A Week to Enlightenment (sutra)

Nyanasatta Thera; Ajahn Brahmali; Dhr. Seven, Amber Dorrian, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly; Quest4pce, Dnl75, Insklndr, RunningInHongKong (photos); COUNTDOWN CLOCK: -7

The Buddha teaches "hearers" (savakas) the way to enlightenment (Dnl75/flickr.com)

There are four things to do with blissful concentration one has developed through full absorption or sufficient neighborhood concentration.

The four are detailed in the Satipatthana Sutra, one of the most significant teachings of the historical Buddha.

Emerge from purifying concentration (samma samadhi) and set up these "foundations of mindfulness" (sati-patthana). Here we skip to the second two foundations:

Foundations of Mindfulness III and IV with Ajahn Brahmali (Dhammaloka Suttas)
 

Four Foundations of Mindfulness Sutra

Wisdom Quarterly abbreviation, based on Ven. Nyanasatta Thera translation

III. Contemplation of Consciousness

How does one live contemplating consciousness in consciousness? Here within this Dharma [Doctrine/Discipline], a meditator knows the consciousness with lust as with lust (raga); the consciousness without lust as without lust. Likewise, one knows [recognizes and is aware] the consciousness with and without:

• hate,
• delusion [confusion],
• the contracted [Note 13],
• the distracted [restless] state [14],
• the developed state [15],
• the undeveloped state [16],
• the state with some other mental state superior to it [17], 
• the state with none higher [18],
• the concentrated state,
• the freed state [19].

So one lives contemplating consciousness in consciousness internally [relating to oneself], externally [relating to another], or internally and externally [relating to both]. 

One lives contemplating origination factors in consciousness, or dissolution-factors, or origination-and-dissolution factors [20]. Or one's mindfulness is established with the thought, "Consciousness exists" to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, and one lives detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating consciousness in consciousness.

Meditation in the field,monastics and woman with umbrella, Plum Village (Quest4pce/flickr)

IV. Contemplation of Mental Objects

1. The Five Hindrances

How does one live contemplating mental objects in mental objects? One lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Five Hindrances. How?

 

Here within this Dharma, when sense-desire is present, one is clearly aware, "There is sense-desire in me." When it is not present, one knows, "There is no sense-desire in me." One knows how the arising of the non-arisen sense-desire comes to be; knows how the abandoning of the arisen sense-desire comes to be; and knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned sense-desire comes to be.

 

When anger is present, one is clearly aware, "There is anger in me" and knows when it is not; knows how it arises; knows how the abandoning of it comes to be; and knows how its non-arising in the future comes to be.

 

When sloth/torpor is present, one is clearly aware of it; knows when it is not; knows how it arises; knows how it is abandoned; and knows how its non-arising in the future comes to be.

 

When restlessness/remorse is present, one is clearly aware of it; knows when it is not; knows how it arises; knows how it is abandoned; and knows how the non-arising of it in the future comes to be.

 

When [skeptical] doubt is present, one is clearly aware of it; knows when it is not; knows how it arises; knows how it is abandoned; and knows how the non-arising of it in the future comes to be.

 

In this way one lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, externally, or internally and externally. One lives contemplating origination factors, dissolution factors, or origination-and-dissolution factors in mental objects [21]. Or mindfulness is established with the thought, "Mental objects exist" to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, living detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Five Hindrances.

The Buddha's meditation mudra or hand pose (RunnyInHongKong/flickr)

 

2. The Five Aggregates of Clinging

Furthermore, one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Five Aggregates of clinging [22].
 

How does one live contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Five Aggregates of Clinging?
 

Here in this teaching one thinks, "Such is material form; such is the arising of material form; and such is the disappearance of material form. Such is feeling; its arising; its disappearance. Such is perception; its arising; its disappearance. Such are formations; such the arising; such the disappearance. Such is consciousness; such is the arising of consciousness; and such is the disappearance of consciousness."
 

In this way one lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, externally, or internally and externally. One lives contemplating origination, dissolution, or origination-and-dissolution factors in mental objects [23]. Or mindfulness is established with the thought, "Mental objects exist" to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, living detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the five aggregates of clinging.

3. The Six Internal and External Sense Bases

Meditating (Quest4pce/flickr)

Furthermore, one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases. How?
 

Here in this teaching one knows the eye and visual forms and the fetter [bond] that arises dependent on both (the eye and forms) [24]. One knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; one knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and one knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
 

One knows the ear and sounds... the nose and smells... the tongue and flavors... the body and tactile objects... the mind and mental objects, and the fetter that arises dependent on both; one knows how the arising of the non-arisen fetter comes to be; one knows how the abandoning of the arisen fetter comes to be; and one knows how the non-arising in the future of the abandoned fetter comes to be.
 

In this way one lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, externally, or internally and externally. One lives contemplating origination factors, dissolution factors, or origination-and-dissolution factors in mental objects [25]. Or mindfulness is established with the thought, "Mental objects exist," to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, living detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the six internal and the six external sense-bases.

The Buddha teaches more and more  "hearers" (Dnl75/flickr.com)

 
4. The Seven Factors of Enlightenment

Furthermore, one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment. How?
 

In this teaching, when the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is present, one knows, "The enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is in me," or when the enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is absent, one knows, "The enlightenment-factor of mindfulness is not in me"; and one knows how the arising of the non-arisen enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to be; and one knows how perfection in the development of the arisen enlightenment-factor of mindfulness comes to be. [These are the four phases of "right effort" or samma vayama.]
  

One knows when the enlightenment-factor of the investigation of mental objects is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.
 

One knows when the enlightenment-factor of energy is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.
 

One knows when the enlightenment-factor of joy is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.
 

One knows when the enlightenment-factor of tranquillity is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.

 
One knows when the enlightenment-factor of concentration is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.
 

One knows when the enlightenment-factor of equanimity is present, is absent, how its arising comes to be, and how its perfection in development comes to be.
 

In this way one lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, externally, or internally and externally. One lives contemplating origination-factors, dissolution-factors, or origination-and-dissolution-factors in mental objects [26]. Or mindfulness is established with the thought, "Mental objects exist," to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, living detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Seven Factors of Enlightenment.

5. The Four Noble Truths

Fourth noble truth: Path (buddhaweekly.com)

Furthermore, one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Four Noble Truths.

How?
 

In this teaching one knows, "This is suffering" according to reality; one knows, "This is the origin of suffering" according to reality; one knows, "This is the cessation of suffering" according to reality; one knows, "This is the road leading to the cessation of suffering" according to reality.
 

So one lives contemplating mental objects in mental objects internally, externally, or internally and externally. One lives contemplating origination-factors, dissolution-factors, or origination-and-dissolution-factors in mental objects [27].  Or mindfulness is established with the thought, "Mental objects exist" to the extent necessary and sufficient for knowledge and mindfulness, living detached, clinging to nothing in the world. So one lives contemplating mental objects in the mental objects of the Four Noble Truths.
 

Verily, meditators, whoever practices these Four Foundations of Mindfulness in this manner for seven years, then one of these two fruits may be expected -- highest knowledge (full enlightenment) here and now or, if some remainder of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning [28].

O, let alone seven years! Should any person practice them in this manner for six years... five years... four years... three years... two years... one year, then one of these two fruits may be expected -- highest knowledge here and now or, if some remainder of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.
 

O, let alone a year! Should any person practice them in this manner for seven months... six months... five months... four months... three months... two months... a month... half a month, then one of these two fruits may be expected -- highest knowledge here and now or, if some remainder of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.
 
O, let alone half a month!  

The Path (BBC.co.uk/religion)

Should any person practice these Four Foundations of Mindfulness in this manner for a week, then one of these two fruits may be expected -- highest knowledge here and now or, if some remainder of clinging is yet present, the state of non-returning.

 

Because of this it was said: "This is the way, meditators, for the purification of beings, for the overcoming of sorrow and lamentation, for the destruction of suffering and grief, for reaching the right path, for the attainment of nirvana, namely the [fourfold setting up of the] Foundations of Mindfulness."
 

So said the Buddha. Gladdened, those who heard him approved of his words.

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Super Mario is a Buddhist (video)

Wisdom Quarterly; GodSlayerNES; Dr. Jane McGonigal (BuddhistGeeks.com); Dan Milano (ABC)

A short film about two Buddhist moments in Mario and Zelda for the NES.

  

Super Mario is a Buddhist

Dr. McGonigal and Mario, 1st BG Conference

(WQ) Prof. Jane McGonigal, Ph.D., is a game designer at Stanford Univ. who wants to change the world through gaming. She delivered a riveting presentation with her twin sister, also a Stanford professor (different hairdo), at the first Buddhist Geeks Conference in 2011 at the Univ. of the West. She detailed the benefits of multiple-player games where people are going into the world and using gamer virtues for real-life good. From better community organizing, to solutions for regional famines, to possible treatments for cancer, McGonigal and her gamers are changing the world one epic win at a time.

• VIDEO: Who is Mario? (Trivia by WatchMojo)
• (Sept. 13, 2012) This high-jumping overall-wearing Italian is the world’s most beloved video game mascot. Join WatchMojo to explore ten pieces of trivia about The Super Mario Bros.
• Will gaming save the world?

New Super Mario Bros. U features five players

Dan Milano  (ABC News, Nov. 25, 2012)

Mario in high definition. That sounds like something Nintendo fans should be scrambling over each other to get their hands on. The issue is, with the release of "New Super Mario Bros. U" for the Wii U, this visual update is six years too late. Xbox and Playstation games have been wowing us visually for that time and in 2012, the "HD" angle is pretty, but old hat. So what else is new?

  

Tanooki suit folklore (nintendolife)

Well, for one, Mario is flung southwest from Princess Peach's castle at the start of the game, technically landing him in a new area of the Mushroom Kingdom. There are a handful of new baddies mixed with classic foes, with a new power-up or two to compliment the always-flawless level design. The stages are presented with an over-arching map that you can zoom in and out of, very much akin to the world map in "Super Mario World."
 
While there are some new elements at play, most of it equates to the same old platformer as far as gameplay is concerned. Some levels are indistinguishable from zones in previous "New Super Mario Bros." titles.

 

The Wii U's big new thing is the touch-screen GamePad controller, which is used most creatively in this game's co-op mode. Up to five players can... More

• Wii U Game Review: "Nintendo Land"
• Nintendo's Era of Censorship 
• Games Radar: New Mario
• SOURCES: FilibusterCartoons.com; Ksitigarbha; Swastika as Buddhist symbol; Shigeru Miyamoto; North American video game crash of 1983; Tanuki; Best-selling franchises

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Avoid doubt. Here's how (video)

CC Liu and Xochitl, Wisdom Quarterly; quotes by Lotusing (Myo Edizioni)

(Mind Blow #53) Life is an endless series of interesting nonsense. Choose mindfulness.

 

I used to doubt. I used to dream in place of knowing. I used to fear. I used to worry without experiencing.

Knowing-and-seeing removes all doubt. There was never anything to fear -- but ignorance. And even fearing that makes no sense.

 

"People create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true."

 

The way of the Buddha is the way of transcendent wisdom. But transcending, or "going beyond," is no easy practice.

There's an instant, albeit temporary, way. Mindfulness. Stay here right now. It is safe in this moment. Danger starts when we leave the infinite NOW.

That sounds mystical and mumbo-jumboey. Just be. Becoming takes care of itself. Huh? Practice. Buddhism is a practice.
 

Books are a start but a teacher may become necessary (TusitaInternational.net)

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YogaMan? Why Men CAN'T Do Yoga (video)

The Men of Wisdom Quarterly

Paradox: Try less, go further. Don't force it. Use the Force, he-man! (technabob.com)

 

Why not?

Fun with flexibility (photo-librarian.com)

Men can't do yoga, at least not American men. There are various reasons for this, two of which are most salient. It's too easy, and it's too hard.
  
Given a Hot Yoga class (or what the Choudhury Corporation tries to appropriate under the exclusive "Bikram" brand name), we rise to the challenge. Now there's something to sink our teeth into! We come to stare at yoga-butts, to see what all the fuss is about, and we end up with mild cases of heat exhaustion. And we wonder how all these women are able to keep going without collapsing.

  

Baggy yoga pants (aliexpress.com)

We muscle through it, laugh at the off-color commentary (characteristic of so many Bikram franchises), and treat ourselves to rajasic- and tamasic- poisons afterward. We have to do something to undo the cleansing reaction from all that sweating. But given the task of a slow-paced Hatha (Sun-Moon) Yoga class (characteristic of Iyengar), we wither. We're helpless. There's nothing to do!
  
Give us something to do, something to climb, something to conquer! We can't just stand here listening to some woo-woo gal blithering on and on about proper form. Well, we can't until patience builds, maybe some reserve, and when we finally stop staring/drooling at all the women standing around us in colorful tights and tutus from Lululemon, OMgirl, and Victoria's Secret.

Here's The Secret, Guys

There is an ancient Asian philosophy that goes by the Sanskrit name of sthirasukha. It roughly translates as "hard-easy," "hard-softness," "effort-ease," or "strive-rest." Maybe "force-flex" or "yin-yang" would be catchier. Whatever. Once you understand it, you can come up with your own translation.
  
The way of the Tao is the path of least resistance. "The Force" is the magical mystery of the universe, the movement of prana (not to be confused with prAna, which only makes for good fashion sense).
  

Nerds rejoice. Star Wars to the rescue!

To get where you're going you have to resist inertia a little then rest into it. For instance, one makes an effort to breathe then lets go. One makes an effort to stand then stands. One makes an effort to get into a pose then simply rests in it. It's not really rest -- because that would be collapsing -- but rather resting into it, steadying, undoing the tension, releasing excess energy or stress, letting go.
 
It's all about balanced-effort. We all do well to have open minds...but not so open that our brains fall out. Don't jump unless you have a parachute: Don't try the extreme pose if you haven't built up to it by slow and steady training. That is the quickest route to failure, disappointment, and stopping.

Notice anything? This yoga stuff is more than something practiced in a studio with fancy flooring and ambient music. It's a lesson in how to live: Go easy. Go strong. Relax. Build real or core strength. It derives from ease not force. Supple flexibility is stronger than brittle stiffness.
  

A woman's strength, a man's balance (uechi)

Softness only seems like weakness -- until we see what yoga women (yoginis) are capable of.  And look at the Indian yogis, who are preternaturally strong yet even more flexible than American women. Who cares if we can demolish everybody in the other platoon, hood, squad, barrio, team, or country? If we can't bend, our machismo is only poison to the world. Stretch the heart.

• Yoga for Guys: Top 3 Reasons "A Little Stretching" Is Everything We Need
• Dress Codes - What's a Guy to Wear for Yoga? NYTimes.com
• What's the deal with guys and yoga? Fit and Feminist
• Do straight guys do yoga? - Yahoo! Answers 
• Guys only! What's with you and girls who wear yoga pants?‎ 
• 5 Toughest Yoga Positions for Guys - Men's Fitness 
• Yoga for Regular Guys: Best Damn Workout on the Planet

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Buddhist Halloween with Ven. Thanasanti

Wisdom Quarterly

Theravada nun Ven. Thanasanti, Halloween Dharma Punx, Hollywood (Wisdom Quarterly)

Against the Stream welcomed American Theravada Buddhist nun Amma Thanasanti Bhikkhuni for an extended teaching visit. There are several chances to meditate and hear her teach, ask questions, and share community (sangha) building in simple conversation. Scheduled events from Halloween to Nov. 5, 2012 include:

• Oct 31: Halloween night, 7:30-9:30, Melrose Center. Come in costume, take some candy, listen to the Dharma from a California native in robes for 22 years. This even was recorded by Wisdom Quarterly for those trick-or-treating elsewhere for Samhain.
• Nov 3: Living on the Razor's Edge: Amma and JoAnna Harper team to spend a day investigating desire and renunciation. 10-4 at Melrose - a dana only day.
• Nov 4: Picnic and Games on the Beach in Malibu. Join Amma and the ATS sangha for some meditation and a relaxed gathering Sunday morning from 10:30 till... Bring a dish or something to share.
• Nov 5: Monday night meditation. Amma closes out her time with us by teaching the Monday evening class at Dharma Punx, Santa Monica.

  

(HeyItsWilliam/flickr.com)

Ven. Thanasanti began meditating over 30 years ago and has been a Buddhist nun for over 20 years. After two decades in monasteries associated with [Thai tradition] Ajahn Sumedho and Ajahn Chah, she returned to the US and founded Awakening Truth (awakeningtruth.org), an organization whose mission to support a nun's (bhikkhuni) training monastery and a new interface between monastic and lay Buddhist practitioners in the modern world. Amma's work spans Dharma teachings, non-dual meditation, depth psychology, subtle body somatics, and the Divine Feminine. She teaches meditation as an art and skill, integrating body, heart, and mind to experience our natural state of wisdom, love, and peace. She has taught meditation internationally for over 15 years. Currently she resides at Shakti Vihara Hermitage in Colorado Springs.

• Take a moment to read Sitting with a Monastic for information on interacting with nuns and monks in the Theravada tradition.
• For schedule and times, visit againstthestream.org or awakeningtruth.org

• VIDEO: Meat the Truth, A Most Inconvenient Truth
• PHOTOS: Pagan (Bagan) Burma's Buddhist past

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Meditation: Deep Relaxing in the Forest

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Supernatural Science: Between Life and Death

TheDocumentarySite; Dhr. Seven, CC Liu, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Thousands of people claim to have had near-death experiences. Do these experiences offer proof for the existence of an afterlife? Or do they tell us something about the human brain's response to extreme stress?

Soul and Not-Soul

What is the "soul" (gandhabba) commonly referred to as spirit or ghost? In Buddhism it is a transient phenomenon composed of five "heaps" or aggregates. These factors are functionally-integrated by the mysterious power of karma that can bear results at a time distinct from an action undertaken. What are the five groups?

The first group is labelled "form." It is composed of four heaps, referred to as earth, wind, fire, and air but explained by the Buddha as actually being qualities of materiality: solidity, motion, temperature, and cohesion. Buddhist physics articulated in the Abhidharma go into great deal about these qualities. Moreover, instructions are given for seeing/experiencing them first hand as objects of insight meditation practice. (Success in such meditation is dependent on the depth and strength of concentration -- serenity, absorption, mastery of samadhi -- one has previously developed and has at his or her disposal. The strength of the mind is only available in the absence of hindrances, defilements, and taints.

The second group is labelled "feelings" -- not emotions but sensations. Emotions are more complex, and while they may be felt in the body, they are more likely categorized under mental/heart formations. There are six sense bases, the ordinary five and mind. Feelings are pleasant, unpleasant, or neutral, and may be therefore thought of as 18 (6 x 3) in all. They also serve as objects of insight and are much easier to become aware of in a stable way than the kalapas (particles of perception) in Buddhist physics.

The third group is labelled "perceptions." When the six sense bases apprehend, perceive, or note in accordance with their types of objects (eye sensitivity sees forms, ear sensitivity hears sounds, etc.), perception takes place. Feelings and perceptions are two types of mental/heart formations, but they are so salient and important in our experience, that the Buddha singled them out for special attention. Perceptions arise from the six sense bases. Note that the eye does not see, but rather what sees is that property of the eye -- what might today be called the rods and cones of the retina -- that sends its impulses (mind moments, cittas?) to the nervous system's bulbous processing center we call the brain.

The fourth group is labelled "mental formations" but should not be regarded as exclusive to the brain. Much of the process of being aware actually emanates and returns to the heart, the literal heart area where the "mind door" is located -- a greenish mirror reflecting sensory experience. There is absolutely no need to believe this, for one may experience it directly. Seeing replaces believing, so one should not remain satisfied with an admixture of religious faith and skeptical doubt when investigation and verification are available and urged. The Buddha is famous for saying of the Dharma, of his teachings, "Come see." There are 50 groups under this rubric, in addition to the fact that the two previous groups are also special kinds of mental formations. They serve the important function of conditioning karma as skillful, unskillful, or neutral. See more at sankhara.

The fifth group is labelled "consciousness." Together with the previous three, this group forms what may be referred to as "mind." it is not a tangible thing but an interdependent process. The first group, form, is "body." A body is not limited to gross sensual bodies; fine-material (rupa) bodies, such as those of ghosts and spirits and light-beings (devas) also qualify as form. Not everyone, however, has a body. Ghosts have bodies but they long for sensual bodies. Beings in heavenly worlds have (fine material) bodies and are glad to be done with these dense material frames. The most rarefied beings in the four Immaterial Sphere (arupa loka) planes of existence are formless (arupa). But these four are the only exceptions. Otherwise, these Five Aggregates are always together, just as the qualities of materiality are bound up with one another and only analyzed (dissected, set apart) for the purposes of discussion (analysis) and the development of insight. Consciousness is awareness, which depends and influences the other aggregates.

So it is never correct to say, when conventionally speaking, that there is no self or that the Buddha teaches that there is no soul or no self. There is a soul (atta), there is a self (atta), there is an ego, there is a spirit (a subtle material body we may regard as "light" or ordinary matter in an extraordinary state such as a flux or higher energy state).

Likewise, it is never correct to say, when ultimately speaking, that there is a soul or self. There is NO soul or self. But this must not be taken on faith, for faith may supplant direct experience and lead to absurdities such as making the claim, "There is no soul, no self." Such claims by mystics who have seen is fine. But such claims by lay Buddhists is ridiculous and leads to doubt, scorn, and/or dismissal of Buddhism's philosophy leading to liberation. Philosophy does not lead out, practice does. With practice the philosophy makes perfect sense. With scholarship, it breaks down. So it is more important to practice meditation than to study ideas.

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Buddhist Geeks (audio archive)

BuddhistGeeks.com

Emerging Science of Mindfulness Meditation

Harvard Prof. David Vago, an instructor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, has held the position of Senior Research Coordinator for the Mind & Life Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to fostering dialogue and research at the highest possible level between modern science and the great living contemplative traditions. Prof. Vago relates how his personal mindfulness practice has integrated with his professional scientific research. He talks about the thriving community of scientists interested in mindfulness that has taken root in contemporary academia and research, and he highlights some current projects and lines of inquiry that have benefited from this uniquely...

 

Is Super Mario a Buddhist?

Stanford Prof. Jane McGonigal is an author and game designer who wants to change the world through gaming. In this second part of a presentation recorded during the 2011 Buddhist Geeks Conference, she shares the details about games where people are going into the world and using gamer virtues for real life good. From better community organizing, to solutions for regional famine, to possible treatments for cancer, McGonigal and her gamers are changing the world one epic win at a time....

  

The Angry Buddhist

Fiction author Seth Greenland is also a playwright and screenwriter. For two seasons he was a writer-producer on the Emmy-nominated HBO series "Big Love." His latest novel, The Angry Buddhist, is the story of an ex-policeman seeking guidance from an online Buddhist teacher. The novel is currently in development with Showtime as a possible series for the network with Greenland writing and producing. Buddhism is really making its way onto the pop culture landscape. More

2012 CONFERENCE
Lama Surya Das (American lama), Amber Case (cyborg anthropologist), Stephen Batchelor (former Buddhist monk, author), Elizabeth Mattis-Namgyel (teacher and author), Matt Flannery (Kiva.org CEO), Martine Batchelor (former Buddhist nun, teacher, author), Michael Stone (Buddhist Activist), Daniel Ingram (practical Dharma teacher), Willoughby Britton (contemplative scientist), Ken McLeod (teacher, executive coach), Tami Simon (Sounds True CEO), Rohan Gunatillake (meditation entrepreneur), Stuart Davis (bodhisattva rocker), Vincent Horn (Buddhist Geek), Robert Spellman (contemplative artist)...

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Another "Buddha" - Padmasambhava (video)

Buddhist Films; Wisdom Quarterly
(DharmaPublishingBookstore.com)

This is the dramatic story not of Maitreya, the Buddha-to-come, but of the ancient Indian Buddhist missionary Guru Padmasambhava. He was born in Udhyana -- modern Swat Valley, Pakistan -- and traveled across mountains and icy desert plains, moving across the spectacular Himalayas and finally reaching the Tibetan Plateau. Benoy K. Behl created this film to tell his story of one of the most forceful personalities of all history. Padmasambhava, with his magic and flamboyant masked dances, dominated the Rooftop of the World within his lifetime and is still revered today.

  

Behl in Berkeley

Mangalam Centers and the Tibetan Nyingma Institute in Berkeley co-sponsored a special screening of art historian and photographer Benoy K. Behl’s film “The Second Buddha.” The filmmaker was present to discuss his work and take questions with Mangalam Research Center director Jack Petranker. The program included Sylvia Gretchen, the Dean of the Nyingma Institute, on the importance of Padmasambhava in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.
  
“The Second Buddha” follows the journey of Guru Padmasambhava, an emanation of the Mahayana “Buddha” Amitabha who is regarded as the founder of Vajrayana Buddhism in Tibet and Bhutan.
  
The 25-minute film traces segments of Guru Padmasambhava’s journey across the Himalayas and the cold, high deserts of the Tibetan Plateau. According to Behl, the film tells “one of the greatest true stories of the world and is also the story of one of the most forceful personalities in all history.” More
   

(Myo Edizioni)

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China rockets into space (video)

Steve Chao, Al Jazeera English, June 16, 2012

GOBI DESERT - China's latest space mission has successfully lifted off with the country's first female taikonaut. It is the next step in China's strategy to build a permanently-occupied space station of its own. It is now in a position to reveal the truth about the Moon, its archeological artifacts, stations, and occupants. The West's military-industrial complex must negotiate with the world's largest country and quite possibly its strongest economy if it has any hope of it maintaining the silence.

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Suu Kyi on democracy-friendly growth (video)

ILOTV, June 14, 2012 Burma Need Democracy-Friendly Growth

Aung San Suu Kyi called for international aid and investment to promote economic progress in Burma (Myanmar) and in particular focused attention on the problem of youth unemployment. Highlighting the potential of her country both in terms of its natural and human resources she noted, "It is not so much joblessness as hopelessness that threatens our future." The Nobel Laureate made her landmark address to a packed Assembly Hall at the 101st session of the International Labor Conference in Geneva, Switzerland. More

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The Real "Sick Sad World" (video)

Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; MrChrisMcPhail2 (video)

 

"It astonishes me to find... [that so many] of our countrymen... should be contented to live under a system which leaves to their governors the power of taking from them the trial by jury in civil cases, freedom of religion, freedom of the press, freedom of commerce, the habeas corpus laws, and of yoking them with a standing army. This is a degeneracy in the principles of liberty... which I [would not have expected for at least] four centuries."

- Thomas Jefferson to William Stephens Smith, 1788

"I know of no safe depository of the ultimate powers of the society but the people themselves, and if we think them not enlightened enough to exercise control with a wholesome discretion, the remedy is not to take it from them, but to inform their discretion by education."

- Thomas Jefferson, letter to Wm. C. Jarvis, 1820

"There has never been a golden age of liberty, and there never will be. People who value freedom will always have to defend it from those who claim the right to wield power over others."

- David Boaz

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"Yogis of Tibet" (film)

Dhr. Seven, Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Jeffrey Pill (video); Ayya Khema (book)

The fabled land of Tibet, with Lhasa its capital and Potala Palace its heart (nekorpa.org)

  

(IAmHanuMan)For the first time, the reclusive and secretive Tibetan Buddhist monks (yogis and lamas) agree to discuss aspects of their philosophy and allow themselves to be filmed while performing their ancient practices. They do this to preserve an extraordinary culture being eradicated. Directed by Jeffrey M. Pill.

   

Himalayan Buddhist flags (Bhakti Omwoods)

Once upon a time in Tibet, when people followed the ancient Indian ascetic practices (of the Buddha and the Brahmins) prevalent on the subcontinent below, there were real-life mystics and magicians. Magic and Mystery in Tibet was an early western title by Alexandra David-Neel, embroidered and exaggerated to boost sales. But it hinted at the perplexity of what was possible in the Himalayan wilds, in the isolated home of seers (rishis), Bon wizards, partial shamans, and Buddhist wanderers. It is famously said, "Not all who wander are lost." While the austerities and mortifications once prevalent in Tibet may have reached extremes beyond the Buddha's "sane asceticism" (dhutanga), it produced and kept alive many of the feats that set Indian spirituality apart. This eventuality of taking secrets out into the world beyond the Himalayas did not come entirely as a surprise.
  

There was a prophecy that said, "When the Iron Bird Flies," the title of Western Theravada nun and meditation master Ayya Khema's book, "the Dharma [Buddhism] would reach the West." Like many Native American prophecies, we do not realize that they have come true until we look back on them. The "iron birds" were planes in the Age of Flight a time when we also re-entered the secret Space Age. The ages are cyclical. This is not the first time earthlings have flown in metal "birds." The long-lived devas remind us, and we can develop the capacity to look back to verify it. The bigger question is, What will we do with the liberating Dharma?

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