RT.com, Greenpeace, 60 Minutes Australia. Dr. Michio Kaku, Wisdom Quarterly
The consequences of the Fukushima disaster will be emerging for at least several decades. According to the Japanese government, it will take up to 30 years for the complete clean up of the radiation released from the reactors.
Japan aims to reduce radiation by half over the next two years. To do so it may have to remove and dispose of massive amounts of radioactive soil, possibly enough to fill 23 baseball stadiums, reports Reuters.
(Manekinekotattoo) Exposing the "unspeakable" that will impact "all of humanity."
Experts say the areas inside the evacuation zone will have to remain uninhabited throughout the years of contamination. All collected soil and other waste will be stored in the Fukushima Prefecture, in an “interim facility” with an estimated capacity of up to 28 million cubic meters.
Despite official information, some reports suggest the Japanese government is seriously downplaying the real amount of radioactive substances that leaked from Fukushima....More
The Japanese government is starting radiation checkups for more than two million people living near the crippled Fukushima plant. But many citizens of the country fear those in charge prefer face-saving public ignorance to life-saving knowledge.
Shinto is Japanese for "the way of the kami" (devas, gods/goddesses, spirits). It is the indigenous spiritual tradition of the Japanese people. It is as old as Japan itself. It remains Japan's major religion alongside Buddhism.
Shinto does not have a founder nor does it have sacred scriptures like sutras (discourses) or the Bible. Propaganda and preaching are not common either, because Shinto is deeply rooted in the people and traditions.
Shinto "gods" are called kami. They are sacred spirits that take the form of things and concepts important to life-- such as wind, rain, mountains, trees, rivers, and fertility. Humans become kami after they die and are revered by their families as ancestral kami.
The kami of extraordinary people are even enshrined at some shrines. The Sun Goddess Amaterasu is considered Shinto's most important kami. More
Ensō is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen Buddhism. It is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character.
It symbolizes absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the universe, and the void. It can also symbolize the Japanese aesthetic itself. As an "expression of the moment" it is often considered a form of minimalist expressionist art.
In Zen Buddhist painting, ensō symbolizes a moment when the mind is free to simply let the body/spirit create. The brushed ink of the circle is usually done on rice paper or silk in one movement. But the great Bankei used two strokes sometimes. And there is no possibility of modification: It shows the expressive movement of the spirit at that time.
Zen Buddhists "believe that the character of the artist is fully exposed in how s/he draws an ensō. Only a person who is mentally and spiritually complete can draw a true ensō. Some artists will practice drawing it daily, as a kind ofspiritual practice."[Ref. 1]
Some artists paint ensō with an opening in the circle, while others complete the circle. For the former, the opening may express various ideas -- for example that the ensō is not separate, but is part of something greater, or that imperfection is an essential and inherent aspect of existence. (See also the idea of broken symmetry).
The principle of controlling the balance of composition through asymmetry and irregularity is an important aspect of the Japanese aesthetic: Fukinsei (不均斉), the denial of perfection.
The ensō is also a sacred symbol in the Zen school of Buddhism. It is often used by Zen masters as a form of signature in their religious artwork. More on the philosophy see The Way of the Brush or Zen Calligraphy (Hitsuzendo).
BHAVANA, West Virginia - The editors of Wisdom Quarterly spent the last two weeks on retreat in rural forest meditation cabins. The cicadas, heat lightning, sudden storms, Mothman, and chilly nights, it seemed more like exotic Asia than the back woods of America.
Christian stories about Sakka (Magha of Macala) call him "St. Michael," a stream-enterer and ruler of two lower heavens, who defends humans in battle opposing the titans and serpents.
Buddhism is deep, very deep. People mainly see the discourses or sutra collection, rarely seeing the source material, just hearing about it secondhand. They rarely see the meditator's self-discipline or Vinaya collection. And almost no one ever studies the "Higher Teachings" or Abhidharma collection.
Sitting in a magnificent wooden hall with high ceilings, surrounded by a tall forest and peaceful meditators from all over the East Coast, I found myself mad like the fighting Irish.
Maybe I went wrong the very moment I thought of meditation as adversarial. But I did. I saw Mara, the dark tempter figure, as an opponent. I went up against his armies, the Cankers of sensual-desires, desiring eternal existence, clinging to wrong-views, and ignorance.
Like a wrathful Japanese deity, I thought I should fight. But all fighters are caught up in fighting until they sue for peace. Until this retreat, no one mentioned Mara had ten more armies, the Fetters binding beings to the Wheel of Samsara:
The first five are called "lower fetters"that bind or fetter us to rebirth in sensual realm planes. The latter five are called "higher fetters" that bind beings to planes of rebirth in the two higher realms, the fine-material and immaterial spheres (A.IX.67-68; A.X.13; D.33, etc.)
The Five Hindrances are hard to overcome if we cannot relax and let go. But these Taints (asavas)and Fetters (samyojanas) which defile minds and hearts are even more subtle adversaries.
The great Earth shook (see photos). Mara is no fool. He does not come on a war elephant. He sends seductive daughters. He does not confront. He subverts with pride and delusion. He does not want beings to end up in the hells. He just never wants them to escape the cycle of rebirth.
Linkin Park is raising relief funds for Japan and playing a secret show for those who help.
Click Take the Challenge to create a page, raise $500, and earn two tickets to the show.
Use the tools provided to promote the cause to your friends and family.
Don't stop at $500. We will award special prizes and experiences to the top fundraisers, including meet & greets, VIP access and signed memorabilia.Click here for more details
Tickets are limited, only the first 500 people to reach the fundraising goal will receive tickets.
100% of net proceeds benefit children affected by the earthquake & tsunami to provide child care services and financial support to children at risk of not continuing their studies, psychological support as well as play zones for those who cannot play outside due to radiation fears.
Old Japanese painting warns of tsunamis, "harbor waves," that surge when funneled
Create a page -- add a photo or a short video and explain the fundraising
Ask friends and followers for Japan relief donations.
Click "share" to promote the cause via Facebook, Twitter, email.
Create a Page, then...
Go back to personalized page by clicking "My Page" at top right. Click "ASK FOR DONATIONS." There are three tabs:
Send a post to friends via Facebook, Twitter, or Google+
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Banner says "ATOMIC POWER, NO THANKS." Demonstrators protest in front of Biblis nuclear power plant on March 20. In the wake of the Fukushina disaster, Germany plans to abandon nuclear energy (Reuters/Ralph Orlowski).
Germany will move out of nuclear power, keeping shut eight suspended reactors and closing the rest by 2022 in response to Japan's Fukushima disaster and following after a dramatic policy reversal by the coalition government at the weekend.
The decision, which came amid mass demonstrations against nuclear power, must be legally validated in parliament and could face strong opposition from utility companies.
Below is a list of the country's seven oldest reactors which were suspended after the Fukushima incident and an eighth, Vattenfall's Kruemmel, which was shut for other reasons. These were going to be shut until at least mid-June for safety reviews and now will probably never restart. More
In South Park's "Super Best Friends," Joseph Smith, the Buddha, Jesus, an unknown Muslim figure, Moses, and Krishna star. In "God's a Buddhist" (Episode 11, Season 4) God confesses he's Buddhist.
Once, when I was on a live radio show being interviewed by a Christian talk show host, her first question to me was, "Do you Buddhists believe in God?"
I had only a few seconds to think of an answer.
"Yes," I said.
"Good!" the host said. "And how do you pray?"
I said that we prayed in silence to reach our divine nature.
"I like that!" the host said.
When I have told this story in talks, some of my Buddhist listeners say, "Oh, that's nice. It's good to be polite."
But I wasn't just being polite. I was raised in a Christian church and went to Christian Sunday school. My favorite song as a child was "God is Love." After graduating from college, for a year I attended Christian seminary, with the idea of becoming a minister.
I didn't become a dedicated Buddhist until some time after that. I am comfortable with the word God.
It's true that by saying "Yes" I was also making an effort to establish some common ground. It was live radio, our time slot was 20 minutes and I was there to discuss a just-released book. I didn't want to spend the whole time trying to explain what Buddhists believe.
Also, I felt that a more nuanced answer, however I couched it, would have come across as some version of "No." I sensed the need to give a definitive answer. The answer I gave came closest to what was so for me -- understanding that I was not trying to speak for the world's 320 million Buddhists, but only for myself.
The host knew I was a Buddhist; I was on her show to discuss my book, Healing Lazarus: A Buddhist's Journey from Near Death to New Life. I sensed from the way she posed her question that all she really wanted to know was whether I was a person of religious conviction and belief -- a person of faith. And I am.
I'm an ordained Buddhist priest -- a religious professional. My daily religious practice is the center of my life. I lead meditation groups, I am training and ordaining other priests. In that context, "Yes" is the best answer. More
The Buddha is called the "teacher of gods and men" because he regularly instructed and his teaching were particularly suited for both devas and human beings.
Does Buddhism Believe in "God"? Wisdom Quarterly (COMMENTARY) Buddhists generally believe what they like. God in particular is a popular subject. But Buddhists are not Buddhism. And Buddhism is nontheistic. That is, there may or may not be a God; nevertheless, it has nothing to do with liberation.
There are, in fact, many "gods" (devas and brahmas, deities and divinities). There is, however, no ultimate "creator God," creator of the universe and its lawful (regular and dependable) operations such as karma, physics, chemistry, metaphysics, and the like.
There are many celestial space worlds, other planets, other dimensions, exalted and rarified. However joyful, long lived, glorious, or peaceful, none is permanent. Rebirth there ultimately leads to rebirth elsewhere. Only nirvana transcends the round of birth and death.
Therefore, Buddhists may wish to be reborn in a heaven with the God or gods of their choice. That is fine. That is perfectly fine. Even the gods are subject to karma. Even the gods ultimately fall to meet with the results of their less than skillful karma (intentional actions).
The best candidate for the Judeo-Christian God of the Bible is Buddhism's Maha Brahma ("Great Supremo). Why this sexless super being is called the great is a little difficult to understand. It is the lowlest of brahmas ("supremes"). The "supremes" themselves are subordinate to beings confusingly called devas ("shining ones"). The confusion stems from the fact that lesser beings are also referred to as devas.
Devas in art are represented as wispy, graceful, and crowned with space helmets.
For example, nature has "shining ones" (beautiful elementals, woodland fairies, dryads, sea nymphs). The skies are inhabited by tangible celestial rulers in spacecraft (vimanas). A second celestial plane, on a planet or platform known as the Realm of the Thirty-Three, there are other higher order beings generally superior(longer life, greater beauty, more influence, etc.) to the many varieties and species on Earth and below.
The archangelic devas of the Thirty-Three have one being in particular, the "god of Buddhism" -- Sakka, King of the Devas. He is famous for casting out the unruly elements in heavens, an act that demonized them, at least in terms of their anger. This would make Sakka the "St. Michael" of Christian lore. Why is he called "Michael"?
The most telling piece of evidence for this connection was turned up by Wisdom Quarterly's ongoing research. Before Sakka became Sakka (which is more of a station or office than a single individual in time and space), the Buddha points out, he was Magha of Macala.
The Realm of the Thirty-Three (Tavatimsa) is an advanced world in space.
The Buddha revealed the nature of the good karma that led to Magha's rebirth as a "king of kings" (maharajika devas), a "lord of lord" (archangels in the Realm of the Thirty-Three), and the "son of god" (devaputta, which is a common term that simply means he's a deva).
His fame on Earth is widespread and well known throughout Europe in various mythologies. Long before that, in India he was known as Indra. But cultures stretching back to Egypt and Sumeria (Sumer), Assyria and Babylonia, the imprint and theme of a "Sakka" is consistent.
But Sakka is by no means the only God in Buddhism. There is Maha Brahma, Sahampati Brahma, Baka Brahma. Buddhist cosmology recognizes 31 planes of existence, most of them deva realms corresponding karmically to the attainment of various levels of meditative absorption.
Such attainments are weighty karma that, if held at the time of death, lead to rebirth in those planes. In a very real sense, anyone capable of mastering these states can be a "god" (brahma). Rebirth in the six lower "heavenly" (sky, space) worlds is attained by wholesome karma coming to fruition as one passes away.
Keeping the Five or Eight Precepts -- when those acts of abstaining from harming or engaging in their positive counterparts of helping come to fruition at the moment of passing away -- naturally results a fortunate rebirth. This includes rebirth in the human world, which is an extremely rare event. Such is the power of karma, of reaping what we sow.
Devas rejoiced at the birth of Siddhartha, a deva in his preceding life.
The brahmas are well born. Maha Brahma is great among devas, hailed by Earthlings, and may represent itself as the "creator" of all. Buddhists do not believe in this God in the sense of depending or asking things of it. But many do ask things of earthbound and celestial devas. It was a long standing tradition in India.
The Buddha discouraged it, instead encouraging humans to remember the devas and rejoice in the good they have accomplished bearing in mind that they are capable of the exact same thing. It is quite within reach to be born among the devas (sons and daughters of the gods).
But there is an advantage to being born a human: It is said that this is the easiest world in which to attain final liberation, enlightenment, nirvana. Such an accomplishment is praised by the devas.
Gods, no Gods, theists, atheists, or non-theists, Buddhists may believe what they like. But liberation has little to nothing to do with a belief in gods. Coming across or experiencing the Dharma is far more rare than any belief.
(TheHour) The famous atheist Richard Dawkins views religion as absurd and pointless. He says God is no different than the tooth fairy: "The God Delusion," a CBC interview.
In my ongoing effort to find ways to adapt Buddhism to modern American life, I have long been influenced by the example of Vimala-Kirti, the "householder sage" of ancient India (pictured).
According to the Vimala-Kirti Sutra ("scripture"), Vimala-Kirti was a wealthy layperson or householder who was one of the Buddha's leading lay disciples. Although he was a householder, his wisdom was said to exceed that of all of the Buddha's leading monastic disciples.
Much of the sutra is spent recounting arguments between Vimala-Kirti and the monastic disciples about Buddhist doctrine -- disputes which Vimala-Kirti invariably won. The notion of a layperson's wisdom exceeding that of a monastic is only one of many radical notions put forward by the sutra.
There are several English translations of the Vimala-Kirti Sutra. The one I like best is by Dr. Robert A. Thurman entitled The Holy Teaching of Vimala-Kirti. Dr. Thurman's translation is from the Tibetan, as the Sanskrit original has been lost.
Like the better-known Heart and Diamond Sutras, the Vimala-Kirti Sutra was an important text for the Zen traditions of China and Japan. In many Japanese Zen monasteries even today there is an alcove with a statue of Vimala-Kirti, wearing the hair and clothing of a layperson, expounding the teaching.
In Zen, Vimala-Kirti is best known for his "thunderous silence," referring to the time when he ended a long debate about the essence of wisdom by saying nothing at all. Vimala-Kirti was a popular figure among the ruling classes of ancient China, who could identify with his role in society.
The highest spiritual stage in Zen is called "return to the marketplace," in which the spiritual adept, after long years of spiritual training, returns to society to live as an ordinary person and teach others. Vimala-Kirti is traditionally seen as the embodiment of this highest stage.
This is how the sutra describes Vimala-Kirti's lifestyle:
He wore the white clothes of a layman, yet lived impeccably like a religious devotee...
He had a son, a wife, and female attendants...
[He] made his appearance at the fields of sports and in the casinos, but his aim was always to mature people [there]...
He engaged in all sorts of businesses, yet had no interest in profit or possessions...
He visited all the schools to help develop children...
He was honored as the official among officials because he regulated the functions of government according to the Dharma. More
3D rou pu tuan zhi ji le bao jian Russell Edwards (new international release film review, April 18, 2011)
Translated from industry-speak into English by Wisdom Quarterly
Audiences get an eyeful of flesh, served with sadistic, spasmodic laughs, in "3D Sex and Zen: Extreme Ecstasy," an attempt to revive the 1990s Hong Kong softcore-comedy franchise.
While this item is even less interested in spirituality than the original [films], its most notable difference, apart from its stereoscopic visuals, is a distinct mean streak.
[The new film in the series] made a robust $351,000 in Hong Kong on opening day alone, and [the box office take] will continue to be socko there, because China's strict censorship [akin to a Kansas state of mind] forces [Chinese] mainlanders to catch the film in Hong Kong. But in Oz [when no longer in Kansas], local theaters put on extra showings to meet demand.
While not always as coherent as its episodic 2D predecessors, "3D Sex and Zen" does its best to present a feature-length narrative based very loosely on the ancient Chinese text "The Carnal Prayer Mat."
Young Ming Dynasty scholar Yangsheng (Japanese thespian Hiro Hayama) falls in love with and marries beautiful Yuxiang (Leni Lan). The pair are happy, but due to a lack of stamina, among other shortcomings, the newlyweds' sex life is below par. [Ouch!] More
Camera (color, 3D), Jimmy Wong; editor, Azrael Chung; art director, Tony Yu; costume designer, Cindy Cheung; sound (Dolby); stunt coordinator, Lee Tat Chiu; associate producers, Mark Wu, Albert Lee. Reviewed at Xtremescreen 1, Hoyts Broadway, Sydney, April 14, 2011. Running time: 113 MIN
