Buddhism explained with an Irish accent

Well, don't that beat all? Tuatha Dé Danann, I tink that's brilliant, always been partial to Booda.

(Cognito) Irish brogue/Gaelic accented "BUDDHISM EXPLAINED"

What's the Irish version of Buddhism?

We are the Tuatha Dé Danann

Buddhism is the THIRD largest religion in the world when we restored the 1 billion Buddhists in China the communist regime refuses to count since communism is officially atheist and insists party member comply.

Nearly all Chinese Buddhists follow three blended traditions (Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism) and now have to mix those with a communist version of capitalism). The country's regime is trying to supplant religion with this new capitalist-friendly communism and a nanny state with mass surveillance, bringing the actual total number of Buddhists to more than 1.5 billion. That makes Buddhism the third largest missionary (universalist) "world religion."

Good thing we in US are not spied on

(The Young Turks) What the FLOCK (AI-driven camera system)?

Catholicism is the biggest religion in the world. Combining its total with Protestantism and Eastern Orthodoxy, and many strange sects and post schismatic traditions, Christianity has the most nominal adherents.

Islam is said to be growing but is already the second biggest world religion, having gone from place to place by the sword, just as Christianity used to do with imperial crusades, ethnic cleansings, and forced conversions.

Buddhism is the original missionary tradition, but neither then nor now is it out to convert anybody away from their faith. Exposing them to the Teachings of the Awakened One capable of curing suffering and making people better at adhering to their beliefs and practices, it has been most welcome.

Why? Just as in the Buddha's time, the Buddha's Dharma ("Doctrine") is not actually a "religion." But the West treats all daily activities and beliefs as "religious" systems when, since the time Sumer, Greater Egypt, and the very advanced Indus Valley Civilization held sway, what we now call "religion" was just the collective daily habits and somewhat superstitious customs of whole societies that made little to no distinction between ordinary life and spirituality.

Buddhism in Celtic Britain and Ireland before Christianity?

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Buddhism in Celtic areas?

Transcultural Buddhism: Celtic Buddhism in pre-Christian Britain

The first Western Buddhist convert to become a monk was Irish

British forces arrival in Mandalay, Burma, in 1885: U Dhammaloka (wiki)

Irish Burmese Theravada Buddhist monk Ven. Dhammaloka in 1902, age approximately 50

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The Irish Buddhist: Forgotten Monk

His name was Venerable (U) Dhammaloka (born Laurence Carroll in the 1850s) from Boostertown, Dublin County, Ireland.

He reportedly gave at least five names for himself, including Laurence O'Rourke and William Colvin [2]. On occasion he used the nom de plume "Captain Daylight."

It is accepted that he was Irish, almost certainly born in Dublin in the 1850s, and emigrated to the United States, possibly via Liverpool. More

Celtic Buddhism, a new lineage

celticbuddhism.org

Welcome to CelticBuddhism.org, a site of benefit and inspiration to those who enter and proceed on the path of Dharma.

The lineage of Celtic Buddhism was suggested in the 1970s during a conversation between the renowned [and abusive, scandal-ridden, Shambhala] Tibetan lama Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche and his student John Perks. The actual development is the result of the mixing of their minds.

What would an Irish Buddhist do?

The lineage was formally incorporated as a non-profit in 1989, when it took on official status. After meeting for years in rented rooms, Venerable Seonaidh Perks established the Anadaire Celtic Buddhist Center on 11 acres in Saxtons River, Vermont, where the sangha ("spiritual community") erected a stone circle that has aided in increasing and focusing energies for transformation.

Sangha members are encouraged to establish a daily meditation practice. Practices range from a host of traditional Tibetan [Vajrayana] Buddhist practices to the more contemporary practices of the Celtic Fire visualization and working with the mandala of the Celtic cross. We also encourage integrating everyday practices in art, music, healing through various modalities -- including animals, and in the world of business.

As a group, some members have gone on yearly retreats to Maine (USA) or to further connect with latent Celtic energies to Ireland and Scotland. One member has delved into thangka painting to explore the emerging Celtic Buddhist mandala.

In March 2010, we celebrated the ordination of Sister Griffin as abbess of Glen Ard Abbey, a newly formed Celtic Buddhist monastery. More: celticbuddhism.org

• Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

God=Tao? Converting Taoism into Christianity

How could the true "Tao" ever be limited to a personality? Pantheon of Taoist Gods (Tao.org)

The Jesuit priest who almost converted Taoism to Christianity

• Matteo Ricci, Latin Matthaeus Riccius (Oct. 6, 1552–May 11, 1610) was an Italian Catholic Jesuit priest and one of the founding figures of the Jesuit China missions.

Ricci: You will worship our God

He created the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu, a 1602 world map written in Chinese characters. In 2022, the Apostolic See declared its recognition of Ricci's heroic virtues, thereby bestowing upon him the honorific of venerable [1]. Ricci arrived at the Portuguese settlement of Macau in 1582, where he began his missionary work in China.

He mastered the Chinese language and writing system.

The West's Vatican will rule China!

He became the first European to enter the Forbidden City of Beijing in 1601 when invited by the Wanli Emperor, who sought his services in matters such as court astronomy and calendrical science.

 

He emphasized parallels between Catholicism and Confucianism but opposed Buddhism.

He converted several prominent Chinese officials to Catholicism. He also worked with several Chinese elites, such as Xu Guangqi, in translating Euclid's Elements into Chinese as well as the Confucian classics into Latin for the first time in history. More

Who was Lao Tzu, founder of Taoism?

(Daily Tao Wisdom) "The Taoist Healing Walk": XI XI HU Technique

• 

  Lao Tzu (aka Laozi)

  LAO TZU (Romanized "the Old Boy," Chinese Laozi, 老子, Pinyin Lǎozǐ) was a legendary Chinese philosopher and sage traditionally credited with writing The Book of Changes or Tao Te Ching (Pinyin Dào Dé Jīng), one of the foundational texts of Taoism.

Traditional accounts identify him as Li Er, born in the 6th century BC in the state of Chu during China's Spring and Autumn period (c. 770–c. 481 BC). He is said to have served as the royal archivist for the Zhou court.

 

Alan Watts on Chinese philosophy: Tao symbol explained

He is also said to have met Confucius (c. 551–c. 479 BC), and to have composed The Book of Changes before withdrawing into the western wilderness.

Modern scholarship, however, has questioned both Lao Tzu’s historicity and the traditional attribution of the Tao Te Ching to a single author. More

• Tao? The Unwobbling Pivot or the Doctrine of the Mean
• Flow with the Tao: Alan Watts reveals The Secret

Confucius

CONFUCIUS, born Kong Qiu, was a Chinese philosopher of the Spring and Autumn period who is traditionally considered the paragon of Chinese sages. Much of the shared cultural heritage of the Sinosphere originates in the philosophy and teachings of Confucius [1].

His philosophical teachings, called Confucianism, emphasize personal and governmental morality, harmonious social relationships, righteousness, kindness, sincerity, and a ruler's responsibilities to lead by virtue [2].

He considered himself a transmitter for the values of earlier periods, which he claimed had been abandoned in his time... More

Alan Watts on unbelievable Taoist-Zen wisdom

 

What is the Tao in Lao Tzu's Taoism?

Outline of the aura: Qigong

Taoism (pronounced Daoism) is a philosophical and religious tradition indigenous to China and is a major influence on Zen. It emphasizes harmony with the Tao (道).

With a range of meanings in Chinese philosophy, translations of Tao include "Way," "Road," "Path," or "Technique," generally understood in the Taoist sense as an enigmatic process of transforming ultimately underlying reality [2, 3].

 

Taoist thought has informed the development of various practices within the Taoist tradition, including forms of

• meditation,
• astrology,
• qigong,
• feng shui, and
• internal alchemy [4].

Meister Lam in Jiuzhaigou: Qigong

A common goal of Taoist practice is self-cultivation, a deeper appreciation of the Tao, and a more harmonious existence [with nature].

Taoist ethics [that blended until they are thought to be of Buddhist origin in Zen] generally emphasize virtues of effortless action, naturalness, simplicity, and the three treasures of compassion, frugality, and humility.

Taoism is a distinct tradition with its own scriptures, priestly lineages, and ritual systems, but it has long been closely intertwined with Zen and Chinese folk religion, and the boundary between them is often fluid in practice [5].

The core of Taoist thought crystallized during... More

• When we stop wanting more, everything changes – Lao Tzu

Alan Watts on Lao Tzu's Tao Te Ching

US right wing hates Pope (Bill Burr)

Willy Organ Billy Corgan has a brother named Bill Burr, critic of Trump

WARNING: Foul language and profanity as Billy Burr gets hypocritical

Burr's unfiltered take on American hypocrisy

(BILL'SlaughFACTORY) April 18, 2025: Billy Burr begins by musing on human hypocrisy and admitting he, too, is a big hypocrite and the absurdity of societal rules, using the example of California's HOV lanes on the traffic-choked freeways. Burr then pivots to a sarcastic comparison between minor traffic violations and the tolerance afforded to hate groups like the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). He questions why such groups persist in modern times, offering darkly humorous potential reasons and critiquing the societal response compared to reactions against other groups after events like 9/11. The shocking comedian concludes by briefly recommending the TV program "Baby Ranger," showcasing an abrupt shift in topic typical of his stand-up routine. Bill (B) was no fan of his famous musician brother Billy (C) until they were tricked into meeting.

Bill, what's the way to alcoholism? - Obviously, it's drinking

Catholic Kimmel caps on conservatives

Trump sells presidency, spreads fake news to South Africa, rants about Qatar jet

Holy smoke, new pope! Roman Catholicism's new emperor is American from Chicago: Leo

I could Make Rome Great Again. I'm willing to buy the office like they used in the good old days

• (CBS News) Who is American Robert Francis Prevost, now the newly crowned Pope Leo XIV?

I approve of this Peruvian Petro to be the new Rock, the new Roman

Holy Roman Catholicism's St. Peter's Square

Pope Leo the 14th (Robert Francis Prevost), 69, from Chicago, USA (a graduate of Villanova University), a trusted confidante of outgoing (deceased) Pope Francis. This is The New Pope.

Chi Town's nice, nicer than the Rock

Pope Leo XIV is an Augustinian cardinal who spent a great deal of time in the Americas, particularly in Peru, as a dual-citizen.

It's an unbelievable development in world history as the temporal leader (tough guy Trump) and the spiritual leader are from the same country, a rich nation that now rules the rest of the world outright instead of just militarily, financially, and hegemonically (in terms of disproportionate influence).

• Cardinal Robert Prevost becomes first American pope (NPR)

Pope Benedict Arnold: Why, God, why not me?

What is it about Chicago to produce the CIA-groomed dictator of Israel (Bibi Netanyahu), CIA-groomed Barry Soetoro Obama, Trump's favorite historical figure (Al "Scarface" Capone), AND now this holy man, the world's first American pope? To be sure, there are other popes (head patriarchs of various Christian churches) in the world. The only explanation given so far? "He's the least American American," which is a nice epigram. If the US is a War Machine, Pope Leo is a man of peace.

MAGA is mad at Marxist pope

(TYT) MAGA is big mad over the Catholic Church's choice for pope

That was fast. It's as if he were pre-selected.

However, this is the continuation of the Holy Roman Empire that rules the world through devotion of more than a billion adherents (1.4 billion total and 1 in 5 Americans) and untold riches stored away in public and secret investment bank accounts all over the world and booty stored in the Vatican (City) in the Holy See.

The grandeur of the Holy Roman Empire headquarters, the palace at Saint Peter's Square

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Rob Prevost: a modest parish priest

The "Holy See" is its own independent country/city-state in the middle of Rome, where Mithras was for so long worshipped until being swapped out for Jewish Jesus Christ and, more importantly, his mother, Goddess Virgin Mary (Jewish Miriam).

Peter the Roman?

You forced me out too soon!

If this is "Peter the Roman," that must mean the USA is the new ROME, the new world-dominating imperial power. Prevost is Italian (ROMAN) and French, on his father's side, with a mother who's French, African, and Spanish, a dual citizen born in the U.S. but also possessing Peruvian citizenship. Peru is as happy as the U.S. about his selection.

• Who's the next Pope? Trump or 'Peter the Roman'?
• Pope coverage on rense.com (mediaarchives.gsradio.net)
• Growing treason at the Vatican -- and what’s ahead
• Will the next pope continue Francis' legacy with LGBTQ Catholics? Is the papal conclave gay enough? (NPR)
• VIDEO: What we know about Leo XIV, the new American pope

Italian Catholic Kimmel likes new pope

Trump 1st agreement, MAGA loses minds over pope, MTG’s dumb-assery

• First American Pope Makes History and MAGA Catholics Already Have Issues | Desi Lydic, The Daily Show
• Team Recovering Catholics, Wisdom Quarterly, COMMENTARY and compilation

Yogananda Fest 2025: What happened?

WHAT HAPPENED?

YoganandaFest.com featured activities

It rained in Los Angeles on Saturday morning, as it has 5 out of the 6 years this fest has existed. So most diehard yogis were undeterred. While it remained cold, cloudy, and drizzly with showers in some parts of the megalopolis that is LA County, which stretches for over 50 miles across as a basin, the sun came out over Torrance, the city (one of 88) hosting the festival.

Lovin schismatic disciple Kriyananda

Yogananda was a great Indian guru who is bigger than the organization that claims to be his exclusive promoter, the Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF). There is a better albeit smaller organization that promotes the real guru, baby and all.

(Could the great Hindu-Christian syncretic-saint have had a baby with one of his American female disciples?) The Ananda Church of Self-Realization (Donate | Yogananda Fest) is a kind of schism that arose among Paramhansa Yogananda's followers.

Autobiography of a Yogi: The
Original 1946 Edition plus

One original disciple, Kriyananda, was a purist. He decided to publish the founder's autobiography in its ORIGINAL (unredacted, unabridged) form. It's better that way to read it, but SRF doesn't like it.

The larger, less orthodox SRF organization made changes to the classic book and will not settle a lawsuit that says the rightful owner of the religious organization is Yogananda's unacknowledged son. There's DNA evidence to back up Ananda's claim, but SRF will not acknowledge, as to do so would mean the loss of their ability to legally claim ownership of the book, its proceeds, the properties spread across LA and elsewhere, and the legacy of the great master. What to do? What to do? More lawyers are needed to settle the issue. Or the son should become a guru, claim his lineage, and speak out publicly rather than behind the Ananda organization. Until then, there are TWO versions of the book. Which have most people read?

After about 9:00 am, with clear skies and lots of enthusiastic participants from the Holy City of Lost Angels, events went on as planned: meditation, Kriya Yoga, Hatha Yoga, inspiring featured speakers and more.

• Also participating: Glendale's Ashwin Clinic-College of Ayurveda Yoga & Vedic Sciences – Ashwin Ayurveda – Love in all we do – since 1901
• Kriya Meditation Ayurveda Yoga Vedic Sciences Clinic/College | Meetup
• 4:30 pm Soundbath and Prana Lifeforce Healing, Sat, May 3, 2025, 4:30 PM | Meetup
• Dharma Buddhist Meditation (Disclosure Project, Los Angeles) Events

Event details

I paved the way for PY in 1893.

Yogananda Fest (YoganandaFest.com – 2025 | Paramhansa Yogananda's Keys for Peace and Happiness) is an annual Kriya and Hatha Yoga, meditation, and spiritual-living festival. Join in an all-day program celebrating and sharing the teachings of the great American missionary and Indian yogi Paramhansa Yogananda.

Indian gurus in the USA?

Swami Paramananda, 1923

[After the arrival of Swami Vivekananda in the United States for the Chicago Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893, visiting Pasadena and declaring it the "Varanasi (Buddhist Kashi and Benares) of America," both set up ashrams here, Swami in South Pasadena and Yogananda in neighboring Mt. Washington, a prominent hill above the next town over, Highland Park, with a magnificent view of the Downtown Los Angeles skyline.

Paramahansa Yogananda, 1920

That mansion became Yogananda's Self Realization Fellowship's Mother Center (older than the magnificent Lake Shrine in Malibu, currently closed due to the Palisades Fire), after the organization's founding in 1920, along with a big temple in Hollywood on Sunset Blvd. (next to an old hospital purchased by Scientology and made into big cult offices), whereas Vivekananda's Victorian style house is a small and easily missed blip on Figueroa Street. Not far from there, a devotee of Sri Anandamayi Ma named Swami Paramananda founded the beautiful and rustic monastery in Glendale/La Crescenta called Ananda Ashram (Ananda Ashrama, spiritual center for Vedanta) in 1923.

Hinduism in America: Converge

So Yogananda is a sort of latecomer but by far the most successful of Indian gurus in America, outshining even the Beatles' cultish Indian guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder and promoter of Transcendental Meditation (TM), which was a fad from the 1960s though still some people swear by it, like a young Jeff Goldblum in his cameo in Annie Hall.

Why does any of this matter? Not only did Hinduism come to America, Buddhism came along as well (many centuries earlier, even before Columbus and Christianity, according to Rick Fields, Edward P. Vining, and other American historians), making an incredible splash that still reverberates and sends out rings of influence. Books have been written about it.]

• Buddhism in America: Global Religion, Local Contexts
• Hannah: The Untold Story of Buddhism
• Meditating at the Glendale Temple, Los Angeles
• Sri Aurobindo, founder of Integral Yoga
• Bikram Yoga's Choudhury, Dick Nixon's trainer
• Hare Krishna Movement (ISKCON)
• Sri Anandamayi Ma: The Divine Mother
• Top 10 Spiritual Gurus of India

West Coast used to have some parties that made LA the antithesis of NYC

• Yogananda Fest – 2025, YouTube.com; Siri, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey (film)

Hannah Nydahl – Ein buddhistischer Weg zur Freiheit (pinterest.de)

The full documentary: Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey

Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey (hannah)

(Kino Lorber) Hannah: Buddhism’s Untold Journey tells the story of Hannah Nydahl and her adventure bringing Tibetan Buddhism to the West.

From her wild and idealistic roots as a hippie in Copenhagen, the film follows Hannah and her husband Ole to the hedonistic [Buddhist but officially Hindu] city of Kathmandu, Nepal.

Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey - Hannah

This is where in 1968 they became two of the first Western students of His Holiness the 16th Karmapa (Rangjung Rigpe Dorje) -- the first consciously reincarnated (tulku) lama of Tibet, and the man who would change their lives forever.

At the heart of the film lies the unique and inspiring love story of Hannah and Ole and their unwavering dedication to bring Buddhism to the West.

• Hannah Nydahl (buddhismus.org)

16th Karmapa, Rangjung Rigpe Dorje with Pope

From Europe and North America, through the fall of communism in Eastern Europe and Russia, to being kidnapped by guerrillas in South America, the film portrays the path of a great woman at the forefront of a turbulent, ever-changing world.

DVD: kinolorber.com/product/hannah... Rent or purchase digitally: kinonow.com/film/hannah-buddh... #movie #film #documentary

• Hannah Nydahl via KinoLorber.com, Nov. 1, 2022 (Hannah: Buddhism's Untold Journey trailer); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly