Corpse Flowers at The Huntington 2026, Los Angeles
Corpse flowers at The Huntington 2026
Showing posts with label mara. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mara. Show all posts
Monday, July 13, 2026
California's corpse flowers in bloom (LIVE)
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Sex and Suffering on Valentine's Day
(Matt on Buddha's Wisdom) SEX in BUDDHISM: not a moral rule but a deeper question
There are a number of martyrdom stories associated with various Saint Valentines connected to February 14th [5], including an account of the imprisonment of Saint Valentine of Rome for ministering to Christians persecuted under the Roman Empire in the third century [6, 7].
The 8th-century Gelasian Sacramentary recorded the celebration of the Feast of Saint Valentine on February 14th [10, 11]. The day became associated with romantic love in the 14th and 15th centuries, when notions of courtly love flourished, apparently by association with the "lovebirds" of early spring.
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| Valentines is a heart-shaped box of chocolates |
Valentine's Day (aka Saint Valentine's Day, Feast of St. Valentine [1]) is celebrated annually on February 14th [2].
This celebration of going from Lust to Love like the Go Go's, it originated as a Christian feast day honoring a martyr named Valentine, and through later folk traditions it has also become a significant cultural, religious and commercial celebration of romance and love in many regions of the world [3, 4].
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| Cupid is Mara and Kama |
According to an early tradition, Saint Valentine restored sight to the blind daughter of his jailer [8]. Numerous later additions to the legend have better related it to the theme of love: Tradition maintains that Saint Valentine performed weddings for Christian soldiers who were forbidden to marry by the Roman emperor [7]. An 18th-century embellishment to the legend claims he wrote the jailer's daughter a letter signed "Your Valentine" as a farewell before his execution [9].
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| Will consumers buy cheap cards? |
In 18th-century England, it grew into an occasion for couples to express their love for each other by presenting flowers, offering confectionery, and sending greeting cards (known as "valentines").
Valentine's Day symbols that are used today include the heart-shaped outline, doves, and the figure of the winged Cupid [who acts like the India god Kama, Greek Eros and Aphrodite, Roman Venus, and Buddhist Mara].
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| No sex please. We're Ameboids 'n Gatchularians |
In the 19th century, handmade cards gave way to mass-produced greetings [12] thanks to capitalism. In Italy, Saint Valentine's keys are given to lovers "as a romantic symbol and an invitation to unlock the giver's heart" as well as to children to ward off epileptic fits (called Saint Valentine's Malady) [13], which could be thought of as an overwrought lover's obsessive mania, like St. Vitus' Dance. More
Jewish sex: stripping vs. old men
Thursday, January 22, 2026
When we all die, where do we go?
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Thay (pronounced "Thai") is Thich Nhat Hanh, here explaining a candle flame. Where will it go?
Years later, I came across BPS Wheel 463 (Buddhist Publication Society), which states that the value of “wise reflection” (yoniso manasikara) was being mistakenly overlooked as a regular practice.
When we all fall asleep, where do we go?
Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly in reply to the implicit question in Billie Eilish's "Bury a Friend": Where do we all go when we die? Where does a flame go when it dies?
- And when the flame goes out, where does it go?
- That's a nonsense question.
- No, it must go somewhere!
- Well, where do you suppose -- up, down, sideways?
- Well, no, nothing like that. I don't know where it goes.
- It isn't there like you think (assume), so it does not "go" anywhere after it is said to "go out." Failing to gain new fuel (and four other factors, heat, oxygen, wick, and process-of-combustion), it fails to "come back in" for the next moment of its appearance. This sounds strange because it goes against our assumptions, but it's very true: In one instance, all five factors (aggregates) gather and manifest as "flame." Failing to get all five in the next moment, no flame/fire appears. This teaches us that what we call "flame" or "fire" is utterly dependent on supporting conditions (these five aggregates or factors) and without them, it is not. However, if it is utterly dependent, then how can it ever be said to have an independent existence? Ultimately speaking, it cannot. But in normal usage, in conventional speech, of course we say, "The flame came into being and then went out of being after some time." This is nice. This seems true. But it was never ultimately true. So there is no confusion. And maybe no one cares about a flame or fire. But if the same thing could be said of us, me and you the individuals, what then?
- How could that ever be said of us? We are here now. And when we die or "go out," we reappear somewhere else -- like in heaven, hell, another human life, or a life in another realm in the 31 Planes of Existence.
- Conventionally, this is exactly what happens. Unfortunately, ultimately speaking, it is completely wrong. Not only do "we" not go anywhere, what we are calling "we" is completely dependently arisen. Our being, our existence, completely depends on the Five Aggregates clung to as self.
- What, we're flames?
- No, flames depend on the five factors I mentioned above. "We" depend on the Five Aggregates clung to as self mentioned in the Heart Sutra: form; feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and process of consciousness, the khandhas or skandhas in Sanskrit.
- So there is no reappearance?
- Oh, there's reappearance (rebirth) all right, but it isn't the rearising of some unchanging "soul," "self," jiva, gandhabba, "ego," "personality," or "I." We are clinging to what is not ours, and we suffer for it.
- Aha! You said "we" suffer for it! Who's the "we" that suffers?!
- That "we" is the Five Aggregates clung to as self. "We" are not that. "We" do not control that, in an ultimate sense. In a conventional sense, of course, that's all "we" are, and "we" have a great deal of control to develop calm and insight to breakthrough to wisdom and liberate "ourselves" from this samsaric mess. But that, ultimately speaking, is not really what's happening. And it can be proven. The aggregates can be refined, purified, stilled and be seen for what they are. Then clinging stops. And liberation occurs. It's as if the fearful dream lets go of the dreamer. The monstrous illusion loses its power to deceive and make frightened, suffering victims of the aggregates clinging to the aggregates as if they were "self."
- (OWN) Thich Nhat Hanh on "deep listening," compassionate listening with Oprah Winfrey | SuperSoul Sunday | Oprah Winfrey Network
Let go of fear [and delusion]
Why we need wise reflection
SuttaCentral.net (edited by Wisdom Quarterly)
When I first encountered Buddhism in the U.S. in the 1990s, it was all about "insight meditation" (vipassana) with some voices shouting that the value of the jhanas (meditative absorptions) was being mistakenly overlooked as a regular practice.
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| Wise Reflection: Its Importance |
This weekend I decided to go back and take another look at Wise Reflection (BPS Wheel 463) with the amazing benefits provided by suttacentral.net's because of its multiple translations per each discourse (Pali sutta) and translator Ṭhānissaro Bhikkhu’s errant translations on dhammatalks.org.
- Wisdom Quarterly prefers American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi's translations in all cases over idiosyncratic and ridiculous Thanissaro Bhikkhu's efforts.
It was a very powerful refresher course (lesson) in the difficulties of translation and the value of reading multiple [English] translations and the value of [the ancient] commentaries.
The translations of yoniso manasikara (not quite those two words as found in the Pali canon) from the Sabbāsava Sutta (MN 2) are diverse!
The same goes for samvara [the things we should make an effort to avoid] translated as: "defilements," "taints or cankers," ["shackles or fetters"], and "effluents"!
EXCERPT: Venerable Walpola Rahula (from BPS Wheel 463), in quoting the Buddha, translates yoniso manasikāra as "wise reflection":
“I say that the getting rid of anxieties and troubles [1] is possible for one who knows and sees, not for one who does not know and see. What must one know and see in order to get rid of anxieties and troubles? Wise reflection and unwise reflection... More
All the good girls go to hell, Billie?
When did you join the Illuminati, Pirate? Did Phineas induct you?
- SuttaCentral.net, The Many Faces of Wise Reflection (yoniso manasikara) - translations - discuss and discover edited by Wisdom Quarterly
Tuesday, January 6, 2026
Death Sutra; 'The Seventh Seal' (film)
The Seventh Seal (Swedish Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman.
Set in Sweden [3, 4] during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with [Mara] the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life.
- Buddhism in Sweden
- Origins of chess (chess.com)
- The origin of chess (Silk Road Foundation)
- All the European names of the game of chess have roots in the Persian language. French Echec and English “Checkmate” originated thanks to their Persian roots. At the same time, Buddhist pilgrims are known to have carried it towards the East. Where several versions of the games (inscribed discs placed on the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares)... Where did chess come from? | CHESS KLUB
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| The Seventh Seal, 1957 |
Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Bible's Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" [5].
Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God," which is a major theme of the film [6, 7]. The Seventh Seal is considered a classic in the history of cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time.
It established Bergman as a director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analyses, and parodies. More
Death comes rolling at us. Are we ready?
The Simile of the Mountain, Pabbatūpama Sutta (SN 3.2)
Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Sāvatthī.
King Pasenadi of Kosala came and respectfully sat to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”
“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior caste kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Today I have been busy fulfilling the duties of such a king.”
“What do you think, Great King? Suppose a trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the east. He would approach and say, ‘Please, Great King, know this: I come from the east. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’
- This extraordinary threat looms also in an Upanishadic passage: “Even if both the mountain ranges, the southern and the northern, were to rush at him determined to level him, they would not succeed in leveling him” (Kauṣītaki Upanishad 2.13, translation by Olivelle).
“Then suppose another trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the west… a third from the north… and a fourth from the south, approaching to say, ‘Great King, know this. I come from [that direction]. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’
“Should such a dire threat arise—with so grim a loss of human life when human rebirth is so preciously rare—what would you do?”
“Venerable sir, what could I do but practice the Dhamma (Buddha's Teachings), practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma (deeds, actions)?”
“I say, Great King, I announce: Old age and death are advancing upon you. Since old age and death are advancing upon you, what shall you do?”
“Venerable sir, what can I do but practice the Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma?
“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Such kings engage in battles with elephants, cavalries, chariots, or infantries. But there is no place, no domain for such battles when old age and death are advancing.
“In this royal court there are ministers of wise counsel who are capable of dividing an approaching enemy by wise counsel. But there is no place, no domain for such diplomatic battles when old age and death are advancing.
“In this royal court there is abundant gold, both minted and unminted, stored above and below ground. Using this wealth we can bribe an approaching enemy.
- Bhūmigata is explained as “underground” at Bu Pj 2:4.2.1 (there bhūmaṭṭha). | Vehāsaṭṭha is explained as “above ground” at Bu Pj 2:4.5.1. | Upalāpetuṁ (“bribe”) is a means by which Vassakāra suggests the Vajjis can be overcome (DN 16:1.5.8, AN 7.22:12.3).
“But there is no place, no domain for such monetary battles when old age and death are advancing.
“When old age and death are advancing, what can I do but practice the Teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable deeds?”
“That is true, Great King, so true! When old age and death are advancing, what can one do but practice Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable karma?”
That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, summarized in verse:
“Suppose there were vast mountains
of solid rock pressed against the sky
drawing in from all sides
crushing the four quarters.
So, too, old age and death
advance upon all living beings—
warriors, priests, peasants,
menials, corpse-workers, and scavengers.
They spare no one.
They crush all under them.
There is nowhere for an elephant to take a stand,
neither chariot nor infantry.
Mountains cannot be defeated
by diplomatic battles or wealth.
That is why an astute person,
seeing what is good for oneself,
being wise, would place confidence (faith)
in the Awakened One, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha.
Whoever lives by the Teaching
[skillful in actions of] body, speech, and mind,
is praised in this life
and departs to rejoice in heaven(s).”
- Ingmar Bergman; SN 3.25: Pabbatūpama Sutta—Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), suttacentral.net, edited by Kalyani, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Resurrections with more proof than Jesus
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| The Resurrection of Lazarus of Bethany, who was brought back from the dead |
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(Holy Koolaid) Six Seven resurrection stories with much better evidence than Christians have for their savior figure the Guru/Rabbi Jesus Christ (Yeshua the Nazarene and likely Essene).
- Lobsang Rampa (Cyril Henry Hoskin), British
- Sai Baba of Shirdi, India
- Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, India
- Swami Vivekananda, India
- Sathya Sai Baba
- Haile Selassie, Ethiopia
- Lazarus of Bethany, friend of Lord Jesus
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| Does cycle of rebirth go on forever? - Escape. |
- Holy Koolaid (video); TEXT: Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Monday, November 3, 2025
Great Fatsby's Mar-a-Lago Palace party
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| Blue Man Group member chased by LAPD |
CIA/Trump's War Plans for the Americas
(The Sun) Inside Trump's secret blueprint for full invasion [of an uncooperative nation state, being blamed for running a "gangster's paradise" when he's really a democratic ruler of Venezuela] | Battle Plans
Karoline Leavitt, still being paid during "government shutdown," earns her pay by lying for Trump
Tuesday, September 16, 2025
Why practice Recollection of Death?
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| I didn't have to suffer? Robert Redford lost both sons: The darkest days of his life |
BREAKING: Hollywood legend Robert Redford dead at age 89
"Recollection of death" (maranānussati) is one of the ten recollections treated in detail in the Path of Purification (Vis.M. VIII):
One reflects, "Truly, there are many possibilities for me to die: I may be bitten by a serpent or be stung by a scorpion or a centipede, and thereby I may lose this life. This would be an obstacle for me. Or I may stumble and fall to the ground, or the food I eat may not agree with my health. Or [the humors] bile, phlegm, and piercing gases [bodily winds] may become disturbed. Humans or ghosts may attack me, and I may lose my life. This would be an obstacle for me."
In the Path of Purification (Vis.M. VIII) it is said: "One who wishes to develop this meditation should retreat to solitude [a private, quiet place], and while living secluded one should wisely reflect: 'Death will come to me! The vital energy will be cut off!' Or [recall,] 'Death! Death!'
"Therefore, whenever seeing here or there slain or other dead [formerly living] beings, one should reflect on the death of such deceased persons who once lived in happiness.
The meditator devoted to this recollection of death is at all times indefatigable and gains the realization of disgust with regard to all forms [31 planes] of existence, gives up delight in [samsara, endless rebirth], detests evil [that traps one in experiencing the results of miserable karma], does not hoard up things, is free from stinginess with regard to the necessities of life.
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| I am become Death (on TV) |
The Buddha taught: ''Recollection of death, developed and frequently practiced, yields great reward, great blessing, has deathlessness (amata) as its goal and objective. But how may such recollection be developed?
"As soon as the day declines, as the night vanishes and the day is breaking, the meditator reflects:
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| I'm indestructible and strong. |
Then a meditator considers thus: "Are there still to be found in me unsubdued unskillful, unwholesome things which, if I should die today or tonight, might lead me to greater suffering?"
Now, if one understands that this is the case, one should use one's utmost resolution, determination, energy (viriya), effort, endeavor, steadfastness, attentiveness, and clear-mindedness (sati-sampajanna) in order to overcome these harmful, unwholesome things" (A VIII, 74).
What does the Path of Purification advise?
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| Redford's children die tragically |
"To one who does not wisely reflect, sorrow may arise by thinking about [recalling] the death of a loved one, just as it does to a mother while thinking of the death of a beloved child.
"Again, by reflecting on the death of a disliked person, joy [schadenfreude] may arise -- just as enemies while thinking about the death of their enemies.
"Through thinking about the death of a neutral (indifferent) person, however, no emotion will arise, just as none arises in a worker whose work consists of cremating dead bodies at the sight of a dead body.
"By reflecting on one's own death fright may arise...just as at the sight of a murderer with drawn sword one becomes filled with terror.
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| Death, be not proud. |
One should rouse one's attentiveness, emotion, and knowledge and consider thus: 'Death will come, and so on.
Only in one who considers in this way, will the Five Hindrances (nīvarana) be repressed. Through the idea of death, attention becomes steadfast, and the exercise reaches [meditative] neighborhood-concentration (upacāra-samādhi).
According to the Path of Purification (Vis.M. VIII), one may also reflect on death in the following various ways:
- One may think of Death [personified] as a murderer with a drawn sword standing in front of oneself;
- or one may bear in mind that all happiness ends in death;
- or that even the mightiest beings on this earth are subject to death;
- or that we must share this body with all innumerable worms and other tiny beings [microbes] residing throughout the intestines and tissues;
- or that life is something dependent on in-and-out breathing, and bound up with it; or that life continues only as long as the elements, food, breath, etc. are properly performing their functions; or that nobody knows when, where, and under what circumstances, death will take place, and what kind of fate we have to expect after death; or, that life is very short and limited. As it is said: 'Short, indeed, is this life of men, limited, fleeting, full or woe and torment; it is just like a dewdrop that vanishes as soon as the sun rises; like a water-bubble; like a furrow drawn in the water; like a torrent dragging everything along and never standing still; like cattle for slaughter that every moment look death in the face" (A. VII, 74).
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| Path of Purification (Nyanamoli) |
- And the realization of [radical] impermanence (anicca) becomes familiar.
- And through pursuing it, the idea of disappointment (dukkha).
- And the impersonal (anattā) nature of all things becomes present to one....
- See Buddhist Reflections on Death by V. F. Gunaratna (Wheel 102/103)
- Buddhism and Death by M.Q.C. Walshe (Wheel 260)
- Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary, maranānussati based on Path of Purification (Vis.M. VIII), edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly
Friday, August 22, 2025
Consciousness does not end at death
Why consciousness doesn’t end at death — A Buddhist perspective
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| World Brain Day has come and gone, yet many remain mindless. Death is not the end of it. |
In this in-depth reflection on Buddhist philosophy, let's explore how the mind (heart) is not a fixed thing, but a flowing stream shaped by karma (intention, cetana).
Drawing from early Buddhist texts, lived traditions like the Tibetan tulku system, and even modern questions in psychology and neuroscience around memory and awareness, this video offers a clear and thoughtful look at how consciousness might continue beyond death—not through blind belief, but through direct experience and deep understanding.
Whether familiar with Buddhist ideas or simply curious about the nature of the mind, this is an invitation to reflect, observe, and consider what it means to live—and die—with wisdom.
CHAPTERS
- 00:00 - Consciousness as conditioned stream
- 04:19 - Karma as intention
- 09:22 - Death transition without a "soul"
- 13:08 - Modern inquiries
- 18:39 - Why liberation, not just continuity
𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: "At our channel, we are committed to sharing the beauty and wisdom of Buddhist teachings with the purpose of education and inspiration. All our content is created with deep respect for the Buddha’s teachings, aiming to promote understanding, mindfulness, and compassion in everyday life. Our goal is to present the values and practices of Buddhism in a way that is accessible and beneficial to everyone, regardless of their background or beliefs. We do not seek to influence or alter anyone’s faith but simply to offer insights into the timeless wisdom of Buddhism as a source of guidance and positivity. This channel is a space for learning, reflection, and connection, guided by the principles of respect, kindness, and truth. If you have any feedback or concerns, we welcome open and respectful dialogue. Thank you for supporting our mission to share the meaningful messages of Buddhism with the world."
- Alan Watts via T&H Inspiration; Buddhism Podcast, Aug. 22, 2025; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Thursday, July 24, 2025
Why are our celebrities all dying?
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| When you're pseudo-macho like Trump, you lie about your illnesses and die in ignimony |
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| God, I love DJ and right-wing politics, Brother! |
- Revealed: Officials informed that Trump program 'intended for white people' only No wonder MAGA in Africa loves their would-be 'Fuhrer.'
If that many people die a day, does that mean I might day? No, never, that's ridiculous. That's the Impossible Possibility. What the Buddha warned about all day long for 45 years of teaching he called dukkha (disappointment).
Dukkha means not getting what we want, getting what we don't want, losing what we have, separation from the loved, association with the hated...all of these things modern English translators termed "suffering," which is very misleading since that connotes agony or everything sucking all the time. Everything does NOT suck ALL the time. It's just that there's enough stink in the pot to make the stew unappetizing to anyone who pays too much attention. That attention is good because it wakes us up to the problem. Of course, we don't want to know about The Problem, this or any other. We're already aware of too many most of the time, and we seem to actively be trying to forget. We like checking out, pleasure seeking, distractions, temporary fixes at whatever cost.
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| There are many paths. Why listen to the Buddha? |
What's The Problem? Death in a world of radical impermanence is part of it, but it's more insidious than that. Prior to death, there's aging and sickness, loss due to many reasons, and ignorance why anything is happening or why anything has to happen. We act in ignorance, one of the unwholesome roots of conduct, and we get dukkha in return. We wish to know and understand but do not make right effort towards that end, so we get neither knowing nor understanding.
Celebrities die. Why? They die because they are living beings, and there are only one kind of living beings that will not die. However, even they will seem to die. It is not the Gods or gods, who all die. It is the noble ones, the awakened/enlightened. Death (redeath) is followed by birth (rebirth). This is not anyone's first time dying. We have been through it countless time. Of course, since we don't remember, we say that's impossible. We want life to seem fresh and new each time; that has been our way of tolerating it.
But The Problem is much grander. All this dissatisfaction -- which we can call samsara or the Continued Wandering On through the Wheel of Life and Death, beset on all sides by craving for pleasure, wanting and being angry about being frustrated in our desires -- is constantly disappointing. It is constantly changing, hurtling towards destruction, fruitless when obtained, unable to fulfill/satisfy us.
Vatican's gilded Hercules statue holds secret scrolls
The permanent solution is awakening (bodhi) and reaching nirvana (nibbana, the deathless, the real refuge from all danger, the safety of the farther shore beyond our world/universe of constant change and disappointment, loss and blame, aging and illness, and all the many sources of woe).
Will we awaken? Will we set out on the course towards awakening? Or will we just bemoan our lot and seek for the next diversion, temporary pleasure, and promise of eternal life, happiness, and joy after joy, rose after rose with never a thorn in sight?
In the Garden the roses have no thorns...
(Rudimentary Peni) on the fantasy of a literal version of Christian heaven
Thursday, January 9, 2025
Death pays a visit, leaving ruin
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| We'll never die. We're not about to fall off this. |
The Buddha and the arhats (fully enlightened beings) do not die. It may seem as if they do. They go away. The reason they do not "die" is because death necessarily entails rebirth. Where there is birth, necessarily there is death. With death comes rebirth, with birth comes redeath. This is the cycle of endless suffering known among the Indian religions as samsara.
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| We die and are reborn, not arhats who no longer cycle. |
So long as there is fuel, the fire keeps raging. What fuels samsara? Karma (activities) rooted in attachment, aversion, and ignorance (the Three Poisons usually rendered greed, hatred, and delusion or lobha, dosa, and moha). Since each act has the power to produce an exponential number of results (vipaka and phala), it will not be exhausted anytime soon.
This problem of death -- the loss of everything we love and are attached to in our foolishness as if the things we love and cling to were not of a nature to fall away -- was solved by the Buddha. This is the great significance of his great awakening (maha bodhi).
What does it matter to us? Good for him that he overcame all that can harm and upset. But what about us? That's just it! He did not awaken and depart. He awakened and stayed for 45 years, teaching until he established the Dharma (Teaching) and a competent Sangha (a spiritual community of those successfully Taught). Now, what does "successful" mean?
It means that the Buddha and his fully enlightened disciples established a method of teaching that produces more and more enlightened disciples, both humans and devas. The ordinary Monastic Sangha or Spiritual Community of monks and nuns are a great treasure in the world because they study, memorize, and retain the Teaching.
By their practice of it, as well as that of non-monastic disciples, there is a constant supply of arhats, non-returners, once-returners, and the various kinds of stream-enterers (the most fruitful field of merit) in the world. These four categories or pairs of individuals (counted as those who experience the supramundane paths and fruits or magga-phala) constitute the "noble ones" (Aryan disciples).
The first stage of enlightenment or awakening results in a guarantee of enlightenment within at most seven more rebirths, but the arhat has made an end of all suffering and all further rebirth in this very life.
The Buddha taught his Teaching in a way that an ordinary individual of average intelligence could successfully practice it to the end of suffering in this very life/
Death is coming
It's odd to be reminded that we are but ephemeral phenomena, arising and passing away, hurtling toward destruction. "Not having been, they come to be; once having been, they cease." What does? The Five Aggregates clung to as self. What are those?
They are the constituents of being, called "aggregates" because there are heaps of them, categories of them. There is the feeling group (vedana khandha), the pleasant, unpleasant, and neutral. They are impermanent, unsatisfactory (disappointing), and impersonal.
It's unimaginable that they would be impersonal because they feel like they are the most personal things of all. But mindful observation of them with a mind intensified by the absorptions (jhanas) reveals how ephemeral they are, constantly rising and falling, unable to fulfill, and not at all under our control. They do not belong to us. Feelings feel and belong to feelings. It is, ultimately speaking, feeling that feels, not "us" -- not a me, myself, or I, not a self, soul, ego, personality, being, or atman.
We would never penetrate and accept this until we see it for ourselves with an open and intensified mind. In ignorance, we fear all sorts of things, including wisdom. But wisdom/the Truth has the power to set us free. Who will gain stream entry? Only those who penetrate this ultimate truth -- discerning in all things the Three Facts or Characteristics of All Existence.
Because the ultimate truth is everywhere the same, it can be realized anywhere. But it is much easier to realize in some places over others. The easiest place to realize it is on the human plane (the manussya loka), which extends far beyond the Earth we know.
- Project Blue Beam is live? (Blakwoodz) Jan. 9, 2025: The LA fire has become massively unstable, consuming almost everything in its way. And it totally seems like this whole fire is not natural. It surely looks like everything that's going on is a planned event. Someone very powerful might be in control. The Hollywood Hills are on fire and evacuations are taking place right now. This is beyond control. Winds are widespread. Speculations have been raised, questions about whether this is Project Blue Beam being activated. Is it the mythical Anti-Christ [what Dr. Ammon Hillman calls the "antidote"] before the second coming of Jesus [the kristos or "anointed," who dosed himself by the application of an ointment of medicinal psychedelic-like compounds from poisons]. The question, however, is Why are these things happening mostly in America? Prophecy: 2025 might be the final year of our life. Second channel: @blakwoodz2 All links: linktr.ee/Blakwoodz. Business contact: blakwoodzbusiness@gmail.com
Exciting stories of life and death
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| I'm from Hollywood to make killing 'n dying cool |
Aren't you tired of the tide?
Samsara is an ocean that pulls us out to sea, where we bounce around, cold, alone, only to drown in a whirlpool. Even if we struggle, join others, and hang in a long time, Death wins by coming on again. Is there no end to it?
Tower of strength takes to the sea
Scours ocean via quay
Same old story: muscle bound and gory
Brand new story: death without glory
Infinite story: so new, so hoary
Build a tower of strength and watch it weaken
Construct high hopes as the brightest beacon
Watch the seagulls eat the trash
You contemptuously ditch
Do you know a seagull?
Do you know a wreck?
Are you tired of the tide?
Are you tired of the tide?
Roll in a rock pool, come let's hide
Do you know a raging wind?
Do you know a seagull?
Do you know a wreck?
Do you know a raging wind?
Are you tired of the tide?
Are you tired of the tide?
Roll in a rock pool, come let's hide
Tower of strength takes to the sea, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh
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