#path of liberation

[nomadman108]

Lessons for the Learning

This morning I completed the penultimate lesson in a course of classes on the Bhagavad Gita. The classes were held once a week for I think 3 or 4 years and finished a few months ago. As it happens the entire course was recorded giving me and so many others the opportunity to study it online. Anyway, at the start of the lesson today Swamiji ( Swami Tadatmananda, resident teacher at th Arsha Bodha…

[planetdharma]

Awakening Frontiers - Enlighten-Up Course | Planet Dharma

August 28 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm UTC+0

What is the future of modern Buddhism?  How may we participate in creating a viable global path of liberation? Having presented at the Future of American Buddhism Conference in June 2022, Catherine Pawasarat Sensei shares her insights on the past, present, and future of planetary Dharma.

To know about Planetary Dharma and Buddhism visit the planetdharma.com website and join the course.

[hymnofthecherubim]

AAAAHHHHH I LOVE BEING ANGLO-CATHOLIC I LOVE LITURGY I LOVE SACRAMENTS I LOVE THE BOOK OF COMMON PRAYER I LOVE INCENSE AND CANDLES AND PSALMS AND HYMNS AND THE ORGAN AND ROSARIES AND QUEERNESS AND GOD GOOD LORD!!!!!!

[yoga-onion]

Buddha to his disciples, mini-series (20)

Samsara (Reincarnation)

“When something disappears, something is born. In Buddhism, life and death are the same thing.”

“Samsara” is a Pali & Sanskrit word that literally means "wandering through, flowing on", wherein the term connotes "cyclic change" or, less formally, "running around in circles." It is therefore also translated as 'reincarnation'. 

Ancient Indians believed in reincarnation, or rather took it for granted. Therefore, the Buddha also thought it was natural and taught on the premise of reincarnation. And the purpose of the Buddha's teaching is for us to escape from this world of samsara (namely, liberation/enlightenment: Ref).

There are six realms of samsara as conceived by the ancient Indians. They are listed in order of increasing suffering as follows:

World of Hell (naraka), the world of the most suffering. Hell means 'underground prison'.

World of hungry ghosts (preta), a world suffering from hunger pangs. Becomes a demon with a swollen belly. A world where those who have committed the sin of greed are reborn.

World of animals (tiryagyoni), including birds, beasts, fish and insects. There are about 3.4 billion species.

World of warlike demigods (asura), Asura is a demonic species. A world where asuras live and fight all the time, causing constant suffering and anger.

World of human beings (manushya), in which human beings live. It is plagued by the fundamental sufferings, the four and eight afflictions, which are unavoidable in human life.

World of gods or celestial beings (deva), Heavenly beings can fly, and the world is full of pleasures, but here too there is the suffering of old age and death.

ブッダから弟子たちへ、ミニシリーズ (20)

輪廻 〜 “何かが無くなれば、何かが生まれる。仏教では生と死は同じものである。” 

“輪廻”はサンスクリット語で「サンサーラ」という。この語の本来の意味は「さまよう、流れる」を意味し、生あるものが無限の生死を繰り返すことを指す言葉だ。よって、”輪廻転生”とも訳される。

古代のインド人は、誰もが輪廻転生を信じていた、というよりは、それがあたりまえだと思っていたのだ。よって、釈迦もそれが当たり前だと思い、輪廻を前提にして教えを説いている。そして、釈迦の教えは、われわれがこの輪廻転生の世界から脱出すること（すなわち解脱：参照）が目的である。

古代インド人が考えた輪廻の世界は六つだ。以下、苦しみの多い順に並べる:

地獄界〜最も苦しみの多い世界。地獄とは「地下の牢獄」の意。

餓鬼界〜飢えの苦しみに悩む世界。腹が膨れた姿の鬼になる。慳貪の罪を犯した人が再生する世界。

畜生界〜畜生界は鳥・獣・魚・虫など畜生の世界。種類は約34億種。

修羅界〜修羅は阿修羅といい、魔類。阿修羅が住み、終始戦い争うために苦しみと怒りが絶えない世界。

人間界〜人間が住む世界。人間が生きている上で避けては通れない、根源的な苦、四苦八苦に悩まされる。

天上界〜天人は空を飛ぶことができ、快楽の多い世界だが、ここにも老・死の苦しみがある。

[stvlti]

Also on that train of thought

The fics that have Feyd Rautha simp for Paul not because of a competency kink (which is arguably canon to the film - isn't that the reason why y'all say he looks turned on in the film?) but because of a misplaced adherence to the Bene Gesserit prophecy/plans (that Paul was meant to be Feyd's match in marital affairs) is not as inspired as you might think it is. It's not brave to say oh this boy was promised a gf and now he's pussywhipped for the boy he got in her stead. You've just reinvented a trans chaser with extra steps.

Also, the idea that Feyd Rautha would put that much faith in a prophecy feels reductive for a character that is already not a major-major player in the plot. I still need to read the book to get a better gauge on his character, but I've heard that he appears for a grand total of 4 scenes, which is kind of more or less the extent of his appearance in the films too. I would hope expanding on his characterisation meant giving him more agency (or at least a drive towards emancipation and agency) and more ambition amidst all the plans that have been made for him long before he was born. If he's truly as power hungry as Part Two seems to suggest - he has the will to assassinate his uncle Baron Harkonnen until he was appeased by the appointment of stewardship on Arrakis and the prospect of marrying Irulan for the throne - then what makes you think he would settle for doing as the Bene Gesserit expects of him? If he pursues Paul as a partner it would be through his own means and for reasons that defy the BG's chokehold on the imperium.

[yuri-alexseygaybitch]

as if the GDR didn't pay for people's gender reassignment surgeries and generally be a more accepting and comfortable place for LGBT people at the time. As if Cuba isn't currently one of the most progressive countries on earth when it comes to family law. I stg liberals are so deluded when they use "but muh queer rights!!!!" as a gotcha against communism. especially americans

I mean it when I say the geopoliticization of LGBT issues by US global hegemony and capitalism is quite possibly the most dangerous and destructive thing that has happened to us since 1945

[ssreeder]

I saw that other ask about Zuko ending up firelord in LIAB and I'd just like to add on to that my thoughts abt it in the original show- was it just me or did it feel really out of character for Iroh to try and push Zuko into a major leadership role at 16?? Like how did he possibly think that was a good idea, what with all the seriously heavy burdens that it would bring on to Zuko? Not to mention Zuko has had barely any chance to be a regular teenager for a second throughout the show, what with the 3 year banishment and then he's immediately pushed to be firelord.. Also the fact that firelord feels really unfitting for Zuko?? He's shown to not be a good leader. I feel like coming out of a 3 year banishment and awful childhood I don't think he'd want to be surrounded by constant reminders of his abusive father and not to mention be in the same role his *abusive father* was in... Sorry for the impromptu and slightly incomprehensible rant... this is still one of my biggest gripes in the show. Btw your writing is wonderful and im so excited for the next chapter of LIAB! Have a great day :D

Hiiii!! (here is another impromptu & very incomprehensible rant)

I think Zuko would have been a good fire lord if he was given the proper training & support. But I have to say I think it was completely in character for iroh to do that to Zuko…

I enjoy iroh but I think his character is EXTREMELY flawed & his way of helping zuko develop from a young angry hurt 13 year old boy could have been handled a lot better. Yeah yeah he isn’t zukos dad but he signed up to mentor and be there for Zuko so he could have mentored him a little more. (a lot more - I don’t think is was likely Zuko had any growth from 13-16 because he was pretty awful at season 1 and disrespected everyone including iroh and was in so much denial about his situation it was SCARY)

I could go on & on about iroh and his missed opportunities with zuko but I think irohs “Zuko will overcome and he is good inside” way of thinking is what prompted him to plop his teenage nephew on that throne even though he was like 3 days into his redemption (ok yeah it was maybe a month? Idk but not very long). The anger, sadness, self doubt, unhealthy coping mechanisms were all still there - but iroh is very…. ‘He’s got this I believe in him’

Even if it means zukos going to struggle and stumble over himself and work extra hard to try and be a good leader with (let’s face it) almost no healthy leadership experience. (5 minutes into being aangs fire bending trainer he is yelling at him. his idea of how to get aang to take training more seriously is to attack him - yeah let’s give him a fucking country! Yiiipeeeeeeee)

If iroh cared about Zuko he would hang up his tea uniform, take his RIGHTFUL place as fire lord and have Zuko become his crowned prince and start learning how to be fire lord while UNCLEEEEE took the initial burden of becoming fire lord right after the war. But nahhhh let’s invent boba or whatever he was fucking doing in BSS

*deep breath* sorry… I promise I LIKE iroh… I just….. DISAGREE with his methods.

Sorry about my rant anon haha

[mrsblackruby]

we have to start organizing the people internationally look at how many of us there are we only win this if we start crossing imaginary borders to form real comradeship

[e-louise-bates]

Kinda funny how I actually enjoyed cataloging when I was working in a library, but now that I'm taking a class on cataloging my brain has started shutting down at the very mention of the word ...

[nomadman108]

Tell Me: What is God? Dominus Est

Welcome dear reader Have I shared with you my Bhagavad Gita? Well, I know I’ve mentioned a few times that it’s one of, if not the primary resource for study and guidance for me. As you’ve probably guessed, this is a quick photo of the inside of the front cover. And, again as you’ve noticed, I like to stick things in my books, especially this little one. (Actually now I mention it, this is the…

[miniongrin]

Statute of Limitations (Immortals AU)

Wrote 800 words for an AU that’s been rotating in my brain for over a year that I still haven’t written, but I’m posting this anyway because I do what I want.

AU context, sparknotes edition: Ingo couldn’t get sent back directly to the future for timey-wimey reasons and spent 140 years immortal, chilling in the Coronet Highlands. Accidentally befriended/tamed/domesticated the feral cat of a man we know as Volo (also immortal) while he was waiting to catch up to the future and his twin. Now the Nimbasa trio has been reunited for over a year and Volo is the twins’ weird roommate and Elesa’s bitchiest bestie.

~

“Hang on,” Elesa says one night, as they’re sitting around the twins’ living room eating Sinnoh takeout, two and a half hours and two-thirds of the way into an hour-long documentary on Hisui. They keep pausing to give Ingo and Volo the chance to expound on whatever topic the documentary didn’t have the time or information to elaborate on themselves; Ingo’s infodumping is familiar and comforting, while Volo’s is a bit of a surprise but hilariously bitchy. Even when the documentary gets things right. “Volo—you consulted on this? Historically?”

“That makes it sound like I did so fifty years ago,” Volo sniffs. “I was a historical consultant on the topic. Mostly by mail; by the time they were making this, Cynthia was a little too popular for me to go wandering around Sinnoh without a good excuse for looking like her fraternal twin.”

So, yes, but in fifty words instead of one. Cool. “You like… you got paid money for this? Is this your job?”

Volo makes an dismissive sound. “Yes, I got paid for it, but it’s not exactly reliable work, nor does it pay greatly. As a historian, the best money is in research grants, but those are a little hard to get a hold of without extensive history at a university, and my need to shuffle identities every decade or so did clash with the need to accumulate that sort of history.”

“…So, yes but no?”

Volo rolls his eyes at her. “Yes, but no.”

Elesa mulls over that. She doesn’t unpause the documentary just yet, because there’s a niggling question in her brain now—

“Do you have a job?” Emmet asks before she can. “You’re here a lot.”

Volo huffs, deciding to take offense in that catty way of his, so Elesa jumps in before letting him answer: “Dude, you’re clearly loaded, I have never once heard you say a thing about hopping back and forth between here and Sinnoh and plane tickets aren’t cheap. Frankly, neither is this apartment, and I’d be surprised if you’re just letting the twins pay for it all.”

Volo regards her shrewdly for a moment, then hums as his eyes slide away. “Don’t worry about it.”

That is the least satisfying answer on the planet. She and Emmet immediately turn to Ingo for answers.

“I do not worry about it,” Ingo says immediately.

Elesa and Emmet’s eyes meet. Weird, suspicious emphasis with no real answer. Hmmm.

“I am Emmet. Are we harboring a fucking criminal?” Emmet demands.

Volo sputters. “I beg your pardon? That’s your first assumption?”

“That’s not an answer,” Elesa points out, entertained. “He’s only going to get more suspicious the more you avoid giving one.”

“And you, of course, are virtuously on my side,” Volo mutters bitchily. “The disrespect! And here I thought we had something. A camaraderie, if you will—”

“It’s not like you’re a poacher, Ingo would worry about it a whole lot if that were the case,” Elesa interrupts him. “I can’t really imagine you beating someone up—”

“I can,” Emmet says.

“—without going full-on crazy eyes,” Elesa corrects herself. “So this hypothetical crime you may have committed and have definitely not denied committing is probably, y’know. Petty. Which fits, because you are a petty, petty bitch!”

“I,” Volo says with dignity, “am the classiest bitch any of you will ever meet.”

“I am the classiest bitch in this room, but nice try.”

“You’re all cutting-edge fashion and avant-garde, that’s not the same thing as class.”

Elesa gasps loudly in overblown offense. “You take that back!”

“Ladies, you are both pretty,” Emmet intones. “Ingo. Has Volo committed crimes? Yes or no.”

Ingo pinches the bridge of his nose. “He doesn’t have a valid birth certificate and yet has had a functional passport for decades despite being stuck at twenty-seven. Of course he’s committed crimes, we knew that already.”

“I am Emmet. I meant for money.”

Ingo shrugs and reaches for a new can of soda. “Well, that’s none of my business.”

“Ingo.”

“Look,” Volo sighs, “can any of you truthfully tell me that you’ve never talked to a particularly out-of-touch gentleman whose lone battling Pokémon is holding a useless nugget of gold worth more than everything you have on your person and thought, you know, I bet I have an island somewhere that I could sell this moron?”

There’s a beat of silence. Emmet snorts. Ingo puts a hand over his face that doesn’t hide the amused curl to the corner of his mouth.

Elesa cackles. “Oh dragons, you scam rich people for a living? I need to hear about this right now immediately. Story time! Funniest scam you’ve done, let’s go.”

“Accusing me of being a scam artist now?” Volo snips facetiously, but he’s smirking. “I will confess to nothing. …At least, not until I have the chance to check the statute of limitations for a few things.”

[feminurge]

one aspect i love about ishtar's character, regardless of universes, is that she is always doomed by the narrative. the consequences of that fact are drastically different depending on exterior parameters, such as her age, her experiences and the company she keeps. but she is always doomed, and she might be trying to bite off the leash it does not matter. the story catches up to her. reminds her who's in charge.

as for istar (bg3 verse), it makes me go feral to think that. her curse is not as much her birth as it is her amnesia. in every verse where she has gone from chaotic evil to a chaotic neutral, it was because she had time to reflect. time to learn. time to grieve. in bg3, that time is not only taken from her, but everything else is: what she loved, her body, her memories, her knowledge. she is barely a ghost of who she was and all she does throughout the adventure is haunt herself. the bloodlust... she barely fights it, because ultimately it is only with someone's life in her hands that she feels real.

even worse, perhaps, than not having the time to grieve is that. her whole adventure is about finding new ways to grieve. at first all she lost is a possible life. what you don't know can't hurt. except she discovers the hunger for carnage and finds no explanation for it: her own mind becomes a foreign and dangerous space. then she discovers parts of what happened to her. is reminded that her body was cut open, sewed back up. what was supposed to be hers is tainted by a stranger's hands. then comes orin. orin who stole her place and her power. orin who stole her memories. orin who has more of istar than istar has of herself. every act is marked by istar realizing how much she has lost, and how much she will never get back.

while she frames it as a story of revenge— against orin, against bhaal, against all gods and men who let atrocity upon atrocity happen to her— in the end, it's mostly a story of grief.

[yoga-onion]

The Quest for Buddhism (79)

Seven sets of thirty-seven qualities - The Thirty-Seven Dharma Practices conducive to Enlightenment

Within these seven sets of bodhi-related qualities, there is listed a total of thirty-seven repetitious and interrelated qualities ( sattatimsa, literally “37 bodhipakkhiya dhamma”) which conducive to Enlightenment.

It is divided into seven sections [see below]:

4 establishments/presences of mindfulness:

Mindfulness of the body

Mindfulness of feelings

Mindfulness of mental states

Mindfulness of mental qualities

4 right exertions/efforts/strivings:

Effort for the preventing of unskillful states to arise

Effort for the abandoning of the already arisen unskillful states

Effort for the arising of skillful states

Effort for the sustaining and increasing of arisen skillful states

4 bases of spiritual power:

Intention or will (chanda, chanda)

Effort (viriya, vīrya)

Consciousness (citta, citta)

Skill of Analysis (vimamsa, minamsa)

5 Strengths:

Conviction

Effort (viriya, vīrya)

Mindfulness (sati, smrti)

Concentration/Unification (samādhi, samādhi)

Wisdom (paññā, prajñā)

7 Factors of bodhi:

Mindfulness (sati, smrti)

Investigation (dhamma vicaya, dharmapravicaya)

Effort (viriya, vīrya)

Joy (pīti, prīti)

Tranquillity (passaddhi, praśrabdhi)

Concentration/Unification (samādhi, samādhi)

Equanimity (upekkhā, upeksa)

Noble 8fold Path

Right Understanding

Right Intention

Right Speech

Right Action

Right Livelihood

Right Effort/Energy

Right Mindfulness

Right Concentration/Unification

仏教の探求 (79)

七科三十七道品 (しちかさんじゅうしちどうほん)〜悟りを開くための37の修行法

三十七道品 (さんじゅうしちどうほん) または三十七菩提分法 (さんじゅうしちぼだいぶんぽう、巴: ｻｯﾀｰﾃｨﾑｻ(37の意)ﾎﾞｰﾃﾞｨﾊﾟｯｷｬｰ･ﾀﾞﾝﾏ)とは、パーリ語経典長部の大般涅槃経 (だいはつねはんぎょう、巴: ﾏﾊｰﾊﾟﾘﾆｯﾊﾞ-ﾅ･ｽｯﾀ(ﾝﾀ))、漢訳の中阿含経(ちゅうあごんきょう、梵: ﾏｰディﾔｰﾏ･ｱｶﾞﾏ、巴: ﾏｯｼﾞﾏ･ﾆｶｰﾔ)などに説かれた、仏教において悟りに至るための三十七の修行法のこと。

四念住・四正断・四神足・五根・五力・七覚支・八正道の七科に分かれる [以下参照]:

四念住 (四念処)・四種の観想

身念住（体をあるがままに観察する）

受念住（受をあるがままに観察する）

心念住（心をあるがままに観察する）

法念住（法をあるがままに観察する）

四正断(四正勤)・四つの努力

已生悪断（すでに生じた悪は除くように）

未生悪令不生（いまだ生じてない悪は生じないように）

未生善令生（いまだ生じていない善は生ずるように）

已生善令増長（すでに生じた善は増すように）

四神足 (四如意足)・四つの自在力

欲（すぐれた瞑想を得ようと願う）

精進（すぐれた瞑想を得ようと努力する）

念（すぐれた瞑想を得ようと心を集中する）

思惟（すぐれた瞑想を得ようと智慧をもって思惟観察する）

五根・五つの能力

信根

精進根

念根

定根

慧根

五力・五つの行動力

信力

精進力

念力

定力

慧力

七覚支・七つの悟りを構成するもの

念（身・受・心・法の状態を観察、気をつけていること）- マインドフルネス

択法（法を調べること）

精進（努力）

喜（修行を実践することで生まれる喜び）

軽安（心身の軽やかさ）

定（心を集中して乱さない）

捨（対象への執着がない状態）

八正道・八つの正しい行い

正見（正しい見解）

正思惟（正しい考え）

正語（正しい言葉）

正業（正しい行為）

正命（正しい生業）

正精進（正しい努力）

正念（正しい念慮、気づき）

正定（正しい集中

[another-atom]

not having a spike is crazy because yes im above average in absolutely everything. no i will never be a real expert at something

[himejoshikaeya]

hey guys i converted to christianity again

[eyeoftheheart]

“Cultivate inner and outer harmony, otherwise you will fall into discord and confusion.”

― Khwaja ʿAlaʾ al-Din Attar, Masters of Wisdom of Central Asia: Teachings from the Sufi Path of Liberation