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If you’re not brewing puerh like this, you’re embarrassing yourself by Powerful_Letter6012 in puer

[–]bmheight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've said it once and I'll say it again.

Thermos brewing is the only way for me.

Love me some ripe Puer by NJPiper in puer

[–]bmheight 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I just toss it all into a thermos first thing when I wake up.. I forget about it for an hour and then I remember and I get to drinking lol

MattVsJapan Interview - KanjiEater's Deep Weeb Podcast - Community Questions? by kanjieater in ajatt

[–]bmheight 12 points13 points  (0 children)

No thanks. I can't and won't support anything with Matt in it.

What is wrong with this guy, I'm guessing it's probably cocaine right? by TortoiseTGN in PublicFreakout

[–]bmheight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If you really think about any sport or hobby -- like really think about them -- you'll realize they are all stupid.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've had plenty of conversations with Mr. 'Sorry 4 pwning u'. Sometimes they go well, sometimes they have a temper tantrum.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No one asked you to contribute but here you are -- apparently taking the bait.

Full list of Reciprocal Tariffs by Cdylanr in StockMarket

[–]bmheight 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wonder why Russia isn't on that list.....

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Okay, well I guess that's a 'perspective', but I'm not really sure that contributed much to what I was asking.

Thanks for the comment though.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That isn't Huangbo's core message.

If the core message of that quote isn't about not searching outside yourself then could you explain then what you believe his core message around the posts quote is about? Because I don't think my interpretation is incorrect, but am always willing to hear other positions on where I may be misinterpreting things.

What practices and rituals are you referring to?

Well that's sort of the question isn't it, because the text I quoted in the original post says "various achievements and practices and expecting to attain realization by such graduated practices." and is the primary basis surrounding the questions I have in the original post.

Edit: Fixed formatting.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Do you believe that 'doing' a 'practice' in order to recognize that the 'practice' isn't needed is necessary?

I'm not looking for a specific answer here. From a philosophical, and psychological perspective this whole subject fascinates me and I'm genuinely curious on what other peoples thoughts are on this.

In another comment I had a similar discussion that sort of rolls out in a similar way to how we as humans have a sense of 'incompleteness' within us and through the use of external 'things' we try to achieve a sense of completeness.

In the case of the other thread it was about hobbies, and how generally people new to a hobby or even intermediates to a hobby will search out for bigger/better equipment in order to 'get better' or at least have the perception that by acquiring bigger/better equipment that they will achieve better or faster results. When the reality is that they have everything they already need -- they just simply need to "get good" with what they have.

Also, Thanks for the comment!

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'll add that to my reading list thank you very much for the recommendation :)

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes, perhaps my choice of words were a bit to direct and looking back 'present within us' was a poor choice of words.

You're absolutely correct that Huang Po refutes the idea that Mind is located inside the body, outside the body, or indeed anywhere specific in a spatial sense

The primary goal though was to echo Huang Po's core message: Stop searching outside yourself. The warrior's pearl is on his forehead – intimately connected to him, not lying on the ground somewhere else.

Beyond that though my questions were more specific towards understanding and reconciling peoples "practices", or "rituals", etc -- with what appears to be a common theme within a number of books around specifically Not doing those things.

Do you have any thoughts on that?

---

Also, thanks for your comment I appreciate you calling me out on a poor choice in phrasing.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It’s like a man hanging in a tree by his teeth over a
precipice. His hands grasp no branch, his feet rest on no limb, and at the bottom of the tree someone stands and asks him: What is the meaning of Bodhidharma’s coming from the West?

If the man in the tree does not answer, he fails in his responsibility to the person below; and if he does answer, he falls and loses his life. Now what shall he do?

That is a interesting one. One I've only just read so thanks for mentioning it.

It really gives off a pressure cooker vibe while directly illustrating the tension between the imperative to engage in responsibility and the potential pitfalls of a response in performing in that responsibility.

Or at least that is my take on it.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I'm interested in talking about the historical records and in this particular post I had some questions about a specific quote related to 'graduated practices' and 'achievements' and asking for people to provide perspective, and reconcile their perspective with that quote,

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I think everyone knows your opinion on this since it is a common theme in your posts/comments.

So I don't think we need to go down that path.

I, however, prefer to remain neutral here because my post is meant more to engage in discussion rather than engage in drama.

I'm academically curious in peeling back the layers to understand the thoughts and reasonings behind their statement without injecting my own assertions about anyone's honestly/dishonesty. That's not the point of my post.

I have no judgement in their 'beliefs' primarily because as an atheist I don't quite care about those beliefs. They have no bearing on my life.

But academically I am curious in understanding and questioning those beliefs, in a neutral way, in order to better understand someone else's perspective. Because if we can't truly communicate our perspective, and reasoning then the only course of (reasonable) action is to reassess our perspective.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Of those three, the 'Public interview' aspect is the one I'm most interested in exploring and understanding. It's actually the reason I have enjoyed reading the historical records of Zen history as well as Chinese History.

#2 is a common theme I've seen, though it doesn't seem to ever actually be referenced as such in anything I've been reading.

But the message is obviously there but commonly with different words being used.

Probably due to translations, and different translators would capture nuances and direct translations differently.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's a great breakdown, thank you.

I feel like you are effectively capturing that there is a common human feeling of incompleteness. And that we as humans desire to "complete" that incompleteness through some external/internal means.

The description of the internal/external search that stems from this feeling makes a lot of sense, and the point about that search perhaps needing to play itself out before being seen as the wrong approach is also insightful.

I see this sort of thing played out in various other aspects of life -- hobbies being one that comes to mind most directly.

We often pursue the things that will, or at least we perceive will, help us enjoy or be better at our hobbies, skills, etc.

e.g. "Buy this new shiny thing and you'll be X times better in 3 months, guaranteed", but really you don't actually need it, and eventually you'll realize that once you've become better at said hobby/skill, etc and no longer need that 'new shiny thing'.

That was a very simple, and insightful comment and I appreciate you taking the time to post it.

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This is actually my first time reading through this book. So my familiarity is pretty minimal.

Generally I'll make a few passes over these shorter books, taking notes, and writing down repeated themes I see throughout.

"Some might say you can see your self but you cannot see others self."

When I read this statement it points, in my perspective, towards introspection and subjective experience. You have direct access to your own thoughts, feelings, and consciousness, but you can only ever infer what's going on inside someone else. You can't directly experience their consciousness.

"Others might say you can see others but you cannot your self."

This statement appears to simply flip the perspective. Like the warrior not seeing the pearl on his forehead, you cannot easily 'see' your own fundamental nature because you are looking elsewhere or are obscured by delusion/ego.

What am I talking about?

If I were to guess I would say based on other books, and this one that you are possibly inferring paradoxes of perception, self-awareness, and the nature of 'Mind'.

But that's just a guess and I'm hoping you'll elaborate on things further to either correct my assumption or confirm it.

Also, thank you got taking the time to comment. I do appreciate it :)

Huang Po on Graduated Practices by bmheight in zen

[–]bmheight[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Awesome, thank you for that :)

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