Clingless Development, Transmutation & Progression
An Adyashanti video highlight on spiritual wakefulness 101:
With a deep interest, when we let go of what may happen in the future, and let go of trying to duplicate the past, a calm and quieter mind happens naturally.
There’s often a latent anxiety though that when open, living in the now, not pushing or anticipating that nothing useful will happen. But this is negative ego talking, and the joke is there’s been little “spiritual” significance so far when holding on and not being present.
Part two of my conversation with medium and spiritual counselor Sarah Edwards recorded July 23rd 2020 at Mary’s House of Healing in St Charles, Missouri for IntegratingPresence.com.
Sarah is an intuitive guide, medium, Usui Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher, and Clairaudient delivering profoundly wise, insightful and skillful messages. Find her on Facebook at Sacred Speak with Sarah.
As is often expected when starting media production — even after heavy editing there’s still plenty of “umm”s, “absolutely”s, “mmmmm”s, stuttering, me interrupting and talking over Sarah, environmental distractions, etc, etc.
Nonetheless I feel the depth and breadth of what we get into outweigh the verbal annoyances.
While we tackle COVID Corona in the first recording this one addresses much more far ranging material.
Topics include:
To make a correction, I relayed information about humans being put in 5 reality zones during 2020-2021 when it is actually after 2020-2021. And in 2135 Density 1 is set to start its extinguishment but not complete until around 2235.
Some of the stuff we mention is our own and plenty of other stuff comes from sources we don’t site so please only take what’s useful for your journey and investigation, question all you hear and see here and then do your own research with this information.
Ultimately — like with just about anything else — the views, information and opinions mentioned are not to be taken as ultimate truth to be clung to.
Our (recorded) conversation starts during some conjecture about Stonehenge
Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)
Images credits:
This irregular “Dharma Questions” series deals with “dharma” meaning both the truth of the nature of reality and some Buddhist teachings. Please see this post on the intensions for questioning and not questioning. Amongst other things these questions can be, but not necessarily:
Whatever [one] keeps pursuing with her thinking & pondering, that becomes the inclination of her awareness.
Two Sorts of Thinking
Dvedhāvitakka Sutta (MN 19)
It is often wise to address an elephant in a room once discovered, and let’s just call that elephant Corona19 or CV. I sat down with the fearless and intrepid healer and advisor Sarah Edwards on July 23rd 2020 at Mary’s House of Healing in St Charles, Missouri to face the CV beast headlong.
Sarah is an intuitive guide, medium, Usui Tibetan Reiki Master Teacher, and Clairaudient delivering profoundly wise, insightful and skillful messages. Find her on Facebook at Sacred Speak with Sarah.
In this informal conversation, there’s plenty of, let just call them, charming idiosyncrasies, with enough “absolutely”s for a drinking game. But along with my verbal foibles Sarah and I dig directly into CV while touching on other related topics along the way.
Topics include:
Ultimately, the views, information and opinions mentioned about this transient virus are not to be taken as ultimate truth to be clung to
Also, a short video I did to — amongst other things — put (some of) the incessant media barrage about Co-V into more of a meta perspective:
MABA‘s Shifu Jiru teaches five breathing exercises. The following commentary on them is merely my own thoughts and observations and by no means objective, definitive, representative or authorized. I welcome any and all corrections and responses. Please take what’s here with a grain of salt so as not to color your own experience of doing these exercises. And also realize when someone says, “OK. I want you to NOT think of a pink elephant!” What happens? Yeah. Especially for a perspective like: could these breathing exercises signal a symbolic and physically displayed intent to overcome, and not consent to any (potential) unseen influences hindering continual bare awareness of breath?
Even in the short amount of time I’ve practiced them I find these Qigong breathing exercises an aide to (increasing) breath awareness. And along with noticing the effects during the brief relaxation and standing meditation between each exercise, I find all five particularly helpful before more extended, formal breath-centric mediation.
I address each exercise on a practical, mundane level as well as the more metaphorical:
1) Gil Fronsdal mentions riding the breath like a surfer rides a wave. Being with the breath. In tune with it. Synchronized with it. Attending skillfully to the breath and attuning to its pleasantness, instead of the futility and frustration of trying to control it. This first exercise starts off like waves in the ocean. It then adds expanding the arms wide, incorporating the vastness and incalculableness of the ocean. The ocean metaphor lines up with primordial consciousness. The source of consciousness. If represented by an animal, the first part may be a bird floating up and down on the ocean waves while taking to flight for the second part.
2) I’ve seen and heard slight variations for exercise two:
In that order, there’s the correspondence of:
An animal representation of the first part might be a bear hug.
3) The unique and perplexing methods of movement for moths and butterflies is one of surrender, grace and beauty, as well as carefree, near effortless nourishment from nature. Throughout the butterfly‘s well-known theme of transmutation we can see a calm awareness brought to its various identities and modes of being. Developing one’s skill of sensing, applying, embedding and realizing these passive yet transformative qualities of breath is quite helpful for (awareness of) breath in meditation.
4) “Push(ing) hands” merges and synthesizes the defining physical human characteristic of opposing thumbs with the continuous life force of breath. Our opposing thumbs could represent humanity’s commonalities and unity. As the basis for much creation, work, and change in physical reality, human hands can remind us of our massive potentials and capabilities through willpower. Keeping with the animal similarity theme for each, how about a Praying Mantis?
5) The last exercise investigates the edges and limits of lung capacity — empty and full — while also exploring the amount of skillful will implemented to wisely do so. Since it resembles forming eggs and hatching, perhaps then this symbolizes birth, death and rebirth.
These exercises cover the breath’s pleasant, healing and nourishing qualities as well as clearly revealing its incessant impermanence. They also serve to illuminate the active, passive, practical, profound, transcendent and wisdom aspects of knowing the breath and breathing.
My (rough) notes with points and question on the above video Advaita is Vedanta – Sri Nisargadatta Maharaj by Stephen Wolinsky:
I’m fond of the mention of non-dualism as a state or station to be discarded — and not a completion or attainment.
In reference to ‘looking for what you have not discarded and discarding it’ as spiritual practice, the Buddha said: whatever is not yours abandon it, or ‘…give up whatever is not yours.’
Other observations:
‘You never want to nest in any state’
(Zen koan)
Questions:
Where is the love, or heart qualities on this path/teaching?
What is (it that is) instructing that “all states and stations need to be discarded?”
How does the knower of the consciousness appear?
Must a state be known (fully) in order to (properly) discard it?
How would Stephen address the energy/consciousness of particles/matter and the emanation of radiation in addition to vibration?
(If all emanates from The Absolute with no Samskaras, or vibrations (there),) how do these “subtle stirrings” known as Spanda happen?
How are linguistics conditioned? How do “words, which are actually abstracted representations of things which do not actually exist” come into being? What are their origins based on?
What about planting those uncooked Samskara seeds in the desert; high atop a barren, all stone mountain; or in perpetually frozen climbs? Or transmuting these “uncooked seeds” into breath?
‘There Is No Nothing, There Is No Something
There is No Not Nothing
There is No Separation, There is No Oneness
There Is No Me Prior To Emptiness
There is No Me Prior To Form’
UPDATE 6/16/20 and Disclaimer: I may continue to update this post as study continues, adding new questions and points and perhaps deleting others. So here goes:
Stephen mentions involvement with Neurolinguistic Programming (NLP). How has and does NLP influence his presentation of Nisargadatta Maharaj’s material and teachings?
In part 2 titled “The Nisargadatta Ultimatum Pointers” he says, “The Absolute does not know itself at all.” Who, or what then knows this, and how is it (not) separate from the absolute?
It may be a far out consideration to ask: how would something like Blank Slate technology (and/or “dazzle” energy that blocks consciousness processing — mentioned on p.113 of Souls of Humanity) play into these teachings, if such things exists? Could “dazzling” and blank slating account for any of this seemingly mass state humanity is in where Nisargadatta Maharaj’s teachings aren’t already readily apparent? Or maybe the opposite, where these teachings further wipe (past-life and planetary history) memories? Or could these teachings act as gatekeeping for such a polarity? If this seem absurd, how can it be ruled out?
If we are to question everything then we are to question the process of questioning itself, right?
There’s much mention of discarding. How is this done?
Could these teachings overall be considered — for lack of a better term — a type of spiritual rationalization?
What are the similarities and differences of Para Brahman and Nirvana?
“Whatever information I have prior to birth that is the only correct information. That knowledge is Para Brahman. You cannot forget your true state that is why you cannot remember it. Whatever you forget is not the truth; always remember that.”
Since “consciousness contains all perceive-ables and conceive-ables. All states of Consciousness and experiences are holographic and contain all other experiences” how is it that some seem to have greater access to states and experiences — and greater access at certain times — than others? How and why do some states and experiences seem (more) easily accessible while others do not?
How and why does the ray of the absolute function or operate? How and why does absolute nothingness come from the absolute?
What is the origin of I am and how does it cease and possibly reappear?
1) There’s only one substance
2) What you know about yourself came from outside you, therefore discard it
3) Question everything; don’t believe anything
4) In order to find out who you are first find out who you’re not
5) In order to let go of something you must first know what it is
6) The experiencer is contained within the experience itself
7) Anything you think you are, you are not
8) Hold on to the ‘I am’ — let go of everything else
9) Anything you know about, you cannot be
Stephen Wolinsky — waking up from trance – part 1
Just like anywhere else, the abominable censoring of Internet speech never helps. Since responsibility of consuming online information clearly rests with the consumer it seems high time for some helpful guidance surrounding conduct, information gathering and exposure when online.
While Intel agencies gather copious amounts of raw (mis/dis)information then apply various methods of discernment to determine a course of action (or inaction). As a individual, is this strategy best? Probably not.
How about treating information like food? This is only a start.
So what does a self-responsible, self-empowered digital diet – while leaving the digital tongue of producers intact – look like?
For sage wisdom why not turn to the ultimate master of living a liberated, happy and enlightened life in this very world, Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha.
The headings below express various areas of applicable online life followed by potentially relevant teachings and words from the Buddha in blockquotes.
“… putting aside greed & distress with reference to the world”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/dn/dn.22.0.bpit.html
When greed (e.g., lusting after the best and most info) – or distress (e.g., the compulsion to express who and what is wrong) – motivates much of our time online we can rapidly succumb to a vortex of unwholesome, seething emotions. Before using the Internet incline towards a cool, level head by temporarily suspending greed and stress involving world affairs. Pick them up later if you must.
“Now, Kalamas, don’t go by reports, by legends, by traditions, by scripture, by logical conjecture, by inference, by analogies, by agreement through pondering views, by probability, or by the thought, ‘This contemplative is our teacher.’ When you know for yourselves that, ‘These qualities are skillful; these qualities are blameless; these qualities are praised by the wise; these qualities, when adopted & carried out, lead to welfare & to happiness’ — then you should enter & remain in them.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.065.than.html
“As for the qualities of which you may know, ‘These qualities lead to utter disenchantment, to dispassion, to cessation, to calm, to direct knowledge, to self-awakening, to Unbinding’: You may categorically hold, ‘This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an07/an07.079.than.html
“As for the qualities of which you may know, ‘These qualities lead to dispassion, not to passion; to being unfettered, not to being fettered; to shedding, not to accumulating; to modesty, not to self-aggrandizement; to contentment, not to discontent; to seclusion, not to entanglement; to aroused persistence, not to laziness; to being unburdensome, not to being burdensome’: You may categorically hold, ‘This is the Dhamma, this is the Vinaya, this is the Teacher’s instruction.’”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an08/an08.053.than.html
The Internet does not always require a response or action:
“For a dispassionate person, there is no need for an act of will, ‘May I realize the knowledge & vision of release.’ It is in the nature of things that a dispassionate person realizes the knowledge & vision of release “In this way, dispassion has knowledge & vision of release as its purpose, knowledge & vision of release as its reward. Disenchantment has dispassion as its purpose, dispassion as its reward. Knowledge & vision of things as they actually are has disenchantment as its purpose, disenchantment as its reward. Concentration has knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its purpose, knowledge & vision of things as they actually are as its reward. Pleasure has concentration as its purpose, concentration as its reward. Serenity has pleasure as its purpose, pleasure as its reward. Rapture has serenity as its purpose, serenity as its reward. Joy has rapture as its purpose, rapture as its reward. Freedom from remorse has joy as its purpose, joy as its reward. Skillful virtues have freedom from remorse as their purpose, freedom from remorse as their reward.
“In this way, mental qualities lead on to mental qualities, mental qualities bring mental qualities to their consummation, for the sake of going from the near to the Further Shore.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an11/an11.002.than.html
“…There are five things that can turn out in two ways in the here-&-now. Which five? Conviction, liking, unbroken tradition, reasoning by analogy, & an agreement through pondering views. These are the five things that can turn out in two ways in the here-&-now. Now some things are firmly held in conviction and yet vain, empty, & false. Some things are not firmly held in conviction, and yet they are genuine, factual, & unmistaken. Some things are well-liked and yet vain, empty, & false. Some things are not well-liked, and yet they are genuine, factual, & unmistaken. Some things are an unbroken tradition and yet vain, empty, & false. Some things are not an unbroken tradition, and yet they are genuine, factual, & unmistaken. Some things are well-reasoned and yet vain, empty, & false. Some things are not well-reasoned, and yet they are genuine, factual, & unmistaken. Some things are well-pondered and yet vain, empty, & false. Some things are not well-pondered, and yet they are genuine, factual, & unmistaken. In these cases it isn’t proper for a knowledgeable person who safeguards the truth to come to a definite conclusion, ‘Only this is true; anything else is worthless.“
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.095x.than.html
Qualit(ies) most helpful for the final attainment of the truth: Conviction –> visiting –> growing close –> lending ear –> hearing –> remembering –> penetrating the meaning –> coming to an agreement through pondering –> desire –> being willing –> contemplating –> exertion –> final attainment of the truth . . . via https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/mn/mn.095x.than.html
“Whenever you want to do [while you are doing, and having done] a bodily action [verbal action, mental action], you should reflect on it: ‘This bodily action [verbal action, mental action], I want to do [are doing, and have done] — would it [is it, was it] lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both? Would it be [is it, was it] an unskillful bodily action, [verbal action, mental action] with painful consequences, painful results?’ If, on reflection, you know that it would lead [is leading, has lead] to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be an unskillful bodily action [verbal action, mental action] with painful consequences, painful results, then any bodily action [verbal action, mental action] of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do. But if on reflection you know that it would not cause self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to both; it would be a skillful bodily action [verbal action, mental action] with pleasant consequences, pleasant results, then any bodily action [verbal action, mental action] of that sort is fit for you to do.”
Ambalatthika-rahulovada Sutta: Instructions to Rahula at Mango Stone (with my edits/additions in brackets in order to condense the text)
….the brahman Akkosaka[1] Bharadvaja heard that a brahman of the Bharadvaja clan had gone forth from the home life into homelessness in the presence of the Blessed One. Angered & displeased, he went to the Blessed One and, on arrival, insulted & cursed him with rude, harsh words.
When this was said, the Blessed One said to him: “What do you think, brahman: Do friends & colleagues, relatives & kinsmen come to you as guests?”
“Yes, Master Gotama, sometimes friends & colleagues, relatives & kinsmen come to me as guests.”
“And what do you think: Do you serve them with staple & non-staple foods & delicacies?”
“Yes, sometimes I serve them with staple & non-staple foods & delicacies.”
“And if they don’t accept them, to whom do those foods belong?”
“If they don’t accept them, Master Gotama, those foods are all mine.”
“In the same way, brahman, that with which you have insulted me, who is not insulting; that with which you have taunted me, who is not taunting; that with which you have berated me, who is not berating: that I don’t accept from you. It’s all yours, brahman. It’s all yours.”
“Whoever returns insult to one who is insulting, returns taunts to one who is taunting, returns a berating to one who is berating, is said to be eating together, sharing company, with that person. But I am neither eating together nor sharing your company, brahman. It’s all yours. It’s all yours.”
“The king together with his court know this of Master Gotama — ‘Gotama the contemplative is an arahant’ — and yet still Master Gotama gets angry.”[2] [Akkosaka thinks that the Buddha is cursing him — and thus angry — when actually the Buddha is simply stating a fact in line with the law of kamma.]
[The Buddha:] Whence is there anger for one free from anger, tamed, living in tune — one released through right knowing, calmed & Such. You make things worse when you flare up at someone who’s angry. Whoever doesn’t flare up at someone who’s angry wins a battle hard to win. You live for the good of both — your own, the other’s — when, knowing the other’s provoked, you mindfully grow calm. When you work the cure of both — your own, the other’s — those who think you a fool know nothing of Dhamma.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn07/sn07.002.than.html
“Winning gives birth to hostility. Losing, one lies down in pain. The calmed lie down with ease, having set winning & losing aside.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.15.than.html
“Fear is born from arming oneself. Just see how many people fight! I’ll tell you about the dreadful fear that caused me to shake all over:
Seeing creatures flopping around, Like fish in water too shallow, So hostile to one another! — Seeing this, I became afraid.
This world completely lacks essence; It trembles in all directions. I longed to find myself a place Unscathed — but I could not see it.
Seeing people locked in conflict, I became completely distraught. But then I discerned here a thorn — Hard to see — lodged deep in the heart.
It’s only when pierced by this thorn That one runs in all directions. So if that thorn is taken out — one does not run, and settles down.“
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/snp/snp.4.15.olen.html
Cūlaviyūha Sutta — Smaller Discourse on Quarreling from Sutta Nipāta 4.12
Question
Each attached to their own views,
They dispute, and the experts say,
“Whoever knows this understands the Dhamma,
Whoever rejects it is imprefect.”Arguing like this, they disagree, saying
“My opponent is a fool, and is no expert”
Which of these doctrines is the truth,
Since all of them say they are experts?Buddha
If by not accepting another’s teaching
One became a fool of debased wisdom
Then, honestly, all are fools of debased wisdom,
Since all are attached to views.But if people are washed by their own views,
With pure wisdom, experts, thoughtful,
Then none of them has debased wisdom,
For their views are perfect.I don’t say, “This is how it is”,
Like the fools who oppose each other.
Each of them makes out that their view is the truth,
So they treat their opponent as a fool.Question
What some say is the truth,
Others say is false.
So they argue, disagreeing;
Why don’t the ascetics teach one truth?Buddha
Indeed the truth is one, there’s not another,
about this the One who Knows
does not dispute with another,
but the Samaṇas proclaim their varied “truths”
and so they speak not in the same way.Why do they speak such varied truths,
these so-called experts disputatious—
Are there really many and various truths
Or do they just rehearse their logic?Buddha
Indeed, there are not many and varied truths
differing from perception of the ever-true in the world;
but they work upon their views with logic:
“Truth! Falsehood!” So they speak in dualities.Based on what is seen, heard,
On precepts and vows, or what is cognized,
They look down on others.
Convinced of their own theories,
pleased with themselves,
They say, “My opponent is a fool, no expert.”They consider themselves expert for the same reasons
That they despise their opponent as a fool.
Calling themselves experts, they despise the other,
Yet they speak the very same way.And since perfected in some extreme view,
puffed with pride and maddened by conceit,
he anoints himself as though the master-mind,
likewise thinking his view’s perfected too.If their opponent says they are deficient,
They too are of deficient understanding.
But if they are wise and knowledgeable,
Then there are no fools among the ascetics.“Anyone who teaches a doctrine other than this,
Has fallen short of purity and perfection.”
This is what followers of other paths say,
Passionately defending their very different views.“Here alone is purity,” so they say,
“There is no purity in the teachings of others.”
This is what followers of other paths strongly assert,
Each entrenched in their own different path.Strongly asserting their own path,
What opponent would they take to be a fool?
They would only bring trouble on themselves
By calling an opponent a fool of impure teachings.Convinced of their own theories,
Cūlaviyūha Sutta — Smaller Discourse on Quarreling from Sutta Nipāta 4.12
Comparing others to oneself,
They get into more disputes with the world.
But by leaving behind all theories,
They don’t have any problems with the world.
“Hatred is never appeased by hatred in this world. By non-hatred alone is hatred appeased. This is a law eternal.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/kn/dhp/dhp.01.budd.html
Shakyamuni Buddha tried to head off an impending war between the ancient countries of Magadha and Kapilavattu, home to his own Shakya clan. He tried logic and persuasion and, at last, he sat zazen under a dead tree by the side of the battlefield.
http://www.pbs.org/thebuddha/blog/2010/apr/6/vowing-peace-age-war-part-4-alan-senauke/
…Since it was very hot, (the king of Magadha) couldn’t understand why the Buddha was sitting under a dead tree; usually people sit under beautiful green trees. So the king asked, “Why do you sit under the dead tree?” The Buddha calmly said to the king, “I feel cool, even under this dead tree, because it is growing near my native country.” This really pierced the king’s heart and he was so greatly impressed by the message of the Buddha’s action that he could go no further. Instead of attacking, he returned to his country. But the king’s attendant still continued to encourage him to attack and finally he did so. This time, unfortunately, Shakyamuni Buddha didn’t have time to do anything. Without saying a word, he just stood and watched his country and his people being destroyed.
The Buddha failed to stop the battle because, as Dogen wrote, “The mind of a sentient being is difficult to change.”
Abstaining from lying, abstaining from divisive speech, abstaining from abusive speech, abstaining from idle chatter.
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/sn/sn45/sn45.008.than.html
“…spoken at the right time. It is spoken in truth. It is spoken affectionately. It is spoken beneficially. It is spoken with a mind of good-will.”
https://www.accesstoinsight.org/ptf/dhamma/sacca/sacca4/samma-vaca/index.html
….
“…knows to be factual, true, beneficial, and endearing & agreeable to others, he has a sense of the proper time for saying them.”
A couple of additional considerations when seeking information:
Can an informational source intoxicate in a way leading to headlessness of the above?
Can suggestions (and/or methods) for response from each source – along with any viable solutions – pass through the gates/guidelines above?
[This article is an edited version originally published elsewhere: August 15th, 2018 11:13pm]
Shortcut to this post: https://tinyurl.com/goalsandcorevalues
There’s nothing wrong with setting goals. Bruce Lee once said, “A goal is not always meant to be reached. It often serves simply as something to aim for.” It’s important though to be aware of developing any tunnel vision while striving towards goals. Focusing nearly exclusively on our goals can contribute to more easily ignoring – and blinding us to – the importance of other matters and situations. Some may even desire certain goals so intensely that they result to harm or neglect to achieve them. And if we construct an identity based on “our” goals, then cling to – and expect achievement of – those goals then any roadblocks and/or failures can amplify frustrations and unhappiness.
There’s also external downsides. If our goals are known publicly, it is easier to influence, manipulate and incentivize our behavior by targeting those desires to further sometimes malignant agendas. For example, the rich and powerful may offer to help achieve your goal(s) more quickly in exchange for doing some of their dirty work. More insidious yet: offering up and promoting malicious goals to the public masses (by painting deceptive pictures of widespread acceptance; commonplaceness and/or currently established popular behavior without disclosing hidden purposes behind the offers and promotions.)
While setting goals it may be helpful to investigate the intent underlying each goal. Why is this goal important and worth the time and effort? [Keep asking this question for each answer you get until you get to the root, or can no longer answer.] From whom or where did this goal come from? What amount of lasting satisfaction will come from this goal? Is it helpful, wholesome, skillful and wise to automatically and continuously set goals (before and) after achieving a goal — frantically directing life from a goal-after-goal treadmill?
Obviously we all still need to take care of ourselves, pay the bills and be responsible. Perhaps superior non-goal-centric alternatives exist though. Like identifying (a handful of) core values — what’s really important in life — as a reference and guide for relationships and making choices. Life becomes satisfyingly smoother when our deepest and highest aspirations direct our energy, thinking, speaking, acting and lifestyle choices.
[Originally published elsewhere: August 24th, 2018]
A heart-centered article by Phillip Moffitt that includes goals and values as related to trust
This irregular “Dharma Questions” series deals with “dharma” meaning both the truth of the nature of reality and some Buddhist teachings. Please see this post on the intensions for questioning and not questioning. Amongst other things these questions can be, but not necessarily:
`When one understands the nutriment of mental volition one understands the three forms of ‘thirst’ (taṇhā).’ *
[* S II (PTS), p. 100. The three forms of ‘thirst’ are: (1) Thirst for sense-pleasures,
Walpola Rahula – What the Buddha Taught p. 31
(2) Thirst for existence and becoming, and (3) Thirst for non-existence, as given in the definition of samudaya ‘arising of dukkha’..]
UPDATE: The following comes from an archive of a now deleted blog. While much of it seems to run contrary to the above, it’s still interesting enough to repost:
Intent is powerful. Whether we’re aware of it or not, intent underlies nearly everything.
The Upanishads say, “You are what your deepest desire is. As your
desire is, so is your intention. As your intention is, so is your will.
As your will is, so is your deed. As your deed is, so is your destiny.”
Usually discussion of intentions is on an individual level. What would happen if we could sift through every intention ever made, selecting and setting any that resonate with us?
Well some say the Akashic records would hold such information. Even if we can’t read them, just the powerful and simple act of imaging we have access to every intention ever made while also imagining we could set any intention we would approve of. And imagine doing so consciously (even though we may not be conscious of such a process.)
Let’s take it a step further. Imagine this as a spiritual database of sorts. We can access all these intents while adding our every new intention to it. Now imagine charging all those intentions we agree with and set with our signature frequency and energy. We would be sending loving energy to all who choose the same intentions whereby forming connections between people and making mutual intentions more likely to come about. All with imagination.
This discourse describes the link between fabrications and consciousness in dependent co-arising, and shows how intention and underlying obsessions—with ignorance of the four noble truths being the basis for all obsessions—play a role in constituting awareness of the present moment.
Staying near Sāvatthī … (the Blessed One said,) “Monks, what one intends, what one arranges, and what one obsesses about1: This is a support for the stationing of consciousness. There being a support, there is a landing of consciousness. When that consciousness lands and grows, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future. When there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging-&-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Such is the origination of this entire mass of suffering & stress.
“If one doesn’t intend and doesn’t arrange, but one still obsesses (about something), this is a support for the stationing of consciousness. There being a support, there is a landing of consciousness. When that consciousness lands and grows, there is the production of renewed becoming in the future. When there is the production of renewed becoming in the future, there is future birth, aging-&-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, & despair. Such (too) is the origination of this entire mass of suffering & stress.
“But when one doesn’t intend, arrange, or obsess (about anything), there is no support for the stationing of consciousness. There being no support, there is no landing of consciousness. When that consciousness doesn’t land & grow, there is no production of renewed becoming in the future. When there is no production of renewed becoming in the future, there is no future birth, aging-&-death, sorrow, lamentation, pain, distress, or despair. Such is the cessation of this entire mass of suffering & stress.”
Intention
Cetanā Sutta (SN 12:38)
Most of us can obviously see the upside in the concept of hope. How about diving in a little deeper?
Hope says, “Wow. Things are bad. May as well just smoke some Hopium & in the future maybe, somehow, there could be a chance of things getting better.” But you gotta keep smoking Hopium. Hope puts off facing what needs attention, investigation & action now for a future crapshoot.
“Hope, when bold, is strength. Hope, with doubt, is cowardice. #Hope, with fear, is weakness.”
~ G. I. Gurdjieff
“Hope” implies issues, but what if you saw problems as gifts? “Hope” implies a chance to fail but there’s no failure if you learn from it.
“It is attachment to the pleasant, and resistance to the unpleasant that keeps us on the roller coaster of hope and fear.”
~ Joseph Goldstein
Free yourself from “I hope this happens” & “I hope that doesn’t happen”… I’m ready once and for all to let life happen…“In spite of my ______ the will of my heart is to be open” because nothing in my reality is more powerful than love.
The Will of Your Heart by Matt Kahn
Therapeutic success (and forgiveness) means giving up all hope for a better past
“Hope is the projection that if I work hard, if I apply myself to gaining something, getting something then I’ll be happy in some kind of a lasting or meaningful way. … as nice as the things we succeeded at, that we’ve gotten have been the heart remains tight wanting more. And this is what really begins, if we let it, to break our heart open — is really seeing that our basic habit of going to hope and going to fear ends up leading to disappointment and that sense of betrayal. What is really betraying us is what we think will help turns out to not be helpful.”
~ Mark Nunberg https://overcast.fm/+OjJN-i-C8
“Tis utterly impossible
— from Path of Purification VII.36 (Nyanamoli, trans)
To reach by travel the world’s end;
But there is no escape from pain
Until the world’s end has been reached.
It is a sage, a knower of the worlds,
Who gets to the world’s end,
and it is he
Whose life divine is lived out to its term;
He is at peace who the world’s end has known
And hopes for neither this world nor the next” (S I 62).
Wait Without Hope
I said to my soul, be still, and wait without hope
— T.S. Eliot
For hope would be hope for the wrong thing; wait without love,
For love would be love of the wrong thing; there is yet faith
But the faith and the love and the hope are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought:
So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing.
Whisper of running streams, and winter lightning.
The wild thyme unseen and the wild strawberry,
The laughter in the garden, echoed ecstasy
Not lost, but requiring, pointing to the agony
Of death and birth.
Integrating Presence