The MEDICINE BUDDHA: Buddhism's Forgotten Healer | Bhaisajyaguru
(Buddha's Wisdom) March 4th, 2026: #MedicineBuddha #Buddhism #BuddhistHealing
🔍 THE MEDICINE BUDDHA HEALS WITHOUT CURING — AND HERE'S WHY:
The Medicine Buddha (BhaisajyaGuru) is one of the most fascinating figures in Mahāyāna Buddhism: a blue-skinned buddha associated with healing, compassion, and the Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli (a beautiful blue Afghan gemstone).
But if Buddhism teaches impermanence, non-self (anattā), and detachment from the body, why does it include a buddha devoted to curing illness?
This video explores the history, philosophy, and psychological depth behind Bhaiṣajyaguru...and what Buddhist healing really means.
This is the story of how Buddhism's "doctor who prescribes enlightenment" challenges everything we think we know about healing, suffering, and what it means to be broken.
📿 DISCOVER:
Why Medicine Buddha's 12 vows made him Buddhism's most controversial figure
How 8th-century Buddhist monasteries became the world's first integrated healthcare systems
The blind Chinese Buddhist monk who taught healing despite losing his sight
Why Tibetan, Japanese, and Chinese Buddhists practice Medicine Buddha in completely different ways
What modern science reveals about meditation, stress, and the mind-body connection.
⏳ TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 The blue-skinned god that shouldn't exist
02:32 The twelve vows that changed Buddhism
08:55 When temples became clinics
14:55 The disease behind the disease
21:22 Three Buddhas, one Truth
30:51 The cure that isn't
🙏 If this exploration of Buddhism's healing paradox opens eyes to a deeper truth, subscribe to Buddha's Wisdom for videos that bridge ancient Buddhist teachings with modern questions. Hit the bell icon to catch this journey into Buddhism's most fascinating mysteries.
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"Buddhism and Medicine: An Anthology of Premodern Sources" edited by C. Pierce Salguero amzn.to/4ct4ivS
"Tibetan Medicine in the Contemporary World" by Laurent Pordié amzn.to/4rQuAwU
Studies on placebo effect and meditation (Harvard Medical School, NIH research)
Research on mindfulness and pain management
Neuroscience studies on visualization practices
Related Academic Resources:
Journal of Buddhist-Christian Studies
Buddhist-Christian Studies journal articles on Medicine Buddha
Contemporary research on Buddhist medical ethics
Cross-cultural studies of Medicine Buddha practice
⚡ In a world obsessed with curing the body, Medicine Buddha asks a deeper question:
If there is no permanent self…who is being healed? [Ugh, the momentarily dependently arisen "self" (atman, atta)?]
DISCLAIMER: This video is for educational purposes. Medicine Buddha practice is a spiritual/meditative practice and should not replace professional medical care. Always consult qualified healthcare providers for medical conditions.
Capitalist salesman Kevin Trudeau says he was initiated into uncle's "The Brotherhood"
Feel the feelings without clinging to them.
There is a saying we should all know. For by knowing it, we can love it and live it. Kevin Trudeau [Hevin' True Dough?] the miracle way to happiness is to take 100% responsibility for everything that happens to us.
"Well, that's impossible!" we may exclaim. "I can't be responsible for what others do to me!" Are we going to wait for them and react accordingly? Wouldn't it be better to act as if everything that happens to us were our fault?
"The buck stops here." If it stops here with me then it starts here with me, too. That is a good and useful way to approach "karma" -- the POWER OF OUR DEEDS TO PRODUCE RESULTS (eventual fruit and immediate mental resultants), now and in the interminable future.
Rather than wasting time wondering if everything is our fault, the advice given to successful Trudeau was to act as if everything were our fault. Love it. Live it. Because when we do, we will see a miracle.
There's no more waiting for the universe or others or anything to do things. It's just us.
Blue Monday is on Jan. 19 this year: Blue Monday is the name given to the third Monday in January by former Cardiff University health psychologist [1] Cliff Arnall in 2005 [2, 3, 4]. Prof Arnall is a current member of The British Psychological Society (BPS) [5]. It is said by UK travel company Sky Travel to be the most depressing day of the year. It takes into account weather conditions and only applies to the Northern Hemisphere temperate zones. More
For example, say a gal were lost on a desert island in the middle of the sea. Should she wait for lunch, or ruminate about who's to blame for her getting there? Is there anything to learn from being there? Are those coconuts just going to climb down?
Get up, dig for fresh water, find a way to scramble up the palm tree, bring a broken rock to cut down a coconut, which provides purified drinking fluid full of electrolytes and protein rich healthy fats in a delicious gel. Keep the shells. They'll come in handy for lots of things. Take a dip in the sea and gather some seaweed. Lay it out in the sun, which will make it very taste. Then the herb, root, fruit, and vegetable hunt begins. There's gathering to be done. Fire and cooking will come soon, and this forsaken wilderness will be converted into a paradise, a Blue Lagoon (based on the novel The Blue Lagoon).
Oh, but doesn't it feel so much better to feel sorry for ourselves?
What is Blue Monday?
Each January, a certain Monday carries a reputation for being the year’s most emotionally difficult day.
Known as "Blue Monday," it’s often linked with low moods, depleted motivation, and a post-holiday slump.
While the idea started as a publicity stunt, it has since become an annual reminder of something real and important: Mental health matters – especially when days are short and emotions feel heavy. In 2026, Blue Monday falls on January 19th.
Ram Dass (Dr. Richard Alpert) in India, meets guru
What is it? Blue Monday 2026 is observed on the third Monday in January and is often described as “the saddest day of the year.”
The label may be more symbolic than scientific, but the feelings it points to are common. After the holidays, many people experience a dip – financially, emotionally, and physically.
Cold weather, shorter daylight hours, and pressure to stick to resolutions can all contribute. More
Author Stanford University Social Psychologist Dr. Philip Zimbardo and Dr. John Boyd have 4.4 out of 5 stars (with 326 reviews).
Our every significant choice -- every important decision we make -- is determined by a force operating deep inside our mind: our perspective on time -- our internal, personal time zone.
This is the most influential force in our life, yet we are virtually unaware of it. Once we become aware of our personal time zone, we can begin to see and manage our life in exciting new ways.
In The Time Paradox, Dr. Zimbardo and Dr. Boyd draw on 30 years of pioneering research to reveal, for the first time, how our individual time perspective shapes our life and is shaped by the world around us.
Further, they demonstrate that our and every other individual's time zones interact to create national cultures, economics, and personal destinies.
No matter our time perspective, we experience these paradoxes. Only by understanding this new psychological science of time zones will we be able to overcome the mental biases that keep us too attached to the past, too focused on immediate gratification, or unhealthily obsessed with future goals.
Time passes no matter what we do; it's up to us to spend it wisely and enjoy it well. More
"Amida Manifesting in the Dharma-body of Expedient Means," Japanese painting, at The Met.
"Self-power" (Chinese zìlì 自力, Japanese jiriki) and "other-power" (Chinese tālì 他力, Japanese tariki) are key terms used to explain and define Pure Land practice in East Asian Buddhism [179].
It was Shandao who first argued that Amitabha's power helped take people to the Pure Land after death (previous authors having held that Amitabha created the Pure Land and it was up to an individual's own effort to make it there).
This other-power relationship was compared to how a lowly man who is accompanied by a king can enter previously inaccessible places [180].
Did Christianity just steal this idea of tariki in whole, or is it a natural devolution of religion?
.
Whose power, my own or a magic Cosmic Buddha?
Chinese Pure Land Buddhism never denied the importance of self-power. Instead, according to Jones, Chinese Pure Land generally holds that "Rebirth in the Pure Land results when the two powers work together, an idea that the modern Taiwan Pure Land master Zhiyu (Zhìyù 智諭, 1924–2000) captured with the phrase "the two powers of self and other" (zì-tā èr lì 自他二力)" [179].
Thus, in Chinese Pure Land, rebirth in the Pure Land arises from a cooperation of the practitioner and the Buddha [179].
方便法身尊影: Amida's Dharma- body of Expedient Means (The Met)
Yúnqī Zhūhóng argues that the practitioner's efforts connect with the Buddha's power through "sympathetic resonance" (gǎnyìng 感應) which links them with the Buddha, attuning their mind with that of the Buddha, much like one plucked string in a lute can make another string nearby resonate in sympathy [181, 178].
According to this view, the more that one practiced nianfo, the stronger and more enduring this bond with Amitabha became [182].
However, Chinese Pure Land masters also argued that one certainly cannot rely on self-power alone, which they denigrated as a futile effort [183]. More
The Tale of Amitabha Sutra, [not] spoken of by the [historical] Buddha
(Wisdom Tellers) March 29, 2024: Explore the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss (Sukhavati) with Buddha Amitabha, [not] spoken by the [historical] Buddha [but added later in apocryphal texts attributed to the Buddha, as many Mahayana sutras are something other than authentic texts spoken by the historical figure of the Buddha and his first enlightened disciples as represented in the Pali language canon].
Join us on a profound journey through the realms of [the journey to] enlightenment. #Amitabha
What is the "pure land"?
Sukhavati (Sukhāvatī, "blissful") is the pure land of Amitābha ("Infinite Light") in Mahayana Buddhism.
Mahayana ("Greater Vehicle") is an amalgamation of Hinduism (Brahminical Brahmanism) taking the historical Buddha's Doctrine (Dharma) and making it align with the very (Vedic) beliefs the Buddha opposed and argued against, revivifying the meaning of obscure texts and stories from the ancient "Knowledge Books" of Proto-India. But the Brahmins had their views and were not going to lose them to this new shramana ("wandering ascetic") movement headed by Shakyamuni Buddha (the Scythian Siddhartha Gautama) and Mahavira (the Nigantha Nattaputta, founder of Jainism).
Therefore, elements of Mahayana Buddhism are almost indistinguishable from modern Hinduism even if at their core their ambition is different. One would not know it's different because it's clothed in the same sort of fanciful language of a "higher self" (atman) merging with the Infinite (Brahman) until there's no distinction (advaita) and we are returned to our original luminous state of mind. The historical Buddha spoke of "pure lands" as worlds where once-returners and non-returners might be reborn to advance towards arhatship. Such worlds only exist when the teaching of a Buddha still exists in the world because that is how they came to be once-returners and non-returners. It may sound silly, but this is because when someone reaches the first stage of enlightenment (called stream entry), one will at most be reborn seven more times. If one progresses no further, one is nevertheless sure of reaching full enlightenment within seven lives.
Although there are other stages detailed in the Path to Freedom (Vimuttimagga), these are abbreviated to four in the later commentarial and exegetical text the Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga), which is regarded as canonical (official doctrine) in the Theravada Buddhist tradition. This abbreviation results in four classes of enlightened individuals: stream-enterers, once-returners, non-returners, and arhats. There is more than one kind of stream-enterer, who have at most fewer and fewer rebirths to endure.
With practice, a stream-enterer may become an arhat in the same life. Practicing no further, that same person nevertheless faces no more than seven more rebirths. The next class of noble ones (Aryans) is the once-returner who will at most be reborn in this world one more time. (This seems to open up the possibility of being reborn in a sukhavati, a place where all the beings study the Dharma until they reach liberation without again being reborn in a lower world. As there are more than one such worlds, one can imagine being reborn in more than one of those worlds). Still such attainers are once-returners (sakkadagamis).
The next stage and class is non-returning, who is no longer liable to being reborn in the human world again. (One of the extraordinary things about stream-enterers and the others is that they have all overcome the possibility of being reborn in any world lower than the human plane). But the non-returner, not returning to this plane of existence, is reborn in a sukhavati (pure abode), there to reach arhatship in however long it takes.
The arhat is the fully enlightened person, who it must be noted is not the "supremely" enlightened. The enlightenment of a buddha and that of a disciple is the same in many respects. But a disciple is not likely to be able to teach others effectively and can in no way establish the Dharma in the world. This kind of enlightenment is called "supreme" (samma-sam-bodhi, "all the way around enlightenment" with the linguistic and other abilities to be able to establish the Dharma and a Sangha).
There is another kind of "full" enlightenment between these two, and that is the enlightenment of a pacceka-buddha ("non-teaching" or "silent" buddha). This person sees all and knows all just like a supremely awakened buddha but does not possess the Ten Powers of a Buddha to effectively teach or establish the Dharma.
All three are nevertheless called arhats; therefore, all buddhas are arhats, but not all arhats are buddhas. It's nitpicking, but it's important to make the distinction for scholarship purposes. The more interesting nitpicking distinctions are those in the first category: Stream entry has four kinds, like those born among noble families and the bija-bija. See The Path to Freedom (Upatissa) for details.
Sukhavati Pure Land is also called the "Land of Bliss" or the "Western Paradise" and is the most well-known of the Buddhist pure lands due to the popularity of faith-based Pure Land Buddhism in East Asia.
Etymology and names
Sukhavati the word is the feminine form of the Sanskrit word sukhāvat ("full of joy," "blissful") [1, 2] from sukha ("delight," "joy") and -vat ("full of") [3].
Sukhavati is known by different names in other languages. East Asian names are based on Chinese translations, and longer names may consist of the words "Western," "Blissful," and "Pure Land" in various combinations.
Some names and combinations are more popular in certain countries. Due to its importance, Sukhavati is often simply called "The Pure Land" without distinguishing it from other pure lands. Wiki: Sukhavati
Imagine a Bodhisattva vow taken by most of the members of one of the three great world religions (Mahayana Buddhism), which has about a billion uncounted members in officially communist China. The three world religions are Catholicism (Christianity), Islam (Shia and Sunni but not so much Sufi), and Buddhism (Theravada, Mahayana, and Vajrayana), the oldest being Buddhism, which began as a missionary religion in proto-India before there was a "Hinduism" at the time of Brahmins and their Vedas (ancient "Knowledge Books"). Buddhism spread from the historical founder, Siddhartha Gautama the supremely "Awakened One," north to Tibet (Vajrayana) and China (Mahayana) then to all of Asia and most of the world. The Dalai Lama-loving Beastie Boys (New York Jewish-Buddhist hip hop rappers) give the vow a new spin from their classic album, Ill Communication.
Tung-Lin Temple, West Covina; Sayalay, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Cosmic Amitabha Buddha of Infinite Light
In the San Gabriel Valley, along the other foothills dividing Los Angeles from Orange County, in a house used for retreats, mostly by dedicated Chinese speakers interested as much in accomplished Theravada teachers as anything, tucked away in a beautiful residential area, we met an angelic girl, nearly blind.
It turned out she was not a girl but a full-grown woman, married, wise, gentle, compassionate, and wishing to teach the Dharma. We were amazed.
Then we came to find she had started a Meetup group as part of a small and much more obscure Chinese temple.
Ancient frescoes found inside Chinese caves
It might be in her backyard. But she made videos, too. As the Meetup fades out of existence, it's nice to hear what Mahayanists believe in the worship of Amitābha over the historical Buddha, emphasizing this "cosmic savior" figure and Guanyin (Goddess of Compassion) over the historical Buddha and his two chief female disciples, Ven. Khema Theri, foremost in wisdom, and Ven. Uppalavana Theri, foremost in powers.
Let's listen to a few minutes of this innocent angel's teaching.
Guanyin Goddess of Compassion
Weekly meditation and Dharma class (in English) is held on Saturdays from 10:00 am—11:30 am. Meditation cushions, chairs, and water are provided. All are welcome to join.
Address:
Tung-Lin Buddhist Temple
1488 E. Cameron Avenue
West Covina, California 91791
Please park inside gate. (Keep going past roundabout driveway). The temple is the back building that looks like a house.
Check out its YouTube channel: youtube.com/user/f4iken2002.
Why does Pureland Buddhism believe as it does? Alan Watts has an excellent and historical explanation for it as Buddhism declined and degenerated, losing sight of what the historical Buddha taught and developing speculative views and "shortcut" methodologies that made sense to later teachers and the founders of new schools.
Sarah and Amy Vowell, Host Ira Glass (This American Life, Episode #716, "Trail of Tears," Sept. 4, 2020); Xochitl (gabrielenoindians.org), Ashley Wells, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
The "Trail of Tears" runs from the doorsteps of Cherokee to their graves along the way to OK.
.
What would archeology look like from space?
For the long holiday weekend, let’s take a road trip through U.S. history.
This is a moment when as Americans we are tearing down our racist monuments and rethinking how to address the shameful parts of America’s past.
Sarah on Thanksgiving
So let’s return to a story from the early days of the radio show This American Life that took that on, in a vivid and complicated way.
Sarah Vowell (shown at left) and her blond twin sister Amy -- "Injun" and "Swede," as they were called growing up in the South -- headed out on the road to retrace their Cherokee roots on the Georgia/Oklahoma Trail of Tears.
It was the route their ancestors took when they were expelled from their own land by greedy Whites. They reflect on the question, What are we supposed to do with the mix of good and bad that is this country? Details + AUDIO
Mahamevnawabm.org, Deva Sattavatapada Sutra; Dhr. Seven, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly
"The Discourse on the Seven Noble Vows of Sakka"
Stories of Sakka Lord of the Gods
Thus have I heard. At one time the Blessed One was staying in Sāvatthi province in Jeta’s Grove at Anāthapiṇḍika’s Monastery where he taught:
“Meditators, in the past when Sakka, king of the devas, was a human, he practised seven noble vows. Because of that good karma he achieved his current position. What were those seven noble vows?
As long as I live may I help my parents.
As long as I live may I respect the family elders.
As long as I live may I speak gently.
As long as I live may I not speak divisively.
As long as I live may I live at home without greediness, removing the stain of stinginess, open-handed, always ready to give, always free to help others, delighting in giving and sharing, and well organized in giving charity.
As long as I live may I speak the truth.
As long as I live may I be free from anger, and if anger should arise in me, may I remove it quickly.
“Meditators, in the past when Sakka, king of the devas, was human, he practiced seven noble vows. Because he carried out those good deeds, he achieved the position he has now.”
Ven. Nyanatiloka (Buddhist Dictionary); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly (Journeyman) Marathon Monks of Mt. Hiei, Japan. Saying they'll resort to suicide if they fail to complete the
journey, and often dying en route, these extremist monks undertake an [extra-canonical] perilous quest for enlightenment.
Buddhist monastic, wandering ascetic, recluse, hermit, Yarchen Car (Exposureddd/flickr)
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Taming the mind like a wild elephant
Dhutānga [literally, a "means of shaking off (the defilements)"]: "means of purification," [profitable, beneficial] ascetic or austere practices.
These are strict observances recommended by the Buddha to monastics as a help to cultivate contentedness, renunciation, energy, and other beneficial qualities. One or more of them -- but rarely if ever all of them -- may be observed for a shorter or longer period of time.
EDITORIAL NOTE: These practices are usually only undertaken with the guidance and direction of a meditation master. Otherwise one faces the very real danger of aggravating one's "personality type" (greed/faith, hate/wisdom, delusion/speculation) or predominant disposition rather than balancing/eliminating it.
"The monastic training in morality (sila, virtue) should take upon oneself means of purification, in order to gain those virtues through which the purity of morality will become accomplished, to wit: fewness of needs, contentedness, austerity, detachment, energy, moderation, and so on" (The Path of Purification, Vis.M. II).
The Path of Purification (Vis.M. II) describes 13 "austere practices" or dhutangas, consisting of the vows of:
wearing only patched-up robes: pamsukūlik'anga
wearing only three robes: tecīvarik'anga
going on almsround: pindapātik'anga
not omitting any house while going for alms: sapadānikanga
eating at one sitting: ekāsanik'anga
eating only from the alms-bowl: pattapindik'anga
refusing all further food: khalu-pacchā-bhattik'anga
living in the forest: āraññik'anga
living under a tree: rukkha-mūlik'anga
living in the open air: abbhokāsik'anga
living in a charnal ground: susānik'anga
being satisfied with whatever dwelling: yathā-santhatik'anga
sleeping in the sitting position (and never lying down): nesajjik'anga.
These 13 exercises are all, without exception, mentioned in the old sutra texts (e.g., MN 5, 113; A.V., 181-90), but never together in one and the same place.
"Without doubt, O meditators, it is a great advantage to live in the forest as a hermit, to collect one's alms, to make one's robes from picked-up rags, to be satisfied with three robes" (A.I, 30).
The vow, for example of Number 1, is taken in the words: "I reject robes offered to me by householders," or "I take upon myself the vow of wearing only [patchwork] robes made from picked-up rags." Some of the exercises may also be observed by the lay-adherent [during times of intensive meditation practice such as when on retreat to counter bad habit, tendencies, impediments, hindrances to practice].
Here it may be mentioned that each newly ordained monastic, immediately after being admitted to the Monastic Order (Sangha), is advised to be satisfied with whatever robes, alms-food, dwelling, and medicine One gets:
"The life of the monastics depends on the collected alms as food...on the root of a tree as dwelling...on robes made from patched-up rags...on stale cow's urine [cultured, fermented to the point of becoming like raw apple cider vinegar, an ancient pre-Buddhist practice of using urea/uric acid as is commonly done in American cosmetics] as medicine. May you train yourself therein all your life."
Because the moral (karmic) quality of any action depends entirely upon the accompanying intention and volition, this is also the case with these ascetic practices, as is expressly stated in The Path of Purification (Vis.M.)
Thus, the mere external performance is not the real exercise, as it is said (Pug. 275-84):
"Someone might be going for alms and so on out of stupidity and foolishness -- or with harmful intention and filled with desires -- or out of insanity and mental derangement -- or because such practice had been praised by the noble ones...." These exercises are, however properly observed "if they are taken up only for the sake of frugality, of contentedness, of purity, and so on" (Appendix).
On dhutanga practice in modern Thailand, see With Robes and Bowl by Bhikkhu Khantipalo (Wheel 82/83).
Hellmuth Hecker (trans.) numerical discourse from Anathapindika: The Great Benefactor (AN 5.43) sutra edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Marilyn Monroe in 1950s:
The Buddha often spoke of five things people want. Two of them are long life and beauty. Long life is not enough.
We want beauty (health, vitality, youthfulness) for the enjoyment of those years. Here's how to get them.
THE BUDDHA: "O householder [the rich banker Anathapindika], there are five desirable, pleasant, and agreeable things which are rare in the world. What are those five? They are:
long life
beauty
happiness
fame
and (rebirth in) a heaven.
"But, O householder, of these five things, I do not teach that they are obtained by prayer or by vows. If one could obtain them by prayer or vows, who would not do it?
"For a noble disciple, O householder, who wishes to have long life, it is not fitting that such a person should pray for long life or take delight in doing so. Instead, one should follow a path of life that is conducive to longevity. By following such a path one will obtain long life, be it divine or human.
"O householder, for a noble disciple who wishes to have beauty... happiness... fame... (rebirth in) a heaven, it is not fitting that one should pray for them or take delight in doing so.
"One should instead follow a path of life that is conducive to beauty... happiness... fame... (rebirth in) a heaven. By following such a path, one will obtain beauty, happiness, fame, and (rebirth in) a heaven."
Now if only the Buddha (who in his time was not called a "Buddhist" but a Karmavadin, a "Teacher of the Efficacy of Action") had spelled out those paths of action in the same short sutra.
Instead, he explained the actions (karma) that bring about the results and fruits (vipaka and phala) of long life, beauty, happiness, fame, and rebirth in celestial (deva) worlds in many other discourses (such as the Kammavibhangasutras).
For long life it is protecting life -- not killing, harming, or causing others to do so.
For beauty it is abandoning anger* and in its place cultivating friendliness/loving-kindness (metta).
Happiness comes from letting go and instead cultivating contentment, patience/forbearance, wisdom, and mental composure (jhana, samma-samadhi). Great happiness comes from protecting the Five Precepts. Even those who only believe in this world during this one life are taught the Sigalovada Sutra, the "Advice to Householders."
Not everyone wants to live like an ascetic or recluse. Anathapindika (the enlightened multi-millionaire, to whom the previous discourse was given, once asked what advice the Buddha had for those who wanted to have spouses, children, homes, and gold. The Buddha gave advice for a happy worldly life.
Fame is said to be a result of showing respect to those worthy of respect. This is the principal reason, but one can easily imagine that diligence and dedication to an art, craft, or skill (such as scholarship or singing, playing an instrument or discovering something) is also vital. Mindfulness helps with that, as mindfulness helps with everything good.
Buddhist cosmology: 31 Planes of Existence chart
Rebirth in celestial worlds, "heaven" (sagga) -- which is temporary even if the lifespan on those planes lasts aeons and virtual eternities -- comes as a result of keeping the Five, Eight, Ten, or 227 Precepts. A surer way to the Fine-Material Sphere (rupa-loka) heavens rather than the Sensual Sphere (kama-loka) heavens is cultivating the jhanas, the "meditations" or "meditative absorptions."
The 31 Planes of Existence explicitly lists the eight jhanas as the karmic causes of being reborn in those better worlds. There is one more sphere even higher than our sensual and fine-material spheres. And that is the Immaterial Sphere (arupa-loka). Rebirth there comes from the level of mastery of the four higher jhanas.
Basic to all happiness and merit (store of good karma) is giving or generosity (dana), which is founded on letting go, not clinging, not being selfish and self-absorbed. The habit of giving allows us to enjoy things heartily and make more and more good karma as we do.
A chieftain who holds a feast for the people of various villages gains fame and prestige among those people, while accruing merit to have more and more in order to enjoy and give again.
Unfortunately, this also works in reverse. When we are stingy to preserve life or position, we are actually becoming impoverished. We don't enjoy what we have, and we don't give, so we lose out on all that potential good karma. And in the absence of it, we are as if poor already and hurling ourselves toward poverty. Give. Much good comes from it. Let go. Greater good comes from it.
How? One way is by force. A better way might be out of wisdom, out of clear seeing as to what it is. People need it, so compassion can move us. We would like it, so giving is one way to ensure we will get it when we are in need.
Seeing the true nature of things, how things really are with insight, causes us to let go. In ignorance, we are that things are permanent, satisfactory, and personal.
When we see them as they really are, our hand opens, our heart lets go, our mind is liberated. Clinging proves that we do not see the true nature of things, the Three Universal Characteristics of all things that exist.
They are radically impermanent, inherently disappointing (unable and incapable of fulfilling us), and impersonal (not us and not ours). This is very hard to believe, so here is the great American scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi to explain:
(1983DC) Bhikkhu Bodhi explains the "True Nature of Existence" (Talk 3)
*The Buddha explains beauty
Sutra excerpt, Sections 9 and 10, from Ven. Ñanamoli Thera (trans.), "The Shorter Exposition on Karma" (Kammavibhanga Sutta) edited by Wisdom Quarterly (MN 135)
"If instead one comes back to the human state, one is ugly wherever one is reborn. This is the way that leads to ugliness, which is to say, to be furious, angry, ill-disposed, resentful, and to show ill-temper, hate, and surliness.
10. "But here some woman or man is not angry or much given to rage: Even when much is said, one is not furious, angry, ill-disposed, resentful, nor does one show ill-temper, hate, or surliness.
"Due to having undertaken and completed such actions [of self-restraint, forbearance, patience, kindness, compassion, and equanimity redirecting one's expression from anger to its antidote], on the dissolution of the body, after dying, one reappears in a happy destination...
"If instead one comes back to the human state, one is beautiful wherever one is reborn.
"This is the way that leads to beauty, which is to say, not to be angry or given to much rage: Even when much is said, [to be patient, self-restrained, serene, so as] not to be furious, angry, ill-disposed or resentful, or to show ill-temper, hate, or surliness. More
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