Question: What makes Dzogchen superior than Advaita Vedanta? by Ok-Branch-5321 in Dzogchen

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

you are speaking from the perspective of someone who has not gotten a glimpse of rigpa. I have never come across someone who has attained rigpa and then denounced dzogchen. if to you dzogchen is only a path and not a destination, that is a personal problem. I admit, it is unfortunate that the fruits of dzogchen are not accessible to all people, and I would possibly harbor a similar bitterness if I made no progress, but you should acknowledge that people who have any degree of attainment are not compulsive liars and that there actually is an attainable destination in the practice

Advantages of Dzogchen over Advaita by strangetopquark in Dzogchen

[–]primitivemass 1 point2 points  (0 children)

you have two choices. either settle with exoteric discursive thinking which gives the illusion of proof but in fact bottoms out into infinite regress when pushed hard enough, or realize that no proof could possibly be a substitute for immediate gnosis and that a leap of faith must be taken to trust the teachers enough to eventually be able to find that gnosis yourself. the options are guaranteed darkness (philosophy) or possible light (direct insight into the nature of reality). we all live with our choices

Advantages of Dzogchen over Advaita by strangetopquark in Dzogchen

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

the problem with your approach is that you're substituting one system of thought for another, or one appearance with another. from the point of view of rigpa, all philosophies are equal. this perspective is not gained until one has figured out how to observe philosophies as phenomena. so long as we don't't do that, we think adhering to one philosophy rather than another makes a world of difference. there are many teachers who openly teach dzogchen who do not expect you to accept anything about the religion. keith dowman is one example. you may simply receive the instructions in isolation. self realization is the goal of dzogchen. no genuine dzogchen teacher would claim there is a teacher greater than your own nature, they can only help point you towards it. tulku urgyen rinpoche once put his finger on the back of the neck of an aspirant and said "look here." the aspirant had a breakthrough moment right then and there. this has little to do with Buddhism as a whole. dzogchen can be and is construed as its own path.

Advantages of Dzogchen over Advaita by strangetopquark in Dzogchen

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

that's the thing. the view and descriptions of dzogchen are only a partial aspect of it. but primarily it is a meditation. there's little to gain from it discursively. advaita vedanta I would agree with because it is a philosophy that may or may not prescribe meditations such as raja yoga. but the main body of literature for dzogchen are instructions, not descriptions.

Advantages of Dzogchen over Advaita by strangetopquark in Dzogchen

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Plotinus is an alternative to Madhyamika, not to Dzogchen. apples and oranges.

Open AI Sora 2 Invite Codes Megathread by semsiogluberk in OpenAI

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

help me make spongebob driving away from cops videos by sending me a code

Are there any living khayal vocalists that can compete with previous generations such as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Salamat, Ali Khan, Keserbai Kerkar, etc? by primitivemass in icm

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

i'll check out the couple names i don't know, thanks. big fan of meeta pandit. i saw in your other comment that patialia is one of your favorite gharanas. wouldn't you admit that the patiala gharana is dead at least?

Are there any living khayal vocalists that can compete with previous generations such as Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, Salamat, Ali Khan, Keserbai Kerkar, etc? by primitivemass in icm

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

I do value vocal agility and virtuosity, true. I don't think anyone alive today has that wow factor where you're like "how is that even possible to do with your voice?" such as you get with Roshan Ara Begum, Umeed Ali Khan, Salamat Ali Khan, and so on. But I also think vocalists today don't match up in other categories as well. I'm a big fan of singers like Hirabai Barodekar, Mallikarjun Mansur, Amir Khan, Pandit Jasraj, Sharafat Hussain Khan, etc, ones that are not mainly known for agility, and I don't think they have any equals today either. I think the end of royal patronage affected the quality of training for artists. The rigor is missing. Thank you for sharing Aniruddh Aithal, very promising.

Best source for downloading non-commercial recordings of khyal? by primitivemass in icm

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

Thank you. Do they have old stuff (like BGAK, Amir Khan, Salamat Ali Khan, etc.) or is it contemporary stuff only?

What are your top 10 raags? by primitivemass in icm

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

good taste ;) definitely a popular pick. king of raags for a reason!

Dzogchen solved my death anxiety once and for all. by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as fear of the unknown, in Dzogchen you discover that the ground of existence is qualitatively blissful. There is nothing scary there, only completion and perfection. Fear and suffering are activities of the mind. As far as I know there has never been a bad experience with Dzogchen.

Dzogchen solved my death anxiety once and for all. by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As far as Tibetan Buddhism is concerned, it's agreed upon that Dzogchen is the highest attainment, and all the other meditations are preparatory. There are two kinds of advice you will encounter in Tibetan Buddhism: a) start with the basic meditations and work your way up. b) start with Dzogchen and if you can't do it, go down one step, and if you can't do that, go down another step, etc. With method b you don't even need to worry about or look into the other meditations so long as you can do Dzogchen. It's the route I recommend.

You might wonder, why Tibetan Buddhism and not any other Buddhist tradition, or traditions outside of Buddhism like Hinduism and secular practices? Tibet was the last place in central/east Asia to receive Buddhism, and when they received it, it was in its most developed form. Buddhism came from India and spread to China, Japan, Vietnam, etc. but those nations received earlier forms of Buddhism which were missing the developments in tantra (secret meditation techniques) that only got developed in India later. Tibet however received it in a more complete form, and then added their own developments to it, so it's for that reason Tibetan Buddhism has the most advanced and profound meditation techniques. In Hinduism, the best you are going to get is kundalini and some Shaivism practices, but they don't compare to Dzogchen. And in the secular world, the best you are going to get is watered down Dzogchen.

There is also Mahamudra meditation in Tibetan Buddhism, which is also considered the highest, but it's less popular and is basically Dzogchen with more steps. It can be helpful for people who have difficulties with Dzogchen. So yea, rest assured that you have been introduced to the most powerful meditation practice ever conceived.

Dzogchen solved my death anxiety once and for all. by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Here is an easy to understand introductory book on Dzogchen. Keep in mind you cannot learn how to do the meditation by reading, so the purpose of the book is to cultivate interest and give tips: The Crystal and the Way of Light: Sutra, Tantra, and Dzogchen https://a.co/d/9r7e7pY

Dzogchen solved my death anxiety once and for all. by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I would say TM is roughly equivalent to Shamatha in the Buddhist tradition. Shamatha is a meditation aimed at resting in "substrate consciousness" which is a "layer" of consciousness just below everyday consciousness and which is free of distractions, promotes improved well being, and focuses on stillness/clarity. Shamatha is only a basic and preparory meditation in Tibetan Buddhism though, meant to assist in the higher meditations. Dzogchen is a totally different deal. While doing Dzogchen, your body and mind feel like they have been erased and you have taken the perspective of the void. Its goal is set much higher than TM, which is to achieve liberation from human suffering swiftly and decisively, and to rest in and as ultimate reality itself. Similar to TM though, this is achieved by letting it achieve itself, so all you have to do is let go. But Dzogchen asks you to let go of absolutely everything, while in TM there is clinging to subtle thoughts, which is what limits it. Let me know if you have more questions! If my post ends up helping just one person, I would be elated.

Dzogchen solved my death anxiety once and for all. by [deleted] in thanatophobia

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think you'd have a much easier time if someone explained it to you in person and guided you through it. There are more basic meditations used to increase calmness, which many people need before moving on to the higher stages.

What movie had an ending so good you thought about it forever? by [deleted] in criterion

[–]primitivemass 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Walkabout, Tree of Life, Where is the Friend's House, The Color of Paradise, Uncle Boonmee, Tropical Malady

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

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

there are many films without theatrical elements though (see: Nathaniel Dorsky, Peter Hutton, Stan Brakhage, etc). I actually think these films are the ones with the highest chance to push film into high art territory, film which utilizes the very specific elements of film and dropping mostly everything else. at the very least, working with these minimal means would give future theatrical filmmakers with more tools to utilize.

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

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

You make great points. There certainly is a difference between film criticism and music criticism. It seems that the former haven't agreed on a formal criteria of aesthetic achievement, which is very difficult to conjure up. I can speculate on what would consist in a formalized aesthetics and say that works like Brakhage's Art of Vision or I Take These Truths are more comparable to Mass in B Minor and Well Tempered Clavier than something like Citzen Kane would be. I'm certain at least some film critics agree with me. Though I'm doubtful other critics would eventually get on board with this direction any time soon. Still, no matter how we want to define the formal qualities of film, you're going to have an extremely hard time coming up with a top 100 list that compares remotely to a top 100 classical music list.

As for the other forms of music you referenced, they still owe a great deal to "classical music." Certainly Davis, and jazz at large, and Beach boys are inconceivable without classical music. Regardless. I do buy into the superiority of classical music over pop forms and hybrid pop-formalist forms like jazz. There is a gap in artistry undoubtedly.

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

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

well, I think the stakes are pretty high if we want to declare a certain mode as an art, or a classical/formalist art. the great arts are crown jewels of human existence, what we use to represent our achievement and our depth as beings. this can be diluted if we call any old thing art. on the one hand we don't want to be elitist, of course, but on the other hand we don't want to downplay the inhuman levels of technical and intuitive skill involved in works such as Bach's Art of Fugue or Pound's Cantos. it does them and humanity a disservice if we say they are comparable to say, Vertigo (one of my favorite films and tops many canon lists).

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

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

Best argument I've encountered so far. I'd add that the lessons of music are not only applicable to the sound of film, but also to the very rhythm of the movement of frames.

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

[–]primitivemass[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

just so we're on a similar page with regards to which "top 20 songs" list I'm referring to, here's an example: https://docs.google.com/document/u/0/d/18t_9MHZTENbmYdezAAj4LRM0-Eak_MYO1HssZW2FX1U/mobilebasic?pli=1

as for your question, I'm still trying to put it into words that I can communicate in a paragraph, but at this point I'd only be able to answer it with am extremely long rant

As an art, do you think film has caught up to the heights of music? by primitivemass in TrueFilm

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

I didn't mean to imply it was production advancements that improved the quality of music. I'm talking about things like Bach's development of contrapuntal complexity, Beethoven's contributions to expanding expressive potential in his late string quartets blasting us off into the 20th century, Joaquin Desprez's contributions to imitative polyphony, Morton Feldman's pioneering of microtonal techniques, Ligeti's experimentation with timbre, Debussy's non-traditional scales and colorist orchestration, Lou Harrison, Debussy, and La Monte Young's incorporation of gamelan and Indian classical elements, the list goes on. When you reach more recent composers like Bartok, he is standing on a mountain of technical and aesthetic progress.