love in motion, magic potiontender care and saturation
love is light and love is wonder
does it last — i often wonder
love is hell and love is heaven
why is love always uneven?
love is when i see you dancing
divine way of necromancing
love is when i feel you smiling
we have brought an end to wailing
love creates the wings of angels
leaves of birches, blessed strangers
i'm in love with love in motion
healed by the magic potion
love is emptiness — emptiness is love...
21 comments:
This is the dichotomy of Buddhist ideas and the real urge of the soul.
The soul wants love.
Buddhism is about becoming a non-entity incapable of feeling love.
The attempt to somehow connect Buddhism and the idea of love is quite amusing and awkward.
It is all about love of nothing.
As a matter of fact, quite to the contrary. Emptiness provides a beautiful canvas on which emotions can be experienced as they are, rather than settling for a neurotic condition driven by craving.
Recommend reading Chögyam Trungpa's works for a better perspective. For example, Transcending Madness, currently on my bedside table.
I'm not just babbling contradictory booboo off the top of my head. I have grown to be existentially quite harmonic. Shunyata and say, for example, yogapitha-meditation, go well hand in hand. Well, my variant of it, anyway....
I do have issues with the most of the contemporary GV applications of the same however — I find them performing way below the potential — along with as some of the underlying ideologies that I personally find quite stifling and oppressing.
Well, Ananda Baba, let's see if you still feel the same about Buddhism in ten years.
A few weeks with Buddhism is hardly past the "honeymoon" phase.
I was studying Buddhism over 32 years ago long before it was fashionable and trendy.
It left a void in my heart which was filled by something I found after I passed through my "Buddhism" phase.
I was studying Chogyam Trungpa back in the early 70's.
He died at age 48 (1987) from heart failure due to heavy alcohol abuse.
Chogyam Trungpa: One of his nursing attendants reports that in his last months, he suffered from incontinence, distended belly, discolored skin, hallucinations, varicose veins, gastritis, and esophageal varices -- classic symptoms of terminal alcoholism and cirrhosis -- and yet he was still drinking heavily.
I am quite familiar with Trungpa Rinpoche's history. In fact, you'll find it mentioned in one of my earlier blog entries.
That doesn't in any way invalidate the contents of his works, that are respected across the Tibetan Buddhist world. No matter how many details of his history you wish to fill in, and copying descriptions from WikiPedia doesn't really add to the image of your deep familiarity with him.
Does my altered existential position somehow threaten some of the GV people reading this blog? I get the impression from these repeated attempts to downplay Buddhism as a whole.
It's fine with me if you cannot appreciate Buddhist philosophy or my takes on it — that are by no means orthodox! I write of what I see and feel. To each his own. We don't all need to become copies of each other, even if some would have us believe it's vitally important.
Here is a link to the blog entry I refer to in the comment above.
Buddhism today is just another orthodox dogma that proposes to answer the enigma of existence.
I am more freelance than buying into orthodox atheism.
If I am going to be orthodox anything it will be orthodox theist.
Orthodox atheism is even more ridiculous than orthodox theism, inasmuch as in atheism there is
no center - only circumference.
I believe in the religion of self conscience.
I don't let orthodox atheism or orthodox theism override what my own rational perception tells me.
I can have a personal God without buying into every cultural ornament or social custom that is often the baggage of religion.
I don't know how many times I need to reiterate that I don't consider myself an orthodox Buddhist in any contemporary sense of the word, and most probably not in any other sense either.
I am quite in agreement with what you say. I have no problems with personal gods for whosoever feels like having one. Adopt your own god, chant and be happy. It's all fine by me.
I also have my personal gods and goddesses and stuff. I just don't need a feel to make them Supreme Personalities and Personalitiesses of Godhead or whatever else people like to call their gods in elevating them in a monotheistic framework. I am not a monotheist.
I don't really understand why people keep going on about their gripes on Buddhist orthodoxies here. It doesn't really have that much to do with this blog or my writings, inasmuch as these comments are written as commentaries on my views, and this really isn't a general soapbox you know.
If it wasn't meant for me, and if you are not the same as the other posters who keep changing their nicks, then apologies to you for assuming as much, and let's shake hands as we are quite in agreement here.
I am amused at the number of people (apparently) who feel a need to follow you around the internet because they disagree with you or want to find fault in you. It's clear to me that envy and insecurity are involved. One enterprising fellow even has a blog just to reflect on your blogs. Even if you were the most egotistical and arrogant guru wannabe on earth, these activities in pursuit of busting you for false beliefs are just a huge distraction from anyone's spiritual life. I'm amazed that people are wasting their valuable and limited time in this way.
I recall a discussion I was involved in a few months ago where instead of directly addressing my points on Vaishnavism and sexism, one of the forum members kept latching on to anything I might indicate about my own path and started posting text showing the sexism that might be present in that tradition. Since I follow no established tradition that fell rather flat. (I had a Buddhist-related signature line, though.)
Following your own bliss confuses people, especially when you are apparently happy doing so. :)
I Live in Boulder Colorado where Trungpa Rinpoche established so many things and yes he most definitely had his share of bad times and scandals, regardless, what he left behind has helped the Buddhist community here grow into the largest community of Buddhists in the western world today.
By the way this fellow who has a Blog devoted to 'picking apart' Ananda, has now declared openly his belief that Michael Jackson is Krishna!
Just for the record, I am the person posts here under different names and symbols, but I am NOT following Ananda Baba around the internet for any purpose other than pure amazement at his story and his adventures.
I left the cult long before he even joined the cult, so I have no agenda other than my own personal interest in his story.
I represent no orthodoxy, cult, movement or camp.
I have followed him on the internet for years, practically since he first started his web sites.
I am not going to stop now just because he has renounced his Gaudiya Vaishnava orientation.
'Follow your bliss', Tapati? There is something called responsibility, a practice Ananda is hardly a champion of. For all these years he experimented with different groups and individuals, and with each experiment he knew things were not as his readers might perceive they were. But he never bothered, until the last minute, until he had in fact already abandoned yet another ship, to give so much as a hint of what was going on with him personally. And so, even as passengers in the background were left to drown, for all he cared Ananda was 'following his bliss', the latest his escapade to Neverland to frolick with the pixies and to razz The Captain. O yeah sure, he dedicated years of his life to everyone's cause, putting up websites and media whatnots on his own dime. But had anyone suggested he might get objective support if he actually did something needed, he would not hear of it. He played as he decided, with the toys of his choices. And when things ceased to be fun, he simply equally walked away from friends and foes as if these were the same in consequence. Something Ananda knows well is that following and being deceived are two very different things. It is his responsibility to talk about that now, and not, irresponsibly again, opine that whatever anyone is doing is fine so long as he is still widely visited, so long people keep talking about him.
I personally feel no bitterness towards Ananda baba for his life choices or renouncing Gaudiya Vaishnavism and all the Vaishnavas.
But, it does appear that in the process of changing his stripes that he wanted to hurt as many Vaishnavas as deeply as he could on his way out.
Otherwise, he would have just vanished into thin air without leaving a trace of his whereabouts or any links to his new blog and diary.
If he were not intent on breaking as many hearts as he could and hurting as many devotees as he could, he would have just vanished without a trace.
But no, he wanted to make sure that all those following his life and his works were hurt as badly as possibly as he became a spiritual suicide bomber within the Vaishnava community.
So, Ananda is not really a nice guy. He is malicious and ill-intentioned. He wants to hurt as many Vaishnavas as he can on his way out the door as he embraces atheism in the form of Buddhism.
Ananda, just shut it all down and disappear. That is the only honest, noble and decent thing to do.
Not only did you stab so many Vaishnavas in the heart but you took the knife and twisted it vigorously with your proud and shameless boasting about having become an atheist.
Just disappear.
Leave not a trace.
That is the only decent thing to do.
It's not for me, because I really don't care.
You can't hurt me.
It is all the simple and sincere Vaishnavas that you are hurting that I am pleading for.
Just vanish.
Find your happiness in your new found friends and Buddhist bullshit.
Don't leave links, trails and traces to the Vaishnava community.
Just vanish...... poof..... be gone.
Your only purpose in linking this blog to your old web site is for the purpose of insulting, hurting and discouraging the many devotees who had regard, respect and love for you.
Get lost Baba.
That is really the right thing to do for you.
Really...
1. Sensitive Vaishnava people really, really don't need to be reading this blog.
2. Trying to eliminate "passive threats" to Vaishnava faith by requesting defectors to vanish comes across as pretty cultish to me.
3. I really am allowed to lead my life the way I wish, and many friends feel very good about this blog. Not every possible person can be expected to be happy about everything I write or do.
4. I really do not infringe on anyone's rights or try to convert them to anything at all. If anything, I have been encouraging of those who are inspired by the Vaishnava way — even if I may express an occasional objection or a sense of resentment over some of the tradition's aspects.
It's a free world, folks. If more people embarked on explorations into the unknown, documenting and sharing their experiences with each other, the world would be so much richer.
Me thinks honest abe should disappear, from this blog at least, and follow his OWN bliss.
See, you have to follow SOMEONE's bliss...
Blogger just ate my comment! Let me reconstruct...
Honest Abe, I am chilled by your post. First you present Vaishnavas as babies who can't handle someone leaving and talking openly about their new found spiritual concepts. You then suggest that anyone who leaves your faith should just never be seen or heard on the internet ever again. Who died and made you Internet God?
Are you a bunch of babies who can't handle the notion that not everyone will remain a Vaishnava forever and ever? Is your faith so feeble that it is shaken by every passing wind? For that matter, are you that ungrateful for everything Ananda did for you guys in the past that you just can't sincerely wish him well on his new course? With friends like you, who needs enemies?!
To the anon poster who said that Ananda abandoned passengers to drown--dude, how melodramatic? Do you watch many soap operas? Ananda gave over the forum he'd most recently created and jumped into the ocean all by himself, to follow your metaphor. No one has even thrown him a life preserver. Friends abandoned him, not the other way around.
When one is going through a period of soul-searching about one's spiritual path, I can say from personal experience that it isn't something that can easily be articulated. Until you come out the other end and see where you are, it's really premature.
What would it have been like if Ananda was posting about his doubts every day or week? For those who think he tore up the Vaishnava community now, imagine what that would have done to it!
None of us are obligated to share our innermost thoughts and feelings constantly as they arise.
I didn't see any children posting on GD or other forums Ananda hosted. Presumably all involved were adults, or nominally so. Unless he was out proselytizing children, I think we can drop the melodrama. He never claimed to be a self-realized soul. If he was on a pedestal, he was up there because you guys projected your hopes for salvation onto him and put him there.
You are angry because he got tired up there and took himself off. It's time to grow up and take responsibility for your own spiritual lives and choices.
I'm glad Ananda left some breadcrumbs to his new journal, and I know others are too. If anyone thinks he's so damaging, show some self-restraint and stop reading his blog. No one's handcuffed you to the monitor and keyboard and typed in the url.
I'm glad Ananda left some breadcrumbs to his new journal, and I know others are too. If anyone thinks he's so damaging, show some self-restraint and stop reading his blog. No one's handcuffed you to the monitor and keyboard and typed in the url.
You miss the point entirely: The damage has been done and we are not following Ananda around for lack of spiritual maturity. Rather, we feel sorry for him. Its only out of goodwishery that we stick around, hoping he does not turn out to be the idiot we always suspected he was but feared to admit to ourselves. Trust me, we are just hoping against hope Ananda will throw another of his "heartfelt" apologies into the net for all to read and then weep for joy.
You miss the point entirely: The damage has been done and we are not following Ananda around for lack of spiritual maturity. Rather, we feel sorry for him. Its only out of goodwishery that we stick around, hoping he does not turn out to be the idiot we always suspected he was but feared to admit to ourselves. Trust me, we are just hoping against hope Ananda will throw another of his "heartfelt" apologies into the net for all to read and then weep for joy.
Oh, I see. You're going to all lovingly nag and stalk him into submission. That's constructive!
Well, it's your life and you can waste it as you see fit.
Oh, I see. You're going to all lovingly nag and stalk him into submission. That's constructive!
Well, it's your life and you can waste it as you see fit.
We are all free to see construction where there is none going on, as you very well demonstrate yourself how madam, with all due respect.
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