Awakening in this Lifetime (April 25)

Ananda (Dharma Meditation Initiative), Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; PlanetDharma.com

What is the Purpose of Spiritual Practice? Life is a fascinating journey, filled with discovery, exploration, and awesome experiences fraught with suffering, often unnecessarily.

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Catherine Pawasarat Sensei

Drawn to intensity, to living life to the fullest? To awaken in this very life is the spiritual way to go. It's accessible to anyone with drive and heart.

Catherine Pawasarat Sensei (planetdharma.com) visits from Canada to share an overview of contemporary spiritual landscapes: Which teachings focus on awakening here and now? What does it take? How do we know it works?

Imagine wearing a t-shirt or tattoo that reads “Awakening or Bust!” Yes, it IS possible! Tonight (Thursday, April 25) we'll move, meditate, learn some Dharma, practice loving-kindness, then share experiences over vegan drinks and snacks. FREE if you RSVP

• Dharma Meditation Initiative, Los Angeles
• "Extreme Spiritual Sports: Awakening in this Lifetime"
• Thursday, April 25, 7:00-8:30 PM
• Neighborhood UU Church, Rm. 23
• 301 N. Orange Grove Bl., Pasadena 91103
  

Wasteland to Pureland

CATHERINE PAWASARAT SENSEI, co-author of Wasteland to Pureland, practiced Ayahuasca plant medicine in the Brazilian Amazon in the '90s then she met her meditation teacher, Doug Duncan, and embraced the spiritual path forged by Canadian-born, Tibetan-recognized Namgyal Rinpoche (Leslie George Dawson aka Ven. Ananda Bodhi). She has studied daily with Duncan for more than 20 years. She is co-founder of the innovative Clear Sky Retreat Center in British Columbia, where they live, work, and practice in conscious community. She lived in Kyoto, Japan, for two decades and is a leading expert on its 1,100-year-old Gion Festival, specializing in its shamanic roots and sustainability.

YOGA: Breathe like Darth Vader (video)

ERB; Adriene; Melissa Eisler (chopra.com); Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Learn the Victorious Breath (Ujjayi Pranayama). Let's focus on breathing techniques of inspiration for yoga fueled by the breath (prana). Ujjayi is a great tool for Hatha Yoga and is used to focus the mind and assist in the synchronizing movement and breath. Connect to the ocean's sound and ride the wave of breath (yogawithadriene.com). Intro song by Shakey Graves (facebook).

Learn Ujjayi, an Ancient Yogic Breathing Technique

Looking to simultaneously relax and energize mind and body? The answer may be an ancient yogic breathing technique called Ujjayi.

Ujjayi (pronounced oo-jai) is commonly translated as “Victorious Breath” and has been used for thousands of years to enhance Hatha Yoga practice. Also commonly referred to as the “Oceanic Breath” and occasionally “Darth Vader Breath,” the sound that Ujjayi provides helps us to synchronize breath with movements during yoga posing, making the entire yoga practice more rhythmic.

Benefits of Ujjayi Breathing

Ujjayi has a balancing influence on the entire cardiorespiratory system, releasing feelings of irritation and frustration, encouraging calm and serenity as it helps calm mind and body. With Ujjayi, there are many benefits, providing good value for a simple practice. Here are a few benefits one may enjoy as a result of practicing the Ujjayi breath regularly: More

April 24th is DENIM DAY (video)

Ipsy; Audiopedia; Latestly; Crystal Q., A. Wells, CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Denim Day: April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month and ipsy is proud to announce that it's taking part in Denim Day, the longest-running sexual violence prevention and education campaign, with Peace Over Violence. Thank you to participants in this video and True Religion brand jeans for providing the denim.

(Latestly) Denim Day 2019: 5 celeb-inspired ways to style denim jeans

Denim Day 2019: Denim pants are extremely versatile and can be worn for any occasion and teamed up with any kind of accessories. Not only is denim amazing to look at, with its mellow indigo blue fade, but are also durable and comfortable and an American standard that caught on in Italy with a fit so tight it led one court to reason that no rape must have occurred because the victim would have had to have helped get herself out of them.

SOAD: Turkish Genocide of Armenians (video)

AlternateHistoryHub; 1915GenocidalTurks; Pfc. Sandoval, S.Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

System of a Down (SOAD) is featured in this documentary, Screamers, about the Armenian Genocide.

Los Angeles has the largest population of Armenians, spreading out from the little foothill hamlet of Glendale, so we are bombarded with news about the genocide. When do the Ottomans or Turks stand up and show that it was something other than a genocide? It might have been a case of he said, she said, but Pacifica Radio's "special programming" at 1:00 PM today (Law and Disorder with attorneys Heidi Bogosian and Michael Steven Smith) describes a situation that could not be explained away as mere "casualties" of war. This was targeted a targeted extermination with follow up atrocities.

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What is the Armenian Genocide?

(AlternateHistoryHub, April 24, 2015) Today marks the 104th anniversary of the start of the genocide of Armenians, Greeks, and Assyrians by Turkish nationalists. Over a century of denial about the events that took place. History can never be revised to suit the needs of some. We learn from our past so we can have a better future. This is not alternative history. It only leaves one to wonder what could have been had this atrocity not taken place or been denied for so long.

Armenian Genocide (The Hidden Holocaust)

(1915GenocidalTurks/Wiki) The Armenian Genocide (Armenian Հայոց Ցեղասպանություն) is also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, traditionally among Armenians, as the Great Crime (Armenian Մեծ Եղեռն or Medz Yeghern).

It was the Ottoman government's systematic extermination of its minority Armenian (Greek, and Assyrian) subjects from their historic homeland in the territory constituting the present-day Republic of Turkey. It took place during and after World War I and was implemented in two phases, the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and forced labor and the deportation of women, children, elderly, and infirm on death marches to the Syrian desert. The total number of people killed as a result has been estimated at between 1 and 1.5 million.

The Assyrians, Greeks, and other minority groups were similarly targeted for extermination by the Ottoman government, and their treatment is considered by many historians to be part of the same genocidal policy. It is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocides, as scholars point to the organized manner in which the killings were carried out to eliminate (or ethnically cleanse) the Armenians. And it is the second most-studied case of genocide after the Jewish Holocaust by the German Nazis. The word "genocide" was coined in order to describe these events.

The starting date of the genocide is conventionally held to be April 24, 1915, the day when Ottoman authorities arrested some 250 Armenian intellectuals and community leaders in Constantinople. Thereafter, the Ottoman military uprooted Armenians from their homes and forced them to march for hundreds of miles, depriving them of food and water, to the desert of what is now Syria. Massacres were indiscriminate of age or gender, with rape and other sexual abuse commonplace. The majority of Armenian diaspora communities were founded as a result of the Armenian genocide.

Turkey, the successor state of the Ottoman Empire, denies the word "genocide" is an accurate description of the events. In recent years it and other nations of the world (most notably the USA) have faced repeated calls to accept the events as a genocide. To date, 20-30 countries have officially recognized the events of the period as genocide, and most genocide scholars and historians accept this view.

System of a Young Turk
Why can't four Turkish guys get together and form a band like System of a Down (SOAD)? That way we'll play your song "It Was No Genocide." Until then we will continue to hear from one of the world greatest bands of all time. And, regrettably, debate will be stifled. Questioning will be outlawed. Denialism will end in prison or with fines, as if the state could outlaw ideas by labeling some of them as Orwellian "thought crimes." Are Jewish scholars celebrating the end of free speech and free thought alongside shortsighted Armenian scholars?



Turks protest bill making it illegal to deny Armenian genocide
(AP Archive, July 30, 2015) "I don't know what they have against us. This Armenian issue is over a century old. What is it about? It's just creating tensions."

STORYLINE: Hundreds of members of the Turkish community gathered behind France's National Assembly in Paris on Thursday to protest against a bill that would render the denial of the Armenian genocide a crime. Politicians approved the measure that will make it a crime in France to deny that a mass killings of Armenians in 1915 amounted to a genocide. This could put France on a collision course with Turkey, a strategic ally and trading partner that argues the conflict nearly 100 years ago should be left to historians. Holding Turkish and French flags, protesters demanded that French politicians oppose the bill. "We are asked to officially recognize that our grandparents were assassins, but no one can say that," said demonstrator Fatih Ekici. More

Genocide-denial tearing Turkey apart (video)

Journeyman Pictures, April 17, 2015; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


Century of genocide denial tearing Turkey apart

Facing up to the Past (2006): Novelist Orhan Pamuk threatened under Turkey's dubious Article 301 for daring to speak out about the Armenian Genocide. For downloads and more information visit journeyman.tv.

Ankara’s handling of calls to recognize the Armenian Genocide reveals the deep strains tearing at Turkish society (the former Ottoman Empire, which actually carried out the atrocities with Turkey merely covering up and denying the acts of their predecessors and ancestors). When author Orhan Pamuk acknowledged the massacre, he provoked an outcry.

Many fear that if Turkey recognizes the mass killings, it will be forced to pay out billions in reparations. But with the EU pressuring Ankara to allow greater freedom of speech, Turkey may soon have to face a public debate on its past.

• AUDIO: "Remembering the Armenian Genocide" on Law and Disorder with Heidi Bogosian, Esq. (KPFK.org Archives, April 24, 2019, 1:00 PM)

Journeyman Pictures is an independent source for the world's most powerful films, exploring the burning issues of today. It represents stories from the world's top producers, with brand new content coming in all the time. On its channel one will find outstanding and controversial journalism covering any global subject you can imagine wanting to know about.

Human addiction to sexual pleasure (video)

Alan Watts (alanwatts.org); Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Alan Watts: Humans' addiction to Sexual Pleasure

TheSpiritualLibrary, Jan. 23, 2019

This is a sample from the lecture Myth and Religion: Sex in the Church. It can be found by following either of these links, alanwatts.org or alanwatts.com.

Threat and Danger of 5G (video)

Sacha Stone/debunkified; Science Friday; Pfc. Sandoval, S. Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly


5G Apocalypse: The Extinction Event

I want demand an even faster connection.

(April 5, 2019) This full-length documentary by Sacha Stone exposing the 5G threat to humanity in ways never imagined possible. Do local bureaucrats, technocrats, health practitioners, local and federal government agents know about his? Do family and friends? Even NPR's "Science Friday" explains why the high-intensity bombardment by wi-fi microwave towers on every block is bound to do something to the human body that should not be done. But it's coming for the sake of phone reception, data transfer, and streaming convenience so we can be spied on more easily and more thoroughly.

In this documentary weapons experts, molecular and cellular biologists, blood screeners, activists, as well as a few good leaders on the frontlines have something to say. We know what this technology is. We know how it was conceived. And we know where it is intended to take people and the planet. So we are drawing the line here and doing so in full consciousness. Video attribution information: Source video by New Earth Project.

Science Friday: The Future of 5G

(NPR, April 19, 2019) The next generation of wireless is on its way. Experts explain the science behind the new technology. Why are some cautioning a slower rollout? Last week, Trump announced a new initiative to push forward the implementation of 5G, the fifth generation of wireless connectivity for smartphones and other devices. Under the plan, the FCC will auction off sections of high-frequency radio spectrum and put more money into rural broadband connectivity -- all in the name of an international race to build wireless networks to be up to 100 times faster than the current generation, 4G LTE. More + AUDIO

Thai Forest Wisdom: True Nature of Reality

Ajahn Chah via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I'm like a flower. Pick me while I'm beautiful.

Be careful. If you’re not careful, you won’t see the Dharma (i.e., the Truth, ultimate reality, things as they really are, the Buddha's Teaching, the Path to Awakening).

You must be circumspect, taking the Teaching and considering it well. Is this flower pretty? Do you also see the ugliness (the asubha or foulness) within this flower?

For how many days will a flower be pretty? [Inherent in its beauty is its impermanence and decay, hurtling it toward destruction.]

What will it be like from now on [losing its scents, its moisture, its softness, flexibility, and resilience]? Why does it change so? In three or four days we'll have to throw it away, right?

It loses all its beauty. People are attached to beauty, attached to the skillful, to goodness. If anything is good, they fall for it completely.

The Buddha tells us to look at pretty things as just pretty [their pleasant but transient nature]; we should avoid becoming attached to them, to clinging.

If there is a pleasant feeling or delightful sensation, let us not fall for it. Goodness is not a sure thing, nor is beauty. Nothing is certain. There is nothing in this world that is a certainty. This is the Truth.

The things that aren’t true are the things that change, such as beauty. The only truth it has is in its constant changing [and its impersonal and disappointing nature].

If we believe that things are beautiful, when their beauty fades, our mind/heart loses its beauty, too. When things are no longer good, our heart/mind loses its goodness, too. [Why? This is because we cling to what is impermanent, disappointing, and impersonal.]

The Buddha was right! I want freedom!

When things are destroyed or damaged, we suffer because we have clung to them as being our own [as if they were lasting, able to satisfy or fulfill us, as if they were real or what they seem].

The Buddha tells us to see that things are simply constructs of nature. Beauty appears [through Dependent Origination], and in a few days it fades. To see this is to [to begin to] have wisdom.

Comedy: Me before and after DRUGS (video)

Christopher Lloyd ("Jim," Taxi); Seth Auberon, Sheldon S., Crystal Q., Wisdom Quarterly

Where shall I start? Let's start at the end, where I am now -- driving a cab in New York City without a license. But here I am trying to get one at the DMV with a little help from my friends. It wasn't always this way! I was once enrolled at Harvard. I was rich. I was brilliant. I had a smart and beautiful and kind girlfriend. We were going to get married and live the high life on the East Coast. Then it all went wrong. It started with a brownie. Gordon (Tom Hanks) didn't help. Heather, my girlfriend, was the source of the peer pressure that led me down a bad road. Later, I recovered, became a mad scientist, and went Back to the Future. Remember?

Gay child molestation of Boy Scouts with Catholic pedophile priests (video)

WCVB Channel 5 Boston, 4/23/19; Seth Auberon, Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

Close to two dozen from Massachusetts victims in Boy Scouts sex abuse scandal

(WCVB Channel 5, Boston, April 23, 2019) Attorneys claim more than 7,800 gay fondling child-raping scout leaders and volunteers were involved. The molestations were done in conjunction with the Catholic Church, under the supervision of pedophile priests. And the Boy Scouts organization knew about it and actively covered it up to protect its pedophiles.

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• Troubles with computer? This may help (driver-fixer.com)

Navajo dancer Ben Hale, Pasadena (4/24)

CityOfPasadena.net; PasadenaWeekly.com; Xochitl, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Navajo tribe member from Arizona, Ben Hale demonstrates North American tribal dances within their cultural context, music, and brilliant regalia. Dancing and storytelling are an integral part of Native American life as a means of expression and perception of self. Hale’s parents taught him the importance of culture and traditions through customs passed down through the generations [over 10,000 years of inhabiting what came to be the USA]. He is dedicated to dispelling misinformation and misconceptions many people hold toward American Indians. More + MAP

• FREE Wednesday, April 24, 3:30-4:30 PM
• Santa Catalina Branch, Pasadena Library
• Washington Blvd. @ Catalina Ave.
• HOME: A State of Mind – Helpful Opportunities for Mental Health Education

Wisdom of the Thai Forest: Mind and Body

Ajahn Thate via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

I'm so beautiful! But not for long.

A basic tenet of "the Dharma," the Buddha's teachings, is that mind-and-body or nama-rupa work together inter-dependently in a feedback loop, but the mind controls the body.

The mind orders the body to do this or that activity. And when the body wears down, the mind is necessarily put through some hardship for it.

Mind does not reside under the control of the nervous system, although the brain may be regarded as a central office along with the whole spinal column and its tendrils (the CNS and PNS).

We're going to live forever; we can afford to.

When the body dies, disintegrating in accordance with the nature of its various elements, the mind will have to reappear.*

[*If the necessary conditions of unawareness (ignorance), craving and attachment (clinging), and karma are still present [and they would be unless one were fully enlightened and no longer engaged in karma (actions with the ability to produce fruits and mental-resultants) rather than mere kriyas  (simple functional actions).]

That is to say, the mind will have to be reborn on this or that or any of the 31 Planes of Existence to continue experiencing the results of skillful and unskillful karma (actions), which are a wellspring of disappointment (dukkha), manifesting as delight and suffering, pleasure and distress.

Ohlone Pow Wow, Pomona (Apr 26-28)

Rumsen (costanoanrumsen.org); Xochitl, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Come out to the 27th Annual Ohlone "Big Time" Gathering and Pow Wow 2019 starting Friday, April 26, 6:00-10:00 PM, running through Saturday, April 27, 11:00 AM-10:00 PM, and culminating Sunday, April 28, 10:00 AM-dusk. It's fun for the whole family with delicious food, native dances, daily raffles and a big Sunday raffle. It's hosted by The Costanoan Rumsen Humaya Carmel Tribe singers and dancers. ALL drummers and dancers are welcome. But remember, no drugs or alcohol allowed anywhere on site, but do bring portable chairs.

• Tony Cerda Park
• 400 W. Grand Ave.
• Pomona, LA County, 91766
• Info: rumsen@aol.com

Comedy: Mueller Report says (John Oliver)

John Oliver (Last Week Tonight, HBO); Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon, (eds.) Wisdom Quarterly


Mueller Report: Last Week Tonight

(Last Week Tonight/HBO, April 21, 2019) Following the release of the Mueller Report, Host John Oliver discusses what we’ve really learned no matter how much corrupt Attorney General Barr has tried to spin and cover up.

Subscribe to the Last Week Tonight YouTube channel for more almost news as it almost happens: youtube.com/lastweektonight. Find Last Week Tonight on Facebook like your mom would: facebook.com/lastweektonight. Follow us on Twitter for news about jokes and jokes about news: twitter.com/lastweektonight. Visit official site for all that other stuff at once: hbo.com/lastweektonight.

Magician's "Brain Magic" (TED Talk)

Keith Barry (TED/ted.com,7/21/08); Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

 

First, Keith Barry shows us how our brains can fool our bodies -- in a trick that works via podcast, too. Then he involves the audience in some jaw-dropping (and bit dangerous) feats of brain magic, misdirection, psychology, quantum entanglement, NLP, or goodness knows what else. Prepare to be amazed or to call it an amazing hoax. 

The TED Talks channel features the best talks and performances from the TED Conference, where the world's leading thinkers and doers give the talk of their lives in 18 minutes (or less). Look for talks on Technology, Entertainment, and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts, and more. Follow TED on twitter or like on  facebook.

Free Speech, Hate Speech, or Right Speech?

LA.Shambhala.org/program...; Saffron Revolution in Burma VJ; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Free Speech, Hate Speech, Right Speech: Communication in the Age of Social Media: A Conversation with Ven. Ashin Issariya

"The Buddha also made right speech a core principle of the Noble Eightfold Path. He stressed the importance of establishing a gentle and compassionate attitude when interacting with others. However, right speech may also involve more pro-active engagement."

- Ven. Ashin Issariya

In this age of social media, where the right of free speech has seemingly spawned a proliferation in hate speech resulting harmful acts, what can the Buddhist principles of Right Speech teach us about how we can begin to work with our minds, speech, and actions?

How can we promote kind, compassionate, courageous dialogue and communication around difficult subjects and conflicts rather than give into the laziness of aggression and hatred?

Join this special evening with Burmese Theravada monk Ven. Ashin Issariya, whose own courageous speaking out against the hate speech used against Muslim Rohingya in his own country, Burma/Myanmar, is a model of bravery and right action.

• May 1st, Westside Shambhala
• 3877 Grand View Bl., Mar Vista, 90066
• Register for May 1
• $20.00 program, $25.00 patron supporter price* 
• May 2nd, Eagle Rock Shambhala
• 963 Colorado Bl., Eagle Rock, 90041 
• Register for May 2

BIO: Known as “King Zero” for his role as a dissident during Burma’s 2007 Saffron Revolution, Ashin Issariya founded the All Burma Monks Alliance (ABMA) and established a network of Best Friend Libraries to help broaden educational opportunities for Buddhist monks. He spent years in exile in Thailand and now heads Wimoteti Thuka Monastery near the Burma-Thailand border. He is an outspoken opponent of the public hate speech often used against the mainly Muslim Rohingya and other ethnic and religious minority communities in Burma.
 

*The Shambhala Center of Los Angeles remains open because of the ongoing generosity of its community. One of the cornerstone policies is that no one be turned away for lack of funds. If you can’t afford a program, please call our office (323) 255-5472 to register based on what you can afford. At the same time, the Center relies on program revenue to cover costs. For those who are able to pay more than the program price, your generosity in paying the patron price helps cover the costs for others who are not able to pay the full price, and provides additional support to the Shambhala Center of Los Angeles. Thank you for your kindness! More
 

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Shambhala Meditation Center of Los Angeles offers a rich array of ongoing meditation programs free to the public including weekly public sitting meditation hours and dharma talks. No prior meditation experience required to attend.  All are welcome. More

NASA's secret space program: Solar Warden

Matrix Wisdom, April 17, 2019; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

What they found on NASA hard drives in beyond our imagination! This is unbelievable.

Secrets found inside Great Pyramid (video)

Ancient Secret Discoveries, April 21, 2019; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

There are things inside this pyramid that defy all logic! Ancient Secret Discoveries thinks that this explains everything. Let's have a look into the Great Pyramid of Giza (Kheops) to see what has been found.

Happy Earth Day at UCLA! (April 22)

Tony (L.A. Vegan Events), UCLA Vegans, Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly

Passover's over, Easter's gone, and now it's time for the good stuff: EARTH DAY! Come to UCLA for the Vegan Students' Earth Day Fair. Free to the public. It's a bake off with giveaways, games, activities, art, and FOOD!

What is Earth Day? It's our way of saving Mother Earth. So the Veg Bruins are having a Vegan Bake-Off on Monday, April 22 during E3's Earth Day Fair from 10:00 AM-2:00 PM at Dickson Court North on the UCLA campus in Westwood. (The Bake-Off entry is for students only). Anyone can come to the event and get free samples to taste. See facebook.com/event.

The Sex-Crazed Royals of England (video)

Reel Truth History Docs, April 20, 2019; Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Who are the real King and Queen? (British Monarchy)

British royalty is no stranger to scandal, but one unsolved mystery could prove to be the greatest secret royal scandal of all. Legend has it that King George III had a secret wife -- a commoner, a Quaker, Miss Hannah Lightfoot -- and three children before his official marriage. If it's true, has every monarch since then been a pretender to the throne? Let's let DNA decide.
 
History Documentary | Reel Truth History: Welcome to Reel Truth History, home of gripping and powerful documentaries. Watch full-length documentaries and series that explore some of the most comprehensive pieces of world history. Be the first to watch more full length documentaries by subscribing to  youtube.com/channel/UCb7x...