Truth hurts: (Earth to Rosita) The former Shah of Iran on Jews (1976)
Who were the Sakas (Scythians, Shakyians)? The Scythians or Scyths, also known as the Pontic Scythians [1, 2] were an ancient Eastern Iranic (Aryan) equestrian nomadic people (the Indo-Sakas, the Indo-Scythian Kingdom, near Maha Bharata, the future Empire of Greater India, being the Buddha's extended family) who migrated east to Bihar and later, during the 9th to 8th centuries BC from, Central Asia to the Pontic Steppe in modern-day Ukraine and Southern Russia, where they remained until the 3rd century BC....
The wandering ascetic (shramana) Siddhartha awakened in Bodh Gaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), Bihar (Vihar), but at that time there was no "India." That came into being when many disparate kingdoms and republics were untied under Buddhist Emperor Ashoka. Prior to the many mahajanapadas or "familial territories" (lit. "greater territorial clan footholds").
Soon after awakening (mahabodhi or "great enlightenment"), the Buddha (the "Awakened One") returned to his hometown in Central Asia, Kapilavastu (quite likely Bamiyan, according to Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal) and gained many Scythian/Shakyian/Saka followers, many who took up a life of wandering asceticism and followed him back to Bihar (Vihar'), so named because there were at one time so many viharas (Buddhist temples, monasteries and nunneries, and chaityas) across the land.
Technically speaking, "Buddhism" was born in Rajgir, India, where the great former-Brahmin Buddhist monk Maha Kassapa called together the First Buddhist Council to standardize and create a formal "religion" or "Eastern philosophy"
The only three connections of cannabis (ganja, marijuana, herb, flower, pot, weed) to Buddhism that we are aware of are indirect and not very connected to enlightenment, but some users of this plant treat them as if they are connected.
The first is possible but unlikely. Potheads are convinced -- either through wishful thinking, speculation, or some handed down mythology that got stretched to enhance cannabis' glorious reputation -- that when the wandering ascetic Siddhartha (the Bodhisatta or Future Buddha) was engaged in severe asceticism, he took less and less food until he was down to just one cannabis seed a day. This would have been a healthy choice because hemp is so incredibly nutritious, though not likely psychoactive.
Hempseeds are extraordinary because they are one of a very few plant sources of balanced Omega 3, 6, and 9 fatty acids plus a great source of protein.
To emphasize how dedicated struggling Siddhartha was to attaining Buddhahood, his austerities (tapas), penances, and asceticism are spoken of in the extreme to make a point. He ate a bowlful of grain (most often said to have been rice or sesame maybe mustard seed). Then regarding that as too indulgent, he took only a handful...until he took only a single grain a day. That didn't work to gain him calm, insight, or enlightenment, and he gave all of these practices up for the Middle Way that avoids extremes of hedonism and asceticism. He realized that jhana practice was the way to awakening/liberation, serving as the foundation of insight (vipassana, lit. "clear seeing").
The second is a curious omission in the Monastic Disciplinary Code (Vinaya and Pāṭimokkha and Pratimokṣa), such as one freely available translation by American Theravada monk Ven. Thanissaro Bhikkhu (abbot of Metta Forest Monastery, San Diego), which states and explains (with a backstory) all the rules Buddhist monks and nuns vow to live by.
There are major rules, lesser rules (which might be described as "minor"), and many more miscellaneous rules of etiquette. Which is which is not completely obvious.
When Ananda was told by the Buddha that after his passing into final nirvana, the monastic order (sangha), could democratically vote to alter or abandon the "minor rules" but not the others. Ananda did not have the presence of mind to clarify by asking which were which, so the historically-based Theravada tradition chose to keep them all. But Buddhist Councils debate, argue, and attempt to define or redefine them, even on occasion voting to modify or better explain them. For instance, maybe in the past monastics walked or were driven, but today a rule might be relaxed to allow them to drive.
Among arguably "minor" rules is a rule that monastics can smoke [such as tobacco], but what exactly they would have been smoking in those days is not thoroughly specified. They can smoke something. So a monk or nun might smoke hemp leaf, THC-containing weed, or herbs and flowers and grass and think that no violation (of the rules they live by as laid down by the historical Buddha) is taking place.
(It may well be that cannabis was not very powerful back then so that it made little difference). Smoking weed would be taking a risk because one of the biggest rules incumbent on all Buddhists is the Fifth Precept to "abstain from intoxicants that occasion heedlessness," namely beer and liquor.
The way the rules are classified is by way of seriousness and their consequences. As regards the most serious, there are FOUR "defeat offenses" (parajikas). This is a little odd because these four are the Five Precepts with one exception. The only one left out is the fifth, consuming intoxicants, getting high, taking a substance that occasions heedlessness (which mean breaking other rules through neglect, indifference, lack of mindfulness, or the ignorance that comes from being high a.k.a. tripping balls). Isn't it odd that getting intoxicated does not rise to a "defeat" offense but all the others do? Because of intoxication, one is likely to commit any of the other offenses, including the defeat offenses of sex, stealing, killing, or lying [about attainments] that immediately and irrevocably lead one to lose one's ordination as a monk or nun for this lifetime.
Texts describe the preparation of soma by means of extracting juice from a plant, the identity of which is now unknown and debated among scholars. The ancient Historical Vedic religion's soma and Zoroastrianism's haoma (Avestan, name of the drink and plant) are not exactly the same [7].
There has been much speculation about the most likely original botanical.
Some accounts, such as those from practitioners of yogic Ayurveda, Siddha medicine, and Somayajna, identify the plant as "Somalata" (Cynanchum acidum) [8].
Some researchers have proposed candidates including:
[Into this or as a later substitute, it is believed cannabis was steeped in mare's milk kumis, perhaps a "poor man's soma."]
So legendary is soma in the West that The Doors of Perception author Aldous Huxley used it as a central ingredient in his novel Brave New World, suggesting that the word refers to a psychoactive, entheogenic, psychedelic substance similar to mescaline, derived from cacti like peyote and San Pedro. But these might only be substitutes for the real thing because the character Linda tries mescal (the psychedelic protoalkaloid mescaline) and peyotl (peyote) and longs to get back to the World State and real soma.
The society described in Brave New World keeps its citizens peaceful by various methods, including the constant consumption of the soothing, happiness-producing drug "soma."
Zoroastrians use a soma to this day, identified as the plantephedra, whose effects mirror the descriptions found in the Rig Veda [a pre-Hindu Brahminical text of great importance to Hindus].
The old Vedic religion was the belief system of some of the Vedic Indo-Aryan tribes, the Aryas (Aryans) [14][15], who migrated into the Indus River Valley region of the Indian subcontinent [16].
[To be clear, the word Aryan, "noble," came to designate "enlightened" in Buddhist usage rather than being any kind of reference to race, ethnicity, or "Iranian" usage from which it originally derived.]
The Indo-Aryans were speakers of a branch of the Indo-European language family, which originated in the Sintashta culture and further developed into the Andronovo culture, which in turn developed out of the Kurgan culture of the Central Asian steppes [17].
The Vedic beliefs and practices of the pre-classical era were closely related to the hypothesized Proto-Indo-European religion [18, Note 1] and show relations with rituals from the Andronovo culture, from which the Indo-Aryan people descended [14].
Sakka in Christianity: St. Michael
According to Anthony, the Old Indic religion probably emerged among Indo-European immigrants in the contact zone between the Zeravshan River (present-day Uzbekistan) and (present-day) Iran [19].
It was "a syncretic mixture of old Central Asian and new Indo-European elements" [19], which borrowed "distinctive religious beliefs and practices" [11] from the Bactria–Margiana culture (BMAC) [11].
This syncretic influence is supported by at least 383 non-Indo-European words that were borrowed from this culture, including the god Indra [Sakka] and the ritual drink Soma [12]. According to Anthony:
"Many of the qualities of Indo-Iranian god of might and victory Verethraghna were transferred to the adopted god Indra [Sakka of the Sakas], who became the central deity of the developing Old Indic culture.
Indra was the subject of 250 hymns, a quarter of the Rig Veda. He was associated more than any other deity with Soma, a stimulant drug (perhaps derived from ephedra) probably borrowed from the BMAC religion. His rise to prominence was a peculiar trait of the Old Indic speakers [20]." More: Soma (drink)
Strain Hunters; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
Russia's most disputed region in the Pacific: Sakhalin Island
(Eli from Russia) Nov. 22, 2025: SAKHALIN. This is the biggest island of Russia – Sakhalin. Throughout centuries the island has passed hands many times between the Soviet Union (USSR) and Japan (Nippon), yet a formal peace treaty has still never been signed.
Join me as we explore the island’s Japanese heritage, meet a unique community of Korean Russians, and dive into the rich untamed nature of Sakhalin.
14:20 Tanti auguri! Birthday in the Far East of Russia
18:07 Giant Kamchatka crab for birthday party
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👉🏻 Life in different republics and regions of Russia
👉🏻 Discovering ethnic groups of Russia
👉🏻 Russian culture explained (with facts that won't be found on Google).
• RUSSIAN CULTURE EXPLAINED
👉🏻 off-the-beaten-path places and raw adventures in Russia, ex-Soviet countries and elsewhere
📍 Life in the capital of Russia's Far East | Unforgettable experience on Kamchatka Peninsula
• Life in the World's COLDEST CITY: How to stay healthy in Buddhist Yakutsk, Russia?
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SANTA MONICA, California - Join the Happy Weekend outside of Thailand. Bangkok has a twin city with eerily similar long-form names, and it's "the City of Angels," Los Angeles, home to a large and vibrant Thai Buddhist community. The 2025 delicious celebration of Thai food and culture runs through the weekend on the iconic Santa Monica Pier above PCH in coastal Los Angeles. Bring friends and family to enjoy unforgettable memories at Thai Fest by the Beach (Thai Fest by the Beach). It is not just a food fest, but it's where food, culture, and fun unite in harmony to create an extraordinary experience for everyone. What does Thai Fest by the Beach offer?
Discover what makes Thai Fest a one-of-a-kind experience — with incredible food, vibrant performances, and fun activities for all ages. More
The full name of Los Angeles (according to the Guinness Book of World Records) is:El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río Porciúncula [30] or "The City of Our Lady [the Virgin Mary] the Queen of the Angels by the River Porciuncula" [29] ("City of Angels"). The original name of the settlement is disputed. Other sources have shortened (El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles, "The City ofOur Lady the Queen of theAngels") or have alternate versions of the longer name [31] established by the Townspeople or Los Pobladores. More
LA is bigger than Hollywood
This name is composed of Pali (the exclusively Buddhist language of the Buddha, also known as Magadhi, where the Buddha lived) and Sanskrit root-words.
It translates as [20]: "The City of Angels, great city of immortals, magnificent city of the Nine Gems, seat of the King, city of royal palaces, home of gods incarnate, erected by Vishvakarman at Indra [Sakka]'s behest."
The name is listed in Guinness World Records as the world's longest place name at 168 letters [21][g].
Many Thais who recall the full name do so because of its use in the 1989 song "Krung Thep Maha Nakhon" by Thai rock band Asanee–Wasan, the lyrics of which consist entirely of the city's full name, repeated throughout the song [22].
Today, the city is officially known in Thai by a shortened form of the full ceremonial name, Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (กรุงเทพมหานคร), which is colloquially further shortened to Krung Thep (กรุงเทพฯ) or the initialism Ko Tho Mo (กทม.). Krung กรุง is a Thai word of Khmer origin [23], meaning "capital, king" [24], while thep (เทพ) is from Pali/Sanskrit deva, meaning "deity," "angel," or "god."
The Big Mango = Bangkok, Thailand
The name of Bangkok is more commonly translated as "City of Angels," which is also used to draw comparisons with Los Angeles in the United States, a comparably sized city with similar traffic issues [25].
Another nickname sometimes used to refer to the city is The Big Mango, a tongue-in-cheek comparison to The Big Apple for New York City [26]. More
(MisunderstAndy) June 19, 2025: There are a lot of gods in the [allegedly monotheistic Judeo-Christian, written in polytheistic Israel/Palestine but appropriated in large part from super ancient Sumerian texts] Bible. Here's a video about those deities. The true history of the Hebrew Jewish national God
20K-y-o labyrinth, 3K chambers hidden under Egypt’s pyramid found (The Daily Galaxy, UK)
20K-year-old labyrinth with 3K chambers hidden under Egypt’s pyramid finally found, as centuries-old claim resurfaces
A groundbreaking discovery has emerged from the sands of Egypt, where a labyrinth — hidden beneath a pyramid — could dramatically alter our understanding of ancient civilizations.
This labyrinth, boasting 3,000 rooms and multiple passageways, was once described by ancient historians like Herodotus. For centuries, the hiddenlabyrinth beneath the Hawara pyramid has sparked interest.
Herodotus, who visited Egypt in the 5th century BCE, wrote about a structure with 3,000 chambers, both above and below ground. He described the labyrinth as surpassing the pyramids in scale and complexity, though he was only able to view the upper chambers, as access to the underground levels was denied.
His accounting of this tale, rich in detail, suggests that the labyrinth was a remarkable feat of engineering, with passages that captivated all who saw it.
Atrahasis: Ark was round basket boat during flood:
Despite Herodotus’s descriptions, no direct evidence of the underground complex has been found — until recent advancements in technology.
Groundbreaking tools like satellite scans and ground-penetrating radar are now being used to investigate the site and reveal what may lie beneath the surface.
Modern discovery resurfaces the mystery
In 2023, a research paper titled “The Labyrinth, the Colossi, and the Lake” presented evidence supporting the existence of underground rooms at Hawara.
These findings align with Herodotus’s descriptions, suggesting that the labyrinth may have been a much older structure than previously thought.
Researchers used radar and satellite imaging to detect underground anomalies, potentially revealing parts of the long-hidden labyrinth.
While the discovery is promising, there remains debate within the academic community regarding its validity. Some experts express caution, while others argue that modern technology could provide the long-awaited evidence of the labyrinth’s existence.
Herodotus’s account and archeological efforts
Herodotus’s firsthand account has long been a key source of information about the labyrinth. In his writings, he described the structure as having chambers both above and below the surface. The underground sections, he claimed, were even more awe-inspiring, but access was restricted.
He further noted that the labyrinth was “greater than the pyramids” in grandeur. Modern archeology has struggled to verify this description.
In the 19th century, Sir Flinders Petrie uncovered what he believed to be the foundation of the labyrinth, but his findings were inconclusive due to limited resources and technology. Despite Petrie’s observations, definitive evidence of the labyrinth remained elusive.
The most recent use of space-based radar and electromagnetic surveys is helping uncover the truth.
These advanced technologies, unavailable during past archeological efforts, have made it possible to detect subsurface features beneath the pyramid at Hawara. The latest findings point to the existence of extensive underground structures that could align with Herodotus’s description of the labyrinth.
A 2008 expedition using electromagnetic surveys uncovered subterranean features that resembled ancient walls, indicating the possible presence of a mortuary complex or a hidden section of the labyrinth.
Recent 3D reconstructions of the area suggest two levels of underground chambers around the pyramid of Amenemhet III, further supporting the theory that the labyrinth is real.
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(Robert Sepehr) Premiered 12/12/24: The Buddha, when he was alive in the world, said that he did not want to be worshiped. Instead, he left a practical philosophy (the path, specific instructions, guidance leading to the enlightenment he experienced) from which anyone can spiritually benefit.
Theravada Buddhism has been a significant part of Thai culture and society for over 2,000 years, with an esoteric history that is being forgotten and replaced.
It is very curious and almost inexplicable how Sepehr makes glaring errors. We can only conclude that he has an agenda, a preconceived notion of the truth, to push. For instance:
Theravada (Thera = "elder" + vada "teaching" = "Teaching of the Elders") Buddhism does not come from the Sanskrit word Theraveda, if there even is such a word in Sanskrit.
And more shockingly the "Pali canon" means the official canon (body of literature) in the Pali language (aka Magadhi, the regional dialect of the Kingdom of Magadha). Pali was the common parlance of the day, the language of the common (non-Brahmin elite) people, the language (one of the languages) the Buddha spoke. It by definition was not written in Sanskrit. (One can also speak of related Indo-European languages, dialects, and mutually understandable tongues like Prakrit and Gandhari).
There is a Sanskrit canon, presumably, because there are many Buddhist-Sanskrit texts of the Mahayana/Hindu tradition.
Sanskrit was the exclusive language of the Brahmins, a liturgical language (much like Latin compared to Spanish).
There are at least three Sanskrits, Old, Middle, and Late just as there are phases of English: Olde, Middle, and Modern.
The Brahmin priests controlled spirituality in those day. Their takeover and attempt to absorb or subsume the Buddha's unique Doctrine, the Buddha-Dharma, into the folds of their general Vedic framework, as was done to Jainism but not to other dharmas being bandied about by other shramana teachers (of which there were at least six), was successful in what much later came to be called "Hinduism" (the isms being practiced along and around the Indus River and as far back as the great Indus Valley Civilization).
The Old Vedic Religion, which may be referred to as Brahmanism, the mostly secret teachings of the Brahmin priests, communicated to them from heaven through space-visitors, the "gods" (devas and brahmas), was recorded in a heavenly (unearthly) language, Sanskrit, or languages, those as yet undeciphered IVC languages of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa.
Sanskrit is the sacred, elitist, and exclusive language of Brahmins, which they use to distinguish and protect their caste distinctions and elite status.
Brahmins taught others that "God" (Brahma, Maha Brahma, and/or Brahman) made the caste system and put them on top as the highest, His representative.
The Buddha rejected the caste system. It is likely his family and people did, too, either never adopting it from the Brahmins or modifying it to suit themselves by subordinating eggheads and chaplains, seers and yogi-prophets.
The Buddha was a Scythian, which the Brahmins considered "barbarians" and "nomads." They would have liked to subordinate them into their religious system and way of thinking, but they could not do so very easily.
The Sakas/Shakyas/Scythians came from a neighboring land, the northwest frontier, that recognized social distinctions but held that their nobles/warriors were superior to Brahmins.
They employed as counselors, royal advisors, chaplains, and such. It is not really correct to say that all the Sakas/Shakyas/Scythians were kshatriyas ("warrior caste") because the vast majority were regular people carrying out all the functions of a society.
The Buddha's father, the "king" was more a chieftain in the Afghan sense, a family clan leader for a great territory (foothold) controlled by an extended family clan (mahajanapada), getting rich because of its location on the Silk Road (which was never an actual single road but a series of trade routes through the region).
WARNING: This video and information seem to suggest that the Buddha or his extended family clan (the Sakas, Scythians, Shakyians) were "white," which is a modern social construct. Aryan (noble = enlightened) has nothing to do with race. German Nazis, particularly Goebbels, gave it that racist meaning, appropriating the mythology/reality of an advanced race of beings who live in our Hollow Earth (called Agartha), which is all part of ancient Indian (Buddhist, Vedic, Hindu, Jain, Theosophical, etc.) lore. The Buddha was Central Asian, not what we could today classify as Caucasian. According to maverick Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal, the Buddha's mother (Maha Maya Devi and the Buddha's foster mother, her sister, Maha Pajapati Gotami) were from Sistan and Baluchestan, which today is considered part of Greater Iranian/Ariyan territories, so he would have looked to us to have those features claimed by whites as exclusively "white" when it is not. The Buddhist peoples of what is today Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in the Buddha's time called Kapilavastu, Gandhara, are not the Pashtuns there today. (The Yazidis should not be confused with those original Sakas/Scythians, a displaced Buddhist tribe known as the Hazara, as casually watching the video might lead one to assume. There are many light-eyed, light-skinned people from around Asia, throughout Central Asia, North Asia, Turkey, the geopolitical Middle East, as it is not rare in the Eurasian region and Siberia/Russia). Bamiyan was one of three seasonal capitals where the Buddha grew up, which is not named other than Kapilavastu (for the country or mahajanapada name as well as the names of those three seasonal capitals, as if they were all occupying the same spot, when they were spread out over the land we would now call Afghanistan and Pakistan, site of today Gandhara and the very important ancient city of Taxila.
How eerily similar where the Hazara once lived (Bamiyan) and now live (Quetta)
.
Hazara culture refers to the culture of the Hazara people, who live primarily in and around the city of Quetta, which is located in Southwest Baluchistan, Pakistan. The culture of the Hazara people is rich in heritage, with many unique customs and traditions.
It shares influences with Persian [Iranian = Ariyan], Mongol and various Central Asian cultures. The Hazara people make up to 900,000 of the population of Pakistan.
Origin
The origins of the Hazara are disputed, though there are three primary theories. The Hazara could be of Turko-Mongol ancestry, descendants of an occupying army left in Afghanistan by Genghis Khan. A second theory goes back two millennia to the Kushan Dynasty, when Bamiyan in Afghanistan – home to the large Buddha statues blown up by the Taliban – was an ancient center of Buddhist civilization.
Subscribers to this idea point to the similar facial structure of the Hazaras with those of Buddhist murals and statues in the region.
The most widely accepted theory is something of a compromise: The Hazara are mixed-race. Certain Mongol tribes did travel to Eastern Persia and what is modern-day Afghanistan, putting down roots and integrating with the indigenous community.
This group then formed their own community that became the Hazara, with their distinctive facial features, sometimes termed Mongoloid, which bear the origins of their Central Asian ancestry.
Either way the Hazara settled in Central Afghanistan, though in the mid-19th century their brutal history of persecution began when more than half their population was killed or forced into exile.
The Pashtun Amir Abdul Rehman, whom the British termed Afghanistan’s Iron Amir during the Raj, invaded the Hazara homeland in the country’s central highlands, forcing them to give up land, and pushing many into exile in Balochistan. More
The Buddha-to-be Prince Siddhartha Gautama lived in seasonal capital palaces like Mes Aynak.
Central Asia/Gandhara is NW of pre-1948 India
(Eurasia) Despite having the same size as Mexico, Central Asia is one of the most diverse and unique areas on Earth. Yet, most people know nothing about it or its peoples. This video shows the amazing diversity of the region, a blend of East and West, possibly the "Middle Country" (Majjhimadesa) of Buddhist lore where buddhas originate, and the interesting cultures, music, food, and customs that come with them.
Leave video suggestions in the comments, which are checked often. Follow on social media on Instagram (theeurasiia) and Twitter (eurasiia1).
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