Money isn't real. Here's proof: a parable

Amazon.com's books on the strange history of "money"

The Christ vs. The Buddha: similarities

Sid (the Buddha), Kris (Krishna), Mo, Josh (Jesus), Aquaman, Lao Tzu, Joe (Joseph Smith)

JESUS vs. the BUDDHA: Love vs. Non-Attachment

The Buddha and the Christ: friends

(Buddha's Wisdom) 🔍JESUS vs. BUDDHA: LOVE vs. DETACHMENT: TWO PATHS, ONE TRUTH. What happens when Jesus’s fearless [yogic] love [called agape in Greek] meets the Buddha’s wisdom of [boundless love called metta and] letting go*?

• *“Attachment says, ‘Be mine,’ whereas love says, ‘Be well.’”

This video explores how two of history’s greatest spiritual teachers [the Buddha preceding Christ by at least 500 years], born five centuries and continents apart, answered the same human question: *How do we love without suffering*?

• *Suffering: dukkha, disappointment, pain, unsatisfactoriness, misery, ill, woe, not getting what we want and getting what we don't want.

From Galilee to the Ganges, discover how their paths converge in a timeless lesson for the modern heart.

📿 DISCOVER:

• The radical love of Jesus that defied tribal and political boundaries
• The Buddha’s teaching on non-attachment and the end of desperate grasping and clinging
• The hidden parallels between early Christian and Buddhist thought
• The mystery of whether the Christ and the Buddha’s teachings ever crossed paths [in ancient India, Tibet, and Central Asia]
• How to practice “love with open hands” in relationships today

🙏 Subscribe for more East-meets-West wisdom: Every week, we explore the meeting point of philosophy, history, and spirituality, from Buddhist cosmology to hidden wisdom in Western thought.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:0

• 00:00 The grip in our chest
• 01:14 The love paradox
• 02:44 The dangerous love of Jesus
• 07:24 The freedom love of Siddhartha the Buddha
• 11:19 When two truths collide
• 15:35 Love without the leash
• 21:21 The third path
• 24:50 Love fearlessly, LET GO freely

📚 SOURCES AND FURTHER READING:

• The Metta Sutta (Sutta Nipata 1.8) – Teachings on Loving-Kindness
• Sallatha Sutta (SN 36.6) – The Parable of the Second Arrow
• The Gospel of Luke 10.25-37 – The Parable of the Good Samaritan
• The Gospel of Matthew 5.44 – “Love thy enemies”
• Comparative studies on Greco-Buddhist exchanges along the Silk Road
• Historical scholarship on early Christian monasticism and Buddhist influence

📱 Join community: Instagram: buddhaswizdom. Facebook: buddhaswizdom. ☕ Support the channel: buymeacoffee.com/buddhaswisdom

• * Love fearlessly. Love freely. Stay curious. Stay wise.

#Jesus, #Buddha, #Love, #Detachment, #NonAttachment, #Spirituality, #Mindfulness, #Buddhism, #Christianity, #Philosophy, #EastMeetsWest, #Wisdom, #Enlightenment

• Buddha's Wisdom, Nov. 8, 2025; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hidden Teachings of Jesus: 2nd Coming

(The Lost Gospel) The Hidden Teachings of Jesus to Activate the Pineal Gland – Christ Consciousness, Aug. 1, 2025

Jesus the Nazarene used Indian yogic mudras

• House of Spirique; The Lost Gospel; Sheldon S., Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Stories: Urgency of spiritual practice

Motivational stories to calm the mind

(Buddhist Insights Journey) In today’s fast-paced world, finding peace can feel difficult. However, the timeless wisdom of the historical Buddha reminds us that true tranquility lies within. The "Buddha Story Motivational and Calm Your Mind" brings inspiring tales from the Buddha’s life, offering lessons to uplift, soothe, and guide toward inner peace. These stories help overcome challenges, reduce stress, and find harmony, showing that calm begins with the mind and has the power to transform life.

• 00:00 Intro: Buddha motivational stories to calm the mind
• 00:41 1. The Parable of the Burning House
• 04:44 2. The Bamboo Grove and Patience
• 09:21 3. The Story of the Lost Ox sound
• 13:41 4. The Buddha and the Mirror
• 17:28 5. The Parable of the Poisoned Honey
• 21:44 6. The Fasting Monk and Compassion
• 26:09 7. The Story of the Generous King
• 30:08 8. The Monk and the Tree
• 34:40 9. The Story of the Rich Man and His Wishes
• 40:43 10. Story of the Buddha and the Beggar
• 44:32 11. The Parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant
• 47:46 12. The Buddha and the Robe of Gratitude
• 51:05 13. The Lesson of the Golden Fish
• 55:46 14. The Serial Killer Angulimala who became a Saint
• 01:04:03 15. The Buddha and the Broken Bowl
• 01:07:03 16. The Parable of the Snake
• 01:10:36 17. Story The Buddha and the Hungry Tigress
• 01:14:30 18. The Farmer and His Troubles
• 01:19:28 19. The Buddha and the Flower Sermon
• 01:24:54 20. The Buddha and the Glass of Water
• 01:28:11 Thanks for listening

• Popular videos
• 10 Buddhist Stories to Relax the Mind
• List of Buddhist stories
• Buddhist Stories: Jataka Tales about...

Thanks for joining us on this journey through the wisdom of the Buddha. Found these stories inspiring and helpful in calming the mind? Remember to like this video and subscribe to the Buddhist Insights channel for more motivational content and spiritual guidance. Stay connected for more teachings that bring peace, clarity, and wisdom into daily life.

DISCLAIMER: The materials and the information available at this channel are intended for general and educational purposes only. All the videos, pictures, and music used in videos have a license that allows commercial use.

COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMER: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act of 1976, allowance is made for "Fair Use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.

#story #stories #buddhastory #buddhastories #storymotivational #calmyourmind #buddha #buddhist #buddhism #buddiststory #buddhistinsightsjourney #buddhistinsights #buddhastorytocalmyourmind #buddhastorymotivational #buddhastorymeditation #buddhastorymoral #buddhastorieswithmorals #buddhastoryforpeaceofmind #buddhiststoryonmindcontrol #buddhiststoryonmindset #storiesbuddha #storybuddist #storybuddha #wisdomstories #wisdomstory #buddhistinsights #buddhistinsightsjourney 

• Buddhist Insights Journey, Nov. 28, 2024; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

No man is an island...except Nazi Barbie

Bart Barker; Jon Gardocki (YourDIY); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I had to be "Ukraine hot," which meant becoming the Human Barbie doll (yourdiy.com)

I'm human Barbie from Ukraine with Nazi tendencies but not "Taylor Swift" Barbie.

Taylor Swift shakes off nude bodysuit shaming '...Ready for It?' (yahoo.com)

Taylor Swift goes nude for her first ever cover for GQ Magazine (Mirror Online)

I'm not a member of the Gestapo, I just dress like it on stage for my concerts. - Tay Tay

Camille Paglia once coined a cute and devastating nickname for Taylor Swift (thecut.com)

I don't own the whole island! Inside Taylor Swift's Rhode Island mansion (Biz Insider)

Celebrities who bought their own islands

Don't call me Nazi Barbie!

Many celebrities have enough money to purchases some of the most ridiculous things available on the human plane. Some go all out on an extravagant mansion in the Hollywood Hills or invest in several multi-million-dollar homes across the world.

Some purchase ridiculous exotic animals (here’s looking at you, Mike Tyson), while others are known to spend over $30,000 a month on fermented grape juice (ahem, Johnny Depp). Then there are those who invest in their own private island.

• PHOTOS: I have other houses! Take a look at Taylor Swift's stunning $81m property portfolio | loveproperty.com
• PHOTOS: Taylor Swift's wild summer party (IG)
• Taylor Swift's July 4th party (businessinsider.com)

Taylor Swift before and after: from 2006 to 2022 (The Skincare Edit)

It's more a castle in the sun on the beach, waterfront property, a mansion or private estate.

Inside Taylor Swift's $17 Million Rhode Island Mansion (businessinsider.com)

The Queen Bee and her unsightly man, Jay-Z, won't be outdone by Nazi Barbie (yourdiy.com)

We want all the privacy in the world...until we get it. Then we yearn for good company.

.

The braggart King Dick Branson, Necker Isle

That’s right, there are celebrity islands! Surprisingly, some of these islands, often in the warm waters of the Bahamas or Caribbean, are actually quite cheap, at just over a million dollars, whereas some are over $10 million.

Don't call me a witch!

Regardless, celebrities owning whole islands make most of us unbelievably jealous, or is that envious?

It's not that we don't want them to have one; we just want to get in on the action and have one of our own to escape to when the world gets to be too much.

• The Buddha's advice: "Be an island/lamp unto yourself"
• Be an Island Unto Yourself (sutra)
• SUTRA: "Parable of the Raft" (MN 22)
• Maybe I should teach immersive meditation instead (go.guidedmeditationframework.com)
• Taylor Swift an 'obnoxious Nazi Barbie,' writes Camille Paglia (The Guardian)

This makes up for all the attention, popularity, and love I didn't get in high school.

White supremacist Americans love them their pop-country singer Taylor "Nazi Barbie" Swift

Origins: Jesus Christ the Pagan (video)

Parable, 12/6/22; author Tom Harpur; Pat Macpherson, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Were the True Origins of Jesus Christ Covered Up? | The Pagan Christ | Parable

The Pagan Christ (Tom Harpur)

(Parable - Religious History Documentaries) Dec. 6, 2022. A documentary adaptation of the 2004 book The Pagan Christ explores the "Jesus Myth Theory." This theory suggests that parts of the New Testament of the Christian-Jewish Bible are strikingly similar to Pagan and ancient Egyptian [Jesus being a boy traveling in North Africa, which is where Israel is, as are other important Christian countries like Ethiopia] beliefs and that early church leaders have formed a religion based on mistruths.

It's like Netflix for history... 📺 Sign up to History Hit, allegedly the world's best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code "PARABLE" bit.ly/3e2c2Xs.

Subscribe to Parable for more Religious History documentaries. This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #Parable #ReligiousHistoryDocumentary #ThePaganChrist

The Giant Buddha Statues of Afghanistan

David Adams, Parable, June 3, 2020; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Giant Buddha Statues of Afghanistan | In Search of the Lost Buddhas | Parable

(Parable - Religious History Documentaries) This is a place (ancient Buddhist Gandhara, modern Muslim Afghanistan) where few travelers dare to tread, a place that’s been locked in bloody conflict for many years. But beyond the conflict is a land of extraordinary beauty, a place that was once the fountainhead of one of the world’s oldest spiritual belief systems: Buddhism.

(Kartemquin) Beauty and Significance of Mes Aynak | Afghanistan

Join David Adams as he heads into a valley hidden deep in this now strictly Islamic land as he seeks the gigantic relics of a much more ancient tradition, the Buddha's Dharma. The Lost Buddhas of Afghanistan explores the little-known ancient past of this sacred land fought over by empires from the Scythians of Saka (Shakya) to the British, Russians, Americans, and [next] the Chinese.

It's like Netflix for history... Sign up to History Hit, the world's best history documentary service and get 50% off using the code 'Parable' bit.ly/3e2c2Xs Subscribe to Parable for more Religious History documentaries: This channel is part of the History Hit Network. Any queries, please contact at: owned-enquiries@littledotstudios.com #Parable #TheLostBuddhasofAfghanistan #ReligiousHistoryDocumentary

The Gospels are NOT what Christians think

Gnostic Informant, @Bart D. Ehrman, 7/18/22; Sheldon S., Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Gospels are NOT what Christians THINK

(Gnostic Informant) LINK FOR COURSE: gnosticinformant--ehrman.thri... Join in for Part 2 of the new "How Scholars Read the Bible" series, eight 30-minute lessons from Bible scholar Dr. Bart Ehrman (Univ. of North Carolina, Chapel Hill). It's an online course. Live recordings were made on August 6th and 7th. The online course will be ready in September.

Genesis, white Jesus, and debating the resurrection (with Dr. Bart Ehrman)

(TheThinkingAtheist) March 29, 2022. Prof. Bart Ehrman is a New Testament scholar, author, and educator. In advance of his upcoming debate with Christian apologist Dr. Mike Licona, he talks about the Bible, Christ, and the April 9th online debate: "Did the Resurrection of Jesus Really Happen?" Genesis course: bit.ly/3pyXovK. Prof. Ehrman's website: bartehrman.com. Dr. Ehrman's blog: ehrmanblog.org.

All Stories About Jesus: The New Testament Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John provide us with virtually all our knowledge of what Jesus said and did. gnosticinformant--ehrman...

His birth in Bethlehem to the "Virgin" Mary, his baptism by John the Baptist, his miracles of healing and casting out demons, his Sermon on the Mount, all his Zen-like parables, his triumphant entry, and Last Supper (Passover seder), his trial and crucifixion, his resurrection on the third day. The historian wants to know: Can we corroborate these accounts? Are they historically reliable? Are some of them based on myth and legend? #BartEhrman #GnosticInformant #Gospels

Why is this lady naked?

The Clothed Lie and the Naked Truth

Show it like it is (ahseeit.com).

The Lie told Truth, "Let's take a bath together. The water in this well is lovely."

The Truth, being suspicious, tried the water and discovered it was. So they undressed and bathed together.

Suddenly the Lie got out of the water and ran away wearing the Truth's clothes.

Furious Truth got out of the well to get her clothes back. But the world, seeing the naked Truth, looked away with scorn and contempt.

Truthy talk around the well (1896).

Truth returned to the well and disappeared, hiding herself.

Since then, the Lie has been traveling around the world, dressed as Truth, satisfying the needs of society.

For the world has no desire to see the naked Truth.

The painting "Truth Coming Out of Her Well" is by Jean-Léon Gérome, 1896.

SUTRA: To be islands unto ourselves

Maurice O'Connell Walshe (trans.), Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly, Attadipa Sutra, "An Island to Oneself" from the Pali Text Society's Feer edition (SN 22.43)

"Meditators, be islands unto yourselves [1]; be your own guide, having no other.

• 1. Atta-dipa: Atta = "self." Dipa (Sanskrit dvipa) = "island" and "lamp." "Island" is well-established in this context, and "self" is the pronoun "oneself" (cf. SN 3.8, n. 1).

"Let the Dharma be an island and a guide to you, having no other.

"Those who are islands unto themselves... investigate to the very heart of things [2]:

2. It is necessary to withdraw, to be "an island to unto oneself," at least for a time (as any meditator knows), not because it is "selfish" but precisely to make a profound introspective investigation. Buddhists in another sense would, of course, agree with John Donne that "No man is an island."

"'What is the source [origin] of disappointment, lamenting, pain, grief, and despair? How do they arise?'

"Here, meditators, the ordinary uninstructed worldling… [continued as in SN 22.7].

"I would be an island unto myself!" (Karana).

"Change occurs in this person's body (form), and it becomes different. On account of this change and difference, disappointment, crying, pain, grief, and despair arise.

[The same with feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness, which with form are the Five Aggregates clung to as self].

"But seeing [3] the body's impermanence, its changeability, its waning [4], its ceasing, one says, 'Formerly, as now, all bodies were impermanent and unsatisfactory and subject to change.'

3. Woodward remarks (in the Book of the Kindred Sayings, the PTS translation of the Samyutta Nikaya, Vol. III, 1924) that one would expect to find here the words he inserts in the text: "The well-taught [noble] disciple," as in many passages. For if one in fact directly sees these things and reflects on them as stated in the text, one will cease to be an ordinary uninstructed "worldling" and become a noble (any person in the stages of enlightenment) disciple.

4. Viraga, "dispassion" (SN 12.16, n. 2), is waning.

California's remote San Nicolas Island

"Thus, seeing this as it really is, with full insight, one abandons all disappointment, lamenting, pain, grief, and despair.

"One is not worried at their abandonment, but unworried lives at ease, and thus living at ease one is said to be 'assuredly delivered'" [5]. [The same with feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and consciousness].

5. Tadanganibbuto means rather more than Woodward's "one who is rid of all that."

The greatest country state in the world also has its own chain of Channel Islands (wiki).

Mtn climbing and skiing in living room (video)

MyFrisk #StayAtHome (imgur.com); CC Liu, Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Simile of the Mountains

Pabbatopama Sutra (SN 3.25) edited by Dhr. Seven based on Ven. Thanissaro (trans.)

Climbing the tallest mountain in L.A., Mt. Baldy, aka Mt. San Antonio (hikingguy.com)

.

Hollow Earth: Mt. Kailash

Thus have I heard. The Buddha was once residing in Savatthi when King Pasenadi of Kosala approached, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. The Blessed One asked him, "Well now, great king, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?"

"Just now, venerable sir, I was engaged in the royal affairs of an anointed noble-warrior king intoxicated with sovereignty, obsessed with lust for sensual pleasures, with control of territory, as I rule having conquered a great sphere on earth."

Mountains in the four directions

[The Buddha then asked:] "What do you suppose, great king, if a person, trustworthy and reliable were to come from the east and say, 'Your majesty, please know that I come from the east, where I saw a great mountain as high as the clouds coming this way, crushing everyone [in its path]. Do as you see fit.'

• Then a second person were to come from the west...
• Then a third person were to come from the north...
• Then a fourth person were to come from the south saying [the same thing].

"Great king, if such terrible peril were to arise with wanton destruction of human life — human rebirth being so hard to obtain — what should be done?"

"Venerable sir, if such terrible peril were to arise with wanton destruction of human life — human rebirth being so hard to obtain — what else could be done but conduct in line with Dharma, good karma, skillful deeds, meritorious actions?"

Warning

"Great king, I am informing you, I am announcing to you that aging-and-death are rolling this way! Great king, when aging-and-death are rolling this way, what should be done?"

"Venerable sir, as aging-and-death are rolling this way, what else should be done but conduct in line with Dharma, good karma, skillful deeds, meritorious actions?

Jain symbolic depiction of samsara

"Venerable sir, there are elephant battles [fought by] anointed noble-warrior kings intoxicated with sovereignty, obsessed with lust for sensual pleasures, with control of territory, as I rule having conquered a great sphere on earth. But there's no use for elephant battles, no scope for them, when aging-and-death are rolling this way.

• "There are cavalry battles...
• chariot battles...
• infantry battles...

The cavalry faces the infantry of "enemies."

"In this royal court there are counselors who, when enemies arrive, are capable of dividing them just by their wits. But there is no use for such battles of wit, no scope for them, when aging-and-death are rolling this way.

Gold bullion, thesovereign wealth of humans

"In this royal court there is abundant gold stored in vaults, and with such wealth we are capable of buying off enemies when they come. But there is no use for battles of wealth, no scope for them, when aging-and-death are rolling this way.

"Venerable sir, as aging-and-death are rolling this way, what else should be done but conduct in line with Dharma, good karma, skillful deeds, meritorious actions?"

Age and death are approaching!

"So it is, great king, so it is! As aging-and-death are rolling this way, what else should be done but conduct in line with Dharma, good karma, skillful deeds, meritorious actions?"

This is what the Blessed One said. Having said it, the Tathagatha [the Wayfarer, the Well Gone One, the Welcome One, the One Arrived at Suchness], the Teacher, further said:

Massive towers,

Mountains pressing against the sky,

Are moving in from all sides,

Crushing in from the four directions.

Aging-and-death

Are rolling this way, crushing everyone:

Noble-warriors, Brahmins, merchants,

Workers, outcastes, scavengers,

Sparing no one and nothing.

They demolish everything.

Here elephants can hold no ground,

Nor chariots nor infantry,

Nor a battle of wits

Nor can wealth win out.

So a wise person,

Seeing one's own good,

Steadfast secures confidence

In the Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha.

One who practices Dharma

In thought, word, and deed

Is praised even here on earth

And gone beyond rejoices after death.

Melissa McKay: Beauty Queen Sutra (video)

Melissa McKay (insightLA.org), streamed live 10/6/19; SN 47:20 based on Ven. Thanissaro (trans., accesstoinsight.org); Lady Gaga (Key of Awesome); Dhr. Seven, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Melissa McKay visits insightLA from Vegas to offer a Dharma talk.

The Beauty Queen
Mindfulness is like balancing a dish of precious oil on one's head.

Don't spill my oil or they'll decapitate you!

"Meditators, suppose a large crowd of people comes thronging together saying, 'The beauty queen, the beauty queen!'

"And suppose that the beauty queen is highly accomplished at singing and dancing [like a Lady Gaga], so that an even greater crowd comes thronging saying, 'The beauty queen is singing! The beauty queen is dancing!'

Don't chop off my head! (HB)

"Then a man comes along, desiring life, shrinking from death, desiring pleasure, and abhorring pain.

"They say to him, 'Now look here, mister: You must take this container filled to the brim with oil and carry it on your head in between the great crowd and the beauty queen. A man with a raised sword will follow right behind you, and wherever you spill even a drop of oil, right there will he cut off your head.'

"Now what do you think, meditators — will that man, neglecting to pay attention to the container of oil, let himself get distracted by something external?"

"No, venerable sir."

I hope this talk is of benefit. (Melissa McKay)

[The Buddha then explains this example:] "I have given this parable to convey a meaning. The meaning is this: The container filled to the brim with oil stands for mindfulness immersed in the body.

"So train yourselves: 'We will develop mindfulness immersed in the body. We will pursue it, hand it the reins, and take it as a basis, give it a grounding, steady it, consolidate it, and undertake it well.' That is how to train yourselves" (SN 47.20).