Hindus then and now love their tilak or ash hashmark of ascetic pyre ashes.
Anyone can abstain for the better.
My friends are lucky. They get to be ascetics for the next 40 days (which in Ethiopia, the original "Israel," means 40 days of "fasting," which means abstaining from eating dead animals and feasting on vegetarian cuisine). Catholics and other traditionalists worldwide begin a Lenten period starting today, Ash Wednesday. It has been watered down to the max -- not eating meat on Fridays but getting a pass by considering fish an insensate vegetable, not giving up anything, doing nothing to better themselves for this great spiritual opportunity.
Catholicism borrowed the rosary (mala) used by Buddhists and Hindus
.
Give up my nip? Are you crazy? I need it to live!
As Buddhists we do the "sabbath" (uposatha) as the lunar observance day, weekly on the four moon phases (keeping the Eight Precepts instead of the regular Five Precepts), but only monastics do "Lent" (Vas), the Rains Retreat. Of course, Buddhists have many spiritual growth opportunities at that time of year, too, by participating with nuns and monks, who pause their wanderings to remain at one monastery or nunnery (vihara) for three months to practice intensively: meditating, cultivating the Threefold Training (virtue, stillness, insight), listening to and teachingthe Dharma, studying, reflecting, and contemplating.
Wait, Buddhists can do Christmas? Yes.
Like celebrating Xmas with Buddhist Lisa Simpson, doing Catholic Lent sounds fun and potentially very beneficial. If Catholics can give up a bad habit -- meat (devouring the corpses of animals murdered for the flesh trade), fried foods, porn, joeing, sugar, smoking, drugs, video games, social media, alcohol, cussing, getting angry, buying single use plastics... -- I want to, too! But what? What to give up when it's my choice to better myself and make life better for everyone around me? I think it's time I get environmentally conscious and go vegan or at least vegetarian. What would you give up if you had the power to?
If we intend peace between my Russia and your Ukraine, we'll get it. "Ask, and it is given." Abraham-Hicks say it's The Secret Law of Attraction. Lynne says it's the power of mass intention.
"WAR IS OVER!" I want it. We want it. What do we do to make it happen? (Reddit)
Don't just stand there. Do something about it with your INTENTION. Here's how.
Every human being is born with an extraordinary ability –
but it has been kept from us by our society, our teachers, and even modern science. They repeatedly tell us it does not exist.
Eventually, we believe them. And when we lose connection with this ability, our lives become more difficult, and we begin to feel blocked and unfulfilled. We get ill, grow stagnant, and give up.
Keep NATO out of the former USSR.
For 20 years McTaggart, an international bestselling and award-winning author, has been revealing the miraculous power of intention.
She wants to be able to contact participants (lynnemctaggart.com). If they allow her, she will send them The Power of Eight® Handbook and a special video in exchange.
John Lennon and Yoko Ono famously tried to tell the world about this power from bed. Their message: "War is over! If you want it." They meant, "All we are saying is, 'Give peace a chance,'" but they left out the most important step -- activating our intention.
(Lightning Top) If you walk around with your eyes open, you'll see that the world is a beautiful and mysterious place. We can create incredible things with modern technology, but they still pale in comparison to the things created by Nature. We're highlighting some of Nature's finest creations in this video. Everything you're about to see looks like it should be a Hollywood special effect -- but it's 100% per cent real!
A visit to Ajahn Brahm at Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery in Australia
(Setiawan & Dewi [ BALI ], Jan. 2, 2017)
Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery is located at 216 Kingsbury Drive, Serpentine Western Australia 6126, Australia (Google maps)
I can sit in peace in this place.
Bodhinyana Buddhist Monastery is nestled amidst the rolling hills of the Darling Range, near the small town of Serpentine, Western Australia.
The monastery began its growth in 1983. Named after the great teacher Ajahn Chah, Bodhinyana means the "wisdom of enlightenment." With the generous help and support of a dedicated lay community, the monastics have built Bodhinyana to establish a home beneath the trees in harmony with nature.
The monastery is home to about 20 monks, residing in huts scattered over 242 acres. There is a large meditation hall, where members of the public are welcome to spend time enjoying the peace and tranquility of the atmosphere here in meditation or relaxation.
There is also a kitchen, dining hall, and accommodation for anagarikas (white robed, long-term residents) and guests.
Bodhinyana Monastery provides an ideal environment for solitude and simplicity in which the monastic sangha and residents can dedicate their practice to the cultivation of virtue, meditation (stillness, samadhi), and wisdom.
Humor in Buddhism with Ajahn Brahm
(Buddhist Society of Western Australia, 3/31/17) Ajahn Brahm gives a humorous talk on bringing fun and laughter into our Buddhist practice and life. He says too many people are far too serious. He talks about seeing the positive in everything and the huge benefits of being able to laugh at what for many people is extremely sad, such as having dementia. He points out some benefits of laughter, such as: It leads to a positive mind, removes fear, and lifts anxiety. Here's how.
(Forest Dhamma Talks, Oct. 8, 2020)
The duties and practices of forest monks at Wat Phu Khongtongk, Nong Bua Lamphu, Thailand, are arduous. They live under the guidance of Tan Ajahn Martin, a disciple of Tan Ajahn Maha Boowa (also known as Luangta Ajahn Maha Bua) for over 15 years.
Tan Ajahn Maha Boowa was a direct disciple of Tan Ajahn Mun, the founder of the Thai Forest Tradition.
Footage in this documentary includes a variety of scenes from 2017 to 2020, as it was in development for a long time. Also included are extracts of other videos previously uploaded.
Find the full version of those videos below:
(Russell Brand, March 1, 2022) Jimmy Dore is a comedian, political commentator, and host of The Jimmy Dore Show. He's a popular progressive -- who's actually on the Left not some liberal in name only -- and a funny political pundit on YouTube. #JimmyDore
(Buddhist Insights, 2/16/22)
This is the first session of a retreat on "Dispelling Delusion" led by American Theravada scholar-monk and prolific ancient text translator Bhikkhu Bodhi in July 2017 at a retreat organized by Buddhist Insights in Rockaway Beach, NYC.
FEMEN: Exposed. Topless warriors from Ukraine take the West by storm
If it takes toplessness, so be it.
(RT Documentary) Their god is Woman, and their weapons are bare breasts. They are FEMEN and their decision to fight for feminism topless has made them famous far beyond their native Ukraine.
After being forced to flee their country for desecrating a cross in the capital of central Kiev, the ladies take their fight to Paris, France, where they continue to challenge gender inequality, patriarchal institutions, oppressive religion, and sex industry exploitation.
I will tear this shirt off for FEMEN!
Whether they are loved or hated, wherever they go, they are gawked at and draw massive attention. Let's meet the firebrand gals of FEMEN and hear about how the organization got started and what it stands for.
More films about activists: rtd.rt.com. Subscribe to see slick Russian government-influenced sensation and propaganda through the RTD Channel to get documentaries firsthand (bit.ly/1MgFbVy).
Why does karma (the vipaka and phalaor results and ripening of actions, which is not actually the "action" that preceded it, which is what karma means) take so long to come to fruition in some people?
It's an odd thing, but the better a person is, the faster karma seems to come to fruit. This is borne out by experience, and it is explained by Baba (recent godman P.R. Sarkar), the founder of India's Ananda Marga, in the book My Tantric Guru by one of his apostles or avadhutas.
It is as if one has accrued great debt. The greater the debt, the longer it will be before each collection agency gets its due. But they'll get it. One may become bankrupt and have nothing to give to the others, but the others have all the time in the world for the comeuppance of a karmic debtor.
When does the result come? Karma is opportunistic. Results ripen when -- and if -- the opportunity arises and if circumstances allow. Only a very small class of actions have to bear their result in a certain way. This is the Five Heinous Actions.
What about John Lennon's "instant karma"? Very unlikely. What is more likely is that habitual karma is coming to fruition, and it seems to follow on the kind of action that produces it. In one case of instant karma in the texts is the case of Devadatta, when the world swallowed him up for his evil. But that was hardly instant. He got to do many heinous things before the results finally caught up with him.
(Airplane, 1980) Then all the Bad Karma lined up to finally exact its results. When it rains it pours.
In time that finger will come back on you, Player
That's why karma is different than ordinary "cause and effect." It is the cause of many (an exponential number of) effects. This goes as much for the good as the bad, the skillful as the unskillful.
On the positive extreme, in Hinduism it is explained that taking one step forward toward the embodiment of Good brings the Good 99 steps closer to one by the action of the Good. This is a very general way of saying that a little good goes a long way; it is much more significant than we imagine. How? Karma (action) is exponential. For example, if one were to give, what would be received would be multiplied many times over. A little bad is the same way.
What goes around won't come around?
So while it may seem that some people get away with a lot, it should not be seen this way. Develop absorption and cultivate the divine eye (dibba cakkhu), and you, too, will see beings meeting with the results of their actions all the time.
Again and again they meet it, even as Edgar Cayce was able to see or as Christians say in regard to we "reap what we sow," God is not mocked. Imagine God as the personification of the impersonal process of karma and its results.
Tim Binnall, Coast to Coast AM, 2/28/22; Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Demonstrators gathering outside of New Zealand's Parliament to protest coronavirus restrictions are wearing tinfoil hats in an attempt to fend off what they believe to be "radiation rays" being directed at them by the government and police.
According to a local media report, a crowd of individuals have been camped out at the building located in the city of Wellington for approximately three weeks in an ongoing effort to express their opposition to the country's Covid vaccine mandates.
Last week, several protestors began to fall ill with symptoms that sound suspiciously like those associated with the coronavirus [as explained by Dr. Cowan, MD].
However, many in the group have offered an alternative explanation for this development: corrosive 5G technology.
Rumors that the government of New Zealand is using "radiation weapons" [microwave bombardment] to target the protestors have quickly spread throughout the group and among online supporters, who contend that the clandestine tactics are aimed at putting an end to gatherings.
One self-proclaimed expert on the subject even posted a video on social media stating he allegedly found high energy rays emanating from a concrete block police placed near the building.
As is often the case with stories circulating online, these claims have taken on a life of their own, leading many in the group to start wearing tinfoil [DIY metallic protective helmets] hats which, they think, may repel the radiation purportedly being aimed at them.
Perhaps sensing that the notorious headgear might not exactly be the best look for the group if they wish to be taken seriously, other members of the gathering have tried to discourage this practice, arguing that people getting sick are actually suffering from "the constant [EMF] bombardment" of electromagnetic "pollution" from "cell phones, Wi-fi, and Bluetooth."
Meanwhile, authorities in New Zealand have offered a more plausible explanation for the outbreak.
In light of the extended close quarters at the gathering and the vaccine aversion expressed among the participants, health officials say that the protestors who are falling ill have most likely gotten sick with the Covid omicron variant [which Dr. Cowan explains is the actual cause of the pandemic]. More:
(WWLTV, streamed live) Catch Mardi Gras coverage from New Orleans LIVE from WWL-TV. The Krewe of Rex and the Krewe of Zulu will highlight the day along with reports from Bourbon Street, the Marigny, Metairie, and the north shore.
(Oboguey, 3/18/08) Former actor, stand-up comedian, Democrat, California governor, and U.S. President Ronnie Reagan tells some former Soviet Union (USSR) jokes. He was a public speaker of the caliber of a B.S. Obama and Billy Clinton.
How the USSR collapsed on Soviet TV
(Ordinary Things, June 19, 2020) Why did the USSR fall apart? What was showing on television when it happened? And what did communist commercials look like? Let's find out in this NSA-approved video (i.e., no YT censorship) that may earn some KGB ire. Capitalism (patreon.com/ordinarythings) and propaganda (twitter.com/ordinarytings) are alive and well.
(VICE News, Feb. 26, 2022) No cities have been taken, no large influx of an occupying force, to claim to the country, just stepping in to keep Russia stable.
Laughable graphic (British press)
Vice was there as Russia began its full-scale attack on [intrusion into two breakaway republics formerly in] Ukraine.
In the over hyped "Invasion of Ukraine: A Vice News Special Report," correspondents in Kyiv, Moscow, and Washington, D.C., breakdown how the U.S. oppressed Putin with threats of NATA encroachment the brought us to this moment — talking to soldiers at the front, a few families running for safety, and the remaining Russian opposition [but avoid talking to anyone welcoming Putin's exercise of power to stabilize his country].
Help keep VICE News’ fearless reporting free for millions by making a one time or ongoing contribution? See vice.com/contribute.
According to The Washington Post, this touching photo was taken when Juliana Kuznetsova (pictured draped in Ukrainian flag) and her fiancé were at a concert in Poland in 2019. Tension between the two countries had been brewing at that time -- after Russia invaded its former state in 2014.
The image, shared on Instagram, went viral in 2019 as well. More
Weekend Update: Russia invades Ukraine, Biden nominates Ketanji Brown Jackson
(Saturday Night Live, Feb. 26, 2022)
Weekend Update anchors Colin Jost and Michael Che tackle the week's biggest news, like Russia invading Ukraine.
Saturday Night Live. Stream now on Peacock.
Russia cracks down on protesters [whereas US treats them like royalty]
(ABC News, Feb. 27, 2022) Police in riot gear were seen dragging some anti-war protesters/pro-peace activists to vans. Watch the full episode of World News Tonight for more American mainstream media propaganda and mind-programming.
Former neo-Nazi removes swastika tattoos after unlikely friendship
(ABC News, 9/26/17)
Colorado resident Michael Kent recently sat down at a tattoo parlor in Colorado Springs to have his swastikas covered up.
Could Hitler humor ever catch on?
Follow ABC News reporter Michael Koenigs (@MikeOnABikeABC) for more profile pieces.
Kent, a former neo-Nazi, credits an African-American parole officer named Tiffany Whittier with helping him to see beyond skin color and changing his views about white supremacy.
“If it wasn’t for her, I would have seeped back into it,” said Kent. “I look at her as family.”
Whittier, 45, even inspired Kent, 38, to take down the Nazi flags he had hanging in his living room and replace them with smiley faces.
“I’m not here to judge him. That’s not my job to judge. My job is to be that positive person in someone’s life,” Whittier said.
Added Kent, “When you wake up and see a smiley face, you’re going to go to work and you’re going to smile.”
PHOTO: Former skinhead Michael Kent gives his former parole officer Tiffany Whittier a hug after she surprises him at his home (ABC News).
Living Black in a racist USA sucks.
Kent now works full-time on a chicken farm in Colorado, where all his co-workers are Latino.
“Before all this, I wouldn’t work for anybody or with anybody that wasn’t white,” said Kent.
“[Now] we have company parties, or they have quinceañeras, I’m the only white guy there!”
Redemption Ink, a national non-profit that offers free removals of hate-related tattoos, helped connect Kent with Fallen Heroes Tattoo in Colorado to begin the 15-hour process of covering his swastikas.
The sterile environment is new to Kent, who had all his previous ink work done in prison.
“I’ve never, never, never been inside of a tattoo shop getting a professional tattoo,” he said.
Kent believes the painful process will help him move forward after spending years as a member of a violent skinhead group based in Arizona. As a father of two young children, Kent also hopes his children will see the world differently.
“I don’t want my kids to live the life I lived and live with hate,” said Kent. “I want my kids to know me for who I am now — a good father, a hard worker, and a good provider.”
Kim Iversen: Digital IDs to be rolled out by Big Banks for WEF's Great Reset agenda
(The Hill, Feb. 24, 2022) Kim Iversen explains the efforts of the World Economic Forum (WEF) to introduce a digital ID.
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