'BORDERLANDS OF ETERNITY'

This is the title of a book that is actually two books with separate titles that were writtng by EDWIN J. DINGLE, the FOUNDER OF THE INSTITUTE OF MENTALPHYSICS...Book One is titled, ACROSS CHINA ON FOOT and Book Two is titled,MY LIFE IN CHINA, both are from teh early 1900's up to around 1939 period and contain much of interest for those who care about Tibet, China, the Orient and the world which shows that 'there is little new under the sun' and that 'the past is the prologue of the future'....as coming events cast their shadows..... At another time, I shall point out some of the things that are most pertinent for this day and age when it comes to understanding the Orient and the West and world events...But one important fact is that for centuries, The US and Great Britain exported tobacco to China whhere it was smoked by people of all ages, including children at an early age(often to overcome the hunger pangs of starvation) and also Western Manufacturing was introduced, especially arms production and weaponry, such as, Mauser Rifles and other armaments. Now China exports things to the US and Great Britain....

VIRTUAL TIBET: FROM THE HIMALAYAS TO HOLLYWOOD

This book,despite some things I find in possible error on topics etc. that I shall discuss another time, this book is very interesting, hilarious, and informative and covers nearly all the 'Tibetan' enthusiasts and 'cultural imperialists' in the history of Western contact with Tibet and some of the surrounding areas.....Like the writer, I tend to prefer the older writers who wove a fantastic,yet intriguing and appealing, tapestry that has unraveled itself since the Chinese Takeover, which demonstrates the 'love-hate' relationship between those two peoples(which need some discussion to see exactly who these people really are apart from the 'one-size fits both' focus given to them by the popular imaginations... Tibet has long been on my list of places to visit whether or not anything 'occult', 'weird' or 'esoteric' still exist there without a 'communist' flavoring added or a 'peoples' icing' covering it..... I suspect that deep down in,if one can dig deeply enough, or perhaps I should say, can climb high enough, there is still something to be found, although much of the ancient things have traveled more and more to the West.... Tibetan enthusiasts of all sorts exist....and one can well understand and perhaps sympathize with them and the insights of the author on this level and scale are well worth reading about to get a better perspective...I shall return to this work and possible others that I have on my shelf....Yes, I have met some tibetans and some 'would-be' Tibetans of various Buddhist leanings but not enough to embrace entirely what they may have to teach or not teach, practice or not practice, and the same can be said by me of other groups well-known from martial arts to yoga....that is, beyond the initial presentations and discussions,etc. shared at times.....and appreciated.....but my personal 'salvation' if there is any such thing, seems to me to have to allow me to work it out through my own efforts and suffering and not vicariously or by mere belief or imaginative assumption...as tempting as such is for most persons....

A 56 year-old climber of note passed away on Everest according to the news today..

THE SECRET TEACHINGS OF TIBETAN BUDDHISM

Some years ago I read a book on the Secret Teachings of Tibetan Buddhism by Madame Alexandra David-Neel and her adopted son, Lama Yongden, who predeceased her....which I recently purchased from a bookstore I was browsing in....and re-read it......In all the re-reads I do, I find things that I have sometimes neglected or forgotten or overlooked at the time of the original reading and I suppose this is a common thing for most readers who are eager to learn what they did not know previously.......haste in reading and unsustained reading are often the case for intense zeal.... The fact that most of these teachings discussed by the author were 'given' to her by means of oral discussions or ORAL TRANSMISSION brings up an important point about learning things of an esoteric and also of a practical nature....learning certain skills and methods are better learned orally from actual teachers, especially martial arts, yoga, magic, or cooking,etc. than from reading manuals, instruction booklets, or watching tapes, dvd's, or listening to recordings, though these do have their place in certain areas and ways....... Since we cannot sit at the feet of the Buddha or some grand lamas or wandering mystics without feeling some sense of uneasiness with the modern ones now traipsing about the world with all manner of things.....listening to such, whether through lectures or workshops or whatever, such as, retreats, resorts, etc. can be expensive and not wholly convincing if one has some severe reservations about the affairs,etc. Nevertheless, those who search for a teacher, a guru or a master, may well find one that meets their requirements and needs, hopefully, but the world is full of manhy professing to be such....so from my point of view it is better to become 'your own best teacher' which is possible only when you begin to expand beyond your narrow conceptions and conceits about yourself..... In my own case, I tend to focus on the images that I have experienced and acquired in life and in dreams and in merely thinking with some kind of focus or imagination,while endeavoring to remember myself and some things that seem important and necessary...of which I shall not discuss here for now..... From this re-reading of this important book I have found some things that indicate the role of Shamanism,particularly that of Siberia and Central Asia,which has influenced Taoism and Buddhism in China, Tibet, and the 'northern' areas.....which I had also previously investigating through some reading of various books in my possession....
These I plan to place under by blog on TAOISM but for now I merely hint at such... Which brings me back to my feeling that GURDJIEFF(see my blogs on) was in Tibet and Central Asia and learned Taoism,Shamanism, and Lamaism of a peculiar and special variety which he brought back to the West....