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(Positive Momentum)

("Mystic Mask")

A Man's World? Polyandry in Shangri-La

One queen with many kings?

Tibet Travel (Tibet Vista) [Guide Jamyang was traveling on the Lost Horizon and] found the lost Shangri-La (Tibetan Shambhala, Western Paradise Lost), and their secret to happiness seems to be polyandry (multiple husbands for each woman).

POLYANDRY (Ancient Greek πολύ, polú, "many" + ἀνήρ, anḗr, "man") is a form of polygamy in which a female takes two or more husbands at the same time.

Polyandry is contrasted with polygyny, involving one male and two or more females. If a marriage involves a plural number of "husbands and wives" participants of each gender, then it can be called polygamy [1], group or conjoint marriage [2].

• 

  Anything he can do, I...

  Let's not forget the beautiful practice of polyamory for those who can overcome the venoms of envy and jealousy.

In its broadest use, polyandry refers to sexual relations with multiple males within or without marriage.

Of the 1,231 societies listed in the 1980 Ethnographic Atlas,

• 186 were found to be monogamous,
• 453 had occasional polygyny,
• 588 had more frequent polygyny, and
• 4 had polyandry [3].

Polyandry is more frequent (less rare) than this figure suggests because it considered only those examples found in the Himalayan Buddhist mountain region (8 societies).

Feminine female power!

More recent studies have found at least 4 other societies practicing polyandry [4]. Fraternal polyandry is practiced among Tibetans in Nepal and parts of China, in which two or more brothers are married to the same female (wife), with that wife having equal sexual access to them [5, 6].

It is associated with partible paternity, the cultural belief that a child can have more than one [legal] father [4].

Several ethnic groups practicing polyandry in India identify their customs with their descent from the female Draupadi, a central character of the Mahabharata (revered in Hinduism) who was married to five brothers, although local practices may not be fraternal themselves.

One husband, one wife? - How bad is a good marriage? Be honest, completely honest

Adam's Eve was his "rescuer."

WHY? Polyandry is believed to be more likely in societies with scarce environmental resources. It is believed to limit human population growth and enhance child survival [6, 7]. It is a rare form of marriage that exists among elite and peasant families [8].

For example, polyandry in the predominantly Buddhist Himalayan mountains is related to the scarcity of land. The marriage of all brothers in a family to the same wife allows family land to remain in the same family's hads undivided.

If every brother married separately and had children, family land would be split into unsustainably small plots.

In contrast, very poor persons who do not own land are less likely to practice polyandry in Buddhist India's Ladakh and Zanskar [6].

In Europe, the splitting up of land was prevented through the social practice of impartible inheritance. With most siblings disinherited, many of them became celibate monks and priests [9]. Buddhism seems to have had a better solution, though the vast majority of male and female Tibetan Buddhists at one time or other became Vajrayana monastics at least for some part of their lives. More

• Happy International Day of Education
• Antisexualism
• Tibetan tour guide Jamyang, Tibet Travel (Tibet Vista); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit

Dalai Lama in Wisconsin: Kalachakra

14th Dalai Lama praying in pavilion, closing Kalachakra mandala (Verizon Center, D.C.)

The 14th Dalai Lama comes to Wisconsin to perform the ancient Kalachakra ritual.

The Dalai Lama's Gift

Tantric Dakini deity

(Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive) A hidden ritual. A sacred promise. A transmission into a buddha's transcendent compassionate wisdom. A corn field transformed.

In 1980, HH the Dalai Lama received a humble request from a revered Tibetan monk in America: Perform the Kalachakra initiation—a powerful tantric ritual never before held outside of India or Tibet—in the heart of rural Wisconsin.

 

What followed was nothing short of miraculous. In just a few months, the lama's devoted students overcame local resistance, built a temple from the ground up, and transformed a Midwestern cornfield into a site of ancient wisdom and spiritual awakening, attracting over 1,000 spiritual seekers from around the world.

Captured on film then locked away in Smithsonian vaults for over 40 years, this long-lost footage resurfaces to reveal a story of transformation to buddhahood, and a moment when time, space, and a sacred initiation converged in the unlikeliest of places.

This story of the 1981 Kalachakra is told through the voices of distinguished scholars and the initiates who participated in the 1981 Kalachakra and through personal interviews of the Dalai Lama, filmed in 1981, throughout the preparation and the event.

The Dalai Lama’s Gift is a cinematic meditation on faith, legacy, and the power of one sacred encounter to ripple across generations.

For more information, please explore DalaiLamaGift.org. We invite all to support this project at spiritualpaths.net/donate.

2O24 | US | English | 76 minutes. DIRECTOR/PRODUCER Ed Bastian. Co-PRODUCER  Sharpa Tulku, Catherine Wyler, Jennifer Beman. EDITOR/WRITER Jennifer Beman. MUSIC: Nawang Khechog, Three Dog Night, Daniel Moore. ART AND ANIMATION: Pema Namdol Thaye.

ABOUT: Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive. Bringing the teachings of Lama Yeshe and Lama Zopa Rinpoche and the "Kalachakra - Wheel of Time" transmission. Visit at LamaYeshe.com.

• Lama Yeshe Wisdom Archive, Nov. 29, 2025; CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Train like a Jedi: U.S. nun Pema Chodron

Pema Chodron is a wise woman (Medium)

American Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön, author of When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times, is like female Yoda, a character fashioned after a Tibetan Buddhist lama or master (with an ejaculatory speaking pattern and syntax of the 14th Dalai Lama).

Here the great monastic writer has advice on rousing ourselves when energy dwindles. We can train like Jedis under a master and view it as Obi-Wan Kenobi would.

One of Ven. Chödrön's most famous books, When Things Fall Apart, discusses uncertainty and how to find the good in discomfort and difficulty.

It's counterintuitive, but try it.

How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart—when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain?

The answer, American Pema Chödrön suggests, might be just the opposite of what we would expect.

Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, she shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined.

Pema Chödrön: The Handshake Practice

What will we do then?

Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy.

Pema Chödrön's perennially best-selling classic on overcoming life's difficulties cuts to the heart of spirituality and personal growth.

Now in a newly designed 20th-anniversary edition, to which she's added a new afterword, it makes for a perfect gift and addition to one's spiritual library.  More

• Pema Chödrön Foundation – Wisdom for a Courageous Life
• Himalayan Tibetan Nuns Project - The Pema Chodron Foundation
• Pema Chodron books and biography on Amazon
• Pema Chödrön (Shambhala); Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Taking psychedelics at Shambhala 2025

• Shambhala (Music Festival): annual event in British Columbia, Canada, held during the summer at the Bundschuh family farm, Salmo River Ranch, a 500-acre site in West Kootenay mountains near Nelson [2] that lasts four days and three nights and offers a mix of music and art in nature...

Asking Festivalgoers, “What drugs are you on?” HINT: It starts with a K | Shambhala 2025

Festival-goer Sarah (wiki)

(Psyched Substance) Aug. 25, 2025: Go to marekhealth.com and use code PSYCHEDSUBSTANCE for 10% off at checkout. Check out Patreon for uncensored content and videos that WON'T be found anywhere else: psychedsubstance.

CHAPTERS:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 0:59 - It starts…
• 6:24 - The K Olympics
• 8:50 - Sponsor
• 10:25 - Retrograde madness

Support on Patreon: goo.gl/EufkcZ. Follow Instagram: adamispsyched. Get hooded blanket: psychedsubstance.shop. Get a Testing Kit: tinyurl.com/GetTestKit

American on drugs or quirky?

Cops shocked by woman’s bizarre behavior while possibly on drugs

• Sarah festival-goer (wiki); Adam, Psyched Substance at Shambhala 2025; Music: Edvard Grieg, "In the Hall of the Mountain King"; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

What about 'When Things Fall Apart'?

It's time to die, and you're next. (Ready? You can't be surprised. You knew Death was coming).

What? This doesn't apply to me. I'm fine. I'm famous, I'm young, I'm pretty, and I'm rich!!!
Beauty queen Ariana Viera dead at 26 after car crash in Orlando, Florida (Samsara Times)

.

How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart — when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain?

The answer, American Buddhist nun Ani Pema Chödrön suggests, might be just the opposite of what one expects.

Here, in her most famous and beloved work, Pema shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined.

Drawing from traditional Buddhist wisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy. shambhala.com.

Things don't fall apart; it's all just an illusion, right?

What does Pema know?

American Tibetan Buddhist nun Pema Chodron

Ani Pema Chödrön was born Deirdre Blomfield-Brown in 1936, in New York City.

She attended Miss Porter’s School in Connecticut and graduated from the University of California at Berkeley. She taught as an elementary school teacher for many years in both New Mexico and California.

The venerable nun was once a hot young hippie

Pema has two children and three grandchildren. While in her mid-30s, Ani Pema traveled to the French Alps and encountered Lama Chime Rinpoche, with whom she studied for several years. She became a novice nun in 1974 while studying with Lama Chime in London.

His Holiness the 16th Karmapa came to Scotland at that time, and Ani Pema received her ordination from him.

Why Welcome the Unwelcome? That's crazy

Pema first met her root guru, [sex scandal ridden cult leader] Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, in 1972. Lama Chime encouraged her to work with Rinpoche, and it was with him that she ultimately made her most profound connection, studying with him from 1974 until his death in 1987.

At the request of the 16th Karmapa, she received the full bhikshuni (Buddhist nun) ordination in the Chinese lineage of Buddhism in 1981 in Hong Kong.

• The Pema Chodron Foundation
• Ariana Viera (Kenia News); Ven. Pema Chodron (shambhala.com), 10/31/24; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Cosmic Buddha Cave? (Ancient Aliens)

Underground alien connections: Esoteric encounters | Ancient Aliens

There's nothing under us but dark dirt

(HISTORY) May 15, 2025:  Enlightenment by spelunking? Welcome to the Hollow Earth civilization of Agartha (the original Mexican Atzlan or European Atlantis?) Is that you, Ākāśagarbha Bodhisattva (Kokūzō Bosatsu)? Shingon (Esoeric) Buddhism is closely related to Vedic Hinduism.

Shingon (真言宗, Shingon-shū, "True Word/Mantra School") is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called Tōmitsu (東密 literally, "Esoteric [Buddhism] of Tō-ji") [1].

The word shingon is the Japanese reading of the Chinese word 真言 (zhēnyán) [2], which is the translation of the Sanskrit word mantra, which means something like "thought instrument" (Japanese "true words" or om'yomi).

The Zhēnyán lineage was founded in China (circa 7th–8th centuries) by Indian vajrācāryas ("esoteric teachers") like Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi, and Amoghavajra. 

These esoteric teachings would later flourish in Japan under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kūkai (空海, 774–835), who traveled to Tang China and received these esoteric transmissions from a Chinese master named Huiguo (746–805).

Kūkai established his tradition at Mount Kōya (in Wakayama Prefecture), which remains the central pilgrimage center of Shingon Buddhism. More

Check out these otherworldly (inner earth) discoveries and more in this Ancient Aliens compilation:

• 1. Forbidden Caves 0:00
• 2. Underground Aliens 5:45
• 3. Forbidden Caves 2 12:05
• 4. Underground Aliens 2

Our Earth is hollow? - Shush, it's a secret!

Watch full episodes and stay up to date on all favorite shows on The HISTORY Channel website at history.com/schedule.

Subscribe for more from Ancient Aliens and other great The HISTORY Channel shows: http://histv.co/SubscribeHistoryYT. Find out more about the show and watch full episodes on website: histv.co/AncientAliens.

Check out exclusive The HISTORY Channel content: History Newsletter - https://histv.co/newsletter Website - https://histv.co/History Facebook - https://histv.co/Facebook Instagram - / history TikTok - / history

ABOUT: "Ancient Aliens" explores the controversial theory that extraterrestrials have visited Earth for millions of years.

ABOUT: HISTORY® is the leading destination for award-winning original series and specials that connect viewers with history in an informative, immersive, and entertaining manner across all platforms. The network’s all-original programming slate features a roster of hit series, premium documentaries, and scripted event programming.

• #AncientAliens, History Channel, May 15, 2025; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly Wiki edit Shingon

Rainbow transformation: Tibetan secret

The secret of Tibetan Buddhist monastics' rainbow transformation

(China Insights) Where does a human life ultimately go? [It is like asking where a flame goes when it goes out. Where does it go? The question is nonsensical even though we would like to think it must go somewhere and where that place could be, it does not travel somewhere but just goes out then and there.]

A remarkable answer is given in the unique region of [a giant country called] Tibet [which is a quarter the size of the country that took it over, which was the communist regime] in China.

The rainbow [body] transformation of a Tibetan lama or ani (monk or nun) at the time of passing is a unique phenomenon that attracts people to search for the essence of life.

This Rainbow Transformation refers to the practice of esoteric Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, in which the body of a meditator who has attained nirvana samadhi can instantly transform into a rainbow of light and disappear [a display of siddhis].

It is a strange and colorful sight. Rather than a legend, it is a miraculous sight that many people have witnessed.

In 1949, the Chinese Communist Party seized power in mainland China. After invading Tibet, as in other parts of China, the Communist Party tried to promote atheism [because "religion is the opium of the masses" and wanted that energy directed to the benefit of the state not individual spirituality or the unseen beings and godlings] among the Tibetan people. But the party was unsuccessful.

The people living in Tibet are almost universally Buddhists, and their strong belief in the Buddha and his teachings [Dharma] comes from the culture and one's enlightenment and witness of miracles in the course of their confidence in the validity of Buddhist teachings.

ABOUT: China Insights is covering a wide range of stories about or related to China and its role in the world. Support allows CI to produce more high-quality videos. Consider donating at paypal.com/paypalme/China... #Tibet #rainbowtransformation #Tibet #rainbowtransformation #Tibetrainbowtransformation

• China Insights, June 17, 2021; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Mystic rainbow body: Buddhist multiverse

Ancient Aliens: Mystic Secrets Revealed

Each universe has 31 planes

(HISTORY) Aug. 27, 2024: Within esoteric Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhism, one may hold the key to accessing alien realms (lokas, planes, dimensions, worlds) through deep meditation for the development of the "rainbow light body."

Once one is in this "enlightened" state, interdimensional and interstellar travel can take place.

This is a clip about Shambhala from Season 16 of Ancient Aliens, "The Lost Kingdom."

• 

  The King of the Dead Yama judges
  

  The real meaning of "enlightenment" (bodhi) is awakening (budh), which means escape and liberation. From what?
• It is freedom from the round of endless rebirths (samsara) through countless worlds over incalculable aeons. These worlds are categorized into 31 general "planes." Actually, others are mentioned (such as the "interstitial hells" between bubble universes or world-systems, which are lit up when a Supremely Awakened One arises), so 31 should not be thought of as fixed.

There are countless world-systems (galaxies, universes?) in the 10,000 directions of space.

• Some only come into existence during the dispensation of a supremely enlightened teacher (a samma-sam-buddha), who brings into being the suddhavati or "Pure Abodes" between this world and final liberation.

• 

  Tibetan letter "A" ("ahh") inside a thigle

  Stories of these special realms open only to partially enlightened beings seem to have been taken by some Mahayana Buddhists to refer to the "Pure Land" of a Cosmic Buddha named Amitabha. Worship of such beings as these other buddhas, like Maitreya, have left the historical Buddha Siddhartha "Shakyamuni" Gautama on the shelf and in the background. Attention and reverence are turned to other figures, who sound remarkably like Brahmanical/Vedic/Hindu deities recast into Buddhist cosmology. Buddhist terms are used to co-opt the popularity of the Buddha's Teachings (Dharma) to divert attention and prominence to the old Brahmins' sacred Vedas. It's very Mahayana yet not so much in line with what the historical Buddha was trying to accomplish in bringing light to the world.

Scientists are cheating, reading mystic texts from the East, catching up to Buddhist cosmology

.

What is the rainbow body?

The rainbow body manifested

In Dzogchen, "rainbow body" (Tibetan འཇའ་ལུས་, Wylie 'ja' lus, Jalü, or Jalus) is a level of realization. This may or may not be accompanied by the "rainbow body phenomenon."

The rainbow body phenomenon is pre-Buddhist in origin [1] and is a topic that has been treated fairly seriously in Tibet for centuries past and into the modern era [likely originating in yogic practices, Brahmanism, and Vedic Hinduism].

Devin, can you give the shortest possible answer?

Other esoteric Vajrayana Buddhist teachings also mention rainbow body phenomena, which occur during or after the dying process.

The rainbow body phenomenon is a third-person perspective of someone else attaining complete knowledge (Tibetan རིག་པ, Wylie rigpa).

Rebirth by karma into planes

"Knowledge" is the absence of delusion regarding the display of the basis. Rigpa has three wisdoms:

1. kadag,
2. lhun grub,
3. thugs rje.

Kadag deals with trekchö [3]. The lhun grub aspect has to do with esoteric practices, such as (but not limited to) tögal, that self-liberate the human body into a Sambhoga-kāya ("rainbow body phenomenon") [3, 4]. More

Let's divide the universe (multiverse) into six realms: demon, animal, human, angelic

Watch all new episodes of Ancient Aliens, Fridays at 9/8c, and stay up to date on all favorite shows on The HISTORY Channel website at history.com/schedule. #AncientAliens

• Ancient Aliens; Gaia (video); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Narrative History of Buddhism in America

Author Rick Fields

A sweeping history unfolds the story of Buddhism’s spread to the West. A modern classic unparalleled in scope, How the Swans Came to the Lake opens with the story of Asian Buddhism, including the life of the historical Buddha and the spread of the Dharma from proto-India to Southeast Asia, China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and elsewhere.

Coming to the modern era, American author Rick Fields tracks how Western colonialism in Asia served as the catalyst for the first large-scale interactions between Buddhists and Westerners.

Fields discusses the development of Buddhism in the West through key moments such as:

• 

  The original cover 40 years ago

  Transcendentalist fascination with Eastern religions;
• immigration of Chinese and Japanese people to the United States;
• the writings of D. T. Suzuki, Alan Watts, and poets in the Beat movement;
• the publication of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki;
• the arrival of Tibetan lamas in America and Europe; and
• the influence of Western feminist and social justice movements on Buddhist practice.

This 40th anniversary edition features both new and enhanced photographs as well as a new introduction by Fields’s nephew, Buddhist Studies scholar Benjamin Bogin, who reflects on the impact of this book since its initial publication and addresses the significant changes in Western Buddhist practice in recent decades. More (shambhala.com)

Shambhala group meditation live (3/31)

Community meditation in-person

Burbank is the new center in the Valley/Foothills

Join in group meditation at the new Shambhala center. Sunday meditation sessions open with a few brief Buddhist chants (in English).

This is followed by periods of silent sitting meditation, alternating with mindful walking meditation, contemplation practice, and group discussion.

The last half hour is for socializing and snacks. All are warmly welcomed.

Meditation instruction in the Shambhala style is available by request. People are welcome to arrive and leave at any time as fits their schedule.

Basic format (times approximate)

• 3:00 Welcome, chants (in English), followed by brief guided meditation instruction
• 3:10 Sitting and walking meditation
• 4:00 Contemplation practice and discussion
• 5:00-5:30 Community social time

Location

• Shambhala Meditation Center
• Group Meditation Sunday
• 4200 W.  Burbank Blvd.
• Burbank, California 91505
• Ample free street parking

Cost

• This is a FREE offering (but donations are always welcome)

RSVP on Meetup.com

• Community Meditation in Burbank (in-person), Sunday, March 31, 2024, 3:00 pm | Meetup
• Valley Nature Cetner: Shambhala Group Meditation (Walking, Sitting, Socializing), Sun, Mar 31, 2024, 3:00 PM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: Shambhala Group Meditation (Walking, Sitting, Socializing), Sun, Mar 31, 2024, 3:00 PM | Meetup
• Disclosure: Shambhala Group Meditation (Walking, Sitting, Socializing), Sun, Mar 31, 2024, 3:00 PM | Meetup
• Aware Project: Los Angeles Psychedelic Society - Meetup | Meetup

Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly