(Reason2Resist with Dimitri Lascaris) Ritual Jewish child sexual abuse scandal rocks Israel with Vanessa Beeley | Will Syrian "terrorists" invade? No, not my chosen people! Not in my country and soon-to-be Middle Eastern Empire of "Greater Israel." America, maybe, but not Holy Eretz Yisrael HaShlema (ארץ ישראל השלמה). Israel First! Shalom.
RAINN (Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network) is an American nonprofit anti-sexual assaultorganization, the largest in the USA [4].
RAINN operates the National Sexual Assault Hotline, as well as the Department of Defense (Trump's new Department of War) Safe Helpline, and carries out programs to prevent sexual assault, help survivors of sexual crimes, and ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice through victim services, public education, public policy, and consulting services [5].
RAINN was founded in 1994 by Jewish American Scott Berkowitz, with initial funding from The Atlantic Group and Warner Music Group [6].
Tori Amos was the organization's first spokesperson [7, 8, 9]. Christina Ricci has been the national spokes-person since April 25, 2007 [10], and she is a member of its National Leadership Council [11, 12]. More
They never even have bothered to learn my real name, yet they claim they love me.
"Hear me out: Christianity [as practiced by most people in the USA and Europe, particularly in Rome] is just another Satanic cult." This is not a joke. Here's why. By the end of the video, what the correct path of Christianity, the steps Jesus (Yeshua, Issa, Kristos, the Annointed One, Christ) actually followed and advocated are covered. Hearing is believing, even though facing up to having been deceived for so long and to be so wrong will likely be impossible for most "Christians." For as it is said, a comforting lie is far more attractive than any bitter truth.
American Kim Iversen takes a look at an alleged growing trends of people turning to Christianity...whenever the economic and political condition of a country starts looking hopeless.
Morgue Official is an ex-Christian intent on exposing the Church and revealing the true teachings of Jesus Christ as understood for thousands of years in a body of literature called the "Gnostic texts." They are not one set of books but rather are buried secrets the official Church tried to stamp out, ban, censor, alter, and eradicate along with killing anyone possessing such knowledge.
(Fitness Discovered) What is it like to meditate with Himalayan Buddhist lamas in a lamasery?
Find out in this 360-degree virtual reality puja (devotional service) meditation for 15 minutes.
Put on a headset and enjoy this rare experience with the monks from Nepal's Khawalung Tashi Choeling Monastery(KM). #Travel #VR #Meditation
We visited Kushinagar, near Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh, Northern India, where the Buddha chose to pass into final nirvana (parinibbana) between twin sal trees. It was hot, too hot. Arrive in season or pay the price. (The price is much higher in season, but the weather is terrible, so the price of convenience and no crowds is all the reasons the crowds are choosing to wait before visiting). On Lonely Planet's map, holy Nepal was walking distance. It's not, but it is only a short bus ride away on a very bouncy bus that will bust a butt and give one a condition usually reserved for men who sit too long on the porcelain throne straining, so bring a pillow.
We made it across the international line and found out that an extraordinary thing about the tiny Buddhist (officially the only "Hindu nation" in the world, due to the pressure big neighbor India inducing it to) nation of Nepal is that it has all of the terrains from swampy lowlands to frigid alpine zones in a very short span. There is another place in the Americas that also shares this unusual trait, but a bus up the Himalayan foothills is dizzying for all the changes one sees along the river of melting snow.
Entering "Katmandu" (Kathmandu), which is in a valley, listening to Bob Seger, imagining ourselves on the HIPPIE TRAIL alongside the members of Pink Floyd ("Astronomy Domine") and Led Zeppelin ("Kashmir"). The bus kept going up and further up: The capital has always been safe from invasion because it was just too much trouble for any invading army to reach, so it survived as a nation (with internal strife from corrupt governments and Maoists taking matters into their own hands and trying to make things better). Behold, Durbar Square, Kathmandu!
Everyone points us to Freak Street because, of course, where else would Westerners be looking for? We were actually looking for the virgin Living Goddess to feel her shakti ("divine energy"). Boudhanath has the wisdom eyes of the Buddha, which would make a great color tattoo. After seeing the stupa, we realized there were other monasteries around the capital. Visiting the exterior for their grand views is compelling, but I couldn't help but go in to see the chanting and tantric meditation by butter lamps, just like the view above.
Fitness Discovered, May 25, 2017; Text: Dhr. Seven and Kelly Ani (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Namu myōhō renge kyō (南無妙法蓮華経): Devotion to Mystic Dharma of Lotus Flower Sutra
Pseudo-spirituality books like The Secret,Passion for Profits (Family Guy's Brian writes a bestseller
Dharma Vlog: Cults and weird Buddhism
(Doug's Dharma) Dougie discusses some experiences with a teacher who was in a couple of cults, plus an example of "weird Buddhism" that provides a bit of a life lesson.
(Soka Gakkai Official) Is "wishcraft" real? What does Nam-myoho-renge-kyo mean? [Don't worry about it. That's not important. Just chant it, and don't stop!] How can I start chanting? This short film introduces the daily practice of "Soka Gakkai Buddhists" and demonstrates how to chant [their magic mantra].
The Soka Gakkai is a global community-based Buddhist[-ish] organization that promotes peace, culture, and education centered on [faith, not asking questions, and suspending critical thinking, but you get stuff] respect for the dignity of life.
(Prophet of Nonsense) Formerly Shinto Japan is full of religious crazies. Here are the Buddhist ones.
Its members in 192 countries and territories study and put into practice the humanistic philosophy of [blind faith-based] Nichiren Buddhism.
Soka Gakkai members strive to [make money and material riches by magic and] actualize their inherent potential while contributing [tithing it to the cult and] to their local communities and responding to the shared issues facing humankind.
The conviction that individual happiness and the realization of peace are inextricably linked is central to the Soka Gakkai, as is a commitment to dialogue and nonviolence.
(ReligionForBreakfast)
Feb. 20, 2025: Korean Shamanism (Musok with its trance mansins) is a dynamic religious tradition rooted in spirit mediation (not meditation), ritual healing, and ancestral veneration to appease the spirits all around.
Oh, Bojack Horseman, you're not for kids. Real living horses can heal children.
Words of Wisdom: Rupert Isaacson on how horses bring us happiness
(Happinez Magazine International) Feb. 7, 2018: In search of healing for his autistic son, Rupert Isaacson traveled to Buddhist Mongolia and the world with that son on horseback. He discovered how horses have a wonderful effect -- not just on people with autism, but on every single one of us.
Healing autistic children with Shamanic Healer Dawn Paul
(Dawn Paul) I work with autistic children all over the world. I am able to connect with them and obtain information from them as well as carry out any necessary healing in order to allow them to be more whole and comfortable in their bodies. I work on them remotely and then email the parents a report of what I did for their child. Visit liberate-online.co.uk for more information and an article on healing for autistic children.
THE HORSE BOY (official US trailer)
(ZeitgeistFilms) Now on DVD from Zeitgeist Video. How far would you travel to heal someone you love?
An intensely personal yet epic spiritual journey, The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through Buddhist Outer Mongolia in a desperate attempt to treat his condition with shamanic healing.
When 2-year-old Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson, a writer and former horse trainer, and his wife, Psychology Professor Kristin Neff, sought the best possible medical care for their son — but traditional therapies had little effect.
Then they discovered that Rowan has a profound affinity for animals — particularly horses — and the family set off on a quest for a possible cure.
The Horse Boy is part travel adventure, part insight into shamanic tradition and part intimate look at the autistic mind.
In telling one family's extraordinary story, the film gives voice to the thousands who display amazing courage and creativity every day in the battle against this mysterious and heartbreaking epidemic.
The filmic companion to Isaacson's best-selling book of the same name and a festival favorite, this ravishing documentary odyssey gives insight into how, in life's darkest moments, one can find the gateway to joy and wonder. More: zeitgeistfilms.com/horseboy
Zeitgeist Films, July 17, 2009; Dawn Paul, Sept. 6, 2019; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(SLICE) Before an important trip, men of the Enawéné Tribe invoke the unseen spirits by performing a traditional dance and song, asking them to watch over their village. This is an extract from the documentary: Amazon Games. Direction: Sandrine Leonardelli. Production: ZED & ARTE France – Manuel Catteau.
SLICE wants to fill curiosity. Accessible to anyone from anywhere at any time, this channel is a weekly dose of short docs about curious facts, discoveries, astounding info, unusual stories, weird, fun, and instructive. Be smart, have a slice. Subscribe now ► @slicedocumentary
SLICE, 2/4/20; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
"Ashes to ashes, funk to funk me, we know Major Tom's a junkie, strung out on heaven's high, hitting an all-time low," observes almost-Buddhist monk David Bowie (genius.com).
Where did it all begin? It surely wasn't with the Catholic ("Universal") Church, the great appropriator of all sorts of popular spiritual traditions it abrogates to itself with precious little explanation to its fan base.
Buddhism has a "Lent" called the Rains Retreat (Vas or Vassa), with fasting, meditating, studying, and staying at the vihara or temple complex as the monastics go into retreat.
One of Wisdom Quarterly's "Mexican Buddhists," Pfc. Sandoval, also being Catholic, wants a Lenten sacrifice, removing meat like Catholicism (and many other Christian groups, mainly Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox Ethiopian) originally called for until Vatican anti-popes like John Paul II watered the tradition down so much as to undermine it. The whole of Lent was originally about abstaining from killing and devouring animals, which is certainly kinder than the million animals killed a day in the USA for consumption with all the harm that does to the environment and climate.
Bless me, Padre, I want to go back to heaven.
Parishioners in the diocese like spectacle, cake (or communion wafers known as prasad in India and in Hinduism), along with all the candlelight, bells, recitations in a holy foreign language, and incense. It appeals to our sense of mystery and wonder.
Like most great spiritual things, India is the source. (Of course, Egypt and ancient Sumer) were replete with spiritual/religious hokum. It's not anything many civilizations were lacking -- except, oddly, one of the greatest, namely, the Indus Valley Civilization (IVC). Excavations have not revealed religious practices or temples, nor has anyone deciphered their pre-Sanskrit writings.
Some mornings I draw my forehead designs, others I just white it all out. Then I hit the pipe.
.
The West does asana in place of ashtanga.
The yogic sadhu ("holyman") tradition of spreading ashes all over one's body, with particular attention to designs on the forehead are definitely an ancient Indian custom. Wandering ascetics, not always having access to rivers (to wash away their sins, unskillful karma, or uncleanliness in) resorted to the very smart practice of smearing pyre ash all over themselves.
It is a great cleanser, absorbing oils and lifting dirt. It is then rubbed off like a facemask, revealing clean and rejuvenated skin. Think dry shampoo. Talcum powder became the custom in cold Europe, which needed to stay somewhat clean and not as smelly as the commoners. Cleanliness became close to godliness, which is odd because for so long it was not.
Forehead art -- placing a mark (tilaka) as carefully as applied cosmetic makeup around the bindi or third eye, where Catholics now place a cross -- has been all the rage among holymen for centuries.
Incense ash will do, but pyre (cremation) ashes are more symbolic of being aware of death and accepting of our dust-to-dust journey in samsara (the continued wandering on of cyclical rebirths, which always end in death and redeaths).
It's a drishti(focal point) for darshan(to be seen as being holy), a puja(devotional) practice rededicating ourselves to our religious principles -- virtue and truth and the pursuit of all that is Good and to remind ourselves that life is fleeting.
Buddhism's 13 sane ascetic practices or "austerities"were established to counter the extreme asceticism of some yogis who, as ineffectual "penance" for their sins, would practice extreme self-mortifications that only harmed the body while not purifying the mind/heart, leading away from the spiritual goal of liberation (moksha) rather than toward it.
The Buddha is a Catholic saint. (No, really).
So just as St. Issa/Jesus didtapas (austerities) to purify his mind and heart and exercise his spiritual powers, it is good for use to follow suit.
First things first, it's that time of year to "remove meat" (Latin carnival), to prepare our bodies for Lent to burn away sin (shake off accumulated bad karma) from our spiritual body as a penance, as a sadhana. If Issa/Yshua/Jesus could endure 40 days of not eating, we can surely endure 40 days of indulging in all the great vegan fare now available.
People want to live forever (in heaven), but they won't even stop killing (or paying someone to kill) and devouring animals for even half a season?
Ash Wednesday: a holy day of prayer and fasting in many Western Christian denominations. It is preceded by Shrove Tuesday (aka Mardi Gras, Fat Tuesday, Pancake Day) and marks the first day of Lent, the six weeks of penitence (and sacrificing something we like by abstaining from it) before the rebirth that is Easter. It's the "long dark teatime of the soul" (Douglas Adams), as it were.
Fasting and abstinence
Not killing and not causing to kill, is that so hard? It's like the first commandment. Mercy.
Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, meditating alone without food -- and loving it.
Many Lent-observing Christian denominations emphasize making a Lenten sacrifice, as well as fasting and abstinence during the season of Lent. This is particularly true on Ash Wednesday.
The First Council of Nicaea spoke of Lent as a period of fasting for 40 days [as a means of mental, physical, and spiritual purification] in advance of Easter.
Whatever the Council's original intent, this 40-day fast came into wide practice throughout the church [38].
While starting a Lenten sacrifice on Ash Wednesday (e.g., giving up porn, masturbating, meat, or cussing, or cellphone use), it is customary to pray for strength to keep it through the whole season of Lent.
All such sacrifices (abstentions) are good tapas (austerities) performed for the sake of self-purification. If nothing else, they bring into sharp relief our bad habits, energy drains, and clear away distractions and deviance from leading the kind of "good life" we'd like to live. It's better if no one tells us what to give up. We know. We ourselves can see. It's just that letting go is so hard because we've built all sorts of supports to our harmful behaviors that have mortared our habits in place. Just do it. Let go. It's only temporary. Pick up the bad habits in 40 days.
Many often wish others a similar blessing: "May God bless your Lenten sacrifice" [39]. In many places, Christians historically abstained from all food for a whole day until the evening, and at sunset, Western Christians traditionally broke the Lenten fast, which is often known as the Black Fast [40, 41].
In the Ethiopian Church, one of the oldest in all of Christianity, eating vegetarian/vegan food was considered fasting, so one is at no risk of starving. A plant-based diet is a cruelty-free, compassionate, and smart choice to survive and thrive spiritually and physically. Just look at yogis.
Seth Andrews, The Thinking Atheist; CC Liu, Sheldon S., Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Why is my son's penis bleeding?! - The rabbi was playing with him in the tub. - WHAT?!?!
Holy Land Halloween: Guns to handle nonbelievers, IDF vests, Easter Bunny Eostre suits
Blood Cult: The Weird, Wild World of Judeo-Christian Rituals
Jewish forced genital mutilation
(TheThinkingAtheist) Seth Andrews takes a fresh look at the world's most popular religion (the Catholic sect of Christianity, a breakaway Jewish cult from Rome), revealing how culty (and often creepy) Christian traditions and rituals truly are.
What'cha gonna be for Halloween? - Let's be Christians
Hollywood has banned us from being Barbie and Oppenheimer due to the strike. Most of the writers are volunteering to go fight in Israel...oh, they're not? Thought they would, with so much fear and xenophobia about anyone but them occupying the Holy Land of the Philistines, Palestinians, and Jews. Maybe we could go to the party as Swift and that guy from Project Paperclip (Operation Paperclip: The Secret Intelligence Program that Brought Nazi Scientists to America) who invented cruise missile rockets for use in space and to make wars more destructive.
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