Independence.

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#What do you people come to me for? Each individual should lead life autonomously—don't listen to what other people say. An ancient declared, "I knew how to lead life by the time I was eighteen." You people must learn to live independently.

#You say, "Lead what life?" Just do not seek elsewhere. Most people today are compulsively active; this is already not knowing how to lead life. This is called abandoning home, scattering the family, and becoming a drifter. Clearly this is not understanding. Just searching and seeking, studying a bit of intellectual knowledge, memorizing a few sayings, is called "hauling manure inside."

#When you get here, your actions have to be truly accurate; eventually it will sink in thoroughly, and then you will understand. An ancient said, "Everywhere is you. Go east, and it's you; go west, and it's you. Who are you?" If you say, "Me," this is emotional and intellectual consciousness, which you must pass through before you attain realization.

#In ancient times Vasubandhu asked Asanga, "Elder brother, when you went to the inner palace, what teaching did Maitreya expound to you?" Asanga replied, "He expounded *this* teaching." Now tell me, what teaching is *this*? You must be able to discern it before you can realize it.

#Don't fix recognition on *this*. Many people have been fooled by the term *this*. That is why they speak of illness as if it were medicine. Therefore we say they are pitiful.

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T. O. M's comment.

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Another day, another section from foyan.. These short sections from Foyan give me plenty to get my teeth into...

I had a really interesting conversation yesterday where i had a lesson in reading comprehension from - - - - - - - - . . Thank you.

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The most interesting section ( for me) in this short sermon is the one about passing through emotional and intellectual conciousness before a person can attain realisation.

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Intellectual = of or relating to thought or understanding intellectual development. 2 : interested in serious study and thought an intellectual person. 3 : requiring study and thought an intellectual challenge.

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Emotional = a : a conscious mental reaction (such as anger or fear) subjectively experienced as strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes in the body. b : a state of feeling. c : the affective aspect of consciousness :

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Once again there is a pointer from a Master that intellectual understanding and conceptual thinking are somehow missing the mark, and Foyan goes even further here to hint that this is a stage of conciousness that must be passed through..

Does that conciousness cling to the self? Does it form the worldview?

Yes. The intellectual consciousness informs me that things are separate, that thing over there is a dog, this is me.. It is a world informed by words and things...

Now, how to pass through? Foyan says that i must do that before i can attain realisation..

This intellectual conciousness is just a habit, a habit I have picked up over 40 years ago as a child learning language and distinction, yet I do feel that this habit does inform conciousness and that at certain times the barriers between self and other come crashing down and I feel more integrated and realised..

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Anyway, maybe I'm just hauling manure inside.. Time to go do a bit of honest graft.