We all wonder where we came from, as one Montana man did. Daryl "Dusty" Crawford, a member of the Native American Blackfeet tribe, had always been told at school that his ancestors came from Siberia, across a "land bridge."
However, his tribe members tell a different story. “We’ve always been here, since time immemorial,” says Shelly Eli, an instructor at Blackfeet Community College. “There [are] no oral stories that say we crossed a bridge or anything else.”
Dusty Crawford sought his own answers. Crawford traced his genetic timeline back 17,000 years — and he found out he is 83% Native American.
Crawford took an ancestry test at the urging of his brother, Willy, who passed away before Dusty could receive the results.
Crawford discovered something that would have shocked his late brother. With that DNA test, it was discovered that Crawford can trace his ancestry back 17,000 years.
Even more surprising than that, he found that his North American ancestry is OLDER than the land bridge that once connected Siberia to Alaska — a dubious story he’d been taught in school [moreLies My Teacher Told Me] was the place his ancestors came from.
Pacific Islanders not Siberians
Map before European invasion and colonialism
Instead, Crawford’s results suggest that his ancestors came not by bridge, but by boat — as his closest genetic ancestors come from the Pacific Islands, not Siberia.
The current theory is that Crawford’s ancestors — some of the first people to set foot in the Americas — came by boat to South America. They would have then worked their way north over many generations of travel.
In fact, remains found in Peru contain DNA from the same haplogroup as Dusty Crawford — meaning that he can trace his lineage directly back down to Peru and back across the Pacific Ocean.
CRI Genetics (sponsored in this instance by Taboola) claims their DNA tests are better because they are 100% privately owned and do not directly provide data to the government or Big Pharma companies, like certain competitors.*More
[*NOTE: This is deceptive because police, government, and Big Pharma can and do access test results all the time, which testing companies -- not test subjects -- own. CRI Genetics, like their competitors, are out to profit from tests as much as they can, so the results will eventually end up in the hands of authorities and corporations.]
Buddhist cave in the forest of Phetburi, Thailand, a Theravada country (huffingtonpost.com)
Theravada novice-monks in Burma read the Dharma by candlelight (Cesar_Losada/flickr).
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Land of the Medicine Buddha, Soquel
Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living near Rajagaha [the "Royal City" rung by seven hills], in the Bamboo Grove, in the Squirrels' Feeding Ground.
At that time Venerable Maha Kassapa, who was living in the Pipphali Cave [pipphali guha, on a nearby hill close to the famous Vulture Peak, named after the shadows cast by the shape of the rocks], was afflicted with a grave illness and was suffering from some disease.
Vulture Peak, a hill where the Buddha often resided in Rajgir, India. The small structure designates where Buddha used to stay. Picture taken from a neighboring hill. The valley below is where the outskirts of the old city of Rajagaha used to be(Griddhraj Parvat/wiki).
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Then the Blessed One arising from his solitude at eventide visited Maha Kassapa and sat down on a seat made ready (for him). Seated there the Blessed One spoke to him:
Novices in cave with the Buddha (Nadia Isakova)
"Well, Kassapa, how is it with you? Are you bearing up, are you enduring (this suffering)? Do your pains decrease or increase? Are there signs of your pains falling back and not advancing?"
"No, venerable sir, I am not bearing up, I am not enduring. The pain is very great. There is a sign not of pains decreasing but of increasing."
"Kassapa, these Seven Factors of Enlightenment are well expounded by me and are cultivated and fully developed by me. They conduce to perfect understanding, to full realization, (of the liberating/ennobling Four Noble Truths) and to Nibbana. What are the seven?"
How will we engineer our awakening?
1. "Mindfulness, the factor of enlightenment, Kassapa, is well expounded by me, and is cultivated and fully developed by me. It conduces to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."
2. "Investigation of [phenomena], the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."
3. "Persevering-effort, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."
4. "Rapture, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."
5. "Calm, the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."
6. "Concentration [the first four absorptions, or rupa jhanas, constitute the right-concentration of the Noble Eightfold Path], the factor of enlightenment...and to nirvana."
Woodland animals can sense peace.
7. "Equanimity, the factor of enlightenment, Kassapa, is well expounded by me, and is cultivated and fully developed by me. It conduces to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."
"These seven factors of enlightenment, Kassapa, are well expounded by me and are cultivated and fully developed by me. They conduce to perfect understanding, to full realization, and to nirvana."
"Most assuredly, O Blessed One, they are factor of enlightenment. Most assuredly, O Welcome One (Sugata), they are factors of enlightenment!"
Thus said the Buddha, and Ven. Maha Kassapa, glad at heart, approved the utterances of the Buddha. Thereupon, Ven. Kassapa recovered from that affliction, and that affliction, of Ven. Kassapa disappeared. [The same is recounted for Ven. Maha Moggalana, foremost in psychic powers].
Even when the Buddha got physically sick Wisdom Quarterly English translation (SN 46.14), Bojjhanga Paritta, a summary of theGilana Sutras on"Illness" and the Seven Factors of Enlightenment,a "protective chant" (Buddhist Devotion)Bojjanga Piritha, devotional protective chant of the Maha Kassapa and other bojjhanga sutras.
Having known by direct experience the seven kinds of dharma called the "Factors of Enlightenment" that destroy ALL suffering and rebirth for beings who wander through this Wheel of Life and Death (samsara), they defeat the army of Mara, the Killer [who obstructs awakening and keeps one cycling in ignorance through the planes of disappointment and suffering], these excellent persons were liberated from endless wandering through the "three spheres" [Sensual Sphere, Fine Material Sphere, and Immaterial Sphere, the kama-, rupa-, and arupa-lokas]. They have realized nirvana and gone beyond all rebirth, aging, suffering, death, and danger.
O, good people! Let us recite this Bojjhanga Sutra, which is endowed with the aforementioned attributes, which gives not a few benefits and which is like medicine and a mantra.
These seven factors of enlightenment -- namely, mindfulness, investigation of phenomena, effort (energy), rapture (joy), tranquility (serenity), concentration, and equanimity, which are all well-expounded by the All Seeing Sage -- promote, when practiced consistently, penetration of the Truth, cessation of suffering, and direct knowledge of the path to enlightenment. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness for you.
Once the Buddha saw Maha Moggalana and Maha Kassapa physically ill and in pain. He had them bring to mind the Seven Factors of Enlightenment.
Light streams into Buddhist cave in faraway Mandalay, Burma (huffingtonpost.com)
Having rejoiced at hearing the discourse reminding them of these liberating factors, they were immediately freed of their illness. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness to you.
Once when the King of the Dharma was himself oppressed by physical disease, he had Ven. Cunda recite the discourse respectfully, and having rejoiced at the Truth of this discourse was himself immediately cured of that physical disease. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness to you.
The diseases of the three Great Sages that were eradicated reached the stage of never occurring again like the mental defilements eradicated by the (magga-) path. By this utterance of Truth may there always be happiness for you.
Śāriputra (Pāli, "Sāriputta"; Chinese "Sheli Fu") was, like the female chief disciple of the Buddha, designated "foremost in wisdom." He became an Arhat (fully enlightened) renowned for his wisdom and explaining the Dharma.
He is depicted in the Theravada tradition as one of the most important disciples of the Buddha. Śāriputra came from a brahmin family and had already embarked on life as a spiritual ascetic when he encountered the teachings of the Buddha. Śāriputra had a close friend, Maha Moggallana (Sanskrit "Mahamaudgalyayana"), a Black disciple who was also a wandering ascetic. They both renounced the world on the same day and became disciples of the sceptic Sañjaya Belatthiputta before converting to Buddhism. (Read the story of their conversion).
After hearing of the Dharma from a monk named Assaji, Śāriputra sought out the Buddha and became an adherent to his teachings. The two male chief disciples are often depicted together with the Buddha, and several sutras regard interactions between Śāriputra and Moggallana (who became renowned among the early Buddhists for his mastery of supernatural powers and was designated by the Buddha as "foremost in psychic ability"). Their relics were lost and not recovered until 1851.
Sariputra, Indonesian wall depiction (ariaristides)
In one somewhat comical scene involving the two friends, a mischievous yakkha decides that it will attempt to irritate Śāriputra by striking him on the head. Moggallana sees this occurring with his "divine eye" (a clairvoyant faculty often attributed to powerful Buddhist monks, as well as other South and Southeast Asian ascetics). He unsuccessfully attempts to warn Śāriputra.
However, due to his own great spiritual mastery, Śāriputra perceives the terrible blow that the yakkha delivers as merely a light breeze. Moggallana approaches and expresses his amazement that Śāriputra barely noticed the terrible blow. Śāriputra replies in kind, amazed at the fact that Moggallana was able to perceive the invisible creature that dealt the blow.
Śāriputra was older than the Buddha and died shortly before him, an event that apparently caused great distress to Ananda (the most famous of the Buddha's disciples), the Buddha's cousin and personal attendant, who made Buddhism possible by memorizing every discourse and reciting them after the Buddha's nirvana). The Buddha gave a eulogy, noting his chief disciple for his compassion, patience and humility.
Śāriputra often preached with the Buddha's express approval. Thus, he was eventually awarded the title of "Marshal of the Dharma" (Pāli, Dhammasenāpati) for his propagation of Buddhism. Furthermore, he is regarded the founder of the Abhidharma tradition (the higher or abstract-metaphysical teaching).
While depictions of Śāriputra in the Pali Canon are uniformly positive -- showing Śāriputra as a wise and able Arhat, second only to the Buddha -- his depiction in Mahayana ("great vehicle") Buddhist sources has often been much less flattering.
In the Vimalakirti-nirdesa Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, Śāriputra is depicted as the voice of the less sophisticated Hinayana or sravaka (ascetic) tradition. He is unable to readily grasp the Mahayana doctrines presented by Vimalakirti and others. And he is rebuked or defeated in debate by a number of interlocutors, including a female deity (deva) who frustrates Śāriputra's Hinayana ("lesser vehicle") assumptions regarding gender and form.
A dialogue between Śāriputra and the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara inspired the Heart Sutra, a brief but essential text in the Mahayana Buddhist tradition as practiced in Tibet, Mongolia, China, Korea, and Japan.
The central figure on these Tibetan thangkas is the historical Gautama Buddha (a.k.a., Shakyamuni), seated center. He is samyak-sambuddha, "enlightened and enlightening." He has an ornate nimbus of animals, and Dharmachakra, topping them, which represent paramitas ("perfections"). Flanking Shakyamuni are his two chief disciples, Sariputra and Maudgalyayana (http://www.exoticindiaart.com/).
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