A Nondualistic Duality?

[slash112]

Hahaha swampgrl

Originally Posted by slash112

I feel ya. Our perspectives aren't as contradictory as you think.

Sometimes **** gets confusing for me because I naturally take many different perspectives throughout my daily life. I hop from one to another depending on who I'm talking to. So all the perspectives sometimes get jumbled in my mind.

These discussions are great for me because they allow me to hone my general-perspective. (A perspective I can use in groups, or someone I can't get a read on)

Same here.. I often find myself asking myself the same questions I ask others. or applying the same answers I give others in several parts of my life. Even adopting insights,conclusions and points of view to me.

Yes.. I guess that means I called myself a narcissistic nasty little man just now.

With Love
Eelco

[slash112]

Brilliant

Mucho love

[swampgrl]

For all as Eelco's:

There is a curb to every corner. A great occupation for one that gets it. Perfectly suited for all (s).



Giving and receiving openly coded messages are the best kind.

I will not take the easy road.....

Why?

As George Mallory said,

"Because it's there."

[blossomingtree]

Originally Posted by slash112

I've heard before (and said myself before) that you could say that everyone is already enlightened. But no no, it's, everyone has a perfect true self always watching from its perfect place. Doesn't mean the person is enlightened. Enlightenment/Nirvana/Vedanta/Buddhism/etc,etc,etc, is reference to a journey or a goal.

And what is a journey? Movement. Change.
And what is a goal? The desired change

The reason why it can be represented in so many different ways is because the Truth (which is beyond all words and thoughts) can be explained by words in different ways (word play but not intentional word play like swmpgrl has fun with - just practical word reality)

Example:

You are eating a super sweet mango. You try to describe it to someone who hasn't eaten one yet. One person says "it's orange, pure orange, and wet!" Another says, it is "like the nectar of tree sap". Another says "don't bother trying to understand, you have to try it for yourself! Here, here is the map on how to find one"

Example:

You are trying to find a spot hidden behind a patch of grass on the fence. Someone says "the spot is there, in plain sight". Someone says, "you need to remove the grass first", someone else says "look closely and you will see where it always was".

And then we have everyone trying to reconcile the different words on things Doesn't mean any of that is wrong, but it doesn't mean discussing it will yield the complete answer either (IMO)

In Zen, they call it the goal-less goal, because in practice, things are like that. Doesn't mean that no effort was put in, in fact, it seems a common thread of most Sages is the amount of effort expended..

Nibbana

We all know what happens when a fire goes out. The flames die down and the fire is gone for good. So when we first learn that the name for the goal of Buddhist practice, nibbana (nirvana), literally means the extinguishing of a fire, it's hard to imagine a deadlier image for a spiritual goal: utter annihilation. It turns out, though, that this reading of the concept is a mistake in translation, not so much of a word as of an image. What did an extinguished fire represent to the Indians of the Buddha's day? Anything but annihilation.

According to the ancient Brahmans, when a fire was extinguished it went into a state of latency. Rather than ceasing to exist, it became dormant and in that state — unbound from any particular fuel — it became diffused throughout the cosmos. When the Buddha used the image to explain nibbana to the Indian Brahmans of his day, he bypassed the question of whether an extinguished fire continues to exist or not, and focused instead on the impossibility of defining a fire that doesn't burn: thus his statement that the person who has gone totally "out" can't be described.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/...o/nibbana.html


BT

[blossomingtree]

Originally Posted by davidsun

FYI, even though you didn't 'ask' me what I think, I find your posture of 'precious' thoughfulnees to be saccharine - which is completey OK with me IF that IS what REALLY pleases your 'sweet' 'tooth'.

This is getting a bit too abusive, davidsun.

FWIW for your consideration

BT

[slash112]

Originally Posted by blossomingtree

Nibbana

We all know what happens when a fire goes out. The flames die down and the fire is gone for good. So when we first learn that the name for the goal of Buddhist practice, nibbana (nirvana), literally means the extinguishing of a fire, it's hard to imagine a deadlier image for a spiritual goal: utter annihilation. It turns out, though, that this reading of the concept is a mistake in translation, not so much of a word as of an image. What did an extinguished fire represent to the Indians of the Buddha's day? Anything but annihilation.

According to the ancient Brahmans, when a fire was extinguished it went into a state of latency. Rather than ceasing to exist, it became dormant and in that state — unbound from any particular fuel — it became diffused throughout the cosmos. When the Buddha used the image to explain nibbana to the Indian Brahmans of his day, he bypassed the question of whether an extinguished fire continues to exist or not, and focused instead on the impossibility of defining a fire that doesn't burn: thus his statement that the person who has gone totally "out" can't be described.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/...o/nibbana.html

Love this. It's funny cause I've heard the same thing being described as "throw everything into the fire".

[swampgrl]

Originally Posted by blossomingtree

(word play but not intentional word play like swmpgrl has fun with - just practical word reality)

Lordy, lord, lord, BT.

You may be comfortable knocking my ball in the corner pocket but you're capable of seeing beyond that move.

Play the basics if that's your game, whatever.

[sentient]

Originally Posted by blossomingtree

Nibbana

We all know what happens when a fire goes out. The flames die down and the fire is gone for good. So when we first learn that the name for the goal of Buddhist practice, nibbana (nirvana), literally means the extinguishing of a fire, it's hard to imagine a deadlier image for a spiritual goal: utter annihilation. It turns out, though, that this reading of the concept is a mistake in translation, not so much of a word as of an image. What did an extinguished fire represent to the Indians of the Buddha's day? Anything but annihilation.

According to the ancient Brahmans, when a fire was extinguished it went into a state of latency. Rather than ceasing to exist, it became dormant and in that state — unbound from any particular fuel — it became diffused throughout the cosmos. When the Buddha used the image to explain nibbana to the Indian Brahmans of his day, he bypassed the question of whether an extinguished fire continues to exist or not, and focused instead on the impossibility of defining a fire that doesn't burn: thus his statement that the person who has gone totally "out" can't be described.

https://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/...o/nibbana.html


BT

Thank you for this BT.

*

Originally Posted by swampgrl

99 bottles of beer on the wall, 99 bottles of beer.
Take one down and pass it around, 99 bottles of beer on the wall.

Cheers everyone!



Sierra

Did you ever had that feeling we were just going around in circles?
In some traditions that's all the practice.

Before enlightenment. Walk a circle.
After enlightenment. Walk a circle.

With love
Eelco