personal progress

[Nexus]

can you say that with such equanimity with a loaded gun pointed at your head? (careful, don't pull the trigger by accident!)

This question is a loaded gun.

"priceless" is of itself a concept of mind, so if there were no "I" for which value existed, then "pricelessness" as well would not

This is true, neither priceless or pricelessness in reality exists. These are concepts, just as the mind and the "I" is a concept.

back to the cushion! come 'round in another 5 yeas and try again!

There is only the here and now.

[taai gihk yahn]

And... yes I know that attachments are not good

well, I don't know - it's like saying "I know that sitting schlumped is not good"; really? according to what yardstick? or as my teacher would say, "whose voice is THAT?";

attachments are what they are - neither good nor bad - by saying that they are either one, one then necessarily predicates some sort of preconceived outcome based on that assessment; so it's ok to have attachments, and it's ok not to have them - the question is, under what condition does one enter into an attachment - eyes open, or shut tight? depending on which one it is, may have a not insignificant impact on the way in which one relates to that attachment...the Buddha named his son Rahula - "fetter"; so your children are attachments, and you have them; is that "bad"? did you not enter into that attachment willingly, with joyfulness at his / her arrival? do you ever regret having your children despite all the "bad" that comes along with the "good"? any time an enlightened master takes a student, he / she takes on an attachment, with the same degree of commitment - which is why many in classical literature are so hard to find - the necessarily must take the sincere student on, but don't really want to, so they stay hidden!

we are human; we have attachments; to deny the utter suchness of this is delusion; to apologize for it is ludicrous; to preach abstract utterances about "self", "I", etc. is dishonest - one who TRUY sees one's true nature will not cast textbook bromides out with such carelessness - it is a sign of one's ego-driven self-perceived lack rather than one of attainment;

[taai gihk yahn]

This question is a loaded gun.

missed your head, but got your foot

This is true, neither priceless or pricelessness in reality exists. These are concepts, just as the mind and the "I" is a concept.

don't forget "no-mind" and "no-I" are as well

There is only the here and now.

more lies! have you no shame?

[Nexus]

we are human; we have attachments; to deny the utter suchness of this is delusion; to apologize for it is ludicrous; to preach abstract utterances about "self", "I", etc. is dishonest - one who TRUY sees one's true nature will not cast textbook bromides out with such carelessness - it is a sign of one's ego-driven self-perceived lack rather than one of attainment;

There is nothing to attain. To see certain teachings as honest, one must be weighing others as dishonest. All words are dishonest, if this is the argument, since words are not the absolute truth, they are used as pointers.

[Skip J.]

.....attachments are what they are - neither good nor bad - by saying that they are either one, one then necessarily predicates some sort of preconceived outcome based on that assessment; so it's ok to have attachments, and it's ok not to have them ..................
we are human; we have attachments; to deny the utter suchness of this is delusion; to apologize for it is ludicrous; to preach abstract utterances about "self", "I", etc. is dishonest - one who TRUY sees one's true nature will not cast textbook bromides out with such carelessness - it is a sign of one's ego-driven self-perceived lack rather than one of attainment;

Thanks taai, I didn't feel guilty about it anyway... the ideas of others about what I do with my own life doesn't affect me much... or at all...

[taai gihk yahn]

There is nothing to attain. To see certain teachings as honest, one must be weighing others as dishonest. All words are dishonest, if this is the argument, since words are not the absolute truth, they are used as pointers.

the words are neither honest nor dishonest, in the same way that the boat used to cross the river is neither honest nor dishonest; similarly, teachings are neither false nor true inherently, the same teaching at different times will be appropriate or inappropriate to the situation

dishonest is serving the dregs of someone else's meal while claiming that one has freshly prepared them oneself;

[Nexus]

the words are neither honest nor dishonest, in the same way that the boat used to cross the river is neither honest nor dishonest; similarly, teachings are neither false nor true inherently, the same teaching at different times will be appropriate or inappropriate to the situation

dishonest is serving the dregs of someone else's meal while claiming that one has freshly prepared them oneself;

It is the from the notion of the "I" that seeking occurs for acknowledgment and credit.

[taai gihk yahn]

It is the from the notion of the "I" that seeking occurs for acknowledgment and credit.

you raise the whisk but it is not yours; come back when you have nothing more to say

[Skip J.]

you raise the whisk but it is not yours; come back when you have nothing more to say

Ah, well,...... taai;

I guess you had the last word after all...

I need to learn that...

[taai gihk yahn]

Ah, well,...... taai;

I guess you had the last word after all...

I need to learn that...

or maybe he had nothing more to say, and as such had the last word...

[Xiao3 Meng4]

Whack!