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)
Technorati Tags: Beliefs, Developmental Stages, Dzogchen, Mahamudra, Principle of the Two Truths, skillful means
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)
Technorati Tags: Alchemical Principles, Bon, Buddhism, Principle of theTwo Truths, Vajrayana, Yungdrung
This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
In Tibet (and neighboring kingdoms), There are four major lineages (Five if you count Bon but that will be the topic two posts from now) of Buddhism and many sub-lineages therein. While they all share a great deal in terms of methods and terminology, they are also quite distinct from each other. In some instances the same term will have different or even opposite meanings. For example the term ‘ordinary mind’ is often used, in the Dzogchen Teachings of the Nyingma to designate the deluded mind of sentient beings as opposed to the True Nature of Mind. In the Mahamudra teachings of the Kagyu, which are in many ways very similar to Dzogchen, ‘ordinary mind’ refers to the mind without elaboration which is The True Nature of Mind.
Despite what can sometimes be seen as very different approaches, with sometimes conflicting postulates, the teachers of these different schools (for the most part) recognize…(read more)
Technorati Tags: Alchemical Principles, Buddhism, Karma, Principle of theTwo Truths, Rimay, Rime, Vajrayana
This posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
At the most exoteric level of understanding Karma is explained in way not very different from the Christian/Islamic idea of heaven and hell. Basically when you die you appear before Yama, the lord of death, and your good karma is weighed against your bad and the balance sheet indicates what kind of rebirth you will get. In the case of Buddhism there are Six Possible Major Realms you can go. Three are considered, more or less unfortunate and three, more or less fortunate. Each realm has sub realms and, in all, they form a continuum from extreme happiness to Extreme Suffering, Heaven to Hell. It should be noted that this does significantly deviate from the common Christian and Islamic conception…(read more)
Technorati Tags: Alchemical Principles, Buddhism, Karma, Karma Mechanics, Principle of theTwo Truths, Vajrayana
This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
In the view of Vajrayana Buddhism, as well as the view of Mahayana Buddhism of which Vajrayana is a specialized example(more on this to come), There are inexpressible numbers of Buddhas (as well as of sentient beings), that is to say, innumerable realizers of Absoluter Truth. The historical Buddha, once known as the prince Siddhartha, called Shakyamuni, is only one physically incarnated one. It is one of specific significance in Buddhist cosmology but those specifics are not relevant to this discussion.
Shakyamuni Buddha is said to have given 80,000 different teachings. The ultimate point of each of these teachings is the same though this ultimate point is described differently in different teachings. Some are more direct and some are more circuitous then others. The reason for this is the Buddha recognized… (read more)
Technorati Tags: Alchemical Principles, Buddhism, historical Buddha, Integral Theory, Principle of theTwo Truths, Shakyamuni, Siddhartha, Spiral Dynamic, Vajrayana
This is posted on the Visionary Heart Alchemy Blog
Understanding the Principle of Two Truths can be difficult, especially in the context of spirituality. In this post I will look at Buddhism with an eye towards the functioning of the Principle of Two Truths. I have chosen Vajrayana Buddhism for two reasons. First, it is the system that I am most intimately familiar with. Second, because Buddhism in general and Vajrayana Buddhism in particular is, as far as I can tell, the most articulate in expressing the Principle of Two Truths among all the worlds spiritual traditions (as well as many other very important alchemical principles). It is very explicit in its discussion of it and is foundational to the whole system… (read more)
Technorati Tags: Absolute Truth, Buddhism, Principle of Two Truths, Relative Truth, Vajrayana