She remembered her past life: Shanti Devi

(Sneaky Sushii) Reliving Past Lives by Helen Wambach

• Who was Shanti Devi? Proof of past lives

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)

Mexican Barbie gets in on the holiday

Today, Nov. 1, is Día de los Muertos. It’s a time when people celebrate the lives of those who've passed on -- a time to remember family members, close friends, pets, even strangers, perhaps all of humanity.

The Mexican American holiday holds a special place for many people as a way to grieve those who have died and keep their memory alive.

• La Calavera Catrina ("The Skull Belle")
• Day of the Dead in Mexico | Celebration in Cancun and Xcaret Park | Dia de Muertos

Catrina beauty contest winner in Los Angeles

People usually celebrate with an ofrenda or offering altar that has photos of their loved ones, their favorite meals, orange marigolds, pan de muerto [bread for the dead, dead bread, soul cake offerings], sugar skull candies, and other items that have special meaning to those being remembered.

Home altar feels like Halloween

In celebration of the holiday, LAist.com asked readers: "What is a memory of a loved one you would like to share for Día de los Muertos?"

LAist heard from people across Southern California about those favorite moments. This digital ofrenda is meant to highlight those memories.

The Day of the Dead and the story of La Catrina | Mexican animated tale

Remembering loved ones

Offerings (ofrendas) to benefit the deceased who are grateful to be remembered by the living

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Photos of the dead on home altar

Joanne Pineda of Monterey Park (a small city in the San Gabriel Valley of LA County) has made a tradition of celebrating Día de los Muertos with her family. She said she’ll always remember the time when her dad asked her mom to dance to Neil Young’s “Harvest Moon” in the living room.

(News 4 San Antonio) The origins and meaning of Dia de los Muertos

“Thinking about it now really brings me tears because it just brought them so much joy. It brought them close together,” Pineda said. “For me to be there, to see that, how special it was to them I just think about it all the time.” More

Coco (by Pixar/Disney)

• VIDEO: "Day of the Dead" catches on in the U.S.
• David Rodriguez and Gillian Morán Pérez, LAist.com, "Angelenos are celebrating Día de los Muertos. Here’s who they’re honoring today," Nov. 1, 2025; Crystal Q., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Armenian Genocide Remembrance Day

Ugly History: The Armenian Genocide - Ümit Kurt

(TED-Ed) Dig into the history of the Armenian Genocide, during which the Ottoman Empire killed over 1 million Armenians during WWI.

When an Armenian resistance movement began to form in the 19th century, Sultan Abdul Hamid II took decisive action. He led the Hamidian Massacres — a relentless campaign of violence that killed over 150,000 Armenians. These massacres were the culmination of centuries of oppression, yet they were only the beginning of an even greater tragedy.

Ümit Kurt uncovers the history of the Armenian Genocide. Lesson by Ümit Kurt, directed by Héloïse Dorsan-Rachet. Support non-profit mission. Support on Patreon: bit.ly/TEDEdPatreon. Check out merch: bit.ly/TEDEDShop

• Ümit Kurt, TED-Ed, Nov. 12, 2024; Seth Auberon, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Holocaust Remembrance Day 2025

Egypt, Jordan reject Trump plan to "clean out" Gaza; Palestinians return to N. Gaza in historic day

(Democracy Now!) Jan. 27, 2025: As Palestinian survivors in Gaza begin to return to their homes during the first ceasefire in over a year, DN! speaks to Sharif Abdel Kouddous of Drop Site News about the future of those who have been displaced. As Palestinians are "returning to a devastated landscape…determined not to leave their land" in defiance of "plans of ethnic cleansing that have dated back to the 1950s for Israel," Pres. Trump told reporters that he wants to "clean out" Gaza, suggesting that Palestinian Arabs should be ethnically cleansed into Egypt and Jordan. Both countries have "rejected this, and they've done so since the beginning of this genocidal assault," says Kouddous.

ABOUT: Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on over 1,500 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch livestream at democracynow.org Mondays to Fridays 8:00-9:00 am ET. Support: democracynow.org/donate.

Holocaust Memorial Day: What happened at Auschwitz

(Sky News) Jan. 27, 2025: January 27, 2025, marks the 80th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp in German occupied Poland. Sky's Alastair Bruce has been looking at why the world stops each year -- to remember what must never be forgotten. "Never again" used to be the motto and peace slogan, but then the modern state of Israel, funded and backed by the UK, US, and EU, decided it wanted an empire in the Middle East starting with Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and expanding into Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, and all the land visible from there. So the Holocaust is back and stronger than ever. "Never again to us" is apparently what was meant, and by using the slogan to promote the act, it is happening again with world approval, complicity, or at least looking the other way.

Comedy: Norm MacDonald lays into Jews for four minutes straight

Read more: news.sky.com/story/holocaust-... #auschwitz #holocaust #ww2

SUBSCRIBE to YouTube channel for more videos: skynews. Follow on Twitter: skynews. Like on Facebook: skynews. Follow on Instagram: skynews. Follow on TikTok: skynews. For more content go to tnews.sky.com and download apps: Apple https://itunes.apple.com/gb/app/sky-n... Android https://play.google.com/store/apps/de... Sky News Daily podcast is available for free here: https://podfollow.com/skynewsdaily/ Sky News videos are now available in Spanish here/Los video de Sky News están disponibles en español aquí: / @skynewsespanol To enquire about licensing Sky News content, you can find more information here: https://news.sky.com/info/library-sales

• Sky News, Jan. 27, 2025; Amy Goodman, DemocracyNow.org; Norm MacDonald; Shauna Schwartz, Sheldon S., Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Mindfulness in Zen Buddhism (Alan Watts)

Alan Watts (Audio Archives, KPFK.org); Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Chasing satori is like herding oxen.

On being "Zen," California British philosopher Alan Watts (alanwatts.org) can explain, if anyone can. And it may well be that no one can. One who knows does not speak, and one who speaks does not know. That may be true, but one can point. It is like the movie My Dinner with Andre. What was Andre on about? It's a great movie, but he can only point. There's no direct saying that can communicate. That may not make sense, but it becomes clear with practice. When asking a spiritual question, one will get a mundane answer. When asking a mundane question, one will be given a spiritual answer. It's the custom, not a rule of the universe. Let there be suchness. (What is suchness?) Nice weather we're having? (Weather, what's wrong with the weather?) It is empty, void of qualities, fickle as a thought. (Huh?) You're catching on.

• AUDIO: Alan Watts explains Zen or something like it, Buddhist Radio, Sunday, 12/17/23, 8:00 am, KPFK Archives

No, seriously, what is Zen?

Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word chan, which is China's attempt to pronounce the Pali word jhana (jhan), from the Buddhist Sanskrit dhyana (dhyan). That word means "meditation" (which originally meant meditative absorption) but Zen has come to mean what one finds through meditation, through calming and training the mind by mindfulness.

• Arriving at Your Own Door: 108 Lessons in Mindfulness

NYC: 20K Palestinians slaughtered by Israel

Fox News propaganda, 11/30/23; Pfc. Sandoval, A. Wells, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Israel, Hamas ceasefire ends after 7 days of captive and prisoner exchanges

(LiveNOW from FOX) Nov. 30, 2023: Despite reports of possible extensions, the temporary ceasefire "pause" by Israel on its extermination of Palestinians under the pretext of trying to only kill Hamas has ended. Israel restarted by blaming Hamas for a violation, ignoring its own shooting of Palestinians trying to return to their homes in Gaza to see if they were still standing. The operational pause was set to end by proclamations made by the far-right inspired Netanyahu, but additionally Israel says Hamas fired something toward Israeli territory, according to the IDF. Israel intercepted a homemade "rocket" from Gaza about 40 minutes before the temporary pause was set to end.

Thich Nhat Hanh died one year ago

At least Lion's Roar and my immediate practicing disciples remember me.

01.20.2023 REMEMBERING THICH NHAT HANH This weekend marks the one-year anniversary of the passing of the Vietnamese Buddhist monk and founder of the Engaged Buddhism movement, Thich Nhat Hanh, who passed away on January 22, 2022, in Vietnam. Affectionately referred to as “Thay,” by his students, Thich Nhat Hanh is widely considered one of the most important spiritual leaders of our time. In his 95 years, he made a global impact as a teacher, author, and activist. His simple yet deeply profound teachings led countless people toward a life of mindfulness, joy, and peace and helped define Buddhism for the modern world. The three pieces below offer a look into the remarkable life and teachings of this wonderful teacher, and how his community of students are continuing to carry his dharma forward. In his book, At Home in the World, published in 2016, Nhat Hanh addressed the idea of his death, writing: “Even when the cloud is not there, it continues as snow or rain. It is impossible for the cloud to die. It can become rain or ice, but it cannot become nothing. The cloud does not need to have a soul in order to continue. There’s no beginning and no end. I will never die. There will be a dissolution of this body, but that does not mean my death.” “I will continue, always.” —Lilly Greenblatt, Digital Editor, Lion’s Roar

A Cloud Never Dies Andrea Miller on what Thich Nhat Hanh taught her, his inspiring and courageous life, and how — through us — his wisdom will continue. I wondered if I would ever see Thich Nhat Hanh again. It was 2013, during his final North American teaching tour, and we were at Blue Cliff Monastery in the Catskills. The retreat had just wrapped up, and I’d stayed to interview him. We talked about many things — his family, karma, the key to happiness. Then at the end, feeling a mix of happy and sad, I put my hands together in gassho. It was wonderful to connect with Thay, as his students call him, but he was getting older, frailer. Would this be the last time I’d see him?

Thich Nhat Hanh on The Practice of Mindfulness The great meditation teacher Thich Nhat Hanh teaches five mindfulness exercises to help you live with happiness and joy. Mindfulness gives birth to joy and happiness. Another source of happiness is concentration. The energy of mindfulness carries within it the energy of concentration. When you are aware of something, such as a flower, and can maintain that awareness, we say that you are concentrated on the flower. When your mindfulness becomes powerful, your concentration becomes powerful, and when you are fully concentrated, you have a chance to make a breakthrough, to achieve insight. If you meditate on a cloud, you can get insight into the nature of the cloud. Or you can meditate on a pebble, and if you have enough mindfulness and concentration, you can see into the nature of the pebble. You can meditate on a person, and if you have enough mindfulness and concentration, you can make a breakthrough and understand the nature of that person. You can meditate on yourself, or your anger, or your fear, or your joy, or your peace.

Continuing Thay’s Teachings Eight of Thich Nhat Hanh’s students who are now teachers themselves share how they’re helping to carry his dharma into the future. At one of the long summer retreats in Plum Village, I spoke publicly about spending time with my mother during the last few months of her life. A nun who felt touched by my story came over to me at the start of walking meditation. She bowed and took my hand. She did it in such a clear and straightforward way that I felt very happy as we walked together with Thich Nhat Hanh and the sangha around the lotus pond. I hardly knew her; there had even been a minor incident earlier when I caught myself judging her because she had behaved in a way that I didn’t approve of. Now she had come to me, had taken my hand, and we were walking together as if we were best friends. To simply feel her warm hand and to settle into every step taken together very mindfully was enough to let go of any prejudice I might have harbored against her.

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Native American Heritage Month: November

Timeline - World History Documentaries, 9/20/22; Xochitl, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Native American/Indians in the Americas go back at least 10,000 years, like Aztec dancers.

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The Buried Secrets of the Native American Civilizations | 1491: America Wars

This series spins [an implicitly biased] tale about Indigenous peoples of the Americas before the Spanish explorer Cristobal Columbus arrived in the Carribean and went no further, never reaching or perhaps even noticing the mainland.

Each episode uses re-enactments to show a particular subject. Viewers learn about the art, architecture, archeology, science and technology of the [estimated 100 million Native people living here when this land was "discovered" and the program of rape and extermination, ethnic cleansing and slow genocide began].

📺 It's like Netflix for history...Sign up to History Hit, the world's best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code 'TIMELINE' bit.ly/3a7ambu. Find more from on: facebook.com/timelineWH, tiktok.com/@timelineworld..., instagram.com/timelineWH. This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com.

Native American Heritage Month

The slow genocide of the original inhabitants of this land affects everyone here to this day.

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(Wiki) November is "National American Indian Heritage Month," commonly referred to as Native American Heritage Month. The bill read in part that "Federal, state, and local governments, groups and organizations and the people of the United States to observe such month with appropriate programs, ceremonies and activities."

• 

  MAFIA: Make America Free of Indians Again

  RACIST CONTROVERSY: On Halloween 2019, Pres. Don John Trump proclaimed November 2019 as National American History and Founders Month [14] to celebrate the first European founders and colonizers of America. On October 13th of the same year, he issued a proclamation recognizing Columbus Day and not Indigenous Peoples' Day [15]. Some journalists have suggested that "National American History and Founders Month" is nothing but a racist attempt to subvert attention from National Native American Heritage Month [16] and stifle Indigenous voices [17] by announcing a celebration that can be viewed as opposing and contradictory to what National Native American Heritage Month is supposed to highlight and honor [18, 19].

At least Marlon Brando tried to right the wrongs

This landmark bill honoring America's tribal people represented a major step in the establishment of this celebration. It began in 1976 when a Cherokee/Osage Indian named Jerry C. Elliott-High Eagle authored Native American Awareness Week legislation the first historical week of recognition in the nation for native peoples.

This led to 1986 with then Pres. Reagan proclaiming Nov. 23–30, 1986, as "American Indian Week."

This commemorative month aims to provide a platform for Native people in the United States of America to share their culture, traditions, music, crafts, dance, ways, and concepts of life. This gives Native people the opportunity to express to their community, both city, county and state officials their concerns and solutions for building bridges of understanding and friendship in their local area.

Federal Agencies are encouraged to provide educational programs for their employees regarding Native American history, rights, culture and contemporary issues, to better assist them in their jobs and for overall awareness.

• November is Native American Indian Heritage Month

FREE Vegan Chocolate Halloween PARTY

Ananda (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Halloween/DDLM vegan tacos with all the trimmings make this a delicious potluck.

Halloween (Ireland's Samhain, Japan's Obon) in the Old World is Dia De Los Muertos in the New World.

It is the Mexican/Native American DAY OF THE DEAD celebration, when the veil between the Planes of Existence in Buddhist cosmology is thinnest, when the "Realm of Hungry Ghosts" spills over, when the deceased visit relatives and their former lives.

Mexican Aztecs invented chocolatl (hot cocoa)

It is also an opportunity to acknowledge our most unsavory qualities, the ones we hide most of the year. Transparency is better. No skeleton can stay hidden. Special remembrance meditation. Bring vegan snacks/drinks to share. Wear a sexy or scary costume (maybe a face mask from the 99 cent store).

We'll serve hot cocoa (chocolatl), sweet chocolate, cookies, candies, desserts, and savory plant-based TACO dishes. Hugs (optional). All welcome. FREE/by donation.

• Dharma Meditation Initiative
• Halloween, Thursday night, October 31, 2019, 7:00 PM
• Ahiah Center for Spiritual Living
• 150 N. El Molino Ave., Pasadena

Trader Joe's now carries melting vegan cheese and tasty ground beef (soy) for filling.