Virgo wrote: What does this discussion have to do with a mid-life crisis at all.
Kevin
Noithing of course. But because I decided once and for all to depart from the mask I have maitained for years as an orthodox Buddhist polemicist, people are understandably puzzled, critical, or disbelieving.
Once people have fixed you in their minds, if you do not satisfy their criteria of you, they generally become critical. For example, when I originally defended meat-eating on E-Sangha, some people supported that, others did not. When I went through a phase of having personal issues with eating meat, and discussed it, some people supported it, others did not. When I reversed my thinking about it once and for all, some of the people who supported me in my meat-critical phase were understandably puzzled at my reversal of perspective.
Now, some people are do not like the fact that as far as I am concerned, "Buddhism" is just another limitation. They do not like the fact that I am not holding some sacred place for Buddhism over against non-Buddhist religions. They think that this is some sudden shift on my part. But had they really been paying attention to my posts over the years they would have noted my gradual evolution away from "Buddhism" per se.
They have not understood my basic point at all:
- ...when you have received direct introduction, and are diligently applying the practice of Dzogchen, it does not matter at all what you beleive while you are not practicing, it does not matter what your intellectual view is. Dzogchen view is not an intellectual posture, it is a personal experience of instant presence, and no amount of "correct" Buddhist thinking will lead you to that personal experience of your primordial state, and no amount of "incorrect" non-Buddhist thinking will prevent you from having that personal experience of your primordial state if you diligently apply the teaching in practice having received direct introduction.
People seem not to realize that this is precisely what is stated in many Dzogchen tantras and upadeshas.
M