[MD] an authentic teacher?

[Dallas Van Winkle]

But, it is also said that within emptiness lies a luminous intelligence...
That's something that is quite difficult to notice if a mind is particularly
attached to the extremes of either nihilism or eternalism.



On Nov 6, 2007 7:41 PM, Dallas Van Winkle <dallas.vanwinkle at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I definitely agree with the death and emptiness thing. In fact, it
> instantly sheds light on all kinds of cultural consistencies. For example,
> in popular American culture, there is an overt fear of passivity, a fear of
> the feminine, a tendency and desire for war like, positive male cultural
> attributes. Even in intellectual circles where war is denounced, most
> atheists posit the belief in material, as if that weren't redundant.
>
> And of course, the Christian tradition led us to cover our embarrassments
> in the shape of laying dirt over corpses. Death is an embarrassment, because
> it is a reminder of the ultimate nature of our selves, the lack of any kind
> of absolute reality, i.e. emptiness.
>
>
>
>
> On Nov 6, 2007 4:47 PM, Heather Perella <spiritualadirondack at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
>
> >
> >     [SA previously]
> > > I find death to be very comforting and clear in its'
> > > direct experience of
> > > reality.  I really go through high moments of
> > > clarity during funerals and
> > > days after funerals.  Some deaths still are strong
> > > enough that even their
> > > memories stir a clarity of life
> > > like no other, one such is my father's. Still, I
> > > find the need to stay warm
> > > and cozy during these autumn nights and now that it
> > > is morning I'd say these
> > > mornings, too.
> >
> >     [Joe]
> > > ŒComforting¹ is not a word I associate with death!
> > > Louise¹s struggles to pay
> > > attention to nothing but her own emptiness were
> > > terrifying.  A friend¹s son
> > > met death in a motorcycle accident because his body
> > > was so broken he was
> > > unable to experience anything but emptiness. Such
> > > clarity is not comforting!
> >
> >     Yes, I would agree with you that associating
> > emptiness and comforting would conclude non-comfort.
> > Notice I didn't associate my experience of death with
> > emptiness.  To have a void such as emptiness involved
> > with death would be uncomfortable I would assume.  I
> > don't have this sense of emptiness at this moment for
> > those that have died in my life.
> >
> >    [Joe]
> > > IMO death can only happen to one who has been forced
> > > to stare at emptiness
> > > either by force or willingly.
> >
> >
> >    Death only happens by staring at emptiness?
> > Please explain.  I don't understand.
> >
> >    [Joe]
> > > For myself Œcomforting¹ is not a word I
> > > associate with emptiness.  Death is no teacher,
> > > Christ notwithstanding.
> >
> >    Why do you associated death with emptiness?  This
> > is unique to me.  Please help me understand your
> > perspective.
> >     To me everything I experience is a teacher.  Even
> > suffering, pain, and Hiroshima have much to teach.  To
> > be a teacher, to me, is something that does not
> > necessarily have to make somebody happy and numb to
> > sadness.  A teacher may induce crying tears from time
> > to time.
> >    Also, what do you mean by "...Christ
> > notwithstanding."
> >
> > thank you.
> >
> > woods,
> > SA
> >
> > __________________________________________________
> > Do You Yahoo!?
> > Tired of spam?  Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
> > http://mail.yahoo.com
> > Moq_Discuss mailing list
> > Listinfo, Unsubscribing etc.
> > http://lists.moqtalk.org/listinfo.cgi/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org
> > Archives:
> > http://lists.moqtalk.org/pipermail/moq_discuss-moqtalk.org/
> > http://moq.org.uk/pipermail/moq_discuss_archive/
> >
>
>