Ven. Thanissaro, "Considering a career in acting? You may want to reconsider..." (edited by WQ)
I just wanted to make people laugh ('n be famous)
(SN 42.2) Then Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there, he said: "Venerable sir, I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of actors that 'When actors on the stage, in the midst of a festival, make people laugh and give them delight with an imitation [misrepresentation, lie about] reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, such actors are reborn in the company of the laughing light beings (devas).' What does the Blessed One have to say about that?"
"Enough, headman, set that aside. Do not ask it." But a second and third time...Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, repeated his question.
Speak truth with compassion.
"Apparently, headman, I am unable to drop this matter by saying, 'Enough, headman, set that aside. Do not ask it.' So I will address that directly:
"Any beings who themselves are not yet free of lust, anger, delusion (greed, hatred, wrong view), who are bound by lust, focus with even more lust on things inspiring lust presented by an actor on stage in the midst of a festival...such actors — themselves intoxicated and heedless, having made others intoxicated and heedless — with the breakup of the body, after death, are reborn in what is called The Hell of Laughter.
"But if one holds a view like this: 'When an actor on the stage, in the midst of a festival, makes people laugh and gives them delight with an imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, that person is reborn in the company of the laughing light beings,' that is one's wrong view.
"Now, there are two destinations for a person with wrong view, I declare, either hell [apāya, naraka] or the animal plane."
How could no one have told me sooner?
When this was said, Talaputa, the head of an acting troupe, sobbed then burst into tears.
[The Buddha said:] "That is what I was trying to communicate by saying, 'Enough, headman, set that aside. Do not ask it.'"
"Venerable sir, I am not crying because of what the Blessed One said to me, but rather because I have been deceived, cheated, and fooled for such a long time by that ancient teaching lineage of actors who say, 'When actors on the stage, in the midst of a festival, make people laugh and give them delight with an imitation of reality, then with the breakup of the body, after death, they are reborn in the company of the laughing light being.'" Source: Right Livelihood: samma ajivo (accesstoinsight.org)
Catherine O'Hara
Yes, but I got a few good years on earth.
Catherine O'Hara (March 4, 1954–January 30, 2026) was a Canadian and American actress, comedian, and screenwriter, whose career spanned over 50 years.
She started in sketch and improvisational comedy in film and television before expanding her career taking dramatic roles. She received several accolades including two Primetime Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.
She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2017. O'Hara started her career in the sketch comedy series Second City Television (1976–1984), where she won the Primetime Emmy Award. She gained acclaim acting in films such as:
After Hours (1985),
Heartburn (1986),
Beetlejuice(1988),
Home Alone (1990), and
Home Alone 2: Lost in New York (1992).
She collaborated with Christopher Guest acting in his mockumentary films:
Waiting for Guffman (1996),
Best in Show (2000),
A Mighty Wind (2003), and
For Your Consideration (2006).
She also voiced roles in films such as:
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993),
Chicken Little (2005),
Over the Hedge,
Monster House (2006),
Where the Wild Things Are (2009),
Frankenweenie (2012), and
Elemental (2023).
O'Hara gained a career resurgence for her role as Moira Rose in the CBC sitcom Schitt's Creek (2015–2020)... More
(National Geographic) Superskilled with Eva zu Beck: I trained like a Mongolian horseback warrior for five (5) days [to learn the skills Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha, learned on his white pony Kanthaka and during archery competitions of his day in Gandhara/Scythia/Saka/Shakya Land]
How to stop being obsessed and finally love in a healthy way
(Venerable Gotami) Nov. 3, 2025: 💜 Every talk, every journey, every video here is part of a lifelong vow — to keep the Dhamma (the Doctrine, the Buddha's Teachings) alive and accessible to everyone, everywhere.
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When he spoke this way, the Blessed One said to the Brahmin: "Do you know, Brahmin, who an outcast is and what the conditions are that make one an outcast?"
The Buddha was much respected.
"Actually, no, Venerable Gautama, I do not know who an outcast is nor the conditions that make one an outcast. It would be good if Venerable Gautama were to explain the Dhamma to me so that I might know who an outcast is and what the conditions are that make one an outcast."
[The abusive terms used by the Brahmin and the respectful address that follows need a word of explanation. The Brahmin had just prepared his offering to his God, Great Brahma, when his eyes fell upon the Buddha. To the Brahmin the sight of a wandering ascetic (samana), a shaven-headed recluse, is an unlucky omen. So he burst into angry words. The Buddha, however, was unruffled and spoke to him gently in words with a soft cadence. The Brahmin was apparently ashamed of his unskillful outburst and, repenting of his folly, addressed the Buddha courteously. Commentary: Note the Buddha's emphasis on anger and hatred in his very first stanza.]
"Listen then, Brahmin, and pay attention. I will explain."
"Yes, Venerable Sir," replied the Brahmin.
1. "Whoever is angry, harbors hatred, and is reluctant to speak well of others [discredits the good of others], perverse in views, deceitful — know that person as an outcast.
2. "Whoever in this world kills living beings, once born or twice born,* in whom there is no sympathy for living beings — know that person as an outcast.
[*Dvijam, birds, are "twice-born" in that they are first born as an egg and then are born again out of their shells when they hatch.]
3. "Whoever destroys and besieges villages and hamlets and becomes notorious as an oppressor — know that person as an outcast.
4. "Be it in village or forest, whoever steals what belongs to others, what is not freely given — know that person as an outcast.
5. "Whoever having actually incurred a debt runs away when pressed to pay it, saying, 'I owe no debt to you' — know that person as an outcast.
6. "Whoever, coveting anything, kills a person going along the road, and grabs whatever that person has — know that person as an outcast.
7. "One who for one's own sake or for the sake of another or for the sake of wealth, utters lies when questioned as a witness — know that person as an outcast.
8. "Whoever by force [rape] or with consent [adultery] associates with the spouses of relatives or friends — know that person as an outcast.
Good karma: Treat parents like buddhas.
9. "Whoever having wealth supports not one's own mother and father who have grown old — know that person as an outcast.
10. "Whoever strikes and annoys by [harsh] speech, mother, father, brother, sister, mother-in-law, or father-in-law — know that person as an outcast.
11. "Whoever, when questioned about what is good, says what is detrimental, and talks in an evasive manner — know that person as an outcast.
12. "Whoever, having committed an unskillful deed, wishes that it may not be discovered by others, and commits harm in secret — know that person as an outcast.
13. "Whoever, having gone to another's house and partaken of choice food, does not honor that host by offering food when receiving a visit — know that person as an outcast.
14. "Whoever deceives a Brahmin priest or wandering ascetic or any other mendicant [alms person] by uttering lies — know that person as an outcast.
15. "Whoever when a Brahmin or wandering ascetic appears during mealtime angers that person by harsh speech and does not offer that person [any alms] — know that person as an outcast.
16. "Whoever in this world, shrouded by ignorance, speaks harsh words (asatam) or falsehood [asantamtipi patho (SnA)] expecting to gain something — know that person as an outcast.
17. "Whoever, debased by pride, exalts oneself and belittles others — know that person as an outcast.
18. "Whoever is given to anger, is miserly, has base desires, and is selfish, deceitful, shameless, and fearless [in doing what is unskillful] — know that person as an outcast.
19. "Whoever reviles the Enlightened One [the Buddha], a disciple of the Buddha, a recluse, or a householder — know that person as an outcast.
20. "Whoever not being an enlightened person, a consummate one, pretends to be one, is a thief in the whole universe — the lowest of outcasts.
21. "Not by birth is one an outcast; not by birth is one a Brahmin. By deed one becomes an outcast, and by deed one becomes a Brahmin.
22. "Know by the example now cited [the fact that by birth one is not an outcast]: There was an outcast's son, Sopaka, who became known as Matanga.
23. "This Matanga attained the highest fame difficult to gain. Many were the warriors (kshatriyas) and Brahmins who went to attend on him.
24. "Mounting the celestial chariot [the Noble Eightfold Path, and driving] along the passion-free high road, [Sopaka, now a monk], reached the Brahma realm having given up sense-desires.
25. "His [lowly] birth did not prevent him from being reborn in the Brahma realm. There are Brahmins born in the family of preceptors, kinsmen of [Vedic] hymns.
26. "They are often seen committing unskillful deeds. In this life itself they are despised, in the next they are reborn in an unfortunate state of existence. High birth does not prevent them from falling into a woeful state or from censure [here and now].
27. "Not by birth is one an outcast; not by birth is one a Brahmin. By deed one becomes an outcast, and by deed one becomes an Brahmin."
Honoring the worthy ones is good karma.
When the Buddha had spoken, the Brahmin Aggika Bharadvaja said to him:
"Excellent, O Venerable Gautama, excellent! O Venerable Gautama, it is just as if a person were to set upright what had been overturned, or were to reveal what had been hidden, or were to point the way to one who had gone astray, or were to hold an oil lamp to the dark so that those with eyes might see things, even so in many ways has Venerable Gautama expounded the Dharma, the Doctrine.
"I go for guidance (sarana) to Venerable Gautama, the Dharma, and the [Arya-] Sangha [the community of those disciples along the stages of enlightenment]. May Venerable Gautama accept me as a lay follower who has gone for guidance from this day onwards so long as life lasts."
The Simpsons; Ven. Piyadassi Thera (trans.), Vasala Sutra: "The Discourse on Outcasts" (Sn 1.7, PTS Sn 116-142), 1999, edited by Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Wisdom Quarterly, orig. published 6/21/20
(Howtown) Welcome to HOWTOWN! A small but mighty team of two (Joss Fong and Adam Cole) digs into the evidence behind commonly held "facts" and claims in the news.
Howtown is supported by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (sloan.org), in association with IMI (theimi.co), and is grateful for the generous support of the Patreon Town Council.*
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*Patreon Town Council: Bev Fong Chris Wubbels Sean Barrett Mike Purvis Ziver Imren Jim Jon Hewett Albychen Hernando Garcia Vladimir Khalimovskiy Sean Talon Evan Hass Mark Tinker Julian Mayorga L.A. O’Connor Hoang Anh Ky Mikey Limotta Marcos Huerta Joaquim Salles Sam Gaty Verner Sääsk Jason Dunlap Parag Mallick Paul Monaghan Edgar Sutawika.
May the Force (of the Fourth) be with you. And also with you. The Dharma of Star Wars is a well-known thing, how Buddhism influenced the creation of the movie in general. Dr. Hartmann fills in more detail, getting at the importance of karma (doing) over trying. There's no trying. Do or not do. The Dalai Lama would agree with Yoda on that much, or at least on the way he says it.
How Buddhism influenced Star Wars (with Professor Kate Hartmann)
This special edition of the show is a discussion, asking What influenced George Lucas when creating Star Wars, including Buddhism, famous mythologist Joseph Campbell, Taoism, and Shinto (the indigenous kami-monster religion of Japan).
and how these influences have transcended Lucas, becoming an inherent part of the film franchise, TV shows, books, and other Star Wars content.
Also discussed are how certain characters personify those influences and
how one line of dialogue that never made any sense to Host Joey has a lot of meaning and actually makes a lot of sense if we factor in all of these influences.
Plus, there's a surprise question for Dr. Hartmann.
REFERENCES
The Hero with a Thousand Faces and The Power of Myth by Joseph Campbell
Dr. Kate Hartman website: buddhiststudiesonline.com, Twitter @kateahart, Instagram @kateahart. Listen to her podcast Buddhist Studies Online, Instagram @buddhiststudiesonline
Share this show and leave a rating or review on Apple Podcasts or wherever listening, as it would really help people find it. The show would really like to know how listeners feel about the show. Drop the show a line on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, or at kryptontoalderaan@gmail.com. Give a like, follow, comment, quick email, tweet, whatever to let the show know how it’s doing. Appreciate feedback and to understand this whole podcasting thing going forward. Or take it to the next level and leave a review.
Joey, Krypton To Alderaan, Dr. Hartmann (U of Wyoming), Nov. 17, 2021; Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
April 2025 Full Pink Moon: When to see the micromoon this weekend
(KHOU 11)
April 10, 2025: The Full Pink Moon rises on Saturday, April 12th, 2025, as a rare "micromoon" and Paschal Moon, which matters a great deal to the world's Christians and Astrotheological "Pagans" who celebrate the great rebirth/resurrection now called "Easter." Was it once the worship Esther (Eostre, which gives us the sexual word estrus)? Here’s when to watch it and why it matters for Easter celebrators.
Full moon observance
Moon over Buddhist Burma, Shwedagon Pagoda
Buddhists the world over celebrate the "sabbath" or "lunar observance" (uposatha) according to the four phases of the moon, the planet's cyclical timekeeper. Of these four phases, the full moon phase is of particular importance. Many who may only observe the Eight Precepts and intensive Buddhist practice once a month will choose this phase for their observance. It is a great way to make regular skillful (wholesome, good, profitable) karma. This will be great merit for the future because "karma is everywhere we're going to be." What is the uposatha observance and how does one fulfill it? That is a good question to ask Theravada monastics in the area. They are all over the United States now. May we suggest Western scholar-monk and Pali-to-English translator Bhikkhu Bodhi at the Buddhist Association of the United States (baus.org/en) in Carmel, Upstate New York? It is also New Year's Day on Monday (Moon-day) in Theravada Buddhist Sri Lanka and Buddhist Bangladesh (which still has two thriving albeit tiny Theravada Buddhist communities surviving in Chittagong and the Hill Tracks).
Reduced to essentials, the great debate about sex revolves, for many, around the concept of "sin." To the Puritan, indulgence in sexual activity for the sake of pleasure is evil, wicked, or as Christians say, "sinful" (i.e., displeasing to their God).
To the permissive person, this is nonsense. One probably rejects the term "sin" as meaningless and not only sees nothing "evil" in sexual pleasure but regards it as highly legitimate, perhaps as the highest pleasure there is and certainly as something to which, in principle at least, everybody has a right.
Many [American and European] people, coming from a more or less Christian background with at least some Puritanical overtones, find the true Buddhist attitude to this problem rather difficult to see. Perhaps they have never even been given a clear explanation of it, or if they have, it may have seemed too technical for them, and they have not grasped the point.
The point, in fact, is of considerable importance, so it is worthwhile attempting to make it clear. It involves a proper elementary grasp of what is meant by karma — something that many people, who may have been "Buddhists" for years, have never had.
However, we may begin more profitably by considering the word. "Sin" to a Christian is primarily thought of as a breach of their God’s commandments. This explanation is correct so far as it goes in terms of theology, but it is not applicable in Buddhism, where there are no such "commandments" upon which one can infringe.
The Buddhist precepts are undertakings given to oneself, which is something different. They are more on a par with the instruction, "Look both ways before crossing the road." Of course, there is much agreement between the content of the Five Precepts and some of the Ten Commandments, so it may be wise in many cases to behave accordingly, whichever formulation one follows.
However, there is another rendering of the word "sin" which in fact (though less well-known) comes much closer to the Buddhist view of things.
In the Bible, "sin" is a rendering of Hebrew and Greek words that literally mean "missing the mark," that is, behaving inadequately or unskillfully.
The sinner, then, is like an unskillful archer who misses what is aimed at. (Could this be the real meaning of Zen and the Art of Archery?) This comes, surely, very close to the idea of akusala karma or "unskillful action" in Buddhism.
The Pali word kamma (Sanskrit karma) literally means "action" (i.e., cetanā, "volitional deed"), which can be either skillful (kusala) or unskillful (akusala).
The results of action (karma) accrue to the doer as vipāka ("resultants"), which is pleasant when the action was skillful, unpleasant when it was unskillful. (If one looks before crossing the road, one shall get across safely, which is pleasant; if not, one may get run down, which is unpleasant).
The feelings we experience are of the nature of resultants (vipāka). They are dependent on past karma. And of course, we are continually creating fresh karma most of the time.
Gnostic Christianity on the "virgin birth"
It should be noted that the feeling of pleasure (sexual or otherwise) is not an action but a result. There is, therefore, nothing either "skillful" or "unskillful" about experiencing such a feeling, and we should therefore not regard it either as "virtuous" or "sinful." So far so good.
Such pleasant feelings can be enjoyed with a clear conscience and no guilt feeling, [Alanis]. If this were all, there would be no problem.
The Puritans would be routed and the permissive people justified. Unfortunately, there is another side to the matter.
Years ago, there was a song called "Money is the Root of all Evil." Some pointed out that it is not money, according to the Bible, but the love of money that is the root of all evil. And here is the snag. Sexual pleasure (like money) is not "evil" (or unskillful), but attachment to sexual pleasure (like the love of money) is.
If we can experience the pleasure without attachment, we are all right; if we become attached to it, we are "missing the mark." Now, of course, it is rather difficult (to put it mildly) to experience pleasure of any sort without developing attachment. Attachment is karma, unskillful karma at that. The results of that will inevitably, according to Buddhism, be something unpleasant in the future.
Many people will find this explanation novel. Some will find it puzzling. Some will undoubtedly reject it — with or without investigation — with the excuse that it is overly subtle, or arbitrary, or something of the sort.
What they mean is that they find it inconvenient. But it will repay a lot of consideration and mindful investigation. Careful study should show that it is the key to the whole problem.
The matter can also be considered in terms of the law of Dependent Origination: "Contact is the basis for the arising of feeling; feeling…of craving; craving…of clinging," and so on, the ultimate outcome being the continued process of becoming, with all the suffering that entails.
Therefore, if we wish to adjudicate between the Puritans and the permissive people, we cannot say that either side is entirely right. We might suggest that the Puritans are partly right for the wrong reasons.
Sexual indulgence is not wicked, but it may be to some degree inadvisable. Most people will not feel able to refrain altogether, nor are they being urged to, but there is merit in moderation.
Marriage
Calm down, Hun. - Don't call me Hun, you SOB!
What is the Buddhist attitude towards marriage? For many Buddhists, East and West, there is no great problem. They live a reasonably normal married life just as others do by luck or enjoying the results of favorable past karma. For others, serious problems arise. In the Christian tradition, marriage is a "sacrament." In some branches of Christianity it is treated as an unbreakable bond with a few loopholes.
Other branches of Christianity permit divorce in certain narrowly defined circumstances and of course in most countries the state permits divorce and remarriage, with or without the approval of the Church.
In Buddhism, marriage is not a "sacrament," as such a concept does not exist. And it is not any part of the functions of Buddhist monastics to join people together in wedlock (or deadlock). It is occasionally done in Japan as a modern idea in conformity with a tendency to imitate (perhaps unwisely) Christian institutions....
Sex Outside Marriage
That was awkward. - Good thing we didn't marry.
We should try to look at things calmly and clearly and, above all, responsibly. Nowadays there is pretty frank acceptance of what has always been the case, that a lot of people in fact have sexual intercourse without going through the formality of getting married (the "sin" called fornication).
No doubt there is more of it now than before because, for one thing, contraception is more effective than it formerly was and also because religious prejudices are fast breaking down.
This is a statement of fact, not of what ought or ought not to be. In the case of engaged couples, it is probably now the usual thing and is not heavily frowned on by most people. But it is not rare among couples who have not the slightest intention of getting engaged.
In the past, premarital sex was widely considered (and almost openly admitted) a good thing for young men but a bad thing for young women.
Now sexual equality has caught up. We may as well accept the fact that whatever we may think about it, preaching by older generations will, by and large, have precious little effect on the young. This is probably something most parents are worried about. More
Maurice O'Connell Walshe, Buddhism and Sex, BPS.lk; edited by Wisdom Quarterly
Author Dr. Joe Gallenberger, PhD, as narrated by Doug Greene, has 4.5 out of 5 stars with 404 ratings for this handbook.
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Liquid Luck: The Good Fortune Handbook shares these inspiring stories, interwoven with exploration of the vital components for powerful abundance creation, in the explorer's own words, Dr. Gallenberger delves into the heart of how these principles work.
He covers why happiness, gratitude, compassion, praise, love, and feeling abundant are essential and how these qualities can be increased in practical ways.
Dr. Gallenberger reveals how to transcend the limiting beliefs and emotions that usually keep us confined to old patterns.
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