Alan Watts: Identifying with thoughts

The Grand Illusion: I am (a soul, a self)

Why “self” is the biggest illusion — Buddhist wisdom

Self is dependently originated.

(Buddhism Podcast) Buddhism Explained. Is your sense of “self” really what you think it is?

This video looks at the Buddhist teaching of “not-self” [that ALL things are impersonal] alongside insights from modern neuroscience.

Let’s see why the constant feeling of [me, myself, and] “I” may not be a fixed entity [remaining fixed through time] but an impersonal process the mind creates moment by moment.

Let’s learn about the Five Aggregates clung to as self —

1. form;
2. feelings,
3. perceptions,
4. mental formations, and
5. consciousness —

I am that beautiful I am. I am GOD. Right?

and how they shape the idea of a personal self. Modern brain science also points to the same conclusion: There’s no single control center in the brain that is “I.”

This isn’t about denying life, being confused by it, or falling into nihilism. It’s about understanding the true nature of experience and freeing ourselves from unnecessary ignorance, attachment (clinging), aversion, and tremendous amounts of suffering. What could set us free? The Truth sets one free.

• 

  It's a practice, not a theory of origins.

  [For anyone who foolishly says that because there is no self there is nothing, there is the profound ultimate truth of Dependent Origination, that all things that come to be come to be dependent on causes and conditions and not without them. But just as these things, these elements or ingredients, are not the constituent-composite-thing that seems to come into being when they come together, just so the only thing that really comes into being is unsatisfactory. It is ignorance (illusion). It is radically impermanent (in constant flux and hurtling towards destruction). Seeing this with clarity, with right view (vipassana, lit. "clear seeing"), the mind/heart lets go of what it was previously clinging to so fiercely. It is, according to the Buddha, on according of not seeing the truth of Dependent Origination that we continuously wander on through uncountable lives in search of pleasure, pleasant distractions, and fulfillment without find anything but unsatisfactoriness. But if I'm not my thoughts, who’s thinking them? Buddhism's answer changes everything and it can be verified, which leads to enlightenment in this very life!]

Let’s walk through the practical path of Virtue (Ethics, Morality, Kind), Stillness (Calm, Singlepointed, Concentration), and Wisdom (Insight, Right View, Enlightenment), leading to clarity and a deeper sense of freedom.

When rebirth ends, death ends

Where do I go after death? The Buddha's answer

• 00:00 - Why “I” feels so real
• 03:16 - What we’re made of 09:14 - How the mind creates the story of “me”
• 14:13 - When we let go completely [because we have seen things as they really are], peace reveals itself
• 19:05 - Life without the “self” — not “empty” but free

What really happens after death, according to Buddhism?

Rebirth leads to me.

This in-depth reflection explores the nature of rebirth, karma, the final moments of consciousness in one life before rearising in the next, and the 31 Planes of Existence (reduced to Six Realms in Three Spheres and countless worlds)—not as distant beliefs, but as states of mind shaped by intention.

Based on early Buddhist texts, this teaching points beyond the idea of a fixed self and reveals a deeper truth: liberation begins not at death, but in this very moment. [If we were to understand Dependent Origination, this moment itself could be the moment of realization and awakening to the Truth.]

• 00:00 - Who are we—before we ask where we’ll go
• 04:23 - What shapes the path after death?
• 09:18 - What are the [31 Planes of Existence, summarized as Six Realms, and countless] worlds of rebirth?
• 14:47 - What happens in the last moment of consciousness?
• 19:56 - The final answer: beyond maps and destinations

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐥 𝐏𝐮𝐫𝐩𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭: At [Buddhism Podcast] 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 historical 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." #BuddhistWisdom #NoSelf #SpiritualAwakening

• Mirror self memes (tenor.com); Buddhism Podcast, Aug. 10, 2025; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

A teaching for the Buddha's mother

For the Buddha so loved the mother who raised him that he made her the first Buddhist nun.

Thus have I heard. One day the Blessed One (the Buddha) was staying in Vesali, in the Hall with the Peaked Roof in the Great Forest.

[His foster mother, the Scythian/Shakyian former queen, the sister of his biological mother and second wife of his father, the world's first Buddhist nun] Maha Pajapati Gotami went to the Blessed One, bowed, stood respectfully to one side, and said:

"Venerable sir, it would be good if the Blessed One were to teach me the Doctrine (Dhamma) in brief so that, having heard it from the Blessed One, I might dwell apart, secluded, heedful, ardent, and resolute [withdrawn into calm-and-insight meditation]."

"Gotami, qualities of which it may be said, 'These qualities lead to

• passion rather than dispassion,
• fetters rather than being free,
• accumulating rather than letting go,
• self-aggrandizement rather than modesty,
• discontentedness rather than contentment,
• entanglements rather than seclusion,
• laziness rather than perseverance,
• [indolence rather than persistence,]
• being burdened rather than being unburdened,'

"you may categorically maintain, 'This is not the Doctrine, this is not the Training (Discipline), this is not the Teacher's instruction.'

"As for the [opposite qualities], you may categorically maintain: 'This is the Doctrine, this is the Training [Discipline], this is the Teacher's instruction.'"

That is what the Buddha said. Gratified, Maha Pajapati Gotami rejoiced in his words.

• 
  

Contentment

Satthusasana Sutta: "Contentment Discourse (to Upali)," The Teacher's Instruction

Scythians lived in peace thanks to him

Venerable Upali went to the Blessed One, bowed, sat respectfully to one side, and said: "Venerable sir, it would be good if the Blessed One were to teach me the Doctrine in brief so that, having heard it from the Blessed One, I might dwell apart, secluded, heedful, ardent, and resolute."

"Upali, those qualities of which it may be said, 'These things do not lead to complete:

• disenchantment,
• dispassion,
• cessation,
• calm,
• direct knowledge,
• awakening, nor to
• nirvana,'

"you may categorically maintain, 'This is not the Doctrine, this is not the Training, this is not the Teacher's instruction.'

"As for the qualities of which [the opposite may be said], you may categorically maintain, 'This is the Doctrine, this is the Training, this is the Teacher's instruction.'"

• See also: AN 8.53; SN 56.11; MN 72
• Initial steps of the Buddha's training: sikkhāpada
• Dhammapada chapter on sukha: Happiness
• Nibbidā, finding disenchantment – Dharma PhD
• Contemplation on disinterestedness regarding worldly things
• Freedom through letting go (internal renunciation)
• Upāli Sutras (from the Pali canon)
• Edited by Dhr. Seven based on translations by Ven. Thanissaro, Gotami Sutta (AN 8.53 PTS: A iv 280), Satthusasana Sutta (AN 7.79 PTS: A iv 143), Wisdom Quarterly

Kid builds Directed Energy Weapon 'death ray'

Make this kid a US citizen, hire him, and send
him to space to work for our new Space Force

The young scientist’s twist on a legendary ancient weapon might just re-write history. Ancient Greece mathematician Archimedes believed a "death ray" was plausible, so a middle school student from Canada put the concept to the test.

Brenden Sener of Ontario won multiple medals for his miniature version of the Archimedes Death Ray, crafted with light and mirrors.

No archaeological evidence [shown to us] proves the death ray was ever [built and] employed, but Sener believes it very well could have been.

It might be surprising to learn that then-12-year-old Brenden Sener of London, Ontario, Canada, was enthralled by Ancient Greek concepts posited by mathematician Archimedes.

But it probably makes more sense when we find out what exactly those concepts were. Archimedes wrote about harnessing the Sun’s energy to create a death ray. And Sener wanted in. More:

• A 13-year-old built Archimedes’ mythical [solar] death ray—and it may actually work (popularmechanics.com) (as every boy who got his hands on a magnifying glass has previously discovered)
• Spatial memory slime mold math (Popular Mechanics)
• Tim Newcomb, Popular Mechanics, June 06, 2024; Pfc. Sandoval, Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How to remote view, see ETs, UFOs, devas

This path is for knowing-and-seeing

The Buddha and other ancient yogis and seers (rishis) in proto-India could see the devas ("shining ones"). It was a common practice in ancient proto-India. There are ways to maneuver through space (and apparently also time) using the mind. Mantras, for example, are not words but "thought instruments" to help accomplish this. Move through portals, travel anywhere in any direction. It all sounds like spiritual fiction. But these things are found in sacred texts, where no one pays attention until science rediscovers these facts. There are documented cases of ancient time travel, and no one cares because until it accords with our modern religion (Scientism), no one believes it.

• Curvature propulsion and the future of intergalactic space travel (msn.com)

Time Travel True Stories (Richard Bullivant)

Russian astrophysicists found, tested, and published a way for ordinary people to remotely view the solar system and universe, even gazing through time, directly and consciously. US scientists do not speak of Russia's success, but the CIA was paying attention. The Agency has released documents confirming the Russian scientists' work but has kept the final proof secret in spite of many FOIA (Freedom of Information Act) requests. One need not wait for the university gatekeepers to believe or speak publicly of what they know.

It is possible to confirm that there is ether, that time is flexible, and that things are not as we have been taught by Western science. (Some Western scientists know it, which is probably why they removed ether from equations and have left out important details about gravity, dark matter, the quantum foam, black holes, and shocking anomalies. These topics have been made verboten Time moves in both directions, and there is retro-causality. Why? Karma (the power of intentional actions to produce results) is a strange force and has an incomprehensible way of working itself out. All time is simultaneous and NOW. So just as all deeds are only possible now, perhaps all results simultaneously co-arise with them.

Bending time: the successful time travel experiments using Kozyrev Mirrors

What were the Buddha, arhats, and seers (those adepts at some or all of the jhanas) seeing?

.

(The Why Files) In December 1990, in a remote village above the Arctic Circle, two Russian scientists embarked on a daring experiment.

Their goal was to enhance human “super-perception” or ESP (PSI). They built a device that could shield subjects from electromagnetic interference and amplify their biological energy. [Rudolf Steiner's "Orgon" energy?]

The device was a large tube of rolled aluminum with a chair inside. As soon as the device was built, strange phenomena occurred around the village:

• Disc-shaped lights hovered around the lab.
• Balls of energy appeared and disappeared.
• The Northern Lights (Aurora borealis) became so bright and vivid that they seemed to take physical shape.

Inside the lab, anyone who approached the device felt an unexplainable sense of dread. It took a while to persuade anyone to try it.

When the first subject finally sat in the chair, a flash of energy erupted that stunned everyone in the lab. The device worked! But it may have worked a little too well.

Not only did it boost people’s psychic abilities, it also enabled them to view any place in the world. And soon, they could view any place in time. In fact, these experiments confirmed a theory first proposed in the 1950s. That time, as we know it, doesn’t exist. #TimeTravel #Mystery #CIA

• Who brought in the Montauk monster?
• Do all flying ships (vimanas, saucers, disks, orbs, pods) not work by sitting in a chair in the center where the controls are manipulated?
• Isn't the main problem with maneuvering downed and reverse-engineered spacecraft getting a pilot to learn to steer the controls?
• According to Russian psychic living in America Stewart Swerdlow, the great tsunami of Aceh, Indonesia, that killed so many in Asia was the direct result of trying to power up just such a "chair" and use it for time and space travel experiments, a chair taken from a vimana.

SOURCES AND LINKS

• wikiwand.com/en/Kosmopoisk
• zerkalakozyreva.ru/chertezhi-...
• Cosmic Consciouness of Humanity: Problems of New Cosmogony (V.P. Kaznacheev, .Л. V. Trofimov): scribd.com/document/13325...
• wikiwand.com/en/Lee_Smolin
• wikiwand.com/en/Einstein...
• para.wiki/w/Kozyrev_mirror
• wikiwand.com/en/Nikolai_A...
• CIA monitor Soviet ESP experiments: documents2.theblackvault.com...
• Russian documentary: Kozyrev Mirrors Breakthrough...
• Time Reflections: popularmechanics.com/scie...
• Transmission of electromagnetic waves into time-varying media: ieeexplore.ieee.org/document...
• Earthquakes: comunitadieticavivente.org...

Thanks to PDS Debt for sponsoring. Take back financial freedom today by visiting PDSDEBT.com/files. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Gino Gentile Jennifer Gentile AJ Gentile Patreon Members THANK YOU MODS: jengen13 (Mrs. Why Files) Victoria Young Loolykins JohnnyBGood Cricket Brett Hybrid Stephanie Paul Rohrbaugh Runelady Mischief Guilty Kiam Timothy Weal Messor Zanythos - Reddit Original Jim - Reddit. 🙏 SUPPORT THE WHY FILES 🙏 thewhyfiles (fun, free perks!)

• The Why Files, Premiered June 8, 2023; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

On emotional trauma and spiritual practice

Tilly Campbell-Allen, Buddhistdoor Global (buddhistdoor.net, 1/4/22), COMMENTARY; Jen Bradford, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Do you know why I'm shouting, you little monster?! - Because Grandma shouted at you?

Who is it that is practicing spirituality and reaching for enlightenment?

French author Tilly Campbell-Allen

All the world's a stage, so are we merely play pretending on it? Who is striving for egoless liberation? Is it me, you, us, or just a result of our clever social-survival mirror neurons mimicking spiritual practice?

I can tell you that for most of us — with all the best and most earnest intentions in the world — it is most likely the mirror neurons [unless Asperger's or an autism spectrum disorder has taken those neurons offline].

Therefore, as all the masters, gurus, and New Age teachers tell us, the ego is still running the show.

As if it is all theater, we dress up for the role. Arguably, this isn’t a big problem. Shakespeare did say, All the world’s a stage:

The Stages of Human Life, Yehen eygenschaft des altters der menschen (BM 1872m cropped)

“All the world’s a stage,

And all the men and women merely players.

They have their exits and their entrances,

And one man in his time plays many parts,

His acts being seven ages.

At first, the infant,

Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms.

Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel

And shining morning face, creeping like snail

Unwillingly to school.

And then the lover,

Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad...

And so he plays his part.

The sixth age shifts

Into the lean and slippered pantaloon,

With spectacles on nose and pouch on side;

His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide

For his shrunk shank, and his big manly voice,

Turning again toward childish treble, pipes

And whistles in his sound.

Last scene of all,

That ends this strange eventful history,

Is second childishness and mere oblivion,

Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.”

[You're on now. How will you play your part?] 

Get in here, you! Get the hell out of here!

But the brain needs to learn how to function from the moment we begin using it, so it copies from its environment — any baby can prove this fact.

We have mirror neurons because our brain knows that we stand a better chance of survival if we are accepted by our social group, rather than rejected and left to die all alone in the cold wilderness or the dark and scary woods.

The more an act or practice is copied and performed, the more hardwired it becomes in our brain’s biology.

We're reliving our youth. Cougar party!

The follow up question is then, Who [or what, ask in the Five Aggregates clung to as self] are we beyond merely a simple composite of hardwiring learned from our environment?

While this is the case for many phenomena, it can’t explain some characteristics that appear to be inherited from our parents and that may have previously been absent from the offspring’s life.

Tiny, very personal character traits show through when babies can express reactions beyond those to which they have been exposed.

Beyond this, there are young children, often between 2.5–5 years old, who are able to talk about past lives in great and sometimes verifiable detail.

I'm a man. Gotta get back to work. I love it

Clearly, there is something more than mere biology going on. Workshops and intensive meditation retreats are both beneficial and popular practices for helping to peel away layers of accrued hardwiring and ego-driven delusions.

However, being away from our young children while we choose to undertake long retreats can damage a child emotionally. This is an example of when a spiritual practice becomes selfish and led by ego desire, considering our own welfare before that of another.

[Of course, we're doing the child and the world a favor by working our ourselves, but they don't know it, so we may feel guilty and excessively question our own motives. It really can be a win-win endeavor, but we're shamed by our society not to automatically see it that way.]

Learn an engaged practice instead and make Buddhist mindful parenting an integral part of meditation.

Emotional damage is a significant contributor to how we function in the world — within ourselves and at a spiritual community level.

If you need to clear rust or bust a stuck nut, there's nothing better than this (Scotty Kilmer).

.

It is imperative, therefore, that we heal these traumas before moving forward, lest any attainments that we may accrue be built on shifting and unstable sands.

Scientists tell us that we live in a universe where more than 95 percent over everything around us is unknown and invisible and that our five-per-cent reality isn’t solid and isn’t even really real or here at all. Thanks, science.

It is a subject that fascinates me, that I research deeply, and about which I have written extensively. It feels profoundly important to understand and is of particular significance in meditation. I'm a French philosopher, what can I say?

And here is where my thoughts on reality become quite a challenge to comprehend as they are contrary to all that seems "real."

Based on a growing mountain of scientific evidence, I now imagine this five-per-cent reality to be the inverse of what we perceive it to be.

The implications of this would radically change the way we understand our relationship with the whole. However, we cannot bypass the emotional body in preference to escaping into a metaverse [or into another part of this multiverse]; that would be an ignorant foray into the spiritual realm. More

Time traveler from 2671 warns of real 'Purge'

Rachel Hagan, Mirror.co.uk, 8/29/23 UPDATED 8/20/23; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

'Time traveller' comes back from the year 2671 to warn 'real-life Purge' is coming

Peekaboo, now we're here, too. Earth is ours

The self-professed time-traveler's latest baffling claim is that he has a list of catastrophic events coming in October of this year [2023]: He warns it will be a month that "makes history."

A TikToker who previously claimed to be a "time traveler from the Year 2671" has now warned that a real-life "Purge" will take place in October of this year, following a global power outage.

Eno Alaric, who is also known as @radianttimetraveller on TikTok, has gained more than 26,000 followers for posting warnings about supposed future events.

The social media user has previously issued warnings about twin planets colliding with Earth, alien visitors, and even the start of World War III. [Stay afraid because fear, a form of hate (dosa or aversion), is a motivation for self-defeating karma.]

The self-professed time-warper's latest baffling claim is that he has a list of catastrophic events coming in October this year: He warns it will be a month that "makes history."

In the video, which has gained more than 2,200 likes, Alaric explained:

"ATTENTION! Yes, I am a real-time traveler. These are the major events to come in October 2023. October is considered one of the most impactful months in history, due to many of these events.

• "October 3: An alien ship falls to Earth during a large meteor shower, containing hostile species. This alien escapes the pod as soon as it lands and begins to wreak havoc on large cities.
• "October 7: The James Webb Telescope sees a giant space creature eating stars. It will come to our solar system and eat the Sun next, and it could eliminate all life near it.
• "October 15: A human-like species is discovered inside of Mount Everest, with an entire civilization. They have telepathic abilities and want to control humans, they'll do anything for power.
• "October 29: A very powerful solar flare hits Earth, causing a global power outage. No machines work, and it turns into the 'Purge' for weeks, crime increases by 12,000%, and is very hard to get under control."

(Moon) Why are we so weak now? Freud's nephew: Edward "PR" Bernays

TikTok viewers took to the comments to debate over whether the warning could become a reality or not. One user wrote: "Halloween this year is going to be a doozie."

Another argued: "No time traveler prediction has ever come true." [Yeah, but he's so specific. "If you fail to plan, you plan to fail." I'm sure it'll all be alright.]

How Americans got so weak

(Moon) Sept. 2, 2023: Moon's School of Living: moon.thrivecart.com/tc-qf2ix-3 Free weekly essays written by Moon (mailchi.mp/3ded12821743/moon). Support the channel (as all money goes straight back into the channel): ► Become a patron:  patreon.com/MoonReal ► Follow twitter.com/MoonRealYT.

Alan Watts: Zen state of "No Mind" (video)

Spiritual Entertainer Alan Watts (KPFK); Nick Berk, Ananda M., Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Stop thinking so much, man, and just move.

Alan Watts on Mushin, empty mind/heart or the "State of No Mind" via Lectures Beyond Beyond.

Have a mind like a mirror, as Taoism says: "The perfect person employs this mind like a mirror: it grasps nothing, it refuses nothing, it receives but does not keep."

Checkmate.

Anything that comes in front of the mirror, it reflects it instantly. When the moon rises, all bodies of water immediately reflect it without hesitation, without consideration. The West has much to learn from the East.

• Alan Watts on Buddhist Radio L.A. Sun/Thurs
• L.A. Shambhala (meditation sittings)
• As the pope arrives in Chile, Chileans question their allegiance to the church
• Two Burmese Rohingya refugees start a new life in Boston

Karma: What the Buddha taught his son

Ven. Thanissaro (trans.) edited by Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Prince Siddhartha's son, Rahula, age 7, became a novice and later, at 20, a fully ordained monk who attained full enlightenment as the Buddha and teachers instructed him on the practice (Tylerkingphotography/flickr.com).

.

Ven. Rahula, the Buddha, and Ven. Ananda

"What do you think, Rahula [the Buddha's son, who at 7-years-old was the youngest wandering ascetic admitted to the monastic order], What is a mirror for?"

 

"For reflection, sir."

 

"In the same way, Rahula, bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts [the three expressions of karma or "action"] are to be done with repeated reflection.

 

"Whenever you want to perform a bodily act, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily act I want to perform, would it lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, to the affliction of both? Is it an unskillful bodily act with unwelcome consequences and distressing results?'

"If, on reflection, you know that it would lead to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to the affliction of both that would be an unskillful bodily act with painful consequences and painful results, then any bodily act of that sort is absolutely unfit for you to do.

"But if on reflection you know that it would not cause affliction... it would be a skillful bodily action with happy consequences, happy results, then any bodily act of that sort is fit for you to do.

 

"While you are performing a bodily act, you should reflect on it: 'This bodily act I am doing -- is it leading to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to the affliction both? Is it an unskillful bodily act, with painful consequences, painful results?' If, on reflection, you know that it is leading to self-affliction, to affliction of others, or both... you should give it up. But if on reflection you know that it is not... you may continue with it.

 

"Having performed a bodily act, you should reflect on it... If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to affliction of both, it was an unskillful bodily act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should confess it, reveal it, lay it open to the Teacher or to a knowledgeable companion in the holy life. Having confessed it... you should exercise restraint in the future.

"But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful bodily action with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities.

 

(Similarly with verbal and mental acts, except for the last paragraph under mental acts:)

 

"Having performed a mental act, you should reflect on it... If, on reflection, you know that it led to self-affliction, to the affliction of others, or to the affliction of both, it was an unskillful mental act with painful consequences, painful results, then you should feel distressed, ashamed, and disgusted with it. Feeling distressed... you should exercise restraint in the future.

"But if on reflection you know that it did not lead to affliction... it was a skillful mental action with happy consequences, happy results, then you should stay mentally refreshed and joyful, training day and night in skillful mental qualities.

 

"Rahula, all those Brahmins and wandering ascetics in the course of the past who purified their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts did it through repeated reflection on their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts in just this way.
 

"All those Brahmins and wandering ascetics in the course of the future who will purify their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts, will do it through repeated reflection on their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts in just this way.
 

"All those Brahmins and wandering ascetics at present who purify their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts do it through repeated reflection on their bodily acts, verbal acts, and mental acts in just this way.

 

"Thus, Rahula, you should train yourself: 'I will purify my bodily acts through repeated reflection. I will purify my verbal acts through repeated reflection. I will purify my mental acts through repeated reflection.' That's how you should train yourself." — MN 61

Psychology professor kills her RAPIST

Crystal Quintero, Pfc. Sandoval, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Jessica Best, Christopher Bucktin, Mirror (mirror.co.uk, Sept. 15, 2014); Dhammapada verses (accesstoinsight.org)

Giving Latinas a bad name worldwide: She led us all to ruin then betrayed us to the police to save herself: Prof. Esparza (left) has already pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against her helpers/accomplices/co-defendants to get a reduced sentence for herself (The Mirror).

.

Psych prof admits killing her alleged rapist almost 20 years ago

These scans show I was hotheaded at 20

(The Mirror) Prof. Norma Esparza [then 20-years-old] pleaded guilty to manslaughter and is expected to testify against a number of others involved accused of killing of [alleged rapist] Gonzalo Ramirez [then 24].

A psychology professor has admitted killing her alleged rapist, almost 20 years after the man was [kidnapped, presumably tormented, then] stabbed [correction hacked] to death.

Norma Esparza, [now] 40, is one of four people accused of the 1995 killing of Gonzalo Ramirez, 24, whose body was found hacked to death with a meat cleaver on the side of a road in Orange County, California.

Goddess Tara Devi (Tantric Tara)

A fifth suspect shot himself during a standoff with police in 2012.

Prof. Esparza, [who teaches] at Webster University in Geneva, Switzerland, was arrested in the cold case murder two years ago after she re-entered the US for an academic conference.

She was originally charged with murder, but [she] has now pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter and agreed to testify against others thought to have been involved in the killing.

Her former boyfriend Gianni Van, 45, and his alleged accomplice Shannon Ray Gries, 43, remain charged with murder, with Esparza set to testify against them in a trial next year.

Evolution is one step forward, two steps back: It's a long, hard road out of the "hells"

.

In 1995, Esparza told Van that Ramirez had raped her and pointed him out in a California bar. Her lawyer says Van and others then kidnapped Ramirez and killed him.

Authorities say a third man, Kody Tran, also took part in the kidnapping and killing and owned a car repair shop where Ramirez is believed to have been tied up and killed, but he has since died. His wife, Diane Tran, has admitted voluntary manslaughter.

If you rape anybody, I'll kill you. - OK, doctor.

Esparza, who was a 20-year-old student at the time of the killing, claims she was discouraged from reporting the alleged rape to police. She remains in jail following her plea, and is expected to be given a six-year prison sentence. More

Commentary

Vigilantism is not Fairness

If Prof. Esparza was glad she killed, or glad she led others to karmic ruin with her by killing for the sake of exacting revenge (a form of hatred), she will not be glad when the karma finally ripens and she experiences the results (phala).

The world has many horrible injustices but, "Hatred is never appeased by hatred," the Buddha taught (Dhp 5). Rather than feeling relief, it is likely she hates him more now than before. But why more? More hate so as to justify to herself her act of murder, to rationalize it, and to deal with the cognitive dissonance). Torture and killing seem like great ideas when we're angry and seething with hate, but when these states subside? And all states will subside.
 

I'll kill the pigs then I'll be a pig. Wait.

How do we deal with what we've done? We can't, so we keep being mad. And being mad we have to try to get ever more angry and hateful. We tell others how great hate is and how anger is a good thing, thereby digging our karmic hole deeper. Never healing, never forgiving, never realizing the truth about reality in a way that would liberate us. We're in deeper but never realize we are headed in the wrong direction.

Buddhist psychology is deep; karma is deeper

"'He abused me, he struck me, he overpowered me, he robbed me.' Those who harbor such thoughts never still their hatred" (Dhp 3). It's like Americans in the U.S. (as opposed to all the other Americans in America, who come from Mexico, Canada, Greenland, and all of Central and South America) being swayed by hate by spokesmen for the military-industrial complex (Bushes, Obama, Cheney, Biden...): We are led to believe/think that REVENGE, hate, and fear are good reasons to go kill people in ISIS (IS, ISIL), Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, and any other place this military-industrial complex of ours wishes to drone, bomb, poison, or invade.

But I have the right to take revenge!

It may be a very controversial thing to point out, but being sent to prison is not the karmic result of killing, a weighty (garuka) lapse in virtue (sila). "Forbearance is the highest virtue" (Mhv. X.2.3-20) Prison is society's collective revenge. The results (phala and vipaka) of the karma of killing or raping or encouraging others to kill -- the millions upon millions of thought moments (cittas) with the power to yield a result in the future -- have yet to begin coming to fruition.

That is the terrible thing about karma, and the wonderful thing, too, when it comes to the positive and beneficial fruits. What seems like one act, one karma, is actually many discrete impulses (javanas) with the power to ripen opportunistically in the future. So the Buddha, like all other buddhas taught that all bad things should be abandoned and all good things developed and cultivated.

Carry That Weight: A Survivor’s Burden: Columbia Univ. rape survivor carries mattress all over campus until alleged rapist is expelled or leaves (democracynow.org)

.

"Fight war, not wars." Let's subvert and undermine this rape culture (femen.org)

.

Tourists killing tourists in Buddhist Thailand

Brits murdered in Thailand: Recap updates after man and woman found dead on beach

Thai beach murders: First pictures of British tourists battered to death on Buddhist island

Watch heartbreaking moment US news anchor tells viewers he has 6 months left to live

Flight MH370: Police chief: "I know what happened to missing Malaysian Airlines plane"

Thailand beach murders: Police "hunting British tourist" after UK pair battered to death

Eccentric billionaire Richard Lugner marries Playboy model 57 years younger

"We will not be silenced": Students denounce rape at Columbia; schools under scrutiny

NFL wife speaks up: Intimidated spouses followed "Code of Silence" around domestic abuse