(Psyfluence) This video delves into The Apocalypse of the Mind: The Age of Idiocracy and Idolatry, a deep analysis of how contemporary [American] society is caught in an unprecedented intellectual and spiritual crisis.
We reflect on the decline of critical thinking, the glorification of [idiocy and] superficiality, and the worship of false idols—from celebrities to empty ideologies.
This content invites us to question our dominant culture, its values, and how this reality impacts our inner and collective freedom. Through current examples and philosophical reflections, we are invited to awaken and seek an authentic path amid the noise and confusion of the modern age.
Are we ready to challenge our own beliefs and open our minds? Some are. Everyone else can return to consuming corn and cattle, body parts and synthetic plastic contamination.
Now that Suicide Prevention Month is wrapped up, it's time to listen to some Korn again. They're in concert this weekend in SoCal. Due to leaks of credit card and personal financial information, one woman had her virtual tickets transferred to someone else. TicketMaster is to blame. How doe
September is National Suicide Prevention Month (samhsa.gov)
and if you've found a way to hang on, let's see if we could feel, think, and reason our way through this. Unless you're recovering from some attempt, the thoughts are the problem. What reasoning has let to contemplating a permanent solution to a temporary problem? It's all in the thinking. Thinking is a trap, basing decision on unquestioned assumptions. Become aware of the assumption, and all the thinking built on them magically falls away..
September is a month to [listen Guns 'n' Roses' "September Rain," very sad and depressing] and to remember the lives lost to suicide. Millions of people have struggled...
NAMI (nami.org)don't like it. Get involved because awareness is the way to prevention, whereas lack of mindfulness and clear comprehension (sati-sampajanna) is the way to automatic pilot. A dog chases a tail. Does it ever figure out that's its tail? One bite would do it, but it's too fast.
Is there ever a time to raise awareness of this urgent crisis? It's like asking, "When is the best time to plant a tree?" We use this month to shift public perception and spread hope.
Prevention beats trying to cure the spiraling when someone falls into a tailspin. That dog just won't stop. One way is to call (988) LIFE-LINE. Every year, the 988 Lifeline and other mental health organizations and individuals across the U.S. raise awareness of suicide prevention during September.
AFSP.org hails National Suicide Prevention Month and Week. This is a moment in time when we rally the public to create awareness of this leading cause of death and inspire more self-compassion.
If only there were a toolkit for suicide prevention (nimh.nih.gov). There is a
Digital Toolkit for Suicide Prevention Month. Join the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) to raise awareness by sharing resources that can help one recognize the warning signs of suicide and do something about it.
KoRn "Dirty" (Live on the Other Side) lyrics by Johnathan Davis, from Issues; Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly; SAMHSA.gov, Aug. 16, 2024, et. al.
What if something happens on the inside? Shouldn't we all play it safe and just stay ignorant?
Why do so many meditators want to kill this neuroscientist?
(Scott Carney) Scott Carney Investigates: When Brown University Prof. Willoughby Britton set out to study the potential negative side effects of meditation, she never expected that the [super peaceful Buddhist] community would want to hound her out of her job.
I'm an academic. Let me have some freedom.
But that's what happened after her study on the "Varieties of Contemplative Experience" came out and she documented how one out of every ten people who start meditating have a clinically significant negative side effect.
Now she has a folder with 5,000 threats from people all around the world who want to stop her from reporting the truth.
For more information or to seek treatment with Dr. Britton, PhD's team, see these resources:
Here, Critical Financial zooms in on 18 so-called “sins” that may not be as bad as we once thought. It's not clear what the point of this article is, maybe to just gather up more followers for the largest religion in the world (Catholicism/Christianity).
But making it easier is not the way to please most people who want to be better since so much of what we believe is cultural and temporal. (Many Catholic men are mad at "fake" Pope John Paul II for weakening the faith and watering everything down, like an anti-pope, while other Catholics celebrate him for opening up the Old Church and modernizing it).
We only get one chance a year to air our doubts.
Shouldn't the Bible be personal, literal, and timeless? Apparently not, not by a long shot. Let's look at a few examples and decide whether there's an impersonal (universal) law at play or just the Jew's tribal God's view at play.
1. Questioning Faith: Having doubts and asking questions are not signs of rebellion or weakness but can actually strengthen faith. Characters in the Bible like Thomas and Job (Joe'b) [as well as Adam and Eve] questioned God, which illustrates that doubt [and the pursuit of knowledge] is a human experience.
Deuteronomy 22 on how you can dress: This verse prohibits cross-dressing (Hebrew lo yibash). Scholars, historical authorities, and leaders hold different opinions on correctly interpreting and implementing this commandment (Deut. 22:5). Some argue the act of cross-dressing is an abomination. Others maintain cross-dressing is only a manifestation of a different bad intention, such as deception, idolatry, or [gay sex work] [12].
Go right ahead if you like looking like a [gay] Goth, wearing platform shoes as high as stilts [like the Glam bands of the 70s], or a hippie kaftan down to your toes [like a heathen, just don't do that Punk or Emo stuff or full body tattoos(Leviticus 19:28 You must not...put tattoo marks on yourselves. I am the LORD (biblehub.com), and spikes, and crazy hair, or revealing clothes that might tempt the weaker sex to rape you, or anything like that.
It's hypocrisy to act like the Bible is cool with people dressing alternatively. As A. J. Jacobs found out, the Book is very specific on how males and females are to dress. So veil that hair and face like the religion you laugh at for believing their sacred book].
Everyone's doing it. I did it better, like Madoff.
I mean, bankers and tax collectors gotta eat. And now that it's "standard practice," who are we to question the financial system in which we participate? That's Caesar's business, right, Jesus?
Same with drinking alcohol or spirits, right? Moderation. Just get a little drunk, which the Buddha warned against, but Jesus and the Apostles probably partied on wine every night or when plotting against the imperial Romans who overran their society....
Jewish girl refuses to enlist: Jewish Israeli was imprisoned for opposing Israel's illegal occupation
(Owen Jones) Nov. 6, 2023: Atalya Ben-Abba is an Israeli conscientious objector: as a teenager forced to enlist, she was sent to prison for refusing to join the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) because of her opposition to Israel's illegal occupation of the West Bank. Now she's calling for a ceasefire. In response to her courage, we stand by her.
(@larsvonretriever) Best cover of RAGM's "Killing in the Name" by the North Korean Army Band ;)*
SUTRA: Considering becoming a soldier? You may want to reconsider...
Do it, Yudas, join the army. It's very patriotic.
The Headman Yodhajiva went to the Buddha, bowed, and sat respectfully to one side. Sitting there he said to the Buddha:
"Venerable, I have heard that it has been passed down by the ancient teaching lineage of warriors that 'When a warrior strives and exerts in battle, if others strike one and slay one while one is striving and exerting in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, one is reborn in the company of those shining ones (devas) slain in battle.' What does the Buddha say about that?"
That's what warriors say. Is it right?
"Headman, enough. Set that question aside. Do not ask it."
But a second...and a third time the Headman Yodhajiva asked: "...What does the Buddha say about that?"
"Headman, apparently, I am unable to get by by simply saying, 'Headman, enough, set that question aside. Do not ask it.' So I will just say:
[Why it's bad karma]
Look, Palestine, I'm a settler colonialist
"When a warrior strives and exerts in battle, that person's mind is already seized, debased, and misdirected by such thoughts as: 'May these living beings be struck down, slaughtered, destroyed, annihilated. May they be exterminated!'
"If others strike one down and slay one while one is striving and exerting in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, one is reborn in a hell called the Realm of Those Slain in Battle.
"But if one holds some view such as this: 'When a warrior strives and exerts in battle, if others then strike one down and slay one while one is striving and exerting in battle, then with the breakup of the body, after death, one is reborn in the company of shining ones (devas) slain in battle,' that is one's wrong view.
"Now, I declare, there are two destinations for a person possessed of wrong view -- either hell [Note 1] or the animal realm [rebirth into the womb of an animal]."
When this was said, the Headman Yodhajiva began to sob and burst into tears.
[The Buddha consoled him saying:] "That is what I could not get through to you by simply saying, 'Headman, enough, set that question aside. Do not ask it.'"
"But, venerable, I am not crying because of what the Buddha said to me, but rather because I have been deceived, lied to, and fooled for so long by that ancient teaching lineage of warriors who said [that nonsense] (SN 42.3).
[Reaction]
I don't want to enlist like others might.
At the conclusion of sutras there is usually this text because of a person being overcome with great confidence (saddha, "faith") in the Buddha and the Dharma (the Teaching) and those successfully instructed in it. It so fills a person directly instructed by the Buddha that one usually exclaims (as in SN 42.2):
"Excellent, venerable, excellent! It is just as if one were to set upright what had been overturned, or revealed what was hidden, or shown the way to one who was lost, or carried a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see visible forms!
I shoulda listened to Dharma and not the CIA
"In the same way has the Buddha — in many ways — made the Truth (Dhamma) clear. I go for guidance to the Buddha, to the Dhamma, and to the Sangha [noble ones, the community enlightened disciples]. May the Buddha remember me as being a lay follower who has gone for guidance (sarana) from this day forward for life."
Sārājita niraya: not so much "hell" as the "downward path" of one reborn in the subhuman plane among other warriors/killers. It is a niraya ("downward path") in which those who die in battle are reborn (S.iv.311). The Commentary (SA.iii.100) states that it is not a distinctive "purgatory," but rather a part of Avīci (the lowest infernal "waveless" or uninterrupted, incessant, interminable hell though not eternal), where fighters of all sorts fight on in their imagination. Cf. Sarañjita, according to G. P. Malalasekera's Dictionary of Pali Proper Names (palikanon.com)
HAIR: The Musical in 1969 on the famous American TV variety show The Ed Sullivan Show
(Intro lifted from The Cars' "Candy-O"] Killing in the name of/ Some of those that work forces/ Are the same that burn crosses/ Uh!/ Killing in the name of/ Now you do what they told ya/ And now you do what they told ya/ Well, now you do what they told ya/ Those who died are justified/ For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites/ You justify those that died/ By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites/ Some of those that work forces/ Are the same that burn crosses/ Killing in the name of/ Killing in the name of/ Now you do what they told ya/ (Now you're under control)/ And now you do what they told ya/ Those who died are justified/ For wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites/ You justify those that died/ By wearing the badge, they're the chosen whites/ Come on! [Guitar Solo]/ Ugh! Yeah!/ Come on! Ugh!/ F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me/ F*ck you, I won't do what you tell me/ M*therf*cker!/ Ugh!
This is not the historical Buddha Gautama but a nude Mahavira, founder of Jainism.
.
The great wandering ascetic Mahavira
These Three "Articles of (Heretical) Belief" (titthāyatana) are (in A.III.61) declared as leading to inactivity/inaction:
(1) the belief that all happiness and suffering are produced through previous karma (prenatal deeds, actions in past lives);
(2) that everything is uncaused;
(3) that everything is created by God.
(1) The first is the teaching of Niggantha Nāthaputta [Mahavira, the Jina, the tirthankana or "ford-finder," the founder Jainism and leader of the Jains or Nigganthas].
The fault with this doctrine (dharma, "teaching") is that it does not account for that happiness and suffering which are either the result of the present life's skillful or unskillful deeds or are associated with the corresponding action.
According to these three doctrines, humans are not responsible for their actions (deeds, karma) so as to say that all moral exertions would be useless. Source
While the Buddha didn't say this as such, the sentiment is certainly a good one and true.
Ancient philosophers' life lessons people wished they knew sooner
(Quotes) Jan. 3, 2023. This livestream is made from the best quotes in the world and we expect these life quotes to make us change our attitude to the world. These quotes are worth noting or taking screenshots of to save them in a collection for inspiration. On this quotes stream, quotes are broadcasting 24/7. #quotes
Top 30 Buddha quotes on life that can teach us beautiful life lessons
(Words of Wisdom) Jan. 8, 2021 Gautam Buddha (the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama) was one of the greatest enlightened persons on earth. Here are some of the best quotes attributed to him -- even though many were never said by him but are beautiful or strange translations of something he did say. In any case, they can teach us some valuable life lessons. #words_of_wisdom_channel
(Sutta Workshops by Āyasmā Aggacitta, premiered July 30, 2022) This is an edited video of an online Dhamma (Dharma) talk on January 9, 2022, organized by Stay Alive (SA) and Zest Connection.
00:00 Start
01:25 Āvarana Sutta (AN 5.51)
03:08 Āhāra Sutta (SN 46.51)
03:49 Sensual Desire
05:32 Ill-Will
06:16 Sloth and Torpor (Drowsiness and Weariness)
06:48 Restlessness and Worry
08:23 Skeptical Doubt
09:05 How to Nourish the Five Hindrances
13:58 How to Denourish the Hindrances
17:50 How to Prevent the Hindrances from arising according to the Commentary
19:10 Conditions for Prevention of Sensual Desire according to the Commentary
25:18 Conditions for Prevention of Ill-Will according to the Commentary
28:04 How to Remove Ill-Will (AN 5:161)
31:24 Conditions for Prevention of Sloth and Torpor according to the Commentary
33:39 How to overcome Drowsiness (AN 7.61)
39:50 Conditions for Prevention of Restlessness and Worry according to the Commentary
42:10 Conditions for Prevention of Doubts according to the Commentary
45:13 How to abandon the Hindrances – Nīvarana Sutta (AN 9.64)
47:51 The Five Hindrances in Life – Worthy Deeds (AN 4.61)
54:30 What is accomplishment in wisdom?
58:25 Q&A
58:44 Is it correct that I do not send loving-kindness (mettā) to the opposite sex?
1:00:47 How to overcome the challenge when the Hindrances are not from within but are influenced by external factors?
1:01:50 Is it recommended for someone with OCD (obsessive compulsive disorder) to practice meditation?
1:02:59 How does one gaze beyond the wall without imagining during Open Mindfulness Meditation?
1:03:54 Can we put in more effort to stop or indulge in the proliferating mind before we sleep?
1:05:46 Is it advisable to change meditation object for beginner?
1:06:29 How to cultivate Faith (Confidence) in Buddha, Dharma, and Sangha?
1:08:07 What is Open Mindfulness Meditation?
1:08:54 Is it a suitable conversation between spiritual friends when someone expresses negative feelings towards me?
1:09:48 Can we practice Open Mindfulness in open and noisy places?
1:11:31 What is the difference between sati-sampajañña (mindfulness and clear comprehension) and vipassanā (insight) practice?
1:11:59 Can BARR Test and inclining the mind be used to verify the causes and conditions and the Five Aggregates simultaneously? Seems like one is intellectual and the other is intuitive?
1:16:45 What is the difference between Open Mindfulness Meditation and Watching the Breath?
1:18:00 How to draw the line between suitable and unsuitable conversation?
1:19:24 Are youngsters practicing de-focused mindfulness when they ignore their parents?
How do well-meaning, intelligent people end up in a cult? "EnlightenNext was an organization founded by Jewish New Yorker and self-styled guru Andrew Cohen. It aimed to facilitate "spiritual awakening." Cohen’s most devoted students meditated for hours -- at times, months -- on end, were often celibate, and lived together. However, what started as an idealistic venture quickly turned into a complicated, sinister world. More: theatlantic.com/video/ind...
The impersonal process of "consciousness continues after death," science finds. So what happens when we die? There are two wrong views living beings typically hold. They sound like opposites, yet they are both wrong.
The first is annihilationism (uccheda-view), the view that when we die it's lights out and everything is over, that the self is annihilated at death. This is wrong. Life goes on.
The second is eternalism (sassata-view), the view that when we die it's lights on and everything continues, that the self lives on eternally in one state or another (an eternal heaven, hell, or intermediate state). This is wrong. Life ends at every moment of being, which is actually becoming (and re-becoming) and never static "being." What is right view? What did the Buddha teach?
Birth completes in death, death in rebirth...
First, we must ask, What exists now? (The answer is the Five Aggregates Clung to as Self). There is no self to die or live on endlessly. So what exists?
There's ignorance and the "suffering" (woe, disappointment, unsatisfactoriness) that proceeds from it; there is this impersonal process.
The Truth is far stranger than the fictions we imagine. So we cannot rest easy thinking it will all take care of itself. It won't. Nor should we worry thinking there is nothing that can be done. There is. There is a Path to the end of all suffering and all future rebirth.
But clinging to the hankering and pursuit of sensual pleasures, we remain in bondage to this wheel samsara -- this near-endless round of becoming, this impersonal process of birth, death, rebirth (relinking), redeath...
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