How Buddhism influenced 'Star Wars'

May the Force (of the Fourth) be with you. And also with you. The Dharma of Star Wars is a well-known thing, how Buddhism influenced the creation of the movie in general. Dr. Hartmann fills in more detail, getting at the importance of karma (doing) over trying. There's no trying. Do or not do. The Dalai Lama would agree with Yoda on that much, or at least on the way he says it.

How Buddhism influenced Star Wars (with Professor Kate Hartmann)

The Dharma of Star Wars

(Krypton To Alderaan) Krypton to Alderaan Podcast Episodes. Dr. Kate Hartmann is a professor of Asian Religions at the University of Wyoming in Laramie, who specializes in Buddhism.

This special edition of the show is a discussion, asking What influenced George Lucas when creating Star Wars, including Buddhism, famous mythologist Joseph Campbell, Taoism, and Shinto (the indigenous kami-monster religion of Japan).

• and how these influences have transcended Lucas, becoming an inherent part of the film franchise, TV shows, books, and other Star Wars content.
• Also discussed are how certain characters personify those influences and
• how one line of dialogue that never made any sense to Host Joey has a lot of meaning and actually makes a lot of sense if we factor in all of these influences.
• Plus, there's a surprise question for Dr. Hartmann.

REFERENCES

• The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
• Religion for Breakfast (YouTube channel)

Dr. Kate Hartmann (uwyo.edu)

Dr. Kate Hartman website: buddhiststudiesonline.com, Twitter @kateahart, Instagram @kateahart. Listen to her podcast Buddhist Studies Online, Instagram @buddhiststudiesonline

Krypton To Alderaan: Twitter: @kryptonalderaan. IG: @kryptontoalderaan. Facebook: @kryptontoalderaan. Email: kryptontoalderaan@gmail.com.

Share this show and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever listening, as it would really help people find it. The show would really like to know how listeners feel about the show. Drop the show a line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or at kryptontoalderaan@gmail.com. Give a like, follow, comment, quick email, tweet, whatever to let the show know how it’s doing. Appreciate feedback and to understand this whole podcasting thing going forward. Or take it to the next level and leave a review.

• Joey, Krypton To Alderaan, Dr. Hartmann (U of Wyoming), Nov. 17, 2021; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

My dead son has been reborn (sutra)

Ven. Kiribathgoda Gnanananda Thera (trans.), Maṭṭhakuṇḍalī (Khuddaka Nikāya, Petavatthu, The Ubbari Chapter 17. Mattakundali; Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A Brahmin was crying over his dead son’s grave when he saw a grieving deva (lit., "shining one") who was disguised as a young man.

Brahmin: "My dear child, you are very handsome, wearing polished earrings, garlands, and sandalwood cream. You are weeping, holding your head in your hands in the middle of this forest. Why are you crying so sadly?"

Deva: "I have received a bright golden chariot, but it does not have wheels. That is why I am so sad. I am about to commit suicide."

Brahmin: "Oh dear boy, tell me, what kind of wheels do you need? Should they be made of gold, jewels, rubies, or silver? I will give you a pair of wheels made from anything."

Deva: "We can see the sun and moon right here. It would be great if my chariot could have them as wheels."

Brahmin: "Oh, dear boy, you are indeed foolish. You seek something that cannot be obtained. I am sure that you will die from sadness because it is impossible to get the sun and moon as your wheels."

Deva: "But wait a minute. We can see the sun and moon moving [rolling] in the sky. We can see their color and tracks. But when someone dies, one can never see him again. So who is more foolish, you or me? You are crying over your dead son, who cannot even be seen, and I am crying over something that can at least be seen."

Brahmin: "Oh, dear boy, what you just said is very true! Of the two of us, I am the greater fool. I am crying to get my dead son back, like a childish boy crying to obtain the moon.

I want to commit suicide and be dead like my dead child! (Before Dying 2014/gifphy.com)

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"My heart was burning with sadness over the death of my son, like when fat is poured onto a fire. But now, all my sorrow has been extinguished as if I had been sprayed with water. I was struck with an arrow of grief, but you have removed it from me, my dear boy. Having heard your advice, I have become tranquil and cool, with the arrow of sorrow removed. I no longer grieve or weep."

Devas sporting about in a heaven (Wat Bonniwet)

"Are you a deva, a divine musician [or divine messenger, gandhabba], the divine king Sakka, or some deva’s son (devaputta)? Who are you?"

Deva: "Your son has been cremated in this cemetery. You are weeping over his remains. I am that son of yours! Having done a meritorious deed, I was reborn in the Heaven of the Thirty-Three [Tavatimsa, where Sakka, king of the devas is our divine king] as a deva."

Brahmin: "We have never known you to give a small or large gift in charity. We have never known you to observe the Five Precepts or Eight Precepts. What kind of meritorious action did you do to go to [this lowly] heaven?"

Deva: "Do you remember when I was very sick and lying sadly on a bed outside our house? One day, all of a sudden, I saw the Supreme Buddha who had great wisdom and a pure mind, who had realized everything about this world.

"I was very happy and had confidence [faith] when I saw him. I quickly honored him. That was the only meritorious action (kusala karma) I did that as a result I was reborn in this heavenly place."

Brahmin: "It is wonderful! Just mere honoring has resulted in a great happiness. Without delay, on this very day, I happily place confidence [faith, belief] in the Buddha. I go for guidance to the Buddha."

Deva: "That is exactly what you should do! From this very day, go for guidance to the Supreme Buddha, the Supreme Dharma [Teaching], and the Supreme Sangha [community of noble practitioners] with a confident mind. Follow the Five Precepts honestly without breaking any of them.

"Stop killing any living beings, never steal, never drink alcohol, never lie, never commit sexual misconduct but be content with your own spouse."

Brahmin: "Oh Deva, you really wish for my wellbeing. You have been very helpful to me. From today onward, you are my teacher. I will do all the things you advised me to do. With a confident mind I go for guidance to the Supreme Buddha, the excellent Dharma, and the [noble = aryan = enlightened] disciples of the Great Teacher — the Noble Sangha. I will stop killing living beings, never steal anything, never drink alcohol, never lie, and never commit sexual misconduct but be content with my own spouse."

Source: Pv 17: Maṭṭhakuṇḍalī Petavatthu (suttacentral.net)

Passive income, no action? (Abraham Hicks)

Abraham Hicks still telling The Secret as of 2020; Kelly Ani, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Summer begins with an eclipse (video)

Learning to respond rather than react

Wait. I'm fine. Breathe.

(TaraBrach.com) When stressed we often react with looping fearful thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that cause harm to ourselves and others. This talk offers three interrelated strategies that can serve us when we’re triggered by stress. It will help us find our way back to our natural wisdom, empathy, and wholeness of being. By de-conditioning habitual reactivity, we are increasingly able to respond to our life circumstances in ways that serve healing and awakening.

Buddhist teacher Tara Brach reminds us that we are not our thoughts.

Hippies who time travel: Damanhur (video)

Night Terrors; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Live like an "ascetic" and you'll understand.

May 11, 2017: The Damanhur cult [of Italy] reveals they have unlocked the secret of time travel. The "Time Project" leader warns travel to the recent past is not safe, because it might adversely change current events. It is safer to travel deep into history.

Thirty miles from the home of the Shroud of Turin, the tiny, sleepy Italian village of Baldissero Canavese was able to keep secret for 15 years the underground location of the commune of Damanhur. At the foothills of the Alps underneath an innocent-looking suburban home in Northern Italy, hundreds of hippies are living in a paradise under the earth.

"Stop police brutality" - for once and all

The Damanhur Federation was founded by Oberto Airaudi and his 24 disciples, named after the Egyptian city that hosted a temple dedicated to Horus the sky god, represented as a man with the head of a falcon. Airaudi also went by the name of "Falco" or the Hawk, based on the tradition of the cult that members adopt animal names. According to Falco this all started when he was a ten year-old child. He had visions of a great Temple filled with people living together harmoniously. As a man he had a successful career as an insurance agent, when in the back yard of his home on a hot August night, Oberto told his believers he was waiting for a sign. A falling star streaked across the sky. He said to his friends, "We start digging now."

They used only hand tools -- hammers and picks. Beginning in 1978 and working around the clock, for the next 15 years these laymen carved out an underground complex with no architectural plan, except for the sketches made by Falco. It now descends five stories into the earth in a giant series of chambers connected by hundreds of yards of tunnels. One room is a four-sided pyramid covered in mirrors with a glass dome. The ceiling of a room called, "The Hall of Spheres" is covered entirely in gold leaf. Other ceilings, walls and floors are done in intricate mosaic murals.

Very early on, the collective of Damanhur also was involved in other new age projects. They believe that plants can sing, and they developed equipment to allow humans to hear the melody. One probe is attached to a leaf. Another probe is inserted in the soil between the roots. Electric conductivity is measured and a converter assigns musical notes to the electrical impulses.

The underground Temples became public knowledge when a former member sued to regain his possessions from the group. Italian police and the public prosecutor came knocking at the front door in 1993, demanding to be shown the subterranean temples -- which were constructed without a single building permit. "Otherwise," they warned, "we will dynamite your hillside." Falco replied, "Your threats are unnecessary," and he led authorities through the secret door to the complex. The officals were dumbstruck by expansive vaults 25 feet in height. Worldwide headlines helped the Damanhur Federation to turn their commune into a tourist attraction. The government declared the sanctuary to be The 8th Wonder of the Modern World.

The cult revealed that in 1997 they unlocked the secret of time travel. "Time Project" leader, Gnomo Orzo, says it is safer to travel deep into history than it is to travel to the recent past, which might adversely change current events. Orzo confirms the device is a machine. Its purpose is to channel and magnify a person's own psychic energy.

The current population of the neo-hippy commune is between seven and eight hundred souls. They have their own schools. They issue their own currency, the Credito, equal to the value of the Euro. They invented their own sacred language. But they no longer hide anything. They welcome visitors, and they welcome new citizens.

Citizenship
There are different classes of citizenship at Damanhur. The "Class C" citizen is not required to live on site. Class B citizens contribute money and must live there at least three days a week. Class A citizens share all personal property with the commune and live on site full-time. Only the Class A citizens are eligible to make use of the time machine.

License links may all be found at creativecommons.org

Hippie life down on The Farm, TN

Cassi Stuckman (cassiyoga.com); The Farm; Kelly Ani, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

O, to live like a hippie down on The Farm in good old Tennessee, USA (cassiyoga.com)

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Cassi on Instagram: Int'l yoga retreats

I just returned from a long weekend in Summertown, Tennessee with my mother and grandmother.

We spent three days attending a herb workshop at The Farm (a commune or intentional community), a renowned spot in rural Tennessee that was pioneered by a group of hippies in the 1970’s who wanted more from life:

They wanted to live off the land, promote peace, and have the kind of birth they desired.

 

Study permaculture design (thefarm.org)

We stayed with a sweet and amazingly hospitable couple. (Their birth story is in Spiritual Midwifery, a book about The Farm’s births).

One night my mother and I sat with our hosts on a bench in the middle of the country road and looked at the sky.
 

The food served at The Farm was soul food. It came from an on-site garden, and it was vegan/vegetarian because they don’t harm animals on The Farm. It was delicious!

 

Earthquake! Help, humans, help us! (AP)

Hearing my mother and grandmother talk about their birth stories over home cooked meals with other women was something I will cherish forever. Midwives and doulas traveled from Puerto Rico, England, Australia, and other places to spend time tapping into the spiritual energy of this place. More

Alan Watts: Karma, Time, Meditation (audio)

Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Western Zen teacher Alan Watts "Way Beyond the West" via Mitch Jeserich (KPFA.org, Pacifica Free Speech Radio, Berkeley, California)

Science maps the brain, while Buddhism maps consciousness (thinkprogress.org)

 

"Mind" (citta) is heart

Karma does not mean "cause and effect." That is an unfortunate translation, a misleading oversimplification based on wanting to show that Buddhism is "scientific."

Buddhism is more than scientific. We will not experience most science we are taught, but we can personally experience all the important things Buddhism teaches.

Science class says "cause and effect," and a budding Buddhist says, "Hey, that's like what Siddhartha said!" That's very superficial and separates past from present as if they were separate. They are quite connected and unbroken, like a snake's head and tail.

Cool cats (Dee McIntosh/deemac/flickr.com)

What is the right view on this matter? Karma means "action," based on kri, "doing." What happens is our doing. What is happening to us, we are doing. It isn't happening to us. Our actions are.

• (What comes to fruit in the future and present, like it did in the past, is intentional-action). 

But this is a deep insight fraught with risk as we try to bring it into conventional language: "You mean, I did it? I'm to blame? Yada, yada, yada." Alan Watts explains it beautifully. Karma is action.

• (The tangible karmic-fruit, the phala, and the mental-resultants, the vipaka, are distinguished from the action, the karma, by the Buddha. But this is for the sake of understanding a process; in reality, they are inseparable).

• AUDIO: PLAY (download) (May 15, 2014, 10:00 am, MP3)

Just sitting when I should be doing?

Wisdom Quarterly (EDITORIAL)

Budai the Happy Bodhisattva sits joyfully (Muffett68 flickr.com)

  

"Don't just do something; sit there!" it is said.

How could sitting -- intentional action that's mental -- trump physical and verbal action?

I want to protest, I want to cry out, I want change the world!

Budai (Shutterhound Photography/flickr)

Can I  even change that world? That remains to be seen. We keep trying. But while we fret and fuss, the one sure person we could be changing goes unchanged.

Who can save another? Help another, yes, of course. But who can save, who can do it for another -- "it" being cultivate absorption as the basis of successfully liberating-insight (i.e., walk the Path of Purification)?

No one saves us but ourselves.

No one can and no one may.

We ourselves must walk the Path;

Buddhas only point the Way.

Why are we searching when the Path is known? What are we waiting for? Step 1, Step 1, what is Step 1?

Giant Buddha, Leshan (tenlivingcities.org)

One way to understand the very packed (densely encoded) message of the Noble Eightfold Path is to follow it as a threefold teaching: 1) right view (wisdom), 2) virtue, and 3) meditation (concentration, that is, the effortless composure of mind, which like the hang gliding after all the effort of launching).

This is not a step-by-step path: Its factors or folds are cultivated simultaneously. So as we increase in virtue, our ease, joy, and concentration improves. This gives rise to wisdom as the mind/heart settles and we are able to see things more clearly just as they are.

The Truth is just as it is. We need not contort ourselves to "believe" it. We need only watch and withhold biases (distortions), evaluations (views), and opinions. The Truth sets one free. We need do nothing more than find that truth by rectifying ourselves rather than the world. "Don't just do something; sit there."

Not the Buddha, but Fat Happy Budai the Bodhisattva (Spectergeneral/flickr.com)

KARMA CLASS: My Tongue Fu

Seth Auberon and Amber Dorrian and Seven, "Karma Class," Wisdom Quarterly

"Take that, #$%@%!" "Sticks and stones, @#$%-&)(@r!, sticks and stones!" (cpa.psu.edu)

  

Ever notice that, judging by the Ten Courses of Unwholesome Karma (Action), the most dangerous part of a person is his or her tongue?

  

The mind as the source of intention, and therefore karma, is capable of many misleading deeds. (Intention means what we will to do, not what we wish would happen as a result of doing). The body misbehaves, too. But it is the tongue that we really need to watch out for.

"How can I say this more skillfully?"

Intentional actions merely constitute "karma" (action with the capacity to bring about results in the future). The Buddha singled out these ten as "courses." That is, they are conduct capable of guiding one to an unfortunate rebirth all by themselves.

How? If they come to fruition around the time of passing from one existence to the next, they may serve as the basis of rebirth-linking-consciousness. They act as a corridor, a course, a fairway, a path, a set of wardens dragging one along to some unwished for destination.

"I was worried for a moment," we may say, "but thank goodness I don't actually believe in rebirth in any literal sense." We have three choices: Annihilationism, Eternalism, or the Middle Way that avoids both of these extremes in view. Are we only physical and therefore die utterly at death? Then we can do whatever we want and expect no result. Are we eternal with both physical and beyond-physical components? Then we should plant seeds of future experience we want growing and avoid those unwished for ones. The Buddha actually rejected both points of view, science vs. religion. Beings are not technically eternal but the stream-of-being will go on and on without no foreseeable end until it is brought to an end as unsatisfactoriness comes to an end. The view that there is nothing before and nothing to follow is patently mistaken and a very dangerous view to hold, one that in and of itself can lead to catastrophic results. That is, however, where most Westerners rest their bets, relying on professors and unseen scientists as their authorities. (Fortunately, try as we might, few of us actually believe that we came from nothing only to go to nothing.) Few have insight into the liberating Middle Way the historical Buddha taught.

  

Of the ten three are bodily, three are mental, whereas four are verbal. We can hardly help the way we think, our patterns having become so ingrained that we feel helpless against them. Even our bodies seem to react by instinct, by genetics, by physiology, and the habitual patterns we have trained them in. But the mouth and the deadly weapon in it! They are all ways of expressing intention (the will to carry out some act aiming for a desired end):

1. taking life
2. taking what is not given
3. misconduct with regard to sensual pleasures
4. false speech
5. slanderous speech
6. harsh speech
7. idle speech
8. covetousness
9. ill will
10. wrong view

The questions to ask, then, regard practical definitions for these ten. They are not self-explanatory. The Buddha had something very specific in mind. As with other lists, that information is packed away. Only when the information is unpacked do the lists suddenly seem useful. What is the Path?

"Morality Without God" (video)

Amber Dorrian, Seven, Nguyen (Wisdom Quarterly); art by Mystic Politics
(TheThinkingAtheist)

Atheists often hear the question, "How can you be moral without God?" The real question is, "How can a moral person accept God?" If Judeo-Christian scriptures are true, "God" is a terrible example of morality or basic goodness.

The "God" Idea

Wisdom Quarterly
Of course, this behavior makes more sense when those scriptures are read more carefully and not limited to Christian and Jewish traditions: "God" is always plural and referring to entities from space claiming dominion, or claiming to have "created" (genetically manipulated) the human race and animals, terra-forming the Earth, making the stars, keeping the Sun alight...

Ancient Indus River Valley Civilization information (now embodied in Hinduism's Vedas), Sumerian and Egyptian texts, and channeled communications all point to many visitors over many aeons. Buddhism inherited ancient "Indian" and Central Asian (Near Eastern) traditions, and the same themes are present often with more detail.

Recovered Nag Hammadi Library (Gnostic Gospels) and Dead Sea Scroll texts, however, means one need not go too far afield to begin to understand that the world has been misled about the meaning of "God." And each theistic tradition simply claims, not the physical actors who reveal themselves on Earth in "chariots of fire" from time to time, but the ONE, godhead, non-duality, oneness, Brahman, unity, matrix, the enduring reality behind the illusion of the universe.

Why would one nation impose its imperial will while claiming to be helping and serving a biblical character? Probably because its population buys this story war after war.

We can safely say that that ONE is not doing all of this killing, warring, razing, raping, boasting, and acting all enraged all the time. Let us follow our hearts and keep our heads. We are responsible for ourselves -- everyone, even "God" -- so it is best to tune in rather than drop out. Our karma, choices, pernicious beliefs, and efforts are our own. We can share them with others, but their karma, choices, beliefs, and efforts are their own.

While we can certainly help each other, no one can save another. Famous spiritual teachers made great efforts to help, not to do everything for us. We are responsible for our greed/bias, hate/fear, and delusion/wrong views; we will bear the results of actions motivated by them.

It is our job to love, to be just, to be peaceful, to be kind, and help one another. Whatever tradition it pleases one to adopt, the bottom line is asking, Is this helping? Living in a religiously oppressive society can make atheism, "science," Satanism (whatever we may conceive of as the Dark Side), or even materialism/hedonism seem like a very attractive option. And it leads us to co-create the world we personally live in.

(Mysticpolitics/Flickr)

Re-Thinking Progress: Circular Economy (video)

Molly X, Wisdom Quarterly

It's better to be circular like the universe than linear like America's disposable culture

LABOR DAY, 2011 - It is better to live in an intentional community like Eco-Village, Los Angeles, than to buy-use-throw away everything in our lives. This mentality is dangerous to our health, the well being of the planet and has destroyed the economy. It is a corporate means of extraction, pulling money out of consumers who are encouraged to go into debt for the attempted satisfaction of desires ad campaigns seed and water. If we wake up to the unsustainability of this hamster wheel (aka "rat race"), we just might be able to pull ourselves and others out of the mire. It is better than holding our collective breathe waiting to exhale in the hopes that Obama is suddenly going to grow a backbone and reject the corporations that (s)elected him. The same holds true for our health and our garden... and the "meditation practice" we call life. Next time try a green job.

(good to be green)

Grateful? What if you had no limbs? (video)

Wisdom Quarterly featuring Nic Vujicic

No arms, no legs? No worries! (attitudeisaltitude.com)

Karma in Buddhism never means the result of past actions, even though we use it that way. Those results are called phala (fruit) and vipaka (resultant). Karma means willed or intentionally performed deeds of mind, speech, or body.

The idea that we are victims of our past is exactly the corrupted idea (taught by some ancient brahmin priests and other independent teachers in India) the Buddha was trying to root out.

Karma is what we do right now. Our responses to the fruition (phala) of our former actions is our karma, not our circumstances.

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Superman (Christopher Reeves) got thrown from a horse. That's what happened. What did he do? Did he sulk in bed getting drunk and taking it out on everyone? Did he cry in anger to an all-powerful God chanting "Why, why, why...?"? No. His deeds were inspirational. He was grateful for his "miserable" circumstances.

We have the choice to be happy -- even if we don't have the choice of our immediate circumstances. We have the choice of how we look at anything, regardless of how others tell us to look at or feel about it. The Buddhist teachings of karma, a very complex subject, are ultimately very uplifting: We can do it.

We can be free. We can be happy in an instant. We can help others and help ourselves and help everyone involved all at the same time. Because what happens to us RIGHT NOW depends on what we do, say, and think. We probably can't afford the luxury of a negative thought. What we will be depends on what we do. But what we are right now depends, in part, on RIGHT NOW. All we ever are is NOW. All that ever happens happens NOW.

Therefore, Eckhart Tolle realized that there's power in NOW. That's the only place we have power -- whether we are passive and receiving or active and giving -- we are always choosing now. To prove that karma teachings are uplifting, we should know that there are many kinds and classifications of karma. We don't need to know them or to know which ones are operating for us right now. It's enough to know that there are many, and this will fill us with hope.

• Wholesome karma, skillful karma, profitable karma, intervening karma, frustrating karma, redounding karma, rebirth-linking karma, exalted karma, karma rooted in generosity, compassion, wisdom, mindfulness, clarity... All of these forms benefit one for a long time. Their detailed names and functions with examples can be found in a dense tome called The Workings of Kamma.

Support Wisdom Quarterly, support yourself, support both.

Karma Class: How to have it ALL

Introduction by Bhikkhu Khantipalo

Interested in long life, health, beauty, power, riches, a high birth, and wisdom?

They do not appear by chance. It is not "luck" to be healthy, or lack of it to be foolish. Though it may not be clear to us now, all such inequalities among beings come about because of the karma (intentional actions) they make individually. Each person reaps fruits accordingly.

Therefore, if one is touched by short life, sickliness, ugliness, insignificance, poverty, low birth, or stupidity and one does not like these things, there is no need to accept that that is the way it is. Something can be done. The future need not be like that provided that one makes the right kind of karma now.

Knowing what karma to make and what to avoid is the mark of a wise person. It is also the mark of one who is no longer drifting aimlessly but has some direction in life and is exercising some control over the sort of events that will occur.

The Shorter Exposition of Karma
Translated by Ñanamoli Thera (MN 135)

1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Buddha was living at Savatthi, Jeta's Grove, in Anathapindika's Park. Then Subha the student (brahmin), Todeyya's son, went to the Blessed One and exchanged greetings with him. And when the courteous and amiable talk was done, he sat down to one side and said:

2. "Master Gautama, what is the reason, what is the condition why inferiority and superiority are met with among human beings, among humankind? For one meets with short-lived and long-lived people, sick and healthy people, ugly and beautiful people, insignificant and influential people, poor and rich people, low-born and high-born people, foolish and wise people. What is the reason, what is the condition, why superiority and inferiority are met with among human beings, among humankind?"

3. "Student, beings are owners of karmas, heirs of karmas, they have karmas as their progenitor, karmas as their kin, karmas as their homing-place. It is karmas that differentiate beings according to inferiority and superiority."

4. "I do not understand the detailed meaning of Master Gautama's utterance spoken in brief without expounding the detailed meaning. It would be good if Master Gautama taught me the Dharma so that I might understand the detailed meaning of Master Gautama's utterance spoken in brief."

"Then listen, student, and heed well what I shall say."

"Even so, Master Gautama," Subha the student replied. The Blessed One said this:

5. "Here, student, some woman or man is a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. Due to having performed and completed such karmas, on the dissolution of the body, after death, he reappears in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell. If, on the dissolution of the body, after death, instead of his reappearing in a state of deprivation, in an unhappy destination, in perdition, in hell, he comes to the human state, he is short-lived wherever he is reborn. [This may sound like the murderer got off easy; unfortunately, the heavy karma of killing is not exhausted by this one result.] This is the way that leads to short life, that is to say, to be a killer of living beings, murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless to living beings. More>>

Four Courses of Action
Translated by Wisdom Quarterly (AN IV.115)
What are the four courses of action?

1. There is a course of action which is unpleasant to do but that, once done, leads to what is unprofitable.
2. There is a course of action which is unpleasant to do and that, once done, leads to what is profitable.
3. There is a course of action which is pleasant to do but that, once done, leads to what is unprofitable.
4. There is a course of action which is pleasant to do and that, once done, leads to what is profitable.

Now as for the first course of action, one considers it not worth doing for two reasons. It is unpleasant, and it leads to what is unprofitable.

As for the second, it is because of this course of action that one may come to be known either as a wise person or a fool. For a fool does not reflect, "Although this course of action is unpleasant, at least once it is done it leads to what is profitable." So one neglects to do it, and left undone it leads to what is unprofitable. But a wise person reflects, "Although this course of action is unpleasant, at least once it is done it leads to what is profitable." So one does it, and by doing it, it leads to what is profitable.

As for the third, similarly because of it one may come to be known as either a wise person or a fool. For a fool does not reflect, "Although this course of action is pleasant, once done it leads to what is unprofitable." So one does it, and it leads to what is unprofitable. But a wise person reflects, "Although this is pleasant, once done it leads to what is unprofitable." So one leaves it undone, and it leads to what is profitable.

As for the fourth, one considers it worth doing for two reasons. It is pleasant and, once done, it leads to what is profitable.

These are the four courses of action.

Meditating; Food-Mood Connection

If you're trying to meditate or feel better, SUGAR is your enemy.

.

Introduction to meditation with Jack Kornfield (Spirit Rock)

"Snacks Overpower Our Best Intentions"
LiveScience.com (9/16/08)

Despite our best intentions to eat something healthy, we often choose sugary snacks. Dutch researchers asked 585 participants to pick between four snacks: an apple, a banana, a candy bar, and a molasses waffle. About half of the participants indicated they would choose the apple or banana. But when presented with the actual snacks a week later, 27% of those who had said they'd pick a healthy one switched to the candy bar or waffle. And more than 90% of those who had initially made an unhealthy choice stuck with it.

Researchers figure that while we are in control of our intentions, our actual choices are often made impulsively, even unconsciously. "A substantial gap between healthy snack choice intentions and actual behavior was demonstrated," said study leader Pascalle Weijzen of Wageningen University in the Netherlands. "Despite that gap, the results suggest that individuals who plan to make a healthful choice are more likely to do so than those who plan to make unhealthful choices.

Because more than 50% of the population seems to have no intention at all of making a healthful choice, identifying tools by which this group can be motivated to choose a healthful snack is strongly needed." The study is detailed in the September/October issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.

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