Dharma Treasure Community

The feeling I get is that you may be ready to open up to these teachings, yet might be feeling some understandable hesitation before fully embracing what the Buddha offered? It’s hard to tell as we are exchanging little glowing slabs of text 😉 So let us know if I’m on the right rack…

It’s totally natural to feel some hesitation and test the…[Read more]

Hi Oded,

It is important to note however — there is no such thing as an “individual”.

The cognitive event you speak of can be said to occur to/within the mind-system.

I might be just duelling with semantics though — I feel it’s important — the term individual brings up feelings of a solidly-existing entity moving along a timeline.

That…[Read more]

There is a great saying which always comes to mind with threads like these:

“There are no enlightened individuals, only enlightened behavior”

—
Cheers,
-Ivan/

(DT Teacher)

Hi Alex,

I think it is a matter of perspective.

For example — If I take the highest possible view and look out — I might say there is a single process of information exchange. And that might be a good way to look at it from that perspective.

If I dig into this process on a finer level — within that process — would it not inevitability…[Read more]

Greetings,

This has been a nice thread.

I think we need to slightly correct the definition of “Consciousness” posted by Santtu above;

Let me type the text from the TMI Glossary (pg. 417):

“The Moments of Consciousness and Mind-System models conceptualize consciousness as a “place” within the mind where information exchange happens. Although…[Read more]

Hi Mohnish,

I think you are correct.

However — depending on the task and context of situation — there may be times (at least in my experience) where there is not much peripheral awareness for a time. Then the balance will shift again.

It is a natural ebb and flow….

For example; If I am visualizing a complex computer problem in my mind,…[Read more]

Hi Mohnish,

It is very similar to formal meditation, for example returning to the breath each time we are alerted attention has wandered.

Basically you stay with the relevant activity you are doing, and that is pretty much it. If the mind then wanders, it is noticed, and one returns again to that activity. It is really very natural and becomes…[Read more]

Hi Florian,

Shikantaza and such practices are deep and effective. From your descriptions above it sounds like you are ready to explore these practices.

To get a context apart from what you already have, I would suggest the following two books. They should give you an excellent context.

Cultivating the Empty…[Read more]

Hi Tom,

Thanks for the details.

It is very difficult to guide based on what we know so far, just from an initial email exchange.

Have you been practicing alone with just the book? Have you had access to any teachers, TMI or otherwise? Have you had any previous experience with meditation or TMI is your first?

I would be happy to connect wth…[Read more]

Peter W,

Thank you for the wonderful poem 😉

Cheers,
-Ivan/ (DT Teacher in Training)

Hi Bernadette,

I wasn’t sure who you were asking about making up a schedule?

It’s hard for me to think what your schedule should be. What I can suggest is pencil in as much time for formal sessions as you can. Add times for lunch, dinner etc interspaced between blocks of 2,3,4 hours, based your personal capabilities. Then I would alternate…[Read more]

Hi Bernadette,

I found the teaching retreats to be of great benefit. Every single one is golden: Maybe pick the one that calls to you, if you go this route:

Teaching Retreats

Cheers,
-Ivan/ (DT Teacher in Training)

Every moment is pregnant with the possibility for Insight. Insight is simply seeing how things really are. They have never been different than how they really are. Only our false assumptions appeared to temporarily cloud the true state of things.

It’s not too hard to find brilliant scientific facts, or just puzzle it around in ones mind, and…[Read more]

Peter W,

Just do it 😉

All is revealed via practice. Questions resolve themselves via practice and Insight.

Tasting the ice cream vs. talking about it.

Certainly it’s healthy to do some of that…; in the end there is only me and the cushion, and how far I’m willing to let the process go.

Hi Peter W,

Sorry I should have been more specific. I was not necessarily endorsing liberation unleashed, or any other form of teaching. Nor was I putting less priority on practicing the stages and so on.

However — was happy to see Pablo talking about simplicity and how ordinary and obvious this is, once truly seen 😉

My personal opinion is…[Read more]

Hi Pablo,

Very nice 😉

The way we talk about this, it sometimes seem esoteric, far away, strange, even unattainable.

That is NOT the case at all though. This is so simple, so clear, anybody can do it. You don’t need to be a super-star meditator or drop you life and live in a cave!

Cheers!
-Ivan/

Hi Peter W,

Is is very hard to put a number of hours of meditation required….;

As for how do you do it; increased powers of attention and peripheral awareness would eventually take you to the place where you can perceive in that way.

Building the skills outlined in the book should hopefully help in that 😉

(Edited: The level of detail in…[Read more]

Thanks much for the replies!

Hi Peter W,

Not sure if you are familiar with the Teaching Retreats on the DT website? They are a golden resource.

There is one specifically on this topic called “Meditation and Insight”, if you have time time, it is highly worthwhile to have a listen.

Teaching Retreats

Cheers,
-Ivan/

Hi Peter W,

Great questions, that may take some time to unpack. I’ll try to give input on just the first part of what you asked.

|Is it a sudden flash of understanding where you now know something you previously didn’t?

How does insight arise?

Yes it could be a sudden flash of understanding. It is not really a conceptual understanding h…[Read more]