Negligence and Misdeeds for Sagacity

This October 10th, 2022 Insight Timer live event addressed verse 50 of the Dhammapada as wisdom for potential clearing, activation and advancement:

Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission or omission, but his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of

VERSE 50 OF THE DHAMMAPADA

Thanks to Ellen for the great comments prompting some spontaneous teachings of sorts. I initially recommend a related podcast called “Ghosted, Ignored, Canceled?”:

Ghosted, Ignored, Canceled? More Grist To Nourish All

Some of the (other) topics touched on include:

  • he said / she said
  • getting upset
  • mistreatment
  • clinging
  • (perceived) expectations
  • what others think
  • dismissal
  • self-responsibility
  • connection
  • society
  • challenge
  • righteousness
  • control
  • change
  • imposing
  • advice
  • frustration
  • care
  • allowing others to live their lives
  • emotion charge
  • absorbing into other
  • pulling back
  • self-monitoring
  • energy
  • entanglement
  • expansion
  • healing
  • memory
  • behavior
  • self-pity
  • self-hatred
  • what’s needed now
  • comfort zone
  • existence and nonexistence
  • love
  • wisdom
  • neglect and abuse
  • desperation
  • giving one’s heart away
  • innocence
  • belonging
  • worry as fantasy
  • letting go of friends and making new friends
  • feeling alone
  • escape
  • interconnection
  • being in relationship to everything
  • pain
  • (experimentally) intending to be rejected
  • indifference
  • putting oneself in another’s shoes
  • empathy
  • victimization
  • aspiring to sagehood even if not practical
  • seeing fruits of skillfulness
  • review and hindsight of meditation practice
  • negligence in meditation
  • amplification
  • vulnerability
  • opening the heart
Audio: Negligence and Misdeeds for Sagacity

Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)

Continue reading “Negligence and Misdeeds for Sagacity”

Wisdom Snippets: The Four Brahmaviharas For Each Of The Four Noble Truths

I’ve seen and heard various other Buddhist teachings matching up with the Four Noble Truths [and if I remember any to significant degree and/or come across them again perhaps I’ll add them here] but it occurred to me the Four Sublime Abidings might also pair up with the Four Noble Truths:

  • Truth of Dukkha/Suffering/Stress/Unsatisfactoriness = Compassion
    • The wise response to suffering is compassion
  • Truth of the Cause of Dukkha (“thirst”, craving, and clinging) = Equanimity
    • Equanimity, the crème de la crème of the Brahmaviharas, and one of the highest, most complete, whole and total of the conditioned states of development is what’s called for overall when seeing, going into, knowing and eradicating craving, clinging and even the unwholesome roots of greed, ill-will and delusion/ignorance
  • Truth of Cessation of Dukkha = Vicarious/Empathic Joy, Rejoicing
    • Suffering’s final end, and even that this possibility is very real — with study, training and practice — evokes joy and rejoicing in oneself and to and from others
  • Truth of the Eightfold Nobel Path Leading to the Cessation of Dukkha = Metta (Loving-kindness)
    • Lots of loving-kindness — towards self, those we encounter and all beings — helps us better gain the capacity to abide well on a conditioned path progressing towards the unconditioned

Dharma Questions: Miscellany — Part 7

This irregular “Dharma Questions” series deals with “dharma” meaning both the truth of the nature of reality and some Buddhist teachings. Please see this post on the intensions for questioning and not questioning. Amongst other things these questions can be, but not necessarily:

  • thought experiments
  • borderline musings not meant to be answered
  • from laziness of not contemplating or researching them yet
Buddhist Cosmology Series
  1. Questions from Buddhist Cosmology Series:
    • Could Asuras under the ocean, yet not water beings, be due to being below the water table, or could they be in the astral realm (as astral is often related to “water” and/or SEE/SEAing?
    • Could the Northern Continent be Venus?
      • Could polarity — or again, maybe referencing the astral aka distortion planes — help explain the stark contrast of the two versions of the Northern Continent: one being a paradise, the other about yakas taking humans from the southern continent with wrong view and making them slaves?
  2. What does the “Nāga Sutta: The Bull Elephant” — about the Buddha and a Bull Elephant finding peace in a spacious forest — have to do with nagas?
  3. If there are three characteristics of existence, what are the characteristics of non-existence, if any?
  4. What is light and how is it known?
  5. Could and ought various psionic/psychic research (teams) employing different methods and abilities be double-blind tasked to investigate some of the mysteries in the Sutras/suttas? Why or why not?
  6. From whatever place on the wheel of dependent origination can the direction of movement only go one way? Can it go the other way, or be forked? Why or why not?
    • From one place on the wheel can its neighbors be seen and known? How many of its neighbors?
      • For example, from craving can feeling and contact be seen and explored in one direction and at the same time attachment and becoming be seen and explored in the other direction?
  7. If remembering correctly the Buddha said something along the lines of using regular language without being fooled by it; what else, if anything, did the Buddha say about language itself, especially in the context of meditation practice?
  8. In as much detail as possible, where (all) did the lineage of Buddhist nuns continue and where did it die out?
  9. While there seems some shame in (popular) Christianity around original sin, in Buddhism is there (some unskillful) denial of a type of underlying shame in regards to ignorance (being one of the unwholesome roots to the cause of dukkha)? And if so, how ought this shame of ignorance be skillfully addressed without approving of ignorance?
  10. What is the Śāriputra back story for this: ‘Now I consider that we must guard temple property even more closely than our eyes [It is said that Śāriputra] formerly gave his eyes to a Brahman and was greatly retarded [in his progress on the path].’ –from (p.15ish in one version) of Instructions for the Tenzo –Dogen)
  11. Does samphappalāpa support papañca and/or vice versa? If so, how?
    • samphappalāpa: [sampha+palāpa] frivolous talk. It is one of the four verbal akusala·kamma·pathas. Samphappalāpa is defined by the Buddha at AN 10.176. Its unpleasant consequences are described at AN 8.40.
    • papañca: mental proliferation, intellectualism, (excessive) mental fabrication, obsessive mental construction. This obstacle often takes the form of excessive mental activity and reflection over matters which do not deserve particular attention.
  12. Could the importance placed on mindfulness of the four main postures — sitting, standing, walking, lying down — be in response to many humans being dumbed down in consciousness and more or less trapped in a physical body?
    • If so, does this kind of play along with, and comply with, how such a seemingly simpleton activity mindfulness of the four postures is? All the while not fighting such a downsized limitation but using mindfulness of the four postures to master awareness while not upsetting the apple cart of those in power who benefit from dumbing down the masses?
  13. What are the origin(s) of Chi/Qi/Life Force energy and when was this first written down? As far as I know, why is there very little mention of how Chi operates and functions in Early Buddhist Texts/Teachings?
  14. Wouldn’t/Couldn’t the Dzogchen practice of prostrations encourage exhaustion leading to sleep and then the later instructions of “just relax” lead to an inclination of lethargy?
  15. With, or without polarity (dynamics) is there any kind of relationship between (various states of) pain and (the highest bliss of) Nibbāna?
    • Further to consider: (how) would this question be answered differently if only merely tasting Nibbāna compared to all the various stages on through to full attainment of Nibbāna?
  16. What are the roots, the causes and conditions of the dukkha of non-becoming (and the same for the dukkha of being and becoming)?
    • (Do these differ from the three (poisons/)roots of greed, ill-will and delusion/ignorance? Why or why not?)
  17. Did beings responsible for (Earth’s) human origins [as put forth in the Aggaññasutta https://suttacentral.net/dn27/en/sujato] realize that a human birth is necessary for Buddhahood? What was/is the karma involved for either realizing this or not?
  18. How do/does Āyatana(s) — “sense base”, “sense-media” or “sense sphere;” (defined internally as “organs”, “gates”, “doors”, “powers” or “roots” — defined externally as “sense objects” or “domains”) — relate to modern “scientific” notions of dimensions as well as the notions of densities and dimensions in some other spiritual teachings?
  19. How does the perceptual process work?
    • How do some seem to have diminished and expanded perceptions?
    • How all can perception be engaged and discarded?
    • What is wise perception?
  20. What are some of what psychologists would consider “triggers” within — and more specifically applying to — Buddhist communities? If any, how ought such tiggers be viewed and addressed?
  21. How might it be skillful and wise to consider extrapolating and applying the four right efforts to not only the present moment but also notions of future and past?
    • Can one, and ought one if one could, remove and prevent probable unskillful states in the future that would likely be in the way of maintaining and generating skillful states?
    • What about generating and maintaining certain skillful states to more expediently remove and prevent (foreseen and/or likely) unskillful future states?
    • How can the four right efforts be applied, perhaps via imagination, to the past as a whole and/or for particular past times and situations/occurrences?
  22. Could there actually be an immediate rebirth with(in) the (so called) (Tibetan) bardo period with such a rebirth being like a sort of temporary being with a short lifespan (and/or a super critical stage of consciousness) before the next more substantial rebirth?
    • By “critical stage of consciousness” I mean: what happens to consciousness after shedding the body?
  23. What are some other potential translations for Satipaṭṭhāna? How about [with “awareness” also swappable for “mindfulness”]:
    • “The Four Foundational Grounds for Establishing Mindfulness”
    • “The Four Establishments For Attending With Mindfulness”
    • “Establishing the Four Foundations for Attending with Mindfulness”
    • “The Four Foundational Ways(/Means/Methods/Modes) for Attending with Mindfulness”
    • “Establishing the Foundational Ways(/Means/Methods/Modes) for Attending with Mindfulness”
    • Establishing the Four Frames of Reference for Attending With Mindfulness
    • “The Four Essentials To Mindfully Attend To(/From)”
    • “The Four Essentials Of Mindfulness”
  24. For the 7th consciousness in Mahayana Buddhism “defiled mental consciousness” or kliṣṭamanovijñāna does not polarity exist for this consciousness as in various gradations of amounts, levels and proficiency in/with/to/of discernment and selfing? Examples: very little defiled mental consciousness and quite a lot. Very little sense of a (defiled) self and quite a lot.
    • If so, and with widespread adoption — especially if mixed into governments — could this potentially become something like an IQ test where those deemed professionals with high levels of mastery over “defiled mental consciousness” become placed in charge of controlling those deemed needing help with “defiled mental consciousness” thus potentially resulting in a dividing, compartmentalizing, and hierarchical control structure that essentially works against emancipation of dukkha / stress / suffering?
      • How would such professionals with mastery be determined? By whom?
      • How does/would this fit in with non-dualism?
  25. Is The Heart of Prajna Paramita Sutra the same or similar to 7/8th jhana? If not, how?
The Heart 1 of Prajna 3 Paramita 4 Sutra 2

Bodhisattva 5 Avalokiteshvara 6,

while deeply immersed 7 in prajna paramita,

clearly perceived the empty nature 8 of the five skandhas 9,

and transcended all suffering.

Shariputra 10! Form is not different from emptiness,

emptiness is not different from form.

Form is emptiness, emptiness is form.

So it is with feeling, conception, volition, and consciousness.

Shariputra! All dharmas 11 are empty in character;

neither arising nor ceasing 12,

neither impure nor pure,

neither increasing nor decreasing.

Therefore, in emptiness, there is no form;

there is no feeling, conception, volition, or consciousness 13;

no eye, ear, nose, tongue, body, or mind;

no form, sound, smell, taste, touch, or dharmas 14;

no realm of vision, and so forth,

up to no realm of mind-consciousness 15;

no ignorance or ending of ignorance, and so forth,

up to no aging and death or ending of aging and death 16.

There is no suffering, no cause, no extinction, no path 17.

There is no wisdom and no attainment 18.

There is nothing to be attained.

By way of prajna paramita 19,

the bodhisattva’s mind is free from hindrances.

With no hindrances, there is no fear 20;

freed from all distortion and delusion,

ultimate nirvana is reached.

By way of prajna paramita,

Buddhas 21 of the past, present, and future

attain anuttara-samyak-sambodhi 22.

Therefore, prajna paramita

is the great powerful mantra,

the great enlightening 23 mantra 24,

the supreme and peerless mantra.

It can remove all suffering.

This is the truth beyond all doubt.

And the prajna paramita mantra is spoken thus:

Gate gate paragate parasamgate bodhi svaha 25. 

via https://web.archive.org/web/20151009135304/http://middleland.org/teachings/the-heart-of-prajna-paramita-sutra/

(Buddhist) Mudras

Wikipedia calls Mudras — or hand positions — symbolic or ritual gestures. For serious meditators I would suggest going beyond this and investigate the energetic properties and effects of such hand positioning, especially noticeable in meditation.

We already know it’s instinctual to place a hand to the injured area when one gets physically hurt. Why? Hands can heal.

Hands, and particularly opposable thumbs, distinguish humans from many other life forms.

What else is noticed about mudras and/or the locations of the hands? How does intent associated with mudras affect experience?

The images below link to the mudra page they come from, the wonderful originalbuddhas.com site where I’ve bought a Buddha rupa (statue) before. Even if not ordering it’s at least worth pursuing for physical representations of Buddhist history, and (might I claim) experiencing energetically beneficial art

And from the Wikipedia mudra article:

Low res bonus image; source unknown
From the book Buddhist Images (March 1970) . Paperback – January 1, 1970 by Taikichi Irie (Author), Shigeru Aoyama (Author)

There’s also stuff like this which I’ll spare readers and viewer my opinions about for now:

Wisdom Snippets: (Do It Yourself Buddhadharma) Encouragements And Empowerments

For a moment put aside the notion party poopers Buddhists focus way too much on suffering, perhaps even more noticeably affectatious as soon as they get up from sitting around on meditation cushions. For now even shelf the more recent “socially engaged Buddhism” and turn toward some notions the historical Buddha put forth as empowerment and encouragements:

Podcast | Studying And Practicing With “The Iddhipāda-Vibhaṅga Sutta — An Analysis Of The Bases Of Power” (SN 51:20): Introduction; The Sutta’s Key Encapsulation Paragraph & A Translation Reading (1 of 7)
Buddha as Badass

The Pernicious English Language

I’ve been collecting and scribing English language peculiarities and observations for well over a year. After recently seeing the video below on twitter I feel it’s now time to publish and we’ll see how much material I tack on here later

https://twitter.com/thrice_greatest/status/1574727650802864130

The Bigger Questions:

Where does language even come from anyway? How are our word choices formulated, and sentences put together — most of the time effortlessly — especially when speaking?

Sevan Bomar of secretenergy.com addresses some of the bigger language picture in his freely released a book Code to the Matrix where he, amongst many other reveals, addresses the English language in an unconventional yet enlightening way which is well worth perusing.

Of even higher import is when just the right wisdom language is conveyed. I know for me I can feel and think I may know something well, or well enough until coming across some adamantine, sometimes poignant and exquisitely phrased wisdom then the game is changed opening up (new) vistas of insight, hindsight, connections, and realizations.

Not the perversities of others, not their sins of commission or omission, but his own misdeeds and negligences should a sage take notice of

Dhammapada verse 50

https://online.flowpaper.com/76e5074f/TheCodetotheMatrixBomar

Silly word play or revelatory decodings?

Depending on one’s deeper background into language; innerstanding how language is used; what comes out of specific ways of usage; etc there may be varying degrees interest and dismissal as I riff on words — whimsically and perhaps revelatory — in the following hodgepodge of ways:

  • English’s prominent emphasis on using “I”, “me”, “mine” and division with “me”, “you”, “us”, “them”
  • Many words ending in “er” sound like something being done to her — heal-er [heal her], bak-er [bake her], faker [fake her], maker [make her], letter [let her], etc
  • In pool/billiards “english” means a certain spin placed on the balls
  • Today — two day(s); to (as in towards) the day (when in fact it is already day)
  • Days — daze
  • Posture and posturing — physical posture can’t be faked while posturing is pretending
  • Weekly — weakly
  • Weekend — weak end or weakened?
  • Prayer — prey or
  • Axes — Plural of an ax and of axis
  • Amaze — in a maze
  • Absolutes and exaggerations built into common expressions — as in saying “always” and “absolutely”
  • Common phrases that may not indicate other usages of the words like “I bet he will” to express likelihood when one may not engage in gambling
  • Halve/half/have — division, possession/owning
  • Recovery — to cover/hide again (re-cover)
  • Course, coarse
  • Rely – to lie again (re-lie)
  • In balance; imbalance
  • Dozy: feeling drowsy and lazy — Doozy: something outstanding or unique of its kind
  • A little while (sort time) vs quite awhile (no so short)
  • Content — being OK as well as meaning consuming content as in reading, listening, watching
  • Constraint, restraint
  • Cannon — weapon of death and also a collection of works or teachings that can help and liberate and heal
  • Pirate —- pie rat
  • Print — pie rent
  • Bible — by bulls, bi-bulls: Saturn and Jupiter — starting at 34:12: https://youtu.be/6gK-GgOj5Ao?t=2052
Continue reading “The Pernicious English Language”

Dharma Questions: Abhidhamma (With Beth Upton)

[10/3/22 UPDATE: This post was originally published on 8/4/2022. Since then I decided to ask Beth Upton back to address some of these questions and had to change the blog post publishing date in order for WordPress to push this out as a new podcast. I told Beth beforehand I’d do an extra audio intro afterwards due to limited time, but I’ve changed my mind, and we didn’t even get to all the questions. For more of her background please see her website BethUpton.com and our previous talks and checkout her latest project sanditthika.org a fledgling community in rural Spain for dedicated meditators]

The following questions arose while listening to what appears to be seven published videos from a 2006 (or 2016?) lecture series on Abhidhamma from Pa Auk Sayadaw [see end of post for all these videos]:

  • describe visual details of various kalapas
  • how can there be essence (as in nutritive essence, or is this maybe an inaccurate translation?)
  • What’s on the inside of Pa auk Sayadaw’s right arm?
  • Did Buddha teach (specific) kasina meditations?
    • Why no extended teachings on kasina meditation in the suttas?
      • [More specifically I meant why no mention (that I know of) in the suttas of using colored discs for kasina mediation as put forth in the Visuddhimagga]
    • Beth references suttas on emptiness that mention kasina
  • What is the supportive nature of air element or how is the air element considered supportive?
  • Is it possible to discern pre- and post-kalapa phenomena as in being able to discern the causes and conditions leading up to the arising of a single kalapa and/or how the perishing of a single kalapa could influence, condition and/or be a cause to/of subsequent phenomena?
  • Could reality be significantly shifted/altered by/with different perceptual modes such as by variations in how of kalaps are perceived by meditators?
    • [While I did not mention this to Beth I wanted to emphasize: Let’s say Meditator B receives misleading Abhidhamma instruction with specific intent — deliberate or not — that differs significantly from Meditator A who receives right and proper Abhidhamma instruction taught with its true intent. Due to such high levels teachings and high levels of skill required to see and know Abhidhamma — and without discouraging (aspiring) practitioners — what could be some of the unforeseen negative consequences for Meditator B?]
  • What determines a kalapa’s location? How does this work?
  • How does Adhimokkha, decision work?

We did not get to the follow questions:

  • How does impingement happen, such as color impinging on eye base/sensitivity?
  • (If I’m getting this right) why is water not (considered) a tangible object (in these abhidhamma teachings)?
  • Is (the perception of) nonexistence conditioned? Why or why not and how?
  • How does fire element produce generations (of kalapas)? And why?
  • Is it (initially) easier for some to discern kalapas in fine/subtle material realms / deva realms / Brahmā realms? Why or why not?
  • Is there any significance(s) in (the) kalapas constituting DNA and/or various subatomic particles in establishment science?
  • What’s materiality/mentality like on boundary of form and the formless and what is the relationship of this, if any, to Nibbana?

Other Abhidhamma questions:

  • How much can kalapa (creation or) arising, assemblage, and perishing (or destruction) be (volitionally) influenced (and how much kamma is, or would be involved in such influencing)?
  • How do kalapas assemble, organize, construct, or appear to constitute form(s) on the level of consensus reality and beyond?

May 18, 2023 Update:

After watching Beth’s video Practicing to See the Kalapas here are some questions while watching, pausing and rewatching:

  • Does mastering the light kasina (beforehand) have any effect on (discerning) these processes? If so how?
  • What do the individual fragments of light look like?
  • Why does the light fragment?
  • Is intention involved in fragmenting the light?
  • Is there another way to discern the kalapas without light fragmenting? Why or why not?
  • Are there different types and classes of light? If so, what are they and how do they come to be?
  • What are the causes and conditions for light (in various locations and settings) to fragment as well as for the rate of light fragmentation?
  • How are kalapas linked to light?
  • Roughly how many kalapas constitute a grain of sand?
  • related questions:
    • Would it be possible to double-blind test multiple meditators to investigate the same single kalapa and/or group of kalapas (in location/time) reporting on all the elements / qualities / properties / characteristics in order to see if they come up with the same or similar accounts to describe each (or group of) kalapa(s)?
    • How close is modern physics and science to seeing, knowing and describing ultimate materiality as it really is?
    • Does ultimate materiality in subtle realms differ from ultimate materiality in the gross matter realms (like earth) and elsewhere?

And a few questions arising on a somewhat related video:

If I’m remembering right prior instructions where that involvement with jhana didn’t allow for jhana discernment. If that’s the case then how can jhana processes be discerned because either there’s jhana absorption or not right? And then there couldn’t be jhana outside of absorption in jhana to observe and discern right?

How do the mental processes of each jhana differ from jhana to jhana?Using intent and resolve and/or other means, how possible is it to play with bhavaṅga, e.g. rapidly switching between bhavaṅga and (most any of the other) mental factors and/or states? Or (choosing) staying in bhavaṅga (for long periods of time)?

Image sources:

https://rukkhamula.wordpress.com/add-ons/abhidhamma-add-ons/a-pictorial-representation-of-rupa-kalapas-for-visual-learners/

https://buddhism.stackexchange.com/questions/31157/does-vi%C3%B1%C3%B1%C4%81%E1%B9%87a-generate-n%C4%81mar%C5%ABpa-in-the-sense-that-would-make-uploading-concsciou

https://www.advancedvipassana.com/fol-vol-3/on-rupa-materiality

Parts 2 – 7 of the aforementioned series:

Audio: Dharma Questions: Abhidhamma (With Beth Upton)

Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)

Continue reading “Dharma Questions: Abhidhamma (With Beth Upton)”

(Discerning) Deception

The short description for this August 29th, 2022 Insight Timer live event, also listenable unedited in full at https://join.wisdom.audio/HhKz:

Not so much specifics on how to directly discern deception but looking at the importance of doing so then going deeper and broader than the surface manifestations of deception along with a blast of categories and techniques to illustrate ubiquity while providing reference points for further study

My notes:

  • Zero consent for using this information for harmful and/or deceitful purpose(s). Stop listening now if even a shred of thought that you may at some point use this info for deception
  • Intent to lead to true knowledge and liberation
  • Spurring this talk: Why do people say one thing, mean another, and act in a different way entirely?
  • also voted most gullible in high school
  • foolishness [transmuting and leveraging and committing to (associating with) the wise]
  • important why?
  • can lead to and cultivate wisdom

having the power of discerning and judging properly as to what is true or right; possessing discernment, judgment, or discretion.

definition of “wisdom”
  • identify these tactics in more everyday life to build discernment skills for higher level challenges on your path, religion, spiritual endeavors, etc. eg. mentioned sexual scandals in spiritual communities; maybe overblown; hierarchy sleeping amongst each other telling others to remain celibate then selecting certain others
  • study of archetypes to go deeper and broader than surface manifestation
    • knowing how specific archetypes are custom targeted for maximum effects and results
    • maybe this is kind of a let down but not really qualified to go into archetypes nor the time here anyway. I suggest also putting aside time to pay attention to the insights arising when studying and practicing with discerning deception and how such insights can apply to real life
  • purposes of deception: revenge and protection and pleasure for psychopaths . . . but guess I’m not entirely beyond deriving some pleasure from calling out deception yet.
  • my last borderline deception story dealing with sales
  • Also to go deeper and broader than the surface manifestations of deception look into these three things: psychopathy, revenge and protection

BTW, a definition of mine of psychopathy:

Intro and build up to list:

  • Nondisclosure Agreements (NDAs) for income
  • get really bizarre when going beyond these mostly public techniques to look up mostly available on wikipedia I’d imagine
  • worked in marketing, know some of these directly, via observation, study and of course from mostly popular media like spy movies
  • some of these are direct deception techniques but some can act as supportive and some are defensive
  • and some are deployed differently in different mediums and given certain conditions
  • just as some folks are inclined to honesty with lying being foreign there’s the polarity
  • line from the metta sutta: “let none deceive another nor despise anyone in any state”
    • uncovering deception, at least for me can lead to despising and despising can lead to, or cause a deceptive response. And wanting to be despised so they can deceive and/or be validated in doing so. Destructive Twin flames

List of deceit, trickery, and manipulation methods

  • tired old lies
  • repeating lies so often they seem true
  • Big lie: ‘the use of a lie so colossal that no one would believe that someone “could have the impudence to distort the truth so infamously.”‘
  • lie and deny, deny, deny
  • broad sweeping flat denials: deny, deny, deny
  • basing various things — programs, stories, ideals, actions, etc — on a foundation of lies
  • avoidance
  • reward and punishment
  • lying and deceptions is taught, gamed, revered, lauded, and perpetuated by mass media to get ahead — it’s an inverted proving of superiority and uplifting service to self
  • catch phrases
  • trigger words
  • fronting (sometime for others) and pretending to be what one is not to varying degrees (in order to maintain some credibility) and with varying degrees of consciousness and unconsciousness
  • deliberately appearing to be a certain way to conceal intentions to deceive [watch for “tells” and give away to indicate this like Freudian slips, body language, gestures, etc. I refer to the show Lie To Me]
  • gaslighting
  • narcism
  • double speak
  • narrowing subject matter down to an (selfish) opportunistic aspect, sometimes distorted or twisted, then ignoring, writing off, and/or distracting from other facets of the subject, then applying other means mentioned here
  • inverting and using pretty much everything said and done against perceived opponents by claiming allowances and counter-allowances (and upheld as valid with and within their jurisdictional rules)
  • tacit consent and harvesting consent
  • influencing and indoctrinating certain morals, values, valuations, importance and intent not always in the ways one believes or is led to believe
  • leveraging (social) norms and peer pressure
  • corporate, private, governmental and military “intelligence” industries
  • hoaxes
  • stockholm syndrome
  • Factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), also called Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSbP)
  • questions that are “leading”
  • leading / bread crumbing
  • language control:
    • Neurolinguistic Programing (NLP) for ill
    • placing people in camps by different terminology choices for same notion eg. Indians, Indigenous, Native Americans, American Indians, etc
  • cognitive dissonance
  • repetition
  • false sense of urgency
  • false sense of belonging: inclusion / exclusion dynamics
  • plausible deniability
  • (non-disclosure or lack of sufficient notification(s) and explanation(s)) then giving a cherry-picked depiction, spin, vital information glossed over, not given context, or used out of context. Potential example: reporting on public drills and simulations
  • carrot and stick
  • boiling frog effect
  • Pavlovian conditioning
  • sheep dipping
  • spinning outcome to defend or look benevolent
  • admitting to some (more minor) wrongdoing especially when confronted with some bigger wrongdoing
  • conditioning and re-looping/repeating
  • divide and conquer
  • influencing another to make one’s preferred choice and make it seem like one didn’t influence it including prior knowing of another’s disposition, personality type, ideals, habits, patterns, usual choices then using ambiguity and suggestion to lead the other to make the choice one wants
  • illusion of something has to stop before something else can start
  • illusion of you have to have this or be this way or your life won’t get better
  • distraction aka look over here not over there
  • overshadowing
  • Brownstone operations / honeypot / glamor / dazzling / seduction / traps / femme fatale
  • compromise
  • compartmentalization
  • passing the buck
  • (illusion of) appropriation / special access, treatment
  • turncoat
  • calling out / protecting (like handlers & masters saying what someone could do to someone and what protection they’re offering)
  • information and contact rates for various purposes: drip, steady, flood
  • appealing to one’s defenses
  • hiding (temporary) alliances / “sleepers” / sleeper cells / (de/re)activating network (nodes)
  • paid actors and provocateurs
  • enlisting personalities like actors who primarily can only find their/an identity in (relation to) others
  • not disclosing that one action or program has little to do with what’s said but is actually addressing, and/or is part of something else / different
  • mole / infiltration
  • playing both sides, or double or triple agents
  • controlled opposition
  • capitalizing / leveraging weaknesses / using weakness against
  • fear
  • appealing to emotion over critical thinking
  • manipulating emotions
  • appealing to intellect
  • appealing to — and adoption of — certain lifestyles
  • fraud
  • chaos creation / discord(ianism) / confusion / disharmony
  • resignation
  • dog eat dog to get ahead (mentality)
  • appeal to survivalism
  • using certain judgments for justifications and false justifications
  • blackmail
  • discrediting
  • character assassination
  • dismissal
  • dumbing down
  • (promoting) self-censorship
  • defaming
  • inciting harsh, divisive, derisive speech normally unbecoming
  • ignoring
  • making light of
  • veiled threats
  • shifting attention to something else
  • bait and switch
  • limited hangout
  • plant
  • handlers and masters
  • (hierarchal) groups (running stuff like gang stalking)
  • false flags
  • ostracizing
  • blacklisting
  • shadow banning
  • con games
  • coverups
  • greenwashing and whitewashing
  • accusing others of what one is doing
  • victim / victimizer
  • victim shaming
  • sexual misery programming
  • Stockholm syndrome
  • narrative(s)
  • custom tailored narratives
  • counter-narrative(s)
  • perception / image / reputation / reality / narrative management
  • psyops and other intel operations
  • giving some truth / partial truth
  • MK ULTRA and Project Monarch in mass media
  • advertising and marketing tactics
  • (ritual) abuse
  • shame, blame and guilt
  • extremes of nihilism and eternalism
  • transference / countertransference / projection dynamic (or at least knowledge of)
  • dumping
  • twisting words
  • blackmail
  • rope-a-dope
  • contracts
  • randsom
  • copy(cat) tactics
  • gatekeeping

Conclusion:

How do we skillfully and wisely view and respond to those who deceive?

Can we find dignity?

I’ve tested waters by asking some “how do you deal with fools“?

If those engaging in these types of activity had more joy there would be less incentive to engage in these. When distortions, defilements, and hindrances are at least held at bay joy arises naturally.

Innerstanding some use deception for revenge and protection but there’s better ways of protection such as the Four Protective Meditations including Death Contemplation

[I kept in a question about deception seemingly being everywhere. I mention selective attention but forgot to mention confirmation bias.]

May we all come to know true joy in all our hearts!

Did the Buddha teach how to discern deception?

Good article about subtle deceptions on the path — https://www.winthuwun.com/post/deceptions-part-1 the two part blog post starts:

The Buddha said: “Pāpasmiṃ ramati mano — the minds of people delight in what is unwholesome.” Pāpa does not only mean unwholesome deeds; it can also mean the mind delights in the unwholesome qualities that arise within it. 

If you look honestly, you will notice this in yourself. The mind delights in lobha, but not in alobha. It delights in dosa, but not in adosa. It delights in moha, but not in amoha. These are all unwholesome qualities. And when māna (conceit), issā (envy) and macchariya (stinginess) arise, the mind enjoys them too. That is why people sometimes say, “Don’t push me, you’ll see my anger.” or “No one is better than me.” and so on, and secretly enjoy these states. When the mind joins with such unwholesome qualities, it actually feels satisfied.

Audio: (Discerning) Deception

Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)

links to https://theintercept.com/document/2014/02/24/art-deception-training-new-generation-online-covert-operations

Click to access the-art-of-deception-training-for-a-new.pdf

via https://theintercept.com/document/2014/02/24/art-deception-training-new-generation-online-covert-operations
An only slightly related study into the depth of deception https://rumble.com/v1hcfo7-anneke-lucas-memoir-of-a-child-sex-slave.html
Continue reading “(Discerning) Deception”

On Relics, Design, Wealth And Merit Of The Shwedagon Pagoda In Myanmar Burma

I was invited to read and share comments on academia.edu paper / presentation Myanmar people’s belief system of the Shwedagon Pagoda by panhtwa myosein

My comment:

Learned a lot from this work, thanks. In the introduction I’m unclear on the meaning of “as well as the living in the view of reality.” Other questions: How are the relics enshrined inside the temple? How was the design chosen or conceived especially the portions distinguishing it from other stupas and pagodas in the country? What are the symbolic meanings/significance of each unique feature on the pagoda? Are there and/or were there places at the pagoda to meditate that are socially acceptable? Why or why not?

And a reply:

Hi! Please accept my late reply to my presentation.Your questions improve my knowledge. Thank you. 

People are chanting, meditating at the Shwedagon pagoda; it is a freedom of religious practice on the social space at the tangible and intangible cultural heritage of Myanmar. 

Relics were excavated by labourers when building barracks on the site of an old pagoda east of the Shwedagon Pagoda in 1855 and is now in the Victoria and Albert Museum. 

I would like to answer the meaning of reality – either living in what appears to be or living in an emptiness from the Buddha’s perspective. If you don’t accept both, it’s up to you.  

For your other questions (I couldn’t spot what you want to know exactly – How was the design chosen or conceived, especially the portions distinguishing it from other stupas and pagodas in the country? What are the symbolic meanings/significance of each unique feature on the pagoda?

However, I can answer only that is – the design of Shwedagon Pagoda is unique and it includes an umbrella crown, banana bud and the belled-shape stupa is covered with over 20,000 gold bars.

Best Regards,

Pa Htwa

What’s also interesting is the pagoda’s massive public display of wealth:

  • Shwedagon is very rich in one of the wonderful religious world. The belled-shape stupa is covered with over 20,000 gold bars.
  • The top of the stupa is encrusted with approximately 5,500 diamonds, 2,300 rubies, 4,000 golden bells and other precious gemstones;
  • At the very top of the crown, the diamond bud which is tipped with a 72 carat (15 g) diamond. The asset of its diamond crown is estimated at more than US$ 3 billion.

Now consider the Buddhist prohibition of public display of psychic powers, which if I remember right was instated after a monk levitated to the top of a pole in a contest to retrieve a sandalwood bowl

How might such displays of material and spiritual abundance factor into the the political situations in Myanmar Burma?

Somewhat related by mere means of its popularity, in regards to the coup situation in Myanmar Burma, even if it is heavy propaganda, why don’t Westerners seem to ever see and hear about any reasoning behind why the coup happened in popular corporate, governmental and social media?

Also, please see the subsection Another Shutdown from the prior post Another Buddhist forum post shutdown: (Buddhist) origin of tobacco and its relation to Native American use(?) to learn about my potential censorship surrounding Burma Myanmar related topics.

See also: https://integratingpresence.com/2023/12/10/how-to-investigate-relics/

How To Investigate Relics?

Thoughts, Emotions & Trauma | 9/29/2022 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #01

Regular, current and past visitors to Integrating Presence may recall the monthly series “Ask Us Anything” I did with Denny K Miu from August 2020 until January 2022 — partially including and continuing on with Lydia Grace as co-host for awhile until March 2022.

For a few months thereafter I did various Insight Timer live events exploring potential new directions and/or a continuation of the Ask Us Anything format while weaving in other related teachings to these events.

Then, after chats with meditation coach Wendy Nash, it became clear to start a new collaboration similar to “Ask Us Anything” simply and clearly called “Meditation Q & A” especially due to the original intent of the Ask Us Anything’s being “discussions about meditation and related topics.”

As of the time of writing this I’m compromising with Wendy’s request for no editing — since so much of our media diet is contrived — by leaving the video version untouched while doing minimal editing for the audio/podcast versions. Being unedited gives viewers a real time peek into varying skill ranges on how meditators handle technical difficulties (at least in this first session) while editing some of these moments out for the audio versions will save listeners time and better befit Insight Timer.

Join these Q & A’s when they happen live:

To calendar add and directly join the next live “Meditation Q & A” on November 2, 2022 at 7pm Central: https://insig.ht/e/jxvolUs8zub or join via downloading the free Wisdom app in your app store or via: https://wisdom.audio where I’m @integratingpresence

*There’s naturally an ongoing open call for meditation (related) questions for the (roughly) monthly “Meditation Q & A” either by the various social media means listed; integratingpresence[at]protonmail.com or just showing up on Insight Timer live or Wisdom App to type/ask live.*

Past chat with Wendy:

Kindly Cutting Crap With Wendy Nash
Audio: Thoughts, Emotions & Trauma | 9/29/2022 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash”

Or listen via Insight Timer (app or website)

Continue reading “Thoughts, Emotions & Trauma | 9/29/2022 “Meditation Q & A With Wendy Nash” #01″