Top 10 South Park moments of 2025

(Mojo) Top 10 shocking South Park moments of 2025

(Pod Save America) South Park finale is absolutely brutal for Trump, Vance, and MAGA

(TYT Sports) MAGA has no idea comedian Shane Gillis is mocking them

Why do students listen to Dalai Lama?

I asked 89-year-old Dalai Lama for life advice and learned...

(Sprouht) March 2, 2025: I flew over 10,000 kilometers from Canada to Northern India and asked the 89-year-old 14th Dalai Lama for "life advice." He shared with me one of the most valuable pieces of advice I've ever heard. This was one of the most incredible journeys I've ever taken to date. Please enjoy one of the most incredible stories we've ever told.

S4 E4: Dalai Lama, Jeff Sessions, Russia: Last Week Tonight w/John Oliver

 

China calls me Devil. Ha ha ha! So I do like this

(Tibetan doon boy) An American asks, "Is the Dolly Llama the Pope of Buddhism?" It comes as no surprise that there should be confusion. As Americans, we are bombarded with attention to a little-known sect of (Vajrayana) Buddhists on the Rooftop of the World. Lhasa, the capital of Tibet, was once the seat of a Himalayan empire that reached from Mongolia to Bangladesh, from Bangladesh to Kashmir. With the help of Hitler looking for the original Aryans and magical artifacts and the CIA fighting China and the expansion of communism, the West is bombarded with messages about how important this lama is or is supposed to be. China hates him. And due to the Dorje Shugden controversy, there's in-fighting among Tibetan Buddhists. Some New Kadampa Tradition practitioners hate him. But Americans, we are told we love him without understanding what his is or is supposed to be. The Simpsons jokes about it with Lenny, Carl, and Richard Gere. And the Jewish community loves and supports him. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver solved it with an exploratory episode, interviewing Americans then traveling to Tibet and meeting with "His Holiness" himself.

• How to meditate, A simple guide for absolute beginners. #monk #buddhism #love #youtubevideo #fypシ 
• I asked 89-year-old Dalai Lama for life advice and learned...

Hidden Teachings of Jesus: 2nd Coming

(The Lost Gospel) The Hidden Teachings of Jesus to Activate the Pineal Gland – Christ Consciousness, Aug. 1, 2025

Jesus the Nazarene used Indian yogic mudras

• House of Spirique; The Lost Gospel; Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Mudras? Why did the Buddha use them?

How to do a magical mudra (physical gesture) to achieve anything we want

(Dhieyo) Sept. 21, 2021: What is a mudra? It is a hand or body gesture with intention behind it to produce a result. It can therefore be a kind of magic.

Discover the power of mudra – hand gestures in Buddhist art

(Sotheby's) The Buddha used many mudras, each with a specific and well understood meaning. They often seem to be describing what he was doing while he sat in silence. Others indicated his activities in statues, iconographic depictions of him in his life, such as teaching, dispelling fear, resting in stillness (concentration, samadhi), or offering a blessing.

COMMENTS

(@devidaughter7782) Thank you for the beautiful images and detailed descriptions! One note: it's less pejorative to say "oral tradition cultures" rather than "preliterate" as the latter term implies that all societies will develop written languages. Many rich and wonderful Indigenous cultures around the world have remained oral traditions; this does not imply that they are "less developed" or inferior in any way.  In fact, their wisdom has remained relational, fluid, and alive in contrast to the limitations that have come with written texts. It is important for us to use language that reflects a respectful acknowledgement that rich wisdom traditions occur in both oral and written traditions.

(@owltv6401) May the Triple Gem bless all.

(@dharmvirshinde774)

NAMO BUDHAY

NAMO DHAMMAY

NAMO SANGHAY

BHAVATU SABBA MANGALAM

SADHU, SADHU, SADHU. JAI BHIM. JAI BHARAT.

(@robertschlesinger1342) Excellent video, very interesting, informative, and worthwhile.

Dhieyo: theskybelowme22@gmail.com (contact for personal sessions) #inspiration #spirituality #yoga #mudra #magic #lifeforce #prana #motivation #insomnia #addiction #ancientspiritualknowledge #knowledge #dhieyo #education #english #health #motivational #shiv #shiva #positive #positivevibes #positivity #health #life

How to attract anyone with Three-Eyed Mudra even the gods and goddesses!

(Devraha Gyan ENGLISH) Dec. 22, 2021: To learn more about Ashtanga Yoga, meditation, Eastern religion, and Vedic knowledge, subscribe to this channel.

Dear followers who share these videos, this is helping to promote the #GuruGyan channel and spread Vedic knowledge all over the world. Thanks to All who send these videos to friends and family. OM DEVRAHAYA DIGAMBARAYA MANSHASINAYA NAMO NAMAH Jay Sri Ram! #GuruGyan #DevdasjiMaharaji #Trinetramudra

• Dheiyo; Sotheby's; Devraha Gyan; Dhr. Seven and Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Group Meditation, Yoga Breathwork (Saturdays)

Stella Han (kinshipyoga.com) Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Yogini Stella Han, social worker at heart

Yogini Stella Han leads us in Meditation and Breathwork on Saturdays.

Meditation is a practice where individuals use mindfulness techniques (presence of mind, staying in the moment, full awareness and acceptance of what is) to focus the mind on objects, thoughts, or activity to help cultivate attention, expanded consciousness, and heightened awareness.

This is done in an effort to enjoy mental clarity, decrease stress and worry, and return to balance. It is the higher training of the mind following the higher training in ethical conduct and stillness. 

• SCHEDULE — KINSHIP HIGHLAND PARK (kinshipyoga.com)

ABOUT: Stella Han (stella4yoga@gmail.com) is a passionate full-time yoga instructor and former social worker from Los Angeles She earned a master's degree in social work degree USC) and has many years of experience in the fields of social work and psychology.

• FREE/donation: Group Meditation and Breathwork at Kinship Yoga Studios, Saturdays, 2023, 5:45 PM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: Group Meditation and Breathwork, Saturdays, 2023, 5:45 PM | Meetup
• Nature Center: Group Meditation and Breathwork, Saturdays, 2023, 5:45 PM | Meetup

What is "mindfulness"?

This is a question that doesn't get asked nearly enough. It is not mere "awareness." It is paying attention to the present moment without giving in to the habits of

• being fond and attaching to the pleasant,
• being dejected and rejecting the unpleasant
• being bored and inattentive to the neutral (neither-pleasant-nor-unpleasant).

Mindfulness is therefore a special kind of awareness or presence of mind, wakefulness, vigilance that gives attention to whatever is in the present moment with radical acceptance, letting it be, and letting it go (just for the moment).

Simply being aware in the woods in not being mindful at all. Mindfulness (Sanskrit smirti, Pali sati) is remaining mindfully aware, dispassionate, detached, fully attending to without being entangled in that of which one is aware.

If lust or greed come up, be with them as a watcher without getting sucked in. If annoyance or anger creep up, be with them without becoming hostile. If boredom or mental-wandering arise, note them. That noting, that sudden awareness that the mind has wandered, is mindfulness.

Now it all becomes clear to me.

Now, bring it back to the present moment -- without becoming angry, frustrated, or dejected that wandered off, as mind by its nature will do.

Casting back to the past or forward to the future is the habit of the mind that mindfulness remedies. As Ram Dass famously said: "Be here now."

There is something magical about remaining in the moment. But we'll never know it if we never practice it until it becomes habit.

It is the way to happiness, contentment, and peace -- if done correctly, dispassionately, softly. It leads to clarity and vision, to knowing and seeing, and is essential for awakening.

The Buddha, in the famous "Fourfold Setting Up of Mindfulness Discourse," gives the four groups of things of which to be mindful:

1. body,
2. feelings,
3. mind, and
4. mind-objects.

• (See the Satipatthana Sutra)
• Sati-sampajañña: mindfulness and clear comprehension
• Tranquility and insight: samatha-vipassana

Ajahn Chah: What is "reality"?

Ajahn Chah (ajahnchah.org) via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

I should meditate more to get it.

Problems occur because people cling to conventions and what they suppose things to be.

If we look closely, in the ultimate sense, however, we will see that things don’t really exist. Our house, our family, our money are simply conventions that we have invented.

Seen in the light of dhamma ["reality"], they don’t belong to us. Even this body is not really ours, and just because we suppose it to be so doesn’t make it so.

It would be like taking a handful of sand and agreeing to call it "salt." Could that, would that make it salt?

Well, yes, it would, but in name only and not in reality (dhamma). We still wouldn’t be able to cook with it, because no matter what we call it, it’s still sand. Supposing sand to be salt doesn’t make it so.

What the Buddha did during an epidemic

Ven. Piyadassi Thera (trans.), Ratana Sutta: "Jewel Discourse" (Sn 2.1, PTS Sn 222-238; Khp 6) edited by Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly, March 2020, Coronavirus Age

Dharma Buddhist Meditation: Group Zoom Conference, Sundays, 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

Translator's introduction: According to the commentary the reason for this sutra (safeguard discourse), in brief, is an epidemic.

The ancient city of Vesali (Bihar, India) was once afflicted by a famine, causing death, especially of the impoverished. The presence of decaying corpses attracted many unclean spirits that began to haunt the city. This was followed by an epidemic.

Plagued by these three fearsome things -- famine, spirits (non-human beings), and disease -- the citizens sought the help of the Buddha, who was then staying in Rajagaha (Rajgir, India).

Followed by a large number of monastics, including Venerable Ananda, his attendant disciple [possibly his son, according to some traditions, born before Rahula, the son of a harem girl named Mrigi], the Buddha visited Vesali. With the arrival of the teacher, there came a torrential rain, which washed away the putrefying corpses.

• Ānanda asked the Buddha to visit Vesālī. There the Buddha taught the Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutra) as a paitta, which he then recited, thereby ridding the city of disease, drought, and unclean spirits. (Was Ananda the Buddha's son as some traditions say?)

There really are "unclean spirits" who harm.

The atmosphere was purified, the city was physically clean, and the Buddha delivered the following Jewel Discourse (Ratana Sutta) to Ven. Ananda, and gave him instructions on how to tour the city with the Licchavi citizens reciting (chanting) the discourse as a mark of protection to the people of Vesali.

Ven. Ananda followed the instructions and sprinkled blessed water from the Buddha's alms bowl. As a result the unclean spirits were exorcised, and the epidemic subsided.

Thereafter, Ven. Ananda returned with the citizens of Vesali to the public hall, where the Buddha and a number of disciples had assembled awaiting their arrival. The Buddha then recited the Jewel Discourse to the gathering:

Ratana Sutra: The "Jewel Discourse"

Dispelling fear hand gesture

1. "Whatever (non-human) beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, may they all have peace of mind, and may they listen attentively to these words:

2. "O, beings, listen closely. May you all radiate loving-kindness to human beings who day and night bring offerings to you (share merit). Therefore, protect them diligently.

3. "Whatever treasure there be, whether here or in the world beyond, whatever precious jewel there be in heavenly worlds, there is none comparable to the Tathagata (the Wayfarer, the Thus Come One, the One Arrived at Suchness, the Perfect One). This precious jewel [1] is the Buddha [2]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

4. "That Cessation, that Letting Go, that Deathlessness (Nirvana) supreme, the calm and collected Scythian (Shakyian) Sage directly realized. There is none comparable to this (Nirvana) Dharma. This precious jewel is the Dharma [3]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

Fearless be (abhaya mudra)

5. "The Supreme Buddha extolled a path of purification (the Noble Eightfold Path) calling it the path that unfailingly brings concentration. There is nothing comparable to this concentration. This precious jewel is the Dharma. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

6. "The eight persons extolled by virtuous people constitute four pairs. They are the disciples of the Buddha and are worthy of offerings (arhats). Gifts given to them yield rich results. This precious jewel is the Sangha [4]. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

7. "With a steadfast mind and applying themselves well in the dispensation of the Buddha Gautama, free from (defilements), they have attained that which should be attained (arhatship, full enlightenment) encountering the Deathless. They enjoy the peace of Nirvana freely obtained [5]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

8. "As a post deep planted in the earth stands unshaken by the winds from the four quarters so, too, I declare is the virtuous person who comprehends with wisdom the Ennobling (Enlightening) Truths. This precious jewel is the (Noble) Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

9. "Those who realized the Noble Truths well taught by the one profound in wisdom (the Buddha), even though they may be exceedingly heedless, they will not take an eighth rebirth (in the sensual sphere) [6]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

10. "With the gaining of insight one abandons three states of mind -- namely self-illusion, skeptical doubt, and belief in meaningless rites and rituals, should there be any. One is also fully freed from the four states of woe and is therefore incapable of committing the six major wrongdoings [7]. This precious jewel is the Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

11. "Any harmful action (karma) one may still do by deed, word, or thought, one is incapable of concealing it, for it has been proclaimed that such concealing is impossible for one who has seen the Path (of Nirvana) [8]. This precious jewel is the [Noble] Sangha. By this (asseveration of), truth may there be happiness.

12. "As the woodland groves in the early heat of the summer month are crowned with blossoming flowers, even so is the sublime Dharma leading to the (calm) of Nirvana that is taught (by the Buddha) for the highest good. This precious jewel is the Buddha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

13. "The Peerless One, the Excellent One, the Knower (of Nirvana), the Revealer (of Nirvana), the Bringer (of the Noble Path), taught the excellent Dharma. This precious jewel is the Buddha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

14. "Their past (karma) is spent, new (karma) no more arises, mind is free from future becoming. The seed (of rebirth-consciousness) has dissolved, they have no more craving for continued rebirth. Those wise one go out (of Samsara, the Wheel of Rebirth and Suffering) as the flame of this lamp (goes out). This precious jewel is the [Noble] Sangha. By this (asseveration of) truth, may there be happiness.

The Buddha washing a sick monk himself.

15. "Whatever (non-human) beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial (of earth or sky), come let us salute the Buddha, the Tathagata (the Perfect One, the Wayfarer), honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness [9].

16. "Whatever beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, come let us salute the perfect Dharma, honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness.

17. "Whatever beings are assembled here, terrestrial or celestial, come let us salute the perfect [Noble] Sangha, honored by devas and humans. May there be happiness."

NOTES

1. Ratana means precious "jewel." Here the term is applied to the three jewels or gems, the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

2. Literally, in the Buddha is this precious jewel.

3. Literally, in the Dharma is this precious jewel.

4. Literally, in the Sangha is this precious jewel.

5. Obtained without payment: avyayena (KhpA).

6. The reason why it is stated that there will be no eighth existence for a person who has attained the first stage of enlightenment (stream-entry) is that such a being can be reborn at most only seven times in the sense sphere (kama loka).

7. Abhithanani: i. matricide, ii. patricide, iii. the murder of an arhat (enlightened one, consummate one), iv. the shedding of a buddha's blood, v. causing a schism in the Sangha, vi. pernicious false views/beliefs (niyata micca ditthi) that lead to woeful rebirths.

8. One is a stream-enterer (sotapanna), one who has attained the first stage of awakening.

9. The last three stanzas were recited by Sakka, the King of the Devas (in two celestial world immediately above the human plane) (KhpA).

Citation: "Ratana Sutta: The Jewel Discourse" (Sn 2.1), translated from Pali by Ven. Piyadassi Thera based on Access to Insight (BCBS edition), Nov. 30, 2013. Access to Insight (accesstoinsight.org) is owned and managed by the Barre Center for Buddhist Studies.

How to sit Zen (video)

Yokoji Zen Mountain Center, 10/3/11; Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

(ZMC.org) Postures: full-lotus, half-lotus, quarter-lotus, Burmese, kneeling, or sitting in a chair.

How to Meditate Zen style

This is Zen meditation instruction from Yokoji Zen Mountain Center (zmc.org), a Zen Buddhist training center located in the Southern California mountains near Idyllwild. Instruction is provided on how to sit zazen ("seated meditation") in various positions -- full lotus, cross legged, using a chair -- plus tips on breathing and how to go in to and out of meditation periods.

• Dharma Meditation Initiative: Learn Zen FREE, Nov. 14
• Zen Mountain Monastery (zmm.org) meditation instructions
  

Dalai Lama in SoCal: the sand mandala

Matt Hamilton, Francine Orr, Sarah Parvini (latimes.com); CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

The 14th Dalai Lama, left, with Tibetan monk Ven. Sherab Chopel, the principal artist who created the mandala, view it together during a private event in Irvine. The sand mandala was created to commemorate the Dalai Lama's 80th birthday (Francine Orr/LATimes.com).

Tibetan monks construct another mandala on another occasion (hairyprincess).

.

Dalai Lama's anjali mudra

(L.A. Now) Creating a mandala is as painstaking as it is beautiful. Grain by grain, two Tibetan monks meticulously placed colored sand during the last two weeks on the campus of UC Irvine, forming a brightly hued pattern that's said to attract "loving-kindness."

 

This particular mandala depicts the celestial home of Avalokiteshvara, the [Bodhisattva] of compassion. It was created to commemorate the 80th birthday of the 14th Dalai Lama, whom Tibetan Buddhists revere as a living embodiment of Avalokiteshvara [transformed or embodied as the Goddess Kwan Yin].

Speaking with small group during private event blessing mandala (Francine Orr/LA Times).

 
The site at UC Irvine was chosen because it will become the new home of the Center for Living Peace, a nonprofit that sponsored the Dalai Lama's visit this week to Orange County.

 

The monks' diligent work -- from 9:00 am to midnight, for 10 days -- climaxed Tuesday morning, when the Dalai Lama blessed it. He studied the mandala with the principal artist, a Tibetan monk named Ven. Sherab Chopel.

 

In time, the mandala will be destroyed. Monks will sweep the sand and return it to the [Pacific] ocean [to send loving-kindness and blessings in all directions].

Borobudur mandala floorplan for 9th century Buddhist temple, world's largest (David1010)

 

Hevajra mandala, Nepal (Wonderlane)

Unlike so many art forms, it's an exercise in impermanence and the ephemeral. The mandala shows four arms, which organizers said symbolize the qualities required for enlightenment: joy, equanimity, loving-kindness, and compassion.

 

Perhaps there's a fifth quality [such as a sense of humor].

 

During the private gathering, the Dalai Lama paused and without provocation, looked directly at Los Angeles Times photojournalist Francine Orr, saying, "Compassion without wisdom is nothing." More

• COMMENTS: (Anayeli at 11:59 am July 08, 2015) How funny. I just realized he ma[d]e the comment about compassion that lacks wisdom while looking at a LAT employee. LOL! During the private gathering, the Dalai Lama paused and without provocation, looked directly at Los Angeles Times photojournalist Francine Orr, saying, "Compassion...

Times staff writer Sarah Parvini contributed to this report.

Kalachakra Sera mandala, initiation (Kosi Gramatikoff)

• Dalai Lama marks 80th birthday with compassion-themed Anaheim summit

Fearless in the face of Death (sutra)

Amber Larson, Bhante, Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly translation, Abhaya Sutra

"The smaller the coffin the harder it is to carry" - Minister Asif. So use British wheels. Mara (Death) spreads fear of poison gas in England from Nazi blitzkriegs and particulate raids.

.

Nazis won WW II, working in US

Thus have I heard. At one time Janussoni the Brahmin went to the Blessed One [the Buddha], exchanged courteous greetings, and sat respectfully to one side.

 

Sitting there he said to the Blessed One: "I hold the view and am of the opinion that there is no one who, being subject to death, is unafraid or free of terror about death."

The Blessed One replied: "Brahmin, there are those who, being subject to death, are afraid and terrified of death. But there are others who, although being subject to death, are unafraid and free of terror about death.

The Fearful

I worry, and in the grip of fear and a racing mind, I have insomnia. I'm American.

.

The U.S. of Fear (tomdispatch.com)

"And who is the person who, being subject to death, is afraid and terrified of death? It is the person who has not yet abandoned passion, desire, clinging, thirst, fever, and craving for sensuality. When that person comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'O, those beloved sensual pleasures will be taken from me! And I will be separated from them!'

 

One grieves and is tormented, weeps, pounds one's own breast, and grows mad. This is a person who, being subject to death, is afraid and terrified of death.

 

FEAR: "false evidence appearing real"

"Furthermore, there is a person who has not abandoned passion, desire, clinging, thirst, fever, and craving for the body. When that person comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'O, my beloved body will be taken from me! And I will be separated from my body!' One grieves and is tormented, weeps, pounds one's own breast, and grows mad. This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is afraid and terrified of death.

 

Hey, scaredy cats, surprise!

"Furthermore, there is a person who has left undone what is good, has left undone what is skillful, has not given protection to those in fear but, instead, has done what is harmful, wrathful, and cruel. When that person comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'I have left undone what is good, have left undone what is skillful, have not given protection to those in fear but, instead, have done what is harmful, wrathful, and cruel.

• [NOTE (Wisdom Quatterly) One of the best ways to give others "protection from fear" is to adhere to the Five Precepts, right livelihood, and in engaging in such restraint one liberates countless beings from fear and trembling one would otherwise endanger them with, and on some level other beings sense this.] 

"To the extent that there is a destination for those who have left undone what is good, have left undone what is skillful, have not given protection to those in fear but, instead, have done what is harmful, wrathful, and cruel, and that is where I am headed after death.'

"One grieves and is tormented, weeps, beats one's own breast, and grows mad. This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is afraid and terrified of death.

Just look at the size of that thing. Attack it!

"Furthermore, there is a person in doubt and perplexed, who has not arrived at certainty with regard to the true Dharma. When one comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'How full of doubt and perplexity I am! I have not arrived at any certainty with regard to the true Dharma!' One grieves and is tormented, weeps, beats one's own breast, and grows mad. This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is afraid and in terrified of death.

 

"These, Brahmin, are four people who, being subject to death, are afraid and terrified of death.

  

The Fearless

The Buddha's fearless gesture, abhaya mudra, Wat Plai Laem, Koh Samui (sumuizoom.com)

Fearless mudra (samuizoom.com)

"And who is the person who, being subject to death, is unafraid and not terrified of death?

 

"There is a person who has abandoned passion, desire, clinging, thirst, fever, and craving for sensuality. When one comes down with a serious disease, the thought does not occur, 'O, those beloved sensual pleasures will be taken from me! And I will be separated from them!' One does not grieve, is not tormented, does not weep, or beat one's own breast, or grow mad.

This is a person who, being subject to death, is unafraid and not terrified of death.

"Furthermore, there is a person who has abandoned passion, desire, clinging, thirst, fever, and craving for the body. When that person comes down with a serious disease, the thought does not occur, 'O, my beloved body will be taken from me! And I will be separated from my body!' One does not  grieve, is not tormented, does not weep, does not beat one's own breast, or grow mad. This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is unafraid and not terrified of death.

 

"Everything you want is on the other side of fear." So feel the fear and do it anyway.

 

"Furthermore, there is a person who has done what is good, has done what is skillful, has given protection to those in fear, and has not done what is harmful, wrathful, or cruel. When that person comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'I have done what is good, have done what is skillful, have given protection to those in fear, and I have not done what is harmful, wrathful, or cruel.

"'To the extent that there is a destination for those who have done what is good, what is skillful, have given protection to those in fear, and have not done what is harmful, wrathful, or cruel, that is where I am headed after death.' One does not grieve, is not tormented, does not weep, does not beat one's own breast, or grow mad. This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is unafraid and not terrified of death.

 

"Furthermore, there is a person who is free doubt and unperplexed, who has arrived at certainty with  regard to the true Dharma. When one comes down with a serious disease, the thought occurs, 'I am free of doubt or perplexity. I have arrived at certainty with regard to the true Dharma.' One does not grieve, is not tormented, does not weep, does not beat one's own breast, or grow mad.

 

This, too, is a person who, being subject to death, is unafraid and not terrified of death.

 

"These, Brahmin, are four people who, being subject to death, are unafraid and not terrified of death."

  

The Brahmin responds

Fear is optional. (baconbabble.com)

When this was said, Janussoni the Brahmin said to the Blessed One: "Magnificent, Master Gautama, magnificent! It is just as if one were to set upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to show the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms!

"In the same way has Master Gautama -- using many lines of reasoning -- made the Dharma clear. I go to Master Gautama for guidance (sarana), go to the Dharma, and go to the [noble] Sangha. May Master Gautama remember me as a lay follower who has gone to him for guidance from this day forward as long as life lasts."

The Buddha prevents relatives from fighting

Crystal Quintero, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; photographer Inkid (flickr)

Presiding Buddha Image: Pra Buddha Attharos Preventing Relatives from Fighting mudra (posture)
Once there was a great shortage of whater in the small river that ran between two small [Indo-Scythian] kingdoms [in Shakyaland/Sakastan].

The people in the kingdoms were both relatives of the Lord Buddha [members of the Shakya Clan]. But they were going to fight over the water.

The Lord Buddha knew that if he did not [intervene and] prevent them, there was going to be great bloodshed.

So he came and wisely asked, "Which means more to you, water or relatives?" The Lord Buddha's question made the people realize that it is foolish to be fighting over the water.

The Lord Buddha's statement and posture holding his right hand up not only prevents his relatives from fighting but also signifies peace to the world. [The relatives relented at first, but due to their karma, they returned. They relented again. But they returned yet again and the Buddha realized he could not prevent them. It did not end well for the relatives. Sometimes even a Buddha cannot prevent what living beings are intent on.]

The gold accented Jade Buddha and dragons, Bangkok, Thailand (Inkid/flickr.com)

  

Kaludayin Thera: Crossing the Rohini River

Excerpt by Andrew Olendzki (trans.), Theragatha 10.1

The Buddha prevents a war between hostile neighbors, his relatives, as explained above.

.

Translator's note: These verses are said to have been uttered by Udayin (nicknamed Kala Udayin or "Dark Udayin"). He was the son of King Suddhodhana's chief minister and is said to have been the childhood companion of Prince Siddhartha, who became the Buddha Gautama. Soon after the Buddha's great awakening (maha bodhi), his father King Suddhodana sent several messengers to ask him to return home.

Each one, upon hearing the Enlightened One's teaching, apparently joined his movement to gain enlightenment themselves and gave up the king's mission. Finally King Suddhodhana sends Kaludayin, who agrees to the mission on condition that he can become a follower of the Buddha upon getting him to return home for a visit.

 
The Rohini river runs through the heart of the Buddha's homeland [Indo-Scythia, Central Asia, west of Gandhara], marking the border between the lands of the Shakyas and the Koliyas (his father's and mother's families, respectively).

Crossing the L.A. River (latimes.com)

Since the verses are uttered in Rajagaha (modern Rajgir), well to the southeast of Shakya-land, a returning journey would face the traveler westward. One commentary says that Kaludayin went on for 60 stanzas of this beautiful nature poetry before asking the Buddha to return. But we only have the first few of these. The language is rich and evocative of spring sights and smells. It is composed in a meter of eleven syllables per line.
 
The Buddha does indeed go home soon after his great enlightenment, where he picks up a number of male and female family members to join his monastic order. These include his half-brother (Nanda), several cousins (Ananda, Anuruddha, and Devadatta), and his son (Rahula). Eventually his wife (Princess Bimba, known more widely as Yasodhara, Rahulamata, and Bhaddhakaccana), the step-mother who raised him (Queen Maha Pajapati), and many other [Indo-Scythian] Shakyas also went on to become nuns and monks.
 

Crimson now, sir, are the trees of the forest,

Having shed their foliage, they're eager to fruit,

(Their flowers are) blazing forth like brilliant flames, —

It is a luscious time of year, Great Hero.

The blossoming trees, so pleasing to the mind,

Spread their fragrance in every direction,

Surrendering their leaves and longing for fruit; —

The time has come to depart from here, Hero.

It is neither too cold, nor again too hot,

The season is pleasant, suited for travel.

My lord, let the Shakyas and Koliyas see you —

Facing westward and crossing the Rohini.

Tsunami creature

(AlaiNet) During the Japanese tsunami a strange creature was caught on camera. Real footage shows massive onslaught of water then a creature (possibly a giant white slithering cat or macaque monkey) leaps onto a roof.

(CGC) Women need equality. The Iron Maidens, Roland Booth, Namm 2012 (cemuchannel.com)

Fruiting bodies, mushrooms can save the planet, Woodlawn Cemetery (GaryLincoff.com)

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