The Church has manipulated the truth and made of Jesus (Yeshua, Joshua, Issa, Y'shua) an idol, calling him the "Son of Zeus" from the time of Emperor ("Saint") Constantine and the Council of Nicaea.
Cosmic Consciousness: A Study in the Evolution of the Human Mind is an attempted scientific study of illuminated individuals. Author Richard Maurice Bucke provides three dozen very consistent examples of "cosmic consciousness." Some of these are the usual suspects, and others are contemporary case-histories which Bucke collected. He proposed that these enlightened figures are evolutionary jumps, the predecessor of a more advanced species. (Internet Archive)
There's another distinction, the small and nearly insignificant historical figure (Jesus the Nazarene of Bethlehem) used as the core of a lot of ancient mythology and astrotheology, which Dr. Reza Aslan calls the fantasy version or "Jesus Christ." It is easy to take a questionable person, like William Shakespeare, and make a superman out of him until one wonders if there ever was a root figure to begin with, one stripped of all the additional mythology grafted onto him.
I'm a professional academic Bible scholar
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth is a historical account of the life of a possible person, Jesus, that analyzes religious perspectives on the figure and the creation of Christianity. Prof. of Religion Aslan, Ph.D., argues that Jesus was a political rebel and eschatological ("end times") Jew, whose proclamation of the "coming kingdom of God" [not the genocidal figure in the Old Testament Bible but rather the Gnostic real God] was a call for regime change, for ending Roman Empire hegemony over Judea and the corrupt and oppressive aristocratic Jewish priesthood. The New York Times bestseller has been optioned by Lionsgate and producer David Heyman with a script co-written by Aslan and screenwriter James Schamus. More
(Mikey & Wyatt) Spring 2024: When You Catch Your Best Friend “Hanging Out” With Your Girlfriend because your best bud doesn’t want to cheat with your ex, but what choice is there when Eros or Cupid run the show and call the shots? Directed by Wyatt Gallitz (wyattgallitz). Written by Wyatt Gallitz and Mikey Brockmann. Director of Photography: Andrew Judge l (liltoasterofficial). Edited by Mikey Brockmann. Performed by Claire Rice (clairebellerice), Mikey Brockmann (mikeybrockmann), and Mitch McMahon (mitchm659).
It's spooky time in the capital of the world, Los Angeles/Hollywood. One can tell because it gets dark sooner and cools off at night, unlike the holy city of Phoenix that burns by day to arise at night still burning.
The Latin communities in both Southwest metropolises are working on those costumes and make up tutorials. It's not easy being a ravishing Catrina to his Mara (the King of Death, sometimes appearing as Skeletor and sometimes as Santa Muerte).
But Mara is an old foe in Buddhism -- the ender of everything, which could end in peace if it weren't for all that attachment. Mara Devaputra ("Death Born-among-angels"), like a cross between Cupid and Lucifer in the West (Kamadeva and Vemacritin in the East), encourages
sensuality
affection
attachment
grasping
clinging
all the things we "love" (in the lower, non-agape) and hold onto for dear life. If Cupid knocked on the door like black-eyed children, would we answer and let them in? Most of us would. What harm can Cupid do?
We love, we cling, it's normal or at least very usual and commonplace. English hardly has words for the problem. If we were speaking Ancient Greek or Sanskrit, it might immediately make sense.
We are not talking about healthy concern, affection (kindness and comfort), nurturing, compassion, joy in the joy of others, loving-kindness (metta). All of these are wonderful. What would life be without them?
But there's a dark side, a creepy side, a -- ugh -- clingy side. What depravity enters our lustful longings, what greed poisons our ambitions to succeed and be safe, to enjoy sensual pleasures and satisfy our wants. Fire good. It warms. Brushfire bad. It destroys. It isn't just the size. It's how it quickly gets out of all control.
When we started, it was just an itsy-bitsy straying. It's so hard to walk the narrow way. When we on full moon observance days begin to rein (reign) it in, we begin to cultivate the sort of karma (mental, verbal, and physical deeds) that bring about happiness.
What is "happiness"? It is that feeling of accomplishment for receiving what is welcome, pleasant, easy to endure. It's easy to distinguish from dukkha (disappointment or suffering), which is hard if not impossible to endure, most unwelcome and unpleasant.
"Karma" means what we do now conditions what comes about then. Now and then, now and then, even the then only really manifests now. And all the nows can be considered to previous thens to come.
Spooky. What will we wear? Will we win a prize? Will everyone look and point and smile? What about the real Day of the Dead when we die? That's unthinkable, the impossible possibility!
But at that time, the Buddha said, it's great to have a store of good karma (merit, punna) to fall back on.
It's like the old saying, "Q: When is the best time to plant a tree? A: Thirty years ago. Q: When is the second best time? A: Right now."
Cupid (Kamadeva, Mara Devaputra, Eros) seems so cute and innocent.
I know it's love cause she starts looking like this.
These things indicate a love that is slowly dying. It’s often easy to tell when a relationship is totally falling apart because there will be obvious signs, but it’s less apparent if someone is slowly falling out of love with his or her partner.
Keep an eye out for these 12 behaviors, as they may indicate that your lover’s interest is cooling when you wish that it would burn forever with more and more intensity, like an endless honeymoon. But it burns, dwindles, until is burns out.
I know I'm in love because it's blissful (piti) like serene meditating only not as good.
.
This is how I pictured us. Details schmeetails!
Am I falling in love, how can I know? Maybe this flower can tell me with its petals. They love me, they love me not, they love me, they love me not... Omens. Signs. Who can predict the future? But what if my partner is slowly falling out of love as the old lovespell is coming undone?
1. They’ll have less interest in intimacy and physical affection. That's one sign.
We were like cats in a cradle reaching Purvana.
One surefire way to determine whether someone is quietly falling out of love (even if you're falling more and more in love) is to pay attention to physical intimacy, or rather the lack of it.
Couples tend to grow less passionate after the "honeymoon period" has worn off. That's usual. But if intimacy has disappeared entirely, including hugging or handholding, that’s a big warning sign.
2. They mention feelings of being “trapped.” It's time for A Conscious Rethink. Feeling trapped rarely happens in the context of discussing a relationship, but a partner may drop hints about feeling trapped or caged in various aspects of life.
This may be accompanied by restlessness and frustration, leading to behaviors such as going for long drives or walks “just to get out.”
3. There’s less communication than there used to be. When and if this person does communicate with a partner, rather than avoiding conversation, it seems distant and unresponsive than before.
(AN 3.56) A rich Brahmin approached the Buddha. Sitting respectfully to one side, he said: “Master Gotama, I have heard that Brahmins of the past who were senior teachers-of-teachers, said:
“‘In the olden days this world was so full of people one would think they were squashed together. Villages, towns, and capital cities were no more than a chicken’s flight apart.’ What is the cause, sir, what is the reason why these days human numbers have dwindled, a decline in population is evident, and whole villages, towns, cities, and countries have disappeared?”
“Brahmin, nowadays humans love only illicit desires. They are overcome with immoral greed and are mired in wrong customs. Taking up knives, they murder each other, and many people perish. This is the cause, this is the reason why nowadays human numbers have dwindled.
“Furthermore, because nowadays humans love only illicit desires…the heavens [deva worlds on superior planes of existence] do not provide enough rain, so there’s famine, bad harvests, with blighted crops that shrivel into dry straw. And many people perish. This is the cause, this is the reason why nowadays human numbers have dwindled.
“Furthermore, because nowadays humans love only illicit desires…native spirits let vicious monsters [cryptids] loose. And many people perish. This is the cause, this is the reason why nowadays human numbers have dwindled.”
“Excellent, Master Gotama, excellent! …From this day forward, may Master Gotama remember me as a lay follower who has gone [to the Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha] for refuge for life.” More: suttacentral.net
The Secretum (Latin for "hidden away") was a British Museum collection of the 19th and early 20th centuries that held artifacts and images that were deemed sexually graphic.
Many of the items were phallic amulets, sexy charms, and votive offerings, often from pre-Christian traditions, including the worship of Priapus (constantly erect), a Greco-Roman god of fertility and male genitalia.
Items from other cultures covered a wide range of human history, including ancient Egypt, the classical era Greco-Roman world, the ancient Near East, medieval England, sex-crazed Japan, and Kama Sutra India.
Many of the early donations or sales to the museum -- including those from the collectors Sir Hans Sloane, Sir William Hamilton, Richard Payne Knight, and Charles Townley -- contained items with erotic or sexually graphic images; these were separated out by museum staff and kept from public display.
Modern scholars believe the segregation was probably motivated by a paternalistic (in loco parentis) stance from the museum to keep what they considered morally dangerous material away from all except scholars and members of the clergy, who are very interested in sex and erotic material for coming closer to their God or gods or the children.
What materials and modern artifacts might be sent to the Secretum if the collection continued?
.
Flute blowing Zen, Komuso
By the 1860s there were around 700 such items held by the British Museum. In 1865 the antiquarian George Witt donated his phallocentriccollectionof 434 artifacts to the museum, which led to the formal setting up of the Secretum to hold his penile collection and similar items.
The Secretum collection began to be gradually broken up in 1912, with the transfer of items into departments appropriate for their time frame and culture.
The last entry into the Secretum was in 1953, when the British Library found 18th-century condoms being used as bookmarks in a 1783 publication they held.
The last remaining items were moved out of the collection in 2005. More
Akasha devas are the "shining ones" from the celestial worlds, the heavens, who from time to time visit humans, who note their grace, elegance, and orderliness. What do they say when they visit humans? They are able to communicate directly and telepathically, by mimicking human languages, and by archetypes and dance. Some ships or vimanas pulse lights, colors, shapes, and frequencies to send their messages down. Bali, Indonesia, retains a Hindu dance tradition from India (kathak), which seems to be the stylized body language and interpretive dancing of female devas (devis) and apsarasdepicted on the bas relief walls of Borobudur, the largest excavated Buddhist temple in the world as well as the ornate Angkor Wat in the jungles of Buddhist Cambodia. - Wisdom Quarterly
Legong Semarandhana in Balerung stage, Peliatan
(Bernard Marchal) Marchal is an amateur videographer and a simple tourist. His channel has no commercial purpose. He often travels to Indonesia, in particular to the Hindu island of Bali.
As he is passionate about video and Balinese culture (Hindu ceremonies, traditional dances, and music), he often films events and shows he attends. It is his way of recording memories of his stays and, more importantly, making known the rich culture of the island.
Legong Semarandhana on Balerung stage, Peliatan, Tirta Sari. Dancers: Aan Devita and Nitha Suwitri. Recorded Nov. 23, 2018.
This dance was filmed on the Balerung stage, in the small town of Peliatan (near Ubud, Bali), where world famous Balinese dances and gamelan music began.
Indeed, the first international tour of Balinese artists in the US and Europe in 1952 brought together a group from Peliatan led by A. A. Gede Mandera.
Since that time, Peliatan has remained one of the historic centers of Balinese dance and music. Two groups of the famous 1952 troupe are Tirta Sari and Gunung Sari, which give shows for visitors every week. Tirta Sari on the Balerung stage on Friday evenings and Gunung Sari on Saturdays.
Many of the best dancers in Bali learn their art in Peliatan. Legong Semarandana is a dance that developed in Balinese royal courts.
The narration refers to a long Javanese Hindu poem, a myth about the origins of love and passion between humans, embodied by the couple in love: Semara, the god (deva) of love, and Ratih, the moon goddess, interpreted by two twin dancers who perform a choreography symbolizing their harmony.
Lord Shiva then intervenes, furious to have had his meditation disturbed by the couple [because what god wouldn't be furious to be disturbed by humans and their behavior on earth].
Semara tries in vain to pierce him with arrows [like Cupid is said to do in Western mythology]. Lord Shiva, who takes on the appearance of the terrible Rangda, curses the desire that forces him to create the mortal world and intends to reduce the two lovers to ashes.
Apologies for any inaccuracies in the story summary and thanks in advance to anyone who can correct or complete the explanation.
What God told her about your thoughts will shock you! (NDE)
(Shaman Oaks) Penny Wittbrodt's near death experience (NDE) and how she got out of a void. "God" showed her a future event with her grandson -- and taught her the power of thoughts, and why forgiveness is so important. This is her NDE Christian testimony.
(Brian Oblivion) 12/19/11. The interesting bit begins at Minute 38. This BBC 4 documentary examines the question, "Did Jesus die?" It looks at many ideas around this question until Minute 25, when this examination of ideas takes a very logical and grounded turn with surprising conclusions that demonstrate that the Three Wise Men were Tibetan Buddhist monks who sought and found Jesus/Yeshua/Issa (as a tulku) and came back for him about the time of puberty. At that time, they traveled to the Buddhist monastery known as Hemis Gompa in India, traveling with Jewish merchants who regularly crossed between the two regions. After being trained in that Buddhist monastery or lamasery (gompa), Jesus spread the Buddhist philosophy, survived the crucifixion (through bribery and complicity of corrupt Roman guards), and escaped back to Kashmir, Afghanistan, where he died an old man at the age of 80 and was buried at his marked grave. The monastery housed written records of all this, as discovered by Westerner Nicolas Notovitch and made known to a skeptical world. Their presence was verified and corroborated by Swami Abhedananda.
The Sermon on the Mount is very good as a sutra (spiritual discourse, sermon). It may be understood in Buddhist terms. However, the opening sentence (Line 1) defies comprehension. Who are "the poor in spirit," the followers of Christs/Christians? They are "the poor," but they have spirit (spiritus, Holy Ghost, paraclete).
Line 3 seems to be a blessing he is imparting, assuring followers that he will comfort them later (when they inherit the results of their karma (phala and vipaka) for the good deeds done here.
Line 5's "meek" would seem to be the humble, the awakened (who are free of the delusion of ego and are therefore not proud as arrogant and defiant humans tend to be, the kind and compassionate. But as they "inherit the earth," which is to say are reborn on this lowly human plane rather than one of the lowly celestial/space/heavenly worlds (sagga), the meek would seem to be those did not have heart and the courageousness to stand up for what is right.
Line 7 indicates that those who are courageous and stand up for what is right (righteousness) will find their reward or fortunate outcome as a result of this skillful karma (beneficial deed) because they will see fulfillment of it: Skillful karma (merit) will beget welcome results.
Line 10 is even more clear in teaching the Buddha's message of karma, which elsewhere Jesus explains as "You reap what you sow," which is to say we will harvest what we have planted in terms of karmic seeds. Like begets like. Good begets good.
Line 12 is a clear declaration that those who gain purity of heart as a result are reborn in a heavenly place (and in accordance with some Christian schools as in all Buddhist schools, there are many heavens or levels of heaven (sagga), among the 31 Planes of Existence beings find themselves reborn in). There are countless worlds, but they have been classified into 31 major groupings or planes. For example, we are in the human plane. But that does not mean earth. Earth is but one place humans/humanoids exist throughout a world system (cakkavala).
Line 14 is perhaps the most interesting. The karma of being a "peacemaker" will result in a particularly good outcome, rebirth among the devas (shining ones, light beings, angels, deities, godlings). That is called becoming a devaputra, literally a "son of God," but figuratively refers to being "reborn among devas," which includes females in the Sensual Sphere heavens, at least up to Seventh Heaven. Above that, the brahmas (more radiant devas) do not have sexual dimorphism and therefore are neither male nor female).
Line 16 similarly assures followers/practitioners of Christ's doctrine will be pleased for the hardships endured in the name of what is right. Standing up for what is right is not easy, but that kind of karma (action) comes with very pleasant results (fruit and resultants). These are not literally "rewards" meted out by anyone but natural consequences of the Law of Karma, the regularity in the universe to produce results in accordance with types of intentional-actions. The result of following this advice will be rebirth in a heaven for some duration.
NOTE: Consulting a Protestant Christian to explain some words and passages, we were made aware of a book on Vedanta (Hinduism's "Best of the Vedas") that goes line by line, agreeing with Christ: The Sermon on the Mount According to Vedanta by Swami Prabhavananda.
In Buddhist terms this is relatively good but not worthy of pursuing. It is far better to pursue the end of rebirth and therefore the end of all suffering (nirvana). But most beings are not interested in that. They far prefer exhaustible rewards. Reborn in a heaven, one experiences the pleasant fruits of one's actions. But the unskillful deeds have not been exhausted, excused, expunged, extirpated or anything else. They are still there to be experienced. So one falls from that lofty height onto this or lower planes and experiences much suffering on account of the. The idea that "sin is forgiven" in the sense of eliminated is completely mistaken.
Indeed, a God may look the other way on bad deeds of the past while recognizing and approving of good deeds. But both sets of deeds have not gone away. They cannot be made to go away by magic. Only by awakening/enlightenment do deeds cease to control us for long. While we linger on in this world or another, they certainly will keep affecting us for good and ill, for a pleasant and unpleasant abiding. But be that as it may -- with Christianity being quite like Hinduism in its promise of "eternal" rewards in heaven -- what Jesus has here is an excellent message, not the "liberal talking points" Evangelical Christians are accusing the American Protestant Church of promoting for the sake of a temporal leader named Trump.
Blessings: The Buddha's Sermon on the Mount (Mangala Sutra)
Jesus Christ (Saint Issa) was a Buddhist monk, claims the BBC. He traveled to India
Now when the night was far spent, a certain deity [deva, light being, angel, lit. a "shining one"] whose surpassing splendor illuminated the entire grove, came into the presence of the Buddha.
Drawing near, the deity saluted him and stood respectfully to one side. Standing there, he addressed the Buddha in verse:
"Many deities and humans, yearning after the good, have pondered blessings [4]. Tell me, what are the greatest blessings?"
[The Buddha replied:]
"To not associate with the foolish [5] but to associate with the wise; to honor those worthy of honor — this is the greatest blessing.
"To reside in a suitable location [6], to have done meritorious deeds [skillful karma, profitable actions] in the past and to set oneself on the right course [7] — this is the greatest blessing.
"To have acquired much learning, to be skillful in some craft [8], well-trained in discipline [9], and to be of good speech [10] — this is the greatest blessing.
"To support mother and father, to cherish spouse and children, and to be engaged in a peaceful occupation* — this is the greatest blessing.
*Peaceful occupation: "Right livelihood" (sammā-ājīva): abstaining from a means of self-support that brings harm to others, such as the weapons trade, dealing in living beings (trafficking, slavery, exploitation), intoxicating drinks, poisons; slaughtering animals, fishing, soldiering, deceit, treachery, soothsaying, trickery, usury, and so on.
"To be generous in giving, to be righteous in conduct [11], to assist one's relatives, and to be blameless in deeds — this is the greatest blessing.
"To loathe the doing of harm and to abstain from it, to refrain from intoxicants [12], and to be steadfast in virtue — this is the greatest blessing.
"To be respectful [13], humble, contented, and grateful; to listen to the Dhamma [Teaching] on suitable occasions [14] — this is the greatest blessing.
"To be patient and trainable, to associate with monastics, and to have spiritual discussions on suitable occasions — this is the greatest blessing.
"A mind unruffled by the vagaries of fortune [16], from sorrow freed, from defilements cleansed, from fear liberated [17] — this is the greatest blessing.
*Eight vicissitudes of life, otherwise known as the Eight Worldly Winds or Conditions: (1) loss and (2) gain, (3) fame and (4) shame, (5) praise and (6) blame, (7) misery and (8) happiness (the attha loka dhamma that oppose sweet contentment).
"Those who thus abide ever remain invincible, in happiness established. These are the greatest blessings" [18].
NOTES (derived mainly from the ancient Buddhist Commentaries)
On second thought, get a sword.
1.
This sutra appears in the Sutta Nipata (v.258ff) and in the Khuddakapatha. See Maha-mangala Jataka (No. 453). For a detailed explanation, see Life's Highest Blessing by Dr. R. L. Soni, Wheel No. 254/256 (bps.lk).
2.
Anathapindika: an epithet that literally means "One who gives alms to the helpless." His name was Sudatta, a very rich and prominent merchant/banker from Savatthi. After he became a Buddhist and attained the first stage of enlightenment as a layperson, he purchased a grove belonging to Prince Jeta to establish a Buddhist monastery (vihara) on the land, which was subsequently called Jetavana ("Jeta's Grove"). It was in this monastery that the Buddha observed most of his Rains Retreat (Vas) periods (the annual three months' period of not wandering but remaining in one monastery, beginning on the full moon of July). Many are the sutras delivered and many the incidents connected with the Buddha's life at Jeta's Grove. He ministered to a sick monk who was neglected by his companions, advising them: "Whoever, monks, would wait upon me, let him wait upon the sick." It was here that the Buddha poignantly taught that all things are radically impermanent, by asking a grief-stricken young mother named Kisagotami who carried around her dead child, to fetch some mustard seed from a home where no one had ever died.
3.
Identified with modern Sahet-Mahet, near Balrampur.
4.
According to the Commentary, mangala means that which is conducive to happiness and prosperity.
5.
This refers not only to the stupid and uncultured, but also includes the wicked in thought, word, or deed.
6.
Any place where monks, nuns, and lay men and women continually reside, where the pious are bent on the performance of the ten meritorious deeds, and where the Dharma exists as a living practice.
7.
Making the right resolve (intention) for abandoning immorality for virtue, doubt for faith, and selfish self-interest for sharing and generosity.
8.
The harmless crafts or occupations of a householder are those by which no living being is injured and nothing unrighteous done; this includes the crafts of left-home monastics, such as stitching robes, etc.
9.
Vinaya is the Monastic Code of Discipline in thought, word, and deed. The Commentary speaks of two kinds of discipline, that of householders, which is abstaining from the ten unskillful actions (akusala-kammapatha) and that of monastics, which refers to the non-transgression of the offences enumerated in the Patimokkha (the Code of Monastic Rules) or the "fourfold moral purity" (catu-parisuddhi-sila).
10.
Good speech that is opportune, truthful, friendly, profitable, and spoken with thoughts of loving-kindness.
11.
Righteous conduct is the observance of the ten skillful actions (kusala-kammapatha) in thought, word, and deed: freeing the mind of greed (lust), hatred (aversion), and delusion (wrong views); avoiding speech that is untruthful, slanderous, abusive, or frivolous; and abstaining from all acts of killing, stealing, and sexual misconduct (defined as celibacy for monastics and avoiding the ten forbidden partners for laypeople).
12.
Total abstinence from alcohol and intoxicating drugs that occasion heedlessness.
13.
Towards monastics (and also other religieux), teachers, parents, elders, superiors, etc.
14.
For instance, when one is harassed by unskillful/unwholesome thoughts.
15.
Self-restraint (tapo): the suppression of lust and hate by the guarding of the senses; the suppression of laziness by rousing energy.
16. Loka-dhamma, i.e., conditions necessarily connected with the world; there are eight of them: gain and loss, honor and dishonor, praise and blame, pain and joy.
17.
Each of these three expressions refers to the mind of a full enlightened person (arahant): asoka (sorrowless), viraja (stainless), i.e., free of passion (lust), aversion (hatred), and ignorance (delusion), khema (security from the bonds of sense desires or kama, rebirth (bhava), wrong views (ditthi), and ignorance (avijja).
According to Western Buddhist monk Ven. Nyanatiloka, these 37 or 38 mangalāni ("blessings" or "beneficial things"), include avoiding fools, associating with the wise, honoring those worthy of honor, and so on (Khp.pp.2f). They are actions that lead to welcome results.
The Commentary (KhpA.vii.; SNA.i.300) explains that at the time this discourse was preached, there was a discussion across the whole of this world (Jambudīpa) trying to decide what was and wasn't a mangala.
The devas ("angels") heard this discussion and debated among themselves until the matter spread to the highest brahma world.
Then Sakka, King of the Devas (Buddhism's Archangel Michael figure) suggested that a devaputta ("one reborn among the devas") should visit the Buddha on earth and ask him about the matter.
In the Sutta Nipāta (SN., pp. 46f) this discourse is called Mahāmangala ("Great Blessings"). It is one of the sutras at the preaching of which countless devas were present and countless beings realized the Truth (SNA.i.174; BuA.243; AA.i.57,320).
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