(Johnathan Bi) He studied every religion, and this one came the closest to being right, Rice U Prof. Jeff Kripal:
(Official Rice University website of Jeffrey J. Kripal) It consists of eight parts: (1) a brief professional bio, (2) an essay introducing the inspiration and purpose of this website, (3) a discussion of his body of written work to date, (4) a description of GEM, the graduate program in which he does most of his teaching and thinking now, (5) a discussion of his work and role at the Esalen Institute's Center for Theory and Research, (6) a synopsis of his two present film projects, (7) a set of frequently asked questions (FAQ), and (8) some quick links to media sites expressing or engaging his work: kripal.rice.edu
It is posted here for use by any interested readers, journalists, filmmakers, fans, cranks, haters, naysayers, colleagues, students, researchers, authors, and other artists.
Empress Dowager Cixi (1835–1908) was a Manchu noblewoman of the Yehe Nara Clan who had de facto but periodical control of the Chinese government in the late Qing Dynasty as empress dowager and regent for almost 50 years, from 1861 until her passing in 1908. Selected as a concubine of the Xianfeng Emperor in her adolescence, she gave birth to a son, Zaichun, in 1856. After the Xianfeng Emperor's passing in 1861, his 5-year-old son became the Tongzhi Emperor, and Cixi assumed the role of co-empress dowager alongside Xianfeng's widow, Empress Dowager Ci'an. Empress Cixi ousted a group of regents appointed by the late emperor and assumed the regency along with Ci'an. Cixi then consolidated control over the dynasty when she installed her nephew as the Guangxu Emperor at the death of the Tongzhi Emperor in 1875. Ci'an continued as co-regent until her death in 1881. More
The THREE SCHOOLS of BUDDHISM explained: Theravāda, Mahāyāna, Vajrayāna
(Buddha's Wisdom) May 25, 2025: 🔍 THE 3 PATHS TO ENLIGHTENMENT: WHICH ONE SPEAKS TO YOU?
How did one teacher's simple message create three different paths to enlightenment? Three monks sit in meditation...but they’re not seeking the same thing.
One follows the Buddha’s exact words (Theravada). Another vows to save every living being (Mahayana). The third uses esoteric [Vedic, Brahminical, Hindu, tantric] practices hidden for centuries.
How did Buddhism split into three radically different paths — and what does it mean for our spiritual journey today?
03:16 - Chapter 1: Theravada - The Way of the Elders
07:25 - Chapter 2: Mahayana - The Great Vehicle
11:33 - Chapter 3: Vajrayana - The Diamond Vehicle
15:44 - Chapter 4: When Buddhism meets itself
18:53 - The One Mind: Which path did the Buddha intend?
DISCOVER
Why Buddhism split into three schools after the Buddha's passing into final nirvana
The dangerous mission that saved Theravada Buddhism from extinction
How Avalokiteshvara's broken heart created the Mahayana revolution
The secret tantric techniques that promise enlightenment in a single lifetime
Why mixing Buddhist traditions might be exactly what the modern world needs [at least that's what we as Americans seem to think]
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SOURCES
The Pali canon (Theravada texts)
Lotus Sutra (Mahayana literature)
Tibetan Book of the Dead (Vajrayana teachings)
Buddhism: A Very Short Introduction by Damien Keown
The Heart of Buddhist Meditation by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera
Americans exaggerate how often they actually go to church
I'm the most religious of all. - Touch it. - No.
(ReligionForBreakfast) New research using smartphone location data reveals a massive gap between how often Americans say they attend religious services and how often they actually do.
00:00 Intro
00:43 Problems with self-reported surveys
2:20 How the smartphone study worked
5:12 The results
[Cellphones are spying on me, my location, activities, and every single thing we say in private like wearing a wire for The Man even when we think the phones are off?] Are surveys wrong? Are memories fuzzy?
Here's what the data really shows about religion in America.
Why Buddhism accepts other religions (while others do not)
Discover how the historical Buddha's radical approach to religious and spiritual acceptance changed history forever and why this solution might be exactly what our divided world needs today.
This is the story of how the Buddha's Dharma or "Doctrine" built bridges while others built walls. DISCOVER:
Why the Buddha shocked religious leaders with his revolutionary approach
How ancient temples prove Buddhism's unique acceptance of other faiths
The surprising reason other religions couldn't follow the Buddha's path
How Buddhist ideas strengthened other religious traditions [particularly what came to be known as Hinduism, derived from the Vedic and Brahminical religions of proto-India]
Why modern scientists are fascinated by Buddhism's inclusive approach
Why companies the world over implement "mindfulness" (sati) training courses
🎬 TIMESTAMPS
00:00 The most accepting religion?
02:05 Pattern of history
04:26 The defense of faith
06:42 Buddha's revolutionary move
08:52 Mind-blowing success
11:57 The Buddhist secret
14:47 Challenge
👋 New to Buddha's Wisdom? Subscribe for fresh perspectives on ancient wisdom and modern living. Hit the notification bell to join growing community of truth-seekers. AI was used? Yes, it was. LINKS: Instagram: buddhaswizdom, Facebook: buddhaswizdom. Support: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom.
Join Patreon community: religionforbreakfast. Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images and Reuters. SPONSOR: Compare news coverage. Spot media bias. Avoid algorithms. Try Ground News today and get 40% off subscription by going to ground.news/religionforbreakfast.
Religion for Breakfast, March 27, 2025; Buddha's Wisdom, Jan. 8, 2025; Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(Kristi Burke) Oct. 27, 2024: ✪ Former Christian Kristi reacts to the claim that "Christian is not a religion but a relationship [with Father God, Buddy Jesus, Mother Mary, Angel Cousins or whatever]."
Sick, sad televangelists push people to atheism.
As she explains her position: "Please keep in mind that what I share in these videos is my subjective opinion, and my goal is to deconstruct fundamentalist/evangelical/conservative Christian ideologies from an ex-Christian perspective for those questioning or deconstructing their former beliefs.
Healthy vs. unhealthy vs. abusive relationships: thehotline.org
Ex-Mormon reacts to The Secret Lives of Mormon Wives
(Alyssa Grenfell) Sept. 12, 2024: Everyone said these women “aren’t that Mormon.” I jumped into the show and realized just how thoroughly Mormonism is dominating these women’s lives. Who was the favorite person on the show? It's the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) not Mormonism.
[COMMENT: If Amish Mafia was fun, this show will seem like a blast, peering into the lives of sugar addicts going bonkers by taking prescribed drugs and excitotoxins killing off their neurons.]
Ex-Mormon reacts to standup comics George Carlin's 10 Commandments
(HailHeidi) Aug. 14, 2024: Thanks so much for watching this reaction and hearing me share my thoughts as a recovering Mormon. (Sound like comedian Carlin is a recovering Catholic). This bit made me laugh because it is thought-provoking. Thanks for the recommendation!
Original video credit: George Carlin - 10 Commandments
To watch up next: • Why Are There So Many Mormon Influence...A few resources I mention in the video:
*Watch the Secret Lives of Mormon Wives on Hulu: https://shorturl.at/fueYW
*Link to all my notes about the show: / reaction-to-111800221
*BOZE vs. the WORLD reaction and recap of original MomTok Drama: • ex-christian curiously watches mormon...
*Jordan and McKay reaction and recap of original MomTok Drama: • Mormon Swinging? Ex-Mormons Take You ...
*WHO'S WHO of MOMTOK master post: / whos_who_of_momtok_master_post
*Mormon church’s response to Hulu show: https://www.deseret.com/faith/2024/2/...
*Mormon church’s video about temple ceremony clothing and garments: • “Mormon Underwear” is the Temple Garm...
*Survey responses about wearing garments: https://www.lds-women-and-garments.co...
*Whitney discusses RSV clip on the show: https://www.tiktok.com/@secretliveson...
*Mayci’s video addressing whether or not she is “Mormon”: https://www.tiktok.com/@maycineeley/v...
*Taylor Franke Paul arrested article: https://nypost.com/2023/09/06/soft-sw...
*My YouTube video about being trained to be a TradWife: • Brainwashed Mormon Mommies?
*The many rules of Mormonism: https://www.mormonsspeak.com/2019/09/...
Other resources that may interest you:
*Why I left the Mormon Church: https://www.mormontruths.com/why-i-le...
*My Mormon endowment explained video: ( • Secret Mormon Temple Ceremony Explain... )
*Mormon garments explained video: ( • Mormon Garments Explained )
*Every rule I followed as a Mormon: ( • Every Rule I Followed as a Mormon (Co... )
*My Mormon mission was a waste: ( • Mormon Missions Explained (Why I Regr... )
*Complete story of my Mormon wedding: ( • Mormon Temple Weddings Explained (Sor... )
where to find me -
Patreon (ad free & bonus content): https://shorturl.at/8bpnw
TikTok: / alyssadgrenfell
Instagram: / alyssadgrenfell
Blog: https://www.mormontruths.com
Email me: alyssadgrenfell@gmail.com
support my channel -
Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/Alyssa-Grenfell
Thou shalt not read (any unapproved materials or else face prosecution and imprisonent).
Smart phones, now attached by virtual-Neuralink, serve as Big Brother. The're always listening.
.
Mark is a good boy working for US.
Eventually George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four will be banned for fanning the fires of paranoia that the government ever bans information, deceives us, incites war, and enslaves whole populations (not to mention democide).
Orwell was born in British-ruled Buddhist Burma, then treated as a part of British-occupied India. seeing authoritarian forces spreading terror and colonialism. He noted how the same sort of things were happening in England but in a subtle way most people were not noticing. An imperial war culture is that way.
Anyone who thinks 1984 happened in 1984 hasn't read the book or didn't read it carefully. Winston Smith didn't know what year it really was. The title came about in 1948, so it seemed like a good way of saying "in the not-too-distant future" It might have been titled Winston and Julia in Love as when Pygmalion got a title reworking to the more inviting My Fair Lady. What is it really about? Orwell goes to pains how thinking is being reduced in the population by a systematic shortening, dumbing down, and contraction of the language. Instead of Standard English, people are using Newspeak, kind of the way we have replaced English sentences with texts, slogans, icons, and emojis. Newspeak leads to a new way of thinking where no one questions authority because no one even thinks to question it. If an "expert" said so, what is there to think about?
We have a world to police.
We live in it now, as the US War Machine and Empire, but as greater Rome at its height and the beginning of its decline, no one really notices. We rule, and everything's okay. We don't even rule that well. Look how other puppet states resist us.
Hey, wrap it up! This is unapproved. It's not just books that are banned. In Orwell's novel, the whole of his job was disappearing people on paper, removing them from the record. Of course, there were soldiers, police, neighbor-spies feeding police information, even drone-like helicopters peering in windows, but the main character, Winston Smith, didn't know why other than for show or to mislead the population to think this was the only thing of which to be wary.
Gov't propaganda is mainstream "news"
In fact, the main source of spying and privacy deprivation was known as the "telescreen," screens of all kinds today. There are cameras everywhere, with AI to automate monitoring, and key words to scour and search for on posts, articles, videos, TikToks... -- all for our "safety," of course. It's never for population control by the truism, "If you think the System is working, you must be working for the System" without even realizing it.
Enormous golden Buddha on the Buddhist island of Sri Lanka
Meditation hall, Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara's Mindfulness Meditation Center (facebook.com)
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Foodie Anthony Bourdain traveled to Sri Lanka
In post-religious America, there's finally freedom from religion. Good riddance. But it doesn't change the fact that we are starved for spirituality, a deeper understanding of this reality, and liberation from the mundane.
Life has to mean something, right? It's not a carousel to get on and off of, suffer, and all for what.
Knowing that there is more, sure that spirituality is real with no easy way to access the real thing, we're searching.
It's a monthly lunar observance
And if church was all a big joke (coming from patriarchal bombast, high doses of hypocrisy, Catholicism, Protestantism, rigidity, and offensive, regressive bull chips), it did nevertheless provide some much-needed things for Americans: community, participation, identity, meaning, culture, friendship, and the like. What will take its place?
Buddhism provides Sangha (a spiritual community), mindfulness, meditation, yoga (an adjunct tradition), calm, relaxation, insight, and the hope of enlightenment and liberation. To get it all, we have a good time bouncing between Buddhist temples and meditation centers, Quaker Friends Meeting House and Universalist Unitarianism. Anyone who thinks Christians are all bad would be surprised how liberal, open minded, welcoming, and unpretentious some Sunday services are.
Buddhist temples remain awfully culture-specific, serving an ethnic community more than the general public. Universalists are nice, so much so that many traditional Christians would be outraged. In Pasadena, for example, we joined the Wiccan choir. Were we pagans, were we freethinkers, were we labelled at all? It was great to sing in unison at Neighborhood Church, a UU school and chapel with more than one Buddhist group meeting there. There were social justice groups and lots of families... We didn't know an organization calling itself a "church" could be like this.
THE QUAKERS
We're actually Mennonite Amish, not Quakers
Friends, as Quakers call one another, are the biggest surprise. They don't sell oats. They probably don't even eat 'em. That was a stinky marketing campaign by the QO Corporation, stealing the likeness of a group everyone at the time knew as honest and trustworthy. Quakers never made a penny from the campaign or big buckle hat. Quakers have been at the forefront of American progressivism for centuries, opposing slavery and injustice, holding Sunday services in silence rather than preaching. One would never guess. The whole movement needs a PR campaign so we all stop being deceived by appearances and assumptions. The worst thing is they themselves are so reluctant to explain or apply labels.
I would try Jesus Flakes
"Where is the 'quaking'? Does it begin by shaking, a tremble, a tic? Is one slain by faith, falling to one's knees holding a snake and speaking in tongue, the spirit of the Pentecost, the Holy Ghost or Pneuma all up on ya like a sloppy pigeon? Nothing could be further from the truth. And, two, why does the only thing known about this religion have nothing to do with this religion? That Quaker Oats box has to go, or someone should start marketing a Cheerios like box Jesus-Os, where the little grain-based lifesavers swimming in the almond milk are halos: Jesus brand Haley'Os, now with Mother of God land of milk and honey flavored. Wouldn't Christians of the future be p-o'd to have to keep explaining that their religion has nothing to do with an iconic cereal box?
What happened?
Marching in front of the temple grounds at the LA consecration (srilankafoundation.org)
.
Today we traveled from Los Angeles proper to the outskirts, the deep suburbs, nearly to the border of the county to get to the Mindfulness Meditation Center of Covina for the Buddhist Sabbath, the Uposatha, or lunar observance day.
We dressed all in white, took the Eight Precepts for the day, got fed a rich diet of island delicacies from Sri Lanka (the teardrop shaped nation off the southern tip of India). This ancient Theravada Buddhist practice was implemented by the historical Buddha, following a long tradition of setting aside a weekly spiritual day of practice.
Twenty-five of us suited up in the traditional garb, sat on backrest meditation seats on the ground with a cushion or little chairs if one prefers.
Everything hard and austere about it is softened. It's torture to sit IF one's mind is torturing one; otherwise, it is quite nice. It is incredibly hot outside, in the 100s, but inside we have AC in a hospital, museum setting, very well-appointed hall with cool stone floors.
It's the "fasting day," we'll starve! It's impossible to starve. First, breakfast gets served. Lunch, with seconds, is at 11:30 am. And to top off the day, there is the English lecture ("Mindfulness of Thoughts") in the Dharma classroom (as listed in the Rains Retreat Schedule) after which dinner is served.
"Fasting" means only eating between dawn and noon. This is the way Buddhist monastics live everyday all their lives. It's a very healthy way to be so long as one avoids processed foods and sweets, which many do not. To do it one day a week is not asking much, and if it is, it's only once a month on the full moon. In yoga, complete fasting is sometimes recommended on the full moon for health reasons. But few in the U.S. follow yoga recommendations beyond the poses. Dinner was served?
One takes the Eight Precepts in the morning and then returns to the Five Precepts at the end of the day about 4:30 pm. So one is no longer restricted in eating. Of course, it would be good to go home, continue the fast, and meditate. But one can stay, as a sutra is being discussed in Sinhalese in the "church" part of the center with pews and the English Dharma talk is taking place in the classroom for meditation. After which, dinner is served and anyone who wore white and spent the day is more than welcome to partake.
The next English Dharma talk is Sunday, Sept. 15, 2024, at 5:00 pm on the topic of "The Embodiment of the Triple Gem and Diving Beings (Buddhanussati, Dhammanussati, Sanghanussati, and Devanussati" with Ven. U Sirinanda, a sharp Theravada monk from Nepal
I'm German. I wanted to rule the world! - Hitler Youth member who became Pope Benedict
This, of course, is not about the Devil, Satan, or being anti-anything. It is about religious freedom and about being able to enjoy freedom FROM religion. We are a secular democracy, not a Christian theocracy as some would have us believe. Evangelicals and other fundamentalists will not stand for anything short of Christian-Sharia Law (their interpretation of their Bible being shoved down everyone else's throat). Let's allow people to hold their own religion -- or not religion at all -- as they deem fit. The idea that one religion, any religion, gets a governmental advantage over others is a grotesque abuse of our American freedoms. When state and religion are not kept separate, expect corruption and the loss of both.
Satanic Temple fighting for representation in schools
(NBC News) May 16, 2024: The Satanic Temple is known for trolling the religious right, but in its fight for religious pluralism, it has become a powerful foe.
NBC News' Maura Barrett reports on the group's fight to protect the separation of church and state.
» Subscribe to NBC News: nbcnews#Satanic#Religion#School
LGBTQ+ man lover Jewish pro-Nazi Ukraine Leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy is gay AF (rense).
Seattle 2015, LightRail
"Let the sunshine, let the sunshine, let the sun shine in where it don't usually shine" might be a good song from the Hair soundtrack to play today, National No Pants Day. Although taken more seriously in stuffy England and prim and proper London, particularly on the Tube (subway), Californians head to the beach to drop trou. It may have all started with the No Pants Subway Ride or topless marches, parades, and bike rides in Los Angeles. FEMEN got the idea when peaceful demonstrators would take off their shirts for a cause, like defending Ukraine and being played by Western PR firms to abdicate from Mother Russia and the former USSR.
This guy? Corrupt Jewish leader of Ukraine's pro- Nazi military force, manly fraud Vlady Zelensky
Hey, those are pants! It's right in the name. Take 'em off! - But they're so stretchy like pantyhose.
(Catholic Kids Media) Created by Isabella D'Angelo. What is Holy Week? Palm Sunday, Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter! March 28, 2023: Support the channel on Patreon (catholickidsmedia) or Venmo (@catholickidsmedia) because Rome isn't paying for anything it doesn't mandate and pre-approve of. Contact: catholickidsmedia@gmail.com.
It's been a fun Christian Lent as 2.5 of us undertook to stay "holy" (kusala, wholesome, sinning only in thought and thoughtlessness, i.e., by mind and unmindfulness, which is to say, mental karma and negligence but not willful intent), Sandoval, Seven, and Pat.
What happened? Pat dipped out and came back (so gets half credit). Seven held firm by practicing contentment rather than forcefulness, and Sandoval struggled by trying to muscle it. Recovering from the influence of American, Irish, and Mexican Catholicism can be enlightening! With little to no regard for the Vatican Corporation, its current CEO, and the flagrant secularism of most of the Catholic world.
We're Mexican Buddhists, and even Pat is a Patricio for the cause. Buddhism explains things much better, gives more sensible answers to life, the universe, and everything, but Shannon Farren stayed on our backs to stay on the straight and narrow. And my friend Slim Fitzgerald is participating in mass services, so it's the least we can do to emulate her good example.
(WQ Wiki edit) Maundy Thursday or "Holy Thursday," among other names, is the day during Holy Week that commemorates the Washing of the Feet (Maundy) and Last Brunch of Jesus Christ with the Apostles, as described in the canonical gospels [1].
It is the fifth day of "Holy Week," preceded by Spy Wednesday [when you fink on your siblings for breaking Lent rules?] and followed by Good Friday [2].
"Maundy" comes from the Latin word mandatum, or commandment (mandate), reflecting Saint Issa or Jesus' words "I give you a new commandment" [3].
[Did the Good Lord also say: "Thou shalt bow to your knees and obey me, for I speaketh in the name of my Father in the Sky, and He is wanteth to smite thee, so watch it!"?]
The date of the day will vary according to whether the Gregorian calendar or the Julian calendar is used.
Eastern [Orthodox] churches generally use the Julian system.
(JCS) Judas tries to warn Jesus to stop making it all about Himself
Names
Medicine has no easy cure for toenail fungus.
Use of the names Maundy, Holy, and others is not evenly distributed. The generally accepted name for the day varies according to geographical area and religious affiliation.
Therefore, although in England "Maundy Thursday" is the normal term, the term "Holy Thursday" is more commonly used in [more Catholic] Ireland, the United States, Scotland, and Canada [4] and is the official name used by the Catholic Church in English [5]. More
It's a good time for clean feet. As wise Mary Magdalene knew, this oil clears toenail fungus: "nard" (essential oil of spikenard) as found in the Gospel of John
QUESTION: "All y'all are Buddhists. How 'Catholic' are you?"
ANSWERS: "Catholic? Not at all, or just recovering from the residue of it. I'm only Catholic on my mother's side. My dad was Catholic, too, but he didn't care. I'm so Catholic I remembered an Irish joke. When you're Catholic, they send you to Indoctrination Camp (Catechism) as a child, where nuns berate and beat you, so once you've gone through that, you're "Catholic" because it's branded on your psyche. If you're lucky, you get molested, which I think qualifies you to teach. If you're unlucky, you just settle for the beatings. Even if you try to tell, what's anyone going to do? Oh, if only a young nun could've shepherded us into manhood as a holy rite of passage like in the olden days of Temple Prostitution, started with the ancient Sumerians and Greeks and others. It's got to be a better way than the present system that teaches you to lie, be a hypocrite, keep your head down, fear but never respect authority, and sin [miss the mark] every chance you get. Of course, Roman Catholicism is meant to do this. It's a trick and a trap, how covering up incites lust, whereas free nudity dispels it, but we're taught the exact opposite. Harsh imposition of rules leads to rebelliousness, guilt, confusion, and resentment, but free presentation of orderliness and guidelines leads to willful compliance, acceptance, and a desire to behave well even when no one is looking. It's internal versus external locus of control, pure Psych 101. I'm so Catholic I like to tell Irish jokes: A priest in Dublin tears out of the parking lot and starts swerving down the road. An officer pulls him over, and as he approaches, he can already smell alcohol. As he greets the driver, he looks in the vehicle and sees a bottle of wine at his feet. "Been drinking this morning, Father?" "Oh, no, no, no. That's just water, my Son." "Really, Father? I can smell it." The priest looks up into the heavens and exclaims, "Praise the Lord, another miracle!" (Turning water into wine.) The copper, being a right honorable Catholic, does the sign of the cross and lets him go. See there? That "joke" promotes stereotypes. It's jokes like that put us where we are nowadays, where 99 percent of the police make the other 1 percent look bad. *Rimshot* We're just doing this for Easter, which is when they kill Jesus or Saint Issa, right, on that Imperial Roman torture device? I think it's when he is reborn. Well, death-rebirth, it's the same thing, really. That's samsara for you. There isn't one without the other.
ANSWERS: "Yes, we don't have a cruci-fixation. We don't strive for a rebirth in any of the heavens. We strive for the end-of-rebirth and the end of all suffering, which is brought about -- not by rebirth -- but by awakening. Enlightenment is our goal."
QUESTION: "Nirvana, you mean?"
ANSWERS: "Yes. Yes. Yeah."
QUESTION: "But 'Nirvana is Samsara,' I've heard say."
ANSWERS: "No, that's Mahayana nonsense, a slogan, which can be true in one sense but is completely abused, misunderstood by nearly everyone who says it, and misleading. It's treated like a snappy koan to not overexert in meditation or set up a goal and craving for 'something to happen' that stifles the attainment of that goal. But it's really misleading because, if we're all already enlightened, then there's nothing to do really, right? Why am I going to go be quiet and meditate in solitude if all the work is done? I'd rather celebrate, party, amuse myself, engage in sleep and endless distractions/amusements, like the world does, more obsessively every year that passes."
QUESTION: "You said, 'it can be true.' In what sense is the 'Nirvana is Samsara' slogan true?"
ANSWERS: "Well, it's true that if one awakens, that is, attains enlightenment, one will still be in samsara for the time being. They are not mutually exclusive. Nirvana dawns within samsara. They will for that person who knows-and-sees be the same thing. That person can see the distinction, like being in prison and holding your release papers: you're in but you're out, you're free but you're in prison, you're destiny is fixed but you're not there yet. So to equate them, to make people think there's no difference when they could hardly be more different, that's like blasphemous. We don't have blasphemy in Buddhism as such. It's wrong speech. If one thinks and believes like a Hindu that we're all already GOD (Brahman), just playing (lila) in an illusion (maya), all already saved (liberated), all already destined for the end of rebirth (nirvana), then what is it we aim for, what is it we make a determination for, what is we practice to realize? That's it's already as true for me as it is for a drunk on the floor his face stuck to the rug by dried vomit?"
(Mr. Show with Bob and David) "Jeepers Creepers" (Parts 1 and 2)
QUESTION: "But you're God's children, don't you know that?"
ANSWERS: "Potentially. Anyone can become a devaputta (literally, a "son of god"), but here 'the gods' are not 'God,' just the devas, the 'shining ones.' Anyone with the appropriate karma can be reborn among them. Saint Issa/Jesus Christ could be reborn among them, and the God there could say, 'He's my only begotten son on [or sent to] Earth.' What is this 'begotten' business? Everyone reborn in the deva worlds is someone's son/daughter, offspring. Beings are spontaneously [without intermediary of parents but just by their own karmic deeds] reborn there. We have that potential. We also have the potential to squander it all and be reborn in subhuman worlds (animal, ghost, titan/demon, hellion). We have to take care, we have to practice, we have to keep precepts (virtue, morality), we have to be mindful, we have to cleanse our hearts/minds.
QUESTION: "So then why practice Lent, Buddhist or Catholic or Eastern Orthodox Christian, just to mock it, just for old time's sake?"
ANSWERS: No, it's a very good practice. To give up things, eat only vegetarian/vegan food like Catholics used to do and Eastern Orthodox Ethiopians still do, renounce, let go, sacrifice, do good for others, recollect how others sacrificed for us, contemplate our short lives in the human state as educated persons who can question and read and learn from other, storing up good karma... How can that be bad?
QUESTION: But you joke and you don't bow to God?
ANSWERS: "Yes, that's right. We joke. We listen to death metal and anything else we want to listen to. We do not bow to God or worship a Jewish Old Testament figure who promotes genocide, or grovel or beg his son [Issa, Jesus, or any Abrahamic holyman] or mom [Mother Mary] or wife [Asherah], or have any beef with that Cat [Douglas Adams' cat 'The Lord']. We're nontheists.
QUESTION: "Oh, atheists?"
ANSWERS: "No, non-theists. Whether there is a God or not, what difference does that make to our effort, our walk through life, our awakening or ignorance. That God is not awakened. That God cannot awaken us. We have no beef, just as the Buddha didn't. ...Let's not get off track. Question our motives if you must, but ask us what we did for Lent."
QUESTION: "What did all y'all practice and give up for Lent or sacrifice or recall?"
ANSWERS: "No sex of any kind, of any kind (not even naughty pictures). A strict vegan diet. For 40 days. We went to church on Sundays..."
QUESTION: "Aha! Church. So you called on God?
ANSWERS: "No, not really. We went to a Quaker church. Now, God may be there. The Spirit may be any- or everywhere. But there were no priests, no programmers, no thing we had to do, other than be respectful of others as one would anyway anywhere else one might be. The Quakers might be more tolerant than any others even if we had wanted to act out. They were nice."
QUESTION: "You should have told them you were Buddhists. Do you think they would have been so nice if they knew?"
ANSWERS: "We did, and they were and, yes, we think they would have been even if we said nothing but just came in there wearing Zen robes, a kung fu outfit, or a big tee-shirt that read, 'I'M A MEXICAN BUDDHIST AND IRISH.' I think they would have laughed with glee. They laughed about other things and were very friendly and inviting. The place was packed, and the Friends Meeting were Spirit-led. Did we 'waste' our time?"
QUESTION: "You know, why don't you guys go to hell and get your own Lent?"
ANSWERS: "We might. Hell is that way. Who can avoid it. At least it's not eternal, but it is very, very bad and one should avoid it at all costs. There's no telling when one will get out again, the same being true of rebirth as an animal, ghost, or titan. And we've already got one: 'Buddhist Lent' is called the Rains Retreat (Vassa), and it lasts 90 days. It corresponds with the monastic period of intensive practice indoors. Every Buddhist Sabbath (Fasting Day), which is once a week and called the Uposatha, one observes Eight Precepts instead of the regular five, and one does not eat after 12:00 pm. That leaves the day for intensive practice on the new moon, quarter moon, full moon, and three-quarters moon days. It's an ancient pre-Buddhist practice the Buddha praised and encouraged everyone to observe. One doesn't have to be a Buddhist. Anyway, according to legend and the BBC, Jesus Christ was a Buddhist monk before he was Christian...."
Jesus wore this Buddhist-saffron-colored seamless robe like a sadhu (Christian Faith Guide)
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(Brian Oblivion) 12/19/11: From Minute 38 on comes the interesting bit. This British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC 4) documentary examines the question "Did Jesus Die?" It looks at various ideas around this question until Minute 25, where this examination of ideas takes a very logical and grounded turn with surprising conclusions that demonstrate: The "Three Wise Men" were Buddhist monks who [were in search of a tulku] found Jesus and came back for him around puberty. After being trained in a Buddhist monastery [Hemis Gompa, Ladakh] he spread the Buddhist philosophy, survived the crucifixion, and escaped to Kashmir, Afghanistan [near the birthplace of the Buddha, ancient Gandhara], where he died an old man at the age of 80 [and was entombed in the Jesus style with Buddhist foot imprints marking his burial site, not covered by an Islamic grave and another person, making excavation difficult or impossible without trouble. See the scholarship of Holger Kersten and Nicolas Notovitch for the details and written evidence].
Andrew Lloyd Weber, Jesus Christ Superstar, "This Jesus Must Die"; Deicide, "Once Upon the Cross"; Pfc. Sandoval, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly
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