Someone asked about importance of bodhicitta on realising emptiness.

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Soh Wei Yu
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Bodhicitta is important. Bodhicitta is not just mundane compassion, lots of non-Buddhists or even non-spiritual, or even total materialists have compassion. Compassion is not the monopoly of a specific group of people (of a specific religion or whether they are spiritual or not). Although, compassion is in fact very important along with the other four immeasurables and does help development and maturation of insight, and should never be downplayed. Personally, I find that compassion does come forth more spontaneously after insights.
However, Bodhicitta is specifically this, not just compassion:
"It is true many people mistake compassion, which does not have the force to lead to buddhahood, with bodhicitta, the aspiration to become a buddha to benefit sentient beings." -- Acarya Malcolm Smith
Bodhicitta is specifically the aspiration for Buddhahood, nothing more and nothing less.
And how does it relate to realising emptiness? Because realising [twofold] emptiness and the full actualization of that realisation which directly corresponds with the overcoming of the two obscurations which directly translates to omniscience or the total knowledge of the nature of all phenomena completely or the exhaustion of all phenomena, etc etc.... depends first of all on the aspiration that this is what you want to attain.
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Soh Wei Yu
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And personally I have taken the vows and so on ceremoniously and so does John Tan and I believe many others in this group. But more important than that... the crucial point of it is that both John Tan and I do aim to attain Buddhahood as our goal. A true sincere aspiration to awaken fully for the benefit of all IMO is better than people who just went through the motions and ceremony but their heart is not there.. their deep yearning for waking up is not there yet.
Also, some may bring up the point... does one need to formally recite the bodhicitta vows, the refuge vows and so on... are they important? To me, they are important causes for awakening. However the essence of it is always more important than the formality or ceremonial aspect of it. It is always good to formally undertake these vows in a ceremony under the presence of a great master. If you have the opportunity to do so, then go for it. That itself is meritorious in many ways and plants a strong seed of awakening.
But we do hear of stories like Bahiya and many others who attained awakening, in fact liberation from samsara as an Arahant, upon hearing Buddha speak of a few verses of dharma, and that was the first time they have even met the Buddha. Does this mean they have not taken refuge? They certainly haven't got the time to formally recite the refuge verses to Buddha before they awakened. But I think they do take refuge in a more fundamental way. I wrote in recent months:
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Soh Wei Yu
Mr. LZG
Kyle Dixon's post from years ago: "The true meaning of refuge is recognizing the nature of mind [cittatā].""
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Soh Wei Yu
Mr. LZG
The intention is more important than the formality or ceremony.
Bahiya had very strong intention to rely on Buddha’s teachings to attain liberation. In a sense that is the key of refuge. It is not just a formality but a very strong genuine intention to rely on the triple gems to attain liberation. That is the kind of “taking refuge” one must awaken in oneself. That paves the way to liberation. If one simply attends a refuge ceremony half heartedly, like going through the motions, it is still a positive act that creates a good karmic connection with the triple gems for this life and the next, but may not be as effective as the earnest desire of Bahiya to take refuge in Buddha and his instructions to attain liberation as soon as possible."
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[27/1/16, 12:47:33 AM] John Tan: Each form is time anew and each time is an anew form.  Hearing sound, that is time.  Seeing colors that is time.  Actually awareness is altogether forgotten and not needed, so is duration.  Only when u step out of "being-time", duration arises.  That is what I  think Dogen meant by being-time.
[27/1/16, 1:01:09 AM] John Tan: Also when Dogen say being-time, time is also not just a brief instance, nor is it linear. Past is not before present and present is not before future.  The whole of one's entire past and the whole of one's entire future is fully exerted in a single instant manifested as form.
[27/1/16, 1:17:31 AM] John Tan: To hv a heart to heart communication with Dogen, u must read with the wisdom of total exertion.  A brief instance of wisdom is at the same time the full exertion of an infinite lifetimes wisdom.  This is not abt beautiful words, u must fully feel it.

[27/1/16, 3:16:47 PM] John Tan: For him, he should be able to hv certain glimpse abt total exertion
[27/1/16, 3:18:13 PM] John Tan: The purpose to not to tell anyone abt anything but to point to the fact that after no-self, there is this experience and insight of total exertion.
[27/1/16, 3:23:29 PM] John Tan: The moment is not only ungraspable and empty (-A), but alive and powerful, fully connected and intimate with all things and all times (+A).
[27/1/16, 3:25:53 PM] John Tan: That moment when the the self is gone, everything also becomes intimately connected.

[14/1/17, 9:56:45 AM] John Tan: There r several conditions that triggers that give rise to total exertion
[14/1/17, 9:56:58 AM] John Tan: Anatta into action
[14/1/17, 9:58:02 AM] John Tan: The view of DO
[14/1/17, 9:59:23 AM] John Tan: The view of emptiness and non-arisen nature of phenomena provides the clear insight of how and y it is so.

[20/1/17, 8:05:51 AM] Soh Wei Yu: I think adyashanti realised anatta
[20/1/17, 8:08:08 AM] Soh Wei Yu: His earliest book is about I AM and witness and more recently about one mind
[20/1/17, 8:46:33 AM] John Tan: Well written...total exertion also.  He will experience total exertion if he doesn't rest on a ground.
[20/1/17, 8:51:27 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[20/1/17, 8:54:08 AM] John Tan: The view of production, destruction must b clear too.
[20/1/17, 8:54:28 AM] John Tan: What is the right view of such an experience?
[20/1/17, 8:56:50 AM] John Tan: Therefore the "tree" being total exertion cannot b said to arise or not arise...Nagajuna puts it well, whatever arises in dependence is empty and non-arisen.
[20/1/17, 9:02:35 AM] John Tan: Those that think and see in terms of true arising, abiding and cessation is called perverted view 颠倒 and the true meaning of "dependence" is not realized.  If u do not see DO, u do not see emptiness.  There is no emptiness without DO.
[20/1/17, 9:02:52 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[20/1/17, 9:05:32 AM] John Tan: Ppl who preach abt emptiness alone are mostly awareness teaching in disguise no matter how beautifully put.  There is a direct touch of awareness, the presence but does not see the in "nature" of presence...明心但未见性。(Soh: apprehend mind but not yet seen [empty] nature)
[20/1/17, 9:06:33 AM] John Tan: Both aspects are equally important.
[20/1/17, 9:06:50 AM] Soh Wei Yu: The in nature of presence?
[20/1/17, 9:06:52 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[20/1/17, 9:07:01 AM] Soh Wei Yu: How about mipham rinpoche
[20/1/17, 9:07:15 AM] Soh Wei Yu: He seems to be partly emptiness and partly awareness teaching
[20/1/17, 9:09:56 AM] John Tan: Once after anatta, if the understanding is habour in such a direction of total exertion like the "tree" and "cosmos", the understanding must b brought back to and examine "Awareness" or "Presence"...then the ground of being will b shaken and not stand too.  Then the experience will b groundless yet cosmic.  Exertion will b spontaneous and natural.
[20/1/17, 9:16:29 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[20/1/17, 9:27:10 AM] John Tan: I would say adyashanti is clear in emptiness and total exertion and awareness teaching as he puts it.
[20/1/17, 9:30:33 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[20/1/17, 9:32:10 AM] John Tan: Means can start to look into Adyashanti's books
[20/1/17, 9:33:15 AM] Soh Wei Yu: I bought a 2010 book for my Mom, talks about the witness and the collapse of witness into oneness, Brahman is the world.. I think his latest book is in 2012 haven't read yet. His recent articles not published in books yet I think
[20/1/17, 9:33:28 AM] John Tan: The depth of experience in total exertion however is still not deep enough.
[20/1/17, 9:33:51 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[20/1/17, 9:34:51 AM] John Tan: Ted's understanding is deeper but he tries to put it in the form "logic" behind emptiness which is no good.
[20/1/17, 9:35:05 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[20/1/17, 9:36:45 AM] John Tan: Ted's is able to link past, present future into total exertion...I doubt without direct experience, ppl can understand that.  So he must hv experienced it.

[22/1/17, 11:38:07 PM] John Tan: For me, total exertion includes whole of past and future
[22/1/17, 11:38:43 PM] John Tan: Of course u don't literally go there to the past 10000 yrs ago...lol.  It is the felt sense.
[22/1/17, 11:38:56 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic.. lol
[22/1/17, 11:39:33 PM] Soh Wei Yu: In the movie the dream or vision of her future is affecting her current action and co creating. Then was reminded of what u said haha
[22/1/17, 11:41:05 PM] John Tan: For example, when yuan come, there is no I, dogen writing is a dharma, dogen's rowing the boat is a dharma...the heart Beats and pen flows, dogen and the writing becomes intimately one...
[22/1/17, 11:41:42 PM] John Tan: As if he is writing for me few hundred years back and I m responding presently...intimately connected.
[22/1/17, 11:41:50 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[22/1/17, 11:43:12 PM] John Tan: This sense is frequently present for me...it is like transmission and I believe guru yoga is quite the same esp viewing the devotion and visualization
[22/1/17, 11:43:52 PM] John Tan: Except I do not want to rest in particular teaching of any master besides my insights
[22/1/17, 11:45:04 PM] John Tan: Sometimes when I breathe, I feel as if 1000 yrs ago and now is still the same breathe
[22/1/17, 11:45:06 PM] John Tan: Lol
[22/1/17, 11:45:20 PM] John Tan: This I hv expressed b4
[22/1/17, 11:45:31 PM] John Tan: I think dharma Dan forum
[22/1/17, 11:46:10 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Oic..
[22/1/17, 11:47:24 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Total exertion is a sense of all conditions functioning as a unity like we are not separate islands interacting with each other but the exertion of the whole inclusive of past present and future.. is that right?
[22/1/17, 11:47:40 PM] John Tan: Yes
[22/1/17, 11:47:48 PM] John Tan: There r different lvl
[22/1/17, 11:48:52 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Eyes and nose are not doing the seeing and smelling, they become the seeing and smelling as the eyes and nose I.e. Conditions becomes one with its function... it's like master Hong said, airplane and flying are one, body and function are one, conditions and function is one
[22/1/17, 11:49:12 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[22/1/17, 11:49:38 PM] John Tan: yes. Like adyashanti ... the tree is the cosmos...
[22/1/17, 11:50:12 PM] John Tan: The whole body-mind, the whole cosmos sees
[22/1/17, 11:50:28 PM] John Tan: The organ, the hair, the eyes smells
[22/1/17, 11:50:48 PM] John Tan: Of course if u express this way it sounds illogical
[22/1/17, 11:51:10 PM] John Tan: But total exertion is this feeling...fully see
[22/1/17, 11:51:46 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[22/1/17, 11:51:48 PM] John Tan: Therefore this cannot b effortful as most practitioners thought
[22/1/17, 11:52:19 PM] John Tan: How can it b? What amount of effort can bring abt that?
[22/1/17, 11:53:10 PM] John Tan: Therefore in my article I said it becomes effortless because it is a realisation and maturing of anatta and realising DO...
[22/1/17, 11:54:21 PM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[22/1/17, 11:56:33 PM] John Tan: Like what ted said A is A because of not A, therefore the actuality of A fully involved not A.  Both inter-penetrate.
[22/1/17, 11:57:29 PM] John Tan: I think I told u thought arises spontaneously is just half understanding
[22/1/17, 11:58:00 PM] John Tan: Thought is full exerted from infinite past, present and future
[22/1/17, 11:59:24 PM] John Tan: When total exertion fills every cell of ur body, don't think anymore but rather feel fully and engaged.
[22/1/17, 11:59:56 PM] John Tan: Feel ur body, full ur breathe fully...therefore practice energy practice
[23/1/17, 12:04:39 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..
[23/1/17, 12:10:08 AM] John Tan: Total exertion requires anatta and full embracement of DO as the base + intention
[23/1/17, 12:10:36 AM] John Tan: Then that intention feels effortless and natural.

[24/1/17, 9:22:29 AM] John Tan: Dependent designation means it is dependent on consciousness
[24/1/17, 9:45:14 AM] John Tan: Total exertion is a felt sense, ted tries to rationalise it but IMO u don't hv too.  It is not meant for that.  It is the felt sense of DO when fully embraced after anatta.  

Tibetan buddhism way of understanding DO is different, the purpose of understanding DO is to see emptiness and non-arising nature of mind/phenomena.

It is neither dependent by designations/consciousness or by causal dependencies that is crucial but what is "dependency" and the relationships of dependencies between origination, cessation and extremes.

The relationship between "dependencies" and origination and cessation, is summarised as "whatever arises in dependence is empty and non-arisen".   This means because of "dependencies", phenomena cannot b said to be "this" or "that", "arise" or "cease", "existence" or "non-existence", "coming" or "going".  So if one understands DO, one must see this.

Sentient being r in the perverted view 颠倒 so much so that even when DO is taught, they still see origination and cessation.  

Therefore if u want to integrate total exertion with Tibetan teaching of DO, u must see whether it is free from extremes of coming and going, origination and cessation.
[24/1/17, 9:58:45 AM] John Tan: Total exertion on the other hand is an intuitive felt sense of anatta + the immensity of conditions in a single action exerted in a single moment.  An experience of great beyond measures, cosmic and powerful, alive and vibrant.  Which is in contrast to the illusory emphasis of phenomena in Tibetan Buddhism.

The immensity excludes nothing including past/present/future.  The whole of past is involved, the whole of present and future is also involved.  Therefore the experience is Maha.

However if u r able to see that whatever that is totally exerted also does not go come, does not go, does not arise, does not cease then u too will get a taste of empty and non-arisen nature of phenomena.  A moment of life is a moment of total exertion of life, it is complete as itself and of itself.  A moment of death is a moment of total exertion of death, complete in itself.  Life does not become death like fire does not become ashes.  This is the taste of non-arisen phenomena in total exertion.
[24/1/17, 10:16:40 AM] John Tan: It is often taught in meditation to calm the mind, let the eyes observes the nose, the nose observes the mind.  But if u realized what is meant by eyes observing nose and nose observing, the mind is immediately put to stillness.  Many does the opposite and Dis-regard the instruction and does not contemplate.  Meditation teachers also just patriot...lol

How is it possible for the eyes to observe the nose and use the nose to observe the mind? Does this sound correct and logical?

Total exertion is like that.  U do not approach it using ur conceptual mind to break-through.  U contemplate anatta and DO, when insights and experiences matures, in a simple action like breathing, just breathing...the universe is breathing...in a lightning flash, u intuit the full meaning of I drink the coffee, u get the taste. :)
[24/1/17, 10:48:43 AM] Soh Wei Yu: Ic..Just patriot- u mean parrot
[24/1/17, 10:50:46 AM] John Tan: Yes
[24/1/17, 10:50:49 AM] John Tan: Lol
[24/1/17, 10:52:11 AM] John Tan: I will integrate some and write as a comment for zen cosmology