Classical metal guitar soloist Tina Setkic

Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata (3rd movement)" Tina Setkic cover

(MD Animations) Where is Yugoslavian French classical metal guitar prodigy Tina Setkic (YouTube's "Tina S"), student of French jazz-rocker Renaud Louis-Servais?

• Rondo alla turca, the Turkish March but heavy metal!
• Yngwie Malmsteen's "Arpeggios from Hell" Tina S cover
• "Vivaldi Tribute" (Patrick Rondat) Tina S cover

(BERNTH Guitar Academy) I tested TikTok's most viral guitar advice

Heavy metal gone wrong: flops

(Feedback Johnny) Sometimes bands like Metallica sell out to make money

How to LIVE if we're sure we'll die?

(Buddhism Podcast) When death comes, what truly matters? | Buddhist Wisdom

Some are as if dead already

Things can wait. What's the rush?

Heedlessness (Pāli pamada, Sanskrit pramāda, Tibetan bakmepa) is a Buddhist term translated as "heedlessness," "carelessness," "negligence," and so on. In the Mahayana tradition, pramāda is defined to not apply oneself earnestly and carefully to adopting a wholesome attitude and abandoning unwholesome actions. More

The heedful do not die*

I'll do what can be done right now.

Heedfulness (Pāli appamāda, Sanskrit apramāda, Tibetan Wylie bag yod pa) is a Buddhist term translated as "diligence," "conscientious," "concern," "vigilance," and so on. It is defined as taking great care concerning what should be adopted and what should be avoided [1, 2].

In the Theravada Pāli canon, a vast collection of the historical Buddha's earliest teachings, the term appamāda is very significant. The essence of its meaning cannot be captured with a single English word. "Heedfulness," "diligence," and "conscientiousness" all capture certain aspects of appamāda. It is identified as one of the 11 virtuous mental factors in the Mahayana Abhidharma teachings. More

• *One will never again die when one gets off of the samsaric cycle of endless "wandering on" of rebirths chasing fulfillment that is not to be found.
• Nirvana is "the deathless" (amata, amrita, ambrosia)



Watch my death-defying jump against nature!

• The Four Right Efforts: (1) The effort to prevent harmful, unskillful things that have not yet arisen. (2) The effort to abandon harmful, unskillful things that have already arisen. (3) The effort to promote the arising of skillful things that have not yet arisen. (4) The effort to maintain, develop, and bring to culmination skillful things that have already arisen.

Five Recollections (Upajjhatthana Sutta)

What did the historical Buddha teach?

Here are two English translations and the original Pali text of the "Five Recollections," remembrances, or contemplations:

1. I am sure to become old; I cannot avoid aging.
   I am subject to aging, have not gone beyond aging.
2. I am sure to become ill; I cannot avoid illness.
   I am subject to illness, have not gone beyond illness.
3. I am sure to die; I cannot avoid death.
   I am subject to death, have not gone beyond death.
4. I am subject to separation and loss and to be parted from all that is dear and loved by me.
   I will grow different, separate from all that is meaningful and appealing to me.
5. I am the owner of my actions (karma), heir of my actions, actions are the womb (from which I have sprung and will be reborn), actions are my relations, actions are my protection. Whatever actions I do, skillful or unskillful, of these I shall be the heir [2].
   I am the owner of my actions, heir to my actions, born of my actions, related through my actions, and have my actions as my arbitrator. Whatever I do, wholesome or unwholesome, to that will I fall heir [3].

Cultivate all eight factors of the Path

The Buddha advised, "These are the five facts to often reflect on, whether one is a woman or a man, a layperson or a monastic" [5].

Since the Buddha redefined karma as "intention" (cetana, the decisive intent underlying a deed or action) in the Nibbedhika Sutta, intention or intentionally-committed actions may be better translations of "karma" in the fifth recollection. More

Alan Watts: self, no-self, who controls me?

Alan Watts: Myth of Myself (full lecture), Part 1

Can I choose to sit and see for myself?

(Alan Watts Organization Official) Jan. 23, 2020) Purchase talks and lectures by Alan Watts: "The Works." THE WORKS OF ALAN WATTS AUDIO: alanwatts.com/products/the-works. Thanks for supporting the Alan Watts Organization. Please consider subscribing and turning on notifications for future publications. More about "The Works": The Works includes the following recordings: Essential Lectures Collection... (Official Alan Watts Org) Myth of Myself full lecture, Pt. 1

Choosing self over others is not selfish

(Alan Watts Echoes) Skin encapsulated ego

(Wiara) Let go of trying to control everything. Why?

Wakefulness vs. Drowsiness (sutra)

The Buddha of Gandhara (1st cent.)

At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī at Jeta’s Grove, in the millionaire’s monastery.

Late in the afternoon, he came out of seclusion, went to the assembly hall, and sat on a seat prepared for him.

Likewise Venerable Sāriputta came out of seclusion, went to the assembly hall, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. The great venerables Mahā Moggallāna, Mahā Kassapa, Mahā Kaccāna, Mahā Koṭṭhita, Mahā Cunda, Mahā Kappina, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ānanda did the same.

 

[As an example] the Buddha spent much of the night sitting in meditation, then rose from his seat and entered his dwelling. Soon after, the venerables each went to their dwellings.

But the junior monastics who had only recently gone forth from the home life to the left-home life, new to this Teaching and Training, slept until the sun came up and snored.

The Buddha perceived this with his clairvoyant vision which is purified, surpassing the human. He entered the assembly hall, sat on a prepared seat, and addressed them:

“Meditators, where is Sāriputta? Where are Mahā Moggallāna, Mahā Kassapa, Mahā Kaccāna, Mahā Koṭṭhita, Mahā Cunda, Mahā Kappina, Anuruddha, Revata, and Ānanda? Where have these senior disciples gone?”

They replied, “Soon after the Buddha left, those venerables went to their own dwellings.”

“Meditators, when those senior monks left, why did you sleep until the sun came up as you snored?

Vajrapani, Protector of the Buddha

“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of an anointed warrior king, who rules his whole life and is dear and beloved by his kingdom, indulge in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as he likes?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.

“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of an appointed officer… a hereditary officer… a general… a village chieftain … or a head of a guild who runs a guild his whole life, who is dear and beloved by his guild, indulge in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as as he likes?”

Is there a best way to sleep to get great rest?

“No, venerable sir.”

“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.

“How do you see it, meditators? Have you ever seen or heard of a wandering ascetic or Brahmin priest who indulges in the pleasures of sleeping, laying around as drowsy as he likes?

• Sense doors unguarded,
• eating too much,
• not dedicated to wakefulness,
• unable to bring forth skillful qualities,
• unable to pursue the cultivation and development of qualities that produce awakening into the evening and before dawn

Kushan, Brahma, Indra (Greco-Buddhist art)

who yet realize an undefiled freedom of the heart, freedom by wisdom, in this very life? Or that they live having realized the truth through their own direct knowledge and vision (insight) due to their destruction of the defilements?”

“No, venerable sir.”

“Good, meditators, nor have I ever seen or heard of such a thing.

“So train yourselves: ‘We will guard our sense doors, restrain ourselves in eating, and dedicate ourselves to wakefulness (mindfulness), bringing forth skillful qualities, pursuing the cultivation and development of qualities that produce awakening into the evening and before dawn.’ This is how to train yourselves.” More

• Adorable Sleeping Monks (BuzzFeed)
• Attānuvāda Sutta: Discourse on Four Types of Fear
• Dhr. Seven (ed.), based on Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), SuttaCentral.net, Soppa Sutta: "Warm-Hearted: On Sleep"  (Numerical Discourses, AN 6.17.2), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddhist way to give for Christmas

The Buddhist Way to Give at Christmas | No stress, just pure joy

(Buddha's Wisdom) Dec. 23, 2025: What if we could give at Christmas without stress, guilt, or keeping score?

• 🎁 CHRISTMAS DOESN'T HAVE TO FEEL HEAVY.
• DISCOVER HOW BUDDHIST WISDOM CAN TRANSFORM GIVING.

For 2,600+ years, Buddhists have practiced dāna (letting go, giving, sharing, generosity, charity), the art of generous giving that liberates both giver and receiver.

This ancient wisdom offers a profound alternative to the anxiety, obligation, and reciprocity calculations that often shadow modern Christmas giving.

Through Buddhist teachings, human psychology, and everyday Christmas moments, this video shows how giving without attachment changes not only the holiday season…but the mind/heart behind it.

📿 DISCOVER:

• The ancient practice of dāna and its three stages of joy (before, during, and after giving)
• Why expecting gratitude turns giving into stress
• Why the Buddha said the "gift of Dhamma [the Teaching, Doctrine, Dharma] surpasses all other gifts" and what this means for our Western pagan holiday we call Christmas (Christ's mass)
• The three moods of giving: reluctant, calculated, and free (and which one we're actually practicing)
• The hidden emotional contracts behind Christmas gifts
• How to give, and receive, without pressure, debt, or obligation

🙏 If this changes how you experience Christmas this year, subscribe to Buddha's Wisdom for weekly explorations of ancient practices that address modern life. The next video might be exactly what someone needs

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:

• 00:00 Christmas magic meets Buddhist wisdom
• 01:19 The Christmas giving paradox
• 03:19 What is Dāna? The Buddhist art of generosity
• 06:13 The three moods of giving
• 11:01 How to practice dāna at Christmas
• 17:29 The ultimate Buddhist Christmas gift
• 19:30 The one gift experiment

📱 JOIN COMMUNITY: Instagram (buddhaswizdom), Facebook (buddhaswizdom), X (x.com/BuddhasWizdom), Spotify (https://open.spotify.com/show/5ndnBU5...), TikTok (buddhas.wisdom). ☕ Support the channel: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom

#Buddhism, #Christmas, #BuddhistWisdom, #Dāna, #MindfulGiving, #StressFreeChristmas, #BuddhistTeachings, #Generosity, #SpiritualWisdom, #christmasgiving #Mindfulness #NonAttachment #HolidayStress #InnerPeace

📚 SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

PRIMARY TEXTS:

• The Dhammapada (verse on the gift of Dhamma)
• Early Buddhist texts in the Pāli canon (teachings on dāna and generosity)
• Accounts of Anāthapiṇḍika's generosity (Vinaya Piṭaka)
• The Buddha's final teaching (Mahāparinibbāna Sutta)

SCHOLARLY CONTEXT:

"Dāna: The Practice of Giving" - Selected Essays from Early Buddhist Texts

"Generosity in Early Buddhism" - Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations and commentaries

"Buddhist Ethics" - Damien Keown (Oxford University Press)

MODERN APPLICATIONS: Studies on mindful giving and psychological wellbeing

Research on gratitude practices and stress reduction

Comparative religious studies: Generosity across traditions

© Buddha's Wisdom - Making ancient wisdom accessible for modern life.

• Buddha's Wisdom (YouTube), Dec. 23, 2025; Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Sheldon S., Crystal Quintero, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Dating in China 50:1 women to men

Three shocking truths why Chinese men have given up on dating and marriage

C'mon, Sissy, give me all your golden money.

(China Deep Dive) June 15, 2025: Hello, this is China Deep Dive. We have all the information needed to know about China at present. Today's topic is: China’s dating scene.

In China, women are crowding gender imbalanced matchmaking events — sometimes 50 women to 1 man — while men are disappearing. Why are so many women chasing so few men in a country where men supposedly far outnumber women? This deep dive goes into a growing social paradox that’s leaving hearts unheard.

Sex trade in Chongqing slum

(Homeless Pelican) REAL China nobody shows (Chongqing’s slum)

Viewer support allows China Deep Dive to produce more high-quality videos. #Chinadeepdive. Any illegal reproduction of this content in any form will result in immediate action against the person(s) concerned. How was this content made? Auto-dubbed audio tracks for some languages were automatically generated. Learn more

• China Deep Dive, June 15, 2025; CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

When Wisdom partnered with Jesus

Holy Sophia (Goddess of "Wisdom") was the partner Jesus (Issa) as Mary Magdalene.

When WE were partners with Jesus (Issa)

Goddess Prajnaparamita (Java)

We? Wisdom (Quarterly). The Buddhist Goddess (personification) of Wisdom, Prajnaparamita, Khema Theri, the Buddhist nun and chief disciple the Buddha declared "foremost in wisdom," the wise disputant and arahant (enlightened one) Princess Yasodhara (Ven. Bhaddha Kaccana), formerly Prince Siddhartha's wife, the enlightened original Buddhist nun, the Buddha's mother Maha Pajapati Gotami (Queen Prajapati Gautami), the enlightened theris (elder nuns, namely those of ten or more years standing in the Bhikkhuni Sangha) recorded in the Theravada Buddhist text known as the Therigatha (Psalms of the Enlightened Buddhist Nuns), and the countless enlightened Buddhist nuns, devis (female light beings), and laywomen since the time of the historical Buddha.

Mysteries of Christ and Sophia | Christ Series

(Spirit Science) In this episode, let's explore the sacred and often hidden story of Christ and Sophia — the Divine Masculine and Feminine in eternal union.

Goddess Perfection of Wisdom, Java

Before the world was formed the Goddess of Wisdom Sophia danced through the cosmos. She was present before time, before the stars, before matter itself.

Once revered by early Gnostics (those dedicated to knowledge and wisdom as recorded in many Nag Hammadi library texts) as the divine feminine presence of God, Sophia later became silenced by patriarchal theology.

But the ancient mystical traditions remember. Together, Christ and Sophia represent not only sacred counterparts but the cosmic blueprint of balance — body and soul, matter and spirit, masculine and feminine in full harmony.

Goddess Wisdom Speaks: Who was Mary Magdalene?

Mystical marriage of Issa and Sophia

This episode unpacks their mythic union through early Christian mysticism, Gnostic scriptures like the Pistis Sophia and Gospel of Philip, and esoteric teachings that link their incarnated forms as Jesus and Mary Magdalene (the embodiment of Sophia, who was never a prostitute but was cast in that denigrated light by the Church patriarchy).

Let's journey through Sophia’s descent into chaos, her longing for the True Light, and her ultimate restoration through Christ — not as a story of sin and shame, but as a spiritual [allegorical] map for every soul seeking integration and divine reunion.

Their love is not a metaphor. It is alchemy. It is wholeness. It is the mystical marriage at the heart of creation.

• AI on the gods and goddesses of all religions
• VIDEO: The Greco-Roman origins of the Eucharist (Religion for Breakfast)
• Spirit Science, April 13, 2025; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Message to Republicans (Jimmy Kimmel)

A special monologue for the Republican in your life

(Jimmy Kimmel Live) Oct. 29, 2024: Tonight’s monologue is for Republicans. If you have someone in your life who is either planning to vote for Trump or thinking about it, please send this to them. Ask a Republican you love and respect to watch this. The whole thing. As a personal favor to you. We are a week away from the election so make sure to get out and vote on Tuesday, November 5th (Election Day). #Kimmel

Alkaline diet is the way to good health

The word vegetarian does not come from vegetable but from vegetus (life, growth).

.

All non-starchy vegetables and fruits have an alkaline-forming effect on our body's fluids. Potatoes and bananas are slightly more acidic than most other vegetables and fruits.

For this reason, to be alkaline and healthy, non-starchy fruits, berries, and vegetables form the main bulk of our diet.

• Toxic contaminated meat recall update as millions of pounds included after outbreak (Newsweek)

Food Combining Myths, Science (nutriplanet.org)

Fortunately, nature has arranged it so that green vegetables, such as kale and broccoli, are not only very alkaline but also superfoods that are nutrient rich. 

Most legumes are semi-alkaline, while whole grains are more acidic. Refined grains (like white rice or milled flour) have an acidic effect on the body.

All animal products -- slaughtered flesh, eggs, fish, dairy -- in addition to extracted, process, simplified sugars have an acidifying effect. Therefore, these foods should be eliminated from the diet or greatly reduced.

Go nonviolent and vegan? Not necessarily. For example, a vegan living mainly on protein bars would end up with an acidic and unhealthy bloodstream due to the sugar and grain, while an omnivore eating lots of fruits and vegetables and a small amount of meat and dairy might stay alkaline and healthy.

Food combining for digestion (True Activist)

The body maintains homeostasis (equilibrium), which means a blood pH level of about 7.35-7.46 to maintain good health. We do that by eating a diet of primarily alkaline producing foods, mainly fruits and vegetables. These foods are also the most nutrient dense foods. 

There is no need for paleo folks and vegans to go to war in a battle of words regarding what is right or wrong with an alkaline diet. The facts speak for themselves.

In essence, we can become acidic on any diet if we eat too many acid-forming foods: too much animal protein and fats, too much sugar and refined carbs, as well as too many deep-fried foods.

• Joy of Meditation Retreat | Prama Institute, NC

Whether to be a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore is, in the end, more a question of ethics. We can be healthy with any label, provided we eat alkaline foods.

Food Combining Charts (alderbrooke.com)

So if, on the one hand, one dislikes killing animals, impregnating, imprisoning, and otherwise making animals miserable and instead wants to be kinder to them and the planet, then a vegan diet is the healthiest and most environmentally-friendly.

If, on the other hand, one just wants to stay healthy, then junk (processed) foods and animal foods need to be minimized or eliminated altogether. Whatever one eats, the main bulk of our intake needs to be mainly vegetables and fruits.

• “Come Heal @ Prama” (prama.org)
• My Journey Toward Sowa Rigpa – The Science of Healing (Buddhistdoor Global)
• A Vegan Diet for an alkaline body (prama.org); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Nature: Pope, Hitler, Biden, Kamala, Pelosi

Pope butts heads with Buddhist monk in Mongolia in wink to Chinese Catholics (ncronline.org)

AI David Attenborough’s greatest hits: A political NATURE documentary

(Presidential Reviews) June 16, 2024: Journey through the most compelling moments of nature’s political landscape with AI David Attenborough. This documentary explores the intricate balance of power, survival, and conflict in the animal kingdom, showcasing how politics and nature intertwine. From leadership battles among primates to territorial disputes in the wild, witness the drama and beauty of our planet like never before. #DavidAttenborough #donaldtrump #uspolitics

(Hitler Rant Parodies) Hitler phones Kamala to talk about her bad ratings

• VIDEO: Kamala is a liar and idiot w/ Anderson Cooper
• Obama to hold intervention with Biden as Kamala is 'furious' post-debate: Report
• POLL RESULTS: Obama wants Biden replaced, but Jill is saying no?

Why Joe Biden acted like a child in the presidential debate – psychology

(Derek Van Schaik) June 30, 2024: What was going on psychologically, behaviorally, and neurologically with senile, demented, superannuated Pres. Joe Biden in the presidential debate with former Pres. Donald Trump?

COMMENT: Should Joe Biden step down as president, step aside as the Democratic candidate, or is he perfectly fine to serve another 4-year term?

MENTIONED VIDEOS: Joe Biden Cognitive Decline • What Does Dementia Look Like? 2020 Debate • Body Language of Who Won The Presiden...

Hashtags: #NatureDocumentary #DavidAttenborough #AI #Wildlife #PoliticalNature #AnimalKingdom #Conservation #NatureLovers #EcoPolitics #joebiden #politics #biden #comedygold #donaldtrump #economicpolicy #election2024 #presidentialspeech #davidattenborough #uspolitics

How to surf on asphalt (poem)

instruction makes no sense

what is there to say?

    when hanging hang

    when breathing breathe

    when surfing surf

the tao is the way

not getting in my own way

    wide the way

    slide the way

    ride the way

away

i'd rather ride a mat

when i sit i've sat

no waves

no sharks

no surf

just pound the cushioned turf

i'm scraped smooth on sand

because when sand sands it's sand

so to reveal the man

who mans the helm a mantle

who lights the light a candle

burned out

a way

away

How to let go a little

Better to watch the Watcher than do the doing.

It's fun to be human, to run and jump like a reindeer in leaps and bounds, but not everyone is cut out for parkour. It's a dangerous sport.

If only there were a way to fly cross legged, winning our ability to levitate back, not relying on vimanas or space pods and animal mounts like godlings.

If we take a seat and let go, something happens. We're not steering. What arises arises, while we stay calm and breathe, just breathe. We come to the mat to see. The guide, teacher, sayadaw will explain and give instructions about how to utilize what comes up. First, we sit so that it can come up.

I can ride anything.

But all that sitting, before things get moving in the mind and memory, might seem a drag. What if there were a magic carpet made of flexible wood and nonslip sandpaper to stand on? Where might it take us?

Standing on water on floating fiberglass sounds like a dream. What if a wave comes or what if a growing shark thinks I'm chum? The others yell, "My beach!" and want to fight like they're a blond gang of sand thugs on the water and I've got no battery. Ask MIT scholar Trump.

What does it mean to "surf"

All nouns seem to be verbs abstracted and conceptualized. We walk (verb) on a walk (noun). The walk is the thing, and walking is the action we do on that thing. We smoke (verb) some smoke (noun). We surf (verb) the surf (noun, the waves crashing on the sand).

Surfing means "riding it out." Riding what out? The surf. We surf the surf, ride the waves, skim the surface, and coast the tumult, gliding over the flood coming at us.

That is a good description of "meditating." What is meditation (jhana)? It is meditating (verb), the doing of meditation (absorbing in the meditative absorptions, being so involved and single-minded (attentive) that everything else is ignored temporarily.

Sit. Stand on water. Or ride the asphalt, a smooth surface that doesn't jam up the trucks (skateboard wheels).

Pick a wide roadway with a mild decline, in a park, parking lot, or on a quiet street and let it all hang loose. Hang out and ride out. What does it mean to "hang"? It means stay loose while remaining upright. The best way to sit for meditation is not stiff as a rod, but to hang like a shirt on a hanger, loose and draping in a relaxed way. The shirt is not on the ground, so it keeps its shape.

It's held up by the idea of a rod above it that holds it up effortlessly. The shirt hangs itself up then completely lets go, drops the wrinkles, kinks, and creases.

Ten digit relax as does the eleventh protrusion, just letting all eleven be, just hanging there. The proboscis is a good focal point, right at the tip. That's where breath is breathing. (What is breathe other than the breathing? We think it's what's being breathed, the breath. It can be all three. It's all breath. What's breath without breathing? It's meaningless.

• A Verb for Nirvana? (accesstoinsight.org) nibbuti
• Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval, Doggone, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly