3 ways to make good karma: merit

Ways of Meritorious Action

The Buddha's beauty was based on past karma

"Meditators, there are three ways of making merit [11]. What are the three?

"There are ways of making merit by practicing giving, virtue, and meditation [12].

"One person has only to a small degree practiced the making of merit (good karma) by letting go and giving/sharing and, likewise, only to a small degree practiced making of merit by virtue (skillful conduct), but the making of merit by meditation (mental cultivation) that person has not undertaken at all [13].

"This person, after death, when the body breaks up, will be reborn among humans in unfavorable conditions [14].

"Another person has practiced to a high degree the making of merit by giving as well as by virtue, but the making of merit by meditation one has not undertaken at all. Such a person, after death, when the body breaks up, will be reborn among humans in favorable conditions.

"Or one will be reborn in the company of the deities (devas, lit. "shining ones") of the Four Great Divine (Sky) Regents. There, the Four Great Divine Regents who had practiced to a very high degree the making of merit by giving and by virtue surpass the deities of their realm in ten things:

1. divine lifespan,
2. divine beauty [radiance],
3. divine happiness,
4. divine power,
5. divine sights,
6. divine sounds,
7. divine smells,
8. divine tastes,
9. divine tangibles
10. [divine cognitions].

"Or one will be reborn in the company of the devas of the World of the Thirty-Three. There King of the Devas Sakka, who himself (when he was a human) practiced to a very high degree the making of merit by giving and virtue, surpasses...

• (The same statements are made for rebirth among the Yama-world devas, Tusita-world devas, the devas delighting in creation, the devas controlling others' creations, and for the respective rulers of these celestial realms.)

"These, meditators, are the three ways of making merit" (AN 8.36).

Outcomes of Merit

The Bodhisatta experienced joy for aeons

"Meditators, there are eight outcomes of merit and skillfulness that are the nourishment of happiness and are extremely precious: They yield happiness, lead to rebirth in the [many] heavens, and bring about what is wished for, pleasing, agreeable, and enjoyable. What are these eight?

"Herein [within this Teaching and Training], meditators, a noble disciple goes for guidance to the Buddha (Teacher). This is the first outcome of merit and skillfulness that is a nourishment of happiness and is extremely precious: It yields happiness, leads to rebirth in the heavens, and brings about what is wished for, pleasing, agreeable, and enjoyable.

"Furthermore, there is a noble disciple who goes for guidance to the Dharma (Teaching)...

"Furthermore, there is a noble disciple who goes to the [Noble Community] (the successfully Taught)... This is the second outcome... This is the third outcome...

"There are further, meditators, these five gifts, known from early times, known from long ago, known by tradition, ancient and accepted -- not rejected before, not rejected now, not to be rejected in future -- they are unrepudiated by wise recluses (shramanas) and Brahmins (brahmanas). What are these five gifts?

"Herein [within this Doctrine and Discipline], meditators, a noble disciple gives up the taking of life and abstains from it. By abstaining from taking life, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear, gives to them freedom from hostility, gives to them freedom from oppression. By giving to immeasurable beings freedom from fear, hostility, and oppression, one will enjoy immeasurable freedom from fear, hostility, and oppression. This is the first of those great gifts and the fourth of the outcomes of merit (good karma).

"Furthermore, meditators, a noble disciple gives up the taking of what is not given and abstains from it. By abstaining from taking what is not given, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear... This is the second of those great gifts and the fifth of the outcomes of merit.

"Furthermore, meditators, a noble disciple gives up sexual misconduct and abstains from it. By abstaining from sexual misconduct, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear... This is the third of those great gifts and the sixth of the outcomes of merit.

"Furthermore, meditators, a noble disciple gives up wrong speech [bearing false witness, harsh speech, divisive speech, frivolous speech] and abstains from it. By abstaining from wrong speech, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear... This is the fourth of those great gifts and the seventh of the outcomes of merit.

"Furthermore, meditators, a noble disciple gives up intoxicating drinks and drugs that cause heedlessness and abstains from them. By abstaining from intoxicating drinks and drugs, the noble disciple gives to immeasurable beings freedom from fear, freedom from hostility, and freedom from oppression. By giving to immeasurable beings freedom from fear, hostility, and oppression, one will enjoy immeasurable freedom from fear, freedom, from hostility and freedom from oppression. This is the fifth of those great gifts and the eighth of the outcomes of merit.

"Meditators, these are the eight outcomes of merit and skillfulness that are the nourishment of happiness and are extremely precious: They yield happiness, lead to rebirth in the heavens, and bring about what is wished for, pleasing, agreeable, and enjoyable" (AN 8.39).

• Based on a Pali canon anthology by Ven. Nyanaponika Thera (trans.) Anguttara Nikaya: The Discourse Collection in Numerical Order (accesstoinsight.org) updated by Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Buddhist Afghanistan before Islam

The Buddhas of Bamiyan niches preservation by Islamic Emirates of Afghanistan (English subtitle)

(Namat Rawan) Foladi Valley Bamiyan, Afghanistan, drone footage ديدار از دره شاه فولادی باميان

"Monks of the Mines" National Geographic 2015 (Rocío Espín Piñar - Mes Aynak temple)

• Buddhist Afghanistan’s amazing past

Beauty and significance of Buddhist Mes Aynak | Afghanistan

(Kartemquin) May 6, 2015: #SAVEMESAYNAK. Watch the film: igg.me/at/savemesaynak.

FILM: Saving Mes Aynak

The award-winning film Saving Mes Aynak follows Afghan archeologist Qadir Temori as he races against time to save this 5,000-year-old Buddhist archeological site in Afghanistan from imminent demolition [by Chinese industrialists who want to extract gold and rare earth minerals].

Saving Mes Aynak, from the producers of Life Itself and The Interrupters, examines the conflict between ancient cultural preservation and new economic opportunity, through the lens of the Afghan archeologists and local villagers who live and work near Mes Aynak.

They face a nearly impossible battle against the communist Chinese, the Islamic Taliban, and local politics to save their Buddhist culture and heritage from permanent erasure. But we can help.

• We must try to stop this from happening (igg.me/at/savemesaynak).
• The Buddha was born in Afghanistan, according to Dr. Ranajit Pal, which at that time was a part of ancient Gandhara, and the oldest Buddhist texts are from there: Gandhāran Buddhist texts. This is why the largest unexcavated Buddhist temple is in Afghanistan, why the oldest Buddhist texts are from here, and why the largest Buddha statues were built here (including the most massive one in the world, a buried reclining Buddha in the lion's pose under Bamiyan). The Shakyians, from which we derive the name Shakyamuni, are the ancient Indo-Sakas.
• [UPDATE: Sakka, Kwan Yin, Maha Brahma, and/or Prajnaparamita Devi seem to have intervened and raised the human supply of rare earth minerals, which means the price was brought down, which stopped the Chinese government in its tracks. It already built train tracks to the site to begin extracting the country's mineral resources, but it does not seem feasible (profitable) now to do so. Other sources of these formerly rare minerals were found on the seabed by Russian and other prospectors. That seems to have made things safe...until everyone needs a second cellphone and more electronics, which are dependent on these elements. So take care of your devices and use them longer, extending their usefulness and lifespan even though Apple Corporation and others want planned obsolescence.]

For the past few years, the effort of American Director (and Northwestern University Professor) Brent E. Huffman, through Saving Mes Aynak, has played a vital role in delaying the demolition of this historical treasure.

Mes Aynak: 1 sq. mile Buddhist temple complex

But again time may be quickly running out. A state-owned Chinese mining company still has immediate plans to destroy Mes Aynak and mine it for precious minerals, and it could happen AT ANY MOMENT.

Now, the only way for Mes Aynak to be saved is if the Afghan government (that sold off the mineral rights in a desperate attempt to earn foreign currency) intervenes, halts mining, and officially petitions to UNESCO to make Mes Aynak a World Heritage Site.

• The Afghanistan Heritage and Extractive Industries Development Initiative | UNESCO

Only the Afghan government can approach UNESCO. Through the film Saving Mes Aynak, the major goal is to raise mass awareness of the impending demolition, creating an international movement to put pressure on the mining company, the Afghanistan government, and UNESCO to make Mes Aynak a World Heritage Site.

(Zawia) For Muslims to care about cultural preservation: The Age of

Buddhism before Islam in Afghanistan | زمان افغانستان قبل از اسلام بودیزم

This is the ONLY WAY to #SAVEMESAYNAK. The more funds raised, the more people will see the film and know the beauty and importance of Mes Aynak, and the greater the chance of Mes Aynak being saved.

To do this, the focal point of the campaign is #SaveMesAynak Day, July 1st, a global event when supporters everywhere stream the film and stand in unity together to save Mes Aynak.

Through social media, plans are to use this day to spark worldwide conversation, action, and protest. After that, an ambitious outreach effort will be mounted through the film to reach as many people as can be reached.

The more awareness that can be raised, the larger the pressure that can be put on the Afghan government to stop the demolition and to formally petition UNESCO instead. This way, we can all ensure Mes Aynak's safety for future generations. #savemesaynak

Hey, UNESCO, declare it a World Heritage Site

Afghan Buddhist treasures are priceless.

[Look, we're working on it:] ...a number of achievements, especially related to the enhancement of the joint Ministry of Information and Culture (MoIC)-Ministry of Mines and Petroleum (MoMP) discussions about the Mes Aynak case. During a round of renegotiation between the MoMP and the Mining Company, it was suggested to implement an underground mining method, at least for the Central Aynak Deposit, to allow for in-situ conservation. This exploration of an integrated approach from the side of the MoMP, a tremendous step forward, led to the organization of the Mes Aynak Symposium (July 2019). The aim was to provide the government with a complete understanding of the relationship between mining and cultural resources in Mes Aynak and to examining the available options to reconcile them before approving a mining plan... unesco.org/en...afghanistan-heritage

• Brent E. Huffman, savemesaynak.org, Kartemquin Films; UNESCO.org; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha of Bamiyan, Skateistan

(Journeyman Pictures) Skateistan: Afghan punk youths are skateboarding to a brighter future

• Where on the world map is Skateistan? 😊

Zawia: Zaman Buddhas of Bamiyan Shamama | زمان بت شمامه بامیان

(ZAWIA) Renegade Indian historian Dr. Ranajit Pal, Ph.D., has determined that Bamiyan town is one of the three seasonal capitals that comprise "Kapilavastu," the hometown of the historical Buddha Gautama, formerly Prince Siddhartha the Sage of the Scythians/Shakyians (Shakyamuni). He grew up here in the foothills of the Himalayas, in a part of the Himalayan range known as the Hindu Kush, far from Nepal and India but linked geographically. The prince renounced his life of luxury, here in wealthy but far off place along the Silk Road. He traveled East on a spiritual quest and arrived in the Kingdom of Magadha. (There was no "India" yet, which would come centuries later under the rule of Buddhist Emperor Ashoka, who united many kingdoms and republics to form or re-form Great "Bharat," India, as a nation that included Pakistan and part of Afghanistan (ancient Gandhara), which may have been a country previously at the time of the Indus Valley Civilization, 5-10,000 years before the present, when Brahmin priests treasured the Vedas, the ancient Knowledge Books, and shaped a society to their advantage. The Buddha, Mahavira (founder of Jainism) and other separatists were part of the "wandering ascetic" or shramana (shaman) movement, seeking direct experience of the Truth and teaching a Doctrine and Discipline (Dhamma-Vinaya) open to all regardless of caste or sex. So Mahavira accepted female wandering ascetics (sadhvis, sramaneris, and bhikkhunis) and then the Buddha did, and there were other dharmas that did not survive to the present, like the teachings of Makkhali Gosala. But the Old Vedic Religion was eventually claimed by Hinduism, which came centuries later as it was organized and systematized by Sri Shankara and others trying to make a fully "Indian" religion apart from outsiders and foreigners like the Buddha, who was a Scythian (as the Greeks called them) or Saka, as they are still known from the Northwestern frontier, which includes the strange and rare out of the way land now known as Afghanistan.

What's there to eat? Rice, pizza, dead bird?

How people live and what they eat in Afghanistan villages

Future female leaders of Skateistan, Kabul, AF

Evidence of Afghanistan's ancient Buddhist past (not some later territory conquered by the Silk Road spread of Buddhism) rests on such strange facts that Afghanistan is home to the largest unexcavated Buddhist temple complex (Mes Aynak), larger than Borobudur, Java, Indonesia and its pyramid temple topped by bell stupas (possible mimics of time machine technology rediscovered by the Germans and their WWII Die Glocke ET technology), the most ancient Buddhist writings (Gandhāran Buddhist texts), stupa (Buddhist burial mound) treasures found in Tillya Tepe and in neighboring Tajikistan's Ajina Tepe, and the most extensive rock hewn structures and art (like the world's oldest oil painting in Bamiyan), which spread throughout the Stans and into what is now India at its famous cave monastery complexes like Barabar and others, which seem to be miracles of advanced technology built by celestial devas ("shining ones") or works of magical feats (siddhis) wielded by powerful adepts and meditators. The Buddhist marvels at Sanchi are hard to explain as ordinary architecture planned by humans alone.

• Vegetarian in Afghanistan – the must try list 2024
• 10 best vegan restaurants in Kabul, updated 2024

Vegan Afghan comfort food: Bolani (flatbread)

Real history is much stranger than fiction.

• Invisible History researches the causes of the Soviet and American invasions of Afghanistan

It can also boast the largest Buddha statues in the world, with the largest still untouched, a reclining Buddha buried somewhere in Bamiyan not too far from the massive standing Buddhas that were destroyed by the CIA and ISI and their creation the "Taliban," whose ranks were filled in by released Islamist prisoners from neighboring countries fomented into a war against the West and Western imperialism, taught an extreme brand of Islam known as Wahhabism, which seems like the creation of CIA cubicle workers in Virginia or elsewhere rather than any kind of grassroots movement. The Buddhas of Bamiyan were detonated in public to create outrage and raise support for an American invasion of "Russia's Vietnam." Afghanistan was and remains "a land where empires go to die," England, Russia (USSR), and China's next. The CIA, Pentagon, and American forces (NSA, NSC, and other alphabet agencies we never hear about in the mainstream press) wanted to invade -- to create an oil pipeline, to secure the DNA of redhaired Nephilim cannibal giants for transhuman super soldiers, to recover time well vimana technology, to control a geopolitical Middle East from the best vantage point, to frustrate the Russian Empire's ambitions, to slow China down (with the CIA recruiting Tibet in its fight, compromising the Dalai Lama to become an asset, training and arming his close relatives in Colorado in exchange for favors and publicity), to help India and intervene by playing up both sides of a long-simmering conflict between archrivals Pakistan and India (a single country that was only divided at Partition in 1947, when the British ensured the ruination of the world as they exited by their "divide and conquer" tactics, much as they ruined and ensured misery for Palestine/Israel); in fact, so much of the world's troubles today can be laid squarely at the feet of the British and their Anglo-Afghan wars and the "Great Game" intrigue against other superpowers, with the USA just being the latest, greatest spear tip for those old United Kingdom/British ambitions to rule the world, which seem rooted in their Germanic and ancient Roman mentality to conduct endless war and banking and imperial religion to rule the world one way or another.

Zawia - Zaman Buddhas of Bamiyan Shamama | زمان بت شمامه بامیان Welcome, everyone, to Zawia’s channel. Hope everyone enjoys these videos. Please make sure to like, subscribe, and share this channel with others. Much love, and thank you, all. #Bamiyan #Buddha #ZAWIA

Follow: Twitter: zawiamedia, Facebook: zawiamedia, Instagram: zawiamedia. PLEASE DO NOT RE-UPLOAD THIS VIDEO ON YOUTUBE OR ELSEWHERE. Re-uploaded videos will be reported! #ZAWIA #Buddha #Bamiyan

• Zawia, Aug. 15, 2020; text and commentary, Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

National Day of Giving Tuesday (12/3)

Are you ready for #Stolen Amazon Package Wednesday? How about Apple is Overrated Thursday? Today is Giving Tuesday, following Cyber Monday...

NATIONAL DAY OF GIVING

If I could teach them to let go of low to get high

The National Day of Giving encourages giving back. It takes place on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. The nation has just been fleeced by Cyber Monday and Black Friday, having spent the extended weekend shopping in brick-and-mortar outlets as well as online, searching for the best (greediest) possible deals.

The Buddha on reasons to give

Mahavira agreed: It is good to give

[Why the Hades should I give? I should receive!] Reasons for Giving: "There are eight reasons for giving. What are these eight? One may give out of affection; or in an angry mood;[5] out of foolishness [6]; out of fear; or because of thinking: 'Such gifts have been given before by my relatives, and as it was done by them before, it would be unworthy of me to let lapse this family tradition'; or because of thinking: 'By giving this gift, I shall — after the body's break-up, after death — be reborn in a happy realm of existence, even in a heavenly world'; or because of thinking, 'When giving this gift, my heart will be glad, and happiness and joy will arise in me'; or one gives because it ennobles and adorns the mind (heart)." (Giving, Numerical Discourses, AN 8.33)

• Giving Tuesday is an annual event
• National Day of Giving (National Today)

Who invented this day, Hallmark?

The best giving adorns the mind/heart.

The National Day of Giving reminds us to give to those in need -- like the victims of American imperialism in Palestine, Gaza, and the West Bank. Whether we look to our favorite causes or charities, it is a great reminder to lift others up during a generous time of year.

On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate generosity (Buddhist dana) and to give, help, and share. #GIVINGTUESDAY

The Buddha is famous for saying:

"If you knew what I know about (the karma of) giving (the results and fruits), you would never eat a morsel without sharing with another if there were another to share with."

Our favorite charitable organization

Sharing brings abundance and amity.

Of all the giving, the gift of the Dharma (Dhamma-dāna) is the highest. Why? It engenders all other forms of letting go, generosity, sharing, and giving. It also involves the greatest returns -- internal letting go to be free of all clinging and experience liberation from all suffering. So to support Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal and/or Dharma Buddhist Meditation (Meetup 2, Meetup 3), please contact us through the Comments Section for details. What is "giving" in Buddhism? Dāna

• What can I give to support Buddhist monks and nuns?
• Where do monks and nuns really practice like the Buddha did? Pa Auk Forest Monastery (en.dhammadana.org)

Gift ideas? Give a smile, offer a hug, say a kind thing with no expectation of it being reciprocated (because, as it is said, "No good deed goes unpunished").

• Have a blessed season of giving!
• National Day Calendar, 12/324; Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

New Rakshasa/Sasquatch ogre footage

(Maximum Fear) Max shows new Bigfoot footage not see before *EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE*

Tonight is a big night for cryptozoology and Sasquatch/Bigfoot/Abominable Snowman/Yeti/Yowie/Skunk Ape/Almas/Orang Pendek research as American anthropologist Dr. Mireya Mayor, Ph.D. from Expedition Bigfoot appears on Coast to Coast to discuss her primate research and discoveries (such as the world's smallest primate).

30 scariest Bigfoot encounters caught on camera (AI boost)

Sasquatch clears campground + Bigfoot encounters from the Northern Cascades of Washington

(Salish Sasquatch) Nov. 29, 2024: We travel to Concrete, Washington, to speak with a man named James and his wife, Sandy. They share an encounter where a Sasquatch (Yakkha) entered a campground and cleared it out. James also shares his other encounters, including g a fantastic recall of Sasquatch stalking.

New Bigfoot videos you haven’t seen! *EXCLUSIVE FOOTAGE*

(Maximum Fear) Dec. 3, 2024: This is new exclusive Bigfoot videos and footage that hasn't been seen! Today we take a look at new Sasquatch (Yakkha, Yeti, Rakshasa, Yowie, Sasquatch, Bigfoot) footage and sightings coming from India, Russia, Canada, Michigan (USA), and many other places, which is very convincing evidence of humanoid bipedal primates alongside humans around the world.

From HD Sasquatch trail cam videos to Bigfoot hunting clips, there is more new material to examine. This compilation showcases the best and clearest cryptid sightings and most convincing Sasquatch (wild men, bear men, monkey men) encounters.

So grab an I Found Bigfoot mug and allow fear to be maximized as we recap the Top 10 best Bigfoot ogre clips of all time. Caught on Camera 2024 2nd Channel: @MoreMaximumFear NEW BIGFOOT Maximum Fear Merchandise: maximumfear.myspreadshop.com

How to know if you're enlightened

.

Think about it. An enlightened* person not knowing she's enlightened is not that bad, but an unenlightened person thinking he is, that's not good. That's wrong view that could lead to trouble.

• *Enlightened: Aryan, the Noble Ones, those along any of the any of the stages of awakening, meaning the various kinds of stream enterers, once returners, non-returners, and the fully enlightened arhats, which some could argue are the only real "enlightened" (bodhi) ones.

By practice, an ordinary human can reach it.

There is a strange characteristic feature of enlightened persons. Look within and check for it: They don't compare themselves to others. This is odd because, are they better or worse than others? They don't know in the sense that it does not occur to them to think it, ponder it, ask, or make comparison. (They're better, of course, from our point of view but not from theirs).

Do they have an inferiority complex, a superiority complex, or do they see themselves as EQUAL to others? Go back to the key sentence. They don't compare themselves to others and, therefore, they are neither nor the other. This was mind-blowing to see because, well surely from their point of view, the "nice" thing would be to think themselves equal to us, the lowly uninstructed (and therefore ignorant) worldlings.

• "Ignorant" sounds bad, but it just means we don't know yet, so it includes everyone. Even God (Brahma, Jehovah/YHWH/Yahweh, Allah, Asherah, Astarte, El, Elohim, Demiurge, Flying Spaghetti Monster, etc.) is not omniscient, but there are two kinds of buddhas who may be, the samma-sam-buddha and the pacceka-buddha, the "supremely enlightened" and the "silent (nonteaching) enlightened." The Buddha was the first kind, and it is said that he could lay claim to being omniscient not in the sense that he knew everything all the but in the sense that he could know anything he put his mind to. (Things are not fixed, so did he really know what was going to happen or only what was most likely to happen?)

And this brings us to the next point, which is equally view-shattering: Do regular fully enlightened arhats know everything? I mean, it says "fully" right in their title, and if they have no ignorance, they must have full knowledge. No, they do not, far from it.

Not only can arhats likely not explain Buddhism, they may not know much of anything else (academic subjects, life lessons, trivia). They just happen to know the most important things, that which the Buddha was wise enough to winnow out and focus on. All the other things might be nice, but they are not essential for waking up.

What will I wear when I awaken, white linen with a Nehru collar? (arenasport.com)

• In Goenka's book, there's a wonderful parable called "Swimology." It goes something like this: One day, as the ship is about to leave safe harbor for the open seas, the young captain on his maiden voyage takes on an older able-bodied sailor who looks like he's been at sea all his life. The ship soon runs into trouble and gets lost. The captain consults the old sailor for help reading the map. But that salty seadog snaps back: "I don't know mapology!" The captain says, "You travel the sea but can't read a map? You wasted a quarter of your life!" In the hot sun, the men run out of water and start complaining. The captain asks the old sailor to fix the cistern, but he snaps back: "I don't know hydrology." The captain says, "You live on a ship depending on water, but you never learned plumbing? You wasted two quarters of your life!" Before long, they're completely lost, going in circles, running out of supplies. The captain orders him to grab a sextant to help navigate by the stars. The old sailor snaps back: "I don't know astrology!" The captain says, "You live under starry skies, and you can't read them for guidance? You wasted three quarters of your life!" At daybreak they spot land, but the captain being in a rush hits the rocks. The ship is wrecked and taking on water. The old sailor runs to the wheel to ask the captain, "Did you study swimology?" "What's that?" asks the captain. The old sailor yells for everyone to jump overboard and abandon ship. The ignorant old sailor, who never had an academic education, did study one thing and knew enough to save himself. He snapped back at the captain: "This ship is going down! Everyone who can swim can make it safely to shore. Those who can't are going to drown. You learned all those fancy ologies but skipped the most crucial lesson for a life at sea -- to be able to make to safety! You wasted your whole life!"
• So here we are, lost in Samsara (the Ocean of Life and Death), bobbing up and down about to drown, wasting our time swirling in confusion, asking so many questions about this, that, and the other, but never focusing on the most essential, the Dhamma (what the Buddha taught concerning the Seven Requisites of Enlightenment for salvation, for utter liberation or moksha). Like the captain, we're Smart Alecs with degrees in all kinds of ologies except the most valuable kind: Dharma Studies.
• [By the way, WHO can become enlightened? Any human or deva of average intelligence, no special quality necessary excepts, perhaps, having the karmic good fortune of coming into contact with the Buddha's Doctrine and Discipline (Dhamma-Vinaya). Sincerity is essential, and my teacher speculates that paramis (kusala-karma) are important, which he defines as "anything good done in the past with the idea of reaching enlightenment (bodhi) or nirvana (nibbana)."]

Arr eu shur? Ai'm thee gretest g'nius.

I always imagined that when I became enlightened, I would go over to the university, convene a meeting of professors, researchers, scholars, and academics and solve their biggest problems for them.

• Yes, Einstein?
• Yez, vell, vee kno thut E=mc2...
• Ugh, actually, Albie, you left out ether (e) which accounts for your imprecision. So I want you to get back to the drawing board, confer to Nikola Tesla (he's in Dimension 7, Quadrant 5) and you should be able to see the error of your ways and get back to Earth to clean up the mess.
• Yes, Hawking?
• I-am-the-longest-lived-survivor-of-ALS-and...
• That's not what you had, Steve, and your idea that...
• Yes, Witten, why are you interrupting? Your view of string theory is all in knots, but here's how to resolve the equations...

I guess it's a silly thought, and it's completely wrong. What an enlightened person comes to know, overcoming all ignorance on these four things, can be summarized in the Four Enlightened (Noble) Truths:

1. what disappointment is,
2. its cause,
3. its full resolution, and
4. the path to that end.

Though such beings have glimpsed these things directly, that is not to say they can in any way articulate it for others. They might be able to. It would certainly be good to hear them, but they may not be inclined to speak about it at all.

For example, many monks in the Thai Forest Tradition are said to have gained realization, but are they able to explain it or effectively teach it to others to the point that that person experiences the liberating truth? That's very rare.

Ajahn Chah was able to, but are his accomplished students? Maybe Ajahn Brahm or Ajahn Sumedho. Why aren't they all famous with large retinues of noble disciples. The great Ajahn Jumnien personally knows more than most beings, but can he communicate it effectively?

The great Pa Auk Sayadaw, the Burmese meditation master, is rare among all Buddhist monastics in that he is both a scholar and an adept practitioner. He can teach it.

He is nevertheless limited by his students' limitations. He cannot impart it, nor can he read minds or flex the magical iddhi powers that might help him teach. He can advise, guide, reproach, encourage but he is without the iddhi powers to do more.

The Buddha had iddhi powers at his disposal. And using them he could not, as it were, get a horse to drink water though it had been led right to the refreshing stream.

• In the simplest terms, since we have defined "enlightened" (bodhi) to mean "having reached any of the stages of enlightenment, one need only concern oneself with the first stage: get there, and everything will be all right within seven lives. Of course, reaching it, there's no reason to stop. Keep striving, or start striving now that you are 100% sure what the Buddha taught is real and works.
• For simplicity let's say there are four such stages, though the Path of Freedom (Vimuttimagga) lists the other kinds of stream enterers -- and an additional two kinds of preenlightened folks, the saddhānusārī and dhammānusārī (confidence-devotee rooted in faith and Dharma-devotee rooted in wisdom). What are the characteristics of the person who has undergone that stage (knowing-and-seeing described in two parts as path-and-fruit)?
• The stream enterer is the first person to be safe in this interminable sojourn, this samsara, this Wheel of Life and Death, for this person has for the first time in all these aeons put a limit on suffering (dukkha). Other beings may go on suffering for as far as the mind can see, but such a noble one now has to endure no more than seven rebirths. And all of these rebirths will be on the human plane or higher, never lower. This is one of the wonders of enlightenment.
• Now, indeed, what could go wrong? Nothing that happens can matter much because one is sure to get out. For example, say we were all serving life sentences and one of us got a reprieve, a pardon, and held a letter for the warden that had to be heeded. That person is already free in theory and now need only wrap it up and go from our h*ll hole or choose to stay longer to help others, or putter about, or fulfill karmic obligations and promises or waste away on trivialities like more sensual enjoyments for their own sake (though how this is done if one knows better is hard to fathom).
• One wrong view many hold, which seems to be a part of Theravada (Pali canon) lore, is that a stream enterer can do no moral wrong. This is completely mistaken. There are certainly at least five things one cannot do, but everything else, it's possible. (Those five cannot be done because they would entail an immediate result in the very next rebirth on a subhuman plane, which now one is no longer liable to fall into). For evidence that such exalted beings can behave badly, be immoral, do wrong, be bad, commit an offense, one need only read the Ratana Sutta ("Jewel Sutra"). Though one engages in whatever misconduct, one will nevertheless not fall into worlds more miserable than this, nor will one reappear anywhere more than seven more times.
• Furthermore, of course stream enterers can have lapses if even arhats might violate Monastic Disciplinary Code rules, which are listed indicating which rules those are that even an arhat might slip up on.
• Of course, it must be that this does not sound good to most people -- who are people (human or deva) because they are beset by greed (lust, attraction, clinging), hatred (aversion, fear), and delusion (wrong view, ignorance) -- because we want to go on, have more rebirths (ignorant of the countless number that have already transpired and the countless yet to come as we engage in karma and those deeds work themselves out).
• When one knows-and-sees, directly has knowledge-and-vision of some past lives and how this life and this present suffering came to be (which is the knowledge that arises from the practice of Dependent Origination, which most people do not know is a practice rather than a theory), one will be able to let go.
• Moksha or liberation is possible by letting go, but letting go is only really possible as a result of knowing-and-seeing. So it is not willpower or brute force or strong determination (a triumph of will) that does it. It is practice (bhavana, kammatthana, sadhana) that brings about knowledge and vision. For instance, say you had a warm bowl of rice in the dark and would not part with it for the world, not to give away not even to share with anyone. And someone told you to throw it away. You would think them mad. Throw away this thing I'm about to devour and have so much greed/attraction for that I don't even want to share a grain of it with anyone else? You cling to the rice bowl. And again the person advises, admonishes, and asks you to let go and toss it. Do you? Could you? Do you possess the faith (saddha) to take that person's word for it and do it? Probably not. So what is it going to take that person to have to do since words won't work? What now if that person were to get you to turn on the light or bring a candle or step out of the dark and look into the bowl? And say that in doing so, you were to perceive what was really there all along -- maggots not rice grains? How hard would it be to let go now, how hard to throw away, toss, discard, abandon? Not hard at all, right? It takes no willpower, no force, no faith even. What does it take? Knowing-and-seeing, direct perception for oneself so that one need never rely on another for what is true and what is not.
• How does that tie in? We have lust. Who or what do we lust after? Beautiful objects. Why are they "beautiful"? It is exactly because we do not see their true nature but just their appearance. Skin is beautiful, complexion, hair, scent, softness... How deeply do we need to look into it to see what's really there? Worms, blood, flesh, gore, guts, partly digested food, mucus, urine, oil, feces... Ahhh! How fast can you let go?
• One cannot do it fast enough -- and with no willpower, no force, no sense of loss, no triumph of will, not even any faith. Faith can be a great thing but, ultimately, it is not the necessary and sufficient thing. It is excellent for starters, but we need to know and see for ourselves. That is what the Buddha promises. That is the path to enlightenment.
• With the attainment of stream entry, these mental defilements go away:
• With the attainment of stream entry, one will instantly gain unshakeable faith in three things: the Teacher, the Teaching, and those successfully Taught (Buddha, Dhamma, and Sangha). Why? It is because now one knows for sure that they were all three right.
• Through the path of stream entry (stream-winning, sotāpatti-magga) one "becomes" free (whereas by realizing the fruition, one "is" free) from the first three fetters (samyojana) that bind beings to existence in the Sensual Sphere, namely:
  • (1) personality-view (sakkāya-ditthi; see ditthi),
  • (2) skeptical doubt (vicikicchā),
  • (3) attachment to mere rules and rituals (sīlabbata-parāmāsa; see clinging upādāna).

The seven groups (sets) of noble disciples are as follows:

1. (1) the faith-devotee (saddhānusārī),
2. (2) the faith-liberated one (saddhāvimutta),
3. (3) the body-witness (kāya-sakkhī),
4. (4) the both-ways-liberated one (ubhato-bhāga-vimutta),
5. (5) the Dhamma-devotee (dhammānusārī),
6. (6) the vision-attainer (ditthippatta),
7. (7) the wisdom-liberated one (paññā-vimutta).

What is the significance of these groupings? I've asked Bhikkhu Bodhi and other scholar-monks only to hear that there are limited references in the Pali canon. They offer hope because it is said by some (mentioned in Ven. Bodhi's endnotes to his Middle Length Discourses (Majjhima Nikaya) translation) that such beings as 1 and 5 will not pass away until becoming stream enterers. Why this is said or what the proper understanding is remains to be seen. (Dhamma-viyama is a strange and fascinating subject).

• What if a better list of the "noble ones" can be argued for: (1) saddhānusārī (the faith-devotee who will not pass until attainment), dhammānusārī (the Dharma-devotee who will not pass until attainment), (3) the stream enterer (who is now destined to no more than seven rebirths), (4) the once-returner (who will return to this world at most one more time but will be reborn in the Pure Abodes and make final attainments there), (5) the non-returner (who will no longer be reborn on the human plane but in the Pure Abodes until final attainments), (6) the arhat with remainder (still in human form, experiencing the results of past karma, making no new karma only kriya), (7) the arhat without remainder (no longer in form of any kind, no longer experiencing any karmic results, utterly freed from delusion, having entered final-nirvana). (The suggestion that the "change of lineage" or gotrabhu is another "noble one" makes no sense since all of the noble ones are this. The reason there are four stages yet "eight individuals" is because they are distinguished between path (magga) moment and fruition (phala) moment, which by orthodox tradition is explained as meaning one nanosecond of difference as one mind-moment (citta) supplants the previous one and one goes from gaining the path and experiencing the moment or change of lineage inherent in gaining the path-moment. It is not a satisfying explanation for such a big distinction as to list Eight Individuals among the "Noble or Enlightened Ones."

So until Ven. Analayo (who exhaustively defined Mindfulness in Early Buddhism, Journal of Buddhist Studies, Vol. XI, 2013) makes a dissertation of it, the Buddhist Dictionary entry Ariya ("Noble Ones") by Ven. Nyanatiloka will have to do. The Apadana Commentary gives a little explanation.

So to answer the question, "How to know if I'm enlightened?" it's as easy as 1-2-3 (which is not to say it's easy to reach, because it is extremely rare, but easy enough to know for yourself):

1. Do I have perfect, unshakeable faith (confidence, conviction) in the Triple Gem or "Three Jewels" (Buddha, Dhamma, and Noble Sangha, the Teacher, Teaching, and the successfully Taught), because I have glimpsed nirvana and seen what they had seen (when we were all set free by the Truth)?
2. Am I no longer inclined, and does it no longer make sense, to compare self to others (seeing as how one has understood it is all impersonal and there is no self, no ego, no soul to cling to but there is, and one has directly seen, that all things arise based on Dependent Origination with the sole exception of nirvana, which is the only thing that is not a "thing," not a constituent composite, not a conditioned phenomenon, and is therefore called the "unconditioned element" or the asankhata dhatu)?
3. And have I irreversibly put an end to three of the defilements/hindrances: personality-view, skeptical doubt, and clinging to mere rites and rituals as if they could ever bring about enlightenment.

• NOTE: As for morality and monastic rules (vinaya), there are different lists of what we might generally call "defilements," such as: āsava, kilesa, nivarana, samyojana, and very generally the Three Roots or Three Poisons. They are all overcome by an arhat. More
• Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly; story by S.N. Goenka (dhamma.org); Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary: Manual of Buddhist Terms and Doctrines

'Shopping' in Wild Forests: Foraging

Q Journal: Hilary Pearlson, Akashic Records Reader, Healing Guide, founder of The Dreamerie

Health // All Recipes // People (like Mia Waselevich)  — House of Citrine

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California wild food foraging in Los Angeles' Hahamongna with Pascal and Mia

Braiding Sweetgrass (Kimmerer)

(PBS SoCal) Sept. 12, 2012: Everywhere we turn in California, there's something to eat -- if we know what to look for. Wild foragers and chefs Pascal Baudar and Mia Wasilevich of Transitional Gastronomy shop at the grocery store, but they also head out into the woods regularly, carrying backpacks and knives and compasses, finding edible plants scattered across public lands. They like it so much they've turned it into a business, with Pascal leading interested food nerds out into the woods to collect wild plants like mugwort, elderberries, lambs' quarter, cattails, purslane (verdolagas), wild radishes. and more, while Mia cooks up a feast using these wild ingredients.

KCET.org/socal/food/california... Eli Newell went out on one such veggie hunt with Pascal and learned about native versus invasive plants in Southern California's parks. (Which would you guess peaches are?) We ate flowers and asked Pascal why exactly he makes a habit of rubbing poison oak on his hands and face. Enjoy the video. And be cautiously hungry out there! Music: "Petit talibé" instrumental version, Löhstana David.

The sacred art of foraging

Chef Mia Wasilevich: Foraging and Transitional Gastronomy — House of Citrine

Q Journal: Plant-Based Holistic Health Coach Emily Rose Shaw — House of Citrine

(Suzanne Joy Teune) Oct. 28, 2023: Hello! This month is the month of foraging. It is a full moon as I upload. I am calling it the "moon of colored trees." This is a very special moon, for this season does not last long. Foraging is something I began doing for art when I attended the Burren College of Art, Ireland. I have been doing it and incorporating items gathered into my art ever since. This video is to show that it's not just about gathering supplies from nature. It's far deeper than that. It's a sacred spiritual practice. This is why I am in awe and inspired by the Indigenous people of the Americas and their art. I don't know how to put this into words.

Music: "If You Wonder" by Nebulae. I reference the short film The Great Kind Mystery by artist Ella Morton (ellamorton.com). Thanks to the late Alice Ladas who died at age 102 for her pink tights.

Buddhist Theravada Thai Forest Tradition

Ambrosia Alchemist, meditation in Sedona vortex — House of Citrine

The Kammaṭṭhāna ("field of cultivation") Forest Tradition of Thailand (Pali kammaṭṭhāna, meaning "place of meditative work"), commonly known in the West as the Thai Forest Tradition, is a lineage of Theravada Buddhist monasticism.

It started around 1900 with Ajahn Mun Bhuridatto, who wanted to practice Buddhist wandering asceticism and its meditative practices like the Buddha, according to the standards of pre-sectarian Buddhism.

• Buddhist Pub. Society—With Robes and Bowl: Glimpses of the [Austere] Life (Wheel 83) by Ven. Khantipalo

Are women able to attain? - Yes!

After studying with Ajahn Sao Kantasīlo and wandering through the northeast of Thailand (Isan), Ajahn Mun reportedly attained the stage of enlightenment known as non-returning and started teaching in Northeast Thailand.

He strove for a revival of Early Buddhism, insisting on a strict observance of the Buddhist Monastic Code known as the Vinaya and teaching the practice of meditative absorptions (jhāna) and the realization of nirvana (Pali nibbāna) in this very life.

• (Anyone who attains even the first stage of enlightenment called stream entry glimpses or touches nirvana).

Initially, Ajahn Mun's teachings were met with fierce opposition, but in the 1930s his group was acknowledged as a formal faction of Thai Buddhism, and in the 1950s the relationship with the royal and religious establishment improved.

In the 1960s, Western students started to be attracted to this back-to-basics movement, and in the 1970s branch monasteries of the tradition began to be established in the West.

Underlying attitudes of the Thai Forest Tradition include an interest in the empirical and verifiable effectiveness of Buddhist practice, the individual's cultivation and development, and the use of skill in practice and living. More

Rewilding a Forest | Artist and Poet Maria "Vildhjärta" Westerberg

(Campfire Stories) Feb. 23, 2024: This film is part of a series called "Something Beautiful for the World,” which is a collaboration between Reflections of Life, Campfire Stories, and Happen Films.

• Watch the whole series: Something Beautiful for the World Title: Once Upon a Forest created by Campfire Stories

Synopsis

Maria was a romantic, animal-loving, dreamy child who, growing up, had a hard time conforming to the demands associated with the trajectory towards a "normal" life. As a young adult she became depressed and was encouraged by her therapist to go for walks in the forest.

The myriads of funny-looking twigs and sticks she found along the way immediately put her on a path to recovery. Now, 25 years later, she's a celebrated "twig poet," whose art is shown in galleries throughout Sweden.

When a climate-related crisis strikes the forest where she lives and works, she's forced into a new type of creativity in order to save the place that once upon a time saved her.

Production

Filmed in: Värmland, Sweden. Featuring: Maria "Vildhjärta" Westerberg and Johannes Söderqvist (vildhjarta.net) and Martin Jentzen (jentzen.se). Produced, filmed, and edited by: Mattias Olsson for Campfire Stories (campfire-stories.org). Sound mix: Boris Laible (borislaible.com).

The films of the series "Something Beautiful for the World" explore how small acts of love and kindness have the potential to ripple out and change the world, touching hearts and minds in ways that we could never begin to imagine.

We'll be sharing a total of 12 short films, from across five continents -- releasing one per month for the whole year of 2024 -- four from each filmmaker.

More information about the three production companies:

Campfire Stories on YouTube: @campfire-stories. Visit website: campfire-stories.org. Support on Patreon: mattiasolsson.

Reflections of Life on YouTube: @reflectionsoflife. Visit website: reflectionsof.life. Support on Patreon: reflectionsoflife.

Happen Films on YouTube: @happenfilms. Visit website: happenfilms.com. Support on Patreon: happenfilms.

A huge thanks to the following brilliant people, who gave so generously of their time to help with translations, enabling us to provide subtitles for this film, in the following languages:

• Bulgarian: Polina Stoyanova
• Dutch: Karla Greven
• Croatian: Davor Bobanac
• (English: Mattias Olsson)
• French: Amélie Macoin
• German: Tanja Pütz
• Indonesian: Ary Nuansa
• Italian: Grazia Gironella
• Polish: Anna Konieczna
• Portuguese: Sibylle Steinpass
• Slovakian: Zuzana Beračova
• Slovenian: Jasmina Kovačič
• Spanish: Patricia Aguirre
• (Swedish: Mattias Olsson)
• Compiled by Xochitl, Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation) (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly