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| Finally, "Buddhism" makes verifiable sense! |
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| Why do monks and nuns chant in Pali? |
- What the Buddha Taught: revised and expanded edition with texts from suttas and the Dhammapada (Ven. Walpola Rahula, Paul Demieville)
Zen Buddhism came much later
Showing posts with label monasticism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label monasticism. Show all posts
Friday, August 28, 2026
Can we go back to original Buddhism?
Saturday, July 4, 2026
Wednesday, July 1, 2026
How monks defeated CIA's mind control
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| Dalai Lama meets with former CIA Director and then current U.S. President G. H. Bush |
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| Pres. George W: Hey, Dolly, my Dad has a lot good things to say about you. Yer in the loop! |
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| The CIA's Project Monarch trained female honey pot assassins with mind control. (Erika Kirk) |
Monday, June 1, 2026
Female enlightened masters went 'insane'?
Four female enlightened masters who went completely “insane”
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| Taoist Master Sun Bu'er |
This is the story of mystics who looked mad on the outside but were actually living proof of the deepest spiritual truths ever discovered.
1. Sun Bu'er destroyed her own beauty to escape the prison of the ego and became the only woman among the Seven Immortals of Taoism.
QUESTION: Gurudev, what does Asangoham [the name of this channel] mean? Gurudev, kindly explain the meaning of Asangoham (a phrase often chanted by Gurudev in the Advanced Meditation or Silence Course).
Young Sri Anandamayi Ma - ANSWER (by Gurudev @SriSriRaviShankar ji): "I am not this," that is what Asangoham means. For example, I am wearing the cloth, but I am not the cloth...I am not the body. I am not the thoughts, I am not the mind. Like this you go on to negate one by one all the layers of identity. And finally when you ask, "Who am I?" You will find nothing. "I am nothing..." That is what Asangoham is. Sangoham means "being one with it." If I think I am my clothes, then that is a problem. I am beyond all these layers of existence. If I think that I am my thoughts, my emotions, my sensations then I lose track of my vast nature. Therefore, to reach the realization of our vastness we say, "I am not this and I am not th[at]," repeatedly.
- Gurudev sings: Mano Budhyahankaar Chittani Naaham, Na Cha Shrotra Jihve Na Cha Ghraana netre Na Cha Vyoma Bhumir Na Tejo Na Vayuh, Chidananda Rupah Shivoham Shivoham (from the Atma-shatkam by Adi Shankara-Acharya): "I am not the mind, intellect, memory, or ego. I am not this, not this, not this. This is the way of negating and going into that hollow and empty space. This shiva tattva is what I really am. This realization is what meditation is, that is samadhi.
- [EDITOR'S NOTE: Buddhism goes further to the realization that ANY identification is in error, and because there is no-self (no-atman, anatta, no soul, no self, no ego to cling to, in the ultimate sense, one lets go, ceases to cling, as is liberated to Truth, to enlightenment, to nirvana). But because the Old Vedic Religion and later Hinduism are not aware of this, they call Atma-shatkam Nirvana-shatkam as this level of "self realization" is the highest attainable for them. Were they to practice in line with what "Lord Buddha" taught, they might well make an end of all further rebirth and suffering, but ordinary worldlings, even the spiritual kind, are not interested in that. They long for rebirth in the heaven they deem supreme, the World of Brahma, and fail to grasp what Brahman is. No one should ever mistakenly think Vedic Hinduism and Buddhism teach the same thing. They are worlds apart for all their shared language and history.]
2. Anandamayi Ma surrendered her freewill so completely that she became a living puppet of the divine.
- [NOTE: Wisdom Quarterly loves Sri Anandamayi Ma (Anandamayi Ma Indian saint) not only because of her spectacular beauty and realization but because she was a favorite of Swami Paramananda, the founder of our local Ananda Ashram. (Yelp).]
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| Valenciennes. Marguerite Porete, une héroïne médiévale méconnue |
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3. Marguerite Porete [French Christian mystic] smiled as she burned at the stake for teaching that the awakened soul outgrows religion itself.
4. Bernadette Roberts [Carmelite Catholic nun] lost God, lost her self, and walked straight into the void to discover the raw truth of pure consciousness.
“Only God is love, and for this love to be fully realized self must step aside. And not only do we not need a self to love God, but for the same reason we do not need a mind to know [God], for that in us which knows God, is God.”
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| How sweet to glimpse the Truth |
This deep dive explores non-duality, ego death, enlightenment, and the terrifying spiritual awakenings that the world mistook for insanity.
Drawn to Advaita Vedanta (nondualism), Taoist internal alchemy, Christian mysticism, consciousness, and the [true] nature of the self? This journey into the minds of history's (herstory's) most misunderstood mystics will stay with you.
Subscribe to Asangoham for more on consciousness, spirituality, enlightenment, and the hidden masters who saw through the illusion.
⏱️ CHAPTERS
- The woman who burned her own beautiful face
- The puppet of the divine
- The smiling heretic
- The nun who lost God
- HOME | ANANDAMAYI MA INDIAN SAINT
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| Women, just like men, can do this. |
DISCLAIMER 01: 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.
DISCLAIMER 02: All materials in these videos are used for entertainment purposes and fall within the guidelines of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. If anyone is, or represents, the copyright owner of materials used in this video and have an issue with the use of said material, please send an email to: doseofquotes02@gmail.com. Copyright © 2025 Asangoham. All rights reserved.
- Archaeologists found an ancient Maya map of the universe carved into bedrock (Popular Mechanics)
Tuesday, December 16, 2025
I became a Taoist monk for a year
(George Thompson) I lived as monk for year. Here's what happened. Wuhan pandemic lockdown
Sunday, July 20, 2025
Why I'm moving to Mexico (video)
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| Founding Father Emiliano Zapata wants you to join the US Army and get the heck out of MX |
- The Spirit Nomad, YouTube; Amber Larson (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly
Friday, April 4, 2025
Essene treasure, Jewish temple, scroll
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| The Dead Sea Scrolls: Genesis Apocryphon, treasures of the ancient Essenes (wiki) |
The lost treasure of the Israelites: The Temple, the Essenes, and the Copper Scroll
Discovered in 1952 and opened in 1955, the Copper Scroll has fired the imaginations of scholars and treasure-hunters alike. But the language of the text is difficult: Strange Greek letters appear, and ancient abbreviations have made the text difficult to decode.
What are the treasures of the Copper Scroll? Where do they come from, the mysterious Essenes or the Jerusalem Temple? Are the treasures still to be found in the hills and deserts around Jericho? Let's explore the 3Q15, the Copper Scroll
Consider supporting Esoterica on Patreon: esotericachannel. One-time donation support via PayPal: paypal.me/esotericachannel. Merch: @theesotericachannel.
New to studying esotericism? Check out reading guide: docs.google.com/document/d/1c...
Rare occult books: esotericaoccultbooks.com. Recommended readings:
The Complete Dead Sea Scrolls in English. Puech: The Copper Scroll Revisited. Lefkovits: The Copper Scroll 3QI5: A Reevaluation.
- Shauna Schwartz, Sheldon S., Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Saturday, December 14, 2024
Believe it or Not: Buddhist Monk
Friday, February 7, 2020
How Pa Auk Sayadaw became enlightened
Setti Wessels; Pa-Auk Center via Tusita Int'l; Dhr. Seven (ed.), Kalyani, Wisdom Quarterly
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| I verified the Path in the Pali canon works. |
The most significant Theravada Buddhist teacher in the world today, certainly in Burma, is the most Venerable Bhaddanta Aciṇṇa.
He is commonly referred to as “Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw” or less formally as simply “Pa-Auk Sayadaw.” He is the abbot and principal teacher at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. Sayadaw is a Burmese title that means “respected teacher.”
He is commonly referred to as “Venerable Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw” or less formally as simply “Pa-Auk Sayadaw.” He is the abbot and principal teacher at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. Sayadaw is a Burmese title that means “respected teacher.”
In 1934, Sayadaw was born in Leigh-Chaung Village, Hinthada Township, in the delta region about 100 miles north-west of the capital of Burma, Rangoon (now Yangon, Myanmar).
In 1944, at age 10, he ordained as a novice monk (samanera) to train at his village monastery. During the next decade, he pursued the life of a typical scholar-novice, studying the texts of the Pali canon (including the Monastic Disciplinary Code, the Buddha's discourses, and the ultimate teachings or vinaya, suttas, and Abhidhamma) under various teachers. He passed the three Pali language exams while still a novice.
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| Sayadaw-gyi is the greatest monk of our time! (wiki) |
In 1954, at age 20, Sayadaw received higher ordination as a monk (bhikkhu). He continued his study of the Pali canon under the guidance of learned elder monks.
In 1956, he passed the prestigious Dhamma-acariya exam, the equivalent of earning a B.A. in Buddhist studies, which confers the title of “Dharma Teacher.”
For the next eight years, Sayadaw continued his personal investigation and verification of the Dharma, travelling throughout Burma to learn from various well known teachers.
In 1956, he passed the prestigious Dhamma-acariya exam, the equivalent of earning a B.A. in Buddhist studies, which confers the title of “Dharma Teacher.”
For the next eight years, Sayadaw continued his personal investigation and verification of the Dharma, travelling throughout Burma to learn from various well known teachers.
In 1964, during his tenth “rains retreat” (vassa) as a fully ordained Buddhist monk, he turned his attention to intensifying his meditation practice and began the practice of “forest dwelling.” He continued his study of the Pali texts but in addition sought out practical instructions from the most revered meditation masters of those times.
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| When one knows-and-sees dependent origination with a cleansed mind, one awakens. |
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| Burma is the large landmass on the right, renamed Myanmar by the military dictatorship. |
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| High in the Himalayas on retreat with Sayadaw, India |
For the next 16 years, he made forest dwelling his primary practice. He spent these years in Mon state in the southern part of Burma -- three years in Mudon Township (south of Mawlamyine) and 13 years in Ye Township (about 100 miles down the coast). During this time, he lived a very simple life, devoting his time to intensive meditation and the study of the Pali canon.
In 1981 Sayadaw received a message from the abbot of Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Ven. Aggapañña. The abbot was dying and asked Ven. Acinna to look after the monastery. Five days later, Ven. Aggapañña passed away. As the new abbot of the monastery, Ven. Acinna became known as “Pa-Auk Tawya Sayadaw.”
Although he oversaw the running of the monastery, Sayadaw would spend most of his time in seclusion, meditating in a bamboo hut in the upper forested area, which covered a deserted range of hills running along the base of the Taung Nyo mountain range. This area later came to be known as the Upper Monastery.
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| Panoramic view of the Kullu Valley, India |
In the 1990s, foreign meditators began to arrive at the monastery. As Sayadaw’s reputation steadily grew, the Upper Monastery gradually expanded from a simple bamboo hut encampment and a handful of disciples to more than 250 meditation huts (kutis) in the thinning forest.
The area included a large two-story meditation hall for men, a library (with office, computer room, and men’s dormitory on the lower levels), a clinic, a hospital, an almsgiving hall, a two-story refectory, a reception hall, and Sayadaw's dwelling.
The Lower Monastery includes facilities of more than 180 meditator's huts, a large kitchen, a three-story meditation hall for women (with sleeping quarters on the ground floor), and a five-story dormitory.
In March of 2007, there were more than 130 foreign monks, nuns, and lay practitioners residing at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery. During the annual three-month rains retreat, the total monastic population averages between 600-700.
Together with laypeople, the monastery population sometimes tops 1,500 during festival times.
In 1997 Sayadaw published his magnum opus, an enormous five-volume tome entitled The Practice that Leads to Nibbana (Nirvana), explaining the entire course of teaching in detail and supported by copious quotations from the Pali texts. It is available only in Burmese and Sinhalese.
On January 4th, 1999, in public recognition of Sayadaw’s achievements, the government bestowed upon him the title Agga Maha Kammatthanacariya, which means “Greatly Respected Teacher of Meditation.”
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| Sayadaw attained in a time of great tumult. |
Sayadaw now speaks fluent English and has lectured and led retreats outside of Burma since 1997. In December of 2006, he travelled to Sri Lanka to undertake a long-term personal retreat, staying in seclusion and suspending his teaching schedule throughout 2007.
His teaching schedule for 2008 included a four-month retreat in the U.S., which ran from July to October, at the Forest Refuge in Barre, Massachusetts (Insight Meditation Society).
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Sayadaw personally conducted a six-month intensive retreat at Pa-Auk Forest Monastery, Burma from January to June of 2010. After the retreat, Sayadaw joined the monks from Tusita Hermitage in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh, India for the Rains Retreat. At that time Sayadaw entered his own personal retreat for that three-month period. Source
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Sayadaw’s teachings have been published in English, and several are highly regarded internationally. For he is both a highly esteemed Dhammā-acariya ("Dharma Teacher") and a personally accomplished Kammaṭṭhānā-acariya ("Meditation Teacher"). He has lectured and led retreats in the USA, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Germany, and the UK.
In 2009, Sayadaw was bestowed the title of Shwekyin Nikāya Rattaññūmahānāyaka [a great elder in the second largest monastic order in Burma] at the 17th Shwekyin Nikaya Saṅgha Conferencce in Burma. Original source
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| He did. So can you. (PATM) |
At that time when one arrived at the forest nunnery and monastery, the Pa Auk Tawya Meditation Center, one started down a long muddy road. It had become a town, attracting Burmese devotees, ardent spiritual seekers from the West and Far East. It was vegetarian, egalitarian, with many nuns from different countries. It was open to everyone with an open hand. The gem was the great teacher, who could instruct someone from being unable to meditate to the final attainment of nirvana, spiritual awakening, complete enlightenment. We would not believe it had we not visited and seen it with our own eyes. Not only do people attain here, it happens in the West because Sayadaw and his accomplished teachers teach retreats beyond Burma.
Sunday, October 27, 2019
Ajanta Buddhist Caves of India (video)
Madras Documentary Co, 9/16; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit
Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra state, India - In the midst of breathtaking beauty, surrounded by the magnificence of nature, Buddhist monastics or visitors from space (akasha-loka devas) must have devoted their lives to the Shakyamuni Buddha.
He was their fully awakened teacher, and they spent their lives in quiet meditation and systematic contemplation, making a virtue of simplicity, soon becoming an integral part of the awe-inspiring environment.
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| British architect James Fergusson 1945 drawing of one rock cut chamber in Cave 19. |
Ajanta: The History and Mystery
Ajanta Caves, Maharashtra state, India - In the midst of breathtaking beauty, surrounded by the magnificence of nature, Buddhist monastics or visitors from space (akasha-loka devas) must have devoted their lives to the Shakyamuni Buddha. |
| Stupa, columns, high ceilings all cut out of rock |
It takes but a moment to enter these caves, to close one's eyes and conjure up the aura of all that has gone on here. Listen to the chanting monastics. Watch the murals and sculptures come alive under the magical fingers of gifted artisans. Feel the touch of Nature and brush up against the past.
It took the conviction of generations and efforts of centuries to create these caves. We owe it to unknown artists to study their works with the reverence they deserve.
Who, what, where, when, why?
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| Theravada monks pay homage inside (wiki). |
(Wiki) The Ajanta Caves are approximately 30 rock-cut Buddhist cave monuments that are thought to date from the 2nd century BCE to about 480 CE in Aurangabad district of Maharashtra state of India.
The caves include exquisite paintings and rock-cut sculptures that are among the finest surviving examples of ancient Indian art, particularly expressive paintings that present emotion through gesture, pose, and form.
According to UNESCO the masterpieces of this world heritage site are Buddhist religious art that influenced the Indian art that followed.
The caves were built in two phases, the first phase starting around the 2nd century BCE, second phase around 400–650 CE, according to older accounts, or in a brief period of 460–480 CE. More
Thursday, October 17, 2013
Why become a Buddhist ascetic? (King Milinda)
Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly, "The Questions of King Milinda" [Menander] (Miln), Milindapañha (as.miami.edu/phi/bio/Buddha/Milinda)
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| Indo-Greco art from Mes Aynak ("Copper Well"), Afghanistan (irtiqa-blog.com) |
Lay Life vs. Monasticism
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| Greek King Milinda (Menander 1) coin |
King Milinda (Greek, Menander) asked the Buddhist sage: "Venerable Nagasena, the Blessed One has said:
"‘Right spiritual progress is praiseworthy for householders and wandering ascetics alike. Both householders and wandering ascetics, when progressing rightly, can accomplish, because of their right progress, the right method, the Dharma, which is wholesome.’
"‘Right spiritual progress is praiseworthy for householders and wandering ascetics alike. Both householders and wandering ascetics, when progressing rightly, can accomplish, because of their right progress, the right method, the Dharma, which is wholesome.’
"If, Nagasena, a householder, dressed in white, enjoying the pleasures of the senses, inhabiting a house overcrowded with spouse and family, using fragrant sandalwood of Benares, as well as garlands, perfumes, and creams, owning gold and silver, wearing a turban ornamented with gold and jewels, can, if s/he progresses rightly, accomplish the right method, the Dharma, the wholesome, and if a wandering ascetic, bald-headed, clad in saffron robe, dependent on alms offerings for a livelihood, careful to fulfil correctly the four sections of monastic virtue, submitting to the 150 path-to-liberation (pratimoksa) rules, and observing all 13 Sane Ascetic Practices (dhutanga), without omitting any, can also, if progressing rightly, accomplish the right method, the Dharma, the wholesome -- then, venerable sir, What is the difference between the householder and the wandering ascetic?
"Fruitless is your austerity, useless is the homeless (wandering ascetic) life, barren is the observation of the monastic rules, in vain do you observe the sane ascetic practices! What is the use of inflicting pain upon yourself if you can gain nirvana while remaining at ease?"
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| UCLA: Save Buddhist-Afghan site (WQ) |
Nagasena replied: "You have quoted the Blessed One's words correctly, your majesty. To make right progress is indeed the most excellent thing of all.
"And if the wandering ascetic, in the consciousness of being a wandering ascetic, should fail to progress rightly, then one would be far from the state of an ascetic, far from a supreme life. Still more so would that apply to a householder dressed in white.
"But both the householder and the wandering ascetic are alike in that, when they progress rightly, they accomplish the right method, the Dharma, the wholesome.
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| Wish-fulfilling gem |
"Nevertheless, your majesty, it is the wandering ascetic who is the master of the pure life. To be a wandering ascetic has many and numerous, even infinite, virtues (benefits). To measure the virtues of being a wandering ascetic is not at all possible. It is like a [chintamani] jewel that fulfills all one's wishes; one cannot measure its value in terms of money and say that it is worth so much.
Like the waves in the great ocean, one cannot measure and say that there are so many. All that the wandering ascetic still has to do, one succeeds in doing rapidly and without taking a long time over it. And why is that? It is because the wandering ascetic, your majesty, is content with little, easily pleased, secluded from the world, not addicted to society, energetic, independent, solitary, perfect in conduct, austere in practice, skilled in all that concerns inner purification and spiritual progress.
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| Beautiful Buddhist jewelry recovered from the Mes Aynak monastic complex/town archeological site, Afghanistan, suggesting that beauty, baubles, and sensual delights were quite popular. Treasure dated from 500 AD to 700 AD (Kadir/Salam Viking). |
Such a person is like your javelin, your majesty -- smooth, even, well polished, straight, clean, and shining. When it is well thrown, it will fly exactly as you want it to. In the same way, whatever the wandering ascetic still has to do, one succeeds in doing it all rapidly and without taking a long time over it."
"Well spoken, Nagasena. So it is, and so I accept it."
Nagasena continued: "In any case, your majesty, all those who as householders, living in a home and in the enjoyment of sensual pleasures, realize the peace of nirvana, the highest good, they have all been trained in former lives in the 13 Sane Ascetic Practices peculiar to [Buddhist monastic] disciples, and through them they have laid the foundations for their present realization and attainment. It is because they had purified their conduct and behavior by means of them then that now even as householders, living in a home and in the enjoyment of sense pleasures, they can realize the peace of nirvana, the highest good.
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| Child plays with novice monk, Leh, Ladakh, Buddhist India (Vincenzo Rossi/flickr.com) |
House or Monastery?
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| Bad dog! Check your motives. |
"But whoever enters the Monastic Order bad motives -- from covetousness, deceitfully, out of greed and gluttony, desirous of gain, fame, or reputation, unsuitably, unqualified, unfit, unworthy, unseemly -- that person shall incur a twofold comeuppance, which will prove ruinous to all one's good qualities.
In this very life, one shall be scorned, derided, reproached, ridiculed, and mocked. One shall be shunned, expelled, ejected, removed, and banished.
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| What could account for Sam winning the "Ugliest Dog in the World" contest? (EIT) |
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| Aw, poor baby! (ugliest dog in the world) |
In the next life, like foam which is tossed about, up and down and across, one shall cook for many hundreds of thousands of aeons (kalpas, which also be interpreted as meaning "ordinary lifespans") in the great Waveless Deep (Avici) hell, which is a hundred leagues big, and all ablaze with hot, scorching, fierce, and fiery flames.
"And when one has been released thence, one's entire body will become emaciated, rough, and black, one's head swollen, bloated and full of holes.
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| As hungry as a ghost or preta (WP) |
Hungry and thirsty, disagreeable and dreadful to look at, one's ears all torn, eyes constantly blinking, entire body one putrid mass of sores, dense with maggots, bowels afire and blazing like a mass of fire fanned by a breeze, helpless and unprotected, weeping, crying, wailing, and lamenting, consumed by unsatisfied longings -- that person who once was a religious wanderer shall then as a large hungry ghost roam about on the earth bewailing that fate.
"But if, on the other hand, a person enters the Monastic Order (Sangha) suitably, qualified, fit, worthy and seemly, content with little, easily pleased, secluded (withdrawing and protecting the senses) from the worldly, not addicted to society, energetic and resolute, without fraud or deceit, not gluttonous, not desirous of gain, fame, or reputation, devout and with confidence (saddha, faith), out of a desire to free oneself from old age and death and to uphold the Buddha's dispensation (sasana), then one deserves to be honored in two ways, by both devas and humans.
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| The devas find one dear (wallpaper.365greetings.com) |
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| Beauty pageant |
The 37 Requisites of Enlightenment
"In that person
- The Four Foundations (Posts or Pillars) of Mindfulness reach their full development, as do
- The Four Right Efforts,
- The Four Roads to [Psychic] Success,
- The Five Faculties,
- The Five Powers,
- The Seven Factors of Enlightenment, and
- The Noble Eightfold Path.
"One attains to calm and insight, and one's progressive attainments continue to mature, and one becomes a repository of the Four Fruits of the Spiritual Life (Samana Phala), of the Four Analytical Knowledges, the Threefold Knowledge, and the Six Super Knowledges, in short, of the whole Dharma of the spiritual life, and one is consecrated with the brilliantly white parasol of emancipation." More
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