A new Buddha in India? (Snap Judgment)

Yogi Seven, Wisdom Quarterly; Glynn Washington, Jeff Greenwald (Snap Judgment, PRX)

The Buddha-to-come (Ragg Burns Imaging/flickr.com)

  
The Gold Ring and Losing My Religion

Nun Tsultrim Lhamo, Tibet (Xinhua)

(Sept. 7, 2012) Snap proudly presents stories about people looking for something to believe in and finding it in the most unexpected places... Want to help us support the artists that make Snap possible?  Donate $10 through our partner PRX (Public Radio Exchange).  Just text SNAP to the number 20222. For more details listen to the show or visit snapjudgment.org.

In one of the best episodes of Snap Judgment (heard in Los Angeles on SCPR.org/KPCC.org) yet, this wonderful show covered a self-styled Indian guru who represents himself as the new Buddha (presumably Maitreya). He is a charismatic figure called Papa-jii. An American investigates and reports back to National Public Radio.

In "The Gold Ring" Jeff Greenwald visits the Ajanta Caves of India, where he sees the Rebirth Stories (Jataka Tales) as ancient murals. He remembers a past life along the river Anoma, where Siddhartha set off to find enlightenment and liberation from all suffering. He finds the Buddha, now reborn as Papa-jii, in Lucknow, India. It is not possible, so who is this Guru Papa-jii? It is a must listen, because if it is true, time and space and "reality" are far different than we can imagine: LISTEN NOW

• VIDEO: Peter Griffin, Frank Ocean, John Mayer rock NYC
• Esoteric Buddhism in Los Angeles (Dari Rulai)

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WAR: US soldier POV in Afghanistan (video)

I. Rony, Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly via Gawker/Imaging Resource

WARNING: Vulgar and coarse language and real life videogame first-person-shooter action!

Join the Army, learn to kill (zazzle.com).

This mercenary soldier is tacitly working for the MIC (military-industrial complex) ensuring not "freedom" but free trade. He shows what it's really like to travel the world, see formerly great civilizations, and try to kill the people met there.

The Taliban, a CIA-created organization brought into being with the help of Pakistan, is a "terrorist army" out to take over the world from its cave offices, we are told. Some believe, or used to believe anyway.

What's really been going on? Why do corporations want to build a giant pipeline through strategic Afghanistan watched over by terrifying drones for the price of a few hundred thousand uncounted innocent lives? The US military does not publish a formal tally of "collateral damage," which means civilian casualties are not counted.

Here is some real life footage of what we as a country (a vulgar empire rivaling ancient Rome as it bulldozed the biblical world) have been doing.

 

It was captured using a helmet-mounted camera by an imperial US trooper in Kunar Province, Afghanistan. The video offers a point-of-view (POV) look at what it’s like to face machine gun fire from citizens defending their homes and females and children from foreign invaders known to rape vulnerable victims and urinate on corpses for fun.  When armies bent on imprisoning and torturing able-bodied males come in to kill, Why wouldn't they shoot back in self-defense?

The soldier writes:

I got a hit a total of 4 times. My helmet cam died and I made it down the mountain on my own. I was also hit in the side of my helmet and my eye pro was shot off of my face.

We were doing overwatch on the village to recon and gather intel. I was point heading down the face of the hill with the LT. when we got hit. The rest of the squad was pinned down by machine gun fire. I didn’t start the video until a few mins into the firefight for obvious reasons. I came out into the open to draw fire so my squad could get to safety.

A round struck the tube by my hand of the 203 grenade launcher which knocked it out of my hands. When I picked the rifle back up it was still functional but the grenade launcher tube had a nice sized 7.62 cal bullet hole in it and was rendered useless.

Homoerotic US war prep (Stryker Brigade)

It is easy to ignore the human beings this soldier just murdered and attempted to murder as he illegally invaded their country to steal oil and resources, to take strategic control of their land and perpetuate empire through terror. They aren't wearing cameras that our media will show us footage from. Yet for us as Americans we, without thinking, find it chilling to see smoke and dust bursts hit the ground around the soldier’s feet as he scrambles down the slope to save his life after crying "I'm hit" repeatedly -- surprised that bullets hurt, maim, and murder -- when he was in fact not seriously injured.

  

USA is #1 and on top of the world!

Standard issue body armor protected him from the bullets that hit him, allowing him to escape without serious injury, while inflicting massive injuries to those person he is violating, invading, and attempting to rob, imprison, enslave, torture, and possibly rape. Isn't great to be on the winning side against much weaker adversaries (in our asymmetrical invasions)? USA, USA, USA!

• WarIsALie.org 
• Veterans for Peace

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Proof of Rebirth: Xenoglossy

Wisdom Quarterly edit of Xenoglossy

Red hall Torii line at Fushimi Inari taisha sanctuary, Kyoto, Japan (Alex_Saurel/flickr.com)

  

Reclining Buddha (traveladventures.org)

Xenoglossy, also written xenoglossia, is the putative paranormal phenomenon in which a person is able to speak and/or write a language he or she could not have acquired by natural means.

For example, there may be a person who suddenly speaks German fluently -- but is not a native speaker, has never studied German, never been to a German-speaking country, and never associated with German speakers or had any other source of exposure to the German language. S/he would be said to be exhibiting xenoglossy. 

The existence of this phenomenon, which may arise spontaneously or more likely during a hypnotic past life regression session, is not generally accepted by linguists and psychologists (Samarin 1976, Thomason 1984, 1987, 1996). It would be proof too robust for skeptics to overcome, so denial of its existence is an easier position to hold.

However, psychiatrist and paranormal researcher Ian Stevenson documented several cases considered authentic (Stevenson, 2001). The term derives from Greek (xenos), "foreigner" and (glōssa), "tongue" or "language."  More

• xenoglossy (Wiktionary)

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Where can teens meditate?

CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; MAYAretreats.org

   

Bored distracted teens (browndesign.com)

Now if we close our eyes and pay attention to our breathing, Who would believe what’s going on inside our heads?

That steady flow of thoughts, emotions, and fantasies is said to be "normal." Yet it can distract, stress, and keep us from recognizing who and what we really are. It can keep us from being here for what’s really happening right now. 

  

"I'D RATHER BE HERE NOW" a sticker on a van reads.

  

MAYA Retreats lets teens and young adults take a step back from life’s demands to explore what’s really going on inside and around us. Then it provides a place to share the experience with other teens who are also looking for what’s real.

  

Using silent meditation techniques, discussion, and activities in a friendly environment, we learn to develop the kind of calm while alert mind that can help us feel more relaxed, confident, and satisfied. Click to learn more.

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PUNK: "We Survived the Pit!" (concert)

Wisdom Quarterly; Los Angeles Weekly
  

LOS ANGELES, California - Track 16 is closing (as planned) on Oct. 6th. The Meat Puppets and MC Keith Morris, frontman for OFF! formerly of the Circle Jerks (who are getting back together), are officiating its demise on Saturday.

Win passes to the closing of TRACK 16 Gallery featuring art, live music, and more!

On Saturday 10/6/2012 join LA Weekly to celebrate THE CLOSING OF TRACK 16.

We Got Power! Hardcore punk scenes from 1980's Southern California

  

The show features Dave Markey and Jordan Schwartz's WE GOT POWER! WE SURVIVED THE PIT with special performances by THE MEAT PUPPETS, THE MIDDLE CLASS, plus special guest, with MC Keith Morris and DJ Adam Bomb!

  

I can't come; I'm still in jail (Pussy Rioter).

Sponsored by Sino Tequila, Lithuanian alcohol, and Bedrock Rehearsal Space. By entering to win, you will be forced to endure constant promotional emails from the LA Weekly. But everyone must RSVP by 12 noon on October 4th. First come, first served. Qualified RSVPs will be contacted by email before October 5th. For more details visit track16.com. RSVP (track16@laweekly.com).

• Facebook
• LA Weekly presents
• Bazzillion Points 
• We Got Power! (book)
• PHOTOS: A summer of concerts and festivals 
• VIDEO: Chakra Balancing (guided visualization)

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US Economy: "We're Not Broke" (film)

Wisdom Quarterly; OnshoreDocumentary; OccupyTogether.org

(SFF) While covering the story of American corporations dodging taxes, documentary filmmakers Karin Hayes and Victoria Bruce reveal how they ended up documenting the modern  rise in anti-corporation protests that helped spawn the Occupy Movement. It is gathering acclaim on the film festival circuit for its portrayal of what is going on in America today as multinational corporations (like Romney's Bain Capital) purposely transfer wealth out of the nation.

• Analysis: "We're Not Broke" (uprisingradio.org)

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Chemtrails: WHY are they spraying? (film)

Wisdom Quarterly; M.J. Murphy; KPFK.org

 Truthmediaproduction (1:12:55)
  

Chemtrails over OC and LA County, Oct. 2012

The entire Los Angeles basin from Long Beach Harbor to the San Gabriel Mountain range has been bombarded with massive aerial spraying for the past two days including night spraying. It culminated in an otherwise inexplicably cold fog bank by Thursday morning. Temperatures have been in the 100s throughout the Southland, and nerves have been on edge.

Since the release of the documentary “What in the World are They Spraying?” millions have awakened to the damaging effects from chemtrail (large scale aerial aerosol dispersal) geoengineering programs. As a result movements around the world are being formed to address these corporate and military crimes.

While many who were previously unaware of these programs are now looking up and noticing that the Sky King has no clothes, many are taking action. The question now is, “Why?” Why is this happening?

Michael J. Murphy, originator and co-producer of “What in the World Are They Spraying?” (in association with Barry Kolsky) has produced “WHY in the World Are They Spraying?” to answer that question.

This is an investigative documentary into one of the many agendas associated with chemtrail/geoengineering programs, “weather control,” and HAARP-related mind control manipulations being fostered by the military-industrial complex.

 

WHEN?

Today (Thursday, Oct. 4 2012, 7:30 - 9:30 pm) there is a screening of "Why In The World Are They Spraying" at a private home in Malibu with writer, producer, and director Michael Murphy for Q+A session following the film. By donation ($15). Location: Olandar, home of Carla and Leigh McCloskey in Malibu. RSVP: carlamccloskey@aol.com or call: (310) 457-5398. Arrive at 7:00 pm to see the Hieroglyph of the Human Soul.

  

War or Weather Modification?

People around the world are noticing that our planet's disposition and weather are dramatically changing. They are also beginning to notice the lingering trails left behind airplanes that have lead millions to accept the reality of chemtrail/geoengineering programs. Could there be a connection between the trails and our severe weather? Aerosols being sprayed into our skies are used in conjunction with other technologies to control our weather, engineer earthquakes, propagate waves, detect space crafts, and more. While geoengineers maintain that their models are only for the mitigation of global warming, it is now clear that they can be used as a way to consolidate an enormous amount of both monetary and political power into the hands of a few by the leverage that weather control gives certain corporations over the Earth's natural systems. This is being done at the expense of every living thing on the planet. www.witwats.com

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The Detox Period (Pema Chodron)

Pema Chödrön (Shambhala Publishers, Oct. 3, 2012) 

When we refrain from habitual thoughts and behavior, uncomfortable feelings will still be there. They do not magically disappear. Over the years, I’ve come to call resting with the discomfort “the detox period,” because when we don’t act on our habitual patterns, it’s like giving up an addiction. We’re left with feelings we were trying to escape. The practice [Buddhist meditation] is to make a wholehearted relationship with that. From Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change, (p. 36).

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Meditation: Deep Relaxing in the Forest

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Wisdom springs from Meditation

Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly

(h.koppdelaney/flickr.com)

 

Sit. Rest. Bring up attention. Pick an object, any object will do. You've chosen the breath -- a present time object that always exists only in the present. Breathing is now. I breathe in; I breathe out. I am aware for the entire length and duration of the in-phase, of the out-phase, and any small residual resting phase in between, clearly comprehending BREATH.

• The Three Minds of Meditation

My mind wanders to something less subtle, more entertaining, less "boring," more stimulating, less regular, more varied. As soon as I notice I've drifted, that is the Choice Point. Congratulate self. Pat self on the back. Smile. Return to noticing the NOW. What am I doing now? I'm breathing. I breathe in, I breathe out, and I notice it all the way through. 

There is the Automatic Mind, which is distracted, which produces thoughts, which makes me miserable. I am aiming at the joyful, restful, intuitive, alert, ready-for-enlightenment state: Peaceful Mind. How do I get there? 

I stay alert. I stay noticing every time the mind wanders. Meditation is about noticing. I abandon expectations, which only get in the way. Sleeping is losing attention. Meditation is staying alert. Rest. Peaceful Mind is resting there, alert.

Absorption (jhana) awaits.

Thanks to Against the Stream meditation instructor JoAnna Harper for adding the "pat on the back" step. For the one sure way to ruin a meditation is to scold the mind for wandering. It's natural. It's been a wild beast in the wilderness for a long time. Mindful meditation is tranquilizing the mind then emerging with purified-intensified attention ready for insight practices that produce results. Let it R.A.I.N: Recognize, Allow (accept), Investigate, Non-identification.

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Overcoming difficulties: Let it R.A.I.N.

Tara Brach [adapted from her book True Refuge (Bantam, 2013)]; Wisdom Quarterly

 

Tara Brach (examiner.com)

Years ago some American Buddhist teachers began to share a new mindfulness tool that offers in-the-trenches support for working with intense and difficult emotions. 

  

Called RAIN (an acronym for the four steps of the process), it can be accessed in almost any place or situation. It directs our attention in a clear, systematic way that cuts through confusion and stress. 

The steps give us somewhere to turn in a painful moment. And as we call on them more regularly, they strengthen our capacity to come home to our deepest truth. Like the clear sky and clean air after a cooling rain, this mindfulness practice brings a new openness and calm to our daily lives. 

I have now taught RAIN to thousands of students, clients, and mental health professionals, adapting and expanding it into [True Refuge]. I’ve also made it a core practice in my own life. Here are the four steps of RAIN presented in the way I’ve found most helpful:

• R Recognize what is happening
• A Allow life to be just as it is
• I Investigate inner experience with kindness
• N Non-Identification.

RAIN directly de-conditions the habitual ways in which we resist moment-to-moment experience. It doesn’t matter whether we resist “what is” by lashing out in anger, by having a cigarette, [by sex, drugs, rock 'n roll or rap], or by getting immersed in obsessive thinking.

Our attempt to control the life within and around us actually cuts us off from our own heart and from this living world. RAIN begins to undo these unconscious patterns as soon as we take the first step.  

  

Recognize what is, accept that it is, investigate what's going on inside, and realize that there's no reason to identify with situations. More

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KPFK FM benefit with Amy Goodman

 

During the 2012 election season, Democracy Now! host Amy Goodman and Denis Moynihan are on a national speaking tour to mark the 16th anniversary of the daily, independent, global TV/Radio news hour and to launch their new book, The Silenced Majority: Stories of Uprisings, Occupations, Resistance, and Hope. 

  

Tickets are available through KPFK during its Fall Fund Drive with a limited number of tickets available at the door. Reception (tickets required) begins at 6:30 pm. Event Page

• Friday, Oct. 19, 2012, 8:00 pm
• Immanuel Presbyterian Church
• 3300 Wilshire Bl., LA, CA (see map)

In Los Angeles Democracy Now! is broadcast on KPFK 90.7 FM at 6:00 am and 9:00 am M-F and KCLS-TV at 12:00 am M, T, Th, Fri on Channel 58, and at 11:00 am and 11:00 pm on Channel 58.4 M-F.

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