Thursday, April 30, 2020

How I Switched Off the Pain: Vipassana (film)

Hard Is Easy (documentary, 1/26/20); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Vipassana documentary
Vipassana means "insight" in the exclusively Buddhist language Pali. It is a form of meditation and associated attention practices that produce intuitive direct-knowledge of reality. It is the path of purification, the path to freedom the Buddha taught on top of extraordinary serenity (samadhi, the ecstatic meditative absorptions). Serenity is calm concentration that temporarily purifies the mind/heart, whereas insight meditation produces knowledge, wisdom, and enlightenment, which are permanent liberation and freedom from all suffering.

How was the free 10-day retreat?
(Hard Is Easy) I'm not a woo woo person, but 10 days of complete silence in an insight (vipassana) meditation retreat was a life-altering experience for me.

In this video I tell the full story from how I got myself to sit still for about 120 hours to brain science and psychology of the mind to, of course, the things that were super weird or seemed like it at first.

The goal is not to make anyone try vipassana nor is it the opposite. It took me about four years to finally get myself to try it. And despite my mind-opening experiences, vipassana is a very personal journey. It is probably not for everyone.

I tried many types of meditation before. Unfortunately, most of them were surrounded by spiritual woobee doobee [hogwash, nonsense]. And I got no real benefits from them apart from relaxation.

The vipassana technique (taught by U Ba Khin and his student S. N. Goenka) gave me a glimpse into my deep brain and deeply programmed behavioral patterns.

The group makes it bearable. Everyone's in.
Being more mindful of our crazy minds is the road to a happier life. Many great people use this mindfulness practice.

Colin O'Brady is an endurance athlete who crossed the landmass of Antarctica alone and unsupported. Yuval Noah Harari is a famous historian who wrote Sapiens. Both claim that they could not have achieved what they did without the help of vipassana meditation.

Here's another fun fact: The Buddha was NOT teaching Buddhism. [He taught the efficacy of karma and in his day was known as a Karmavadin, a "Teacher of Karma." He said he taught the Dharma, the liberating Truth, the path to direct realization so that no one thereafter needs a teacher to know what's true.

In fact, the Buddha or "Enlightened One," the former Prince Siddhartha Gautama, was more of a body-and-mind scientist, who did many experiments on himself to rediscover the path when there was no one in the world who knew it. Today, people know it. Find one of those teachers.

What the Buddha always said was, "Don't believe me, Experience everything for yourself and draw your own conclusions." The buddhas merely point the way. Be happy.

The Dalai Lama on science and AI (video)

CIA Operative the 14th Dalai Lama (dalailama.com); CC Liu, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly


Compassion and Technology
HH the 14th Dalai Lama, Ven. Tenzin Gyatso, joins in two discussions, one on "Robotics, Telepresence, and Artificial Intelligence" and another on "Sickness, Aging, and Health" at De Nieuwe Kerk in Amsterdam, Netherlands, European Union, on September 15, 2018.

May 1st protests against California lockdown

WeHaveRights.com; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

"Defy Fascist Lockdown" (Paul Bersebach/OCR)
We have rights. Will you sit in fear and obedience, or rise up to protest government overreach? Whether you do it loudly or quietly, resist being brainwashed, panicked, and told how to live in what was meant to be a FREE country.

We getting overtime? - Oh yeah, brother. (OCR)
It's not a free country yet. The elderly, sick, and high risk (those with preexisting conditions) are encouraged to quarantine, while the healthy and the able have a right to live their lives.

We believe that each American should be trusted to follow the basic hygiene and protections outlined by the CDC.*


Find a nearby protest on May 1st:


You will obey the CDC, or else. (OCR)
*The cdc.gov states: "The best way to prevent infection is to avoid being exposed [or bombarded with 5G]. COVID-19 spreads from person to person [or cell tower to person], and it can be spread by those who are infected but don't display symptoms. The CDC advises washing hands, avoiding close contact with others, and cleaning and disinfecting surfaces. Older adults and those with underlying chronic medical conditions should take extra precautions. The CDC recommends use of non-medical, cloth-based face coverings in some public settings [because we don't care if you die but we want health care workers to survive]. Medical masks should be reserved for healthcare workers" (cdc.gov).

#RentStrike, #MortgageStrike, #CreditCardStrike - Join a strike! (jimmydorecomedy.com)

Mahayana: Happy birthday, Buddha (video)

AFP News Agency; NYT; Prof. Dave, CC Liu, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


South Koreans celebrate Buddha's birthday
(AFP News Agency, April 29, 2020) People light incense and pray under multi-colored swinging lanterns to celebrate the Buddha’s birthday at a Seoul, South Korea Mahayana Buddhist temple, with many offering prayers for those locked down and terrified by the coronavirus panic. South Korea is suffering, but somehow North Korea is happy and their dictator is missing under mysterious circumstances.

(NYT) US propaganda from the paper of record, the New York Times

Why are we all LOCKED down? (video)

Tukker_Barnes (video); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


A Rockefeller Foundation paper published in 2010 states a pandemic can be used as a pretext to establish an authoritarian global government. Their "Lock Step" scenario unfolds nearly exactly as we are witnessing with the novel coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic right now. Predicting mass shutdowns across the USA and the world, that Rockefeller paper entitled "Scenarios for the Future of Technology and International Development," also scripts a  scenario eerily similar to "Event 201," the pandemic simulation staged in October 2019 by Johns Hopkins University with the World Economic Forum, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Johnson & Johnson.

COMMENTS
(SS) There's that old saying, When they came for the radicals, I didn't do anything because I'm not a radical. When they came for the liberals, I didn't do anything because I'm not a liberal. When they came for the progressives, I didn't do anything because I'm not a progressive... When they came for me, no one did anything. It's probably too late to wake up. We just hope Universal will still get to have their movies released in theaters and online when they re-open the Hollywood propaganda houses.

(Marylou Gardiner) What if there are no viruses (other than the viruses living in our imaginations because the mainstream media keeps repeating fear porn 24/7/365)? What if there are just EMF weapons? Now they've got enough equipment made [HAARP, 1G-5G cell phone towers] that would require millions for each country they're installing it in while they've imprisoned the people with mind control techniques? These EMF death towers have to go. It's either them or us! [Europeans already destroy them in protest.] Say no to the NWO [New World Order]. More

insight LA: new class series begins today


 
New Class Series Beginning Thursday! 
Still Home Together with Trudy Goodman
In response to COVID-19, we welcome you to this 3-week class series with founding teacher Trudy Goodman. Begin or sustain YOUR meditation practice in a welcoming environment as we sit together in community. There will be a meditation with some guidance, followed by teaching and conversation. We need each other more than ever right now!
3 Thursdays, April 30th - May 14th
6:00 PM - 7:15 PM
 

Neurodharma:
New Science and Ancient Wisdom
for a Challenging Time

During times like this, it’s natural to feel afraid, anxious, or threatened. The brain has evolved to react quickly to threats, and it’s easy for there to be a sense of helplessness associated with problems that appear far beyond our control.
But being consumed by fear causes wear and tear on the body, which actually undermines your safety. That’s why it’s so important to look for ways to be effective and express our agency, even if it’s only through how we choose to think about things.
Rick Hanson
Saturday, May 2
10:00 AM - 12:00 PM
 

A Mind at Home with Itself:
A Day with Byron Katie

Join Byron Katie, for an InsightLA ONLINE fundraising event, and learn to question the thoughts that keep you from love and the radiant simplicity of the mind that abides nowhere. In this full-day workshop, Byron Katie won’t merely describe the awakened mind, she’ll support you in experiencing it for yourself. Come question your thinking and find the connectedness with yourself and others that you’ve always longed for.
Byron Katie
Saturday, May 16
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
 
 
Lisa Kring
Tuesday, April 28
5:00 PM - 6:00 PM
 

What the Buddha Taught: Finding Meaning in Difficult Times

Beth Sternlieb & Gullu Singh
Wednesday, April 29
7:00 PM - 8:15 PM
 

A Reliable Refuge: How to Stay Openhearted While the Chaos Swirls Around You

Joslyn B. Hitter
Friday, May 1
5:00 PM - 7:00 PM

 
Rest In Simplicity
Celeste Young & Dawn Scott
4 Day Online Retreat
Saturday, May 2nd - Tuesday, May 5th
 
 
Click HERE for a full list of our ONLINE offerings. 
 
You can now add InsightLA as your preferred charity on AmazonSmile, when you shop at smile.amazon.com the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of your purchase to InsightLA! 

Wednesday, April 29, 2020

Kalapas and Consciousness: What is Reality?

QuantumGravityResearch.org; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly
WARNING: Contains flashing patterns that may trigger seizures in photosensitive epileptics. Caution.

The aggregates clung to are not what they seem.
According to Buddhist physics, as detailed in the Abhidharma or "Ultimate Doctrine," the fundamental reality of matter or materiality is the kalapa, the particle of perception. It is much smaller than an atom but can be directly perceived by meditative training in serenity and insight.

Such knowledge-and-vision is made possible by the purifying meditative absorptions (jhanas). Our human potential is to be able to discern these things, but we are far from utilizing our innate abilities.

We can purify the mind, heart, seat of consciousness to directly know reality and thereby become enlightened by the truth. The truth would set us free if we knew what we were seeing and seeing it directly. When we just hear about it, we should not expect enlightenment. The world is not merely material but also mental. The fundamental elements of mind or mentality is the citta or mind-moment, which is not a thing but a process, accompanied by concomitants (cetasikas).

The historical Buddha's fundamental teachings on awakening (enlightenment) were all about dispelling ignorance and realizing the ultimate truth here and now -- seeing the Five Aggregates clung to as self or mind-and-body -- to be able to let go and be free. Science will not likely free us, just get us into more trouble, but since science is all we have from the West, let's dive in and hear what it has to say.

Official film: What is Reality?
The Journey to Enlightenment: "Are we there yet?" (Sipress)
.
What if the very fabric of space and time isn't made of one-dimensional strings or energy as we think of it, but is instead simply a code or a language made from a geometric projection?

Quantum Gravity Research (QGR) is a Los Angeles-based team of mathematicians and physicists working on developing a theoretical framework for a first-principles unified quantum gravity theory they call emergence theory.

Still in the early stage of development, emergence theory attempts to unify, through mathematical and scientific rigor, the theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and consciousness.

This film is presented in layperson terms and explains basics tenets of emergence theory, quantum mechanics, and digital physics in ways that are meant to be communicative and fun.

However, if you'd like to read any of the scientific and more technical papers, please visit the website.
FILM CREDITS: Host: Marion Kerr. Einstein and Heisenberg's voices by Devin Harjes. Written, directed, and edited by David Jakubovic. Director of Photography Tony Ditata. Cartoon animation and design by Sarah Winters. Original music by Daniel Jakubovic. Rerecording Mixer Patrick Giraudi. Line Producer Piper Norwood. 3D effects by Raymond Aschheim and Matt Beets. Quantum Gravity Research was founded by Klee Irwin in 2009.

The YouTube channel contains various videos and presentations that are far more math/physics-heavy, technical, and detailed. If you like following the journey, subscribe. Enjoy.

Ven. Yuttadhammo LIVE Meditation Q&A

Ven. Yuttadhammo (srimangalo.org); Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


LIVE: Meditation Questions and Answers
(Yuttadhammo Bhikkhu, April 29, 2020) How To Meditate booklet (sirimangalo.org). To join this meditation community, please visit meditation.sirimangalo.org. Click the "like" button if you like it to help promote these videos. Thanks for questions, comments, and support for this effort. May all beings be happy. Facebook.com/yuttadhammo, twitter.com/yuttadhammo, Weblog: yuttadhammo.sirimangalo.org. Support this work: sirimangalo.org/support.

Tara Brach (livestream)

Tara Brach (tarabrach.com, 4/29/20); Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Livestream: Tara Brach
Welcome to Tara Brach's Wednesday night live stream. Feel free to check in and let her know where you are watching from. Tonight’s session is being recorded and will be available soon on her website (tarabrach.com). This offering is supported by the generosity of fans. To make a donation, please visit tarabrach.com/donation.

New book: "The Wim Hof Method" (8/20)

Wim Hof, Dr. Elissa Epel, PhD, 2020; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly
The Wim Hof Method available Oct. 20, 2020
This is the ONLY definitive book authored by Wim "The Iceman" Hof on his powerful method for realizing our physical and spiritual potential.

Hof has a message for each of us: “You can literally do the impossible. You can overcome disease, improve your mental health and physical performance, and even control your physiology so you can thrive in freezing temperatures.”

With The Wim Hof Method; Activate Your Full Human Potential, this trailblazer of human potential shares a method that anyone can use ― not just extreme athletes or spiritual masters ― to supercharge their capacity for strength, health, and happiness.

Hof has become a modern legend for his astounding achievements, such as withstanding extreme temperatures, breaking world records, and running barefoot marathons over deserts and ice fields.

In his gripping and passionate style, Hof shares the story of how he developed his method, along with testimonials and new insights from the university research studies on its amazing results.

With guidance suited for any reader ― young or old, sick or healthy ― readers will learn how to harness three key elements of
  1. Cold
  2. Breathing and
  3. Mindset
to take charge of your own mind and metabolism. Yet the most important result of Hof’s method goes beyond improved health or performance:

It is a path for reconnecting with our spiritual nature. “With these practices, you awaken to your inner source of power and fulfillment,” he says. “You find you can control your destiny.” More