Did the 14th Dalai Lama really ask an underage little boy, a minor, to "suck my tongue" in front of cameras (unlike how he must usually do it, in private and behind closed doors)? - Yes. Is that a problem? It's a cultural thing! He has a right to make out with minors. Who are we to judge?
KŪKAI is a visually stunning documentary that brings to the screen the remarkable story of Kūkai, one of the most influential figures in Japanese cultural history. In 804 AD, he traveled from Japan to Tang China in search of knowledge, beginning a journey that would leave a lasting mark on art, learning, and cultural life across East Asia.
REVIEW: No. This is the worst kind of hagiography. We saw it in Beverly Hills on Sunday as part of its pre-release screening. It is as faith-based as it gets, and Japan is already infamous for its uber faith (bhakti) path Nichiren Buddhism. In the struggle between tariki and jiriki, it goes over the top that magic, mantra, and mumbo-jumbo are the path. It's not the Path the historical Buddha taught, and anyone could see that with the slightest amount of study. Faith (saddha, confidence, conviction) is an important step in walking the Path, but blind faith or an overdependence on some other force in the universe being invoked to come save us, it's not what the Buddha taught. It seems the antithesis of his message to a suffering world. The Dharma (Dhamma) is all about taking a good look at reality and our responsibility for ourselves. We're in this mess, we're keeping ourselves in this mess, and we have to make the effort (with help) to awaken ourselves. This is not a do-it-yourself project, but it is certainly not a Brahminical tantric secret of hocus pocus and everything working out. There were six "heretical" teachers and popular pernicious wrong views at the time of the historical Buddha. And he taught the Net of All-Embracing Views (Brahmajala Sutta) to counter those wrong views and bring about right view, the first factor or limb of the Ennobling Eightfold Path. What's wrong with this movie? What's right with it? Create a mechanical looking lead who never speaks, use a thundering "God voice" in classical Chinese with untranslated Sanskrit terms when they could easily be shown in English in parentheses, leave females out of 99% of the story, only including them as a footnote of grateful praying sycophants. Use AI to make the whole historical tale seem like a bad, one-sided fiction.
This forbidden Christian gospel tried to warn us about the Matrix
(Agrippa's Diary) Jan. 11, 2025: The Secret Book of John is a Gnostic text that unveils a startling cosmic narrative: Humanity’s existence is entangled in a deceptive matrix crafted by a false god, Yaldabaoth.
This being, birthed from [Wisdom's] Sophia's unintended creation, shrouds the world in ignorance and proclaims himself the sole creator, imprisoning divine sparks, our true essence, within a counterfeit reality.
The text warns that the material world, with its suffering and limitations, is not the work of the true God but a distortion of divine perfection.
By exposing this spiritual conspiracy, the Secret Book of John offers a path to liberation through knowledge (gnosis), urging humanity to awaken to its divine origin and break free from the illusion.
Its rediscovery is a clarion call to challenge the forces that have kept us blind to the truth for millennia. #gnosticism #bible #spirituality
The true teachings of Jesus will destroy Christianity as we know it
(Love Covered Life Podcast) Jan. 6, 2025: This is an interview by Melissa Denyce with Aaron Abke about the historical evidence supporting the true teachings of Jesus that have been lost (hidden, suppressed, altered, rewritten) for 2,000 years that could destroy (or at least restructure) Christianity as we know it. Part of what the guest is saying about the addition of animal sacrifice to the earliest Jewish-Christian spiritual texts are revealed in Christspiracy.
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction: Challenging Christianity
00:48 The Schism Between Paul and the Disciples
02:09 The Essenes and the Dead Sea Scrolls
04:48 The Clementine Writings and Early Christian Texts
06:58 Jesus's Opposition to Animal Sacrifices
08:34 The Moses Scroll and Its Implications
14:34 Jesus's Teachings and the Essenes
25:15 Practical Applications of Ancient Teachings
25:34 Contradictions Between Jesus and Paul
34:27 The Misinterpretation of Jesus's Teachings
35:08 Ontological Contradictions in Christian Beliefs
36:06 The Concept of Sin and God's Nature
39:46 Repentance and the Kingdom of Heaven
43:19 Reforming Christianity: A Vision for the Future
45:48 The Historical Shift from Jewish to Gentile Christianity
49:28 The Impact of Paul's Teachings on Christianity
54:12 The True Gospel of Jesus: Love and Repentance
59:00 Final Thoughts: Love God, Love People
NOTE: Love Covered Life Podcast does not endorse any of their guests' products or services. The opinions of the guests may or may not reflect the opinions the host or anyone affiliated with the podcast.
Highly recommended: Aaron Abke's student membership at the link below. This video is not sponsored. I have been a student of Aaron for four years and am currently in his membership. No one breaks down spiritual truths and helps me to embody them like he does, and I would love to see others benefit as well:
4D University: 4duniversity.com. Website: aaronabke.com YouTube: @aaronabke, IG: instagram.com/aaronabke...
*Join to get access to:
Spiritual community
acts of kindness challenge, monthly live events (available for replay). This month's guest is Dr. Edith Ubuntu Chan
Alchemy (Eight-week course to have a guided spiritual awakening):
app.heartbeat.chat/lovecovere...
Books do not get more complete than this. One can read a FREE and condensed version of this path in a book called Knowing and Seeing by Ven. Pa-Auk Sayadaw (amazon.com), who teaches the exact method based on the Path of Purification.
Find the free PDF link here.
If one wishes to know more about mindfulness-of-breathing (ana-pana-sati), Ven. Nyanamoli wrote a small book that contains information from both the Path of Purification and what some say is its predecessor thePath to Freedom(Vimuttimagga). It can be found free at urbandharma.org or in book form at this amazon.com link.
Basically, there are no secrets in Early Theravāda Buddhism because the historical Buddha proclaimed that he was not teaching a "secret" doctrine but one who offered his Dharma (his Doctrine and Discipline) openly to those wise enough to hear it.
There are, however, texts that are not well known (until now). We should never have to pay for such teachings because they are priceless and if people paid the price of it, no one would be able to afford it. Be wary if anyone asks for payment for these sacred Teachings.
All of the content inside Knowing and Seeing can be learned at Pa-Auk Meditation Centers. There is no charge at these centers, not for food, teachings, or lodging.
Best of luck, and please let me know how things go!
Bhikkhu Subhuti
Buddhaghosa compiling the texts in Sri Lanka
Wikipedia (edited by WQ): Visuddhimagga (The Path of Purification), is the "great treatise" on Theravada Buddhist doctrine compiled by Ven. Buddhaghosa in approximately the 5th century in Sri Lanka. It is a comprehensive manual condensing and systematizing the theoretical and practical teachings (vada) of Gautama Buddha as they were understood by the "elders" (theras) of the Great Monastery in Anuradhapura, in ancient Sri Lanka. It is described as “the hub of a complete and coherent method of exegesis (explanation) of the Three Baskets (Tipitaka), using the Abhidhamma method as it is called. It sets out detailed practical instructions for the purification of mind. It is considered the most important [commentarial] Theravada text outside of the threefold canon of the scriptures.
Its structure is based on the Rathavinita Sutta (the “Relay Chariots Discourse,” MN 24), which describes the progression from the purity of discipline to the final destination of nirvana in seven steps. Its contents strongly resemble the material found in brief in an earlier treatise called the Path to Freedom (Vimuttimagga). [This is because both are thought to be written by the same author, one as a draft or outline and the other with all of the details added.]
We're all Mahayana, Universalism, and we all love Holy Mother Kwannon, right JP?
(Asangoham) Vajrāyāna Buddhism, also known as Tantric Buddhism or Esoteric Buddhism, first developed in proto-India and later spread to China, Tibet, Nepal, and Bhutan.
I'll be the pope, you all be my bishops.
Vajrāyāna Buddhism was first introduced to Tibet in the 8th century AD.
This makes it the last school of Buddhism to spread beyond India.
The main figure responsible for the introduction and establishment of Buddhism in Tibet was the Indian master Padmasambhava, also known as Guru Rinpoche.
Padmasambhava arrived in Tibet in the 8th century at the invitation of the Tibetan King Trisong Detsen.
Padmasambhava spread the teachings of [Vedic Brahmanism-infused] Vajrāyāna Buddhism throughout Tibet, and it has been the dominant form of Buddhism in the region ever since.
The CIA says we'll be working together, Greta. - Yah, okay, and what about the climate?
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Vajrāyāna Buddhism has its roots in Mahāyāna Buddhism.
Vajrāyāna, however, introduces the use of visualization, mantra, and ritual practices to achieve enlightenment in a single lifetime.
Vajrāyāna Buddhism uses visualization, or the creation of mental images of deities, mandalas, and other spiritual symbols, to access the wisdom and power of the deity.
This is known as deity yoga, and it is one of the main practices of Vajrāyāna Buddhism.
One main reason that this became a primary practice of Vajrāyāna Buddhism is because of the [indigenous] Bön religion, which existed in Tibet long before Buddhism arrived.
The Importance of Bön to Vajrāyāna Buddhism
The Bon Treasure Discoverer, Tibetan animism
Bön [animism, shamanism, black magic] is a religion that has been practiced in Tibet for over a millennium.
Today, it exists alongside Vajrāyāna Buddhism, and many of its beliefs and practices have been incorporated into Vajrāyāna.
Bön makes use of rituals and magic to contact and access the power of deities and spirits.
Bön believes in a spiritual dimension known as the dngos-po or "pure realm." This realm is believed to be inhabited by enlightened beings who have achieved spiritual liberation [or at least the Hindu version of it].
It is believed that by connecting with these enlightened beings through visualization and meditation, they can gain access to the wisdom and blessings of the pure realm.
Score: Motion Array x Epidemic Music x Original Score
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The History Channel, 4/30/22; Sheldon S., Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
We're the most popular pair ever -- because we're highly modified to be so.
Bible Secrets Revealed: The Forbidden Scriptures Lost to Time (S1, E3) | full episode
God had a wife named Asherah, queen of heaven
(HISTORY) The Bible sells more than 100 million copies every year? The books, gospels, and letters (epistles) found in the Christian Bible are writings considered divinely inspired by the Jewish tribal God.
But are there chapters of the Bible that are missing? Have stories been censored? Find out in Season 1, Episode 3, The Forbidden Scriptures.
Another book tells the story of Jesus' romantic relationship with Mary Magdalene, whom he loved and kissed and who became his successor, Univ. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's Dr. Bart Ehrman helps explain.
A Middle Eastern religion for Europeans by Europeans
The Book of Enoch seems to be "the most forbidden," according to one scholar. It is part of the apocrypha, the missing books of the Bible. But the Ethiopian Church seems to have the most books included in their version, far more than the 73 of the Catholic Bible. The "Watchers" or Giants [the Titans/Asuras of Buddhism?] in the Book of Enoch mated with human women they were meant to protect. These are the fallen angels whose offspring are called the Nephilim.
The "Testimony of Truth" tells another version of the Adam and Eve story, defending wisdom, women, and the pursuit of knowledge, which the official church called a heresy to be suppressed. Where do we come from? In Genesis, there's one version. But a forbidden scroll/book explains.
For more from "Bible Secrets Revealed" and other great The HISTORY Channel shows, subscribe. Check out exclusive The HISTORY Channel content: Newsletter.
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The HISTORY Channel® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network's all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.
Over time as fewer people realized enlightenment, Mahayana (Maya-yana?) came up with newer and more creative ways to trick oneself into realization, with the paradoxes of Zen, and stories of not trying, skillful means (upayas) and methods (yanas). Alan Watts explains them in the context of what this latter day form of Buddhism, which takes itself back by patriarchs to 200 years after the passing of the now little regarded historical Buddha, Siddhartha Gautama, the "Sage of the Shakyas [Saka/Scythians]" Shakyamuni.
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What Mahayana set up in place of what the historical Buddha taught was falling back on Brahminical teaching based on the Vedas that today are generally referred to as Hinduism when in fact Buddhism, like Jainism, began as a revolutionary, anti-establishment wandering ascetic (shramana vs. brahmana) movement school. Buddhism in Japan, famous for Zen which it imported from China, came upon the conception of jah-riki vs. tah-riki: If self cannot become enlightened, then it must be done by other (likened to the Protestant Christian concept of "grace" over "works").
"We don't think our way into right action, but we can act our way into right thinking" is a good recovery-based summary of two of the factors of the Noble Eightfold Path. Support the WDYD channel to promote the great work of Alan Watts at patreon.com/whatdoyoudesire.
History Channel — This clip is from a documentary about a Tibetan Buddhist monk who thought to have somehow mummified himself through meditation. It is all speculation, of course, since tumo is barely capable of drying sheets. But the body has been miraculously preserved without any external help. Scientists set out to discover what happened. The documentary shows Buddhist monks preforming meditation under clinical test conditions and discusses the results.
When did the urge to run away and join the circus -- or the monastery for that matter -- begin? People in the rural US, Europe, and India have long dreamed of running away. Nowadays, for many of us, our urges may have more to do with the strong influence of Hollywood celebrities than the sight of enlightened beings.
In the past, exciting circus troupes often came through our boring hamlets with tales of Big City glamor, fame, and unlimited riches. It was the only easy way to grasp at some escape from the mundane and familiar -- to undertake the archetypal Heroic Journey before life set in and it became too late. They were doing it; why not us?
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"When I started feeling like the wealthiest man alive...I knew I was onto something." This is as simple as trying to explain Quantum Theory. I'm grossly simplifying things and sticking to reasons I can reasonably communicate. One trouble is that when you start talking about the true benefits of Buddhism, no one believes you. So I have to stick with the believable stuff. In my video I talk about Ajahn Brahm.
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When do we make our move? This urge to seek enlightenment, to get away from it all, to run off and become a recluse goes at least as far back as Talaputa. He was an actor and a Buddhist who longed, dreamed, and (more importantly) waxed poetically about it:
Forest Meditations
1. When, O when shall I live all alone in mountain caves, unmated with desire, clear seeing as unstable all that comes to be? This wish of mine, when indeed will it be? 2. When shall I, wearing the patchwork robes of color dun, be sage, uncraving, never making mine, with greed, aversion, and delusion slain and to the wild woods gone, in bliss abide? 3. When shall I, this body seeing clear — unstable nest of dying and disease oppressed by age and death, dwell free from fear in the woods alone? When indeed will it be? 4. When indeed shall I dwell seizing the sharpened sword of wisdom made? When cut the craving creeper — breeder of fear, bringer of pain and woe, and twining everywhere? When indeed will it be? 5. When lion-like in the victor's stance shall I draw quick the sage's sword of wisdom forged and fiery might quick breaking Mara with his host? When indeed will it be? 6. When myself exerting, shall I be seen in goodly company of those esteeming Dharma? Those with faculties subdued who see things as they are? Those who are 'Thus'? When indeed will it be? 7. When indeed will weariness not worry me — hunger, thirst, and wind, heat, bugs, and creeping things, while bent on my own good, the Goal, in [the]wilds? When indeed will it be? 8. When indeed shall I, self-mindful and composed win to that wisdom known by Him, the Greatest Sage, the Four Truths won within, so very hard to see? When indeed will it be?*
n n n
But what would it be like? What would life in a forest monastery be like if the aspirant in the video, or any one of the many Westerners who long just like he does, were to find their way to the Monastery?
*For more of Talaputa's verses, and to read the contemplations of a Westerner who successfully escaped to the monastery, or for some of the tales that draw people, see Bhikkhu Khantipalo's
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