--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "authfriend" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, "sinhlnx" <sinhlnx@> wrote: > > > > ---(discussion below - TM and other techniques). Vaj, I've concluded > > that you were never initiated into TM, otherwise, you wouldn't be so > > misguided on the contrasts between TM and other techniques. Please > > set the record straight: were you or were you not intiated into TM > > "as taught by MMY".? > > Vaj claims he was a *TM teacher*, amazingly enough.
Thanks, yes; and Bill Clinton claims he never had "sex" with Monica Lewinsky!!...HaHa...possibly, Vaj is using the term "TM" not in the trademarked sense, but in the broadest categorical perspective: in generaly, any meditative technique, particular sourced in Buddhist, Hindu, or tantric traditions; designed to enable the practitioner to "transcend". Therefore, any traditional technique including the close relatives such as Ananda Marga. But here, the relatives are as close as humans and spider monkeys. Do the comparson test, and TM will come out way ahead. Personally, I fail to see how Vaj could possibly be son ignorance regarding "TM" unless he's defining it braodly as "transcendental meditation" (the usual traiditonal mantra meditation methods, the vast majority of which differ from TM - as brought out before, since they invariably rely on hard concentration. Most important, do they have POWER in the mantras. Third, let's look at Vaj's oft repeated statement that TM is "dualist". This was countered by several contributors. In fact, Vaj's argument here will backfire since true Transcendence though non-dual doesn't eradicate thoughts, perceptions, and actions. These entities are simply Brahman. Whether something is dual or non-dual depends on the level of consciousness of the aspirant. A so-called "non-dual" technique according to Vaj's Guru, Chogyal Norbu Rinpoche, simply has no object; but error in this thinking is the confusion of the "object" (or lack thereof) as a meditative device, with true NON-DUALITY as the natural state of the universe. For example, Vaj's Guru, (Norbu) claims to have received a "terma" or mind-treasure of a dance called "The Dance of the Vajra", in which the practitioner listens to a Song (The Song of the Vajra) along with musical accompanyment, and dances on a mandala inscribed in the ground.. Well, (duh!) ....this is dualist. But, regardless of the technique, the main consideration is it's effectiveness, not whether there's an "object" there since non-Duality must ultimately be a function of the practioner's Consciousness and not the class of activity engaged in. Let's take the average beginner. From Vaj's POV, a "non-dualist" meditation technique would be superior to TM (since the mantra is objective). Not necessarily!! Having no object at all for beginners probably would be an excellent technique for having a BLANK MIND. With TM, one's mind is allowed to transcend duality AND the blank state. In addition, Vaj (like Sam Harris, whose Guru is the same person - Norbu Rinpoche), is a strong poponent of Mindfulness. OK, fine; but this has a drawback in that it's largely dependent on "retreats" to generate a level of peace conducive to transcending. But we all know that many accounts of transcendence throughout history involve monks and others in a "retreating" state, perhaps living in very Sattvic conditions in the Himalayas or China. This is great, but TM "as taught by MMY" works anywhere, even in the hustle and bustle of a noisy traffic-riden City. Try Mindfulness in Manhattan. To conclude, TM has true power in the mantra; which may not be true to the same extent in other meditation techniques, and (2) has a superior method of using the mantra. Three, the statement that TM is somehow inferior since it's "dualist" confuses the issues. In Buddhism - Vaj's Tradition, some techniques have objects, while other techniques don't. What matters is the transcendence, regardless of the initial techniques practiced (and their participation in dualist objects). Ultimately, one must carry on in the nominally dualist world anyway, with full integration. To be consistent with Vaj's lack of logic, one could say that Norgu Rinpoche is a "dualist" because he teaches the "Dance of the Vajra", which is clearly a dualist technique involving music, dances, and mandalas. But we would not stoop to such a low level of ignorance by making that claim, since Norbu can be accepted (with reasonable certainty) as being fully Enlightened. Otherwise, he too could be called a "dualist" by coming up with such a technique. Fortunately, we (but not Vaj) knows the truth. What's dualist or non-dualist is something that pertains to the level of awareness of the practitioner, not whether the main technique has an object in it. In any event, the notion that a technique is inferior since it has some objects of reflection (mandalas, mantras, etc); is not a sound theory and certainly not supported by any significant numbers of Tibetan (or other branch) Buddhists. Basically, the idea in Buddhism is that meditation with objects are great for some; while others may benefit for "non-dualist" meditation. Again, the term "non-dual" must ultimately apply to the practitioner, NOT the particular technique (having an object - say Chenrizig;, or perhaps no object in particular). ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor --------------------~--> See what's inside the new Yahoo! Groups email. http://us.click.yahoo.com/2pRQfA/bOaOAA/yQLSAA/UlWolB/TM --------------------------------------------------------------------~-> To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
