(The Big Why) The foolishness of the 10 Commandments
If the Ten Commandments of Christianity, as borrowed or modified by Judaism because they come in varying official lists from the all-knowing, never wrong, and never ever misquoted or misunderstood God of All Things, are foolish. Not because rules are bad. Rules good. Clear instructions good. Boundaries good. Kindness and fairness to all, very good.
The foolishness derives from the fact that the religion can't even agree and these rules straight. Then we hear that the Black Egyptian Jew Moses (of the founding myth, aka the Exodus that never happened, who has now been scrubbed and completely Ashkenazified) dropped another list and broke the tablet, or perhaps he threw it in anger. In any case, the list changes. Who knew the list ever changed?
The Ultimate Creator (the Demiurge, the El, the god, Baal, Molech, Yahweh, YHWH, Yaldabaoth, Jehovah, God thirsty for sacrificial blood when nothing else will do but black magic for the forgiveness of sin even if it means killing His son, the Big Whomever, Lord of the Universe and Children's Playgrounds and Hell because He rules all, knows all, decides all, wills all, controls all, and is never wrong not to the slightest, which is why He never changes His mind or His word or His law, unless someone talks to Him and gets a personal variance or exception) is said to have decreed them, so who can argue with them? They are the law, the Ritual Decalogue, the Finger of God pointing and cursing when He doesn't get His patriarch way. So OBEY and shut up.
What about them? The Buddha advised all human beings to restrain themselves and keep the precepts -- five, eight, ten, 227, 311, or more, in accordance with one's wishes for the future. A minimum of the basic five should remain inviolate because the wholesome (skillful) karma (actions, deeds) of doing so benefits beings here and hereafter, in this world and the next (a reference to many future worlds one finds oneself in in the future). These are not "commandments," not even for Buddhist monastics (nuns, monks, maechis, anagarikas, temporary novices and spiritual retreatants). They are undertaken voluntarily and violated voluntarily. The goal is not to "please" some god or God. It is to bring about peace of mind and purification of view by insight, which leads one to see things as they truly are. And in seeing them that way, one wishes no harm or suffering on anyone.
How dare Buddhism outline a standard of conduct for individuals/communities! Is that "Zen"?
.
How did the Buddha know and care so much?
Also note that none of the precepts is self-serving. There's no "Love Thy Buddha and worship Him above all" or "I am Thy Lord Your God, Obey me, you speck of dust!" or any such thing. All human societies would agree and have agreed for millennia and aeons (kalpas), that everyone is happier and has much more peace of mind when no one is going around killing, stealing, sexually misconducting themselves, lying (bearing false witness), or becoming so intoxicated that they are heedless to these guidelines for human conduct. The additional vows or precepts to temporarily abstain from luxuries, adornments and self-beautification, or eating at inappropriate times are all excellent aids to mindfulness (presence of mind), meditation (absorption), health (vigor and longevity), and undistracted focus.
Right action is just one factor of eight
What a heavenly world this would be if living beings here just kept these five. Rebirth in better worlds is possible just from better conduct here. And liberation from rebirth in any world is possible, making an end of all possible future suffering, is within reach. Maybe that's not what most people want or are aware of, but it is attainable. If all anyone ever wanted out of Buddhism were health, wealth, wishes, beauty, fame, and influence, that is all within reach through karma, here and now and there and then.
Meditation is NOT the "doing," not the technique that takes us to stillness. Doing assumes time. To realize "being," just being, is instantaneous. There is no need to travel there, no need for time, no need for an action or doing. If we could just "be," that would be NOW. The Power of Now is to realize what is true right now, as Eckhart Tolle tried to explain it. We need to suffer until we realize that it is no longer necessary.
Don't Feed the Monkey Mind: How to Stop the Cycle of Anxiety, Fear, and Worry
Psychotherapist Jennifer Shannon LMFT and illustrator Doug Shannon have 4.6 out of 5 stars (with 1,327 reviews) helping readers deal with monkey mind.
The very things we do to try to control anxiety can make anxiety worse.
This unique guide offers a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)-based approach to help
recognize the constant chatter of anxious “monkey mind,”
stop feeding anxious thoughts,
find the personal peace craved.
Ancient sages compared the human mind to a monkey: constantly chattering, hopping [discursively] from one branch to another—endlessly trying to move from fear to safety.
For the millions of people's lives affected by anxiety, this process is familiar. Unfortunately, we can’t switch off this “monkey mind.” But we can stop feeding the monkey—stop rewarding it by avoiding the things we fear.
Written by psychotherapist Jennifer Shannon, this book shows how to stop anxious thoughts from taking over using proven-effective cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and mindfulness (sati) techniques, as well as fun illustrations.
By following the exercises in this book, learn to identify anxious thoughts, question those thoughts, and uncover the core fears at play.
Once we stop feeding the monkey, there are no limits to how expansive life can feel. This book shows how anxiety can only continue as long as we try to avoid it. Paradoxically, only by seeking out and confronting the things that make us anxious can we reverse the cycle that keeps our fears alive. More
(Alan Watts) The Chinese philosopher Zhuang Zhou (b. 300 BC), discussing Taoism, has a genuine sense of humor, which makes Western thinkers nervous.
(Wiki) Zhuang Zhou (Chinese 莊子, literally "Master Zhuang," Wade-Giles romanization Chuang Tzu [a]), was an influential Chinese philosopher who lived around the 4th century BCE during the Warring States period, a period of great development in Chinese philosophy, the Hundred Schools of Thought.
He is credited with writing—in part or in whole—a work known by his name, the Zhuangzi, which is one of two foundational texts of Taoism, alongside The Book of Changes (Tao Te Ching). More
Imagine loving [the tribal] God so much as to foster Foolishness for Christ: "Foolishness for Christ" (Greek διά Χριστόν σαλότητα, Church Slavonic оуродъ, юродъ) refers to behavior such as giving up all one's worldly possessions upon joining an ascetic order or spiritual/religious life, or deliberately flouting society's conventions to serve a religious purpose—particularly of Christianity.
Tao Te Ching is famous.
Such individuals have historically been known as both "holy fools" and "blessed fools." The term "fool" connotes what is perceived as feeblemindedness, and "blessed" or "holy" refers to innocence in the eyes of God [1].
The term "fools for Christ" derives from the writings of Paul the Apostle. Desert Fathers and other saints acted the part of Holy Fools, as have the yurodivy (or iurodstvo) of Christian Eastern Orthodox asceticism.
Fools for God or Christ often employ shocking and unconventional behavior to challenge accepted norms, deliver prophecies, or to mask their piety [2].
Modern Buddhist saint
The most Venerable Jumnien, Los Angeles (WQ)
[One is reminded of the modern Buddhist saintAjahn Jumnien (Jamnian.org) made famous by American Buddhist Jack Kornfield (spiritrock.com) in his early book Living Buddhist Masters, who is not taken seriously by most because he overdresses for the heat and carries too many amulets. But he does so, he explains, to disarm the authorities, rival Thai Forest Tradition schools, and local police, investigators, and doubters. Anyone who sees him behaving so foolishly cannot bring him or herself to really imagine his depth of personal wisdom and grasp of the Buddha's true Dhamma (Teaching, Message, Doctrine). He is amazingly humble, possessing abhinnapowers, the jhanas and their positive byproducts, plus a profound understanding of vipassana. He manages this exterior appearance because he comes from a familial line of Thai shamans. See more at Luang Por Jamnian Seelasettho. Saddhu 3x!]
Some ascetics are known as mendicants and are organized into mendicant orders. The most famous example in the Western church is the great Francis of Assisi (Spanish San Francisco), whose order was known for following the teachings of Christ and walking in his footsteps.
Thus, upon joining the order, Franciscans gave away all possessions [in a gesture exactly akin to Buddhist monasticism, sharing the color of monastic robes and other features] and focused on preaching in the streets to the common person. More
The Other Fools
Elina St-Onge, Collective Evolution, June 19, 2016 (sott.net)
What I show is just the tip
Who is more aligned with her path of spiritual evolution? A person in lotus posture, taking deep breaths, and sitting in perfect composure or a person curled up in a ball, hysterically hyperventilating, and crying?
If we base our answer on everything we have learned from New Age philosophies and most spiritual teachings out there, I think it's fair to say that the person meditating wins. S/he appears peaceful, at ease, equanimous, and detached, having let go.
I'm finally in touch with my feelings. It hurts.
Now I'm not about to shock readers. I say the opposite is true. But I would argue that this image is just that: an image. This is why:
Even the most peaceful, composed, and "spiritually correct" people in the world can be completely out of alignment with themselves, even more than those who aren't into spirituality at all. How come? Well, it's because of our tendency to be dishonest with ourselves.
(Ud 3.1) Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove at the multimillionaire's monastery.
At that time a certain Buddhist monk was sitting close to the Buddha, legs crossed, with body straight.
As a result (vipaka) of past deeds (karma), he suffered painful, sharp, severe, and acute feelings, which he endured unbothered, mindfully with clear comprehension.
(BAUS Chuang Yen Monastery) June 27, 2022: In this Dharma talk, Bhikkhu Bodhi discusses The Numerical Discourses (Anguttara Nikaya) AN 4.233-238, a series of sutras in which the historical Buddha explains the four kinds of karma (kamma, deed, action):
dark karma with dark result
bright karma with bright result
dark-and-bright karma with dark-and-bright result
karma that is neither dark nor bright with neither-dark-nor-bright result or the karma that leads to the ending of karma.
Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS, Carmel, New York, 6/18/22); Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
Now that Suicide Prevention Month is wrapped up, it's time to listen to some Korn again. They're in concert this weekend in SoCal. Due to leaks of credit card and personal financial information, one woman had her virtual tickets transferred to someone else. TicketMaster is to blame. How doe
September is National Suicide Prevention Month (samhsa.gov)
and if you've found a way to hang on, let's see if we could feel, think, and reason our way through this. Unless you're recovering from some attempt, the thoughts are the problem. What reasoning has let to contemplating a permanent solution to a temporary problem? It's all in the thinking. Thinking is a trap, basing decision on unquestioned assumptions. Become aware of the assumption, and all the thinking built on them magically falls away..
September is a month to [listen Guns 'n' Roses' "September Rain," very sad and depressing] and to remember the lives lost to suicide. Millions of people have struggled...
NAMI (nami.org)don't like it. Get involved because awareness is the way to prevention, whereas lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajanna) is the way to automatic pilot. A dog chases a tail. Does it ever figure out that's its tail? One bite would do it, but it's too fast.
Is there ever a time to raise awareness of this urgent crisis? It's like asking, "When is the best time to plant a tree?" We use this month to shift public perception and spread hope.
Prevention beats trying to cure the spiraling when someone falls into a tailspin. That dog just won't stop. One way is to call (988) LIFE-LINE. Every year, the 988 Lifeline and other mental health organizations and individuals across the U.S. raise awareness of suicide prevention during September.
AFSP.org hails National Suicide Prevention Month and Week. This is a moment in time when we rally the public to create awareness of this leading cause of death and inspire more self-compassion.
If only there were a toolkit for suicide prevention (nimh.nih.gov). There is a
Digital Toolkit for Suicide Prevention Month. Join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to raise awareness by sharing resources that can help one recognize the warning signs of suicide and do something about it.
KoRn "Dirty" (Live on the Other Side) lyrics by Johnathan Davis, from Issues; Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; SAMHSA.gov, Aug. 16, 2024, et. al.
[Crazy] Milarepa: The mass murderer who became enlightened in Tibetan Buddhism
(Asangoham) July 27, 2024: Milarepa, the Lord of Yogis, is today recognized as one of Tibet’s great masters and an accomplished meditation teacher and practitioner, admired for his tenacity, courage, and discipline. [This is odd given his crimes, which no one disputes, like those of reformed Angulimala.]
He is celebrated as “the most renowned figure in Tibetan culture, the
quintessential Tibetan folk hero.”
However, his life began with considerable hardship. Like this metaphor, his path was a journey of facing and integrating his own demons, transitioning from confusion to awakening.
Initially caught in samsara, the cycle of mundane existence, like we are, he committed to the practice of the Dharma, the way of wisdom.
His story is not that of a saint; on the contrary, it is a deeply human story. It shows us that even a great master has to deal with immense challenges such as loss and revenge.
"Every saint has a past,
every sinner a future."
It narrates the transition from a murderer to one of Tibet’s most famous yogis.
Today's video is about the extraordinary life and teachings of Jetsun Milarepa, Tibet's most revered yogi and poet.
This inspiring story explores the remarkable life of Milarepa, from his tumultuous childhood to his attainment of enlightenment through intense meditation and devotion.
Learn about Milarepa's profound teachings on the nature of reality, the importance of compassion, and the path to achieving spiritual liberation. Delve into his remarkable songs of realization, which have inspired generations of Tibetan Buddhist practitioners.
This video is a must-watch for anyone interested in Tibetan Buddhism, yoga, and Himalayan spirituality. Whether one is a seasoned practitioner or just starting a spiritual journey, Milarepa's life and teachings offer valuable insight and inspiration for living a more meaningful and fulfilling life.
As a young American Buddhist, not knowing that there was more than one Buddhism, I would a converted church building near the Sino-American Center on 6th Street near Chinatown in Downtown LA. It was a Chinese Mahayana church/temple run by nuns, but I didn't know. There were Japanese Soto Zen temples nearby. (This way the state of Buddhism back the Eighties). It was as creepy as a Catholic mass, but nicer things were being said. Eventually, I attended similar services in Maywood (a tiny city in LA County) which bought land and built the massive Hacienda Heights temple (arcgis.com). Through years of struggle, one temple morphed into the other as Maywood realized its dream of building Hsi Lai Temple ("Going West" Monastery and Nunnery). Back in those early days, there was a great master (Ven. Hsing Yun) of which they spoke. He was in Taiwan, touring the world, or at Master Hsuan Hua's City of Ten Thousand Buddhas, which kindly donated some of its rural land for the setting up of a Thai Theravada Buddhist Abbey (wat or vihara) called Abhayagiri Buddhist Monasteryin Redwood Valley, where Americans train to be monks in the Thai Forest Tradition of Ajahn Chah and other Buddhist meditation masters. In one such Buddhist service, I remember a Chinese nun presenting what might have been her thesis or research as a nun. It was a pamphlet all about Milarepa's crimes, showing that he could not have been a Buddhist monk or anyone to look up to given his biography. (This means his misdeeds after ordination disqualified him and meant he was not attained to sainthood/enlightenment, regardless of his popularity among average Tibetans). But that's mainstream Mahayana thinking (which was in line with Theravada monasticism), and Milarepa belongs to Bon-heavy Esoteric Himalayan Buddhism from Tibet, which is a school known as Vajrayana. It aligns itself with the massive Mahayana Buddhist school, but it is distinct in many ways. The indigenous Bon tradition is all about black magic, shamanism, necromancy, and vengeance.
DISCLAIMER 1: All ideas expressed on this channel are for entertainment and general information purposes only. There is no advice on what an individual should or should not do. Any response made by anyone after hearing this communication is their interpretation and is their responsibility. Ideas expressed by this channel should not be treated as a substitute for medical advice or professional help. If expert assistance or counselling is needed, the services of a competent professional should be sought.
Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Bu Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly; Danny Elfman (lyrics)
At the hub of the Wheel of Rebirth are greed, hatred, and delusion on which its turning hinges.
According to the Buddha, there are Three Poisons, mental defilements that degrade the mind/heart, and serve as the root-motivations for all unskillful karma (unwholesome actions).
What are they? Roughly speaking -- because these are ancient Pali/Sanskrit terms only approximately translatable into English -- they are:
Greed (attraction, passion, craving, desire, liking, or lobha)
Hatred (aversion, fear, revulsion, disliking, or dosa), and
Delusion (wrong view, distortion, perversion, ignorance, or moha).
The common English translation of "greed, hatred, and delusion" of technical Buddhist terms is misleading because it makes it seem as if only the extremes of these motives are unskillful karma.
In fact, at any intensity they lead to disappointment (dukkha, a term that extends from agitation to agony) as soon as they arise. For each term, the meaning spans the entire range of the word
from liking, bias, preference, and passion to greed,
from disliking, annoyance, fearing, and revulsion to hatred,
from not knowing, wrong view, misunderstanding, and distortion to delusion.
The motives (causes and conditions) for all skillful deeds, wholesome or meritorious karma, are the opposites:
Nongreed (letting go, sharing, giving, generosity, detaching, non-clinging, or alobha).
Nonhatred (friendliness, loving-kindness, compassion, joy in others' joy, or adosa).
Nondelusion (wisdom, knowing-and-seeing, right view, undistorted understanding, or amoha).
They make more sense in positive terms, but each word is a category encompassing the entire range of degrees.
Reflect and examine it. When we do something unskillful, unwholesome, or wrong, what is at the root of it? We are making demeritorious karma (that will bear fruit and ripen in unpleasant, unwelcome, unwished for, disappointing, and painful results).
Entering one of the subterranean hells below Los Angeles: 6th Dimension*
They are called "bad" not because a God doesn't like them but because we will not like their karmic results (vipaka and phala) when they finally ripen, which might not be for a long time. (Some deeds are avyākata, indeterminate or neutral).
Is fear hate? Both are manifestations of aversion (dosa), so fear may be distinguished from hate, but it's only a matter of our reaction to stimuli. In fear, we want to run away, whereas in hate we want to send the repulsive object away).
Ven. Nyanatiloka (L) and Ven. Nyanaponika
What motivates an action and produces karma? One or a combination of these seven motivating our action. The kind of karma produced is based on the motive or intention (cetana) behind the deed.
Karma is like a seed that comes to fruition later. The famous Judeo-Christian expression of this karmic principle is that "We shall reap what we sow." In other words, we will later harvest what we previously planted.
The Three Poisons of the mind/heart are easy to recognize in ourselves if we reflect, except for hate. Of course we like things. This is a carnal world within the Sensual Sphere (Kama-Loka). Pleasure-seeking is the main defilement that got us here and that gets us into trouble while we're here by motivating more greedy, selfish, lustful acts. However, all craving is rooted in ignorance.
Ignorance is the fundamental root of all problems and all suffering. Ignorance gives rise to desire, to craving and clinging to things we imagine are persisting, pleasurable, and real.
The Buddha's teaching on the Three Marks of Existence tells us that they are not any of these three things. All conditioned phenomena (all "things" composed of other things that depend for their existence on constituent elements or factors) are:
hurtling toward destruction,
disappointing and incapable of fulfilling us,
impersonal/empty/without essence.
They are not compacts but compounds, not unconditioned (like nirvana, the sole "unconditioned element"*) but conditioned (like everything else, every element, every fabrication, every formation).
*Asankhata: the "unformed, unoriginated, unconditioned" is a name for nirvana, the "further shore," that is beyond the beyond of all becoming (rebirth) and all conditions. See Bhikkhu Bodhi's As It Is for a textual definition of nirvana (called nibbana in Pali), which too often gets confused with "nothingness" or "annihilation" or "eternal life," when it is none of these things.
In the West we are not raised to recognize or admit our hatred. We are reluctant to show anger, instead suppressing and repressing it. This root (dosa) more often finds expression in the socially acceptable form of FEAR. It's still aversion. It's still unskillful karma that leads to unwise actions that yield painful results.
*Danny Elfman's best music was from his first movie, Forbidden Zone
Danny Elfman sings about fear
Elfman still makes music, performs
The genius ginger Danny Elfman, along with brother Dick and The Mystic Knight of the Oingo Boingo (Gong Show winners), recognized how out of control this unwholesome root could get -- odd neuroses, panic attacks, specific phobias, and general anxiety. Peace of mind will always be hard to find when it is defiled.
LYRICS: "I'm Afraid"
@volatilevulture8102 corrected by Wisdom Quarterly
Afraid of the dark/ Afraid of the light/ Don't walk in the park/ Afraid of the night/ Afraid to get stabbed/ Or hit by a car/ Afraid of the streets/ Afraid to go far/ Afraid of the sky/ Don't like to be high/ I don't want to fall/ Afraid I might die/ Afraid of my friends/ Don't like to be seen/ Afraid to be nice/ Afraid to be mean/ Afraid that the wind/ Will knock over trees/ Afraid of my dog, oh/ Afraid of his fleas!
CHORUS: Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Hard to keep/ Hard to keep/ Hard to find/ Hard to find/ Look ahead/ Look ahead/ Look behind/ Look behind/ Looking for/ Looking for/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Can't relax/ Can't relax/ Can't unwind/ Can't unwind/ Deep inside/ Deep inside/ Secret mind/ Secret mind/ Oh, no!
Afraid to be caught/ Afraid to be free/ Afraid to make love/ Afraid of VD/ Afraid that the rain/ Will make me get wet/ Afraid to take drugs/ That make me forget/ Afraid that the air/ Will make me get sick/ Afraid that the girls/ Will cut off my/ OH!
Someone tell me how it happened/ Why my head is so confused/ Can it be my circuits finally blew a fuse?/ Blew a fuse/ Can a human being really change into a humanoid?/ Or is it my imagination/ Paranoid!/ Paranoid/ All I need is peace and quiet/ Maybe just a little time/ Turn the channel, turn the channel!/ Peace of mind/
Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ Hard to keep/ Hard to keep/ Hard to find/ Hard to find/ Look ahead/ Look ahead/ Look behind/ Look behind/ Looking for/ Looking for/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind/ All creation/ All creation/ All mankind/ All mankind/ Looking for/ Looking for/ Peace of mind/ Peace of mind
Afraid of success/ Afraid to grow old/ Afraid that my brain/ Is covered with mold/ Afraid that I might/ Be put on a shelf/ But last but not least, oh!/ Afraid of myself!
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