Oh Yea! THEN........ I'll be Enlightened. THEN...... I'll be Happy.......THEN I'll be Free!
Suiseki7
Pennsylvania, USA Explorer
40 Years ago one of my now late teachers- H.H. Shankaracharya of Kahmir, Gaddi Swami Swanandashram- always smiled and gesticulated peacefully while saying 
"Integrate the mind and be blissful." Shown here with a totally naked sadhu near Uttar Kashi Himalayas on our way to Gangotri.
Although from Kashmir originally Swami-ji lived and meditated in Gangotri Himalayas near the source of the Ganges for 20 years before setting out on a world tour to share his understanding with the West in the 1960's- and settling for the last part of his life in Pennsylvania. In 1981 I returned with him to his cave ashram at Gangotri to meditate. It would be his last time to visit there, "in this bag of dirt" as he described our body.
In almost 20 years of knowing, assisting and studying directly with Swami-ji here in the USA several things concerning "the spiritual path" became clear- at least to me. It is now what I try to share with other seekers. Although my personal spiritual-taste is more Zen Buddhist in practice, this truth "crosses over."
What Truth and Understanding became obvious?
In Peace and Tranquility,
Suiseki
Comments
Westworld is now a TV series
Thanks Lobster!
I must say though the only thing the TV-TM'ers in the Himalayas mentioned was this great Yogi they had heard about. Berra........
Just goes to show baseball goes everywhere...
Yeah, some of those hitters sure can hit - straight out of the ball-park!!
I studied many paths including Dharma before choosing Buddhism. I practiced all three of the Abrahamic religions interiors. I was a terrible Jew, not even being kosher.
I have always listened and sought the subtext.
When Shri Iyengar was asked why he practiced yoga he said, 'to have a good death'. At the time I was dissapointed, now I feel it is a multi-layered and therefore meaningful response.
When Ajahn Sumedho advised his Rumi reading nuns that the Sangha were not mystics, it took me a lot of contemplation to understand.
"half the lies they tell about me aren't true." Yogi Berra
Thank you Lobster for the insightful commentary.
Although drug, alcohol, tobacco and religion-free for many years now and not much of a Sutra person either- I might imbibe responsibly with friends a little here in the Lankavatara- wafting and savoring its beautiful aroma like incense rather than attempting actual consumption of its form. (yuck!) "Don't eat the menu while casting the feast from the table!"
My "good death" is hopefully an existential one. The acintya parinama cyuti is described as the transformation death of the eighth-stage Bodhisattva. In this process the "non-recession" transcendent body of the manomayakaya is potentialized as I prefer to describe it. This eighth-stage "turning about" permits one to assume whatever form (or not) necessary.
In this transcendent potentiality (in the sense of the unborn), the manomayakaya may employ "skillful means" to save all sentient beings.
Contexually one would prefer to live eternally upon this earth attempting to "work their magic". When asked where he would go after dying the Zen master replied, "To Hell! That's where they need the most help."
The naked Swami at Uttar Kashi in the photo above was perhaps alluding to this in his non-attachment to form. My Swami-ji called this body a "bag of dirt".
"Integrate the Mind and be Blissful",
Suiseki
"If you come to a fork in the road, Take it!"- Yogi Berra
(Suiseki likes those spoon-fork thingies for backpacking.......)
If I sounded didactic or even worse in the above, might I add this to "dull the edge" a bit......
Many poor souls, (me especially)- have had just awful experiences with attempting to **intellectualize our heart and soul ** by beating them into submission and dissociating them down to a set of nice, convenient, sterile, neat, orderly and dispassionate equations- mundane and even supramundane intellectual constructs.
Often just reading an especially powerful Sutra using only intellect can do nothing but exacerbate this effect. Intellectualization will clarify little if anything. The Sutra must ultimately read you then in it you will become manifest and clear to yourself. You will have understood.
I've found that Zen "teaching" is not conversational or open to much if any opinion. That can only result in the dreaded "he said she said" and "I think this or I think that, what do you think?", scenario. More obfuscation.
Although I may have not known it then- Inner peace, love, tranquility, compassion and understanding was my only objective when I set upon this path 40 years ago.
I truly believe we are already complete in every way possible and need only to locate that ordinarily obscured Heaven within each and every one of us.
Bowing Deeply in Love and Peace,
Suiseki
Perhaps.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jnana_yoga
Jana yoginis, Nyingma Tantrikas and Sutra bashers might not agree. They have a different clarity to the zenniths.
Personally I like to swim in the Rasayana (Ocean of Wisdom) without getting my feet wet.
Sounds like a plan!
[lobster packs picnic hamper]
... and now back to the waves ...
"Sutra bashers" LOL
Intellect is using words to define words and mind to grasp mind. Huang Po admonished vehemently against it.
Unmon exclaimed "The Buddha is a $hit stick!" So much more is the incessant babble of the Sutras.
The naked Sadhu knew nothing while looking right through me.
Gassho
So in words this old Zen Buddhist can understand, what have you learned so far?
"The master has gone picking herbs. Somewhere on the mountain. Cloud hidden whereabouts unknown."
G:
'erb?
We can cook and flavour his noodliness, the Pastafarian Flying Spaghetti Monster?
... and now back to the conventions of the ultra-spiritual ...