Female enlightened masters went 'insane'?

Four female enlightened masters who went completely “insane”

Taoist Master Sun Bu'er

(Asangoham) May 28, 2026: #egodeath #consciousness #nonduality Four women throughout history were called "insane," possessed, and heretical. But each one had broken through to a level of awakening most people never touch.

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.

• 

  Young Sri Anandamayi Ma

  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).
• 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.

Atma-shatakam (with lyrics) by Rishi Nityapragya | Rejoicing Rishi-ji

• 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).]

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.

Bernadette Roberts (Enlightened People)

 

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.”

— Bernadette Roberts

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

Women, just like men, can do this.

#egodeath #spirituality #nonduality #enlightenment #consciousnes Script: Sid. Edit: Joana Cruz. Voiceover: Rohit Dave. Original score: @asangvani.

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)

Conscious Life Expo 2026 (Feb. 20-23)

Los Angeles' massive annual spiritual bazaar pops up near LAX every February around Valentine's Day. The Conscious Life Expo presents cutting edge spiritual, scientific, health, and wellness information as well as life-changing experiences. Thousands of attendees flood into this annual event in Los Angeles, the City of [Lost] Angels. Join CLE's hundreds of speakers and exhibitors, vendors and gurus, whistleblowers and mystics, filling three floors of the LAX Hilton as everyone happily participates in the transformation of the world. (Tickets)

The Conscious Life Expo DISCOUNT TICKETS

KEYNOTE ADDRESSES: Ross Coulthart, Dr. Diane Hennacy, Dana Kippel, Koya Webb, Danny Goler, Rayan Raelsbek

SPECIAL EVENTS: Seances with Susan Slaughter, Astrology Symposium Forum, Disclosure Lunch, Plant Medicine Symposium, Live Play About Ascension, Hall of Healing

FEBRUARY 2026 SPEAKERS: Darryl Anka-Bashar, Elizabeth April, Linda Moulton Howe, Matias De Stefano, Robert Edward Grant, Sarah Breskman Cosme, Billy Carson, Althea Lucrezia Avanzo, Debbie Solaris, Ross Coulthart, Paul Hynek, Dr. Diane Hennacy, Jimmy Church, Stephen Bassett, Gail Thackray, Dr. Bryan Ardis, Riz Virk, Ismael Perez, Thomas Winterton, Adam Apollo, Megan SolarGlow, Daniel Sheehan, Caroline Cory, Tigo Bizzel, Sitara Fe, Dana Kippel, Koya Webb, Jason Martell, Danny Goler, Wendy Kennedy, Susan Slaughter, Rayan Raelsbek, Lisa Garr, Sondra Sneed, Sacha Stone, Dannion Brinkley, Oracle Maureen, Karyn Reece, The Nurse Medium Maureen St. Germain, Maverick Approach, Deep Prasad, Monique Guild, Dr. Clint G. Rogers, Blake Bauer, Maria Martinez, Melina Takvorian-Mishra, Jerry Sargeant, Fer Broca, Masati, Neil Gaur, Amy Robeson, Rissa Vibes, Deborah Stuart, Matt Young, Toni Ghazi, Michelle Dragon, Galaxy Starborn, Sarah Shook, Rebecca Dawson, Sid Goldberg, Yama Mitsu, Susanne Wilson, Master Clarice Chan, Emy Shanti, Marzcia Techau, A.L. Garris, Melissa Feick, Marilyn Gewacke, Drs. J.J. & Desiree Hurtak, Leigh Anne Harrison, Shima Moore, Opal Unicorn, Banafsheh Sayyad, Paget Kagy, Uri Lee, Dr. Sharnael Wolverton Sehon, Victoria Pippo, Paul Harris, Serena Wright Taylor, Cassandra Joan Butler, Guru Matthew John, Jerome Martin, Aurora Luna Star, Alan Steinfeld, Emily Harrison, Ken Lloyd, Bridgette, Eleonora, Delssy, Marisa Grieco, Blitz, Gold Porter, Marlu Harris, Carol Margaret Lowell, Dani Heise, Aurea Lara, Mary Buckingham, Anastasia Armanova, JJ Brighton, Eva Krom, Lori Spagna, Gary Kiss, Phil Wilson.

2026 POST-CONFERENCES: Bashar, Dr. Diane Hennacy, Ross Coulthart, Wendy Kennedy, Linda Moulton Howe, Sarah Breskman Cosme, Jerry Sargeant, Robert Edward Grant, Blake Bauer, Danny Sheehan, Billy Carson, Darryl Anka, Sylvie Sterling, Toni Ghazi, Anthony Kalask, Ken Lloyd, Master Clarice Chan, Tracee Dunblazier, Gail Thackray, The Nurse Medium, Brandy Weld, Koya Webb, Astrology Symposium, Entheogenic Medicine Symposium, Plant Medicine Symposium.

2026 LECTURES: Tracee Dunblazier, Mike Ricksecker, Debra Guisti, Michelle Freed, Drs. J.J. & Desiree Hurtak, Debbi Dachinger, Jos Daniel, David Palmer, Dr. Sharnael Wolverton Sehon, Ashlee DiSalvo, Opal Unicorn, John Klug, Neil Gaur, Paget Kagy, Sandra Biskind, Dr. Christopher McLaine, Gina Vance, Suzanne Ross, Naoko Tamada, Renee Baribeau, Donna Pombriant, Maria Martinez, Dr. Q Moyad, Brian Besco, Galaxy Starborn, Guru Matthew John, Keith Seland, Jane Masteller, Kathleen Ball, Adrienne Bawa, Paul Harris, Dick Larson, Anya Starlight, Jacob Hoy, Jose Zambrano, Oracle Maureen, Helen Plehn, Unicole Unicron, Melissa Winterton, Jim Ohneck, Stan Kurtz, Terry Brussel-Rogers, Sylvie Sterling, Joanna Espinosa, Stacey Shell, Pamela Nicolas, Ken Lloyd, Marzcia Techau, Margarit Mane' Yetaryn, Masati, Deborah Stuart, A.L. Garris, Rehmannia Dean Thomas, Aurea Lara, Gaia Mariana, Melissa Feick, Yama Mitsu, Bruce White Feather, Carmen Froment, Denea Hugunin, Brent Bruning, Matt Young, Douglas Taylor, Nguyet "Moon" Nguyen, Andy Hnilo, Uri Lee, Douglas Sutton, Mayra Rath, Amy Starseed, Katarina Reyes, Maria Eleonora Magdalena, Samuel Kiwasz, Papa-Yoni Das, Shahin Jedian, Barbie Godoy, Khorsian Blanc-Ridings, Maureen St. Germain, Tom Kerber, Mark Kohl, Kathleen Lee, Marlu Harris, Carol Margaret Lowell, Dr. Darrell Wolfe, Dr. Har Hari Khalsa, Carolin Hauser & Tim Nelsen, Dr. Luke Cua, Linda Canary, Michelle Watkins, Sanjay Soni, Larry Oberau, Chris Bradley, Matt Alexander, Melissa St. Hilaire, Ewa Zender, Sy Wind, Raffaele Gianfrancesco, Antoinette Rootsdawtah, Kathleen Gildred, Krissy Colasonno, Rebecca Vindenoff, Naya Cosmic, Tanjila Islam, Monique Franceschini, Medizen Mama, Wendy Reitz, Gary Kiss, Kommany Angelstar, Phil Wilson, Melina Takvorian-Mishra, Jason Schmidt, Mona Loring, Roy Abadi, Jerry Sargeant, Janelle Corpuz, Anistara Ma Ka, Apu Adman & Zanny Morales, Marta Maria Marraccini, Shamananda Lee, Brahmachari Luciano, Tecpati Mictlantecuhtli, Abi Ferrin & Txana Tuwe, Irene Schulz, Jason Stiles, Tamika Aaron, Seadar Green, Jenna Lee, Chris Shelton, Tammy Lynn Calderon, Victoria Shaw, Leslie Zerman, Amy Sikarskie, You?

• consciouslifeexpo.com

Alan Watts: Mysticism, nonduality, feelings

Alan Watts (alanwatts.org); Pat Macpherson, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit nondual

Union is, by another word, nonduality. In Advaita Vedanta (Sanskrit अद्वैत वेदान्त), a Hindu sādhanā or path of spiritual practice/discipline and experience [Note 1].

It is the oldest extant tradition of the orthodox Brahminical/Hindu school Vedānta [Note 2], incorporated by Brahmins into Mahayana Buddhism. (See below).

The term Advaita (literally "non-secondness" but usually rendered as "nondualism" [4, 5] and often equated with monism [Note 3]) refers to the idea that Brahman ("GOD") alone is ultimately real, while the transient phenomenal world is an illusion, an illusory appearance (maya) of Brahman.

In this view, (jiv) Ātman, the "experiencing self," and Ātman-Brahman, the "Highest Self and Absolute Reality," is non-different [3, 6, 7, Note 4].

The jivatman or "individual self" is a mere reflection or limitation of singular Ātman in a multitude of apparent individual bodies [8]. More: Advaita Vedanta

Mahayana Buddhist influences

The influence of Mahayana Buddhism on Advaita Vedānta has been significant [362,363]. Sharma points out that the early commentators on the Brahma Sutras were all realists or pantheist realists.

He states that they were influenced by Buddhism, particularly during the 5th-6th centuries CE when Buddhist thought developing in the Yogacara School [364].

Von Glasenap states that there was a mutual influence between Vedanta and Buddhism [Note 67].

Dasgupta and Mohanta suggest that Buddhism and Shankara's Advaita Vedānta represent "different phases of development of the same non-dualistic metaphysics from the Upanishadic period to the time of Sankara" [365, Note 68].

The influence of Buddhist doctrines on Gauḍapāda has been a vexed question [368, 369]. Modern scholarship generally accepts that Gauḍapāda was influenced by Buddhism, at least in terms of using Buddhist terminology to explain his ideas, but adds that Gauḍapāda was a Vedantist and not a Buddhist [368].

Adi Shankara, according to Natalia Isaeva, incorporated "into his own system a Buddhist notion of maya [illusion] which had not been minutely elaborated in the Upanishads" [360].

According to Mudgal, Shankara's Advaita and the Buddhist Madhyamaka view of ultimate reality are compatible because they are both transcendental, indescribable, non-dual, and only arrived at through a via negativa (neti neti).

Mudgal concludes therefore that "the difference between Sunya-vada ("Emptiness Teaching" or Mahayana) philosophy of Buddhism and Advaita philosophy of Hinduism may be a matter of emphasis, not of kind [370].

Similarly, there are many points of contact between Buddhism's Vijnanavada ["Consciousness Teaching" or possibly the "mind-only" school] and Shankara's Advaita [371]. According to S.N. Dasgupta:

"Adi Shankara and his followers borrowed much of their dialectic form of criticism from the Buddhists. His Brahman was very much like the sunya ["emptiness"] of Nagarjuna...

"The debts of Shankara to the self-luminosity [Note 6] of the Vijnanavada Buddhism can hardly be overestimated. There seems to be much truth in the accusations against Shankara by Vijnana Bhiksu and others that he was a hidden Buddhist himself.

"I am led to think that Shankara's philosophy is largely a compound of Vijnanavada and Sunyavada Buddhism with the Upanisad notion of the permanence of self superadded [372].

Differences from Buddhism

The Advaita Vedānta tradition has historically rejected accusations of crypto-Buddhism highlighting their respective views on Atman ("Self"), Anatta ("Not-self"), and Brahman ("GOD") [373].

Yet, some Buddhist texts chronologically placed in the 1st millennium of the common era, such as the Mahayana tradition's Tathāgatagarbha Sūtras suggest self-like concepts, variously called Tathagatagarbha or "Buddha Nature" [374, 375].

In modern era studies, scholars such as Wayman and Wayman state that these "self-like" concepts are neither self nor a sentient being, nor a soul, nor a personality [376, 377].

Some scholars posit that the Tathagatagarbha Sutras were written to promote Buddhism to non-Buddhists [378, 379, 380]. More

For those who've had a mystical experience

The Institute for Mystical Experience Research and Education (imere.org)

“A human being…experiences himself…as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness….Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature…”

— Nobel Laureate in Physics Albert Einstein (1921)

What to call the reverse, the sudden realization that we are not separate? Mystical Experience • Cosmic Consciousness • Enlightenment Experience • God-Realization • Kensho • NDE Like Experience • Near Death Like Experience • Oneness Experience • Religious Experience • Samadhi • Self-Realization • Spiritual Awakening • Spiritual Experience • Transcendent Experience • Unitive Experience.

For at least the last 3,000 years, people from every region of the world have experienced something extraordinary and transformational – the mystical experience.

During a mystical experience, there exists a simple unity, a pure consciousness, or non-duality of observer and observed (advaita).

In addition to oneness, the defining features of mystical experience include feelings of sacredness, peace, and bliss, a sense of transcending time and space, and an intuitive conviction that the experience is a source of objective truth about reality.

1 The effects of mystical experiences are of enormous value to both experiencers and humanity. On a personal level, mystical experience leads to sudden and lasting positive changes in an experiencer’s character and values.

2 And on a global scale, mystical experiences lie at or near the foundation of religions generally and thus even of civilization itself. Indeed, the mystical roots of conscious experience reveal a deep human identity, transcending all national, racial, personal, and theological differences.

3 It is therefore vital to further our understanding of these important, transformative experiences. The Institute for Mystical Experience Research and Education (IMERE) is dedicated to empirical research on mystical experiences.

Its mission is to advance the creation, communication, and application of mystical experience knowledge to help unite people throughout the world and to assist individuals in their spiritual growth. 

At present, IMERE’s primary research project is an international survey of people who have had mystical experiences. (See the Mystical Experience Questionnaire page for more information).

By working to collect thousands of mystical experience questionnaires from people from all over the world, IMERE is furthering the human understanding of these important transcendental experiences.

IMERE invites all to thoroughly explore its website to find out more. And if anyone believes such an experience occurred or may have occurred, such persons are warmly encouraged to share such experiences using the Online Mystical Experience Questionnaire. (Submissions will be kept anonymous unless they indicate otherwise).

It is these people who drive the success of IMERE. Questions or comments? Do not hesitate to contact IMERE, who very much looks forward to hearing from mystics.

I was God. Everyone told me so.

NOTE: mystical experience is often referred to by different names, including, but not limited to, cosmic consciousness, ecstatic experience, enlightenment, enlightenment experience, experience of god, experience of oneness, god consciousness, god-realization, intellectual vision, kensho, mystic experience, mystical consciousness, NDE like experience, near death like experience, religious conversion, religious experience, sacred experience, samadhi, self-realization, spiritual awakening, spiritual experience, spiritually transformative experience (STE), transcendent experience, transcendental experience, transpersonal experience, unity experience, and unitive experience.

If anyone believes that such was his or her experience, then IMERE warmly encourages the completion of its Mystical Experience Questionnaire. More

1: W.T. Stace, Mysticism and Philosophy, Los Angeles, Jeremy P. Tarcher, Inc., 1987, pp. 131–132.

2: Bruce Greyson, MD, “Shift: At the Frontiers of Consciousness,” # 17, December 2007–February 2008, p. 11.

3: Edward Kelly, et al., Irreducible Mind: Toward a Psychology for the 21st Century, Maryland, Rowman & Littlefield, 2010, pp. 573–574.

Voices of Women in Sacred Music (video)

Prof. Anne Harley, Scripps College (voicesofthepearl.org), YouTube, John Schneider ("Global Village," June 21, 2018, KPFK 90.7 FM); Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddhist Therigatha is 2,600 years old.

On today's episode of Global Village, John Schneider hosts some incredible female musicians. The first is Yale-educated Anne Harley talking about ancient Buddhism in Dunhuang (Central Asia as it abuts Western China with its own Research Academy). She talks about Buddhist nuns of the two dominant schools and Abbess Hildegard of Bingen, a Western mystic, poet, composer, and musician. Hildegard opened scholars' minds as to how much women contributed to spirituality through music. Are women capable of enlightenment and mysticism (direct experience of the divine)? These women prove they are. LISTEN (Global Village - Thurs, June 21, 2018, 11:00 AM)

 

Professor of Music Anne Harley (Scripps)

Voices of the Pearl, in newly commissioned song cycles,  traces the tenuous lineage of women who dared to encounter the unmediated divine.

Their efforts span time, religion, nation, and culture. This project commissions, performs, and records musical works from composers across the world, setting text by and about female esoterics from world traditions throughout history, reclaiming these lost voices and the tradition of female spirituality.

By juxtaposing and performing four to five cycles by living composers, a full-length evening of portraits is created of female esoterics, traversing time and geography.

 

Ayya Tathaloka, California Theravada nuns

The performance of several different cycles over the course of an evening focuses audiences' attention on the musical portraits of women negotiating the intersection of heaven and earth, in a variety of world traditions: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Taoist, Buddhist.

• [The section on Buddhist nuns is particularly striking as it sets to music rare and ancient Buddhist texts known as the Therigatha or "Verses of the Nuns," which are songs about individual enlightenment experiences of theris or female-elders, an "elder" being anyone with ten or more rains retreats in the robe. Harley gathered these texts from "female monks" in Theravada Thailand, the are fully ordained nuns. But "nun" has another, lower-status meaning of the Maechi or White-Clad Ten Precept Nuns, like Srirasmi Suwadee is treated, who are not fully ordained.]

Goddesses (devis) can teach and sing.

The female esoteric practitioner is twice marginalized in the world’s traditions. First, the mystic’s direct contact with the divine threatens the hierarchical [and patriarchal] structures of organized religion, so they are sometimes labeled heretical.

Second, women are often considered by religious traditions incapable, due to their female bodies, to attain an authentic [enlightenment or] direct mystical contact with the divine.
 
[The Buddha said they could and made them "nuns," wandering female ascetics, but that did not stop sexist societies from doubting them and them doubting themselves.] 

Voices of the Pearl traces the tenuous lineage of women who dared to encounter the divine directly. More

Voices of the Pearl: Vol. 1, Secret Book of Sun Bu'er: Step 5: Cultivating the Elixir (養丹)

Global Village, Thursday, June 21, 2018, 11:00 AM

Listen now: This episode will only be available for 90 days in the KPFK Archives

Artist	Song Title	Album	Label	Played
Joan Huang	Along the River During the Gingming Festival (Bustling Market)	Festive River, East Meets West	Cambria Music	11:01 AM
Anne Harley, Steve Thachuk	Voices of the Pearl, excerpts	Live In-Studio	Live In-Studio	11:15 AM
Anne Harley, Steve Thachuk	Voices of the Pearl, excerpts	Live In-Studio	Live In-Studio	11:

Conscious Life Expo 2014; Life in Space

Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; ConsciousLifeExpo.com

Los Angeles 2014: February 7-9, LAX Airport Hilton. Be a speaker or come hear:

George Noory, Dr. Deborah King, Dr. Mario Martinez, Actah, William Henry, Dannion Brinkley, Emy Shanti, Paramahansa Jagadish, Dr. Dain Heer, Celeste Yamall, and many more

The amazing Linda Moulton Howe (EarthFiles.com) revealing the mysteries of the universe to us for hours after her talk (WQ/Conscious Life Expo, LAX Hilton, 2012)

 

8.8 Billion “Goldilocks” Planets in Milky Way

(EarthFiles.com, Nov. 11, 2013)

Of the estimated 200 billion stars in just our Milky Way Galaxy alone, scientists report that 40 billion are similar to our yellow sun. One-fifth of yellow suns have earth-size planets in the “Goldilocks” zone of temperatures to sustain life as we know it. More

 

“Just in our Milky Way galaxy alone, that's 8.8 billion throws of the biological dice.”

- Geoff Marcy, University of California, Berkeley

• 2 Million-Year-Old Skulls to Rewrite Human Evolution 
• (Nov. 23, 2013) Snowden Leak: NSA Has Infected 50,000 Computer Networks with Malicious Software
• NSA Misled FISA Court

100% Missing Link; 50% California; 1% Sufis

Two wild ideas excite Web
A proposal to split up California and Ida the "missing link" are online sensations. What else this week?

• Komodo dragon secret is hot news
• Embattled South Korean ex-president jumps to his death
• Scorched earth, craters mark Sri Lanka's former war zone

Mystics in sights of Taliban PESHAWAR — Sufi worshippers still flock to the grave of Rahman Baba, a Muslim mystic revered by millions in Pakistan and Afghanistan. But they now pray at a mound of rubble and twisted steel — all that remains of his tomb since militants bombed it. More>>

VIDEO: China "could face banking crisis" (BBC)

Dead Sea Scrolls' Authors?

Dead Sea Scrolls (britannica.com; cpart.byu.edu)

"Scholar Claims Dead Sea Scrolls 'Authors' Never Existed" (Time)

Biblical scholars have long argued that the Dead Sea Scrolls were the work of an ascetic and celibate Jewish community known as the Essenes, which flourished in the 1st century A.D. in the scorching desert canyons near the Dead Sea. Now a prominent Israeli scholar, Rachel Elior, disputes that the Essenes ever existed at all -- a claim that has shaken the bedrock of biblical scholarship.

Elior, who teaches Jewish mysticism at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, claims that the Essenes were a fabrication by the 1st century A.D. Jewish-Roman historian Flavius Josephus and that his faulty reporting was passed on as fact throughout the centuries. More>>

• See pictures of Jews and Muslims in the Holy Land.
• Read a TIME cover story on the Dead Sea Scrolls.
• View this article on Time.com