The fifth of the Five Precepts the Buddha advised humans to adopt is to abstain from intoxicants that occasion heedlessness such as alcohol, drugs, and such substances [12, 13].
The Five Precepts (guidelines for morality, virtue, human ethics, harmlessness, ahimsa) are called paƱca-sīla, binding on all Buddhist laypeople. They are to abstain or refrain from:
killing any living being
stealing (taking what is not given)
sexual misconduct
false speech (that means more than lying or speaking falsehoods and includes malicious speech, harsh speech, and frivolous speech or "animal talk" mislabeled as gossip)
the use of intoxicants (such as beer and spirits or surÄmeraya).
Early Buddhist Texts nearly always condemn alcohol as do Chinese Buddhist post-canonical texts (of the Mahayana tradition).
Smoking is sometimes also included here.
In modern times, traditional Buddhist countries have seen revival movements to promote the Five Precepts, the least good karma if we hope to ever be reborn on the human plane again and avoid the subhuman planes.
In the West, the precepts play a major role in Buddhist organizations. They have also been integrated into mindfulness training programs -- though many modern "mindfulness" specialists, having changed the definition of "mindfulness" (which the Buddha called sati) to something that better suits them -- do not support this because of the precepts' spiritual religious import.
Lastly, many conflict prevention programs make use of the precepts. More
Last near, a large part of Los Angeles County burned in the "LA Fires" -- Eaton Fire in the foothills of Altadena above affluent Pasadena and the Palisades Fire in the affluent coastal area of Pacific Palisades near Malibu -- but did anyone like the mayor learn anything? Not so far as anyone can tell. No official has read The Fire Next Time by James Baldwin?
OJ: Blame it on him. I'm the Juice
Granted it's about igniting social unrest (like the LA Uprising of 1992 triggered by racist LAPD cop and disgraced perjurer Mark Fuhrman, who died last week) rather than wildfires burning out of control, but whatever we've been through as a county, there's worse to come. There's the Big One, an earthquake to flatten the place, a tsunami to inundate the low lying areas of the basin, and there's a cosmic radiation solar emission to take out all the electronics and powerlines.
Fraud Fuhrman hired by FOX
What did the Buddha say about being in this sort of position? He once asked a king what he would do if messengers were to tell him that an adversary were approaching from the east, west, north, and south. The king replied, "What could I do but rely on the Dhamma?" The Buddha then said that there were four such enemies approaching so that whatever he was going to do, it would be wise to do it NOW. The thing is, the Buddha wasn't only talking to that king. Those same adversaries are approaching each of us. But do we notice, listen, pay attention, or act accordingly?
In 1995, Det. Fuhrman was called to testify regarding his alleged "discovery" of evidence in the OJ Simpson case, including a bloody glove recovered at OJ's Brentwood estate. During the trial, witnesses claimed that in the 1980s, LAPD cop Fuhrman frequently described African Americans as "niggers," claims he denied. In response, Simpson's defense team produced recorded interviews with Fuhrman, and witnesses proved that he had repeatedly used racist language during those interviews [1]. As a result, the defense claimed Fuhrman had committed perjury and was not a credible witness. The credibility of the prosecution has been cited as one reason big Simpson was acquitted [2]. The defense claimed Fuhrman planted key evidence as part of a racially motivated plot against Simpson. When asked under oath (without the jury being present), Fuhrman declined to answer all questions, invoking his Fifth Amendment right. These questions included whether he planted or manufactured evidence. He didn't want to answer? Fuhrman "retired" from the LAPD in 1995. In 1996, he pleaded guilty by pleading "no contest" to perjury for his false testimony related to his use of racial epithets. Fuhrman claimed he was not a racist and apologized for his use of racist language [3]. He did not apologize for potentially starting the deadly "LA Riots" or the people killed, an uprising that was a long time in the making due to flagrant LAPD racism. More
The Buddha was dwelling in Savatthi. Then King Pasenadi of Kosala approached the Blessed One in the middle of the day, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there, the Blessed One said to him, "Great king, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?"
"Venerable sir, just now I was engaged in the affairs of an anointed noble-warrior king, enjoying the intoxication of royal sovereignty, obsessed with lust for sensual pleasures, who has attained stable control of his kingdom after having conquered a great sphere of earthly territory."
"Great king, what do you think? Suppose a trustworthy and reliable man were to come to you from the east and say, 'If it please your majesty, know that I come from the east where I saw a great mountain, as high as the clouds, coming this way, crushing all the living beings [in its path]. Do as you see fit.'
"'Then suppose a second man were to come from the west... Then a third man were to come from the north... Then a fourth man were to come from the south and say, 'If it please your majesty, know that I come from the south where I saw a great mountain, as high as the clouds, coming this way, crushing all living beings. Do as you see fit.'
"Great king, if such great peril should arise, such a terrible waste of human life — a human rebirth being so hard to obtain — what should be done?"
"Venerable sir, if such great peril should arise, such a terrible waste of human life — a human rebirth being so hard to obtain — what else should be done but conduct in accordance with the Dhamma, right action, skillful deeds, meritorious karma?"
"Then, great king, I inform you, I announce to you, aging and death are rolling in upon you. Great king, when aging and death are rolling in upon you, what should be done?"
"Venerable sir, as aging and death are rolling in upon me, what else should be done but conduct in accordance with the Dhamma, right conduct, skillful deeds, meritorious karma?
"Venerable sir, there are elephant battles [fought by] anointed noble-warrior kings enjoying the intoxication of royal sovereignty, obsessed by lust for sensual pleasures, who have attained stable control of their kingdom and who rule having conquered a great sphere of earthly territory. But there is no use in elephant battles, no sense in them, when aging and death are rolling in.
"There are cavalry battles... chariot battles... infantry battles... But there is no use for such battles, no sense in them, when aging and death are rolling in.
"In this royal court there are counselors who, when the enemies arrive, are capable of dividing them by their wit. But there is no use for such battles of wits, no sense in them, when aging and death are rolling in.
"In this royal court there is abundant gold and silver stored in vaults and depositories, and with such wealth we are capable of buying off enemies when they come. But there is no use in battles of wealth, no sense in them, when aging and death are rolling in. As aging and death are rolling in upon me, venerable sir, what else should be done but conduct in accordance with Dhamma, right conduct, skillful deeds, meritorious karma?"
"So it is, great king, so it is! As aging and death are rolling in upon you, what else should be done but conduct in accordance with Dhamma, right conduct, skillful deeds, meritorious karma?"
That is what the Blessed One said. Having said it, the One Well-Gone [the Welcome One], the Teacher, went on to summarize:
Kį¹£itigarbha [Sanskrit ą¤्ą¤·िą¤¤िą¤ą¤°्ą¤, Chinese å°č, Pinyin DƬzĆ ng, Japanese å°čµ, RÅmaji JizÅ, Korean ģ§ģ„ (å°č), Romaja Jijang, Vietnamese Äį»a Tįŗ”ng (å°č), Standard Tibetan ą½¦་ą½”ི་ą½¦ྙིą½་ą½ོ་, Wylie sa yi snying po] is a bodhisattva (being bent on supreme buddhahood) primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Mahayana Buddhist monk.
His name may be translated as "Earth Treasury," "Earth Store," "Earth Matrix," or "Earth Womb."
Kį¹£itigarbha is known for a vow to take responsibility for the instruction of all beings in the six worlds [a condensed grouping of the 31 Planes of Existence the historical Buddha outlined] between the final nirvana of the historical Gautama Buddha and the future rise of Maitreya Buddha, as well as a vow not to achieve buddhahood until all hells are emptied.
He is therefore often regarded as the bodhisattva of hell-beings as well as the guardian of children and patron deity of deceased children and aborted fetuses in Japanese culture.
Usually depicted as a monk with either a halo or a crown bearing images of the Five TathÄgatas around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness. More
The statue depicts JizÅ (Sanskrit Ksitigarbha), who in Japanese Buddhism is the bodhisattva of the earth and is considered a protector of children and travelers.
He is also a rescuer of beings in all hells and is considered a guardian of spirits for children who have died before their parents [1].
Description: JizÅ is garbed in traditional Buddhist monk's attire, lacking ornate jewelry or adornments typically seen on images of bodhisattvas [2], many of which represent the historical Buddha before his great enlightenment, at which time he became the Buddha, and the Future Buddha Maitreya. More
Yogachara (Sanskrit YogÄcÄra) is an influential tradition of Buddhist philosophy and psychology emphasizing the study of cognition, perception, and consciousness through the interior lens of meditation and philosophical reasoning (hetuvidyÄ) [1, 2].
Yogachara was one of the two most influential traditions in Mahayana Buddhism in India, along with Madhyamaka [3].
The compound YogÄ-cÄra literally means "practice of yoga" or "one whose practice is yoga." Hence, the name of the school is literally "the School of the Yogins" [4, 3].
YogÄcÄra was also variously termed VijƱÄnavÄda (the Consciousness Doctrine), VijƱaptivÄda (the Ideas or Perceptions Doctrine), or VijƱaptimÄtratÄ-vÄda (the "Mere Representation" Doctrine), which is also the name given to its major theory of mind that seeks to deconstruct how we perceive the world.
There are several interpretations of this main theory, which include various forms of idealism as well as phenomenology or representationalism.
Aside from this, YogÄcÄra also developed an elaborate analysis of consciousness (vijƱÄna) and mental phenomena (dharmas, "things"), as well as an extensive system of Buddhist spiritual practice, namely, yoga [1],
The movement has been traced to the first centuries of the common era and seems to have evolved as some yogis of the SarvÄstivÄda and SautrÄntika traditions in North India adopted Mahayana Buddhism [5, 6].
The brothers Asaį¹ ga and Vasubandhu (circa 4-5th century) are considered the classic philosophers and systematizers of this school, while it is also traditionally attributed by Buddhist believers to the figure of Maitreya-nÄtha [7].
YogÄcÄra was later imported to Tibet and East Asia by figures like Shantaraksita (8th century) and Xuanzang (7th century).
Today, YogÄcÄra ideas and texts continue to be influential subjects of study for Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism. More
Neturei Karta (Aramaic × ָ××ֹ×Øֵ× ×§ַ×Øְ×Ŗָּ×, Romanized NÄį¹ÅrÄ QartÄŹ¾, literally "Guardians of the City," i.e., Jerusalem as representative of Israel itself) is a Jewish anti-Zionist organization.
It was founded in Jerusalem in 1938 and is primarily active in parts of Israel and the Western world, including the USA. It was established by Haredi Jews originally affiliated with World Agudath Israel, which represented the most devout members of the Haredi community of the Old Yishuv.
The organization's members, who adhere to stringent interpretations of Jewish religious law, are known for their religious conservatism and insular lifestyles.
Neturei Karta's international political activism is rooted in its opposition to Zionist Israel's existence.
This, in turn, is rooted in its members' core religious belief that the Jewish exile is to be maintained until the coming of the Messiah. It is not NK placing this injunction on Jews but rather God and the Bible (Torah) that secular Jewish and Christian Zionists ignore. More
"California Treeams.") Trees for Jane wants to thank everyone for their support for Trees for
Jane! As of March 2022, if anyone wants to follow Jane Goodall (RIP) on her
journey to save our forests and climate, visit
Jane’s Green Hope
a project of the Jane Goodall Institute.
Celebrate Earth Day and Dr. Jane Goodall’s birthday on April 3rd and all month long throughout April.
Let’s celebrate Earth Day and a woman who for over 60 years inspired and motivated millions of people across the world to live in greater harmony with nature and to take action on behalf of the planet we share with plants and animals.
Compelled by Dr. Goodall’s mission to live sustainably and with vegetarian compassion, we look with new hope for a brighter, greener future.
As she has shared, one of the most resilient and impressive forces on Earth is contained within the seeds of plant life, which can break through walls and always find a way. More: janegoodall.org
Maybe it's just by chance that an American growing up in Amerikkka would gravitate towards punk rock's aggressive musick, rebellion, DIY ethic, and freedom-oriented rock aesthetic AND also toward the Teachings of the "Awakened One" (the Buddha). After all, if we were to translate the term "Budh-ism" into English, "Awakenism" would be a great start.
The Dharmic traditions all lean towards liberation (moksha, vimutti = "freedom") and, as such, they did not really begin as "religions." They're treated as religions now, to be sure. The British colonizers imposed that way of thinking on the various dharmas or "doctrines" of India, the paths to freedom taught by famous awakening teachers. It's good to say "awakening" here instead of "awakened" because Buddhism does not recognize that everyone who is called "enlightened" actually is. What the Buddha meant by the term is very specific. In Buddhism, arahant (Sanskrit arhat) is reserved for seven kinds of livings beings (the "noble ones" or Aryans):
stream enterer (three kinds of sotapannas):
one-seeder (ekabijin)
one who will be reborn at most seven times (sattakkhattuparama)
one reborn among noble families three or four times (kolankola).
once returner (sakkadagami)
non-returner (anagami)
fully awakened (arahant). One could say there are three kinds of arhats as well since in addition to being a "fully" awakened noble disciple, one might be a "non-teaching supremely enlightened person" (pacceka-buddha) or in extraordinarily rare instances, a "supremely enlightened teacher" (samma-sam-buddha).
These descriptions are part of Early Buddhism, preserved in the Pali canon of Theravada Buddhism, specifically explained in The Path to Freedom (Vimutti-magga), condensed to just four kinds by lumping the three varieties of stream enterers into just one grouping in The Path of Purification (Visuddhi-magga). It seems that in these modern times, only Wisdom Quarterly cares about the distinction. Goodness knows that by borrowing from Brahmanism and Hinduism, later Mahayana movement writers have invented new categories like countless bodhisattvas, mahasattvas, and "Cosmic Buddhas" like Amitabbha, Vairocana, Ksitigarbha, and others to worship in place of taking guidance (sarana) from the historical Buddha Shakya-muni ("Sage of the Indo-Scythians/Sakas"), Siddhattha Gotama, Siddhartha Gautama.
But before actual stream entry (entering the "stream" or sota that inevitably leads to complete freedom = nirvana), there are practices and beliefs the Dharmic traditions have in common, like reaching samadhi ("stillness," "mental coherence" resulting in "superconsciousness," sublime states and transcendental realizations). In fact, many Indian traditions consider samadhi to be the ultimate goal, knowing nothing higher. The Buddha did certainly point higher, adding insight practices (vipassana) to the already known states of meditative absorptions (the dhyanas or in Pali jhanas).
Minor Threat: "I was early to finish. I was late to start. I might be an adult.
But I'm a minor at heart." Fugazi: I wait, I wait, I wait in the Waiting Room
Why does Integral (Ashtanga) Yoga teach an eightfold system, as made popular by the sage Patanjali? It is precisely because of the historical Buddha's super popularity throughout the subcontinent at that time that Patanjali thought he should formulate the Vedic, Brahminical, Hindu (a term that would not be invented for centuries) path to samadhi in the same form as the Buddha's Ennobling (lit. Enlightening) Eightfold Path. "Noble" (Arya) means "enlightened."
One has to slosh around through a lot of Western misinterpretations, explanations, practices, Eastern teachers, and etymologies to rectify one's understanding and remove the confusion that has settled on Eastern philosophy and Dharmic traditions to see it clearly. There have been many well-intentioned translators and teachers over the decades that have inadvertently muddied the water and introduced some wrong notions. It's inevitable. If one practices and practices, those misunderstanding get straightened out.
PUNK has always been about individualism, questioning, rebellion, a willingness to set off on one's own path of investigation, practice, and self-realization. No one can do it for us, and "faith" (particularly of the blind sort) is just not in the cards.
PUNK is fun and, at least in the past, was very funny. It was not profit-driven. The goal from the beginning was freedom, personal and social, to liberate oneself and others. Maybe no one agreed on what a revolution would look like, but the enemy was pretty clear: sexist/racist cops working for the economic elite to maintain the status quo, gatekeepers, authority figures, bosses, dictators, know-it-alls, the forces of oppression bearing down on our pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness.
The founding ideals of our country never promised happiness, but those ideals did very clearly say we had a right to PURSUE happiness as we saw fit. In practice, it was nothing like that, just an Animal Farm/1984-style set of tricks, being told what to believe, how to behave, what to like, what to follow, and so on. Enough of that. The hippies were right, but they were no longer getting anywhere, so the pendulum had to swing the other way. Workers had to arise. Conservatives had to knock it off. Liberals had to wake up. Somebody had to flip off the patriarchy and its father figures.
The CIA, FBI, and PTB (powers that be) were not going to let this movement succeed any more than they had any of the previous ones. They can't stop these things, but they can guide them to implode. Movements are like that. What about individuals? What about intellectuals, poets, artists, and independent thinkers? The government has a game called whack-a-mole for that. They stop this rebellion or that, but another one will take its place. It's like Jello once said in "I Am the Owl." Black Flag had something to say beyond self-defeating aggression when they sang, "Rise Above." But the hippies had something to say, too. "What the world needs now is peace, love, and understanding" and, if not, then how about anarchy, hate, and profanities. How does that strike you, Society?
If England/Britain ruined us as a colony-cum-country, it had a little something to do with the rebellion:
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