Tina Rasmussen: Buddha at the Gas Pump

Host Rick Archer, BATGAP, Feb. 26, 2019; Dhr. Seven, Kelly Ani (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Dr. Tina Rasmussen: Buddha at the Gas Pump interview

(BuddhaAtTheGasPump) Further discussion regarding this interview may be found in the BatGap Community Facebook Group. Also see batgap.com/tina-rasmussen.

Diamond Way Buddhism to bodhi

After 20+ years of Buddhist and non-dual practice, in 2003 Dr. Tina Rasmussen, Ph.D., undertook a year-long solo retreat during which awakening (bodhi) occurred. She later

• ordained as a Theravada Buddhist nun with the world-renowned Burmese Meditation Master Pa Auk Sayadaw,
• became the first Western woman to attain that path, and
• was authorized to teach.

Practicing the Jhanas: Concentration Meditation

Dr. Rasmussen has been studied by the Yale Neuroscience Lab for research on the effects of meditation on consciousness and the brain.

She is the co-author (along with her then-husband and fellow-attainer Stephen Snyder) of Practicing the Jhanas: Traditional Concentration Meditation as Presented by the Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw, and has been featured on Conscious TV and in Non-duality Magazine.

She is also involved in the Diamond Approach to realization. Dr. Rasmussen teaches students worldwide how to walk the path of the “urban mystic” — functioning from a deep spiritual understanding while living a modern human life.

Dr. Rasmussen has worked in the field of human/organizational development as a consultant/coach for 25+ years, with several published books on humanistic leadership.

Welcome to Yale University's Human Neuroscience Lab (McCarthy Lab, yale.edu)

Bad Religion: Cash for Christianity (video)

Dr. Greg, Mr. Brett, Bad Religion; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


In the excellent and classic Los Angeles punk rock album How Could Hell Be Any Worse by Bad Religion, Dr. Graffin and Co. stick it to the hypocritical Christian religion based on perverted Judaism exalting Roman imperialism and moving so far from the message of Jesus (St. Issa) that one is left to marvel that anyone still believes in it. Peace to the peacemakers, like the Zen parable telling/Essene living Jesus of Nazareth, and down with the colonial imperialists who ruined the world in the name of empire (Greek, Roman, Spanish, British, American, etc.)

LYRICS: (Bad Religion) "The Voice of God is Government"

Hypocritical TV preachers and heads of mega churches of course do not represent Christianity. But one need not judge on the religion based on their hypocrisy. It's enough to look at it directly to find the contradictions or the King James Version (KJV) of the Christian bible to see Roman Emperor Constantine's filthy hands all over it, cutting out the "apocrypha" and building a self-serving state religion to rule the world with, a Roman psy-ops program that is still being used by imperial American forces and still working to bring sheeple into the flock of mega churches and nicer, more honest, smaller ones.

Wiki Fact or Fiction: Dr. Gregory W. Graffin, PhD

College teaching vs. Meditation

The question today is whether or not to follow in our Teacher's footsteps or our teachers' footsteps. The Buddha went to college, inasmuch as there was full education for princes in India at that time. (Nalanda, the first university as we understand the term, was soon to follow and became a great place of Buddhist learning. Other ancient centers of learning no doubt existed in prehistory, Egypt, Sumeria, "Atlantis," and perhaps even Timbuktu). But most professors have yet to go the way of the Buddha.

The Greek and British systems for higher education are models American universities are founded. All three are direct descendents of the Indian model at Nalanda. However, it was originally monastic in its orientation and may have been open to women since the Sangha was. Sadly, nowadays, few scholar-monks meditate, preferring to be erudite teachers rather than accomplished practitioners.

Therefore the question becomes, is it better to follow the path of meditaton as directly as possible...or risk becoming a funky liberal professor with elbow patches and no penchant for sitting and doing the hard inner-work of establishing and perfecting virtue, concentration, and insight?

College Professor

The current generation of qualified educators is facing retirement. The U.S. Labor Department predicts a 23 percent increase in jobs for postsecondary teachers between 2006 and 2016. That means ample openings at trade schools, vocational schools, community colleges, and universities. Requirements vary by institution and subject matter.

At the university level, you'll often need to complete a Ph.D. in your field. At community colleges, professors, and instructors may only need a Master's degree to land a faculty position. In technical institutes, an undergraduate degree and on-the-job experience in your subject matter may suffice. Wages vary greatly, between $58,662 and $98,974. Even in today's uncertain economic climate, there are careers with resilience and a promising upside. While others may emerge out of the tumult, these six professions deserve consideration. More>>

Free Meditation Talk in Connecticut

The Loving Kindness Meditation Group of Greater Hartford is hosting the Abbot of Chuang Yen Monastery (New York), Ven. Dr. Dhammadipa, who was ordained 20 years ago in Sri Lanka, where he studied Buddhism and in 2005 received his Ph.D. from the Dept. of Theology and Religious Studies at the Univ. of Bristol, U.K.

• Free Public Talk on Meditation
• Thursday, 1:00 pm, Sept. 17, 2009
• New Britain Publilc Library (Community Room)
• 20 High St., New Britain, CT (860) 224-3155

The afternoon talk will be followed by an intensive evening workshop of guided loving-kindness meditation (metta). Open to beginners and experts alike with step by step instructions on Buddhist meditation techniques. All are welcome regardless of religious affiliation or race.

• Meditation Workshop
• Thursday, 6:30 pm-8:30 pm, 9/17/09
• Hai An Pagoda Buddhist Temple
• 255 Cherry St., New Britain, CT 06051
• Please register: (860) 869-5350

Loving Kindness Meditation Greater Hartford Group (LovingKindnessInCT@gmail.com) hosts retreats, phone in and online Dharma study in English and Chinese, as well as ongoing Pali classes. Programs meet Thursday evenings on 9/17, 10/8, 10/22.