Buddha: Buddhist documentary (video)

(ComeThailand) This documentary, made by David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha's life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world's greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia have depicted the Buddha's life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into this ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and the 14th Dalai Lama.

• ComeThailand.com
• PHOTO: The Buddha in Thailand by BobyBahar
  

Science Friday: What is a Flame? (video)

Wisdom Quarterly, NPR, Science Friday

Flame footage: Dale R. Tree, Tadd T. Truscott, Preston Murray, Jonathon Pendlebury.

Humans are thought to have mastered controlled fire in the middle of the Paleolithic era. Half a million years later, engineers Tadd Truscott and Dale Tree, of Brigham Young University, are trying to quantify it. Using high speed cameras and computer algorithms, they are reconstructing fire, digitally. Understanding flames better can help us use fire better, they say.

Candle Gazing Meditation
Candle gazing meditation is called trakata in Sanskrit (yogawithmarnie.com).

There is a simple but very effective form of meditation -- staring into the center of a candle flame until the countersign is developed and the light becomes visible even when not staring at the fire. It does not involve thinking. Quite to the contrary, it involves arresting and settling the mind. Consciousness continues and in fact becomes a fuller awareness; lucidity actually increases with the cessation of discursive thought, ratiocination, and contemplation. Our natural assumption is that "our" thoughts and ideas are us. What a relief that they think themselves, follow their own course, come and go. The real relief is even temporary release from neurotic revolving in mind. Steady focusing on a flame has the power to bring this about. Of course, this is only the first step. The goal is not simply to stop the mental chatter and be serene. This meditation can be developed to absorption (first jhana). And that sets the foundation for successful insight meditation or vipassana.

(BodyMindPower) Video, music, text: Anke Moehlmann (BMP Music), Mystic Journey Vol. 1 & 2, Yoga Sunset Chill I-III, bodymindpower.de.

A short Candle Meditation may inspire some to meditate with a candle. Use a non-paraffin candle free of toxic petroleum products and synthetic fragrances for best results, such as a simple oil lamp, soy candle, or this video:

It is a simple form of meditation that brings deep relaxation. And it is a fantastic way to improve concentration skills. The flame is an aid to go into a deep state of meditation. If thoughts come just let them be there watching them drifting by. Eyes may water a little, which is normal and helps clear them removing tiredness and improving eyesight.

When the eyes starts to burn, close them and visualize the flame with the third eye, the point between the eyebrows.

As a result of focusing on the flame, it feels as though that there is no distance between the eyes and flame. One might become one with the flame and enter a deep state of peace and tranquility.

Take a comfortable seat that promotes alertness, which usually means an erect but relaxed back that is not leaning on anything. Allow the eyes to relax while gazing at the flame. Breathe in and out at the center of the solar plexus. With each in and outflow of the breath, allow the entire body and mind to become more and more relaxed.

Complete the meditation by allowing a few minutes to come back to Earth. Close the eyes for a few minutes. Then slowly move head, hands, and feet before slowly standing.

• Learn more VIDEO: Mapping Flames
• How cooking made us human
• Managing forest to manage wildfires
• The physics of setting leaves aflame
  

Wisdom Quarterly makes Daily Top 1000 sites

4 Imponderables, Powers of a Buddha, 4 Kinds of Intrepidity

Worldwide distribution of Wisdom Quarterly visitors as of Sept. 2011 (ClustrMaps.com)

ClustrMaps (see bottom of page) has a "Daily Top 1000" websites based on daily averages of unique visitors. We have been notified that worldwide we are the 734th most visited website measured by them. Now this is odd because ClustrMaps regularly under counts our daily count compared to Blogspot's own internal count by at least 50 percent. We are regularly amazed that Netizens visit Wisdom Quarterly from far outside the US, with non-US visitors sometimes exceeding American hits. It is magnificent to share the Dharma and transformational information. We share any merit accruing to us with our readers. Tell a friend.

Four Imponderables
Wisdom Quarterly translation (AN 4.77)
"There are these Four Imponderables that should not be pondered because to do so would cause one to become vexed and mentally unhinged.

1. The range of [influence of] a buddha is imponderable and should not be pondered because to do so would cause one to become vexed and mentally unhinged.
2. The range of jhana of a person immersed in meditative-absorption [the powers one is able to obtain by way of the absorptions]...
3. The [mysterious] working out of karma...
   
4. A first cause or origin of the world...

"These are the Four Imponderables that should not be pondered because to do so would cause one to become vexed and mentally unhinged."

• *NOTE: Presumably the range of powers a buddha develops as a result of becoming a supremely enlightened (samma sam) buddha -- such as the Ten Powers of a Tathagatha (a term the Buddha used to refer to himself and others in the past like him).

The Buddha teaches the fourfold assembly of female/male followers and nuns/monks in India.

Ten Powers of a Tathagata

Nanamoli Thero & Bhikkhu Bodhi translation (DN 12)
1. Thus have I heard. On one occasion the Blessed One was living at Vesali in the grove outside the city to the west.... 9. "Sariputta, the Tathagata has these ten Tathagata's powers, possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.[5] What are the ten?

10. (1) "Here, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the possible as possible and the impossible as impossible.[6] And that [70] is a Tathagata's power that the Tathagata has, by virtue of which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.

11. (2) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the results of actions undertaken, past, future and present, with possibilities and with causes. That too is a Tathagata's power...[7]

12. (3) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the ways leading to all [rebirth] destinations [duet to the working out of karma]. That too is a Tathagata's power...[8]

13. (4) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the world with its many and different elements. That too is a Tathagata's power...[9]

14. (5) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is how beings have different inclinations. That too is a Tathagata's power...[10]

15. (6) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the disposition of the faculties of other beings, other persons. That too is a Tathagata's power...[11]

16. (7) "Again, the Tathagata understands as it actually is the defilement, the cleansing and the emergence in regard to the jhanas, liberations, concentrations, and attainments. That too is a Tathagata's power...[12]...

Sir Lankan monoliths in the Afghan style of ancient Northwest India (Itchypaws/Flickr)

The Four Kinds of Intrepidity

22. "Sariputta, the Tathagata has these four kinds of intrepidity, possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma [that is, the Supreme Wheel of Dharma]. What are the four?

23. "Here, I see no ground on which any recluse or brahm[i]n or god [deva] or Mara or Brahma or anyone at all in the world could, in accordance with the Dhamma, accuse me thus: 'While you claim full enlightenment, you are not fully enlightened in regard to certain things.' [72] And seeing no ground for that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.

24. "I see no ground on which any recluse... or anyone at all could accuse me thus: 'While you claim to have destroyed the taints, these taints are undestroyed by you.' And seeing no ground for that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.

25. "I see no ground on which any recluse... or anyone at all could accuse me thus: 'Those things called obstructions by you are not able to obstruct one who engages in them.' And seeing no ground for that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.

26. "I see no ground on which any recluse... or anyone at all could accuse me thus: 'When you teach the Dhamma to someone, it does not lead him when he practices it to the complete destruction of suffering.' And seeing no ground for that, I abide in safety, fearlessness, and intrepidity.

27. "A Tathagata has these four kinds of intrepidity, possessing which he claims the herd-leader's place, roars his lion's roar in the assemblies, and sets rolling the Wheel of Brahma.[14]

28. "Sariputta, when I know and see thus, should anyone say of me... he will [as a result of the this very heavy negative karma] wind up in hell[s]....

"Peace One Day" in 3 minutes (video)

Peace One Day Concert 2011 marks the start of the 365-day Global Truce campaign leading up to Peace Day 2012! Be part of the FIRST of three concerts over the next year, including the Peace One Day concerts in collaboration with the London 2012 Festival. The O2. Tickets.

(Peace One Day) Introduction to Peace One Day created for Peace Day

Global Truce 2012 Intro

Becoming Buddhist reading Quantum Physics

Colin Fernandez (Mail Online at dailymail.co.uk)

Wilkinson, who became a British national hero at the 2003 World Cup, said Buddhism has helped him overcome a fear of failure that was ruining his life.

Rugby star Jonny Wilkinson: "I've become a Buddhist after reading quantum physics books." We should have known the sports star had a spiritual side from the way he clasps his hands as if in prayer before he kicks goals. Now the England rugby payer has revealed that he has found inner peace through Buddhism.

His obsessive perfectionism was making him miserable, but Buddhism liberated him from being motivated by "money, status, or ego." The millionaire sportsman said that within 24 hours of winning the World Cup final against Australia in Sydney, he felt a powerful feeling of anticlimax.

"I did not know what it really meant to be happy. I was afflicted by a powerful fear of failure and did not know how to free myself from it." More

Celebrity Buddhists include Angelina Jolie, Tiger Woods, Sarah Jessica Parker, Sting, Coldplay wife Gwyneth Paltrow, Keanu Reeves, Tina Turner, Orlando Bloom, Uma Thurman and, of course, Lisa Simpson.

Sarah Jessica Parker: Hollywood's Newest Jew-Bu?
(PR-Inside.com)

Vanishing from public view in her discreet Irish hideaway, "Sex and the City" superstar Parker is seeking tranquility.

NEW YORK, New York - Stressed by her latest challenge as producer of not one but two new cable shows, and dismayed by continuing rumors that her marriage is incontinent, superstar Sarah Jessica Parker seems to be finding tranquility down a path that many of her faith have trodden in the past: Becoming a Jew-Bu. More

The Four Truths of Recovery

(thesun.co.uk)

Amy Winehouse was a Jewish-Buddhist. But it was a first when she pulled out of a festival [Rock En Seine Festival in Paris] because she was in a state of Buddhist relaxation. The singer has been trying to find peace in her chaotic life by chanting Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.

For those who have alcohol, illegals drugs, or engage in addictive routines to unwind, Amy found a better option: Nicherin Buddhism, perhaps the most questionable form of devotional "value creation."

The Sun quotes a source as saying: "One of her musicians introduced Amy to Buddhist chanting. She chants for ten minutes in the mornings and just before she sleeps.

"Amy has also been watching the interview clip of Tina Turner chanting on YouTube [on Larry King Live] and she reckons it's already affecting her in a positive way.

"She has a string of Buddhist beads that she chants with, which she keeps in a red silk scarf.

"She says chanting is filling her life with positivity while she is trying to sort herself out." More

Buddhist 12 Steps

AgainstTheStream.org

1. Addiction is Suffering.

• Understand, acknowledge, admit, and accept all of the ways drugs, alcohol, and so on have caused suffering in our lives. Action: Write an in-depth and detailed inventory of the suffering you have experienced in association with your addictions.

2. The Cause of Addiction is Craving.

• Understand that all forms of addiction have their roots in the natural human tendency to crave for life to be more pleasurable and less painful than it actually is. The substances we have craved and become addicted to must be abandoned and renounced. Action: Investigate, analyze, and share the inventory with your mentor or teacher and come to understand the cause of your addiction/suffering.

3. Recovery is Possible.

• Freedom from the suffering caused by addiction is attainable, IF we are ready and willing to follow the eightfold path. Action: Study and apply the Buddhist teachings on enlightenment (awakening) and eventually you will come to a verified-faith in the path of recovery/enlightenment through the actions you take on the path.

4. The 8-Fold Path to Recovery.

• The eight factors or folds of the path are to be developed, experienced and penetrated. This is a path of action not blind faith, recovery will only come from taking the right actions. This is not a linear path, it does not have to be taken in order, rather all of the factors will need to be developed and applied simultaneously. This is a guide to having a life that is free from addiction, not a process that we go through once or twice, the eight folds of recovery will have to be maintained through out one's life.

Introduction to Buddhism (video)

Yoga: The Other Eightfold Path (Part I of II)

Yogi Seven (Wisdom Quarterly)
Shiva, the master yogi of Shavites

Buddhism teaches the Noble Eightfold Path to liberation (enlightenment and nirvana). It was so popular in India that centuries later the seer (rishi) Patanjali collected yoga sutras (aphorisms or pithy sayings) to explain the higher purpose of the path of yoga ("union" with the ultimate).

He composed them as one unit, following the popular example of the Buddha, as an eight-limbed teaching. Patanjali did not invent these, we are told, and there was no "Hinduism" at that time. He assembled them as a summary of dormant Vedic ideas.

The Buddha had done much to revivify the Vedic knowledge, but he himself rejected ancient India's sacred texts as sacrosanct and authoritative. The Buddha did not promote Vedic Brahmanism but promoted a rebellion against the corrupt temple priest practices of the old establishment.

The Sage Patanjali, a great Indian luminary (cortona-india.org)

The ideas are good, and the truth lives on in Buddhism, but the new Shraman-ism was about direct personal experience of truth, not dependent on priests. Think of Martin Luther and the Protestant Movement against a corrupt European Catholic establishment.

But the more obvious comparison is to Christianity's relation to Judaism. Judaism is not as old as we taught to imagine. But because it reaches back to Egyptian (Moses, etc.) and Sumerian (Gilgamesh and the Flood) and Mesopotamian sources, blending with proto-Judaism makes it seem very ancient. Jesus (St. Issa) comes along, the popular story goes, and rejects the establishment as corrupt. The old ideas are good, but they are grown over with moss and their real meaning is lost. This wandering rebel (not part of the temple establishment) revivifies them.

• If reaching back to the proto-origins and counting that as part of the age of the tradition, then Buddhism is aeons and aeons old because of previous buddhas who taught this liberating Dharma that is here to be rediscovered.

Then modern Judaism, like Hinduism before it, says of the much more widespread teachings that emerged: "Oh, yeah, we knew that! It's all in our ancient texts." The Buddha gets called a great "reformer" of Indian spirituality when he was really an innovator who rejected the authority of the sacred, infallible, handed-down-heaven Vedas as handed down knowledge. Buddhism and Hinduism do not lead to the same thing. They do not have the same goal -- even if that goal generally gets called by the same name, moksha ("liberation").

For Hindus (and Christians/Catholics) the end of rebirth and suffering (samsara) is one more rebirth in heaven with Brahma (God) also thought of impersonally as merging and becoming one with Brahman (GOD, the ultimate reality). That is not the Buddha or Buddhism's goal. (But one would never know that to hear some Mahayana Buddhists speak). The Buddha explicitly points out that that rebirth is not the end of rebirth; it is not the end of disappointment (dukkha, every shade of "suffering"), not liberation.

Birth, even in the highest heavens, is impermanent-imperfect-impersonal, and it is lower than the greatest super-mundane accomplishment, nirvana. [What is nirvana? Read Wisdom Quarterly to find out; suffice it to say that it is not a "heaven," even if it gets called that and yet, as hard as it is for happy nihilists to believe, it is definitely not nothingness.]

The Buddha taught the paths to many kinds of heavenly (sagga) rebirth. But he did not advocate them. Of course, such rebirths are better than rebirths elsewhere. But they are still flawed, even rebirth at the right hand of Brahma, or an insensate Jain ideal, or life in the Pure Abodes. The Buddha in fact taught the paths to all destinations. But he did not recommend them.

Many Buddhists want to be reborn as rich, beautiful, healthy humans. That's possible. And from there it might be possible to gain enlightenment (bodhi) and experience nirvana, to be cooled by the end of suffering and the end of rebirth. Or it might not be possible, not available.

The liberating-Dharma will very likely not be available, and most humans never get to hear it. But it's available now. However bad the world seems, it still offers the availability of liberation, right here right now. And the path to nirvana is in harmony with the way to heaven; just keep going further on. So it is famously said in later Buddhism,

"Gone, gone, gone beyond, gone altogether beyond, O, what an awakening, so it is!"

The eight limbs of yoga are wonderful. But they are not the same eight limbs as the Buddha's Noble Eightfold Path. Confusing them means practicing neither. For often even when the exact same term is used, it is defined differently by the Buddha.

Understanding the two paths reveals that they are different but in harmony. And much in the world's treasury of sacred traditions can also be practiced as complementary. It's not either/or, it's understanding clearly.

NEXT: Following in the footsteps of Yogacharya Goswami and others, Wisdom Quarterly demystifies Royal Yoga's eight factors (ashtanga) described by the Great Seer Patanjali.

• I'm Catholic and starting to doubt my faith, help

A great guide to the deeper meaning of yoga

Buddha Festival: 2,600 years of Buddhism

Images: Dhammakaya, Text: Wisdom Quarterly

The birth of the Bodhisattva, the buddha-to-be, in Lumbini garden on the Indian frontier between 3,000 and 2,600 years ago, exact date unknown.

Vesak: the thrice blessed day because it was on the full moon day of the lunar month of Vesakha (ancient Indian calendar) that the Buddha was born to the Shakyan Queen Maya (apparently, according to Wisdom Quarterly research, a Salabhanjika) under a Sala tree in Lumbini garden, attained supreme enlightenment (which made him a buddha) under a Bo tree in Bodh Gaya ("Enlightenment Grove"), and passed into parinirvana, that is, nirvana without remainder laying down between twin Sala trees.

Siddhartha ("wish fulfilled") Gautama (his family name) became the Buddha of this age and was regarded as a famous karmavadin (teacher of the efficacy and importance of karma) and warrior caste (kshtriya) wandering ascetic opposed to the establish Brahminical tradition that relied on interpretations of sacred scriptures (the Vedas) and elaborate superstitious rituals carried out by a formal priestly caste (brahmins) over direct experience of the Truth. He was a knower and teacher of this world, other worlds, and the pathways leading to all kinds of rebirth. And with his tremendous following, the brahmins were not too happy about it. Much later, Adi Shankara decided to organize and standardize Buddhist-influenced Vedic Brahmanical schools, thereby creating what we recognize today as "Hinduism." Hinduism recognizes the Buddha but does a great disservice to his teaching by honoring him with the title of avatar, relegating him to a mere incarnation of the God Vishnu. The Buddha was not a God, not a deva, not spirit. He was a human who attained the incomparable status of a fully-enlightened teaching buddha. It is one thing, an accomplishment worthy of great praise and honor, to become enlightened. But it altogether an incomprehensible wonder to become a supreme teacher of the path to enlightenment.

The devas ("shining ones," deities, divas, godlings, "angels," Earth-fairies, celestial-beings, bright spirits) rejoiced that the Bodhisattva as King Setaketu chose to consummate his quest for enlightenment by taking his final rebirth as a human being on Earth, Prince Siddhartha Gautama.

The Bodhisattva lived in luxury and splendor in Kapilavastu (either near modern Bamiyan, Afghanistan or in the Terai of Nepal, both of which are in view of the Himalayan foothills) but sensed that things were empty. Suffering (unsatisfactoriness) touched everyone and every endeavor. Touched by the inkling that he had a greater mission, he renounced the throne, the household life, family, and worldly fame. He discarded his fine clothes, cut off his gorgeous hair, and left his family's territory to go East in search of a guru and enlightenment (the final solution to suffering that all beings experience). His mission was not only to become enlightened but to rediscover the path in order to show the way to others; that is the difference between a supremely-enlightened buddha and an arhat ("enlightened individual").

The Bodhisattva's struggle is steeped in lore. His life has been made an allegory to teach the Dharma by way of his example. While the essential facts may have survived, they have been mythologized and elaborated. His five-year struggle with two yogi-gurus to attain the exalted levels of serene meditation they taught are largely left out of the story. What is emphasized instead is his sixth year as he went off on his own, followed by five admirers eager to practice austerities with him. His fierce determination ruined his health and almost led to his death. Insight into the futility of fighting, struggling, and fiercely striving gave way to moderation. He understood that this wonderful body is a vehicle and of great help to reaching the goal. The first foundation of mindfulness, of which there are four, is the body. His mythical battle with internal "demons" is represented as a great offensive by Mara and an army of yakkhas ("demons") representing the psychological defilements we all possess that obstruct clear seeing and liberation.

Taking a balanced approach -- eating well, resting, keeping a regular schedule -- he persisted. He realized that the sublime pleasure born of serenity meditation was not a hindrance but an aid to insight. The defiled mind/heart (contaminated by the hindrances and fetters) cannot free itself. But the heart/mind temporarily freed of these obstructions, if it practices insight-meditation (examining dependently originated nature of unhappiness), can realized the Truth. And it is the Truth that sets one free. While he may have determined to not get up until he found freedom under the Bodhi tree, that resolution was only made after having come so far in his meditation that his mind was now luminous and ready to break through.

• EDITORIAL NOTE: If we practice with that determination, we are sure to fail -- because most of us have not done the preliminary work of cultivating the eight stages of serenity meditation that make the mind malleable, intensified, wieldy, and luminous. But this so often gets left out of the myth of the Buddha's glorious, take-no-prisoners, gung ho charging into battle against temptation. That is no way to win a war, and it is utterly impossible to win the peace this way.

Having attained the goal, the "Sage of the Shakya clan" (Shakya-muni) revered the Bodhi tree, rejoiced in the liberation of mind and liberation of heart through wisdom and virtue. Having found his way out of compassion for others, he was drawn to teach. But he well understood that it would be difficult to show anyone so subtle a Dharma, so non-polemic an answer, to teach the Middle Way. He decided to remain silent. Sakka, King of the Devas, came to ask him to reconsider out of compassion and particularly to help those who had "only a little dust in their eyes" who, with his help, would surely be able to realize the Truth. A brahma named Sahampati immediately came and repeated this entreaty, and the Buddha consented. He set out to teach his five former companions, seeing that his yogi-teachers had by then passed away. As others followed the practice and became enlightened by the practice, the Dharma grew. The Buddha continued to teach throughout the civilized and very spiritually advanced realm called the Rose "Apple Land" in the Middle Country (Jambudvipa, northern India), living mostly in Magadha.

His goal was not only to teach but to establish the teaching, or Dharma, through the ordination of monks, nuns, and male and female lay followers. The Buddha earned the title "the teacher of gods and men," which refers to the fact that he taught both devas and human beings. Devas live on Earth and in many extraterrestrial worlds. He and his disciples visited them, and they visited. In fact, more devas reached enlightenment than humans. (And it seems that in straight numbers, not proportions, more lay followers reached at least the first stage of enlightenment than monastics). The Sangha or "monastic community" grew and overtook the Vedic Brahmanism, the established religious authority. Although it is popularly believed that he did not want to ordain women, in fact, he stated that his Dispensation (sasana) would not be complete until all four types of disciples (male and female monastics and male and female lay followers) existed. Only in this way was the Dharma to have longevity. With the loss of nuns, who seem to have been sabotaged by the sexism prevalent in the world and by conspiracies by monks to undermine and subordinate them, the lifespan of the Dharma was threatened. But finally that segment of the Sangha is again on the rise.

Dhammakaya, Thailand's reawakening annual worldwide candlelight celebration in honor of Vesak. 2011 marks the 2,600th Vesak in Buddhist history. This means that it has been twenty-six centuries since the Buddha sat smiling under the Bodhi tree, having rediscovered the liberating Truth. This celebration takes place every year throughout the world where the Thai Theravada tradition has become established. The Los Angeles branch, perhaps the largest in America, celebrates tonight at 5:00 pm in the foothill city of Azusa.

Buddha Jayanti 2600 (video seminar)

(Loseldawa) Buddha Festival 2600 Seminar: "PATH TO LIBERATION" is a dialogue of the three main Buddhist traditions on Sunday, May 22, 2011 at the Nalanda Centre, Selangor, Malaysia. As seen live on Justin.TV

• PHOTO: Vesak 2011 marks 2600 years since the Buddha's enlightenment as celebrated in Singapore (Linkway88/Flickr.com)