Yeah apparently he shuns the spotlight and there is a large contingent that say he is not real, he is a character that was used for the sake of having a protagonist to his little series of (3) books. To me it makes little difference the message is the same.

You didn't like Huang Po? I love that book! He has such a great way of deconstructing Buddhism and boiling it down to its essential element to reach enlightenment: stop all conceptual thought.

Psychic powers are interesting but I think we know they aren't enlightenment. I wonder why it is that people want to combine the two. Have you noticed that very joyful and loving people seem to have a predisposition to psychic ability? Since love is so much better than psychic powers, isn't it odd that spiritually advanced people get sidetracked exploring the psychic realm.

I think it's great that Steve had the wisdom to separate the two forums from each other.

I think everyone is predisposed to wanting power. If everyone was born having access to psychic powers we would have a forum of people discussing how to turn them off.

@ chris: so true, so true


@taylor excerpt from the zen teachings of haung po "Q: why was the bodhisattva of infinite extent unable to view the sacred sign on the crown of the buddha's head

A:There was really nothing for him to see. Why? bodhisattva of infinite extent was the tathagata: it follows that the need to look did not arise."

Honestly I'm already lost, just in those few lines there are already at least three reference's I would have to look up. I'm gonna spend all day reading an encyclopedia instead of meditating or going to work or whatever. I'm not trying to learn a new language here. If it's not easily understood it's of no use to me. Hawkin's says this thing about as you get to the higher levels you value simplicity more and more, this just doesn't seem like it to me.

Was that in there? I guess I just skipped past anything I didn't understand. Huang just repeated the same message over and over.

"Quit talking your enlightenment bs. Just quit thinking."

I didn't ever look up what BS he was referring to.

Yes I actually just opened to a random page and started quoting. Maybe I should use your method of reading.