CC Liu, Pat Macpherson, Ashley Wells (Wisdom Quarterly) MICHAEL JACKSON DOCTOR FOUND GUILTY
First Herman "Koch" Cain, now this. Child music idol Justin Bieber is being accused of having gone "all the way" -- possibly against his will, certainly without his consent. (By law minors are not able to consent to sex).
Now someone is pregnant, and baby, baby, baby Bieber is willing to take a paternity test to prove it is not him, uh, his. One thing's sure: former-child star abusing Conrad Murray will not be conducting that test. No comment yet from girlfriend/beard Selena Gomez.
While these allegations would give little Bieber street credentials with Ludacris and the rap/hip-hop underworld, it would shock and scandalize soccer moms and church groups everywhere.
Was baby Justin, shown here with Ludicrous in possibly the world's most viewed video, statutorily raped by Mariah Laci Yeater (shown below)?
They have already lost former Mouseketeers Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, and Christina Aguilera and with Lindsay Lohan in and out of jail, anti-sex trafficking advocate Ashton Kutcher cheating on Demi, and Drew Barrymore having gotten away with more than all of them (allegedly).
What is our world coming to? Not since the Partridges or Bradys were dating (each other) or Donny and Marie and the Mommas and the Poppas seemed a bit too close have the tabloids had so much to wag about. Oh, Justin, say it ain't so!
It continues: "The legends concerning Mara are, in the books, very involved and defy any attempts at unraveling them."[1]
Analyzing a series of allusions to Mara in the commentarial literature, Prof. Malalasekera further elaborates on his definition with the following observations:
"In the latest accounts, mention is made of five maras -- Khandha-mara, Kilesa-mara, Abhisankhara-mara, Maccu-mara, and Devaputta-mara. Elsewhere Mara is spoken of as one, three, or four."[2]
Commentaries speaking of three maras specify them as Devaputta-mara, Maccu-mara, and Kilesa-mara. When four maras are referred to, they appear to be the five maras mentioned above minus Mara Devaputta.
Prof. Malalasekera proceeds to attempt "a theory of Mara in Buddhism," which he formulates in the following manner:
"The commonest use of the word was evidently in the sense of Death. From this it was extended to mean 'the world under the sway of death' (also called Mara-dheyya, e.g. AN IV 228) and the beings therein.
"Thence, the kilesas (defilements) also came to be called Mara in that they were instruments of Death, the causes enabling Death to hold sway over the world. All temptations brought about by the kilesas were likewise regarded as the work of Death.
"There was also evidently a legend of a devaputta [a "son of the gods," one born among the celestial devas] of the Vasavatti world called Mara, who considered himself the head of the Kamavacara-world [the sense sphere] and who recognized any attempt to curb the enjoyment of sensual pleasures as a direct challenge to himself and to his authority.
"As time went on these different conceptions of the word became confused one with the other, but this confusion is not always difficult to unravel."[4]
What follows from this statement, even though Malalasekera does not elucidate, is that the term Mara, when it occurs in Buddhist literature, could signify any one of the following four:
An anthropomorphic deity ruling over a heaven in the sense sphere, namely, Paranimmita-Vasavatti. He is meant when Mara is called the king of the sensual realm. In this position, he is as important and prestigious as Sakka (King of the Devas) and Maha Brahma (the "Great Supremo") in whose company he is often mentioned in the canonical literature. This Mara, or Mara-devaputta, is not only a very powerful deity but is also bent on making life difficult for spiritual persons.
The Canon also speaks of (a) maras in the plural as a class of potent deities (e.g., SN 56.11) and (b) of previous -- hence, logically future -- maras (e.g., MN 50). According to Tibetan texts, the ascetic Siddhartha could have, with the instructions given by Arada Kalama, become a Sakra, a brahma, or a mara [all of which are best understood as posts held rather than individual historical figures].[5]
A personification of Death is called also the Lord of Death, the exterminator, the great king (maha raja), and the inescapable (Namuci). The preoccupation of the Buddhist quest for deliverance is consistently stressed as escaping the phenomenon of death, which presupposes rebirth. The entire range of existence falls within the realm of Mara on account of the ineluctable presence of death. (Compare with Schopenhauer's concept of "Morture."[6]) All states of existence, including the six [near-Earth] heavenly worlds of the sense sphere, are said to return to the power of Mara, which means into the power of death.[7]
Mara can also be seen allegorically, with almost immediate personification, of the power of temptation, the tendency towards evil, moral conflict, and the influence of such factors as indolence, negligence, and niggardliness. Similar to Satan in Judeo-Christian and Islamic thinking and Ahriman in Avestan [Zoroastrian] thought, though in no way identical, this Mara is described as Papima (i.e., "the Evil One," or simply "the Evil")[8], "Kinsman of Dalliance" (Pamattabandhu), Calumnious or Malicious (Pisuna), and "the Black" (Kanha). Grimm calls this Mara "the prince and bestower of all worldly lust" and distinguishes him from Lucifer of the Bible on the ground that this personification "always remains apparent."[9]
In this work, where the Buddha's encounters with Mara are analyzed as they are presented in literature and art, the main concern will be with Mara as a personification of temptation (No. 4 above). But I will also briefly examine how the other concepts are sometimes subsumed under this and how the literary description or the artistic representation of Mara is conditioned by the merger of three separate concepts as well as by the general body of Indian mythology.
It has to be noted that Mara is another name for the Indian "God of Love" [Cupid], known also as "Lust" (Kama) or "Deva of Lust" (Kama-deva), "Of Five Arrows" (Pañcabana), "Tormentor of Minds" (Manmatha), Bodiless (Ananga), "Flower-Weaponed" (Kusuma-yudha), and "Dragon-Flagged" (Makara-dhvaja). More
Interview with Rebecca Keegan, author of The Futurist, The Life and Times of James Cameron
Rebecca Keegan spent seven years covering breaking news stories like 9/11, Osama bin Laden, and sex abuse within the Catholic Church for TIME Magazine before she built professional credibility with intimate profiles of entertainment A-listers Francis Ford Coppola, Robert Downey, Will Smith, and Penélope Cruz and covered premiere events like the Oscars, Sundance, and Comic-Con. Today, she is a staff film writer for the LA Times and continues to keep abreast of popular trends.
She originally met James Cameron while visiting the "Avatar" set for an assignment. In the introduction of his comprehensive biography she states, “I knew Cameron to be an innovator, but this was clearly his magnum opus as a future-minded filmmaker. As I watched the director work, I became curious about a man who seemed interested only in doing things that were hard, and in doing them perfectly, and I determined to follow his intriguing film’s progress more closely.” More
Gisele Bündchen -- Bündchen was one of Victoria's Secret Angels from 2000 until 2006. Since 2004, she has been the highest-paid model in the world and the 16th richest woman in the entertainment industrywith an estimated $150 million fortune.Models Claudia Shiffer and Naomi Campbell have argued that Bündchen is the only true remaining "supermodel." And according to Forbes, she may become the first ever billionaire supermodel. And for all that, has she overcome suffering or all that can upset? Is age treating her more harshly as she sees her beauty fade and realizes that she is no closer to liberation?
Gisele Caroline Nonnenmacher Bündchen was born on July 20, 1980 in Tres de Maio, Brazil. Her parents are Vania Nonnenmacher, a bank clerk, and Valdir Bundchen, a university professor. She grew up in Horizontina, Rio Grande do Sul, with her 5 sisters including Patricia, who is Gisele’s identical twin. The part of Southern Brazil where Gisele is from has a large population of Brazilians of German descent.
Allegations against Sogyal Rinpoche highlight the dangers of [Mahayana] Buddhist injunctions against gossip [that in any way criticizes the Sangha, which in Mahayana Buddhism means the entire "community" of practitioners, in front of outsiders] and insistence on loyalty.
Lama sex abuse claims call Buddhist taboos into question
Mary Finnigan (guardian.co.uk) An exiled Tibetan Buddhist nun prostrates around the main temple and the residence of Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama (Ashwini Bhatia/AP).
In November 1994 an American woman known as Janice Doe filed a $10m lawsuit against the Tibetan lama Sogyal Rinpoche, charging him with sexual, mental, and physical abuse. The case was dealt with out of court and Janice Doe signed a non-disclosure agreement in return for a cash settlement.
Sogyal Rinpoche with Joan Halifax and Richard Gere in Switzerland, 1985
Sogyal denies allegations of abuse, but fresh evidence against him was recently aired in an investigative documentary called In the Name of Enlightenment, broadcast on Vision TV in Canada.
A beautiful young woman identified as Mimi described an abusive sexual relationship. She was the first person claiming direct experience of Sogyal's exploitative attentions to go public since the 1994 lawsuit.
Sogyal (surname Lakar -- rinpoche is a title that means "precious one") is the frontman for a Tibetan Buddhist organization called Rigpa, which has a worldwide reach with 130 centers in 41 countries. He has a bestselling book, The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, to his name and he starred alongside Keanu Reeves [Chris Issak, Bridget Fonda] in the movie Little Buddha.
Sogyal is a formidably successful guru -- probably the best known Tibetan after the Dalai Lama. His trajectory into Buddhist superstardom suffered only a temporary setback following the Janice Doe lawsuit -- despite the fact that lurid rumors about his sex life circulate on the Internet with increasing volume and persistence.
The allegations raise a wider question: Why are victims of sexual exploitation by charismatic religious leaders reluctant to denounce their abusers? In the Canadian documentary, Mimi highlights the "Stockholm syndrome"... More
A Tibetan Buddhist master beloved by millions uses his position and authority to take advantage of young women. For over three decades, complaints are dismissed as merely the grumblings of the uninitiated. A guru focused on his own pleasure turns the Path to enlightenment into a road of sexual servitude. Written and directed by Debi Goodwin.
Renunciates have always faced the lure of desires, aversions, and delusions making the ordinary (non-accomplished), uninstructed Sangha ripe for abuses.
How would Buddhism be any better a tradition if it concealed serious rule violations by its monastics? Most stories that come to our attention are not actually alleged to have been acts committed by "monastics" who follow many precepts. They are usually the deeds of "novices," who are probationers in training to keep ten precepts.
For fully ordained monks and nuns, four acts are considered "defeat offenses" entailing immediate expulsion and loss of ordination from the Buddhist Monastic Order.
This is true for all Buddhist schools, even if lesser rules have been altered over the centuries. The historical Buddha set up a celibate monastic tradition with many disciplinary guidelines dealing crucial requisites and minor etiquette. Why?
The Buddha explained that it was ultimately for the good of humans and devas, so that the teachings would remain in the world as long as possible. More specifically, the rules are in place to increase confidence in the Sangha so that people will become receptive to hearing the Dharma and practicing for the benefit of one and all. It is also for the peace and progress of sincere monastics and the training of those able to be trained.
By following the Five Precepts, lay Buddhists do not face the same restrictions as those who follow hundreds of guidelines. Nor do they risk losing their status for lapses. If Buddhists conceal the disqualifying offenses of monastics -- an act as unskillful as making false allegations -- the Dharma is lost. There are only four monastic acts that cannot be remedied:
murder
sexual penetration of any kind
stealing
falsely claiming spiritual attainments
DEFEAT: (Sanskrit, pārājika-dharma), a group of four offenses that are the most serious in the Buddhist monastic code of discipline (Prātimokṣa). The penalty for any of the four is lifelong expulsion from the monastic order (Sangha). The four are (1) sexual intercourse; (2) serious theft; (3) murder; (4) falsely claiming to have attained supernatural powers [or the stages of enlightenment]. A monastic who commits a "defeat" (the traditional etymology of pārājika) offense is compared to "a person whose head is cut off, or a withered leaf dropped from the tree, or a stone slab split in two, or a palm tree cut from the top [which is incapable of regrowing]." Such a person has been defeated and cannot be readmitted to the Order (encyclopedia.com).
First Herman "Koch" Cain, now this. Child music idol Justin Bieber is being accused of having gone "all the way" -- possibly against his will, certainly without his consent. (By law minors are not able to consent to sex).
Was baby Justin, shown here with Ludicrous in possibly the world's most viewed video, statutorily raped by Mariah Laci Yeater (shown below)?
