I dress like this to work all the time. I'm on TV!
Sofi is perhaps best known for her role as Gloria Delgado-Pritchett on the ABC sitcom Modern Family (2009–2020) and more recently as Griselda Blanco from the Netflix miniseries Griselda (2024). She has received five nominations each at the Primetime Emmy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards. She rose to prominence when co-hosting two TV shows for the Spanish-language TV network Univision in the late 1990s. After acting in the English-language film... More
A thirst trap is a type of social media post intended to sexually entice viewers [1, 2, 3, 4]. It refers to a viewer's "thirst" (tanha, craving, grasping, clinginess, lust, attachment, sensual desire), a colloquialism likening sexual frustration to dehydrated thirst.
It implies desperation, with the afflicted individual being described as "thirsty" [4, 5, 6] in the Buddhist sense and soon caught in a trap.
The phrase entered into the American lexicon in the late 1990s. It is most related to internet slang that developed in the early 2010s. Its meaning has changed over time, previously referring to a graceless need for approval, validation, affection, or attention [7, 6], for which the term "attention whore" was coined. More
The great Gnostic Sophia: Sophia (Wisdom) was a Greek goddess. In Gnosticism, Sophia is "Wisdom," Sofia (Koine Greek σοφία, sophía—"wisdom," Vulgate Latin Sapientia, as in sophists) is a central idea in Hellenistic Greek philosophy and religion, Platonism, and especially Gnosticism.
Originally carrying a meaning of "cleverness or skill," the later meaning of the term, "sound judgment, intelligence, practical wisdom," is close to the meaning of phronesis ("practical wisdom, intelligence") and was significantly shaped by the term philosophía (the "love of wisdom") as used by the philosopher Plato.
Tara (Sanskrit तारा, tārā, Standard Tibetan སྒྲོལ་མ, dölma), Ārya Tārā ("Noble Tara") is also known as Jetsün Dölma (Tibetan rje btsun sgrol ma, "Venerable Mother of Liberation"). She is an important female buddha in Vajrayana and Mahayana Buddhism.
Our reading of Mahayana Buddhism, of which Vajrayana is a sub-school, suggests that the MOST powerful Buddhist goddess is actually Kwan Yin (Guanyin, a female manifestation of Avalokiteśvara) Bodhisattva. She is queen or in any case certainly the most powerful, for she looks on and hears the cries of the world with utmost compassion, a kind of Virg Yin Mary(not Jewish or Essene Miriam so much as the ultimate goddess in Gnostic Christianity, Mary Magdalene).
If Theravada Buddhism made much of personifying qualities through transcendent goddesses (devis), our vote for the Ultimate Goddess right alongside Kwan Yin (Guanyin) would certainly be the glorious Prajnaparamita of Java, Gnostic Sophia, the personification of the Perfection of Wisdom. And we wouldn't stop there. Maha Pajapati Gotami, Yasodhara (aka Bimba Devi, Rahulamata, Bhaddha Kaccana, Sundari Kaccana, etc.), Khema Theri, Uppalavanna Theri, and Queen of [Tusita] Heaven Maya would serve as the raw basis for building up goddesses, venerable enlightened Buddhist women in history.
[Earlier traditions hold to the view, one of five niyamas, that while females are of course equally capable of arahantship, full enlightenment, as well as many other accomplishments, literal buddhas only arise as males. Why this would be, or why any of the niyamas are true in and of themselves, is not explained. 5. dhamma-niyāma "the constraint of dhammas (things, phenomena)," namely, such events as the quaking of the 10,000 world-systems at the conception of a bodhisatta conception in his mother's womb and again at his birth (partition from that womb). At the end of the discussion Sumaṅgalavilāsinī passage, the Commentary states that dhamma-niyāma explains the term dhammatā in the text of the Mahāpadāna Sutta (DN ii.12) (Cf. S 12.20 for a discussion of the use of the word dhamma-niyamatā in the Pali canon sutras.
It should always be borne in mind that no individual is an actual sex but fluid because one can be reborn as any of the three genders -- male, female, pandaka. How many genders are there? The answer could easily be more than three because pandaka can be variously defined as pervert, eunuch (pansexual as the word is understood in the East not as we use it in the West), hermaphrodite, bi, gay, asexual, intersex, transgender, transsexual, crossdresser, etc.)
The Dalai Lama, who is Tibetan Vajrayana joked about this in one of his PR movies, declaring something like: "Of course a woman can become a buddha...she just has to be reborn as a man first" then laughing. People popularly regard him as the "Pope of Vajrayana Buddhism," though he is not; he's not even the pope of Tibetan Buddhism because the non-Gelug schools do not regard him as the pontiff but rather a useful political leader, a kind of temporal king who made it to the world stage with more than a little help from the CIA. This topic of gender should be questioned, debated, and explored as it seems awfully unfair and denigrating to femalehood, but might it be the case, as a Hindu priest once told our college Comparative Religion class that the reason a being, a gandhabba seeking rebirth in a human body, is reborn as a female rather than a male at any given rebirth is due to the level of attachment, affection, and clinging present in that relinking moment. If that is the case, we have all been and will all be females, so placing femininity one down from masculinity is a bad strategy that will turn around and bite us. Likewise, all females reborn as humans, as rare and difficult as it is to ever secure a human rebirth, will also experience what it's like to be a male. And we say with no confusion, it's not all it's cracked up to be.]
Humans love to carve ideal attributes in stone.
She may appear as a female bodhisattva (a "being bent on full or supreme enlightenment," the two not being the same thing, one being an arhat, the other a buddha) in Mahayana Buddhism [1].
In Vajrayana Buddhism, Green Tara is a female buddha who is a consort of the Cosmic Buddha Amoghasiddhi.
Tārā is also known as a savioress who hears the cries of beings in saṃsāra (the interminable round of rebirth and suffering) and saves them from worldly and spiritual danger [2].
In Vajrayana, she is considered to be a buddha, and the Tārā Tantra describes her as "a mother who gives birth to the buddhas of the three times [past, present, and future]" who is also "beyond saṃsāra and nirvāṇa" [3].
Earlier tradition distinguishes nirvana as being nothing like samsara, and since all we have ever known is the latter, anything else could be considered nirvana. Some do not like this definition as it seems to define nirvana, which many feel is ineffable, indescribable, and incomparable even though the historical Buddha Siddhartha Gautama did indeed define and describe it.
Tārā is one of the most important female deities in Vajrayana (Esoteric Buddhism) and is found in apocryphal sources like the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa and the Guhyasamāja Tantra [4].
Key Indic Vajrayana texts that focus on Tārā include the Tantra Which Is the Source for All the Functions of Tārā, Mother of All the Tathagatas (Sanskrit Sarva-tathāgata-mātṛtārā-viśva-karma-bhavanāma-tantra) and Tārā's Fundamental Ritual Text (Tārāmūlakalpa) [5, 3].
Both Green and White Tārā remain popular meditation deities or yidams in Tibetan Buddhism, and Tara is also revered in Newar Buddhism.
Tārā is considered to take on many forms or emanations, while Green Tara emanates 21 Tārās, each with different attributes—colors, implements, and activities such as pacifying (śānti), increasing (pauṣṭika), enthralling (vaśīkaraṇa), and wrathful (abhicāra) [2].
Green Tara (or "blue-green," Sanskrit Samayatara or śyāmatārā) remains the most important form of the deity in Tibetan Buddhism [6, 7].
A practice text entitled Praises to the 21 Taras is a well known text on Tara in Tibetan Buddhism within Tibet, recited by children and adults, and is the textual source for the 21 forms of Green Tārā.
The main Tārā mantra is the same for Buddhists and Hindus: oṃ tāre tuttāre ture svāhā. It is uttered by Tibetans and Buddhists who follow Tibetan culture as oṃ tāre tu tāre ture soha. The literal translation would be "Oṃ O Tārā, I pray O Tārā, O Swift One, So Be It!" More
(Buddha's Wisdom) Transgendering the deva (shining one, god) Avalokiteshvara "who hears the cries of the world" into the Chinese devi (goddess) of compassion Kwan Yin (Guanyin Bodhisattva)
Dr. Gabor Mate distinguishes "drugs" that obtund(like alcohol) and substances that elevate consciousness; yet, we call both of these opposite experiences getting "high"
In the city-states that gave birth to Western civilization, drugs were an everyday element of a free society.
Often, they were not just available but vitally necessary for use in medicine, spiritual-religious ceremonies, and war campaigns.
Their proponents and users existed in all classes, from common soldiers to emperors. Citing examples in myths, medicine, and literature, Dr. Hillman, Ph.D., shows how drugs have influenced and inspired the artists, philosophers, and even politicians whose ideas have formed the basis for civilization as we know it.
Many of these ancient texts may seem well-known, but Dr. Hillman shows how timid, prudish translations have left scholars and readers in the dark about the reality of drug use in the Classical world.
Dr. Hillman's argument is not simply "pro-drug." Instead, he appeals to intellectual honesty to acknowledge the use of drugs in ancient societies despite today's conflicting social mores.
In the modern world, where academia and university life are often politically charged, The Chemical Muse offers a unique and long overdue perspective on the contentious topic of drug use and freedom of thought. More
(ReligionForBreakfast) Writer: Dr. R. Andrew Chesnut.
Editor: Mark Henry. Executive producers: Daniel Cuevas, Jay Gotschalk, Producer: Lyndsay Ballew. Further reading:
R. Andrew Chesnut, Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saint, 2011. RFB Patreon community: religionforbreakfast.
In Buddhism, HOW can we transfer our merit (good karma) to benefit the grateful dead, the dearly departed, those who have gone beyond so that it gets to them today?
(Lady of the Library): Cinzia DuBois is a part-time, self-funded doctoral (Ph.D.) student and writer, YouTuber, and podcaster. She has been creating videos for over 15 years. On this channel she talks about dark and ancient history, literature, and folklore. On a second channel, she discusses productivity, personal development, her doctoral thesis, academia, and mental well-being.
Mictēcacihuātl ("Lady of the Dead"), in Aztec mythology, is a [goddess] death deity and the consort of Mictlāntēcutli, the god of the dead [like Buddhism's Judge Yama in the underworld also known as Yama in Hinduism] and ruler of Mictlān, the lowest level of the underworld [1].
Her role is to watch over the bones of the dead and preside over the ancient festivals of the dead. These festivals evolved from Aztec traditions into the modern Day of the Dead after synthesis with invading Spanish traditions. She now presides over the contemporary festival as well. In this respect, the pseudo-Catholic cult of Santa Muerte owes much to her. More
The third edition of Devoted to Death: Santa Muerte, the Skeleton Saintoffers a fascinating portrayal of Santa Muerte[female Saint Death], a skeleton saint whose cult has become the fastest growing new religious movement worldwide over the past two decades.
Although condemned by mainstream churches, this folk saint's supernatural powers appeal to millions in Latin America, the USA, and beyond. Devotees believe the Bony Lady (as she is affectionately called) to be the fastest and most effective miracle worker, and as such, her statuettes and paraphernalia now outsell those of the Virgin of Guadalupe and Saint Jude, two other giants of Mexican religiosity.
In particular, Santa Muerte has become the patron saint of drug traffickers, playing an important role as protector of peddlers of fentanyl and marijuana; DEA agents and Mexican police often find her altars in the safe houses of drug smugglers.
Yet, Saint Death plays other important roles: she is a supernatural healer, love doctor, money-maker, lawyer, and angel of death. She has become without doubt one of the most popular and powerful saints of both the Latin American and American religious landscapes. More
Who is the Mother of Wisdom in ancient proto-India? It is Shari (Sari), mother of Śāriputra (the "Son of Sari," Upatissa), the Buddha's chief male disciple declared "foremost in wisdom," the counterpart of Khema, the Buddha's chief female disciple declared "foremost in wisdom." In Vedic Maha Bharat and later in Hindu India, the Goddess of Wisdom is known as Saraswati. In Europe and the West (list of knowledge deities), we say it is the Goddess Sophia. But the Gnostics knew that long ago. And this "Sara" seems reflected in the Aryan ("Enlightened") Taras, goddesses in Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism.
Mary Magdalene: The Divine Feminine Returns and the Truth They Tried to Bury
(The Gnostic Eye) What if everything we’ve been told about Mary Magdalene is a carefully crafted illusion to deceive us?
For nearly two thousand years, her true story was hidden—buried beneath deliberate distortion, deception, dogma, and legend.
Let's unravel the real history of Mary Magdalene, the Lost Gospels, the Gnostic Gospels before them, and the rise of the Divine Feminine—revealing why her wisdom was so threatening to the early Church, and how her true teachings could change everything we thought we knew about Jesus Christ, spirituality, and the sacred feminine.
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 – Why they lied about Mary Magdalene
04:13 – Lost Gospels and the Suppression of the Divine Feminine
08:49 – The Seven Demons: Spiritual Transformation
13:20 – Forbidden Teachings, Sacred Bloodline, and the Real Holy Grail
17:48 – Why Mary Magdalene’s legacy matters now (and what was hidden)
Discover the secret role of Mary Magdalene in the life of Jesus the Nazarene (possibly Essene), the suppressed Gnostic texts, the real meaning of the “seven demons” [or levels we must all ascend for real salvation], and the mysterious clues left in ancient art and legend.
We’ll explore her connection to the Holy Grail, the sacred bloodline theories (the real sacred vessel/Holy Grail Dan Brown pointed to), and the powerful spiritual truths the Church tried to erase.
Whether we’re seekers, history buffs, or drawn to esoteric wisdom, this video is a gateway to the truth they tried to hide about Magdalene.
There are no bases -- no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, mind; no forms, sounds, smells, tastes, tangibles or objects of mind; no sight-organ element, and so forth, until we come to:
Therefore, O Foremost in Wisdom, it is because of this non-striving to attain that a being bent on supreme enlightenment, through having relied on the Perfection of Wisdom, dwells without thought-coverings. In the absence of thought-coverings, one is not made to tremble.
One has overcome what can upset, and in the end is quenched, having let go, having glimpsed Nirvana.
All who appear as supremely enlightened beings in the three periods of time -- past, present, and future -- fully awake to the utmost, to right and supreme enlightenment because they have relied on the Perfection of Wisdom.
Therefore, one should recognize the Perfection of Wisdom, the Prajnaparamita, as the great mantra, the mantra of great knowledge, the utmost mantra, the unequalled mantra, allayer of all suffering, in truth -- for what could go wrong? By the Prajnaparamita has this mantra been realized. It runs like this:
Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha!
(Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O, what an awakening, all hail!)
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