, or faith. One does not act as if…(?) Reality is the way it is already. Reality does not depend on seeing. Seeing depends on you. If you see reality, then you do not abide in karmic energy, and the totality of the being that is going to die is the nature of enlightenment. In turning the light around, things revert to unrefined potential in terms of enlightening beings seeing reality. This is how one “steals potential”— it is just a matter of (one’s operating the light in reverse that is) not partaking in the created aspect of karmic evolution whereby one “absorbs” potential. It is not that one takes anything, or that things themselves miraculously stop acting like things overflowing in their foolishness, poisoned, deluded. It is simply seeing for oneself that there is nothing whatsoever to take (in terms of transcendent relationship in the created), that one “frees” potential inherent in any given situational event and then stores it away in secrecy void of intellectualism. The upshot is that one accumulates the subsequently purified primordial energy for enlightening evolution by oneself for the purposes of one’s duty, carried out as a highly-refined relationship with creation based on its (the created’s) uncreated potential. It is found neither in oneself nor in others; it is itself in Reality alone.

Someone asked about how orthodox taoism views non-heterosexuality beyond the subtlety that anything that can be named… Is it ok to be gay, bi, amorally disposed, lesbian, hetero, polyamorous, unconventionally asexual, exploring BDSM, or otherwise? I say it is a matter of choice, whereas others insist in mainstream justifications in terms of identifying as if they were born whichever way they are currently preferring to express their potentials as such~ as if it matters. For the record, it doesn't matter. The simple actualization of a sexual preference doesn't make anyone special~ unless that preference is a delusional ego-trip based on an erroneous misunderstanding of sexual equality, which is not a term of identity, but one of reproductive functionality. Obviously, only a biologically organ-based hetero-sexual act results in reproduction. It's not supposed to to be an identity issue, unless socialized medicine and tax deductions are the motvation. At any rate, detachment is key. Sex is sex. Learning to adapt psychic energies relative to vitality in the elementary processes of taoist practice is the means to spiritual (nonpsychological) evolution. "Find the one and your work is done"; and your psychological nature will follow suit~ along with the clusters of circumstantial patterns of preferential sexual expression relative to the personality. All situations are essentially sexual. The nature of basic existence is dual. It's in the air. Sex is sex. Sex is another word for duality. Emotions are emotions. Psychological identity is what is it. These all relate to ego, the personality's valid functionary; these being an ultimately formidable illusion of created human being. The expression of human refinement in terms of taoist parlance is the sage. Who is the sage? Taoist teaching states that the world is the sage. It's not that far-fetched, but to see reality as such requires a monumental change of perspective of one individual (at a time). And who might that be? The point of taoism is to discover spiritual essential unity by virtue of the differential characteristics of karmic evolution. Its effect does not depend on sudden enlightenment– selfless realization only proves the point. In the aftermath of realization, one must still return to tend social obligations. That being the case, why not start now? Using sex is a brilliant strategy. Situations are themselves the access-point of self-refinement. Situations are each created cycles in and of themselves. Yang builds and switches to yin. Likewise, yin's convergence goes through it's incremental process and the cycle is completed. One yin and one yang is one change. That is the essence of taoist science. That's all there is to taoism in a nutshell. Does anyone believe that the ancients left it at that? Universal potential is hidden within change. In fact, it is hidden as change. Those who can see Change do not go along with karmic/creative/eternal changes. That's what immortality is. What does this mean? It means that those who see Change gather its potential— which is the point of the taoist sciences of essence and life which is perfected in public everyday ordinary situations, not by special applications of meditative technique or by psychosomatic manipulation through energetic exercises done in private. All cloistered regimens are beginners' points of entry, being modes of discipline to align the individual in terms of harmony with the unseen. One should always be wary of cultivating attachment to so-called methods of comfort, i.e.: formal constructs of meditation geared toward the vagaries of personal preference relative to the personality. In the midst of these "special" exercises, always keep a keen eye on objective awareness overseeing subtle attachment, as in the case of habitual practitioners of meditative regimens prolonged for 20 or 30 years, or more, without resultant shedding of the skin-bag. Those clinging to such habitual practice eventually turn into occupational ghouls attached to teachers, teachings and traditions without ever leaving the zero-point of the intent of such institutional contexts beyond which spontaneously actualizes a passing through into authentic entry of real potential. In terms of taoist alchemy, potential is recognized by virtue of situations themselves, where initially it is base metabolism which is refined. Emotional equilibrium is essential, hence the admonition for detachment. If one can avoid clinging to others as well as one's own psychological patterns, then the natural process of refinement works spontaneously from vitality> energy> spirit without involving psychological emotionalism and intellectualism. Ultimately, detachment (not denial) serves as an inconceivable, empty vessel which can be said to facilitate sealing the natural alchemic development of potential until it is ripe for release. So "gathering" potential is only a symbolic euphemism relative to seeing. As well, it is entry-level in each instance of situational evolution in terms of refining oneself by virtue of created cycles of yin and yang. Analogous buddhist teaching states that we use the disease as the medicine. At the penultimate end of each cycle, release of potential is where spirit is emptied out into openness. None of this entire process requires doing. Taoist teaching states that that which is seen is not to be used; that which is unseen is what is used. In each case it is a matter of non-doing. Sexual preference is immaterial. But sex must come from somewhere. That place is what Chuangtzi calls the "homeland of nothing whatsoever." He says to rest there. When you see your nature, you realize the erotic spark IS your nature— or at least it is the created aspect of its light when yin and yang fuse. It's no wonder so many people (with the fabulous energy to do so) chase after sexual encounters with zeal and crave sexual unity in whatever guise it is manifest. What matters above all is impersonal (open) sincerity. Granted, what I have presented here is quite a stretch for most people. It's not a bad thing to hear it, though. Some day there are those who will assume the will to enlightenment as the endless journey to realize the totality of the being that is going to die. So if anyone just wanted to know if it's ok to have homosexual relations~ your guess is as good as mine …heehee!!❤︎❤︎ ed note: change the word "justification" to justification(s), in 2nd paragraph; add second paragraph; typo 7th paragraph; add "applications of meditative technique or by psychosomatic manipulation through" to last sentence of 9th paragraph; add last sentence to 10th paragraph

+1 At any rate, one should have no need to care, as long as such practices and preferences are carried out with respect to the common good. As for your point, that would be the politically preditorial cash-in by those pedaling and profiteering from identity politics, joe. It is astonishingly poisonous, in terms of deliberately foisting a supposed effective cultural ameliorative that actually subjects children to what amounts to chains upon their innocence, and seeking to create insidious and equally irrelevant issues that can only threaten the cohesion of the family unit— when protecting them from psychologically reeking baggage of this sort would be considered an order of the first water (in a healthy society void of such ghoulishly diabolical and politically motivated social profiteering). There are actually those who lie awake at night thinking of ways to proactively "help" (their own punitively motivated and emotionally compensatory agendas). Do-gooding social warriors of this sort are worse than criminals, because at least you can logically predict what criminals' motives are. In terms of my writing's emphasis, the whole point of spiritual refinement is freeing oneself of the tyranny of personal psychological patterning vis a vis ego identification without detrimental effect to ego functioning. It is actually culturally destructive in the most socially vicious manner that political activism seeks to "fix society" through such institutional social engineering to create client/dependents from the moment they leave the womb. Such zealous and misguided political activism is really little more than slave-pedalling of the lowest order. ed note: add last paragraph

People who see reality and respond to its potential do not see things relative to personal views, so they are said to work with essence directly without bias. Such virtuous accord in reality has no basis in good, bad, conventional mores, nor does it align with birth and death, karma, or creation. So convention, birth, death, karma and creation do not direct their actions. This is not a matter of morality, it’s an actuality of reality; and reality, is selfless. Therefore, only those who know existence of personal selfhood perpetuate knowledge of personal selfhood, whereas those who know nonorigination assimilate potential by unified selfless awareness; as above, so below: working with what is the same, one arrives as the same.

People’s habituation to psychological self-referencing is conditioned conscious knowledge, whereby such thought is predominantly in terms of habitual self-reification relative to the personality. Unfortunately, through the economy of pure habit, conscious knowledge of one’s inherent absolute impersonal nature is obscured, and people loose their connection to unified objective discernment. Therefore, use of discriminatory conscious knowledge isn’t a moral pejorative, in terms of ego, per se, but by habituation to patterned psychological response, one’s fidelity to its inherent foundation in objectivity, being true knowledge, is lost, as the projections of psychological temperament become increasingly sintered into the compounded delusional matrix of karmic momentum. No matter whether projections be subtle or extreme, when reality has been long lost, the authentic teaching of reversion to purity being the natural operation of spiritual alchemy is that which all prior illuminates of the school of Complete Reality (Quanzhen) profess for the benefit of those whose karmic disposition resonates with the path of working directly with essence.

The spiritual is not actualized, much less clarified, by psychological consciousness. What makes enlightening activity “spiritual” is simply due to the fact that it is nonpsychological, as it has nothing to do with the person, words, reason, morality, right, wrong, good or bad. In other words, it is void of self-referencing, which is the working definition of spontaneous impersonal adaption. Being that it is a matter of impersonally seeing reality as is, it only requires awakening to and continually clarifying the perfect emptiness of one’s inherent open awareness to actualize the natural enlightening function. Hongzhi said to “just accept the function, take the forward step with open hands and share yourself with the world.” It’s not a separate reality, it’s just right now wherever you are in perpetuity before the first thought. Taoism calls this resting in the highest good. It has been likened to a cat waiting at a mouse hole. It is the very point of incipient upwelling of potential. How subtle would such a continuous concentration of intent have to be to constitute one’s perpetual arrival at the homeland of nothing whatsoever? Would it be obvious that the highest good of taoism is not relative to moral conventions of self and other, good or bad, or else otherwise conceived as employing one’s psychological apparatus whereby one dubiously amasses karmic debt by acting on "triggered" personal bias? Just what could one’s penetration and arrival at selfless accord in reality without remainder be?

This is the meaning of the phrase, “the world is the sage”, in that situational potential is completely the world at large without remainder. It’s not the person, therefore it is not a matter of discriminatory knowledge relative to the thinker, knower, and liver of life. The criteria of subtle adaption is up to the situation, not the person. The point is, there is nothing one needs to know, in terms of conceiving habitual projections of (one’s) psychological patterning, so subtle spiritual adaption does not employ the use of one’s (the personality’s) own power. This is how unified consciousness really works in the midst of everyday ordinary situational delusion in which oneself has never transformed karmically as an otherwise separate absolute. How else would unified consciousness come to be referenced as such? Unified consciousness is not somewhere else. It’s your own nonpsychological awareness right now in terms of one’s impersonal observation of situational potential. Therefore, those who see situational potential as reality’s underlying selfless unity are sages.

Seeing through phenomena without denying personally and impersonally attributed characteristics is to see them as is, in reality, which is essentially empty of self. The object itself is psychologically immaterial. Knowing this and proceeding to adapt in terms of this is selfless accord in reality. Seeing this is arriving at realization of open accord within delusional attributes. Seeing this momentarily is a momentary increment of clarification. Such true and authentic practice carried out endlessly eventually arrives at perfect cessation of karmic evolution. Even so, one’s recognition and acceptance of inherent enlightening function seeing reality and carrying out subtle spiritual adaption passing through endless situations without following the Creative unbeknownst to anyone does not engage in the employment of one’s personal power. In the whole realm, who knows?

Intimate mystic experience of the Absolute by sudden enlightenment is only an evidence of efficacy. Inconceivable selfless realization of nonoriginated aware potential not only does NOT confer buddhahood, such realization is also to be regarded as non-essential to seeing reality impersonally and adapting its inherent enlightening potential to conditions in the course of carrying out effective self-refining practice. Why? Because enlightenment, presently at your finger tips and pervading the whole view including your pointed nose is already impersonally accessible on the spot. Gradual refinement is the process of assimilating one’s inherent enlightening qualities to the degree one can see through phenomena, including one’s own psychological patterns, without denying their characteristics; this being the subtle method of nonpsychological clarification. This means effective self-refinement is not dependent on characteristic habit-energy, other than for assuming a context for the practice of continuous subtle observation. So for those holding out for some kind of mind to mind transmission from a fashionably acceptable current or future guru du jour~ it is simply not necessary or advantageous to wait a further single moment, much less for betting on the slim chance of future human lifetimes to project one’s potential for buddhahood beyond the next kalpa. ed note: insert "assuming" in penultimate sentence

Buddhism calls adaptive, living, nonorigninated actuality “subtle spiritual operation”, in the context of situational evolution. Taoist tradition has manifested teaching systems employing elements of alchemically inspired mnemonic and evolutionary devices built around the firing process. The taoist alchemic teaching style that flourished in the 1100s derives from a heavily veiled work from 1000 years prior called The Triplex Unity. What is the point of spiritual alchemy? Its effect is to refine away the errant aspect of the human psychological apparatus.

Nice character analysis by the above contributors to this thread… …is the issue. The OP's feeling of aloneness, in terms of lack of authentic communion in established relationship is the issue, not what the value-judgement analyzers are projecting into the issue. He did mention the over-arching issue in terms of a general situational respect, as well. Perhaps drextez is beginning to see through what may seem like a virtual phantom existence which may be infecting his once familiar relationships. WHATEVER YOU DO, DREXTEZ— DON'T BLAME ACTUALIZATION (in terms of thinking it's a thing). You have already entered into conscious "actualization" for a few years now because your need for conscious evolution is demanding it, a priori. drextez' issue is DISSATISFACTION. that's all. It's not a psychological defect that requires analysis or a contextual buddhistic psychological primer. The man IS superior and advanced in a VERY small, but critical aspect of his life relative to his evolving conscious orientation and the social circle that he has, or is in the process of outgrowing. He already knows certain people in his life are not trending in the direction he is. You might be ripe for a house-cleaning in the friends and lovers department, drextez. Not that it's something anyone can do anything about. It might be that karma is getting its ducks in a row, and you know. So the more stabilized you are in the "fiercely independent" department, the better— no need to parade the fact …better to surprise them, non? heehee!! This is shallow: How about some respect for the OP, Aquarius? As for Serotoninluv's response, identity issues is what he himself seems to be projecting (in a few other posts as well, lately)~ and it's an academic response to boot, based on entry-level buddhist dialectics. Again, this kind of "help" exhibits a lack of reflection on the matter of the PERSON and his STATED issue. It's what he said in the words he deliberately wrote. How about if we address HIS words more, and our projections less? Arrogance, per se, isn't just a setup for a knock-down— it's also a real test of character. Where's the arrogance here, hmmmm?? I'm betting mr drextez will be well-served by a healthy dose of said "arrogance" in his next developmental phase of self-refinement. Just wait and see… drextez wrote: Is this evidence of arrogance? Ya gotta be arrogant to hang around in this crowd and keep your head above it (talkin' 'bout this thread, drextez). Ya got snagged by a couple trolls here, my dear— the above femme of the two isn't entirely thinking of YOUR best interests, either. Is she good at what she does? At least Serotoninluv is trying to help, Do not buy into the shallow paradigm these folks are presenting like your life depends on it. No doubt, you'll be getting more "help" such as this in the years to come, drextez. Just blow it away. I'm guessing (by your age) that you just might be noticing the atmosphere as you enter this stage of development in preparation for an inevitable period sans friends and lovers. I don't know, but if this is the case (as I have experienced first hand), there will be no way to prevent it. I say gather your loins and your self-respect and relish it, mon ami❤︎!!

This quote by Arkandeus needs to be pinned. Talking about such matters is INSANELY wasteful~ sorta like mindlessly ejaculating just because, even when it is entirely unnecessary to orgasm. I was very lucky. In navigating a prolonged period of what I'll call grace, decades ago, I never had anyone to tell or ask. The detriment to talking about such matters is really laid bare in the ancient phrase, "the spoils of war are lost in celebration." Even an authentic teacher or spiritual guide isn't glib about such matters. purerogue wrote: So true. Again, I was so very lucky, in that I never knew. All I had was a sense of wonder with no conceptions or expectations. I was very lucky. Even so, people going off at the mouth due to a little insight isn't the fault of the internet— it's been the case for millennia.

Mostly when I'm dancing~ and as far as I know, game isn't in need of any formality. For me it's never off. It's really not that subtle in terms of energy; which would be characteristic of INFP. What's so arbitrary is role-playing, albeit for the sake of brevity, it's understandable. Nevertheless, there's so much forcing of an issue and the goal oriented psychological momentum. The hustlers are trying to get there and I'm already there. The present is cosmically erotic… Interestingly, it's femme who join me innocently enough. If they're straight, it's a beautiful thing because they are really present-- unless they've stooped to being escorted~ with that, they tend to be escorted off the dance-floor when their date can't stand it any longer-- whoopsie!! Lez tend to cut straight to the chase after a few compliments, much as the straight males. Of course, gays guys are a blast due to a lack of expectations. People are sso sexy~ too bad we're always ruining potential by habituation to taking it somewhere else before it's so. ed note: change last line of penultimate paragraph

Oui-oui~ that's even better than I hoped, dear~ nevertheless, how you expressed it in the OP isn't to be discounted. Use what you have left for the time being and just work with what is, (precisely as it is) in order to see through what must not be denied. Now I'm very happy I saw your thread, Gligorjie❤︎!!

The thoughts coming back at you is fine, kobe! Just be present to see them as they arise, so the ordinary conditioned mental state of letting thoughts arise unawares is forever discontinued. Never ever try to stop thoughts from arising— you will suffer mental illness!! Just let the thoughts arise as you watch them with an unbending intent that continues observation with an unbroken subtle quality of attention. After a long long time, the arising of random thought will lessen somewhat. Eventually, there will come a time when you witness long periods of no random arising of mental activity. But this is not yet wonderful. This is what many students of meditation mistake for their shining mind— it's not! You don't actually need to "let go" of random arising of thought because immediate knowledge of arising thought is already enough. The ancient admonition is; use concentration to gain insight, once you gain insight, relax into it by not pursuing insight once you realize seeing: seeing insight. In taoist alchemical terminology, using concentration to gain insight is "advancing the fire." Once you reach sufficiency, "withdraw the fire." The key to "advancing" your effective developmental state of subtle observation is to "let go" of deliberate conscious observation once the reformative habit has begun to stabilize, in order to allow something the ancients call potential to arise. It is not other than your own mind right now~ but other than that, it cannot be described. In the beginning, seeing random thought is termed "insight", because the shining mind and random mental activity are mixed in together. After a long time, the arising of thought can be properly referred to as "potential", but I can't say why. It's just the way it is and nobody knows why. There is no why. When insight begins to constitute the arising of potential, through one's "letting go" of deliberate meditative observation, the same rule applies: advance the fire, then, when sufficiency is attained, withdraw the fire. Do this over and over in the course of observation. Do not entertain anticipatory longing or ambitions of spiritual wonderment, or you will never get anywhere and will end up as one of those who sit on the zazen (meditation) seat for 20 or 30 years without seeing potential or passing through self-conscious mental activity. I just wanted to make it clear that meditation, per se, is not good. There is a point to it, but that result must be discovered on one's own without regard to "progress" relative to the thinker, knower, and liver of life. It is Mind alone, selfless— miraculously awake. Perhaps you will stumble upon an ancient book I have heard of called "Stopping and Seeing." ed note: typo 1st sentence

Yay! Gligorije is listening! Thank you for that, mon ami~ even us "motivational" speakers need feedback… don't think I wasn't wondering about vous. I saw your OP in the dungeon of neglected thread-starters with ZERO responses, and had to say something! You are experiencing (suffering from) EXTREME loss and that just won't go away by itself. This is an excruciating process, omg… My friend lost most of his hand when he was very young, figuring out what a gasoline powered lawn-mower does (ouch!!). Well, what I said about a steel guitar is true, and you can do that much— so at least do that much, ok? ❤︎

There are two people following this thread~ none of whom are the thread starter, Gligorije. Nice.

I liked your guys' responses a lot— but somebody had to be the first to bust through. It might be easy to overlook the compounded nature of this kind of mental space when unfortunate events derail healthy, constructive responses. I say that because, at times, those I have worked with were obviously in a vortex of feeling bad about feeling bad. I suggested as clearly as possible, that just won't do!

Or consider this— You are 62, but look 37 (and act 27), and hang out in a trendy café all day, so way too many other 20~30-something femme don't know you're not an international playboy and don't know you don't have your own place so they can't help imagining having some crazy fun (at your expense) with you and are trying to get you to chase them, but you live in your 85 year old parents' guesthouse/studio, and just love practicing rockabilly guitar all night anyway cuz it's more fun than than chasing ME? Hhahhahahahahhahahhahahahhahahhahahhahhahahaa!! I wanna cry. Just do the minimum— it hasn't killed you yet, has it? I feel like bonking his bones and dragging him to MY place and fete him until he wakes up and LOVES me!!!!! But I digress… I say get a lap steel guitar and stick a pick on your stump (or the bar if it's your other stump) and crank it to 12, mon ami. Yes, it sucks, but what are you going to do? Seek the inevitable~ or just wait for it. If you've been out chopping off your hand, go inside and write about how beautiful something is with your other hand until you pass out. If you've been inside your whole life and are a pasty dough-boy, get outside and climb to the top of something over and over again until I can at least discern your ass from those other lumps you're dragging around. I hope I made you smile…❤︎ Make someone else smile~ how's that for doing the minimum?

I feel that not telling anyone is the smartest thing of all— keep going, mr Valiant!

Surprisingly, none of the career quiet-sitters have sought to help you (yet), kobe. Most people consider meditating with eyes open much more difficult than with eyes closed. I would recommend having the eyes open just a bit. I would not recommend that you use your eyes to do anything. Relax everything inside and outside; forget inside and outside, and just observe mind without deliberation. Completely dispense with rambling mental commentary without trying to stop it by force of will. Just intend to notice it along with everything else that occurs (or not). The ancient admonition is to not be afraid of thoughts, just be afraid of not noticing thoughts unawares. That's what rudimentary reformative meditation practice is. It's PRACTICE. It's practicing a subtle awareness of the mind that moves by the mind that shines. Don't make the mistake and think that there are two minds. The scattered mind IS the shining mind. It's an inconceivability. After a long long time, you'll find out less and less as the mind-ground clarifies. Whether your eyes are open or closed or somewhere in-between isn't as important as noticing thoughts as they occur without entertaining further commentary relative to habitual ingrained psychological activity. There are many ways to approach subtle observation of mind. Sitting meditation is effective practice for some people. I've never practiced "just sitting" myself. The point of reformative practice is to discover the means to see what underlies conditioned awareness and then endeavor to apply that potential in the midst of everyday ordinary situation by using impersonal subtle observation to fluidly meet the requirements of the moment without following habitual ego-reflective psychological patterns. In doing so, self-refinement is accelerated.

hi Audible~ I love Brasil❤︎!! It's just right now. There's never been any other time or place. Just this is it. There is nothing to prepare for. Quiet meditation practice is ok, but realize that such practice is only reformative— unless one applies its supposed benefits in real time, absolutely no real and practical developmental refinement is accrued in terms of approaching unity of oneself and others. Strive to accept your current human being in terms of responsibility for your actions (before and after the fact) and just share yourself openly with the world with open hands, without conceiving of the though to seek anything— as mr River suggests in the above post. Seeking is itself a hesitation, a separation from this moment. Seeking is itself procrastinating! Seeking is also a form of craving, which must ultimately be dispensed with. If you have learned anything from sitting meditation, just learn to activate it in terms of the quality of attention that applies to subtle observation of mind without dredging up conditioned responses to inner and outer situations. There's no thing (out there); it's just your self-reifying perceptions (in terms of beginners' entry into open sincerity and self-refinement as an ongoing never ending process). After a long time of using ordinary situations to refine away the thinking self's self-conscious responses, one just opens up little by little to see reality as it is without as much self-reflecting consciousness to interfere with spontaneous accord with reality. ed note: add last sentence to 5th paragraph