Merle, Edgar and I are Co-Moderators. A guy named Al is the 'Owner' of the Yahoo! Zen Forum. He doesn't participate here much now and basically handed it all over to Edgar and me.
Al and I also have created and Co-Moderate the Zen Forum on Facebook. ...Bill! --- In [email protected], Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@...> wrote: > > > >  bill you are the moderator or edgar?..merle >  > Everyone, > > I just wanted everyone to know that we have many members on this form from > all over the world. I live in Thailand. Merle lives in Australia and > Anthony lives in Singapore (I think). Most of you do live in the USA. > > The good part about all this is we get a GREAT cross-section of topics and > discussions. The bad part is some of the replies are delayed as Bill > complains about below. > > I don't know anyway to fix this. We'll just have to learn to live with it. > > ...Bill! > > --- In [email protected], William Rintala <brintala@> wrote: > > > > Merle: > > > > I'm not sure why you areàasking that.àOne ofàmy biggest > > problemsàwith this > > email groupàis the time delayàbetween posts and responses.à> > > > My original question was :àà"is madness a precursor to > > enlightenment?" > > > > To which Bill! responded :àThat depends on how you define 'madness'. > > > > So I needed the time to research the original scenerios that prompted my > > question. Rereading the sections of the bookà" Be Love Now" thatàtold > > tales of > > these Hindu saints took me some time.àThe behavior seemed so bizarre > > that I > > felt if similar scenes were acted out here in the United States these > > people > > would have been heavily medicated.àEpilepsy, Anorexia, > > Psychosis/Schizophrenia, > > Pica... . These peopleàare revered as realized beings, of having done > > what we > > are speaking about, albeit, not in a Zen fashion. The author goes on to say > > that > > "Indians put up with such behavior within the context of divine madness, > > the > > unpredictable nature of someone beyond body consciousness.". > > > > > > > > àBill > > > > > > > > > > Find what makes your heart singââ¬Â¦and do it! > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Merle Lester <merlewiitpom@> > > To: "[email protected]" <[email protected]> > > Sent: Fri, September 7, 2012 6:01:18 PM > > Subject: Re: [Zen] Re: Be Love Now > > > > à> > > > > > àand killing people for a cause is not madness...????? merle > > à> > Madness:à> > > > Anandamayi Ma - would be found rolling around on the floor of her kitchen > > while > > the food she was preparing burned. For a long time she only ate 9 grains of > > rice > > a day. > > > > Ramana Maharshi - became so oblivious of his body theàhe didn't wash, > > his hair > > grew matted, his finger nails curled over and he only ate if someone put > > food in > > his hands.à> > > > Sri Ramakrishna Paramahansa - became obsessed with the Godess Kali > > andàwould not > > eat or sleep.àHe had a vision that took over his normalàwaking > > consciousness. > > Uncertain whether he was living in a hallucination.àHe felt burning > > sensations > > all over his body and his health began to fail. > > > > > > Bhagawan Nityananda - was seen following a cow and as the cow defecated he > > would > > catchàthe poopàand eat it. > > > > I'm just saying that these behaviors would get you locked up or > > hospitalizedàhere in the States.à> > > > àBill > > > > > > > > > > Find what makes your heart singââ¬Â¦and do it! > > > > > > > > > > ________________________________ > > From: Bill! <BillSmart@> > > To: [email protected] > > Sent: Wed, September 5, 2012 10:16:42 PM > > Subject: [Zen] Re: Be Love Now > > > > à> > Bill, > > > > That depends on how you define 'madness'. > > > > Severing your attachment to logic/reason/rationality is a precursor to > > experiencing Buddha Nature, and I think it is also a requirement. > > > > ...and that's what I've been saying for the past 30 or so posts! > > > > ...Bill! > > > > --- In [email protected], William Rintala <brintala@> wrote: > > > > > > I've read, all that I have been able to find, everything written by Ram > > > Dass > > > (born, Richard Alpert), from "Be Here Now" through "The Only > > > DanceÃâàThere Is" > > >to > > > > > > his most recent book "Be Love Now".ÃâàHis workÃâà"Be Here > > > Now", 40 years > > >ago,Ãâàwas > > > > > > my starting pointÃâàon the journey that has lead me to this > > > forum.ÃâàHis new > > >book > > > > > > rehashes a lot of stuff that was in his earlier works. What's new > > > isÃâàthe last > > > > > section where he presents the lives of several Hindu Saints. In each case > > > the > > > SaintÃâàdisplayed behavior that I think would get most of us locked > > > up in a > > >padded > > > > > > cell or admitted to an ICU and put on heavy doses of > > > medications.ÃâàIt seems, > > > however, that this crisis was essential for the Saint to > > > becomeÃâàfully > > >realized.Ãâà> > > > > > In reading about them I am remindedÃâàof the story > > > ofÃâàEckhart Tolle's biography > > > > > > where "ÃâàFor the best part of two years in the early 1980s a man > > > in his mid-30s > > > > > > would sit on a park bench in Russell Square, central London, and in a > > > state of > > > > > deep bliss watch the world go by."ÃâàDescriptions sound almost as > > > if he had had > > >a > > > > > > schizophrenic break.Ãâà> > > > > > > > > My question to the Forum is "is madness a precursor to enlightenment?" > > > > > > Bill not Bill! > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Find what makes your heart singâââ¬Ã¦and do it! > > > > > > ------------------------------------ Current Book Discussion: any Zen book that you recently have read or are reading! Talk about it today!Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Zen_Forum/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: [email protected] [email protected] <*> 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/
