Tag Archives: turn-about

Seeds of Lanka in the Classical Style

Posted on October 5, 2024 by Vajragoni

Illumination (Seeds of Lanka in the Classical Style)

Both music amd images are my own AI creations

Track Listing: read more

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The Dharma of the Unborn Buddha Mind

Posted on April 3, 2023 by Vajragoni

There is no greater enemy than one’s own desires, one’s own fears, one’s own pride and one’s own self-ignorance. Rich or utterly poor. Powerful or powerless. Insidious or good. Whatever the karma behind our present body consciousness is, we should never accept it nor become too complacent with its transient images that once invited to roam freely, will ultimately re-focus our Minds to deem this illustrious haze of half-truths and lies as real-self or part of self-actualization.  read more

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As the Revulsion Turns

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Vajragoni
  1. The world is no more than thought-construction and there rages an ocean of views as regards ego and things (dharma); when the world is clearly perceived as such and there takes place a revulsion [in the mind] this [one] is my child who is devoted to the truth of perfect knowledge.

I remember writing way back during our Complete Lanka and Discussion (found in our library) forum that Suzuki had chosen a really horrible word (revulsion) for what we Lankavatarians know as the Great Turn-About, or the complete inner-oscillation within consciousness to remain prior to phenomena via the Recollective Resolve, or returning to the very vivifying Primordial-Source Itself. This Turn-About is also known as paravriti and is mentioned frequently in the Lanka. My favorite instance occurs in Chapter One wherein the Lord of Lanka suddenly experiences this and all it spiritually entails: read more

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Karma’s Repository

Posted on January 15, 2018 by Vajragoni

The advent of Mahāyāna Buddhism that coincided with the beginning of the Christian-era gave birth to the most sublime innovations in Buddhist-thought that have not been surpassed even to this day. Colorful, dynamic and transcendent in scope, resplendent with rich metaphorical language founded in the rich soil of sūtra and śāstra laden literature, the Mahāyāna shaped a new and indefatigable-direction for the nature of the karma-effect. According to the Sarvāstivādin and Theravādin doctrine, one’s goal in unraveling the karmic-equation was to slowly and diligently eradicate it through determined demolition of its defilements, in essence, being empowered to save-oneself. In Mahāyāna doctrine the emphasis was not so much in eradicating its effects, but standing above and beyond it by not focusing so much on individual-salvation, but by the salvation of others by practicing the six perfections or pāramitās. This found its inestimable worth in the cult of the Bodhisattvas. Generally, the causes of birth for ordinary beings are past deeds (karman) and defilements (klesa). But the Bodhisattva’s birth is unique in that it is caused exclusively by his will and purpose. Thus, a Bodhisattva volunteers to be born (saṃcintyabhavopapatti—intentional birth) into a life of suffering for the precise purpose of alleviating the suffering of sentient beings. read more

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The Secret Golden Light of the Unborn

Posted on April 1, 2015 by Vajragoni

The inspiration for this series dawned one day while recollecting an earlier episode in my life as a young man who had been living for three-years in the urban-wildness of South Florida. It was a deeply transitional time in the equally paralleled transitional living-modes of the South Florida experience; indeed, it was a home for “transients” of all types and from all walks of life. The year was 1981 and this young man of 23 found himself reading from a selection of works by Carl Jung entitled “Psyche and Symbol”, a Doubleday paperback priced at $3.50. This young man was deeply impressed by Jung’s erudite mind and quickly became enamored with his insights into the workings of the psyche. One particular chapter dealt with Jung’s commentary on the Daoist classic, “The Secret of the Golden Flower”. Returning to it now in the same old paperback—which has surprisingly survived the passage of time quite well—I’m reliving the mind of this young man who had studiously highlighted pertinent verses and also reinforced some of them with underlining, accompanied with some asterisks. Are these the same passages that I would highlight today, or were they only relevant to that younger mindset?  Whichever it may be it brings me great joy to revisit them now—or is it that young man’s mind returning to visit me?  One thing is certain—The Secret of the Golden Flower is as fascinating now, perhaps even more so, than when it was originally interpreted back in 1981. read more

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O’ Wanderer, Turn-About and Save Thyself

Posted on January 16, 2013 by Vajragoni

Reciting the four Bodhisattva Vows

(Yampolsky)

“Now that you have already taken refuge in the threefold body of Buddha, I shall expound to you the four great vows. Good friends, recite in unison what I say: ‘I vow to save all sentient beings everywhere. I vow to cut off all the passions everywhere. I vow to study all the Buddhist teachings everywhere. I vow to achieve the unsurpassed Buddha Way.’ (Recite three times.) read more

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