If all people and phenomena are selfless or empty, does that mean that nothing exists?

No, phenomena and people still exist. After all, I am still here typing and you are still reading! Emptiness is not the same as nihilism. Rather, people and phenomena are empty of our fantasized projections upon them. They lack what our wrong conceptions attribute to them. They do not exist in the way they appear to us at present, but they do exist. That is, they don't exist independently, but they do dependently exist. For example, someone wearing sunglasses sees dark trees. There are no independent dark trees, but we cannot say there are no trees at all. The trees exist: they just do not exist in the way they appear to the person with sunglasses. Bhikshuni Thubten Chodron

Quote: "The trees exist: they just do not exist in the way they appear to the person with sunglasses. "
.........

I am sorry, Stephen, but the appearance of a tree is real. A tree depends on our perception for its existence. It is just a concept we have invented based on what we see. That's why it is empty. It has no color on its own. Seen through pink sunglasses it is pink.

so..last night there was tesing about burning the cookies, "could have had chocolate chip cookies! right now.....

just before getting on line..better make cookies for sesshin..how about snicker-doodles... I have no chocolate chips....

Quote: "Last night all I had to eat/drink was a glass of water. It was all I had time for. If there were mc cookies at work, I didn't have to time to eat one, and enjoy it.  "
.........

mc cookies?

in the rain, I lay with .....listening, watching, laying with...and sometimes I let out a bit of a moan... and I wiggled a bit, it was uncomfortable... and...laying with...quiet.... BANG! I saw it strick! ...hit together...what a noise! and I felt it....without even leaving, I left.... 

did not find the recipe for snickle doodles...so made a home-made version of the "oreo'

Woodsman? are you the one in my dreams lately? I hardly remember ..but there is a reoccurring gentleman in them? no?

Quote: "Ok, let me get this straight - this sense-world is a real external world....er no, wait...it's an impression; the self's projected picture...er so this sense perpception is evidence of...the nature of reality?...what? "
.........

when internal seeks an evidence of external existence, that is separation
awareness is the evidence of all

Quote: "There's this cinematograph running, a projector in between sense and image - it's a black&white talkie in technicolour, employing a full film-crew to take this and that and splice it together from a river flowing in and out, up and down, back and forth, an inexhaustible lake, never increasing, never decreasing. "
.........

never minding the weather conditions...just does anyway? not in besides though, and so.

For the love of life enjoy.

Quote: "if a tree fell in the forest, but there was no one there to hear it fall, would it make a sound?\i do not believe it would\i believe all objects require a mind observing them, to exist\all objects are ultimately created by your mind\"
.........

Hi,

Having

Comprehend Individual Consciousness  Awareness Dimension A So Called Reality You

do not look for heaven or dviinity out there. Awareness is within. Nothing is permanent but emotion and feeling are created by our mind.

I see perfection in the imprefection with compassion.

With Metta

Quote: "When it goes like this... what happens? "
.........

Either

Worldly Or One Develops Supramundane Mind And No

World Without Mind.

By mind the world is led,

By mind the world is moved.

And all good and bad things

Exist in the world because of mind.

- Buddha-

With Metta

Quote: "if a tree fell in the forest, but there was no one there to hear it fall, would it make a sound?\i do not believe it would\i believe all objects require a mind observing them, to exist\all objects are ultimately created by your mind\"
.........

not so loud...shush...shush....

Listening You Need Not Only Hear as without awareness, there is no one to hear it fall.

With Metta

"plop" exactly ! this is what I wrote to a friend about a frog story she wrote...

noone to hear leaves only listening...must we assume our ears are on our heads?

Quote: "Quote: "if a tree fell in the forest, but there was no one there to hear it fall, would it make a sound?\i do not believe it would\i believe all objects require a mind observing them, to exist\all objects are ultimately created by your mind\"
......... I disagree. The reason is the way the question is phrased...." but there was no one 'there' to hear it fall...". What does "there" mean? It  is too inexact. In this context it means within hearing distance and to say within hearing distance automatically implies that the tree made a sound."
.........

If it is a fallen tree then Gone Even Before Hearing After Rooted Tree.

No Sound Is Sound

With Metta

Quote: "in the space of kitchen.."plop" while laying in bed"
.........

hehe

"no sound is sound"  hmmmm

Quote: "It all starts and stops in the bed. Unless you're a fish, or frog. Water is always a bed, for us, frogs, who are between jumps, of thought.  "
.........

jumping on the bed

reading and doing at the same time (grandkids..both)

both of them....

and plop... "lets do it at the same time" ........ ha!

Quote: "I heard it last night, continuous, kept me awake until 3:00 am. And then I just knew Lynn would post zenguide today. "

what did you hear?

Quote: "Beats bein' in Rustic's  gallbladder.  "
.........

 playin'  down at the park.. picking out some beautiful stones..........

don't look now..but the grandkids are looking at the rocks now... glass or rock? they ask

Quote: "Beats bein' in Rustic's  gallbladder.  "
.........

 playin'  down at the park.. picking out some beautiful stones..........

don't look now..but the grandkids are looking at the rocks now... glass or rock? they ask

Quote: "Quote: "Quote: "if a tree fell in the forest, but there was no one there to hear it fall, would it make a sound?\i do not believe it would\i believe all objects require a mind observing them, to exist\all objects are ultimately created by your mind\"
......... This question  has nothing to do with sound or mind but with the limitations of our senses, in this case hearing.      A man and a dog are walking through a forest when, say half a mile away, a  tree falls. The man doesn't hear it but the dog does perking up his ears.  The man sees this and says excitedly, " What is it boy? What is it? Is it a deer? Is it wolves? Are we about to be attacked by a bear?" Then with a knowing smile the man bows to the dog and says," Ah, perhaps you have heard the sound of one hand clapping."            As my heart beats in my chest, it makes a sound , but unless I put on a stethascope I can't hear it. The sound doesn't  begin just because I put on the stethascope, it was already there. The stethascope just increased my ability to hear it. And of course the question can be asked using any of the other senses as well. For example, " If a tree were standing in a forest, and there was no one there to see it, is it visible?"
......... Somebody knock me down. I'm being way too logical."

Given Ears Beating Hearing Always Remain Tranquil

In stillness you can hear your heart beating

with awareness.

With Metta
.........

lol

but not always

"I'm not sure about  me" ? 

teh post was responding:

Quote: "I'm not sure I know "me""

maybe the post did respond...

the "sometimes they do" was the first response..but erased to "not always"...and they appeared... nothing more...

I feel a sadness

maybe the post did respond...

the "sometimes they do" was the first response..but erased to "not always"...and they appeared... nothing more...

I feel a sadness"

......

sad were thinking that ?

I don't know