Humans never needed dentists until...

(Erased Century)

• The Weston A. Price Foundation

Biz on sidewalks of Buddhist Vietnam?

(Beyond Borders) Search for the legacy of Thích Nhất Hạnh aka Thay? Is Vietnam the most sinful [post-American War] Buddhist country? What nobody tells travelers to this part of Asia south of China. Visit Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi, Da Nang, and Hạ Long Bay.

• Buddhism in Vietnam
• Beyond Borders; Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

American vice: sex, smoking, and booze

• The Kyle Kulinski Show

Happy World Chocolate Day (7/7)

I must be a hybrid space alien-terrestrial human Earthling because I love sweet cacao paste.

.

I'm a substitute love drug, so go easy.

Today is World Chocolate Day. But there's always tomorrow, which allows for the addition of almonds. What joy!

• Different types of chocolate and how to use them (so long as we do not get carried away and clingy)
• Mindfulness of Eating is one way to establish a healthy relationship with food
• American Dharma Teacher Ruth Denison's Dharma Talks from Dharma Seed and Dhammadena

Chocolate in its rawest form: fruit

We look forward to National Chocolate with Almonds Day when it pops up on our calendar every July 8 (NATIONAL CHOCOLATE WITH ALMONDS DAY, July 8, 2025) and we celebrate one of the world’s most popular confections.

• It's also World Allergy Day (July 8): the world's most common allergies and their symptoms

We at NT confess, this national day is not just another day we circle on our calendar. We also add this one to our to-do list for today so we don’t miss out. We know we really don’t need a special day on the calendar to indulge in one of our favorite guilty pleasures.

Mexico invented chocolate (Aztec Codex)

But doesn’t having a day on the calendar to celebrate such a heavenly confection help negate the guilty part of a guilty pleasure? We think so.

Today, we are indulging unashamedly because chocolate [Theobroma cacao fruit seeds or nibs] and almonds are incredibly satisfying. This makes us wonder if the reason we crave chocolate with almonds and find the combination so satisfying is because our bodies know what is good for us [like the "gods" or theo knew, presumably because they were advanced alien life forms looking for high antioxidant foods].

[Dark] Chocolate and almonds both are separately documented to have heart health benefits. More

• MSN.com, July 7, 2025; National Today, July 8, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Fat Thursday: preparing for Lent

The Polish way of praise with fat and flour, fried and coated with sugar to not lose weight

Fat Thursday in Poland is a Catholic celebration of Lent-fasting by fattening up first to be closer to G

Catholics get a Hindu tika for Ash Wednesday

Fat Thursday (French Jeudi Gras, not to be confused with next week's Maundy Thursday, ahead of Mardi Gras) on the Catholic Calendar takes place on the Thursday ahead of Ash (Tilaka) Wednesday (the official start of Lent) in February, right before the 40-day period of Lent. That’s February 27 this year.

• There's a Buddhist "Lent," too, called Vas

And yes, it’s exactly what readers may be thinking — a time to indulge. Clear the kitchen and pantry in preparation for FASTING. That’s what Lent is all about, abnegation, austerity, asceticism as watered down as can be and still called a sacrifice and abstention.

• 

  I'm going to kill this Lamb (of God) and eat him

  Mardi Gras ("Fat Tuesday") is coming, the time of year all Catholics become ducks and stuff themselves (Foie Gras) until, loving the Lamb of God, they demand Veal (made of baby Cow) and then go back to eating baby Lambs, chopped

What is Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday)? The REAL history and tradition explained, New Orleans and Rio

As the lean season of Lent draws near, food becomes central to many peoples’ thoughts. There’s nothing like a fast (intentional cleansing starvation) to get us thinking about food, particularly those forbidden treats loaded with calorific ickiness.

If donuts were the first thing that came to mind, then that mind is on the right track because this holiday, originating in Catholic Poland, is about stuffing our faces with Polish donuts, known as pączki, and a few other exotically named sweet treats. Pancakes come to mind.

Every Fatso knows calories don't count today.

History of Fat Thursday

Though the exact origin of how this holiday came to be founded is unknown [though the eating up of all the forbidden foodstuffs of the next forty days seems like a pretty convincing explanation], the Polish tradition of consuming donuts is very much known. It dates as far back as the 1500s.

On the religious side of things, Fat Thursday is the last hurrah before the fasting period of Lent, wherein devout Catholics give up many indulgences in the 40 days leading up to Easter, the pagan Day of Rebirth (Resurrection and fertility), when the world springs back to green life after winter.

Roman Catholicism is as far from Christ's message as Protestantism

The Lost Teachings of Jesus Christ the Church doesn’t want us to know

Traditionally, Catholics abstain from meat and alcohol during this period, as the idea is to give up things one is addicted to, loves, abuses, can’t give up even though one knows one should, in order to focus on the meaning of Easter.

Fat Thursday is known as Tłusty Czwartek in Poland. For those who doubt, the "fat" part of the name refers to the fried sugar crust of different types of pączki (pronounced \poonch-key\ or \pots-ski\) consumed by Poles all over the European country.

The Pope is dying, and all we're worried about is will he get his Angel Wings? We'll get ours.

.

Is that where the US jelly doughnut comes from?

The most traditional form of pączki is a fluffy donut filled with rosehip jam and dusted with powdered white sugar that looks like cocaine and the contents of a bloody nose on toast.

However, there are many variations now when it comes to fillings. Essentially, this day serves a dual purpose, as it allows Poles to indulge guilt-free in their favorite confectionery, while also carrying a religious meaning.

Celebrating Mardi Gras in New Orleans | National Geographic instead of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

• Rio Carnaval: Fat Tuesday in Brazil: Carnival in Rio (Portuguese Carnaval do Rio de Janeiro) is a festival held every year before Lent that is considered the biggest (and probably the sexiest and most decadent) celebration of Carnival in the world, with two million people per day on the streets, first celebrated in 1723 (wiki).

Guilty sexy Catholics party for Rio Carnival

Some even refer to the day as International Polish Donut Day, and the average Pole will eat two or three today, which translates to about 1,050 empty calories (if anyone is counting, though we’re not)!

If the thought of consuming donuts scares an eater (because of the gluten, fried oil, toxic white sugar, strange fillings, rancidity and carcinogenic acrylamides from heat exposure), the recommendation is to eat just one gluten-free one with a better sweetener (agave, coconut blossom powder, erythritol, monk fruit, birch xylitol, or herbal stevia, because not eating a donut on this day means bad luck for the rest of the year, according to fat Polish tradition.

Another traditional Polish dessert that is extremely popular on this day is faworki, in some places, also known as Angel Wings. Faworki are thin gluten dough ribbons, fried until crispy and sprinkled with powdered white sugar. More

• National Day Today, 2/27/25; Recovering Catholic Madison, Ashley Wells, Crystal Quintero (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

RFK Jr willing to upset Big Pharma (JDS)

Moving beyond COVID lies (Dr. B. Ardis)

Moving Beyond the COVID-19 Lies: Restoring Health and Hope for Humanity (Dr. Bryan Ardis)

.

Recovering from long COVID

Guest Dr. Bryan Ardis (thedrardisshow.com), is a nutritionist, doctor of chiropractic, and alternative medicine practitioner.

In this audio, he shares his groundbreaking research into the treatment of "Long COVID," as well as how we can identify and eliminate toxins (krait snake venom proteins, heavy metals, nanobot technology) in the human body to heal properly.

Reflecting on the devastating impact of the pandemic (plandemic), Dr. Ardis notes that there are "7,000,000 people dead...and 1.6 to 1.9 million of that total came in the United States," which has less than 3 percent of the world's population.

His personal connection to the crisis began when he lost his father-in-law due to what he said was "a very ill-advised hospital protocol" involving the antiviral drug Remdesivir (which he dubbed "Run, death is near"), which he claims has a higher death rate than no treatment at all.

Dr. Ardis criticizes the commonplace narrative that COVID originated from a bat, suggesting instead that "labs like Wuhan are [purposely developing and] designing more deadly [gain of function] pathogens."

He also calls attention to the ongoing symptoms stemming from Long COVID, stating, "Millions around the world currently are battling ... trying to recover their own health."

He cites a January 2023 study where Long COVID patients wearing a 7-milligram nicotine patch for only six days experienced a complete disappearance of their symptoms, which include the loss of taste and smell, brain fog, and insomnia.

• Natural plant nicotine (not cancerous, chemically-treated corporate cigarettes or other smoked or chewed tobacco products) is a healing herb.
• Bungarotoxin from krait snakes is a cause
• Another major cause is king cobra venom
• Ozempic and Wegovy are Hila monster venom (a segment of protein in a sea of chemicals that will spur on "turbo cancer")
• There is NO mRNA in the miracle Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer and other Big Pharma firms, according to their own science, as they try to prove they are not responsible for people contracting the pandemic. So it was all a bunch of lies, and the goal of the "plandemic" was to get shots in arms at all costs, as people gave in to the terror
• VIDEO: Foreign Protein Cleanse (thedrardisshow.com)

.

Further, the study found no dependency or adverse effects from the patches, he reports. Dr. Ardis also notes that smokers are less affected by COVID due to nicotine's binding to viral proteins, similar to venom proteins and peptides from snakes like the king cobra.

Dr. Ardis further contends that government censorship and misinformation have obscured the effectiveness of real nicotine, as well as the drug ivermectin (which binds to nicotine receptors).

• What is the antidote? There's more than one (thedrardisshow.com)
• Doc's Healthy Kids Daily Chewable Multi-Vitamin (60 Count) Berry Flavor (thedrardisshow.com)

He also highlights the importance of dietary supplements, particularly Zinc and Vitamin C, in bolstering immunity. During the pandemic, "Zinc was the Number One thing everybody should have been taking to prevent worse health outcomes," he says.

• AUDIO: coasttocoastam.com/show/2024-11-03-show
• Recovering from Long COVID | Coast to Coast AM
• Dr. Bryan Ardis, G-Man Noory, Coast to Coast 11/3/24; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Halloween Buddhist monk

The majority of Buddhist monastics opt for cremation, not sitting up. Some may be in meditating.

This skeleton will do best for contemplation.

(Lion's Roar) It was this Burmese Buddhist monk’s first visit to America, and it was my first real visit with a monk. He was staying at a house in the Chicago suburbs, teaching anapanasati meditation — “watching the breath” — to anyone interested enough to stop by.

I was eager to learn how to meditate (without bursting out laughing, like the first time I tried it), so he invited me to come and hang out for a few days.

The Dharma of Star Wars

Those five days in late October were a cultural exchange. The monk taught me how to watch my breath: in-out, in-out, breathing in, breathing out. And if I remember correctly, I got him to watch Star Wars.

On the morning of October 31st, somewhat disconnected from the world, I suddenly remembered it was Halloween. I explained that children might be coming by that night trick-or-treating and that we should be ready. He’d never heard of Halloween and asked me to tell him about it. So I did.

I gave him the lowdown on the holiday: ghosts, goblins, costumes, skeletons…

.

Bag of Bones (Ven. Khantipalo)

“Skeletons!” he exclaimed suddenly. “That is wonderful, wonderful! In Burma we do skeleton meditation [charnel ground contemplations on repulsiveness]. Very good, very good. We must get a skeleton! Continue.”

Then I explained trick-or-treating.

“Oh, that is wonderful. So much opportunity for giving. We must have lots of candy for the children and tell them all to come here. Wonderful, wonderful!”

• VIDEO: Day of the Dead: Buddhist Hungry Ghost Stories
• Can a Buddhist celebrate Halloween? – (Bodhi-Bowi) Hell no! Who the f do u think u r? Stick 2 ur own rice bowl and don't touch our candy! But Samhain is OK, u can celebrate that

"Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose" is wise advice either way.

.

Why are you always so cheerful, R2D2?

So we hopped in the car, and I drove him to a big discount store. Or at least tried to — it was raining hard, and my windshield wipers were stuck, so I couldn’t see anything. We got lost, ending up on a highway I never meant to take.

“No matter,” he said, reassuring me with a serene smile. “This is wonderful. Now I am seeing more of this city. Very good.”

Behold the repulsive aspects of this body

When we finally found the store, I took him to the Halloween aisle, where he carefully scrutinized the skeletons to find one that would serve our purpose best. And what would that purpose be, exactly? I wasn’t sure whether we were going to hang the skeleton on the outside of the front door or sit facing it with legs crossed, contemplating our mortality.

In the end he settled on the biggest one he could find, a four-foot hanging skeleton made of black-and-white cardboard bones strung together that glowed in the dark. I grabbed as many bags of candy as I could afford with the cash I had on hand (my favorite brands, of course).

• Favorite Halloween Candies (pretty-poison for metabolic diseases):
• (1) Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, (2) M&Ms, (3) Snickers, (4) Peanut M&M's, (5) Twix, (6) Kit Kat, (7) Hershey's Milk Chocolate, (8) Milky Way, (9) Sour Patch Kids, (10) Skittles.

The Zen of R2-D2 (Bortolin)

There were already a few people in costume out and about, buying last-minute supplies. My monk friend was wearing the same [Buddhist saffron, purplish, ochre, pumpkin-colored] rusty-brown robe he wore every day, wrapped around him like a pleated toga and rubber flip-flops totally unsuited to the fall weather.

In the checkout line, we received lots of puzzled looks and raised eyebrows as people tried to figure out what exactly this guy was supposed to be dressed up as.

When we got back to the house, my monk friend started shoving the one-pound bags of bite-size candy bars, unopened, up against the windows.

Being bald, he could be Uncle Fester

“What are you doing?” I asked, surprised.

“This is so the children will know we have candy for them,” he said, beaming with pride.

“They will see the candy and they will come here.”

I explained that having the lights on would probably be a good enough sign and that hanging the skeleton on the door would also be, um, a dead giveaway. I suggested we put the candy on a tray, but he insisted we leave at least one bag where the kids would be most likely to see it [and know where to put the rock to grab it]. He put the rest into a big salad bowl.

Finally, shortly after dark, the first kids arrived.

I'm U Fester, Buddhist monk, this year!

“TRICK OR TREAT!” the little voices shouted as the monk opened the door, then their eyes went wide. “What are you supposed to be?” they asked, looking up, amazed and befuddled by his costume.

“I am Buddhist monk!” he said, grinning. That didn’t quite register with the kids, who quickly shifted their attention to the candy on offer.

“Take more, take more!” he insisted. “We must give if we want to receive.”

Dharma Punx' Noah Levine (Against the Stream)

After closing the door, he turned to me with a radiant smile.

“All my life I have begging bowl. But this is not begging bowl. Today I have giving bowl! Wonderful, wonderful. I like Halloween!”

The next day, my monk friend sat and stared serenely at the glow-in-the-dark skeleton, contemplating [the repulsive aspects of this body and] his own mortality, while I munched on leftover bite-size candy bars, contemplating my unusual Buddhist Halloween.

AUTHOR: Peter Aronson is a freelance journalist and former NPR contributor currently living in Dharamsala, India. In addition to his writing, he is attending courses in Buddhism at the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives.

• Peter Aronson (lionsroar.com); edited and expanded by Team Halloween and Sayalay Scary, Wisdom Quarterly

How you will die and why: I.R.

Look, if we have to die, let's at least not talk about it, not now while we're still alive.

I.R. = insulin resistance. It's part of the metabolic syndrome our bodies spin into, with weight, diabetes, blood pressure, sugar, addiction, exhaustion...this disease kills more people than cancer, and no one seems to know he or she has it. Get onto YouTube and watch this presentation. It's well worth it.

3X deadlier than cancer and most people don't know they have it

(Dr. Sten Ekberg) May 22, 2020: Over 70% of people have this health issue. Many people need to reverse:

• Insulin resistance,
• Type 2 diabetes,
• heart disease, obesity,
• and so on.

But this condition is three times more deadly than cancer. Reverse these health issues like insulin resistance, visceral belly fat, and so on while there is still time.

Is your doctor missing the root cause of why you have these issues? Watch this video to learn how to stay healthy naturally.

• Reverse I.R. naturally
• Get the highest quality electrolyte euvexia.com

🔴 Master health by subscribing https://www.youtube.com/DrEkberg?sub_... 🔷 6 Best Secrets To Reverse Insulin Resistance Naturally & Change Your Life 🔷 How Long Does It Take To Reverse Insulin Resistance? Watch a mix of videos: • PLAYLIST

Welcome to "Reverse Insulin Resistance Naturally" by Dr. Sten Ekberg; a series where he tries to tackle the most important health issues of the day in a natural and safe way including the benefits of intermittent fasting, fasting, and autophagy (eating away the bad in the body).

Suggestion for the next topic? Leave a comment. Remember to make comments positive and uplifting even if you disagree with something that was said by me or others. 🔷 Reverse Insulin Resistance Naturally Series:    • 6 Best Secrets To Reverse Insulin Res...

Solution to US sugar, starch diet, cancer

Stripped sugar robs us of nutrients, weakens the system, feeds cancer.

Texas unveils giant 'monkey god' statue

Hindu Lord Hanuman as a white monkey with blue eyes, friend of Ganesha (pinterest)

Mahayana Buddhist monks and nuns among Hindu parishioners at Sunday's Pran Pratishtha ceremony, during unveiling of 90-foot statue of Lord Hanuman (Sri Ashtalakshmi Temple)

.

Monkeys are fun-loving and inquisitive mammals

Astonishing photographs of a 90-foot statue of the Hindu God Lord Hanuman — the third largest statue in the U.S.A. — have been obtained by Newsweek, following the unveiling ceremony in Texas.

The monument, known as the Statue of Union, stands at the Sri Ashta Lakshmi Temple in Sugar Land, Texas. Lord Hanuman is depicted as human, but with the head and tail of a monkey, as is customary.

• Huge half-monkey half-human statue in Texas sparks Christian conservative backlash (Newsweek)

Lord Hanuman namaste (Singapore)

The statue is holding both hands palm forward (mudra) and the end of the tail is twisted above the head, creating a halo effect.

Hanuman is a Hindu god known for his power, courage, and selfless service. He is also a symbol of power and celibacy.

The statue's unveiling on Sunday marks rapidly changing religious demographics in the U.S., with surveys showing a decline in the proportion of Americans who identify as Christian and a rise in those who say they are "nothing in particular" (the NONEs) or belong to religions which are followed by a minority in the U.S.

Some Darwinists worship a monkey man forbear

Speaking to Newsweek Ranganath Kandala, joint secretary of the Ashtalakshmi Temple, confirmed the statue is 90-foot-tall and said it was inaugurated in a Pran Pratishtha ceremony on August 18, celebrating it as a living embodiment of the deity. USA's new 'third tallest' statue

• These are 10 of the great Hindu temples to visit in the USA

The breathing life into the statue ceremony

Most famous American Hindu Julia Roberts

The Sanskrit word pratiṣṭhā, which in general usage means "placement" of a murti (embodied solid object), is translated by Apte as "the consecration of a vessel or dwelling" [3].

The adjective pratiṣṭha means "installed" [4]. Prana means "life force, breath, spirit." The phrase Prana Pratishtha is a ritual that means "placing the breath-of-life into the image to establish it" [WQ] or "bringing life to the temple" [2].

It is also referred to as murti sthapana (image placement inside the temple). Traditionally, this was the step when the eye of the murti was sculpted open [2], inside the inner sanctuary (garbhagriha, the Purusha space) of a Hindu temple.

Young Hindu sadhvi priestess

This ritual typically involves a devotional ritual (puja) and the chanting of Sanskrit mantras as the deity is moved from outside into the center place.

It includes inviting the deity to become a resident guest of the temple, bathing and cleansing it, similar to welcoming a revered guest after a long journey.

This is followed by dressing and seating the deity in a place of comfort, with the image's face oriented towards the east (signifying the sunrise), followed by a Nyasa ceremony with hymns (act of touching different parts of the murti, symbolizing the presence of various gods as sensory organs:

• Indra [Sakka] as the hand,
• Brahma as the heart,
• Surya [Sol, Helios] as the eyes, etc.) [1].

The Hindu priest recites specific mantras and performs rituals to infuse the idol with the animating life force or "holy spirit" (prana).

During this process, the deity descends into the idol, making it a living representation [5]. After the infusion of prana, the deity is considered blessed and consecrated.

Devotees often seek the deity's blessings at this point. The ritual also includes the spraying of scented water and flowers, with the Chaksu͡unmilan ceremony (Sanskrit chakshu unmilan, "opening of the divine eye"), marking the high point of the ritual [6]. The image is then considered fully consecrated. More

• James Bickerton, Newsweek.com via MSN.com, 8/22/24; CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Alkaline diet is the way to good health

The word vegetarian does not come from vegetable but from vegetus (life, growth).

.

All non-starchy vegetables and fruits have an alkaline-forming effect on our body's fluids. Potatoes and bananas are slightly more acidic than most other vegetables and fruits.

For this reason, to be alkaline and healthy, non-starchy fruits, berries, and vegetables form the main bulk of our diet.

• Toxic contaminated meat recall update as millions of pounds included after outbreak (Newsweek)

Food Combining Myths, Science (nutriplanet.org)

Fortunately, nature has arranged it so that green vegetables, such as kale and broccoli, are not only very alkaline but also superfoods that are nutrient rich. 

Most legumes are semi-alkaline, while whole grains are more acidic. Refined grains (like white rice or milled flour) have an acidic effect on the body.

All animal products -- slaughtered flesh, eggs, fish, dairy -- in addition to extracted, process, simplified sugars have an acidifying effect. Therefore, these foods should be eliminated from the diet or greatly reduced.

Go nonviolent and vegan? Not necessarily. For example, a vegan living mainly on protein bars would end up with an acidic and unhealthy bloodstream due to the sugar and grain, while an omnivore eating lots of fruits and vegetables and a small amount of meat and dairy might stay alkaline and healthy.

Food combining for digestion (True Activist)

The body maintains homeostasis (equilibrium), which means a blood pH level of about 7.35-7.46 to maintain good health. We do that by eating a diet of primarily alkaline producing foods, mainly fruits and vegetables. These foods are also the most nutrient dense foods. 

There is no need for paleo folks and vegans to go to war in a battle of words regarding what is right or wrong with an alkaline diet. The facts speak for themselves.

In essence, we can become acidic on any diet if we eat too many acid-forming foods: too much animal protein and fats, too much sugar and refined carbs, as well as too many deep-fried foods.

• Joy of Meditation Retreat | Prama Institute, NC

Whether to be a vegan, vegetarian, or omnivore is, in the end, more a question of ethics. We can be healthy with any label, provided we eat alkaline foods.

Food Combining Charts (alderbrooke.com)

So if, on the one hand, one dislikes killing animals, impregnating, imprisoning, and otherwise making animals miserable and instead wants to be kinder to them and the planet, then a vegan diet is the healthiest and most environmentally-friendly.

If, on the other hand, one just wants to stay healthy, then junk (processed) foods and animal foods need to be minimized or eliminated altogether. Whatever one eats, the main bulk of our intake needs to be mainly vegetables and fruits.

• “Come Heal @ Prama” (prama.org)
• My Journey Toward Sowa Rigpa – The Science of Healing (Buddhistdoor Global)
• A Vegan Diet for an alkaline body (prama.org); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly