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October 2015
The compound was a pale tan color, with little sparkles that empirically indicate a quality crystalline structure. The substance was N,N dimethyltryptamine, the product of reductive amination of formaldehyde with tryptamine. The raw fear of the unknown ripples through my body, warning me, a characteristic quality preceding the DMT trip. Fear was tempered by excitement…
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Pain and Suffering
Sometimes despite our best intentions, life goes awry and we encounter problems and the resultant emotional and physical pain they lead to. For spiritual practitioners, it can even seem as if our spiritual progress and progress toward self realization may make things worse before they get better . Engaging in spiritual practice can seem to…
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Shadow Work and Dakinis
[Note: This post, like all of the posts on this site, is based on personal experience and practice rather than scholarly knowledge of Buddhism. I do not claim to be anything more than an amateur Buddhist scholar.] Dakini was originally the term used in ancient India for a Tantric priestess who transported the souls of…
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Okay, Begin Again
I recently read a dharma story about a young novice monk situated in a Zen monastery who has his first Kensho experience. The story comes from the perspective of a monk sipping tea in another part of the monastery, overlooking the garden, where a Zen master is using a hoe to work the soil for…
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Phenomenological Notes on Rigpa
Rigpa is translated as “Knowledge of Ground”. The goal of Dzogchen and Mahamudra practice is to rest in Rigpa. It is a state of pristine, pure, luminous awareness, wherein there is no craving, aversion, or ignorance. The natural radiance of the awake mind in its essence shines through in a magnificent fashion when the three…
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Magnetism and the higher paths part I- Basic Principles
The higher path attainments seem to instill the practitioner with a more fluid sense of self and as a result, some practitioners upon attaining 3rd path may experience magnetism. This phenomenon is especially likely to be experienced in high concentration settings- e.g. on a meditation retreat. The phenomenon of magnetism can be considered very woo-woo…
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The relationship between intention, will power, and mental unification
I have been corresponding with meditators doing hardcore meditation practices with a focus toward awakening. The phenomenon of intention is a misunderstood and neglected mental phenomenon that meditators can learn to systematically employ. Tibetan Buddhist practice has a methodical way of using the mind’s own inherent wiring to build neural connections through accumulative, repetitive mantra…
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We will enable Magick
We will describe magick here and enable it for the masses. Let’s just be honest folks- the world is precipitously going to hell in a handbasket. We are overpopulating and burning the last of our fossil fuel resources. Global imminent threats to the survival of the human race are all around us, yet we insist…
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Shadow Angels Create Collages
I have two beautiful women dharma friends who are both enlightened who both created collages. Monica said that this one was inspired by some recent advice that I gave her (probably about making resolutions and intentions). I really like how the eye focuses the attention of the piece and the raw imperfection of the piece,…