We cannot get free alone but only by noble friendship
(Zenith Zen) Rather than running away, what if we were to stay to help just as we have been helped by others through countless lives?
Should we teach others, Friend, even females, or just lock ourselves up in a cloister? - Teach.
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Teach us what you know, Bhante
It is unclear if this is an authentic Zen tale, but it is certainly true what the historical Buddha's position on "noble friendship" (kalyāṇa-mittatā) was.
For once when his attendant said, "Venerable sir, it seems to me that friendship is half the monastic life in this Doctrine and Discipline" [in Buddhism].
The Buddha rebuked and admonished him, "Do not say so, Ananda, do not say so!"
Ananda was baffled. Surely, friendship is a vital thing to the practice of Buddhism, to ever even hearing the Dharma (the path to liberation). It is so important that it is surely half the struggle in life, now that we have heard the path. Friends teach us, encourage us, inspire us, tell us what they have heard, what they have understood. But the Buddha, possibly shaking his head, continued.
This monk is my good friend, encouraging me to temporarily ordain as a Buddhist novice.
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I dunno if I can continue. - Of course you can!
"Friendship is not the HALF of the high life [of intensive practice of the Dharma]; it the whole of it. For because of friendship, one hears the Dharma. And by hearing it, one practices it [with help, inspiration, and encouragement from good companionship with noble ones, which refers to people along the four stages of enlightenment]. And by practicing it, one becomes free and a friend to many others. Indeed, noble friendship is the whole of this path."
These are not exact quotes but the gist of what Ananda said and what the Buddha said back to further exalt the value of noble friendship in Buddhism. - Wisdom Quarterly
(The Theory of Samsara) CANADA - I'm done. I can't do this anymore! Why I'm giving up my Western Vajrayana Buddhist monastic robes as a lama.
The Bhavacakra is a Tibetan Buddhist depiction of Saṃsāra, the "Wheel of Life and Death" (the "continued wandering on," cycling through endless rebirths in search of unattainable satisfaction and fulfillment through pleasure).
All things are hurtling towards destruction. If they just ended, that might be all right. Sadly, they will renew, and the suffering (dukkha, "disappointment") will continue. Beings in their becoming (bhava) will continue to wandering, not having made an end of suffering in this life, never having glimpsed nirvana (won the stream).
The same applies to Buddhist monastics (monks and nuns) who fail, fall short of the goal, or quit. Westerners will one day learn the wisdom of the East.
Sangha means "spiritual community"
Take care of one another, monks.
One key is that the monastic experience is a collective one, not a solo endeavor. It would be nice to move into a cave and just meditate. But that is not how the Buddha set up this path-of-practice towards enlightenment (bodhi) and liberation (nirvana) in this very life.
So, sadly, another one bites the dust. This fine Western monk realized too late that going it alone was no way to go. Support is crucial. How crucial is it? One day, the Buddha's attendant, the much-beloved Ven. Ananda realized something, and he went to the Buddha to confirm it.
Venerable sir, it seems to me that half the high life [the life of well-conducted monastic in the Buddha's Dharma] is noble friendship, good companions on this path.
"Do not say so, Ananda, do not say so!" the Buddha scolded Ananda.
Ananda was startled. Surely noble friends (kalyana-mitta) are wonderful companions, helpers, inspirers, guides, supporters, and encouragers along this sometimes-arduous path to awakening.
The Buddha continued, "they are not half the path; they are the whole path!" If only someone had told this fine gentleman before he set off alone on so noble a task as carrying on the tradition.
First, what is "Juice"? - That is explained below as the sort of nectar that gives the goddess her power to bestow youth on those whom she serves or those who win her favor. So we ask...
QUESTION: How shall we worship Youth?
ANSWER: Maybe the ancient Greek way? First, what is "worship"? We need to petition her for more youth of our own. Oh, please, Great Goddess, make us young! Make us healthy! Make us pretty and long-lived!
Worship is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity or God. For many, worship is not about an emotion, it is more about a recognition of a God. An act of worship may be performed individually, in an informal or formal group, or by a designated leader. Such acts may involve honoring [1, 2, 3].
ETYMOLOGY: The word is derived from the Old English weorþscipe, meaning to venerate "worship, honor shown to an object or deity [4]," which has been etymologized as "worthiness" or "worth-ship" — at its simplest, to give worth to something.
The Eastern ideal of devas (gods, lit. "shining ones")
Sanskrit amrita (Hindi amrit, Pali amata, "deathless," also sudha, amiy, and ami) is the word for "immortality," a central concept in Dharmic religions, often referred to in ancient Indian texts as an elixir [1]. Its first occurrence is in the Rig Veda, where it is considered one of several synonyms for soma, the drink of the celestial devas [2]. Amrita plays a significant role in the Samudra Manthana and is the cause of the conflict between devas (gods) and asuras (anti-gods), each competing for it to obtain longevity or immortality [3]. It has varying significance in different Indian religions. In Buddhism, it is a synonym for nirvana ("the deathless").
The Goddess of Justice Themis
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The masculine word Amrit, feminine Amritā, is also a common first name for Hindus and Sikhs [4]. It is cognate to and shares many similarities with Greek ambrosia, both originating from a common Proto-Indo-European source [5, 6].
ETYMOLOGY: Amrita is composed of the negative prefix a- (अ, Sanskrit for "not") + mṛtyu (Sanskrit for "death"), therefore "not death," "deathless," or "immortal." The concept of a drink for immortality is attested in at least two Indo-European languages, Ancient Greek and Sanskrit. The Greek ἀμβροσία (ambrosia, from ἀ- “not” + βροτός “mortal”) is semantically linked to the Sanskrit अमृत (amṛta), both denoting a drink or food that "gods" (devas) use to achieve longevity and immortality. The two words appear to be derived from the same Indo-European form *ṇ-mṛ-tós, "un-dying" [7] (n-: negative prefix from which the prefix a- in both Greek and Sanskrit are derived + mṛ: zero grade of *mer-, "to die" + -to-: adjectival suffix). A semantically similar etymology exists for Greek (νέκταρ, néktar) "nectar," the beverage of the gods, a compound of the PIE roots *nek-, "death," and -*tar, "overcoming." More
Alabaster Shiva in white marble, triune God of India
When Heracles' nephew and charioteer Iolaus was about to fight Eurystheus, he asked Hebe to make him young again for one day.
Hebe was initially reluctant, but the Goddess of Justice Themis told her it was a fair and just thing to do. Hebe granted Iolaus' wish, and he emerged victorious in battle.
Eventually Hebe lost her job as a cupbearer of the gods (a nectar server) when she tripped and her dress came undone, exposing her breasts.
Apollo dismissed her, and she was replaced by Prince Ganymede, Zeus' pederastic homosexual lover and protege (sugar baby).
The Buddhist Goddess of Youth: Kwan Yin
Avalokita transformed into a female
If Early (pre-sectarian) Buddhism had gods and goddesses (personifications) for everything, there would surely be one for youth, vitality, health, and beauty. The Buddha was not out to found a "religion" and therefore had no need to personify and mythologize everything like a pantheistic or polytheistic tradition might. But so powerful was the influence of Hinduism (Vedic Brahmanism) on Chinese Mahayana and Tibetan Vajrayana that these later Buddhist traditions did just that, with the all-lovable Goddess of Compassion Guanyin (Chenrezig) Bodhisattva becoming the ever youthful, ever-beautiful, ever delightful "Mother Mary" and "Mary Magdalene" of Buddhism. Theravada loves her, too, as ancient Sri Lankan statuary reveals that she was venerated far and wide.
Youthful Buddhist fairy Kwan Yin rides a dragon
Prajnaparamita of Java
Of course, we at Wisdom Quarterly prefer the personification of Perfect Wisdom (Prajnaparamita of Java), but that's just our silliness. The historical Buddha could not turn the attention of the monastics of his day from lovable Ananda to wise Sariputra, try as he might. Ananda just had that sort of Scythian (Indo-Sakan) charm, friendliness (metta), and warm, nonjudgmental nature. What is the root of "friendship," of agape given to others? Is it loving-kindness, compassion, happiness in the happiness of others, or unbiased looking on (the Four Divine Abidings)? Or is the core of the kalayana-mitta ideal, the ability to announce the path-of-practice that leads to spiritual liberation, the Dhamma? What is so great about wisdom (panna, prajna) anyway, and why isn't this publication called Compassion Quarterly?
What is the ideal of beauty?
That's a good question. Karuna is great. We love it and need more of it. But all the compassion in the world would not lead one to vimutti, moksha, liberation-by-wisdom. What a friend can do for one in the utmost is share the Dharma, the Dhamma, that which the historical Buddha himself taught to a benighted world hungry for light and the alleviation of suffering, disappointment, and samsara.
The Bhutanese, Nepalese, Tibetans, Russians, and Mongolians have many Vajrayana goddesses, like the multihued Taras and personifications for all kinds of popular desires -- riches, powers, magic...love and lust deities.
How to win friends: Can an app fix the "friendship recession"?
How to make friends and be an influencer
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I have no idea why people follow me
Amidst what some researchers call a "friendship recession," apps and services have been proliferating to connect Americans. We hear from people who have already tried them or use them regularly to reflect on what about them has worked and hasn't.
TRANSCRIPT
HOST SCOTT SIMON: Many of the old places where friendships formed -- the office, houses of worship, maybe the VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars, a.k.a. degenerate bars] -- may have become less central to people's lives.
Just react to things with opinions!
It's part of what's been called a friendship recession: Americans spending dramatically less time with friends than they did a decade ago. As Leslie McClurg of member station KQED FM [San Francisco Bay Area and Sacramento] reports, a growing number of apps and services are trying to bring people back together.
BYLINE LESLIE MCCLURG: When Jen Hobbs moved to Oakland last summer, she assumed friends would come naturally at the coffee shop or after an exercise class, but six months in...
JEN HOBBS: And on New Year's, I was kind of reflecting on things, and I realized I still don't have any friends.
Talk about fitness on TikTok with a hot bod!
MCCLURG: She made it her resolution to fix that and downloaded every friendship app that she had seen advertised on Instagram. Some are simple, like "BumbleFor Friends" (BFF: Bumble For Friends), which works much like the company's dating app.
But instead of swiping for lovers, you're swiping for pals. Others, like Timeleft [or Friend Cult], go further by matching users with like-minded strangers for a meal. [SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING]
UNIDENTIFIED COMMENTATOR: In restaurants across the country [LAUGHTER] total strangers are gathering for conversation and community over shared meals. More
We’re not a social club, we’re a Friend Cult™ -- a weekly, Oakland-based gathering that makes it easier to see friends. No more text tag, no more calendar Tetris, no more doomscrolling. Just show up and hang out — like it used to be. See friends. Eat food. Feel better. Die happy.
An "influencer" has the ability to alter the attitudes, shopping behavior, or shopping decisions of others through knowledge, position, authority, or the because of an audience relationship.
This ability is either inherent to one's personality or is completely constructed by others for some benefit: social, personal, or economical [1].
The term "influencer" is used in media, business, religion, politics, and communication, referring to folks like social media influencers, podcasters, public speakers, religious influencers, writers, and newsletter writers who have dedicated followings [2, 3].
One writer defines influencers as those "who exercise influence over the organization and its potential customers" [4]. Another defines them as someone "who significantly shapes the customer's purchasing decision" [5]. According to another writer, influencers are "well-connected, create an impact, have active minds, and are trendsetters" [6].
What does every American want?
Just because someone has many followers does not necessarily mean that person has much influence over them [7, 8].
In contemporary usage, it means a social media influencer [9, 10, 11] or an online influencer [12, 13, 14] who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates.
This is done by using direct audience interaction to establish authenticity, expertise, and appeal by standing apart from traditional celebrities by growing a platform through social media rather than pre-existing fame [15, 16].
The modern term is commonly a paid role in which a business entity pays for social media influence-for-hire activity to promote products and services, known as influencer marketing [17].
As such, an influencer effectively acts as a modern salesperson or a marketer. A 1% increase in spending on influencer marketing can lead to a 0.5% increase in audience engagement [18] for a company or corporation.
Types include fashion influencer, travel influencer, virtual influencer, content creators [19, 20, 21], and streamers [22, 23, 24]. More
How to Win Friends and Influence People
How to be an influencer? Keep talking until someone breaks your jaw like Jake? Read a book?
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This classic self-help book written by Dale Carnegie came out in 1936. Worldwide, over 30 million copies have been sold since, making it one of the best-selling books of all time [1, 2].
Dale Carnegie had been conducting business courses in New York since 1912 [3]. In 1934, Leon Shimkin (Simon & Schuster) took one of Carnegie's 14-week courses on human relations and public speaking. He later persuaded Carnegie to let a stenographer take notes from the course to be revised for publication [3].
The initial 5,000 copies of the book sold exceptionally well, going through 17 editions in the first year [3]. In 1981, a revised edition containing updated language and anecdotes was released [4]. The revised edition reduced the number of sections from six to four, eliminating sections on effective business letters and improving marital satisfaction. In 2011, it was Number 19 on Time'sList of the 100 Most Influential Nonfiction Books [5]. In 2022, a newly revised edition was published.
Author Dale Carnegie
I know what people want (Carnegie)
Before How to Win Friends and Influence People, the self-help genre had other successes. Authors like Orison Swett Marden and Samuel Smiles had sold well with their self-help titles in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Dale Carnegie began his career teaching night classes at a NY YMCA, later expanding to YMCAs in Philadelphia and Baltimore [6]. He then taught independently at hotels in London, Paris, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, writing small booklets to go along with his courses [7].
When evolution gets us
After one of his 14-week courses, publisher Leon Shimkin of Simon & Schuster approached him [8]. Shimkin urged Carnegie to write a book, but he was not initially persuaded. Shimkin then hired a stenographer to type up one of Carnegie's long lectures and presented that transcript to Carnegie [9], who edited and revised it into its final form [10].
To market the book, Shimkin sent 500 copies to former graduates of the Dale Carnegie Course, with a note that pointed out the utility of the book for refreshing students with the advice they had learned [11]: 141.
Or just work out until you have a hot bod. See?
The 500 mailed copies brought orders for over 5,000 more copies, so Simon & Schuster had to quickly increase the original print order of 1,200 [11]: 142. Shimkin also ran a full-page ad in the New York Times complete with quotes by Andrew Carnegie and John D. Rockefeller on the importance of human relations [12].
Originally published in Nov. 1936, the book reached the New York Times best-seller list by the end of the year and stayed on it for the next two years [11]: 141.
Simon & Schuster continued to advertise the book, relying heavily on testimonials as well as the testable approach the book offered [12]. More
When it comes to fighting or avoiding a fight at all costs, we have to look at our friendship bracelet that read "WWBLD?" Of course, that stands for "What would Bruce Lee do?" Following the Zen way of the Tao, noninterference with the flow of nature, we'd go around trouble and pick the path of peace. But, y'know, as Kwai Chang Caine found out so many times, sometimes trouble finds you. Then in that case, redirect the violent opponent's own energy against that person.
Shaolin kung fu (Chinese 少林功夫, Pinyin Shàolín gōngfū, Shaolin Wushu, 少林武術, Shǎolín wǔshù, Shaolin quan, 少林拳, Shàolínquán), is the largest and most famous style of the martial art of kung fu. It combines Mahayana Buddhist, Chinese Chan (Zen) philosophy, and martial arts [1]. It was developed in the legendary Shaolin Temple (monastery) in Henan, China during its 1,500-year history [2]. In Chinese folklore there is a saying, "Shaolin kung fu is the best under heaven." It indicates its superiority among the martial arts. "All martial arts under heaven originated from Shaolin," which indicates its influence on other martial arts. The name "Shaolin" is also used as a brand for the external styles of kung fu. Many styles in southern and northern China use the name Shaolin. More
Best known as "Andrew Golota," Andrzej Jan Gołota (born Jan. 5, 1968) was a Polish professional boxer who competed from 1992 to 2013. He challenged four times for a heavyweight world title, by all four major sanctioning bodies, and as an amateur won a bronze medal in the heavyweight division at the 1988 Olympics. Despite his accomplishments and more than 40 professional wins, Golota is perhaps best known for twice being disqualified against Black American boxer Riddick Bowe for repeated low blows to the groin in fights that Golota was winning. On Oct. 4, 1997, he became the first Pole to challenge for a heavyweight boxing crown when he fought WBC champion Lennox Lewis at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. He had a bout with Mike Tyson in 2000, which he first withdrew from, but afterward was ruled no-contest. In Nov. 2016, Golota was inducted into the Illinois Boxing Hall of Fame. Favorite music? Probably brutal Polish death metal band Vader? More
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