This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Bolg
One ‘truism’ I have spoken aloud for much of my life that has never encountered even a little bit of resistance is that “Life Is Weird”. No one has ever said in response “What do you mean?” or “I disagree”. Mostly people nod their head emphatically often with a smile forming on their face. In my late teens I modified the statement to “Life is weirder then you think.” Still no one argued. Then in my early 20,s I was listening to Deepak Chopra on tape and he said “Life is weirder then you can think”
With that statement Deepak hit the nail square on the head. Life even in the fullness of its relative aspects is bigger…(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
The goal of Visionary Heart Alchemy is the goal of all spiritual alchemy. The central goal of alchemy is the transformation of lead (or some other ‘lesser’ metal) into gold. It is widely known in spiritually literate circles that this is a metaphor (which, by the way, appears in both western and eastern historical traditions of alchemy). But why the need for the metaphor, why not just say it plainly. There are several reasons for this. First and foremost is that their really is no way to plainly say …(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Alchemical Principles in General part 3
If you have read the many posts about the Principle of Two Truths then it should now be clear that all alchemical principles are relative truths. Some alchemical principles have been… (read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
When the nature of relative truth is understood it is easy to recognize the how beliefs function (or often dysfunction) as skillful means. What also must be understood is that they are often integral functional components of transformational systems that are required for practitioners of the systems at particular developmental stages. That is to say practitioners at particular developmental stages, who are trying to use the system, must internalize these integral functional components if the system is to function the way it was meant to.
This has several implications. First some of what people call techniques from a system may not work, work the same way or create…(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
It is a fairly common occurrence to see people become dogmatic about having no dogma, being against dogma or being nondogmatic. Often this is accompanied by judgments about those they perceive as having dogmas or the dogmas they think they hold. They have intolerance for dogma. These are common signs that having no dogma, or being against dogma, has become a dogmatic fixation and are indication of lack of correct understanding of the Principles of Two Truths.
Part of this error is usually the mistaking “dogma” as meaning the belief, tenants and/or postulates someone holds as functional truths rather then the dogmatic fixation on those functional truths. It is an understandable mistake…(read more)
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Posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Part 2- The Two Truths as antidote
Understanding the Principle of the Two Truths helps pacify these problems. Intellectual understanding alone will not completely prevent dogmatic fixation, because the root of dogmatic fixation is the identity fixation that results from lack of direct recognition of Absolute Truth. Thus only that direct realization will prevent all dogmatic fixation. However, the more deeply we understand the Principle of Two Truths, the weaker and less pervasive the tendency towards dogmatic fixation becomes.
Even intellectual understanding of the Principle of the Two Truths increases …(read more)
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Posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Part 2- The Two Truths as antidote
Understanding the Principle of the Two Truths helps pacify these problems. Intellectual understanding alone will not completely prevent dogmatic fixation, because the root of dogmatic fixation is the identity fixation that results from lack of direct recognition of Absolute Truth. Thus only that direct realization will prevent all dogmatic fixation. However, the more deeply we understand the Principle of Two Truths, the weaker and less pervasive the tendency towards dogmatic fixation becomes.
Even intellectual understanding of the Principle of the Two Truths increases …(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Part 1- the Problems of Dogma
Dogma, as I mean it in this context, refers to fixation on a relative truth as Absolute Truth or fixation that leads to attempting to apply a relative truth to a context in which it does not function.. There is a strong tendency in humans towards this dogmatic fixation and this leads to a whole host of problems and confusions. Even and intellectual understanding of the Principle of Two Truths can help to dissolve these fixations and serve as an antidote to the problems that result. It because of this important capacity tof the Principle of the Two Truths that I have dedicated so many of these early posts to the Global Alchemy Blog Matrix to it. It can help prevent what can become serious errors in understanding.
Before examining some the problems and confusion…(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Vajrayana and Bon
In the previous post I mentioned Bon as a fifth school to be counted among the Buddhist schools of Tibet. The word Bon is a label for the spiritual/religious practices most prevalent in Tibet before the spread of Buddhism there. Bon is still practiced in Tibet and is divided in two streams. One is called lower Bon and is a shamanistic in style and often includes animal sacrifice which is prohibited in all styles of Buddhist Practice (and Yungdrung Bon). The Other is called Yungdrung Bon or Eternal Bon or Higher Bon. Yungdrung Bon is, in many way, practically indistinguishable form Vajrayana Buddhism particularly the Nyingma School. There are multiple accounts for the origin of this similarity. The Nyingma (which literally means ‘ancient’) is the first school to take shape in Tibet. According to one account…(read more)
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This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
It is said (in the Buddhist View) that the Buddha (used here as a designation for Absolute Truth rather then for the historical physical incarnation by whom Buddhism came to be known in our world) emanates in innumerable forms to benefit each according to there capacity. These emanations can …(read more)
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