Bentinho Massaro

Anybody familiar with him?
or his website www.free-awareness.com/ ?

I'm grateful for the ways in which he's enriched my practice and understanding of nondual awareness/third gear and Dzogchen (without making explicit mention of it, or of any other contemplative tradition, for that matter). He points to the ineffability or openness, the inseparability, indestructibility, and immanence of present experiencing. Plus the kid just seems so jazzed about life. Worth checking out, I'd say.

Jeremy

Another one discovers what Buddhist have known for centuries

"
Another one discovers what Buddhist have known for centuries

"

I think perspectives that don't have a lot of Buddhist conditioning are quite valuable. Real breakthroughs in explanations and teaching methods are probably not going to come from the traditional sources.

Yes, Justin, there are many, many non-Buddhist POV's that have ton of value. My point was not well said. It was really this -- it seems that human beings are constantly rediscovering what has been known for centuries, and then develop the urge to announce it, to teach it, to make it known widely, as if it were new. There is, however, a lot of value in the history of contemplative practice and the context and meaning-ness that that history can provide. Without contact we can get confusion, especially if the realizations are not fully developed or complete. And, without context folks who are seeking can get sidetracked.

Just a comment, just another opinion.

Agreed. By the way, are there any awesome readable texts on Nagarjuna's expositions on emptiness? He seems quite authoritative.

I have Nagarjuna's "The Fundamental Wisdom of the Middle Way" and like it very much. but it is sort of dense. Take for time with it. Read a bit, soak, read more, soak more.

I attended a talk by a scholar/practitoner named Jay Garfield on exactly that subject. I thought he had some excellent stuff to say, and I came to the talk with no familiarity with the texts. He's done a translation and commentaries. Might be worth looking up.