Buddhist Magic with the Heart Sutra

(Benebell Wen) Buddhist Magic with the Heart Sutra

• Neuroscientist Dr. Jill Bolte Taylor: My Stroke of Insight
• Witchcraft? Where did he go? (Britain's Got Talent) 😲

Five real cracks in this "reality"

(The Opening) Five cracks in reality (we've never noticed one)

• VIDEO: These are forbidden magic books the Christian church doesn't want people to read

Om Mani Padme Hum (Tibetan chanting)

(Om Mantra Style) This Tibetan mantra changes our state - Himalayan Buddhist meditation for nervous system healing

• Om mani padme hum ("all hail the jewel in the lotus," perhaps referring to the shining adamantine core wrapped in delicate sheaths or koshas, a "soul" or spirit in a corporeal body) is a Sanskrit chant uttered for its vibrational power rather than literal meaning

(Soulful Energy)

Avalokiteśvara as Kwan Yin

Oṃ maṇi padme hūm̐ [1] (Sanskrit ॐ मणि पद्मे हूँ) is a six syllable Sanskrit mantra particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteśvara (later transformed into Kwan Yin), the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

It first appeared in the Mahayana Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra, where it is also referred to as the sadaksara (Sanskrit षडक्षर, the "six syllabled") and the paramahrdaya or "innermost heart" of Avalokiteśvara [2].

In that text the mantra is seen as the condensed form of all Buddhist teachings [3]. The precise meaning and significance of the particular words remain much discussed by Buddhist scholars.

The literal meaning in English has been expressed as "praise to the jewel in the lotus" [4] or as a declarative aspiration, possibly meaning "I in the jewel-lotus" [5].

Padma is Sanskrit for the Indian lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) and mani means "jewel," as in a type of spiritual "gem" or "treasure" widely referred to in Buddhism [6].

The first word, om (aum), is a sacred syllable [bija or seed mantra] in various Indian religions, and hum represents the spirit of enlightenment [7], though it is the sound of the throat chakra.

In Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism this ubiquitous mantra and its recitation is a popular form of religious practice, performed by laypersons and monastics alike. It is an ever-present feature of the landscape, commonly carved onto rocks, known as "mani stones," painted into the sides of hills, or written on prayer flags and giant rotating prayer wheels [8].

(Mantraon)

 

The mantra is also popularly used in East Asian Buddhist traditions, where it is mainly associated with the Bodhisattva Kwan Yin (Guanyin), who is the female East Asian manifestation (version) of Avalokiteśvara.

In Chinese Mahayana Buddhism, the recitation of the mantra remains widely practiced by both monastics and laypeople, and it plays a key role as part of the standard liturgy utilized in many of the most common Chinese Buddhist rituals performed in monasteries [9, 10, 11].

It is common for the Chinese hanzi transliteration of the mantra to be painted on walls and entrances in Chinese Mahayana Buddhist temples, as well as stitched into the fabric of particular ritual adornments used in certain rituals.

The mantra is also recited in the standard liturgies of temples belonging to the Vietnamese and Japanese Ōbaku Zen Buddhist traditions as well. The mantra has also been adapted into Chinese Taoism [12], which is not Buddhist at all though it came to form the basis of Zen philosophy. More

Most dangerous Buddhism: Vajrayana?

What is a vajra, the basis of this vehicle?

(Buddha's Wisdom) The most DANGEROUS path in Buddhism: is VAJRAYANA the fastest path to enlightenment? [Or a mishmash of pre-Buddhist Bon black magic shamanism, Brahminical Hinduism, Esoteric yogic practices, and a slew of East Asian Mahayana teachings in an imperial Himalayan context?] See details

• Vajrayana Buddhism

The Buddha taught magic?

Vajrayāna (Sanskrit वज्रयान, lit. "Diamond Vehicle" or "Thunderbolt Vehicle"), otherwise known as Mantra-yāna ("Mantra Vehicle"), Guhya-mantra-yāna ("Secret Mantra Vehicle"), Tantra-yāna ("Tantra Vehicle"), Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a vehicle (yāna) in the larger Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition.

It emphasizes esoteric practices and rituals aimed at rapid spiritual awakening. Emerging between the 5th and 7th centuries CE in medieval India [1, 2], Vajrayāna Buddhism incorporates a range of techniques.

These include the use of mantras (sacred sounds), dhāraṇīs (mnemonic codes), mudrās (symbolic hand gestures), mandalās (spiritual diagrams), [yoga asanas (spiritual positions, "seats," postures)], and the visualization of deities (devas) and buddhas. More

• Religion in Tibet
• Tibetan Buddhism
• Buddhism in Russia
• Buddhism in Mongolia
• Buddhism in Nepal
• Buddhism in Bhutan
• Schools of Buddhism
• Buddha's Wisdom, April 27, 2026; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Tibetan mantra chant: peace reset (live)

(Mantraon) This Tibetan mantra chant changes our state -- deep healing, inner peace, nervous system reset (LIVE)

Female Buddha? Chant Tibetan mantras

The amazing Yeshe Tsogyal (Wiki)

Yeshe Tsogyal (circa 757 or 777–817 CE) [1], also known as "Victorious Ocean of Knowledge," "Knowledge Lake Empress" (ཡེ་ཤེས་མཚོ་རྒྱལ), or by her Sanskrit name Jñānasāgarā "Knowledge Ocean," or her clan name "Lady Kharchen" [2], attained enlightenment in her lifetime and is considered the Mother of Tibetan Buddhism. She is the highest woman in the Nyingma Vajrayana lineage. Some sources say, as Princess of Karchen, she was either a wife or consort of the Emperor Tri Songdetsen of Tibet [3], when she began studying Vajrayana Buddhism with Padmasambhava, who became her main karmamudrā consort. Padmasambhava is a founder-figure of the Nyingma tradition of Tibetan Buddhism and is considered the second buddha of our era [4], an idea that is anathema to Theravada Buddhist accounts of what the historical Buddha taught.

(Tibetan Nuns) Esoteric Buddhism in Tibet takes from Bon shamanism (Himalayan sorcery), Hindu tantra and yoga, and Mahayana Buddhism to form a unique expression of the Dharma so far removed from the historical Buddha's doctrine (Teachings, Dharma) that one might mistake it for Vedic Hinduism with names changed from the traditional Hindu pantheon to Tibetan and Indian figures that rose to importance in history.

Wrath of Wisdom and Buddhist Magic

(Benebell Wen) Wrath of Wisdom and Buddhist Magic: The Rites of Yamantaka

• Dharani in Vajrayana (Esoteric) Buddhism/Taoist mysticism
• Kwan Yin (Guanyin), Buddhism's Goddess of Compassion

(Benebell Wen) Asian folk magic and the power of mantra in Mantrayana

KUKAI: Zen documentary FREE in LA

• Kukai: Six FREE screenings in SoCal, beginning Friday, April 10, 2026, 7:00 PM | (Dharma Buddhist Meditation on Meetup)

KŪKAI is a visually stunning documentary that brings to the screen the remarkable story of Kūkai, one of the most influential figures in Japanese cultural history. In 804 AD, he traveled from Japan to Tang China in search of knowledge, beginning a journey that would leave a lasting mark on art, learning, and cultural life across East Asia.

• FREE TICKETS: Register now: “KŪKAI” Exclusive Screening Tour 2026 (U.S.)
• “KŪKAI” Exclusive Screening Tour | Los Angeles, USA Tickets, Saturday, April 11  •  2:30 PM - 5:30 PM | Eventbrite

REVIEW: No. This is the worst kind of hagiography. We saw it in Beverly Hills on Sunday as part of its pre-release screening. It is as faith-based as it gets, and Japan is already infamous for its uber faith (bhakti) path Nichiren Buddhism. In the struggle between tariki and jiriki, it goes over the top that magic, mantra, and mumbo-jumbo are the path. It's not the Path the historical Buddha taught, and anyone could see that with the slightest amount of study. Faith (saddha, confidence, conviction) is an important step in walking the Path, but blind faith or an overdependence on some other force in the universe being invoked to come save us, it's not what the Buddha taught. It seems the antithesis of his message to a suffering world. The Dharma (Dhamma) is all about taking a good look at reality and our responsibility for ourselves. We're in this mess, we're keeping ourselves in this mess, and we have to make the effort (with help) to awaken ourselves. This is not a do-it-yourself project, but it is certainly not a Brahminical tantric secret of hocus pocus and everything working out. There were six "heretical" teachers and popular pernicious wrong views at the time of the historical Buddha. And he taught the Net of All-Embracing Views (Brahmajala Sutta) to counter those wrong views and bring about right view, the first factor or limb of the Ennobling Eightfold Path. What's wrong with this movie? What's right with it? Create a mechanical looking lead who never speaks, use a thundering "God voice" in classical Chinese with untranslated Sanskrit terms when they could easily be shown in English in parentheses, leave females out of 99% of the story, only including them as a footnote of grateful praying sycophants. Use AI to make the whole historical tale seem like a bad, one-sided fiction.

Alan Watts: Get out of the mind once a day

(Simply Art- Inspire) Go out of the mind once a day: Alan Watts on Buddhist meditation

• Alan Watts every week on Buddhist Radio Los Angeles (Something's Happening honoring Roy of Hollywood Tuckman), Sundays at 8:00 am (PT) and Thursdays at midnight with Speech Impediment Buzz and Nurse Diane. FREE worldwide live online (kpfk.org) and in the archives for the following 90 days
• AlanWatts.org via Simply Art- Inspire (YouTube); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Meditation 'n magic in the Himalayas

Ancient Buddhist monks found alive in remote Himalayas: Experts fear what they’re guarding

In Lhasa, Tibet, 1924

(Voyager) April 28, 2025: In the remote, icy Himalayan peaks, ancient monks have been reportedly found alive, sitting in deep meditation and untouched by time. These mysterious figures, seemingly defying death, have sparked awe and fear among experts. What secrets are they guarding, and why are they hidden in isolation? Whispers of divine rituals and ancient relics have surfaced, leaving the world to wonder if these monks hold knowledge that could reshape humanity—or destroy it. What lies beyond the veil of their silence? #Voyager Subscribe ➡ @voyagerspace 

Magic and Mystery in Tibet

Alexandra David-Neel, 1886

Western author Alexandra David-Neel has garnered 4.5 out of 5 stars with 160 ratings (and reviews). This is the Number 1 best seller in Tibet travel guides.

For centuries Tibet has been known as the last home of mystery [excluding the even more mysterious Bhutan, Sikkim, and to some extent Nepal], the hidden, sealed land, where ancient mysteries still survive that have perished in the rest of the Orient (Asia).

Many people have written about Tibet and its secret lore, but few have actually penetrated it to learn its ancient wisdom. Among those few was Madame Alexandra David-Neel, a French Orientalist.

A practicing Western Buddhist, a profound historian of religion, and linguist, she actually lived in Tibet for more than 14 years.

• She had the great honor of being received by the 14th Dalai Lama;
• she studied philosophical Buddhism and Tibetan Tantra at Tibet's great centers;
• she meditated in lonely caves and on wind-swept winter mountains with yogi hermits; and
• she witnessed forbidden corpse-magic in the forests.
• Her experiences are unique.

The Secret Oral Teachings in Tibetan Buddhist Sects

Magic and Mystery in Tibet tells the story of her experiences on the Rooftop of the World, among lamas and magicians.

It is neither a travel book nor an autobiography but a study of psychic discovery, a description of the occult and mystical theories and psychic training practices of Tibet.

She tells of great sages and sorcerers that she met, of the system of monastic education, the great teachers and their disciples, Tibetan folklore about their spiritual athletes, reincarnation (rebirth) and memory from previous lives.

She also discusses elaborate magical rites to obtain the siddhis (supernormal powers), the horrible necromantic magic of the pre-Buddhist Bonpa shamas (Bon shamans), mental visualization exercises to create disembodied thought forms (tulpas), visions, strange phenomena derived from physical yoga postures, control of the body-heat mechanism (tumo), breathing exercises; sending “messages on the wind,” and much similar material.

An unusual aspect of Madame David-Neel’s book is that she herself experienced many of the phenomena she describes, yet she describes them with precision and in a matter-of-fact manner, permitting the reader to draw his own conclusions about validity, interpretation in terms of psychology, and value.

Particularly interesting for the modern experiencer are her detailed instructions for tumo (the yoga of heat control) and the creation of thought projections. More

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Author becomes an adept in Tibet, 1933

At the age of 18, Alexandra David-Néel had already visited England, Switzerland, and Spain on her own, and she was studying in Madame Blavatsky's Theosophical Society.

"She joined various secret societies – she would reach the thirtieth degree in the mixed Scottish Rite of Freemasonry – while [both] feminist and anarchist groups greeted her with enthusiasm...

"Throughout her childhood and adolescence, she was associated with the French geographer and anarchist Elisée Reclus (1820–1905). This led her to become interested in the anarchistic ideas of the time and in feminism, that inspired her to publish Pour la vie (For Life) in 1898.

"In 1899, she composed an anarchist treatise with a preface by Reclus. Publishers did not dare to publish the book, though her friend Jean Haustont printed copies himself and it was eventually translated into five languages."

In 1891, she visited India for the first time and met her spiritual preceptor, Swami Bhaskarananda Saraswati of Varanasi [7].

She was 21 years old when she converted to Buddhism in 1889, according to Raymond Brodeur, which she noted in her diary published under the title La Lampe de sagesse (The Lamp of Wisdom) in 1896. More

• Introduction by A. D'Arsonval, June 1, 1971
• See all formats and editions
• Voyager, April 28, 2025; Alexandra David-Neel, Magic and Mystery in Tibet (amazon.com); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

What happened to US teen Jalue Dorge?

Meet the holiest sixth grader in Columbia Heights (Minneapolis-St.Paul Magazine)

Meet the Minnesota 9-year-old destined to be a Buddhist spiritual leader

The Dalai Lama blesses holiest American boy

(PBS NewsHour) COLUMBIA HEIGHTS, Minnesota - Oct. 27, 2016: Like any 4th grade American boy, Jalue Dorje enjoys soccer, swimming, and Pokémon cards. But unlike most 9-year-olds, he is believed to be -- and confirmed by the Dalai Lama himself and other Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist spiritual leaders -- the willful "reincarnation" (tulku) of an eminent senior lama who died nine years ago. Special correspondent Fred de Sam Lazaro reports. PBS is an American public broadcast service.

American tulku Jalue Dorje turns 18

American teenager prepares for life as a Tibetan Buddhist leader | TaiwanPlus News

(TaiwanPlus News) Nov. 21, 2024: Jalue Dorje, an 18-year-old Tibetan American, celebrated his coming-of-age in Minnesota in a suburb of Minneapolis called Columbia Heights, with an enthronement ceremony. At just four months old, Jalue Dorje was identified as a reincarnated lama, the rebirth of a venerated leader of a Tibetan Vajrayana (Esoteric) Buddhist sect. After he graduates high school next year, the teen who loves American football and [foulmouthed and filthy] rap music will head to a monastery (lamasery) in the Indian Buddhist Himalayas for the next stage of his spiritual journey.

📹 Reporters Eason Chen and Aadil Brar. #TaiwanPlus #TaiwanPlusNews #TaiwanNews #US #tibet #teens #Himalayas - TaiwanPlus｜taiwanplus.com. TaiwanPlus presents the independent island country’s unique voice on not only local issues but also world events. Connect with TaiwanPlus. Watch shows made by TaiwanPlus (@taiwanplus). Like on Facebook (taiwanplusnews). Tweet on Twitter (taiwanplusnews). Follow on Instagram (taiwanplusnews).

Where is the REAL Panchen Lama?

Gravitas | Tibet's Panchen Lama: What have the Chinese done?

• PBS News Hour; TaiwanPlus News; CC Liu, Sheldon S., Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Chant for stuff: Soka Gakkai Buddhist CULT

Namu myōhō renge kyō (南無妙法蓮華経): Devotion to Mystic Dharma of Lotus Flower Sutra

Pseudo-spirituality books like The Secret, Passion for Profits (Family Guy's Brian writes a bestseller 

Dharma Vlog: Cults and weird Buddhism

(Doug's Dharma) Dougie discusses some experiences with a teacher who was in a couple of cults, plus an example of "weird Buddhism" that provides a bit of a life lesson.

• Why Buddhism isn't a religion (Doug's Dharma)

Beneficial? Lend a hand in exchange for fun benefits. Check out Doug Smith's Patreon: dougsseculardharma. Donate: paypal.me/dougsdharma. Visit the Secular Buddhist Association webpage: secularbuddhism.org. Doug's material: secularbuddhism.org/author/doug.

How to chant Nam-myoho-renge-kyo | English

(Soka Gakkai Official) Is "wishcraft" real? What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean? [Don't worry about it. That's not important. Just chant it, and don't stop!] How can I start chanting? This short film introduces the daily practice of "Soka Gakkai Buddhists" and demonstrates how to chant [their magic mantra].

• Other power over self-power (tariki over jiriki)
• Who made up the magic Lotus Sutra?

The Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist[-ish] organization that promotes peace, culture, and education centered on [faith, not asking questions, and suspending critical thinking, but you get stuff] respect for the dignity of life.

The CULT of Soka Gakkai

(Prophet of Nonsense) The Many Cults of Japan: Soka Gakkai

The Many Cults of Japan: Soka Gakkai

(Prophet of Nonsense) Formerly Shinto Japan is full of religious crazies. Here are the Buddhist ones.

Its members in 192 countries and territories study and put into practice the humanistic philosophy of [blind faith-based] Nichiren Buddhism. Soka Gakkai members strive to [make money and material riches by magic and] actualize their inherent potential while contributing [tithing it to the cult and] to their local communities and responding to the shared issues facing humankind.

No wonder Japan hates religions

(Let's Ask Shogo) How Japanese people came to hate religions

The conviction that individual happiness and the realization of peace are inextricably linked is central to the Soka Gakkai, as is a commitment to dialogue and nonviolence.

Subscribe to channel: sgivideosonline. Website: sokaglobal.org, Facebook (sgi.info), Instagram (sgi.info), Twitter (sgi_info).

• Doug Smith (secularbuddhism.org), Aug. 10, 2017; Prophet of Nonsense, Oct. 31, 2020; Let's Ask Shogo, Nov. 1, 2023; CC Liu, Sheldon S., Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Heart Sutra: Emptiness, an example

The Heart Sutra: Post canonical Buddhist discourse on the profound nature of reality

(Wisdom Tellers) Sept. 27, 2024: This video explores one of Buddhism’s most profound teachings — emptiness (the impersonal nature of all things). The heart in the Heart Sutra is the heart of wisdom. Discover the essence of emptiness, wisdom, and the path to enlightenment as taught in this timeless Mahayana text, chanted the world over with few penetrating its meaning.

#HeartSutra #BuddhasWisdom #MahayanaBuddhism #Emptiness #Shunyata #Enlightenment #Prajnaparamita #BuddhistTeachings #Avalokiteshvara #SpiritualWisdom

An example to explain emptiness

What is this phenomenon? Interaction of factors

If things are empty (without essence) then what is it that exists?

Constituents.

What does not exist?

Anything apart from those core constituents; there is no separate existence.

All is one?

Perhaps, but what is being said is that a thing is not anything (or is no thing) apart from its constituents (mere supporting causes and conditions).

Can you please give me an example? That sounds crazy.

Yes. Go get a candleflame or envision a real candleflame burning. Now ask, Does it exist?

Of course it exists. Why wouldn't it exist?

Where is it?

It's right here, right here in front of me. Don't you envision it, too?

Yes, but what I see right here is wax, wick, oxygen, heat, and a complex process of combustion. I do not find a candle "flame" itself.

Well, all of that is the candleflame, isn't it?

Is it? There are just those five, so where is the "flame"?

What do you mean, "Where is it?" It's right here!

But here are just five things. And the "flame" is the functional integration of these five. It is not a separate thing at all. It's only an illusion arising from the interdependence of these five. When these five are exhausted or fall away, the illusion of the candle "flame" is no more. It ceases.

What ceases? The flame?

No, the illusion. When it ceases one might ask, Where did it go? Did it go up, down, sideways, north, south, inside, outside?

No, none of those apply, do they? It simply went out, out of existence. It was annihilated. Having been born and created when the candle was lit, it died and ceased to exist.

No. It never was. The illusion fell away. It, not having been, could not cease to be. There were those five, which are not the candle "flame," and now they are no more, their functional integration having ceased.

So that's it?

Oh no, it's much more personal. If this can be said of a candleflame and other things (like constituent parts), what if one were to say it of me, myself, and I?

That's madness!

Madness it may be, but it's true. What is "I" but an illusion arising from five things clung to as "self"?

What five?

Form, feeling, perception, mental formations, and consciousness.

The self has those.

No, those very things are the self, and there's no separate existence for the self apart from them, because they are the changing constituents of self. They cling to the illusion that there is a "self."

The self clings?

No, there is no self. They (the constituents) cling. Just as feelings themselves feel, and consciousness itself is conscious, so an illusion called "self" arises and is clung to, fearing that it might die and be annihilated, wishing that it could be born and last forever.

Okay.

If they are always changing, what can be said about a "permanent" self that endures from moment to moment or life to life or even enduring unchanged through one life?

It's an illusion?

Yes, it's an illusion. ALL things are empty (and illusory) in this way. Moreover, if the mind/heart can know-and-see this in a flash of clarity and insight, one can be free of clinging, free of rebirth, free of all suffering.

That's what Mahayana Buddhism believes?

No, Mahayana doesn't know what it means. That is to say, most Mahayanists do not know what it says. They imagine it means all sorts of other things, unconsciously clinging to thoughts of a self that will be eternalized and free and everlasting and luminous, all sorts of things held over from the Vedic Brahmanical and Hindu way of seeing things.

What is Mahayana?

Let's ask Asangoham to explain that.

• Wisdom Tellers (Video 1), 9/27/24; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Bhante (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Paranormal Buddhists of Tibet (video)

The Mystery of Tibetan Monastics' Paranormal Abilities: Unparalleled Skills and Secrets of Practice

(Mr. Y Talks) May 18, 2023: This video goes deep into the extraordinary paranormal abilities of Tibetan nuns and monks and reveals the secrets of their practice. Some are "living buddhas," which is a misleading translation for bodhisattvas ("being bent on supreme enlightenment, buddhas-to-be"). Westerner Alexandra David-Neel traveled to Tibet in the 1930s and wrote about her experiences in Magic and Mystery in Tibet.

COMMENTARY

Are such things really possible, Wisdom Quarterly? Yes, they are. The basis is samadhi (stillness, superconsciousness, states of emerging from single pointed focus or concentration, which temporarily purifies the mind/heart, leading to a breakthrough in recovering our innate ability as a human species). These powers are known in Buddhism as the abhinnas or iddhis (Sanskrit siddhis). They are well known even outside Buddhism, where they are also warned against. Hinduism and the older Vedic religion is well aware of these miraculous powers and calls those who master samadhi "saints."

These are not saints in Buddhism, which reserves the term for those proficient in calm and insight, who are liberated from the mental hindrances and defilements. The Buddha possessed these powers but was very reluctant to use them, seeing great danger in them. It is hard to attain these powers and they are fickle. They may easily drop away. The Buddha spoke of 11 imperfections in their development to be mindful of if one should wish to exercise them.

But a more telling event about the Buddha's attitude towards them is found in a story in the ancient texts. One day the Buddha and his attendant monk, Ananda, were walking down the road and saw some old yogis who possessed these powers. They were renowned and respected.

The Buddha turned to Ananda and said something to the effect of, "How sad these two."

Ananda replied, "But they are well respected and possess supernormal powers."

"Yeah, but had they developed those powers in this Dharma (herein within the Buddha's Doctrine and Discipline), they would not only have those powers, but they would also be liberated (enlightened and free from suffering and rebirth).

"As it is, although they have spent many years of spiritual effort to develop these trifling 'powers,' they have not worked on the much more important skill of release, of making an end of ignorance, of uprooting the defilements of the heart/mind greed, hatred, and delusion. Now they have these powers, but they will eventually lose them. Having gained nothing else because they were so busy to develop them, if they are not destroyed by these very powers, what will they have? They will have wasted all those years and, what's worse, wasted the opportunity to strive for real liberation (moksha) and actually be free."

Who needs Buddhism? Let's do magic instead

This is a shocking thing to say because within their own tradition, they were regarded as "saints" the way a Catholic nun or monk could live cloistered, fasting, praying, purifying their morality, faith, karma, and concentration and, in doing so, may indeed gain mysterious abilities, magic powers. If anyone sees them displaying such powers, they will be hailed as "holy" and "saved" and "destined for heaven," objects of veneration, respect, and petitionary prayers and prayers to intercede on behalf of the faithful.

But they will not be "saints" in the Buddhist sense. They are not free of the defilements (which have only been suppressed by many and various spiritual practices). They will not have made an end of greed, hatred, and delusion only of obvious and overt signs of them while they are still latent in their psyches (layers of their personality bundles within the Five Aggregates clung to as self). They may even be reborn into a heaven, but as that heaven is not the end all be all it is advertised as being, they will neither be "saved," purified, free, attaining to the deathless, nor anything else of note. It will be as if all those side effects were for not nothing but not anything really worthwhile, admirable, or spiritually desirable like nirvana, awakening, the end of rebirth or, there is a remainder of defilements, rebirth in exalted worlds where they are able to complete the training in very conducive circumstances and be freed from there.

We can meditate to purify the mind then practice for insight to be free?

Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism is very esoteric, partly because it is mixed with the more ancient indigenous Himalayan shamanic practice of Bon and partly because it is a Mahayana school, which itself is very much mixed with Hindu, Vedic, yogic, and Brahmanical ideas. These are ideas and assumptions the historical Buddha rejected and went to great pains to point out for disciples to avoid.

ET, Buddhist, Hindu mandalas, mantras

Thought instruments: Monks, why do you say mantras and draw mandalas so much?

Ancient Aliens: Indecipherable Alien Codes (sky devas traveling in vimanas)

Turn the speaker on and see how well we drew it.

(HISTORY) Ancient Aliens is counting down ten of the most intriguing and mysterious symbols and codes found across the planet that just might contain proof of otherworldly extraterrestrial contact. See more in this scene from Season 20, Episode 5, "The Top Ten Alien Codes."

Watch favorite episodes of Ancient Aliens on The HISTORY Channel website at history.com/schedule. #AncientAliens

• German scientist Ernst Chladni who wrote Discoveries in the Theory of Sound (Entdeckungen über die Theorie des Klanges, 1787)
• Cymatic patterns are like Tibetan Buddhist sand mandalas
• Are mandalas the cymatic signatures of soundwaves?
• Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Suck it up, Buttercup! Jojo in the Dojo

How could this psychotic Nazi coach be so mean to little princess Jojo Siwa with the mom looking on in silence? Is this any way to raise a healthy dancer or pop idol? It is the way of Kali, Durga, and ferocity. There has to be a better way to enter the place of the way to discover the Tao of Self-Development.

Punk: clumsy Dancing Shiv' (skanking)

(WQ) The dojo ("the place of the way") is a training center, do or tao being "the way of," and the other portion of the word being the suggested way. Chado is "the Way of Tea" (cha or chai being tea) and taekwondo is "the way of striking with foot and hand," a martial art (method of combat). The Way of the Buddha could be the mantra Buddho, the Ennobling Eightfold Path, rather than the martial arts of Japanese budō (wu-dō) or "Way of War." And Play-Doh (a brand name form of "play dough," the Way of Play") might be a good name for dancing, if dancing weren't taken so very seriously by aspiring dancers. Playdo might be the best name for "the Way of Meditation," chan'do, "the Way of the Way," the Way of Jhana, chan, dhyana, or Zen (which is just the Japanese pronunciation of the Pali word jhana or "meditative absorption").

Jojo Siwa on TV's Dance Moms

Meditation? Start with the mantra "Buddho"

Buddho by Phra Ajahn Thate Desaransi, American Theravada Buddhist monk Ven. Thanissaro (trans) from accesstoinsight.org edited by Wisdom Quarterly

.

The Buddha inspired great confidence

When one goes to study meditation with any group or teacher who is experienced in a particular form of meditation, one should first make one's heart confident that that teacher is fully experienced in that form of meditation.

Confidence (saddha)

Be confident that the form of meditation taught is the right path for sure. At the same time, show respect for the place in which one is to meditate. Only then should one begin practicing.

Dedication

Teachers in the past used to require a dedication ceremony as a means of inspiring confidence before one was to study meditation. They would have one make an offering of five pairs of candles and five pairs of white flowers. This was called the five khandha. Or eight pairs of candles and eight pairs of white flowers, which was called the eight khandha. Or one pair of candles each weighing 15 grams and an equal number of white flowers.

Meditation methods

Then they would teach one their particular form of meditation. This ancient custom has its good points. There are many other ceremonies as well, but I won't go into them. I'll mention only a very simple, easy-to-follow ceremony a little further on.

Dhammakaya technique

Only after one has inspired confidence in one's heart as already mentioned should one go to the teacher experienced in that form of meditation. If a teacher is experienced in repeating samma araham, that teacher will teach one to repeat samma araham, samma araham, samma araham.

• (Samma = "right," araham = arahant = "enlightened one," so roughly this could mean "right enlightenment.")

Then the teacher will have one visualize a bright, clear jewel two inches above the navel and tell one to focus the mind there as one continues the repetition, without letting the mind slip away from the jewel. In other words, one takes the jewel as the focal point of the mind.

Rising and falling

If one goes to a teacher experienced in meditating on the rising and falling of the abdomen, that teacher will have one meditate on rising and falling and focus the mind on the different motions of the body.

For instance, when one raises a foot, one thinks "raising." When one places a foot, one thinks "placing," and so on. Or else the teacher will have one focus continually on being preoccupied with the phenomenon of arising and passing away in every motion or position of the body.

Psychic powers

If one goes to a teacher experienced in psychic powers, that teacher will have one repeat na ma ba dha, na ma ba dha and focus the mind on a single object until it takes one to see heavens and hells, deities and brahmas of all sorts, to the point where one gets carried away with those visions.

Breath meditation

If one goes to a teacher experienced in breath meditation, that teacher will have one focus on one's in-and-out breath (ana-pana-sati) and have one keep the mind firmly preoccupied with nothing but the in-and-out breath.

Mantra reptition

If one goes to a teacher experienced in meditating on the mantra buddho, that teacher will have one repeat buddho, buddho, buddho and have one keep the mind firmly on that meditation word until one is fully skilled at it.

Then that teacher will have one contemplate buddho and what it is that is saying buddho. Once one sees that they are two separate things, focus on what's saying buddho. As for the word buddho, it will disappear, leaving only what it is that was saying buddho.

One then focuses on what it is that was saying buddho as the object of meditation.

What is the true cause?

People of our time — people of any time, for that matter — regardless of how educated or capable they may be and especially those of us who are Buddhists: Buddhism teaches causes and effects that are entirely true, but why is it that we have to fall for the claims and advertisements we hear everywhere? It must be because people at present are impatient and want to see results before they have completed the causes, in line with the fact that we are supposed to be in an atomic age.

• (I don't want to criticize any of us as tending to believe in things the truth of which we have not tested because, after all, we all want to know and see the truth.)

Buddhism teaches us to penetrate into the heart and mind, which are mental phenomena. As for the material body, it is a physical phenomenon. Physical phenomena are under the control of mental phenomena.

Training the mind

When we begin to practice meditation and train the mind to be quiet and untroubled, I can't see that we are creating any problems at that moment for anyone at all. If we keep practicing until we are skilled, then we will be calm and at peace.

If more and more people practice this way, there will be peace and happiness all over the world. As for the body, we can train it to be peaceful only as long as the mind is in full control.

The minute mindfulness lapses, the body will return to its old habits. So let's try training the mind by repeating buddho.

Preliminary Steps to Practicing Meditation

Before practicing meditation on the mantra word buddho, start with the preliminary steps. In other words, inspire confidence in the mind, as already mentioned, then bow three times, saying: More

• Jojo Siwa, Mother Siwa, and Nazi Coach (Dance Moms), Ajahn Thate translated by Thanissaro Bhikkhu (accesstoinsight.com); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly