Jetsun Milarepa (རྗེ་བཙུན་མི་ལ་རས་པ་) was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a mass murderer when he was a young man before turning to Buddhism and allegedly becoming a highly accomplished Tibetan Buddhist (Bon-infused Vajrayana) disciple.
He is generally considered one of Tibet's most famous yogis and spiritual poets, whose teachings are known among several schools of Tibetan Buddhism. He was a student of Marpa Lotsawa and a major figure in the history of the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism [1]. He is also famous for the feat of climbing Mount Kailash. More
Mount Kailash (also Kailasa [a], Gang Tise [b], and Gang Rinpoche or Kangrinboqê [c]) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It lies in the Gangdise Shan Mountain Range of the Trans-Himalaya, in the western part of the Tibetan Plateau. The peak of Mount Kailash is located at an elevation of 21,778 feet (6,638 m), near the western tri-junction between China, India, and Nepal. More
Buddhist Wisdom, Sept. 23, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly
There is such a mass murderer who became a "saint" (a fully-enlightened individual, an arhat) at the time of the historical Buddha. He is remembered by the nickname Anguli-mala ("Finger-garland"). How could it be? How could a murderer become a saint? That is perhaps best answered with the Christian saying, "Every saint has a past; every sinner a future."
That means WE have hope so long as we have not killed too many victims in the past, IF we also have the skillful karma and ripening good fortune (vipaka, phala) to come across a teacher able to see our potential to awaken and teach us in such a way that we fulfill our potential.
Because there is no longer an Office of the Devil's Advocate in the Vatican like there used to be, even this questionable pope gets to be a saint at the drop of a hat if the next pope, Peter the Roman, wills it. Catholicism, it's not like it used to be.
Thank you, thank you... - Yeah, yeah, that was JD. Russia gets Crimea, period
It was available in over 60 versions in the main languages of Europe, the Christian East, and Africa. It was most familiar to English readers from its inclusion in William Caxton’s 1483 translation of the Golden Legend.
Little did European readers know that the story they loved about the life of Saint Josaphat was in fact that of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who [at age 35] awakened to become the Buddha, "the Enlightened One," the founder of Buddhism.
Albert Einstein prays for inspiration
This can't be true, can it? Barlaam and Josaphat: The story of Barlaam and Josaphat is a Christianized and later version of the story of Siddhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha at age 35 [2]. The [Jataka] tale derives from a 2nd to 4th century Sanskrit Mahayana Buddhist text, via a Manichaean version [3], then the Arabic Kitāb Bilawhar wa-Būd̠āsaf ("Book of Bilawhar and Budhasaf"), current in Baghdad, Iraq (formerly Mesopotamia) in the 8th century, from where it entered into Middle Eastern Christian circles before appearing in European versions. More
The ascetic life
According to the legend, there once reigned in India a king called Abenner [King Suddhodana in Theravada Buddhist texts known as the Pali canon], immersed in the pleasures of the world.
When the king had a son, Josaphat [the Bodhisat or "Being-bent-on-supreme-enlightenment"], an astrologer predicted that he would forsake the world.
To forestall this outcome, the king his father ordered a city [the three seasonal capitals of Kapilavatthu] to be built for his son from which were excluded [any reminders of] poverty, disease, old age, and death.
But [the Prince] Josaphat [eventually] made journeys outside of the city, where he encountered, on one occasion, a blind man and a horribly deformed one and, on another occasion, an old man weighed down by illness. He realized the [radical] impermanence of all things:
"No longer is there any sweetness in this transitory life now that I have seen these things… Gradual and sudden death are in league together."
While experiencing this spiritual crisis, the sage Barlaam from Sri Lanka reached Josaphat and told him of the rejection of worldly pursuits and the acceptance of the Christian ideal of the ascetic life.
Prince Josaphat was converted to Christianity [which took its monasticism from Buddhism, which preceded it by at least six centuries] and began to practice the ideal of the spiritual life of poverty, simplicity, and devotion to God [Brahman, the "Ultimate Reality"].
Author Philip C. Almond is emeritus professor of the History of Religious Thought at the University of Queensland. Disclosure statement: Philip C. Almond does not work for, consult, own shares in, or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond his academic appointment. Partners University of Queensland University of Queensland provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU. View all partners CC BY ND We believe in the free flow of information Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. Republish this article Copy link Email X (Twitter) Bluesky Facebook LinkedIn WhatsApp Print
Prof. P.C. Almond, Univ. of Queensland, July 12, 2020; Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, Eli Win (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
We humans are full of defilements -- lust, annoyance, delusion (the Three Poisons of the heart/mind). How could ordinary folks ever get free, much less naughty sex workers entangled in all kinds of addiction, ego, hatred, and self-esteem issues? If only the Buddha had taught this world a path of purification.
Thus have I heard. Once the Buddha was staying near Vesālī, in the rich courtesan Ambapālī’s mango grove. There he addressed the meditators, “Meditators!”
“Venerable sir,” they responded, and then he taught them:
“Meditators, four kinds of mindfulness meditation are the path to convergence, for the (self-) purification of beings, to get beyond sorrow and sadness, to make an end of pain and lamenting, to discover the Middle Way, and to realize the bliss of nirvana (cessation). What are the four?
“One meditates observing feelings — keen, alert, and mindful, free of greed and grief regarding the world.
“One meditates observing the mind — keen, alert, and mindful, free of greed and grief regarding the world.
“One meditates observing phenomena — keen, alert, and mindful, free of greed and grief regarding the world.
“Four kinds of mindfulness meditation are the path to convergence, for the purification of beings, to get beyond sorrow and sadness, to make an end of pain and lamenting, to discover the Middle Way, and to realize the bliss of nirvana.”
This is what the Buddha taught. Contented, the meditators rejoiced in his words.
Dhr. Seven (trans.), based on Bhikkhu Sujato (Thig 5.2: Vimalā Therīgāthā), "Vimalā, the Former Courtesan," Therigatha (Verses of the Enlightened Elder Nuns) 5.2
Amma (India's Mata Amritanandamayi) is world famous for her compassion, distributing free hugs around the world. She has hugged more people than anyone else in the world. She is on a campaign wishing, "May all beings everywhere be happy," the Buddha's own sentiments of universal loving-kindness (metta).
She is on an annual tour and is coming to Southern California to meet anyone in need of a blessing. It is good to see such beings [as have attained samadhi, which in Buddhism refers to anyone who has mastered the meditative absorptions, which would make them "saints" in most of the world's religions, including Hinduism, but very much excluding Buddhism.
A "saint" or arhat in Buddhism is anyone who has reach stream entry or beyond through insight or vipassana. Only this higher seeing uproots the defilements and liberates one, whereas the absorptions merely temporarily suppress them and make one seem saintly for the time being.
Ancient Vedic seers (rishis) inherited by Hinduism
Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen monk, uses his arm.
This distinction was one of the great contributions of the Buddha to the Dharmic religions and spirituality in ancient India.] Nevertheless, it is still good and a blessing to see beings who have gained samadhi. This may include Amma, who has done so many wonderful and selfless things that it is possible she has gained super-consciousness.
The FREE programs on July 13 and July 16 include inspirational music, meditation, spiritual discourse, and personal blessings. See us.amma.org/macla for more details or contact (310) 295-1852.
Amma is also conducting a retreat between July 14-16, 2024. It will also be held at the site of the free hugs:
The body of an incorrupt Catholic nun has been found in Missouri after being deceased for four years
(Dr. Taylor Marshall) [She's Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster. She's Black, a Catholic, foundress of a Benedictine order in Missouri and, now, on her way to being canonized by the Church for being a saint with one miracle under her belt.]
Whoopi, be better! Be like Sister Wilhelmina!
[It's not too difficult to become a "saint" in the Catholic religion. The Buddha is a Catholic saint because once voted in and canonized -- particularly with no more Office of the Devil's Advocate at the Vatican -- one cannot be voted out. The Buddha was brought in by accident because in the Jataka Tales or Rebirth Stories, he was a particularly popular figure. So the Bodhisat (Bodhisatta or Bodhisattva, as the Buddha referred to himself prior to Buddhahood), was remembered as "Saint Josaphat."]
[And the Catholic Church came in to conquer an area, as they are wont to do even today, which they do with swords and flowers, often pick a popular figure to say, "Look, he was saintly." They thus accrue for themselves all popular figures to build their image as the great institution that will convert or kill you, unless you come willingly because, look, this person is actually a Catholic saint.]
[Pope John Paul II didn't like to go to a new country unless he was canonizing a local figure because the local population loves that. Everyone's in need of a patron saint, and no is better than a local.]
How can Buddhists explain this? The same way Jains, Hindus, and yogis would: samadhi(stillness, coherence, concentration) that leads to temporary moral purification. Alone it is not enough for salvation, liberation, enlightenment. Systematic practice for insight-wisdom is needed for that. But samadhi alone is enough to make one a "saint" in other religions.
(@WQ-001) Is it wrong to be reminded of the Black Jewish actress Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act? Of course, Sister Wilhelmina is the opposite of her, but as one wise person once said, "All saints have a past, and all sinners have a future." So Whoopi could learn something from Saint Lancaster's example.
(@Liam-ix8pv)
I saw her myself! It’s really amazing how well she looks! The best part is that she started that super traditional order there! It’s the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of the Apostles. They are probably some of the most traditional nuns in the world in my opinion.
(@JackieArmB)
Thanks for reporting this, Dr. Marshall. I knew if I shared it with you, you would look into it. Fr. Pillari saw her. The fabric and coffin walls were disintegrated [corrupted], but her habit [nun's garb] was like new. He said you could feel the body intact (muscle or skin; bit binges) through her sleeve. Thank God for signs like this in these dark days.
(MT) "Awake" stars Anupam Kher and is directed by Paola di Florio and Lisa Leeman.
Paramhansa Yogananda came to America from India to spread the teachings of Hinduism, combining it with Christianity, which was easy because Jesus had been to India and was a mendicant rishi (seer) and yogi, according to Christian Westerner Nicolas Notovitch.
Yogananda founded the Self-Realization Fellowship (the leadership of which was subsequently handed to Sri Daya Mata, an American Mormon woman) and delivered an ancient message to the West eager for spiritual nourishment with his best selling book, Autobiography of a Yogi.
My Life With Yogananda (Ananda Los Angeles/AnandaLA.org) Based on the teachings of Paramhansa Yogananda, author of Autobiography of a Yogi, and his close, direct disciple Swami Kriyananda.
A scandal and a schism arose around him creating two sects, with an original (Ananda) and redacted (SRF) version of his famous book. Rather than being a celibate saint, Yogananda may have dated and had a son, who would be his rightful legal heir if true. And this has led to a persistent controversy and been a pain to the official organization he left behind. An upstart organization (Ananda.org) led by his direct disciple Swami Kriyananda (James Donald Walters) is fine with telling the truth about a few chapters of his life that official organization is desperate to keep secret as it seems to mar the purity of his reputation.
Was he a Hindu saint? He was someone with extraordinary powers, and many of his disciples -- who learn their lessons by an innovative, do-it-yourself mail order program on Kriya Yoga (simple actions to stimulate meditation) and sing amazing chants he wrote in English -- feel he is in contact and helping them from a heaven (the Brahma loka).
The tradition he founded is not syncretic, combining Hinduism (which includes Mahayana Buddhism within it) and Christianity. They are so similar at less superficial levels that they go hand in hand.
Sri Daya Mata (left) and the official organization left behind by Yogananda (SRF)
"Everything else can wait, but your search for God[hood] cannot wait." - Yogananda
The woolly mammoth was one of the last in a line of mammoth species. Its appearance and behavior are among the best studied of any prehistoric animal due to the discovery of frozen carcasses (pictured) in Siberia and Alaska, as well as skeletons, teeth, stomach contents, scat (dung), and depiction from life in prehistoric cave paintings. The animal was only identified as an extinct species of elephant by Georges Cuvier in 1796. Its closest extant relative is the Asian elephant. The woolly mammoth was well adapted to the cold environment during the last ice age, and had long, curved tusks. Its habitat was the mammoth steppe, which stretched across northern Eurasia and North America. The woolly mammoth coexisted with early humans... More
Former Hitler Youth member, former Cardinal Ratzinger, former Pope Benedict I kisses man
.
Vatican (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP/Getty Images)
Hundreds of thousands of people filled St. Peter's Square [in the Holy See] and the
streets of Rome on Sunday to witness the extraordinary sight of two
popes -- one reigning and one retired -- declaring two of their
predecessors as saints.
Most Catholics around the world are celebrating the sainthood of Pope John
Paul II and Pope John XXIII. [Two groups are conspicuously absent from that list, purists who recognize the anti-Catholic violations by the extremely popular Pope John Paul II and victims of child molestation or to put it more palatably "clerical sexual abuse" often involving homosexual rape.] The historic canonization this weekend has
stirred controversy for some victims of the clergy sex abuse scandal. Pope John Paul II is widely credited with helping melt down the Iron
Curtain, traveling the world, and supporting oppressed people. Officials
with the L.A. Archdiocese said
he is particularly popular in Los Angeles, where 75 percent of
parishioners are Latino. They say Pope John Paul II visited Mexico more
than any other country besides Poland, his homeland. Now Pope John Paul II is reaching "sainthood" in record time. But some
say he should not be named a saint because of the church sex abuse
scandal. LISTEN
The ceremony was the first time two pontiffs -- John XXIII and John Paul II -- were made saints at the same time. The AP says:
"Francis
recited the saint-making formula in Latin, saying that after
deliberating, consulting, and praying for divine assistance 'we declare
and define Blessed John XXIII and John Paul II be saints and we enroll
them among the saints, decreeing that they are to be venerated as such...'"
Pope Francis kisses relic -- like the previous "Nazi" Pope Benedict once kissed a man -- of Pope John XXIII during canonization mass. Above: Red and white Polish flags dot St. Peter's Square for the canonization of Popes John XXIII and Polish John Paul II (Vincenzo Pinto/AFP).
.
Beloved Polish pope
It was
also the first time in the history of the Roman Catholic Church that a
living and a former pope performed a mass together. Pope Francis was
joined by emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, who "retired" [or was chased out pending indictment for crimes against humanity and banking irregularities at the Vatican bank under his tenure and his long-time affiliation as head of the Office of the Inquisition under the previous Pope John Paul II] last year.
It is strange that the "Nazi Pope" Ratzinger, aka Benedict I -- a self-confessed member of the Hitler Youth -- was deposed and replaced by the first Vatican pontiff/CEO from Argentina. Last night George Knapp (Coast to Coast) interviewed author and researcher Harry Cooper (sharkhunters.com), author of Hitler in Argentina who makes the case that Adolf Hitler, "the Fuhrer," did not commit suicide. That was a stand in. He and Eva Braun and enormous riches of top Nazi brass were ferried away to Argentina (and neighboring Antarctica) at the end of WWII to live out a full life. The show began with an hour of Dan Johnson, the founder of PANDA (People Against the National Defense Act) sharing an update on new assaults to our civil liberties. More
We made a good choice in Francis I
Many
of the faithful had camped in the square to claim spots for the mass.
Others prayed in all-night vigils in churches in downtown Rome.
Today,
they celebrated under flags and banners bearing the colors of the
Vatican and Poland, Pope John Paul's homeland.
I wanted the job longer like Hitler -Ratzinger
"Italy's interior ministry predicted 1 million would watch the Mass from the square, the streets surrounding it and nearby piazzas
where giant TV screens were set up to accommodate the crowds eager to
follow along," the AP said. More
All materials on this site are submitted by editors and readers. All images, unless otherwise noted, were taken from the Internet and are assumed to be in the public domain.
In the event that there is still a problem, issue, or error with copyrighted material, the break of the copyright is unintentional and noncommercial, and the material will be removed immediately upon presented proof.
Contact us by submitting a comment marked "private."
Do not follow this journal if you are under vinaya or parental restrictions. Secure protection by Sucuri.
Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License. Permissions beyond the scope of this license may be available at creativecommons.org/about/licenses.
_LACMA_M.82.165.2%20wiki.jpg)
