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You are never alone: everywhere, all the time
there are numberless buddhas and bodhisattvas surrounding you, loving you, guiding you - after all, that is what they do. - Lama Zopa Rinpoche Lion's Roar Magazine as well as other news outlets are reporting that the Dalai Lama said it may be time for the tradition of recognizing reincarnate lamas to come to an end. The Dalai Lama made the statement in a meeting with students in Northern India.
According to a statement from the Office of the Dalai Lama, the Dalai Lama suggested that “the custom of recognizing reincarnate lamas may have had its day.” The Dalai Lama says that the reincarnation system has never existed in India, and there are no recognized reincarnations of great Indian Buddhist masters like Nagarjuna, or the Buddha himself. The Dalai Lama said that the system of recognizing reincarnate lamas — called tulkus — is connected with Tibetan feudal society, and questioned the existence of such a tradition in a democratic society. The Tribune India and Asian News International reported that the Dalai Lama said, “I feel it’s time that we revert to the Indian system of Buddhism.” “Institutions need to be owned by the people, not by an individual,” said the Dalai Lama according to a report from The Times of India. “Like my own institution, the Dalai Lama’s office. I feel it is linked to a feudal system. In 1969, in one of my official statements, I had mentioned that it should continue… But now I feel, not necessarily. It should go… The system should end, or at least change with the changing times. There have been cases of individual lamas who use reincarnation… but never pay attention to study and wisdom.” As human beings, we all want to live a happy life, but we are regularly faced with problems of our own making, - Dalai Lama 14th
Have compassion. This is important because all people int he world are not exactly the way we want them to be. In fact, many of them will go against us. They do not act and think as we do. Compassion will help us to accept others. - Hsing Yun
Cannabis or marijuana use for medical purposes is not cited in traditional Chinese medicine nor Ayurveda even though the plant was well known to both medical systems. It's logical to conclude that these ancient health systems would have utilized it if there were known benefits. Now, researchers state that the rise of CBD in society is driven by profit and anecdotal statements about effectiveness. Studies, however, reveal CBD has no positive health effect. Here is some recent information produced by researchers at the University of California (San Diego):
1. Americans are more interested in CBD than most health products and fads on the market. 2. “CBD has become insanely popular,” says Dr. John W. Ayers, UC San Diego Vice Chief of Innovation in the Division of Infectious Disease and Global Public Health. “Three years ago, there was essentially no one searching about CBD online, but now there are an estimated 6.4 million unique searches each month.” 3. “At this time there are no known benefits for taking CBD over-the-counter,” explains Dr. Davey Smith, Chief of Infectious Diseases and Global Public Health at UC San Diego. “CBD is this generation’s snake oil, where millions are engaging with the product without evidence of any benefit.” 4. In some cases CBD may actually prove harmful. Dr. Eric Leas, ” an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine and Public Health at the University of California (San Diego) He, cited a few already documented cases in which CBD products contained potential poisons due to these products not being regulated by any federal entity. (source: https://www.studyfinds.org/cbd-interest-among-americans-surpass-nearly-all-other-health-products/ ) A woman in London Ontario (Canada) has bumper stickers on her car that indicate her vegan choices. These bumper stickers include expressions such as: “If you love animals you don't eat them”, "Be kind, be vegan", and “Friends, not food”. One sticker shows a picture of a dog and a cow, asking the question “Why love one but eat the other?” As a result of these bumper stickers, she has been yelled at, aggressively run off the road, and had meat and other objects thrown at her car. She is worried not only for herself but for her children.
Because that woman's experience is common, psychologist Gordon Hodson, PhD., has been doing research about bias and anger toward vegetarians and vegans. Here are some highlights:
(source: www.psychologytoday.com) We must shed the delusion that it is possible to attain peace through unpeaceful means.
- Pandit Rajmani Tigunait We should regard others as if we live in a garden, where, although flowers of many difference colors bloom, the reds, yellows, purples, and whites are all flowers just the same. It is beautiful that each and every one of them can coexist in harmony. - Hsing Yun
According to BBC reports, India's oldest exponent and teacher of yoga, V Nanammal, has died at her home near Coimbatore, in the southern state of Tamil Nadu. .She was 99 and still teaching a hundred students a day until a few months ago. Born into an agricultural family, she was taught yoga by her father. She went on to master more than 50 postures or asanas, and trained more than a million students - hundreds of them now yoga instructors themselves around the world. Known affectionately as "Yoga Grandma", Nanammal received the Padma Shri - one of India's highest civilian honors. See photos of
V Nanammal at https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50194850www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-50194850 Buddhist nun Pema Chödrön appeared on Oprah Winfrey’s “SuperSoul Sunday” show this week, and toward the end of their wide-ranging conversation, the topic turned to the allegations of sexual abuse by Shambhala International’s leader Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche and other teachers. In the video, she said, “The situation is just horrendous,” calling it a “rug-pulling out experience” and saying that for many students “they’re life is just blown up in the air and that can’t imagine how they’ll go forward with their spiritual practice.” Chödrön seemed to distance herself from Shambhala, saying that while she is still “officially” a senior teacher at Shambhala, she said that she spends her time “more outside Shambhala than inside.”
(source: tricycle.org) |
Victor M. Parachin ...is aVedic educator, yoga instructor, Buddhist meditation teacher and author of a dozen books. Buy his books at amazon or your local bookstore. Archives
October 2023
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