The worst ways to get "enlightened"

I did my yoga, and I'm starting to see not-self and that I am One. What's for lunch?

Rites and rituals for samadhi in India

(dakota of earth) India's worst way to reach "enlightenment," usually defined in Hinduism as mere samadhi, which is a stage to understanding not the final goal itself in Buddhism.

I think I'm starting to lose my grip on reality.

When one becomes a "saint" (a NOBLE ONE) in Buddhism, having entered at least the first stage of enlightenment (of seven stages usually condensed and described as four main stages), one is immediately rid of four things.

Of these is the wrong view that clinging to rites and rituals could ever lead to enlightenment (bodhi, awakening to the ultimate truth).

• 

  Dhutanga of living under a tree

  Attachment to rites and rituals (sīlabbata-parāmāso) is one of the subtle fetters binding beings (who are constantly becoming and never actually being) to samsara, the Wheel of Life and Death. Śīla refers to "virtue" or "moral conduct" + vata (bata) to "religious duty, observance, rite, practice, custom" [25] + parāmāsa to "being attached to" or "a contagion" (clinging, upādāna) and has the connotation of "mishandling" the Dhamma [26], Buddha's Teachings. Together sīlabbata-parāmāso translates as "the contagion of [adhering to] mere rule and ritual, the infatuation of good works, the delusion that they suffice" [27] or, more simply, "fall[ing] back on attachment [clinging] to precepts and rules" [28]. Whereas the fetter of "doubt" (vicikiccha) can be seen as pertaining to the dharmas of competing wandering ascetics (samanas) during the time of the Buddha, the fetter regarding clinging to rites and rituals likely refers to some practices of contemporary Brahmanical authorities [29]. More

• 

  I punished the body (Erika Tanith)

  The former prince Siddhartha Gautama (the future historical Buddha), as a wandering ascetic on a quest for enlightenment, practiced these futile things -- particularly extreme fasting -- for years until he finally stopped blaming the body for the mind's defilements and accepted the blissful meditative absorptions (jhanas) as the real path of purification and path of freedom to seeing things as they really are and thereby finally being able to let go of lust, clinging, attachment, and all that binds us to interminable rebirth and suffering in samsara.
• The 13 Sane Ascetic Practices (dhutangas)

Then I realized I was that One God incarnate

Until then, a person might do any useless thing -- particularly engaging in the extremes of severe austerities and bodily mortifications (tapas, penances, extreme austerities, attempts at purification) to purify oneself or hedonism, debauchery, and excess with the excuse that "anything can be used in the service of liberation, including the very poisons -- alcohol, drugs ("Crazy Wisdom"), sanctified or twisted sexuality (tantric sex), meat eating and cannibalism (as in Aghori holyman practices), fasting and self-starvation (inedia), self-mummification (sokushinbutsu)...

What's wrong with drinking alcohol?

(Typical Life Stories) The habit/addiction that took everything

Liquid ignorance tastes bad.

FIFTH PRECEPT: Surā meraya majja pamā daṭṭhānā veramaṇī sikkhā padaṃ samā diyāmi, which means, "I undertake the training-precept to abstain from consuming intoxicants that may occasion heedlessness."

The fifth precept prohibits the use of intoxicants that occasion heedlessness such as alcohol, drugs, or other means. Its virtues are mindfulness and self-responsibility [12, 13] applied to food, work, behavior, and with regard to reality [132] and the true nature of life.

Awareness, meditation, and heedfulness can also be included here [125].

Let's drink this and start breaking other precepts.

The most famous Buddhist commentator in the Pali canon Buddhaghosa writes that whereas violating the first four precepts may be more or less blameworthy depending on the person or animal affected, the fifth precept is always "greatly blamable" because it hinders one from understanding the Buddha's Teachings and may lead one to "madness" [18], which is the karmic result in the future of indulging in alcohol now.

Morbid facts about Charlie Sheen's addiction

It's a natural product of rotten sugar.

In ancient China, Daoshi described alcohol as the "doorway to laxity and idleness" and as a cause of suffering. Nevertheless, he did describe extraordinary circumstances when drinking might be considered less bad than what it prevents. For example, there's the case of a queen who distracts the king using alcohol to prevent him from murdering.

However, Daoshi was strict in his interpretations. For example, he allowed medicinal use of alcohol only in extreme cases [152].

Early Chinese translations of the Three Baskets or Collections (the Tripitaka of Sutras, Disciplinary Code, and the Higher Doctrine) describe negative consequences for people breaking the rule on drinking, for themselves and their families.

The Chinese translation of the Upāsikaśila Sūtra, as well as the Pāli language version of the Sigālovāda Sutta, speak of terrible consequences from intoxication such as the

• loss of wealth,
• ill health,
• a bad reputation,
• being accused of misdeeds,
• "stupidity" [in future rebirths],
• culminating with rebirth in hell [18, 153].

I need a swig every night to be regular in my poo.

The Dīrghāgama adds to that that alcohol leads to quarreling, negative states of mind, and damage to one's intelligence.

The Mahāyāna Sanskrit version of the Net of All-Embracing Views Discourse (Brahmajāla Sūtra) [Note 6] describes the dangers of alcohol in very strong terms, including the crime of selling alcohol [154], which is listed among one of the forms of wrong livelihood proscribed in the Noble Eightfold Path.

Similar arguments against alcohol are found in Nāgārjuna's writings [155]. A strict interpretation on the prohibition of alcohol consumption in Buddhism can be supported by the Upāli Sūtra's statement that a disciple of the Buddha should avoid drinking alcohol "even [so much as] a drop on the point of a blade of grass."

However, in the writing of some Abhidharma commentators, alcohol consumption was condemned depending on the intention with which it was consumed. For example, an intention that was not condemned was taking alcohol in a tiny amount as a form of medicine [156] or because it is used in the extraction and preservation of plant medicines (syrups, potions, decoctions, concoctions, etc.)

Sanity and sobriety in practice

A little "water of life" never hurt nobody. *Burp*

The fifth precept against consuming alcohol is regarded as extremely important because drinking alcohol leads to lack of self-control and sluggishness [72, 157], which is extremely likely to lead to breaking the other precepts [18] that one would normally if sober avoid breaking.

In Spiro's field studies, violating the fifth precept was seen as the worst of all the five precepts by half of the monks interviewed, citing the harmful consequences [18].

Nevertheless, in practice abstention from alcohol is often disregarded by lay people [158]. In Theravada Buddhist Thailand, drinking alcohol is fairly common, even to the point of drunkenness [159].

Do all bad things as "crazy wisdom," Dummies!

Among Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhists, drinking beer is common, partly because it is very weak and only slightly alcoholic [155].

Medicinal use of alcohol is generally not frowned upon [145], and in some countries like Thailand and Laos, smoking tobacco is usually not regarded as a violation of the precept to avoid intoxicants.

Thai and Laotian Buddhist monks have been known to smoke as part of their culture, but monks who have received more training in Buddhism are far less likely to smoke [43, 160].

Let's live it up, steal, and break things. Woo-hoo!

On a similar note, as of the year 2000, no Buddhist country prohibited the sale or consumption of alcohol, though in Sri Lankan Theravada Buddhist revivalists unsuccessfully attempted to become prohibitionist by getting full prohibition passed in 1956 [43].

Moreover, pre-communist Tibet used to prohibit smoking in some areas of the capital, Lhasa. Monks were prohibited from smoking, and the import of tobacco was banned [43].

Vietnamese Zen Buddhist Thich Nhat Hanh included even mindful consumption in this precept, which consists of unhealthy food, unhealthy entertainment, and unhealthy conversations, among others [137, 161]. More

What about the dollar, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs?

(The Jimmy Dore Show)

The Seven (7) Levels of Buddhism

(Greg Knows All) The 7 levels of Buddhism in 27 minutes

This silly looking cartoon of a video is profound, so much so that we are included to call its maker, Greg Knows All, "Añña GREGḍañña" or "Greg who knows" (after the Buddha's very first enlightened disciple, Añña Konḍañña, "Kaundinya who knows, who see").

When the wandering ascetic Siddhartha first thought to teach and make known the Path to Enlightenment (Bodhi) and Liberation (Nirvana), what today the ancient Theravada tradition calls "Buddhism" or Buddha-Dhamma (The Doctrine of the Awakened One), he had no one to teach, no one at least whom he thought would understand. There were his wise albeit unenlightened teachers, but they were passed away and reborn in worlds where they could not be reached for a very long time. Some planes of existence are so long lasting, it's staggering. So he realized his five former companions on his spiritual quest might get it. When he taught them, one did. And that was Kondanna (Kaudinya)

He may be reading this from somewhere, possibly What the Buddha Taught or a scholarly rundown of the historical Buddha's path by Bhikkhu Bodhi or Ven. Professor Analayo. Wow, Greg.

• Buddhaghosa's The Path of Purification
• Guide Through the Path of Purification
• Introducing [Theravada] Buddhist Abhidhamma
• Sila is virtue, morality, ahimsa (nonharming)
• Kasinas (discs) as Kammaṭṭhāna (one's Field of Effort in Meditation)
• Monastic Disciplinary Rules (Patimokkha, the "Path to Moksha" for Buddhist nuns and monks)
• The Buddha's Gradual Path of Progress does not drop off suddenly but deepens like the ocean shelf, producing its result. 1) Virtue is established to bring about peace of mind and serenity of spirit free of misgivings and worry. 2) Atop that foundation of peace and blamelessness, stillness (samadhi), profound peace of mind, is placed. 3) The crowning of this pyramid is what establishes it and makes it permanent, insight (the gnostic experience of wisdom for oneself and depending on no one's authority, direct knowing-and-seeing, personal realization)

Buddhist Lunar Observance (Uposatha)

(English Buddhist Monk) Second full moon uposatha (Buddhist "sabbath, Pagan-Wiccan "esbat," lunar observance): Best practice for lay Buddhists to develop (cultivate) equanimity

• Uposatha: HISTORY: The word uposatha ("observance") derives from the Muluposatha Sutta (AN 3.70), in which a laywoman named Visakha (Migāramāta, the "Mother of Migara"), visits the Buddha and says she is observing the uposatha day. The Buddha replies that there are different uposatha days, then proceeds to tell her the best version of the day, which he calls the "Uposatha of the Noble Disciples." More

Thai Wan Phra full moon uposatha: aging, sickness, death: loss and karma

Buddhist Christmas climax: Dhammakaya, LA

The original Dhammakaya is in Buddhist Bangkok, but Los Angeles has one, too. VISIT

WHAT HAPPENED?

It was a beautiful moonlit night, though Luna (Soma) did not appear until just after the ceremony officially wrapped up, low to the southeast and reddish. One hundred and ninety Buddhist monastics from about 13 Buddhist countries came together from a cross-cultural, multi-school spectacular. Dhammakaya is a kind of loving cult that is all about giving dana in expectation of rich rewards here and hereafter. It is a big movement in Theravada Buddhist Thailand, boasting the largest Buddhist monument in the world, a spaceship (deva vimana) looking structure out by the Bangkok Int'l Airport topped by a million golden Buddha statues. Quietly nestled in the foothills of the San Gabriel Valley, the American international meditation center (DIMC) is a peaceful place to meditate the Dharma-body way.

Dhammakaya meditation

Dhammakaya literally translates from the Pali as "Dhamma body." The focus of this meditation is not the breath but a visualization of a small crystal ball entering the nostril (right for males, left for females), traveling to seven points in the body, and coming to rest two finger widths above the navel. This clear magic crystal, a kind of nimitta or produced image, vibrates along the way. Its sound emanation or mantra is samma arahan. This literally means "right full-enlightenment." The crystal starts at the nostril for three repetitions, moves up the nose to the corner of the eye for another three, slowly moves to the center of the skull for another three, down behind the throats, and so forth. Instructions are offered free on weekends. Donations (dana offerings) welcome.

Cult?

(Cori Ander) I went to the Wat Phra Dhammakaya temple, Thailand's most controversial sect

We never thought of the place as an actual cult -- though the many women who surround the place wearing white, do act awfully strange and suspicious, very "nice" but always watching and on edge -- until self-appointed investigative reporter Cori Ander went out and paid the mother center a visit. She doesn't find much, but there are scandals and rumors of scandals, mainly to do with money. If the SGV is a hollow (valley or canyon) then this temple complex is just a holler from the largest Mahayana Buddhist temple complex in the western hemisphere against the hill to the southwest, Coming West Temple.

“Hsi Lai Temple, translated as 'Coming West,' is dedicated to spread the [mostly Mahayana] teachings of the Buddha to the Western hemisphere and help people find inner peace and happiness in their life. It devotes its effort in providing everyone in the society with joy, hope, faith and service.” More: hsilai.us

Dhammakaya Azusa Meditation Activity Teaser (Azusa, Los Angeles County, DIMC.info)

• Where in LA County is Azusa, CA? (Asuksa-nga)

The three sacred events celebrated by Vesak - Relics ceremony Vesak Day 1 (Huong Dao)

Vesak night at Dhammakaya is a spectacle

May 2026 is a special occasion because Prince Siddhartha Gautama (the Bodhisattva) was born on the "Full Moon Day in May," and it's also the day he later became enlightened, and the same day he reclined into final nirvana. This is, therefore, "Buddhist Christmas" but as a thrice blessed day, it is even more significant. This year, because May 2026 has two full moons (according to the Gregorian Calendar forced on us), gives us two opportunities to practice and celebrate. Wisdom Quarterly is teaching at the Eight Precept Fasting Day at the Sri Lankan North Hollywood Temple (Sarathchandra Vihara) by day and attending a grand ceremony representing all Buddhist countries in Los Angeles at the Thai Theravada monastery Dhammakaya in Azusa. Both events are free and open to all.

• Vesak Day 2026: A Celebration of the Buddha (FREE TICKETS), Sunday, May 31, 6:00 pm-8:45 pm, Azusa, Los Angeles (Eventbrite)
• ‘Buddhism in Spanish is here’: the Latino monks building a unique community | Los Angeles | The Guardian
• Please join Sarathchandra Buddhist Center | Facebook
• Village Poets of Sunland and Tujunga: Poetry at historic Bolton Hall, Sunday, May 31, 2026, 4:30-6:00 pm (feree)

(Phra Nicholas Thanissaro) Vesak (Vesakha) in Azusa, Los Angeles

• Dhammakaya Meditation system
• Global Buddhist Network (DMC)
• Wat Phra Dhammakaya, Bangkok

Try Vesak differently this year | Colombo - Vesak Day alms offering @ Wat Phra Dhammakaya

✨️Vesak Day, Dhammakaya Temple, Thailand #Vesak2024 - Vesak Day 2026 USA

Vesak Day 2 Peace Pain Meditation Ven. Maha Phommasan - 🌕 Vesak turning point, Colombo

Las Vegas Vesak | Nevada Buddhist Vihara | 2026Coming West Temple

Quest to Awaken: Dhamma Earth, Asia

Dhamma Eart began in 2008 as a simple Buddhist meditation hermitage nestled in the forested region of Kuching, Malaysia.

Over the years, it has blossomed into an international ecosystem dedicated to Dhamma learning, service, and community building.

Today, its Buddhist monasteries can be found in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Dhampus (Nepal), and Penang (Malaysia), serving as sanctuaries for practice, wisdom, and compassion.

• Dhamma Earth 法域
• Buddhism in Malaysia

This Dhamma ecosystem provides various platforms for people of all ages, backgrounds, and levels of spiritual development to benefit from the Buddha’s Teachings.

Dhamma Earth aims to nurture holistic well-being—physically, emotionally, and spiritually—through a dynamic Dhamma ecosystem structured around four key pillars:

1. MEDITATION
2. EDUCATION
3. HEALTH AND WELLNESS
4. SOCIAL WELFARE.

The Dhamma Earth ecosystem is dedicated to the growth and transformation of all. We invite you to be part of this journey. Explore more about Dhamma Earth

Buddhist Meditation Hermitage

Dhamma Earth offers a structured meditation training based on the teachings of the most Venerable Pa Auk Sayadaw (Dr. Bhaddanta Āciṇṇa), as practiced in Pa Auk Forest Monasteries.

The meditation course is based on the Buddha’s systematic instructions from the Pali canon (Tipitaka) and its Commentaries (tika), focusing on the Threefold Training:

1. Virtue (sīla, morality): the foundation of ethical living
2. Stillness (samādhi, concentration): the cultivation of a focused mind
3. Wisdom (paññā, knowing-and-seeing): the development of insight

Dhamma Earth monasteries welcome practitioners year-round for meditation practice and scheduled retreats. As the Buddha taught, the gift of Dhamma (the Teachings) is the most precious gift. In this spirit, all meditation retreats at Dhamma Earth are offered free of charge, supported by the generosity (dāna) of donors who wish to help others experience the path of awakening.

DHAMMA EDUCATION

Dhamma Earth believes that Dhamma education should be engaging, accessible, and meaningful for all. Local educational initiatives span across different age groups and interests, including:

• Dhamma classes and camps for children, youth, university students, and young adults.
• Thematic courses in leadership, mindfulness, and creative expression
• Programs by affiliated organizations: Mangala Family, Tusita Youth, and Hai Ou – Promoting Dhamma education
• SOLID (Society of Leadership in De-Selfishness) and WISLEAD (Wisdom Leadership Society) – Cultivating leadership with wisdom
• Wisdom Light Publication Society (WLPS) – Publishing insightful books on Dhamma and beyond.

HEALTH AND WELLNESS

Out of Bihar, Magadha, India, into the world

Compassion in action is at the heart of Dhamma Earth, which strives to uplift the lives of the disadvantaged through our charities Tusita Foundation, Maha Mangala Charity of Malaysia, and Shayoung Club of Malaysia.

Future aspirations: Expanding into hospice care, elderly and disability services, counseling, daycare centers, and orphanages.

SOCIAL WELFARE

A healthy body supports a clear mind. Dhamma Earth integrates physical well-being into spiritual practice through programs that emphasize:

• Holistic health – Nutrition, lifestyle, and mindful living
• Healing and detox retreats – Combining the Buddha's ancient wisdom with modern wellness
• Mind Body Liberation Program – A free-of-charge medical therapy service offering traditional Chinese medicine and holistic therapies, incorporating Dhamma principles into healthcare to address physical and mental sufferings at the root causes.

VISION

Dhamma Earth envisions becoming a global center for Dhamma propagation, continuing to spread the Teachings of the historical Buddha and helping more beings find liberation from all suffering.

Dhamma Earth meditation retreat application

The future of Dhamma Earth includes expanding its ecosystem to encompass more charitable, educational, and health-related projects, ensuring that people at every stage of life can benefit from the Dhamma. More

• DhammaEarth.org; Yean C. and Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Death Sutra; 'The Seventh Seal' (film)

 

Buddhists invented chess? (Rules)

The Seventh Seal (Swedish Det sjunde inseglet) is a 1957 Swedish historical fantasy film written and directed by Ingmar Bergman.

 

Set in Sweden [3, 4] during the Black Death, it tells of the journey of a medieval knight (Max von Sydow) and a game of chess he plays with [Mara] the personification of Death (Bengt Ekerot), who has come to take his life.

• Buddhism in Sweden
• Origins of chess (chess.com)
• The origin of chess (Silk Road Foundation)
• All the European names of the game of chess have roots in the Persian language. French Echec and English “Checkmate” originated thanks to their Persian roots. At the same time, Buddhist pilgrims are known to have carried it towards the East. Where several versions of the games (inscribed discs placed on the intersection of the lines of the board rather than within the squares)... Where did chess come from? | CHESS KLUB

The Seventh Seal, 1957

Bergman developed the film from his own play Wood Painting. The title refers to a passage from the Bible's Book of Revelation, used both at the very start of the film and again towards the end, beginning with the words "And when the Lamb had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" [5].

 

Here, the motif of silence refers to the "silence of God," which is a major theme of the film [6, 7]. The Seventh Seal is considered a classic in the history of cinema, as well as one of the greatest films of all time.

It established Bergman as a director, containing scenes which have become iconic through homages, critical analyses, and parodies. More

Death comes rolling at us. Are we ready?

The Simile of the Mountain, Pabbatūpama Sutta (SN 3.2)

Thus have I heard. At one time the Buddha was staying in Sāvatthī.

King Pasenadi of Kosala came and respectfully sat to one side. The Buddha said to him, “Great King, where are you coming from in the middle of the day?”

“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior caste kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Today I have been busy fulfilling the duties of such a king.”

“What do you think, Great King? Suppose a trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the east. He would approach and say, ‘Please, Great King, know this: I come from the east. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’

• This extraordinary threat looms also in an Upanishadic passage: “Even if both the mountain ranges, the southern and the northern, were to rush at him determined to level him, they would not succeed in leveling him” (Kauṣītaki Upanishad 2.13, translation by Olivelle).

“Then suppose another trustworthy and dependable man were to come from the west… a third from the north… and a fourth from the south, approaching to say, ‘Great King, know this. I come from [that direction]. There I saw a huge mountain that reached the clouds. And it was coming this way, crushing all creatures in its path. Therefore, Great King, do as you see fit!’

“Should such a dire threat arise—with so grim a loss of human life when human rebirth is so preciously rare—what would you do?”

“Venerable sir, what could I do but practice the Dhamma (Buddha's Teachings), practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma (deeds, actions)?”

“I say, Great King, I announce: Old age and death are advancing upon you. Since old age and death are advancing upon you, what shall you do?”

“Venerable sir, what can I do but practice the Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable kamma?

“Venerable sir, there are anointed warrior kings who are infatuated with authority and obsessed with craving for sensual delights. They have attained stability in the country, conquering and occupying a vast territory. Such kings engage in battles with elephants, cavalries, chariots, or infantries. But there is no place, no domain for such battles when old age and death are advancing.

“In this royal court there are ministers of wise counsel who are capable of dividing an approaching enemy by wise counsel. But there is no place, no domain for such diplomatic battles when old age and death are advancing.

“In this royal court there is abundant gold, both minted and unminted, stored above and below ground. Using this wealth we can bribe an approaching enemy.

• Bhūmigata is explained as “underground” at Bu Pj 2:4.2.1 (there bhūmaṭṭha). | Vehāsaṭṭha is explained as “above ground” at Bu Pj 2:4.5.1. | Upalāpetuṁ (“bribe”) is a means by which Vassakāra suggests the Vajjis can be overcome (DN 16:1.5.8, AN 7.22:12.3).

“But there is no place, no domain for such monetary battles when old age and death are advancing.

“When old age and death are advancing, what can I do but practice the Teachings, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable deeds?”

“That is true, Great King, so true! When old age and death are advancing, what can one do but practice Dhamma, practice morality, doing skillful and profitable karma?”

That is what the Buddha said. Then the Awakened One, the Teacher, summarized in verse:

“Suppose there were vast mountains

of solid rock pressed against the sky

drawing in from all sides

crushing the four quarters.

So, too, old age and death

advance upon all living beings—

warriors, priests, peasants,

menials, corpse-workers, and scavengers.

They spare no one.

They crush all under them.

There is nowhere for an elephant to take a stand,

neither chariot nor infantry.

Mountains cannot be defeated

by diplomatic battles or wealth.

That is why an astute person,

seeing what is good for oneself,

being wise, would place confidence (faith)

in the Awakened One, the Dhamma, and the Saṅgha.

Whoever lives by the Teaching

[skillful in actions of] body, speech, and mind,

is praised in this life

and departs to rejoice in heaven(s).”

• Ingmar Bergman; SN 3.25: Pabbatūpama Sutta—Bhikkhu Sujato (trans.), suttacentral.net, edited by Kalyani, Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Sad Guru's truth about masturbation

(Shermaroo Spiritual Life) Sadhguru (Vasudev) reveals the truth about masturbation

O, Wick Men, give me your knuckle babies

The Christian and Jewish Bibles have so little to say about masturbation that in a mindboggling reach, Church officials (guilty Catholics or officious Protestants or killjoy Jews) could only come up with the story of Onan and the awkward, inapplicable synonymous term "onanism." Nothing could be less connected to masturbation.

A Jewish man's brother dies, leaving his wife without a child. By Jewish custom and (levirate) law, he has to impregnate her in his absence. But just as he finishes the fun part his duty, he thinks better of it, reflecting on how troublesome another child and/or wife will be for him and not wanting to be burdened by those responsibilities, he withdraws as he finishes. God is so p'd off, we're told, that He smites (murders) him on the spot for "spilling his seed" on the ground rather than the fertile woman. Voila! Masturbation. Which as we all know involves having procreative sex with a partner but then changing your mind, right? 🙄

• Buddhism and sexuality In Buddhism, prohibitions against masturbation apply to monastics. By extension lay people may undertake to avoid them, and that is healthy and good, but one can no more find a "commandment" against it for ordinary people in Buddhist texts as one could locate one in Christian texts. Inciting lust, particularly through porn, is terribly harmful, and the Buddha did say something to the effect that it would be better to swallow a red-hot iron ball. But even that is in reference to being an "immoral monastic" swallowing food offered as alms by laypeople. If one insists on having sex (or fornicating, which means doing it without being married), go Tantric.

One is reminded of a truly tasteless joke:

A man nudged his wife for some nookie in front of their child. She asked him, "What?" - "How about we, you know?" - "What, are you crazy? You're going to ask me for that in front of our baby?!" - "Well, what do you want me to do?" - "Next time you want some whoopie, ask me to do 'a load of laundry.'" - "Oh, O.K." - Later that night, the wife primps and preps and makes a dramatic entrance in the bedroom. But the husband rolls over, turning his back to her. She pokes him and angrily and says, "I thought you wanted me to do a load of laundry!?" - "Oh, that's O.K. It was a small load. I did it by hand."

Fortunately, Wiki has this caveat: The word onanism is not based on the biblical story of Onan itself but on an interpretation of that biblical story. For the word onanism is not found in any form in biblical texts. Thus, the etymological connection of onanism (as masturbation) with Onan's name is religiously misleading" [62][47]. More

What about it, Pope?

Pope Francis speaks on porn and masturbation

(Breaking Points) Filthy lawyer for Israel and Epstein, Alan Dershowitz, conspired to crush...

How earthquakes create gold veins

Buddhist Sabbath: Full Buck Moon

What is the Buck Moon? Biggest, farthest, orangest full moon

The Buddhist Sabbath Day: Uposatha

What's the big deal? There's sila, dana, samadhi

The Uposatha day is a Buddhist day of observance, in existence since the Buddha's time (600 BCE) and still being kept today by sincere practitioners of Buddhism [1, 2]. The Buddha taught that the Uposatha day is for "the cleansing of the defiled mind (heart)," resulting in inner calm and joy [3]. On this day, both lay and ordained members of the Sangha (spiritual community) intensify their practice, deepen their knowledge of the practice, and express communal commitment through millennia-old acts of lay-monastic reciprocity. On these days, Buddhist lay followers make a conscious effort to keep the Eight Precepts or, as the tradition suggests, the Ten Precepts (or keeping perfectly the everyday Five Precepts). It is a day for putting into intensive practice the Buddha's teachings and meditation. More

(English Buddhist Monk) Full moon Uposatha lay practice for equanimity

CAUTION! JULY 10th FULL MOON will make WISHES come TRUE…but there's a catch!
(Eye of Wisdom) The full moon on July 10th is not just a light in the sky, it’s a manifestation magnifier. This moon pulls our desires to the surface, reflects them back at us…and amplifies them into reality. But there's a catch...

⚠️ This full moon is karmic, magnetic, and emotionally revealing. Our energy, our thoughts, our frequency, all of it is being reflected back at us in high definition.

✨ In this video:

• Why this Full Moon unlocks manifestation energy (with a twist)
• What thoughts and intentions we MUST get clear on now
• This is our early warning: July 10 isn’t “just another moon.”

It’s a spiritual amplifier. Whatever we’re broadcasting, this moon is listening.

📃 Relevant sources 📖

• Tolle, Eckhardt (1997) — The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment. Namaste Publishing.

Virtues of the Buddhist Lunar Observance

(WatSanFran) Virtues of the Lunar Observance | Uposatha Sutta | Animated Buddhist Stories

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• Eye of Wisdom, July 8, 2025; CC Liu, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly