#the ananda accords

[zekethefreak]

Avatar: The Last Airbender Trailer Reaction

I give a quick review of the latest trailer for the upcoming Netflix series, Avatar: The Last Airbender.

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#avatar the last airbender #netflix #reaction #review #the ananda accords #Youtube

[4dkellysworld]

Slow down your mind

Most of us have been going around saying, "I am absolute awareness, I am emptiness, I am nothing, I am this and I am that." But when we get down to the nitty gritty, the first problem that confronts us, we become angry. So we're really not that at all and they're just dry words. But when you slow down the mind first, then a statement of truth will come to you automatically. And then you can make your confession, like I do every week. "I am not the body." "I am not the doer." "I am not the mind." "I am not any condition." "I am unconditioned pure awareness." "I am absolute reality." "I am ultimate oneness." "I am that I am." "I am Sat-chit-ananda." And it's not you making this confession. You're not doing it, it is your Self, that's making the confession. You do nothing, you've gotten yourself out of the way. The point I'm trying to make is, don't allow your ego to make you think that you're something you're not. Your ego mind is very powerful. It'll fool you all of the time. Be careful, always watch it. So remember, you do not have to make statements of truth at all. Why? They will come by themselves. All you have to do is to concern yourselves with slowing down the mind. And how do you do this, either through self-inquiry, observation, mindfulness, witnessing or self-surrender. Whatever way suits you. What happens when the mind slows down? Truth takes its place. When you learn to slow down your mind, the reality will rush in of its own accord because your true nature is reality. Your true nature is emptiness. Your true nature is pure awareness, pure intelligence. That's what you really are. You don't have to try to find it, you've got it. Simply let go of the other. To the extent your mind becomes quieter, to that extent does your reality become seen or felt and it's intuitive.

from Robert Adams satsang

#excerpts #robert adams #practical

[tamblr]

Intro to Tantric Shaivism

Shiva as a god is someone who has been deeply influential in my personal spiritual journey. From watching both Lord Ram and Ravana pray to him to seeing the relationship between Shiva and Shakthi, I was always intuitively fascinated by him and that led naturally to intellectual curiosity. In the previous write up I had summarised the meaning of Tantra, this is a small introduction to Shaivism. 

Shaivism is the worship of Lord Shiva as the supreme being. It is an ancient Hindu sect that is an amalgamation of pre Vedic and Vedic traditions. As such, some scholars have dated the sect to the Indus Valley civilisation at 2500-2000 BCE. 

Shaivism has many schools of thought, two of the most popular ones being: Saiva siddhanta and Kashmiri Shaivism from which we will draw most of the metaphysics, philosophy and cosmology from but first…

Who or what is Shiva? 

The answer to this question itself could be a series all on its own but here’s two etymologies from two of the most ancient languages: Tamil and Sanskrit.

I was reading this incredible novel called Kottravai where the author describes the etymology of the word, Sivam, this is my very rough translation of the tamil text, “from the word meaning, life (Siivam), the people named their lord sivam”. From sivam comes siivan, more predominantly pronounced as jiivan meaning soul or living being. 

Indeed, one of the most ancient names of the lord is pasu-pati, lord (pati) of animals (pasu). In Saiva Siddhanta, pasu is has a further meaning of soul so the lord of souls. 

According to Monier-Williams, the Sanskrit word "Shiva" means "auspicious, propitious, gracious, benign, kind, benevolent, friendly". The root words of shiva in folk etymology are śī which means "in whom all things lie, pervasiveness" and va which means "embodiment of grace”.

While the Tamil etymology talks about who he is, the Sanskrit one gives a description of his characteristics. 

But what is he? 

He is sat-cit-ananda (being-consciousness-bliss). Or more succinctly, the universal consciousness. Kashmiri Shaivism talks about the universal consciousness as having two characteristics: prakasa (light) and vimarsa (reflective awareness) and talks about the universal consciousness as being the efficient cause whose effect is the vibration of consciousness (spanda). Here it should be noted that cause and effect are reciprocal processes where cause leads to effect and effect back to cause.

While we talk about Shiva as masculine, it is important to note that Shiva and Shakthi are a dual principle, like two sides of the same coin where Shakthi is the instrumental cause whose effect is pure energy (kundalini Shakthi). Symbolised in Ardhanadishwara.

Similarly, while Shaivism and vaishnavism are at odds with each other in many aspects, the old name for Visnu in the Tamil was Mayon, the personification of Maya (material reality, illusion) and Shaivite traditions agree that Maya is another aspect of Shakthi. The duality of Shiva and Vishnu is symbolised in Hari-Hara.

Proof of existence 

Saiva siddhanta, a school popular in South India is a philosophical school that is based on theistic realism and therefore offers a rational argument for why the universal consciousness should exist. The proof first begins with 3 laws:

All existing things have arisen and must at some time be destroyed. 

Law I, to the thesis that the world in its entirety must have been created at one point of time, and, again at one point of time, will in its entirety be destroyed; the world has a beginning and an end. 

Everything that gets destroyed must arise again; something that exists cannot become a nothing. 

Law 2, that the world's history will not end with its destruction, but that after a certain time it will be created anew out of itself; a new world-creation will follow a world- destruction. 

Whatever arises must have existed before; a nothing can't turn into an existent something

Law 3, that an eternal living something must form the basis of this world, out of which it was created, and into which it will at some time be resolved, and from which it will at another time again be created.

But why Shiva?

Why is Shiva the personification of the universal consciousness? The answer given is quite simple. 

There is a popular Tamil saying: ‘Anbe Sivam’ which means ‘love is Shiva’ or ‘shiva is love’. To quote from Saiva siddhanta: “You must worship what engages your love, you disciples of advaita.” Advaita means non-duality of subject and object and talks about the relationship between the individual soul and the divine. So from their perspective, anything that fuels your love is your personification of the divine and for Shaivites due to the history, culture and religion, Shiva is who engages their love and hence their devotion.

This is where the idea of Tantra comes into play. ‘The exploration of the inner cosmos is Tantra that helps one discover the inner architecture of one’s self and its relationship with the outer world.’ Tantric Shaivism is essentially the exploration and recognition of the soul and its relationship to Shiva, the personification of the universal consciousness.

Why use a personification?

the soul has three faculties: knowledge, will, action 

it needs something to lean on, which it then imitates and assimilates

its faculties need to be set in motion by some impulse from outside.

When you love something, you desire to understand it, be with it and you immerse your thoughts in it. In other words, you develop devotion. This is what you lean on. The qualities of the personification of the universal consciousness as being auspicious, benevolent, full of grace enable the soul to be able to imitate it and assimilate with it. This love is fuelled by culture, mythology and other personal experiences unique to each individual so theology helps set in motion the faculties of the soul. 

Knowledge - Knowledge can roughly be of two types: intellectual knowledge and instinctual knowledge. Instinctual knowledge is brought about by faith and the faith is strengthened through intellectual knowledge gathered from reading scripture, philosophy etc. Sometimes instinct can give rise to intellectual curiosity and other times intellectual exploration can give rise to a deity that is instinctually recognised by the soul. 

Will - the will is simply the ability of a person to concentrate completely on the divine and is fuelled by devotion and resilience of one’s faith and this initiates action.

Action - action is the performance of inner (meditation, chanting mantras) and outer (puja, yoga) rituals acting as a symbolic union from which the actual union with the divine occurs

One of my main resources was the book Saiva Siddhanta: An Indian School of mystical thought in addition to other resources which I would be happy to link if anyone is curious.

#hinduism #hindu gods #religion #theology #tantra #spirituality #hindublr #lord shiva

[yoga-onion]

Legends and myths about trees

Trees in Buddhism (3)

Sal tree (Shorea robusta) – the Nirvana

In Buddhism, there is an important day called 'Sanbutsuki (3 anniversaries of the Buddha)', which commemorates three major milestones in the Buddha's life.

These are Buddhist rituals of the Nativity on 8 April, when Buddha was born, the Jodo-e (becoming a Buddha) on 8 December, when he attained enlightenment, and the Nirvana on 15 February, when he passed away.

The Buddha's death is believed to have occurred on 15 February of the lunisolar calendar in China and Japan, and in many places it is now held on 15 March.

According to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha was lying between a pair of sal trees when he died:

Then the Blessed One with a large community of monks went to the far shore of the Hiraññavati River and headed for Upavattana, the Mallans' sal-grove near Kusinara. On arrival, he said to Ananda (Ref1), the chosen disciple, "Ananda, please prepare a bed for me between the twin sal-trees, with its head to the north. I am tired, and will lie down. (DN16; Nirvana Sutra)"

When the Buddha died in Kusinara, there were 4 or 8 sal trees on the 4 corners of his bed. They were said to have bloomed at the same time, then quickly withered and turned white, just like a flock of cranes.

In Buddhism, the brief flowering of the sal tree is used as a symbol of impermanence and the rapid passing of glory. The sal tree is also said to have been the tree under which Kondana and Vessabhu, respectively the fifth and twenty fourth Buddhas preceding Gautama Buddha, attained enlightenment.

The sal tree (shorea robusta, sāla, shala, sakhua, or sarai), is a species of tree in the family Dipterocarpaceae. The tree is native to India, Bangladesh, Nepal, Tibet and across the Himalayan regions.

The sal tree is mythologically classified as a 'tree of life', symbolising resurrection, rebirth and rejuvenation, but in Buddhism it is one of the three most sacred trees, symbolising parinirvana, as the Buddha died under two sal trees in a row.

The three most sacred Buddhist trees are:

Ashoka tree: the tree where the Buddha was born (Ref).

Bodhi tree: the tree where the Buddha attained enlightenment

Sal tree: the tree where the Buddha died.

木にまつわる伝説・神話

仏教の樹木 (2)

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) 〜涅槃会 (ねはんえ)

仏教には、ゴータマ・ブッダの生涯における3つの大きな節目を記念する「三仏忌 (さんぶつき)」という大切な日がある。

それが、ブッダが生まれた4月8日の降誕会 (こうたんえ)、悟りを開いた12月8日の成道会(じょうどうえ)、そして入滅した2月15日の｢涅槃会(ねはんえ)｣。

ブッダの入滅は中国や日本では旧暦2月15日とされ、現在は3月15日に行なわれているところが少なくない。

また、仏教の伝統によると、ブッダは入滅したとき、一対の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) の間に横たわっていた。

その後、大勢の僧侶たちの中から選ばれたアーナンダ（参照1）はヒラニャーヴァティ川の向こう岸に行き、クシナラ近くのマッラ族の沙羅樹の林、ウパヴァッタナへ向かった。到着すると、ブッダはアーナンダに言った。「アーナンダ、2対の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) の間に、頭を北に向けた寝床を用意してください。私は疲れているので、横になります。(DN16; 大般涅槃経)」

ブッダがクシナガラで死去したとき、臥床の四辺に4双8本の沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)があった。時じくの花を咲かせ、たちまちに枯れ、白色に変じ、さながら鶴の群れのごとくであったという。

仏教では、沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)の木の短い花は、無常と栄光の急速な通過の象徴として使用されることもある。また、沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ) は、ゴータマ・ブッダに先立つ5番目の仏陀であるコーナニャーと24番目の仏陀であるヴェッサブーが悟りを開いた木であると言われている。

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)はフタバガキ科の樹木の一種で、インド、バングラデシュ、ネパール、チベット、ヒマラヤ地方に自生している。

沙羅双樹 (ｻﾗｿｳｼﾞｭ)は神話学的には復活・再生・若返りの象徴である「生命の木」に分類されるが、仏教では二本並んだ沙羅の木の下で釈尊が入滅したことから般涅槃の象徴とされ、仏教三大聖樹のひとつである:

無憂樹: 釈迦が生まれた所にあった樹木（参照）

印度菩提樹：釈迦が悟りを開いた所にあった樹木

娑羅双樹：釈迦が亡くなった所にあった樹木

#trees #tree legend #tree myth #trees in buddhism #sal tree #buddha #nirvana #ananda #buddhist rituals #philosophy #nature #art #sacred trees

[talonabraxas]

Brahman In Hinduism, Brahman refers to the supreme cosmic power, ontological ground of being, and the source, goal and purpose of all spiritual knowledge. Non-Hindus often translate Brahman as "God," but this is inaccurate. According to Hinduism, Brahman is said to be ineffable and higher than any description of God in personal form. Many philosophers agree that Brahman is ultimately indescribable in the context of unenlightened human experience. Nevertheless, Brahman is typically described as absolute truth, consciousness, and bliss (Sat Cit Ananda) as well as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

[wisdom-and-such]

“Let one mold himself in accordance with the precepts he teaches…”.

Section 12: verse 3

Dhammapada (oldest surviving sayings attributed directly to the Shakyamuni Buddha).

(This version translated from the Pali Cannon by Ananda Maitreya).

#buddhism #spirituality #philosophy #poetry #writing #books #quotes #art #literature #art history #eastern historical studies #Buddhist philosophical studies #comparative religion #great authors #analysis of religion on contemporary culture #beautiful quotes #inspiring quotes #meditation

[jamesdsass]

If I use the term “metaphysics” it is absolutely not in the sloppy equivocating sense of the term as thrown around by the so-called “New Age” movement or other arbitrary haphazard philosophical mishmash contemporary spiritual movements. I use the term in a strictly traditional sense that would be understood by adherents of Plato, Plotinus, Aristotle, John of Damascus, Thomas Aquinas, Shankara, Ibn Arabi, and as used by a handful of recent and contemporary thinkers such as Rene Guenon, Julius Evola, Ananda Coomaraswamy, Huston Smith, and Seyyed Hossein Nasr. The substance of what follows is taken from an email to someone explaining my position about 5 years ago.

In contrast to the relativism of the modern world, the foundations of Traditional metaphysics rests on the twin premises of absolute reality and our ability to comprehend it. The Traditional metaphysics of the "Perennialist School" is essentially identical to the doctrines of Advaita Vedanta, finding nearly identical parallels in Platonism, especially late Platonism embodied in the writings of Plotinus, Proclus, and others, and later manifestations often by way of absorption of late Platonic currents into the traditions of Islamic Sufism and to some extent Christianity (especially as preserved in doctrines in Eastern Orthodoxy), also essentially identical to the metaphysics of early Taoism.

The term "Metaphysics" is used here in the sense of "beyond the physical" in reference to the absolute in accordance with authentic traditional doctrines, rather than in the purely ratio-centric sense of post-medieval philosophy, and certainly not in the degenerate sense of post-19th century "Theosophy" and its various 20th century progeny, worst examples being the embarrassment of evolutionary "New Age" movements that proliferated from the counterculture movements of the 1960s. Although in some respects latter philosophers such as Martin Heidegger would brush close to Traditional Metaphysics, they would remain handicapped by purely secular academic parameters.

Being supra-human and supra-rational, the subject matter of metaphysics is largely only comprehensible and expressible by way of symbolic allusion and allegory. This, accompanied by its radically and strictly vertical orientation assures that pure metaphysics is not a realm open to everyone, rather those with higher intellective-noetic faculties or who have devoted the effort to cultivating them. This also places metaphysical doctrines above and beyond the realm of petty dialectic "debate."

Traditional metaphysics posits contrasting realms of unmanifest/manifest; uncreated/created; metacosmic/cosmic; divine/human. These realms are all potentially within human apprehension, and can be conceived in five levels of reality. The Divine encompasses the realm (1) Beyond Being, conceived as the Divine Essence and Supra-Personal God; and the realm of (2) Being, conceived as the Personal God, Creator, Judge, and abstract but attributable Divine Qualities. The realm of Manifest Existence is reflected in the human sphere as (3) Spirit or "Intellect" in the high traditional sense of the term, encompassing and comprehending the spiritual or angelic realms, hierarchically situated superior to the Soul (4) which correlates to the anemic or psychic realms, which is in turn similarly situated superior to the Physical Body (5), the corporeal or somatic realm. The realm of abstract Being (2) correlates to the Uncreated Logos. The realm of Spirit or Intellect (3) correlates to the Created Logos.

The categories of Absolute and Relative reality are bridged by the Metacosmic Beyond-Being (1) residing on the plane of the Absolute above, and within the realm of the Relative, we find encompassed the Metacosmic Being (2) respectively, with Spirit/Intellect (3), the subtle anemic/psychic realms of the Soul (4), and finally the gross physical realm of the Corporeal Body (5).

In traditional Vedic terms, Atma is the Divine Unmanifest Beyond-Being (1); while Maya encompasses the entire spectrum from Uncreated Metacosmic Being (2), Spirit/Intellect (3), the Soul (4), and the somatic Body and physical/sensual realm (5). In Abrahamic religious terms, the Earthly realm is that of the Body (5) and Soul (4); the Heavenly realm is that from the Spirit/Intellect (3) ascending to the Divine Unmanifest Beyond-Being (1). Only the physical Body (5) is subject to the vicissitudes of mortality, while the immortal realm encompasses the spectrum from the individual anemic Soul (4) to the Divine Beyond-Being (1).

Knowledge through higher intellection alone provides the superior vantage point and means of escape from the realm of change and becoming and from its inherent limitations. Without a principle from which it derives and which cannot be subject to it and is necessarily unchanging, change itself is meaningless and contradictory (and even impossible). The Unchanging is therefore the true object of principal or metaphysical knowledge. When knowledge attains to its object (the Unchanging) it becomes itself possessed of immutability. True knowledge (noesis or intellection) consists essentially of identification with its object. Knowledge arrived at through rational or discursive reason is imperfect because it is necessarily indirect "reflected" knowledge, therefore of a lower type.

Divorced from higher immutable principles, action becomes little more than ceaseless, unproductive, trivial agitation for incessant change at ever increasing speed, and dissipation into multiplicity and quantity. This is the most conspicuous trait of modern times - the degeneration into multiplicity, no longer unified by consciousness of higher principles, unmoored into ceaseless analysis driven to extremes, qualified by the in-aptitude for synthesis and the incapacity for any kind of concentration. In this respect matter is essentially multiplicity and division. For this reason, everything that derives from matter only begets strife and conflict between individuals and peoples.

Modern man has grown accustomed to this confusion, without self-awareness, seeing in it an exteriorized image of their own hyperactive fragmented mentality. In this state of mind there is no place for the changeless and permanent, they envision the whole of reality in 'becoming', thus repudiating true knowledge by implication, as well as the object of knowledge, namely transcendent and universal principles.

Relativism is both meaningless and an impossibility without grounding in the absolute, as change is meaningless and impossible without the unchanging, and multiplicity is without unity. The relativist position is an absurd self-contradiction, just as reducing everything to change culminates in the negation of change itself. These ideas have been playing out in the "Great Conversation" of the West at least since the times of Heraclitus - an "ancient" debate in our "modern" terms but encompassed very much within the spectrum of our own age by Traditional doctrines of cycles. The aberration of our times is that these absurd and patently self-contradictory ideas have attained dominance in the West.

The naturalistic denial of anything but "becoming" in our own times is an inherent denial of the existence of anything beyond the sensible and empirical, it is the negation of the metaphysical realm of immutable principles.

This is the consequence of the defacto amputation of "intellection" in modern times. Contemporary philosophers only acknowledge "intuition" of a completely infra-rational type. Medieval Philosophers, still operating for the most part within a Traditional worldview acknowledged the primacy of the Intellect in our sense of the term, even though this type of intellectual intuition of the Traditional order began to fall out of play as the doctrines degenerated and became purely "philosophical" in character.

The post-medieval rationalism, typified by Western philosophy following Descartes, is little more than the denial of this supra-human, supra-rational, and supra-individual faculty of intellection of the Traditional type. This renders "modern" or "Westernized" man incapable of understanding Traditional cultures, whether historical or contemporary, as long as he persists in ignorance or repudiation of intellectual intuition. People of traditional cultures suffer from the same handicaps to the degree that they have become "Westernized" in the sense of embracing the modern western rationalistic, scientistic, materialist worldview that denies any transcendent order.

This higher intuition, or intellection is immutable, infallible, and the only foundation and starting point for any development in conformity with Traditional norms. In Traditional culture, everything extends from this higher faculty of supra-human intuition and refers back to it.

James D. Sass

[santoschristos]

Brahman In Hinduism, Brahman refers to the supreme cosmic power, ontological ground of being, and the source, goal and purpose of all spiritual knowledge. Non-Hindus often translate Brahman as “God,” but this is inaccurate. According to Hinduism, Brahman is said to be ineffable and higher than any description of God in personal form. Many philosophers agree that Brahman is ultimately indescribable in the context of unenlightened human experience. Nevertheless, Brahman is typically described as absolute truth, consciousness, and bliss (Sat Cit Ananda) as well as eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent.

[shivaom99]

🖤🌺🖤🖤🌺🖤🖤🌺🖤 INCREDIBLE SHAMBHU RUDRA 🔱🔱🔱 from @rimo_galllary 🌹🌹🌹 • || Ekadash Rudra Series|| 1) Shambhu Rudra ब्रह्मविष्णुमहेशानदेवदानवराक्षसाः । यस्मात् प्रजज्ञिरे देवास्तं शम्भू प्रणमाम्यहम् ।। Name :- Shambhu Consort :- Kamakshi Temple :- Ekambareshwar According to Shaivagam, Lord Shambhu is first Rudra. Once when he was roaming in Ananda Van, he thought to divide himself more . So he separated his left side and formed as Lord Vishnu. Then his right side took the form of Lord Brahma. 🚫 DON'T REPOST WITHOUT TAGGING ME . 🚫 Tags :- #mahakal #bholenath #harharmahadev #bhole #shivshakti #bholebaba #mahakaal #kedarnath #omnamahshivaya #lordshiva #shivshankar #ujjain #mahakaleshwar #mahadeva #aghori #jaimahakal #shambhu #krishna #hanuman #shivbhakt #ekambareswarartemple #ayantikbasu #kamakshi https://www.instagram.com/p/CnVCm1qJYfG/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

#mahakal #bholenath #harharmahadev #bhole #shivshakti #bholebaba #mahakaal #kedarnath #omnamahshivaya #lordshiva #shivshankar #ujjain #mahakaleshwar #mahadeva #aghori #jaimahakal #shambhu #krishna #hanuman #shivbhakt #ekambareswarartemple #ayantikbasu #kamakshi

[mahayanapilgrim]

Who are the Four Harmonious friends?

The tale of the four harmonious animals or harmonious brothers/ friends is one of the widely preached Jataka tales, a significant part of Buddhist Mythology. The tale can be seen in many Bhutanese and Tibetan art. Especially on visiting monasteries and stupas. Practitioners often have a carving of the four harmonious friend's patterns as a decorative pattern on their utensils.

It is believed that Buddha Shakyamuni told the tale of four harmonious friends showcasing the importance of respecting the elders. The Vinayavastu, a Tibetan Buddhist scripture included in the first section of the Kangyur, is most likely the story's primary source.

The Delightful Tale of Honoring the Age

In the forest, four special animals were all close friends: a partridge, a hare, a monkey, and an elephant. They lived beneath a large banyan tree. Out of curiosity, they wanted to figure out who was the old among them. So, to figure out who was the most senior, they started talking about the age of the oldest banyan tree where they lived.

The elephant remarked, "When I first saw this tree, it was as big as my body." "When I arrived, the tree was as big as my body," the monkey remarked. The hare remarked, "I licked the dew from this tree's leaves when it was still just a sprout when I first saw it." The partridge claimed, "I carried a seed here, fertilized it, and planted this tree."

Thus, their approximate ages were determined using this tree. The youngest animals sat below the older ones out of respect for the elders, with the oldest at the top.

A Different Perspective of the Same Story:

There is also a different version of the story. Initially, the bird carried the seed and planted the tree. Due to its inability to fly, the bird could only scratch for food when the tree was just a plant in the ground. But as it grew, he needed the rabbit's assistance to get to the food. The bird perched on the rabbit's back so it could reach the growing tree while the rabbit consumed the food on the ground. The monkey climbed the tree to drop fruit for the other animals to eat on the ground, but he couldn't get to the upper branches, so the two animals needed his assistance as the tree grew. Ultimately, they required the aid of the elephant, who could procure food for the smaller animals by climbing to the tree's uppermost branches. Even though the bird is the eldest, the narrative shows that he is not ashamed to seek assistance.

The bird, as being the eldest, taught young ones about the values and morals of life. He educated others about not doing wrongdoings such as taking lives, use of deceptive words, consumption of intoxicants, and sexual misconduct.

The Buddha stated that Shariputra was a monkey, his teacher Maudgalyayana was an elephant, and the Buddha himself had previously existed as a bird. This fable included the hare, also known as Ananda, the Buddha's oldest student. As a result of being the second person to recognize the tree while it was a leafless sapling, Ananda was given the position of seniority. Therefore, seniority would be determined by age. According to the Vinaya teaching, 'Dülwa rlung,' and the discourse 'Do de nä kyang rlung,' the pheasant represented the competent destroyer who had transcended Shakyamuni Buddha

#buddha #buddhist #buddhism #dharma #sangha #mahayana #zen #milarepa #tibetan buddhism #thich nhat hanh #dhammapada #karma #mindfulness #dakini #four noble truths #pure land #equanimity #avalokitesvara #manjushri #enlightenedconsciousness #enlightenment spiritualawakening reincarnation tibetan siddhi yoga naga buddha #right view #heart sutra #shantideva #meditation #medicine buddha #bodhisattva #atisha #amitaba buddha #impermanence

[zekethefreak]

Digging Through the Crates: Secret Origin #10: Phantom Stranger

I give a quick review of one of my fave comic issues, Secret Origin #10: Phantom Stranger!

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#alan moore #comics #dc comics #ezekiel springer #jim aparo #mike barr #phantom stranger #review #secret origins #the ananda accords #youtube #zeke the freak

[shinymoonbird]

🕉️ 🔱  Om Namo Bhagavathe Sri ArunachalaRamanaya   🔱 🕉️ 

15. The Pervasiveness of Sleep (Sushupti Vyapaka Tiran)

957. Do not be disheartened and lose your mental vigour thinking that [the state of experiencing] sleep in dream has not yet been obtained. If the strength of [experiencing] sleep in the present waking state is obtained, then [the state of experiencing] sleep in dream will also be obtained.

Sadhu Om: The words ‘sleep in the present waking state’ [anavum nanavil sushupti] denote the state of wakeful sleep [jagrat-sushupti] or turiya, the state of experiencing no differences during waking. In order to attain this state, aspirants have to make efforts in the waking state. However, some aspirants used to ask Sri Bhagavan, “Do we also have to make such efforts in dream, so that we may attain the state of experiencing no differences even during dream?” This doubt is answered by Sri Bhagavan in this verse.

The feeling ‘I am this body’ [dehatma-buddhi] rises in the subtle body during dream only because of the habit of identifying the gross body as ‘I’ during waking. Hence, if one practices Self-enquiry in the waking state and thereby eradicates the dehatma-buddhi [the habit of thus identifying a body as ‘I’] in this state, that itself will be sufficient to eradicate the dehatma-buddhi in dream also. Therefore Sri Bhagavan advises in the next verse that, until the dehatma-buddhi is completely eradicated even in dream, one should not give up Self-enquiry in the waking state. Refer here to the fourth paragraph of the first chapter of Vichara Sangraham where Sri Bhagavan says, 

“All the three bodies [gross, subtle and causal] consisting of the five sheaths (*) are included in the feeling ‘I am the body’. If that one [i.e. the identification with the gross body] is removed, all [i.e. the identification with the other two bodies] will automatically be removed. Since [the identification with] the other bodies [the subtle and causal] survive only by depending upon this [the identification with the gross body], there is no need to remove them one by one.” 

The words ‘kanavil sushupti’ [sleep in dream]), which are used in the first and last lines of this verse, may also be taken to mean ‘sleep without dream’, in which case the following alternative meaning can be given: 

“Do not be disheartened and lose your mental vigour thinking that sleep without dream has not yet been obtained. If the strength of [experiencing] sleep in the present waking state is obtained, then sleep without dream will also be obtained.”

958. Until the state of sleep in waking [i.e. the state of wakeful sleep or jagrat-sushupti] is attained, Self-enquiry should not be given up. Moreover until sleep in dream is also attained, it is essential to persist in that enquiry [i.e. to continue trying to cling to the mere feeling ‘I’].

Michael James: The ideas in the above two verses were summarized by Sri Bhagavan in the following verse.

B 19. The state of sleep in waking [or jagrat-sushupti] will result by constant scrutinizing enquiry into oneself. Until sleep pervades and shines in waking and in dream, do that enquiry continuously.

~  Guru Vachaka Kovai  (The Garland of Guru's Sayings) - Part Three - The Experience Of The Truth

__________

(*) A kosha, usually rendered “sheath”, is a covering of the Atman, or Self according to Vedantic philosophy. There are five koshas, and they are often visualised as the layers of an onion.

From gross to fine they are:

Annamaya kosha, “body” sheath - Anna means food, which is what sustains this level

Pranamaya kosha, "energy” sheath (Prana)

Manomaya kosha, “mind” sheath (Manas)

Vijñānamaya kosha, “discernment” sheath (Vijnana)

Anandamaya kosha, “bliss” sheath (Ananda)

ॐ

Arunachala at Sunrise Art Print

by Susan Rankin - fineartamerica

#Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi #Muruganar #Guru Vachaka Kovai #gvk v.957 #gvk v.958 #gvk v. B 19 #sleep dream waking states #turiya #fourth state #natural state #wakeful sleep #turiyatita #transcendental state #dehatma-buddhi #'I-am-the-body'-idea #self-enquiry #self-investigation #who am i? #Vichara Sangraham #five sheaths or panchakosas

[sabamair]

Longmen Grottoes

Longmen Grottoes (World Cultural Heritage, China AAAAA-level tourist attraction)

The Longmen Grottoes are the treasure house of stone carving art with the largest number of statues and the largest scale in the world. It has been rated as "the highest peak of Chinese stone carving art" by UNESCO and ranks first among the major grottoes in China. Unit, AAAAA-level tourist attraction. (14 main attractions)

The grottoes in the Longmen area were first excavated in the Northern Wei Dynasty, flourished in the Tang Dynasty, and finally in the late Qing Dynasty. After more than 10 dynasties, including Northern Wei, Eastern Wei, Western Wei, Northern Qi, Sui, Tang, Five Dynasties, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties, it has been built for more than 1,400 years. It is the longest grotto in the world. Among all the caves in Longmen, about 30% of the caves in the Northern Wei Dynasty, 60% in the Tang Dynasty, and only about 10% in other dynasties.

After research, it was found that the Longmen Grottoes were built by Tianzhu (now India), Silla (now South Korea), Tocharo (Siberia), Kanguo (Central Asia) and other countries, and now they have found Western musical instruments, European patterns, ancient Greek stone pillars, etc. The extraterritorial elements are the product of the fusion of diverse civilizations such as Greece, Persia, India and China, and can be called the most internationalized grotto in the world.

Geographical environment

The Longmen Grottoes are located in the southern suburb of Luoyang, the ancient capital. The two mountains face each other, the Yishui River flows, the Foguang Mountains are beautiful, and the scenery is beautiful.

Longmen, also known as Yique, is where the east and west mountains face each other, and the Yihe River flows through it. From afar, it looks like a natural gate, so it was called "Yique" in ancient times.

Longmen Landscape

Longmen Yique

Statue of the Locanabuddha

Locanabuddha

Buddha statues: a total of nine bodies. The main Buddha in the middle is the Great Buddha of Lusena, carved by Wu Zetian according to his own appearance and manners. On the right is the eldest disciple Kasyapa, on the left is the younger disciple Ananda, and then is Samantabhadra Bodhisattva (left) and Manjusri Bodhisattva (right). The heroic and vigorous king, the aggressive warrior and the master Flushena together constitute a group of artistic group images with rich modal texture.

Lord Buddha: Locanabuddha is the Sambhogakaya Buddha, which means the light shines all over the place. The height is 17.14 meters, the head is 4 meters high, and the ears are 1.9 meters long. It is famous for its mysterious smile and is praised as "Oriental Mona Lisa" and "the most beautiful statue in the world" by foreign tourists. The Buddha statue has a plump and round face, wavy hair lines on the top of the head, eyebrows curved like a crescent moon, with a pair of beautiful eyes gazing down slightly, showing a peaceful smile, like a wise and kind middle-aged woman, which is respectable and not afraid.

Samantabhadra Bodhisattva, the free translation of Sanskrit Samantabhadra, has also been translated as Banji Bodhisattva, and transliterated as Sanmando Bhadra. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva is one of the four bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism. It symbolizes virtue and conduct, and corresponds to Manjushri, who symbolizes wisdom and virtue. He is also the left and right attendant of Sakyamuni Buddha. In addition, Vairocana Tathagata, Manjushri Bodhisattva, and Samantabhadra Bodhisattva are honored as the "Three Saints of Huayan".

On the left is the "Tang Dynasty After the Journey" drawn by Zhang Xuan in the Tang Dynasty. Wu Zetian carved the Lushena Buddha in the Longmen Grottoes according to his own appearance.

Binyang South Cave

Lotus Cave

Value influence: The lotus dome of the Great Hall of the People is designed based on this lotus.

The smallest Buddha statue in the Longmen Grottoes is only 2 centimeters high. These small thousand Buddhas are located above the south wall of the Lianhua Cave, which are vivid, detailed and lifelike.

Xiangshan Temple

Digital restoration

#tourist #famous #cultural #beautiful #natural #scenery

[yoga-onion]

The Quest for Buddhism (91)

Early Buddhism and the disciples

Ten Principal Disciples No. 10: Ananda - The First Buddhist Council [So far]

According to the texts, the First Buddhist Council was held in Rajgir. In the first vassa after the Buddha had died, the presiding monk Mahakasyapa (Ref) called upon Ananda to recite the discourses he had heard, as a representative on this council.

Among his disciples, Ananda was the only one to witness Buddha's death in person. Anticipating his own death, Buddha took only Ananda on his last year-long journey from Rajgir to the small town of Kushinagara before he died there.

There was a rule issued that only enlightened disciples (arahants) were allowed to attend the council, to prevent mental afflictions from clouding the disciples' memories. Ananda had, however, not attained enlightenment yet, the Mahakasyapa could not allow him to attend, leaving aside the 499 disciples who had already attained Arhatship.

On the night before the event, he tried hard to attain enlightenment. After a while, Ananda took a break and decided to lie down for a rest. He then attained enlightenment right there, right then, halfway between standing and lying down. The next morning, to prove his enlightenment, Ananda performed a supernatural accomplishment by diving into the earth and appearing on his seat at the council (or, according to some sources, by flying through the air). 

Regardless, today, the story of Ananda's struggle on the evening before the council is still told among Buddhists as a piece of advice in the practice of meditation: neither to give up, nor to interpret the practice too rigidly.

Ananda played a crucial role in this council, and texts claim he remembered 84,000 teaching topics, among which 82,000 taught by the Buddha and another 2,000 taught by disciples.

Many early Buddhist discourses started with the words "Thus have I heard" (Skt: Evam maya srutam), which according to most Buddhist traditions, were Ananda's words, indicating that he, as the person reporting the text (Skt: samgitikara, lit: rapporteur), had first-hand experience and did not add anything to it.

十大弟子その十: 阿難 (あなん、梵/巴:ｱｰﾅﾝﾀﾞ･阿難陀) 〜第1回仏典結集（これまで）

釈迦が亡くなってから最初のヴァッサで、議長役の摩訶迦葉 (まかかしょう、梵: ﾏﾊｰｶｰｼｬﾊﾟ)が、この会議の代表として、聞いた説話を朗読するようにとアーナンダを呼び寄せたのである。

ブッダの死に直接立ち会ったのは、弟子の中でアーナンダただ一人であった。自身の入滅を予期していたブッダは、ラージギールからクシナガラという小さな町まで、最後の1年間の旅にアーナンダだけを連れて行き、そこで亡くなった。

この会議には悟りを開いた弟子 (阿羅漢) しか出席できない規則があり、これは精神的な迷いが弟子の記憶を曇らせることを防ぐためである。しかし、アーナンダはまだ悟りを開いていなかったので、マハーカーシャパは、既に阿羅漢を得ている499人の弟子たちをさしおいてアーナンダを出席させることができなかった。

その前夜、彼は悟りを開くために懸命に努力した。しばらくして、アーナンダは一息ついて、横になって休むことにした。すると、立っているときと横になっているときのちょうど中間地点で、その場で悟りを開いたのである。翌朝、アーナンダは悟りを開いたことを証明するために、地中に潜って評議会の席に現れるという超能力を発揮した（あるいは、空中を飛んだという説もある）。

いずれにせよ、アーナンダの前夜の奮闘ぶりは、今日でも仏教徒の間で、「瞑想をあきらめないこと」「瞑想を堅苦しく解釈しないこと」という瞑想修行のアドバイスとして語られている。

アーナンダはこの会議で重要な役割を果たし、仏陀が説いた8万2千の教えと弟子が説いた2千の教えのうち、8万4千の教えを記憶していたと文献に記されている。

初期の仏教説話の多くは「こうして私は聞いた (如是我聞:にょぜがもん)」という言葉で始まっており、多くの仏教伝道によれば、これはアーナンダの言葉であり、報告者として彼が直接経験し何も付け加えなかったことを示す。

#ananda #10 principal disciples #death of buddha #parinirvana #buddhism #the First Buddhist Council #mahakasyapa #evam maya srutam #arhatship #rapporteur #history #philosophy #nature #art

[talonabraxas]

Eyes of Kali ॐ Talon Abraxas

Under the third eye of Kali, the signs of both sun, moon, and fire are visible which represent the driving forces of nature. Kali is not always thought of as a Dark Goddess. Despite Kali's origins in battle, She evolved to a full-fledged symbol of Mother Nature in Her creative, nurturing and devouring aspects.

Durga Ma & Shakti's Third Eye

DURGA is the three eyed Ambika or Parvathi who takes the form of Ma Kali. Mother Durga is a Shakti manifestation representing the infinite power of the universe and symbol of feminine dynamism and potency of Siva.

The manifestation of Durga is said to emerge from Her formless essence and she is inseparable from the Source. She is worshiped for her gracious as well as terrifying aspects. Durga’s story appears primarily in the Skanda Purana which is part of the Markandeya Purana. Durga is said to have projected Kali out of her third eye.

When Goddess Durga is depicted having three eyes, she is referred to as Triyambake. These are similar to that of Lord Siva and symbolise knowledge that consumes ignorance. Symbolically Her left eye represent desire – the moon; the right action – the sun and the third eye represents knowledge or Fire.

Devi Mahatmyam, Sri Durga Saptasati – Chandi. Opening Sloka: 7:

Sarva Mangala Mangalye, Shive Sarvartha Sadhike, Sharanye Tryambake Gauri Narayani Namostute, Narayani Namostute, Narayani Namostute:

Meaning:

Oh Gauri Maa! Consort of Lord Shiva, You who bestows auspiciousness in all, And fulfill everyone's wishes, I prostrate myself before Thee, I salute you or take me under your care.

In Puranic literature, Goddess Parvathi is worshipped as Shakti. She is described as having many forms, including Durga, Chandi, Kali and Uma. While Siva symbolizes the efficient cause of the creation, Shakti symbolizes the material cause. Jai Maa Durga

SHAKTI’S THIRD EYE

​Coconuts are a favourite offering to Hindu Gods and Goddesses as it has three ‘eyes’ and symbolises the breaking of ego. Exposing the purity of white copra is just that. The third eye refers to one’s inner vision.

It is the gate of the inner realms of higher consciousness. Thus it metaphorically symbolises non-dualistic thinking. In Shiva Tattva it is the eye of higher perception. It is not physically present but everyone ‘has’ a third eye. Jnani’s and enlightened persons realise its presence.

According to the Puranas, the third eye symbolises wisdom and knowledge. Siva’s burning of Kama Deva by his third eye is symbolic of destroying desire and lust.

As ‘Tryambaka’ Lord Siva is the ‘the three eyes’ God. While this has vedic origins and mentioned in the Upanishads, the Mahabaratha states ‘ambaka’ denotes ‘the eye’ of Ambika meaning mother’s eye.

Goddesses Parvathi, Saraswathi and Lakshmi, the consorts of Brahma, Vishnu and Siva are also collectively called Ambika. In the Baratha story, there is the saguna character of Ambika being the daughter of the King of Kashi. Her swamvara is interrupted by Bhisma who takes Ambika and her sisters Amba and Ambaliks. Om Shakti

Yogi Ananda Saraswathi

[travelwithtouristhubindia]

SHILLONG CHERRAPUNJI MEGHALAYA PACKAGE TOUR FROM GUWAHATI

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Top attractions of this Shillong Cherrapunji dawki tour packages:

Umiam Lake, Shillong Peak, Elephant Falls, Dwaki River, Mawsynram, Mawlynnong Village, Living Root Bridge, Don Bosco Museum, Lady Hydari Park, Kyllang Rock, Khasi Heritage Village, Shillong Golf Course, Police Bazar, Cherrapunji etc.

Day wise Shillong Cherrapunji Meghalaya Tour Plan:

Day 1: Arrival Guwahati & Proceed To Shillong

Day 2: Shillong Sightseeing Tour

Day 3: Day Excursion to Mawlynnong Village and Dawki River

Day 4: Shillong to Cherrapunji

Day 5: Cherrapunji - Jowai

Day 6: Cherrapunji - Double Decker Root Bridge

Day 7: Cherrapunji to Guwahati

Shillong Meghalaya Package Tour Inclusions:

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