(ECHOES OF LOST KNOWLEDGE) Bodhidharma: "Awakening" means seeing through illusions (cleansing the heart/mind of the Three Poisons) | First Zen Patriarch from India
Showing posts with label spiritual seekers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spiritual seekers. Show all posts
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Tuesday, August 18, 2026
Thursday, July 9, 2026
The Buddhist Dark Night of the 'Soul'
(Buddha's Wisdom) Breakdown or breakthrough.
- Catholic/Christian mystics understand, “To get your breakthrough, sometimes God needs to break you.”
- Dark Night of the Soul: What it is and how to move through it
 |
| Dark Night of the Soul |
St. John describes the concept in his treatise Dark Night (Noche Oscura), commenting on his poem of the same name.
 |
| John of the Cross, 1656 |
The author himself did not give any title to his poem, which together with this commentary and the Ascent of Mount Carmel (Subida del Monte Carmelo) forms a treatise on the active and passive purification of the senses and the spirit, leading to mystical union [1] or "yoga" through samadhi.
 |
| El Greco "View of Toledo" (Google Art Project) |
The poem
Dating and subject: The poem of St. John of the Cross, in eight stanzas of five lines each, narrates the journey of the individual (soul, personality, persona, ego, self, spirit) to mystical union with God or the Godhead (Brahman). More
The Dark Night of the Soul
By St. John of the Cross
I. In a dark night,
With anxious love inflamed,
O, happy lot!
Forth unobserved I went,
My house being now at rest.
II. In darkness and in safety,
By the secret ladder, disguised,
O, happy lot!
In darkness and concealment,
My house being now at rest.
III. In that happy night,
In secret, seen of none,
Seeing nought myself,
Without other light or guide
Save that which in my heart was burning.
IV. That light guided me
More surely than the noonday sun
To the place where He was waiting for me,
Whom I knew well,
And where none appeared.
V. O, guiding night;
O, night more lovely than the dawn;
O, night that hast united
The lover with His beloved,
And changed her into her love.
VI. On my flowery bosom,
Kept whole for Him alone,
There He reposed and slept;
And I cherished Him, and the waving
Of the cedars fanned Him.
VII. As His hair floated in the breeze
That from the turret blew,
He struck me on the neck
With His gentle hand,
And all sensation left me.
VIII. I continued in oblivion lost,
My head was resting on my love;
Lost to all things and myself,
And, amid the lilies forgotten,
Threw all my cares away. Source
- The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (Douglas Adams)
Monday, June 22, 2026
Journey or Addiction? Harvard's Ram Dass
(After Skool) The Freedom of Being Nobody: Ram Dass
What is root cause of ADDICTION?
The Spiritual Journey
Thursday, June 18, 2026
How'd Buddhism get so 'way out'? (funny)
(exurb1a) Buddhism is kinda out there, Man a whimsical survey of the various Buddhisms (major Buddhist schools), repeating many popular misconceptions but in a very entertaining way.
The Sickest Buddhist (rapper)
Tuesday, June 9, 2026
Who's my true SELF, false self? (Alan Watts)
- WARNING: "A little learning is a dangerous thing; Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian Spring: There shallow thoughts intoxicate the brain" - the Great Alexander Pope (reddit)
 |
| O, those Greeks of Macedonia were something |
In Greek mythology, the "Pierian Spring" of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia was sacred to the mythological Pierides and the Muses. As the metaphorical source of knowledge of art and science, it was popularized by a couplet in Pope's 1711 poem An Essay on Criticism:
 |
| Alexander Pope "high" on his Muse |
Drink deep, or taste not the Pierian spring:
There shallow draughts [sips] intoxicate the brain,
And drinking [more medicine] largely sobers us again.
Fired at first sight with what the Muse imparts,
In fearless youth we tempt the heights of Arts;
While from the bounded level of our mind
Short views we take, nor see the lengths behind,
But, more advanced, behold with strange surprise
New distant scenes of endless science rise!
So pleased at first the towering Alps we try,
Mount o’er the vales, and seem to tread the sky;
The eternal snows appear already past,
And the first clouds and mountains seem the last;
But those attained, we tremble to survey
The growing labors of the lengthened way;
The increasing prospect tires our wandering eyes,
Hills peep o’er hills, and Alps on Alps arise!
(After Skool)
Alan Watts, what is The Self (Ego), the True Self, False Self, Higher Self, Eternal Atman, Soul, Invisible Spirit (Prana, the Pneuma, Holy Spirit), Immortal Essence, Sine Qua Non of Me, Myself, and I?
In death and rebirth explanations, ego death is a phase of self-surrender and transition [3, 4, 5, 6] as described by mythologist Joseph Campbell in his research on the "Hero's Journey" [3].
In descriptions of drugs, the term is used synonymously with "ego loss" [7, 8, 1, 9] to refer to temporary loss of one's sense of having a self due to the use or abuse of drugs [10, 11, 1], be they negative (deluded) hallucinogens or positive (pro-realization) entheogens.
 |
| I don't know what I'm supposed to think. |
Who am "I"?
- Wisdom Quarterly says there is "NO self."
- WQ says no such thing. What we say is that, in an ultimate sense, "self" (soul, ego, atman, atta, spirit) is impersonal.
- So there IS a "self"?
- In a conventional sense, of course there is! How else would we live in a squiggly universe without a sense of our boundaries demarcating where we end and others start?
- Oh, so I don't have to give everything away, join a commune, and do whatevers my Guru tells me to?
- Ugh, no, you do not. Be yourself. Think. Practice. Buddhism only makes sense for those who practice the Dhamma, not the debaters or scholars of it.
Joe Rogan: some "drugs" are not drugs
Been Dazed 'n Confused for so long it's not true
DMT on LSD: Reptilian transformation
Ego death is good?
 |
| Wait, then, so I'm as "real" as this chair? - Yes. |
EGO DEATH is a "complete loss of subjective self-identity" [1]. The term is used in various contexts, with related meanings.
The 19th-century psychologist and philosopher William James uses the synonymous term "self-surrender." Jungian psychology uses the synonymous term "psychic death," referring to a fundamental transformation of the psyche (soul) [2].
 |
| So I can be responsible with a career? - Yes. |
It is a recurrent theme in world mythology and is also used as a metaphor in some strands of contemporary Western thinking [6].
 |
| What if I can't get it to stop? |
The term was used as such by Harvard Dr. Timothy Leary and others [1] to describe the death of the ego [12] in the first phase of an LSD trip, in which a "complete transcendence" of the self [Note 1] occurs.
 |
| Did the Grateful Dead know about this? |
The concept is also used in contemporary New Age spirituality and in the modern understanding of ancient Eastern religions (such as Nondualism/Advaita/Oneness) to describe a permanent loss of "attachment to a separate sense of self" [Web 1] and self-centeredness [13] (egoism, egotism, selfishness, conceit).
This kind of conception is a part of Eckhart Tolle's Buddhist-like teachings, where Ego is presented as an accumulation of thoughts and emotions, continuously identified with [and clung to], which creates the idea and feeling of being a separate entity from one's self, and only by disidentifying one's consciousness from it can one truly be free from suffering [14]. More
Life: break us to wake us? DRUNK
(T&H Inspiration & Motivation) I was disgusted, busted, and not to be trusted. I was a drunkard, an alcoholic. I wasted 33 years of my life in my head before Welsh actor Anthony Hopkins explained this
I'm going to go divinely mad: LOVE
The incessant chatter of the Self
Friday, May 22, 2026
Arroyo Secodelic Fest, Open Mic Poetry LA
Welcome to the first unofficial day of summer, which runs from Memorial Day to Labor Day in LA
 |
| How can I start to awaken in a big city? |
ARROYO SECODELIC FESTIVAL (arroyosecodelic.com) May 22–25, 2026:
Highland Park, Los Angeles, all ages with 60+ bands across six walkable venues along famous Figueroa Street with FREE and paid admission shows. See arroyosecodelic.com for details. Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (Memorial Day weekend). Tickets are available as 4-Day Passes to all shows in all venues. See individual schedule for full lineup by day, appearing mostly at the Lodge Room, De La Playa Records, Oblivion Indoor, and Highland Park Ebell, all orbiting Kinship Yoga on Fig.
- The Fest on KXLU 88.9 FM (blog), KCRW 89.9 FM
- Love it live! A group for fans of live music | The Lodge Room
WHAT HAPPENED?
Adolescents live at the House of Blues way back; still alive in 2025 playing with the Circle Jerks
 |
| One day ASF may bet as big as Brokecella |
Highland Park is rock 'n roll paradise. Arroyo Secodelic Festival is a 4-day music fest in Highland Park, May 22-25, 2026, featuring a frenetic and fuzzy array of rock 'n roll artists spanning generations — including three of Southern California's finest first wave punk bands: Lee Ving's FEAR, OC royalty Adolescents, and pioneering punk bassist Mike Watt as well as San Francisco power pop icons Flamin' Groovies and LA rockers Strawberry Fuzz, Levitation Room, The Warlocks, and Death Valley Girls.
What's the big deal about these punks?
- Forget "Amoeba." WELCOME TO REALITY: Blood so deep the horse must hold his head up high/ In the valley of decision one third of the world will die/ Beat your hoes and plows into axes and spears/ As the armies meet in a battle they predicted for years// (CHORUS) Let the weak say I'm a warrior/ Bring down the warriors/ Let the faithless regain faith/ Your faith is hopeless// The prophets and the psychics and the military agree/ Continual crisis leads us straight to World War III/ Roll out the red carpet let the Angel of Death ride in/ To the valley of decision let the mayhem begin// (CHORUS)// Apocalyptic madness two thirds of the world in sadness/ The other third is gone but sadness lingers on/ Crumbled cities and an aftermath of hate/ No way to stop them 'cause now its too late/ The Antichrist's mission's done/ The dead are the only lucky ones/ Are you ready?/ The picture's painted/ For the valley - the scene is set/ Of decision - make your decision/ For the valley it's too late/ Welcome welcome to reality/ Welcome welcome to reality/ Make a decision cause you've got no choice
The Festival takes place across multiple venues on Figueroa St. and beyond — The Lodge Room, Oblivion, Highland Park Ebell, Cheerio Collective, De La Playa Records, Blind Barber, North Figueroa Books, and a few pop ups and buskers. All Arroyo Secodelic shows are ALL AGES.
Free poetry pre-show at Eagle Rock Library
 |
| Enter the Gateless Gate of Heightened Awareness into the magic Doors of Perception. |
 |
| Blended (Mestizo) to Synthesis |
RELATED ARTS EVENTS
 |
| Eagle Rock Branch - Los Angeles Public Library | Los Angeles CA | Facebook |
- Friday, May 22, Arroyo Secodelic Festival (runs until Monday, May 24) Arroyo Secodelic Festival — May 22–24, 2026 · Highland Park
- Saturday, May 23 2:00 pm Miriam's Garden Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library
- JBLZE (The Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Evening) Greek Theatre, LA
- May 28, 4:00 pm REAB Traveling Symphony Series Presents: Symphony of Shared Stories Van Nuys Branch Library
- May 29, 10:30 am REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Fairfax Branch Library
- May 30, 12 noon REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Hyde Park Miriam Matthews Branch Library
- May 30, 2:30 p.m. REAB Traveling Symphony Presents: Collaborative Poetry with DSTL ARTS Baldwin Hills Branch Library
- June 9, 6:00 pm Poetry Open Mic Westwood Branch Library
- ADA accommodations: (213) 228-7430 at least 72 hours prior to event. Para ajustes razonables según la ley de ADA, llama (213) 228-7430 al menos 72 horas antes del evento.
 |
| AwareProject.org for rethinking psychedelics (The Aware Project, Los Angeles) |
(No Ads) Get rid of all bad energy, whole body cleansing, chakra healing | claim inner peace #1
Featuring punk legends FEAR ●
Flamin' Groovies
●
Adolescents ● Levitation Room
●
Strawberry Fuzz
●
Mike Watt & The Secondmen ● Juanita & Juan
●
Untitled
●
The Warlocks ● Death Valley Girls
●
Flat Worms
●
Valgur ● Toys That Kill
●
Buckets ● Cinnamon
●
The Darts
●
Windows ● Cissi TV
●
Op Ed
●
Sun Atoms ● Baus
●
Cameron Romance
●
The Flamenco Souls ● Axxident
●
Wave Decay
●
and more...
British Buddhist monk Ajahn Brahm (trained in the Thai Forest Tradition and abbot of Buddhist Society of Western Australia) has 4.6 out of 5 stars (with 85 reviews) for this book.
While most sati or mindfulness meditation teachers praise the benefits of "bare awareness," Ajahn Brahm teaches bear awareness.
Whether he is urging readers to fly Buddha Air (as we sit back and relax on our way to nirvana), giving tips for dealing with panic attacks or depression, or extolling the bliss (piti) of meditation that is better than sex, he gives us permission to enjoy our lives and our practice. More
 |
| Microdosing at the Psychedelic Institute, LA |
Death of anti-Folk indie darling Beck
Bear Awareness: Questions and Answers on Taming Your Wild Mind
 |
| Bear Awareness: Taming Mind |
He is the bestselling author of Who Ordered This Truckload of Dung? and one of the world’s most beloved Theravada Buddhist monks because of his sense of humor.
In Bear Awareness, Ajahn Brahm answers meditators’ questions, actual questions from students of meditation––questions readers may have wondered about as well.
 |
| Hi, y'all! Feed your head like Grace says. |
He helps us make friends with the scary things that come up on the cushion, and he shows how to lift the mood with a well-placed stuffed teddy or a well-timed pun.
The intimacy of the question-and-answer format provides a fresh experience of learning from a Western master meditator who studied with the awakened Thai master Ajahn Chah.
 |
| Author: British Abbot Ajahn Brahm (BSWA) |
- Dancing in the Rain at Cruel World Festival (KXLU)
- Second Nature: Gender and Sexuality in the Animal World
- CAMERON 🖤 ROMANCE (@cameron.romance) • IG
- ArroyoSecoDelic.com; Ajahn Brahm (Bear Awareness, BSWA.org); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Friday, May 8, 2026
Craving for nirvana is obstacle to it?
 |
| Behind the scenes look | Panaprium |
Bhava-taṇhā is "craving for becoming," grasping leading to "clinging" (upādāna), which inevitably results in disappointment, dissatisfaction, misery, suffering...not getting what one wants, getting what one doesn't want, all of which is dukkha.
Bhava-taṇhā ("craving for becoming") [5] is craving to be or become something, to unite with an experience [16].
This is ego-related, says Buddhist scholar Peter Harvey, the eternal seeking for identity and the desire for some type of rebirth or other [5].
 |
| This last donut will fulfill and satisfy me! |
- The opposite wrong view is Annihilationism (Ucchedavada), the wrong view that there is something that is annihilated at death, which is a transition, passing from one state to another, of an impersonal process. But Western "logic" tells us it has to be one or the other: either we carry on or come to an end. How could both be wrong? This is what the Buddha tried to explain, and he succeeded by explaining Dependent Origination. If there is no self, of course it does not carry on in samsara. But a process carries on, so there must be "self" doing the carrying on, right? No, for in every moment and submoment, phenomena arises
It is not eternal life for an eternal soul, not an independent ego, not something personal, not a "self" or "soul" -- without actually living up to the definition of "soul" or "self" we have always assumed is there). More
How to reach enlightenment here and now (an over-explanation for non-practitioners)
Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (DBM), COMMENTARY FOR WISDOM QUARTERLY
But it is foolish to assume that this "impermanence" is eventual. In fact, it is radical (from the Latin radix, at its "root")! From moment to moment, things do not stand. They constantly fall away. They are always arising, turning, and passing, not only at every moment but at every submoment.
In a "moment," such as a citta or "mind-moment," there are three phases: (1) arising, (2) turning, (3) passing. The exact same thing is true of physical particles, rupa kalapas (form phenomena).
This impermanence goes by so quickly that it is not possible to see directly, but there's a trick. The arising and falling away is recorded by the mind and can be reviewed (replayed) in slow-motion to observe the process.
- One would learn this in a monastery that knew what it was doing -- such as those in the lineage of the great Pa Auk Sayadaw -- from a long line of practical advice handed down from accomplished teachers to students. So far as we can determine, it is not recorded in the texts, either discourses or commentaries. This seems to be the case with the practical application of many of the teachings mentioned in the Pali canon sutras. The Path of Purification is a compendium of Buddhist meditation practices, and some things are explained there. But it is so dense, in addition to being awkward in translation, that good luck making sense of it.
You know, "Buddhism" was much more fun when we were just joking about Zen (Taoism, always asking, "What is the Tao, what is Tao?" a question the Buddha never asked) and chitchatting about koans. Who knew the Buddha really taught something and that there was an actual path-of-practice to enlightenment (bodhi) and liberation (nirvana)? Shouldn't this be easy, and shouldn't it be that Buddhist monastics are wasting their time with all those pesky rules and meditations? Now we see there was a point and there was no time to waste. How long would it take to calm down (samadhi, jhana, stillness), how long would it take to develop insight (vipassana) through systematic mindfulness?
It's too confusing, too much to think about! - Of course, all of this will seem impossible, but come and see. The process of purification gives the mind incredible powers it does not now possess. This defiled, corrupted, dissolute mind can't see these thing, but that purified, clarified, intensified mind can. The ignorant, uninstructed person cannot see, but an instructed disciple can. That is what the Buddha has been saying all along.
 |
| What do kalapas look like? Embers scattering. |
When we are finally able to see things (cittas and kalapas, mind-moments and material particles) behaving as they have always behaved when we were blind to and deluded about what was really there all along, the mind/heart automatically lets go. There is no effort to do so. Seeing their true nature, we stop clinging.
Furthermore, when we see that all things are utterly incapable of ever fulfilling, satisfying, or doing anything but being ultimately disappointing, we stop craving, stop expecting any new thing to be any different.
Moreover, when we finally know-and-see as it truly is that what we thought (assumed) was personal and self is not, what in the universe (with three spheres of sensual, fine material, and immaterial worlds -- with "heavenly" places in each) is there to cling to?
Why have we been holding on to suffering (dukkha, this unsteady, askew cartwheel making the road so bumpy and painful) and to things always hurtling towards destruction? It is exactly because we did not see, did not know.
 |
| I get it! Now I know and see!! |
Then it is as if everything -- all ignorance and darkness -- dissolves (nirodha), and light arises, and there is awakening out of painful ignorance to ultimate unending bliss. This is the bliss of nirvana, the highest happiness and peace. There is no use in describing it, but it can be directly experienced here and now, free of concepts and views.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
-John_of_the_Cross-1656.jpg){kind=link}
