All those who quote Lao Tzu and speak of the "Tao" are not teaching the historical Buddha's message of liberation from suffering and samsara
Anyone who says "nirvana is samsara" speaks ill of the Buddha's message of liberation in this very life, in this body, in this world
Syncretism (blending traditions) is beautiful, but it will not likely produce the result of either path. If the Tao is the "way," then the Eightfold Way (magga) the Buddha talked about is a very different use of the word
If the true Tao is everything, then there is no sense in talking about it
The Buddha defined the problem, defined the cause, assured is there is a solution, and pointed out the path, the Middle Way, to that solution: dukkha, samudaya, nirodha, magga
The problem is disappointment (suffering)
The cause is ignorance bound up with craving and aversion
The extinction of suffering is the extinction of ignorance
The path leading to this extinction has eight parts
Buddhism and Taoism may blend beautifully like milk and water, but they are not the same
But what is "nirvana" and why would anyone want it?
It is "the end of all suffering" or dukkha. It is the extinguishing of all greed, hatred, and delusion (craving, aversion, and ignorance) that keep the illusion and suffering going. It is the cooling of these fires (raging flames, smoldering coals, and blinding smoke). It is the highest bliss, the dissolution of all formations, the end of samsara, the incessant "continued wandering on" of rebirth and death.
Nirvana is the "deathless" (amata, amrita, ambrosia)
Nirvana is the "unconditioned element" (asankhata dhatu)
Nirvana is the highest peace, the true refuge (sarana)
Nirvana is the freedom (vimutti) from all afflictions
In Theravada Abhidhamma texts such as the Vibhanga, where Sanskrit nirvana is called nibbana in Pali, the "unconditioned element" is defined this way:
"What is the unconditioned element (asankhata dhatu)? It is the cessation of passion, the cessation of hatred [aversion], and the cessation of delusion" [Note 12].
The Dhammasangani likewise describes it as that reality which is a sphere of experience unproduced by any cause or condition, according to L.S. Cousins [111].
The Dhammasangani also describes it in numerous other ways, such as the "immeasurable," "superior to everything," as "not past, present, or future" [the Ancient Greek anionic, the "not aeons," the "timeless," the "eternal now"], as "neither arisen nor not-arisen" and as "neither within nor without" [111].
In Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism, "aeon" is used as a translation of the term kalpa and sometimes maha-kalpa or "great aeon" (Sanskrit महाकल्प). A maha kalpa, which cannot be pinned down to an exact numerical figure, is often said to be 1,334,240,000 years or the life cycle of the world (cakkavāḷa).
Christianity's idea of "eternal life" comes from a Greek form of aión (αἰών) and the word for life, zōḗ (ζωή) [6], which has been translated to mean [timeless] immortality in the majority of texts, but is argued by some [7, 8, 9] to mean life in the next aeon, the Kingdom of God, or Heaven, instead.
According to some proponents of Christian universalism, the Greek New Testament scriptures use the word aión (αἰών) to mean "a long period" (or age-long) and the word aiṓnion (αἰώνιον) to mean "during a long period" (or similarly, age-during); thus, there was a time before the aeons, and the aeonian period is finite. After each person's mortal life ends, one is judged worthy or not worthy of aeonian life...
Another universalist reading, prevalent among Neoplatonists due to its similarity to views expressed in Plato's Timaeus [10], is that the "aeon" does not refer to a time, finite or infinite, but instead a Greek parallel of a Judaic view of distinct natures of time, between the χρόνος (chronos) of the present "age," or עולם הזה ('olam ha-zeh) and the αιώνιος (aionios) of the "age to come," or הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא ('olam ha-ba). More: aeon
Cousins also notes that "suggestively, however, it may be reckoned as nama (name) rather than rupa [form]. This does seem to suggest some element of underlying idealism of the kind which emerges later in the vijñanavada" (the "teaching of consciousness") [111].
Furthermore, for Theravada Buddhism, nibbana is uniquely the ONLY unconditioned element or phenomenon. Theravada argues that nibbana is unitary, that it cannot be divided.
Unlike other Buddhist schools, Theravada does not agree that there are any other unconditioned elements or phenomena, nor that there are different types of nirvana (such as the apratistha or "non-abiding nirvana" invented by Mahayana) [112, 111].
As noted by Thiện Châu, the Theravadans and the Pudgalavadans "remained strictly faithful to the letter of the [Buddha's original] sutras" and thus held that nirvana is the only unconditioned dhamma (phenomenon), while other schools posited various asankhata dhammas, such as the Sarvastivadan view that space (akasha) is unconditioned) [112].
Medieval Theravada exegesis
The fifth century Theravada scholar-monk and exegete Buddhaghosa says in The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga): "It is called nibbana (extinction) because it has gone away from (nikkhanta), has escaped from (nissata), is dissociated from craving, which has acquired in common usage the name ‘fastening (vana)’ because, by ensuring successive becoming, craving serves as a joining together, a binding together, a lacing together, of the four kinds of generation, five destinies, seven stations of consciousness, and nine abodes of being" [Note 13]. More
(Secular Talk) "Nuclear like blast" rocks south Lebanon as IDF used banned mega-bombs [as Israel continues its war crimes, crimes against humanity, mass displacement, ethnic cleansing, and genocide by using experimental new weapons that it is developing and testing on human targets to then sell to the highest bidder in the arms trade and black market] | The Kyle Kulinski Show
What is the difference between anger and hate? These are passionate times, and we might find many emotions flowing through us. Every emotion is a part of us, calling to be felt and seen.
When we choose to feel our emotions fully, when we choose to lean into our emotions with self-witnessing, self-kindness, self-gentleness, and self-love, while wrapping the deeper self, the inner self, the childlike self with our compassion, we complete the experience of that emotion and return to a zero point.
We can, at that zero point, consciously choose our actions. If we want, we can choose actions that build a peaceful world.
We can do this because we have held ourselves with kindness and support, and we have honored and experienced our emotions, and we have returned to our own center, healed and loved and empowered.
We build with our point of focus. We build with our beliefs. We build with our thoughts, with what we focus on. That's how we build the future.
We can experience the whole range of challenging emotions—anger, sadness, disappointment, frustration—and we can do it with profound self-love and self-kindness and self-gratitude. And when we do, we complete that experience and step into our power.
Building peace is about understanding that there is nothing more powerful than the individual because the individual builds the world by way of its point of focus. What is a powerful group but many powerful individuals all sharing focus at once?
We are more powerful than any collective force around us. The world is built by way of the individual: by us. Nothing is more powerful in our system than the focal-point of an individual. There is nothing more powerful than us. We get to choose whether we focus a more peaceful world into being.
What is the full range of emotions? We can go through challenging emotions, like anger and disappointment and frustration, and we can stay in our power by experiencing these emotions lovingly, embracing self while experiencing feelings.
We can get to a zero point, then choose consciously. The other option is to let these emotions carry us like trains that we are not consciously directing into something like hate.
Hate is not an emotion; it is an action. Hate builds a warring future. It builds powerfully, whether or not our hate was chosen consciously. It builds a violent future through us.
There is a profound difference between anger and hate. Anger is an emotion indicating that there is a part of the self calling to be felt, calling to be loved, calling to be witnessed. Therefore, anger -- like all emotions -- is holy. Anger, like all emotions, is natural. We can respond to its call for self-love by supplying it with self-love. Then that anger has done its job.
Anger is the baby of the self loudly crying out. Just like a baby cries when it needs to be fed, or have its diaper changed, or to be held, anger is the inner self calling for our own self-soothing, our own self-compassion, our own self-love.
When we feel anger, we are being asked to supply that unconditional love to the self at that moment. And when we do, we heal the self. We prove to the self that our love is there.
Just as a caring parent who responds to a crying baby proves it is there to care for that baby, we can respond to the crying baby of the self with love, and we can heal and soothe that self.
We can show the self we are loved-without-end. That is the opportunity of anger.
If we do not respond to that anger with self-love, it can become a train-car that carries us towards hate. Hatred builds future violence, and future war, when it enters the collective consciousness. If we want to build a world with more violence in it, hate is the tool to use.
But if we want to build a peaceful world and a compassionate world and a loving world, then listen to emotions. Listen to the self calling out for love, and supply that love. Be the loving parent to the holy self. Supply that love and soothe that self.
Every challenging emotion is simply an invitation for self-love. We can deliver that self-love. When we do, we complete the emotion's cycle, step into our empowerment, and then we can say, "Great, I've had that emotion, and I've responded with self-love. I've completed that cycle. Now, what do I want to build with my power?"
If we want to build a peaceful world, compassion-for-all-beings will get us there. Love-for-all-beings will get us there. A peaceful mind, an empty mind, an open mind, a silent mind will get us there. Love of nature will get us there.
Hate unites us (with other haters)
Remember, hate is an action, not an emotion, and it builds something. It builds future violence. Carrying hate is a choice. Harsh judgment of others is a choice.
If we engage hate, let's be aware of what we are building. If we engage in cruel judgments of others, let's know what we're building. If we know our tools and choose consciously what we want, that's what we are working to build consciously. (Otherwise, we're building something quite unconsciously).
We are here to exercise freewill. And we are observed by way of the universe with compassion and love and non-judgment. We are safe to choose, and we are free to choose. We can build a compassionate world by carrying compassion, and we can build a peaceful world by carrying peace. We can build a compassionate world by ogling the ocean, by looking at the soil, by witnessing a stand of trees. Just gazing at a forest with love builds a loving future.
If today is a hard day, sit under a tree and let that tree offer its support. Mother Nature is love-without-end. We are so loved in all our emotions. Emotions are natural.
It is natural that there is a part of us that is calling for love, and it is natural that there are parts of our neighbors that are calling for love. If we answer this moment with compassion-for-all-beings, we build a compassionate world.
A moment of division is the most potent and possible time for peacebuilding because it allows the largest opportunity for change.
If we are interested in building a peaceful future, consider planting compassion-for-all-beings into this moment of division. Consider carrying compassion-for-all-beings within, even as many around us carry something quite different.
The Buddha taught peace? - Yes!
The Buddha often gave his closest disciples (nuns and monks) a reflection: We will be love in a world of hate, we will be honest in a world of lies (dishonesty), we will be gathered and still in a world of scattering and distraction. He used nicer words, but this is the gist of it.
This historic moment is fertile soil for worldbuilding, for peacebuilding, for compassion-building, for loving change.
Even in challenging times, we can hold the self in love, and we can hold our neighbors in compassion. When we do that consciously, we choose our future consciously. And we do it with our full power.
Peace Class, which normally meets Wednesdays at 6:00 pm (Pacific) is now on summer break until September. To join us, click on Zoom link when we return. Until then, be in peace.
LYRICS, DANGEROUS GIRL: He's my drugstore cowboy/ Italian alloy, classical American/ And I'm America's sweetheart/ Chic, delicious, sweet tart/ Sipping on my Diet Coke/ Singin' in the trailer park// He like my jeans tight (Yeah)/ He likes me mean, right? (Right)/ He like my long hair, corset, heels high/ We were born to kill, stripped for success/ I'm his sweet mess/ Do you love me?/ Yes, yes/ Hell yes!// Baby, I'm a four-alarm fire/ And I'm what you desire/ Like a siren in the night (Going Nero, Nero)/ Baby, you's a man on a wire/ Risking all that you got/ For the love of your life/ (You're my hero, hero)// CHORUS: Let me be your dangerous girl (4x)// He's the get-rich-quick type/ Mafioso-hit type/ Girl, I'm gonna marry him/ I'm the bad girl next door/ Baby's always wantin' more/ Buyin' diamond jewelry/ Take me to the Jersey Shore// He like my mink white (White)/ We go out all night (Night)/ We're living off the grid/ Shinin' in the crime light/ We were born to kill, best of the best/ The new Wild West/ Honey, put on that party dress/ Hell yes!// Me and my baby plannin' world domination/ Together, takin' over our fair nation/ 'Cause we're born to kill, keepin' it fresh/ Gold chain, white mesh/ Fame is the name of the game/ Yes, yes (Yes, yes, yes, yes) (Genius Lyrics)
LYRICS, MUSIC TO WATCH BOYS TO: CHORUS: (I like you a lot)/ Putting on my music while I'm watching the boys/ (So I do what you want)/ Singing some rhymes just to suffer the noise/ (Where ribbons are knots)/ Play 'em like guitars only one of my toys/ ('Cause I like you a lot)/ No holes barred, I was sent to destroy, yeah// Pink flamingoes always fascinated me/ I know what only the girls know/ Hoes with lies akin to me/ Ah, I see you're going/ So I play my music, watch you leave// CHORUS// Velveteen and living single it never felt that right to me/ I know what only the girls to know/ Lies can buy eternity/ I, I see you leaving/ So I push record and watch you leave// CHORUS// I live to love you/ And I love to love you/ And I live to love you, boy/ I live to love you/ And I love to love you/ And I live to love you, boy// Nothing gold can stay/ Like love or lemonade/ Or sun or summer days/ It's all a game to me anyway// CHORUS// Putting on my music while I'm watching the boys/ Putting on my music while I'm watching the boys (Genius)
So what you're saying is that you're a Dangerous Girl?
Pretty much, because I actually believe it. I believe we can find satisfaction and ultimate fulfillment in romantic love relationships. But you know what? It's never worked! Never.
So you mean the Buddha was right?
Why, what did he say?
He said that all existence bears "Three Marks" or characteristics: All things are impermanent, unsatisfactory (disappointing), and impersonal.
Well, I don't about impersonal, but disappointing for sure. I take it very personally. But come to think of it, they are all impermanent, too, like not even lasting till death do us part.
LYRICS, HIGH BY THE BEACH: High, high/ High, high// Boy, look at you lookin' at me/ I know you know how I feel/ Lovin' you is hard, bein' here's harder/ You take the wheel/ I don't wanna do this anymore/ It's so surreal/ I can't survive/ If this is all that's real// CHORUS: All I wanna do is get high by the beach/ Get high by the beach, get high/ All I wanna do is get by by the beach/ Get by, baby, baby, bye-bye/ The truth is I never bought into your BS/ When you would pay tribute to me 'cause I know that/ All I wanted to do was get high by the beach/ Get high, baby, baby, bye-bye// Boy, look at you lookin' at me/ I know you don't understand/ You could be a bad motherfather/ But that don't make you a man/ Now you're just another one of my problems/ Because you got out of hand/ We won't survive/ We're sinkin' into the sand// CHORUS// Lights, camera, acción/ I'll do it on my own/ Don't need your money, money/ To get me what I want/ Lights, camera, acción/I'll do it on my own/ Don't need your money, money/ To get me what I want// CHORUS// High/ High/ High/ High// Anyone can start again/ Not through love, but through revenge/ Through the fire, we're born again/ Peace by vengeance brings the end
She's our summertime girl!
What about Taylor Swift, Lana?
As kids my sister and I appeared in an Abercrombie & Fitch ad w/ Lindsay Lohan
OMG! It's really happening! Nazi Princess TayTay Swift-Swift is marrying handsome, rugged, and rich Trav Kelce! America will never be the same! Take that, England, with your dumb royal weddings and bill balls. All patriotic Americans will yawn and be kept up late by illegal fireworks for the nuptials or some holiday tomorrow. Who can say?
All this banging scaring the pets, and Attention Whur's Tay and Trav (or as we've dubbed them "Tray and Lor" or "Trailer," trash Madison Square Garden and) suck all the oxygen out of the nation with their big, fat, Greek god wedding.
I win! I'm best! Everyone's jealous!
Not since Led Zeppelin trashed MSG to film their The Song Remains the Same live album has the venue seen so much recorded action.
Good luck and best wishes to the couple! Take some time off, Taylor! You should relax, not make music for a long time, spend your billions. Thanks for the $26 mil in write-off donations! The commoners will eat tonight and survive another day on this green earth. Thank you! Whatever your motive, it's good to give! Even a bad motive is somewhat counter-weighed by a good gift. Giving makes everyone richer, now the recipient, in time the giver.
The great Dr. Joel Wallach, Ph.D. (criticalhealthnews.com) asserts that all ailments are caused by nutritional deficiencies, not inherited genetics. His proof? He can cure them with supplementation. He is the only person to prevail in a lawsuit with the FDA for making nutritional claims about supplements (micronutrients, trace minerals, vitamins). He cures many people of many of the most common and difficult conditions.
Treatment? Surgery and flag making is better!
Dr. Wallach solved the SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) crisis that is no longer talked about because he advocated for the supplementation of baby formula so that it doesn't happen now. He solved the mass coral die off, which is happening due to ocean acidity more than temperature. It was brought on by the building of many dams rather than allowing the normal outflow of fresh water eroded base minerals into the seas.
We want our kids to be gay and choose genders!
He can cure diabetes, warns against the use of statin drugs, praises natural cholesterol (the root of testosterone and a natural antioxidant product of the body), has a great deal of criticism for Big Pharma and mainstream for-profit medical care, and he even solved one of the biggest mysteries of our day: Why are so many kids being born with transgender tendencies?
Tramp stamp tattoos?
Dolphins: the gayest animal in the sea
Presumably it has something to do with gender, sexuality, orientation, preference, and feeling at home in the body we are born into. The cause? A deficiency in one trace mineral during a critical period of gestation. If the mother is deficient, this will happen. But the news tells us to praise it, cheer it on, be happy for it.
There are also synthetic chemicals in the water, air, and soil (collectively called our environment). These forever chemicals and plastic byproducts mimicking hormones also have an impact. Other scientists do not talk about his research, patents, therapies, and procedures. Meanwhile, he and his affiliated organizations keep curing people. And everyone else does what?
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