Forgiving in the Face of ANGER (sutra)

Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly; Andrew Olendzki, Vepacitti Sutra (SN 11.4)

Churning Space: bas-relief of Samudra manthan, Angkor Wat, Cambodia, shows Vishnu in the center, in his Kurma avatar, with the asuras and the devas on either side (Wiki).

Rebel asuras, cast from deva-world by Sakka, fall to Earth (Hieronymus Bosch).

Asura Dvarapala, Borobudur (wiki)

This noble teaching on how to respond when faced with anger is placed in an ancient historical/mythical setting. The story is told by the Buddha of a great war between devas (shining ones, angels) and the asuras (titans, demons).
 
The devas are ultimately victorious (as happens in later Greek and Norse versions of the same myth). They capture Vepacitti [full history], a titan king. Bound in chains, he is brought to the space station of the Thirty-Three and into the presence of Sakka, King of the Devas.

• Sakka (St. Michael), Lord of the Thirty-Three Lords
• A previous Sakka's ancient space flight (Jataka)

Being the titan that he his, Vepacitti hurls a torrent of abuse and insulting names at his captor (the catalog of which in the commentary is most interesting). Sakka, however, is unmoved, inspiring Matali, the charioteer of his spacecraft, to begin the following poetic exchange:
 
The poem is in the prevalent vatta meter, with eight syllables per line, and contains much subtle word-play. For example, the words bala (fool) and bala (strong, powerful) dance with one another throughout the piece (appearing 17 times), nowhere more intimately than in the frolicking alliteration of Lines 31 and 32 (abalan-tam balam aahu yassa balaabalam balam).

• FOOLS (Bala Sutra, Book of the Twos, AN 2.98) "Meditators, there are two fools. Who are the two? The one who takes up a burden that has not befallen one, and the one who does not take up a burden that has. These are the two fools."

A king of the titans (Evs in Nz/flickr)

The linking of the word titikkhati (forbearance) with the similarly sounding tikicchati (healing) is also a poignant touch that is hardly accidental.

This exchange shows well how the Buddha adapted the heroic ideals of his warrior's heritage to the inner struggle for self-mastery. The strength of the victorious Sakka -- who is a stream enterer having been a hearer of the Buddha's Dharma and won that attainment -- rests in his wisdom and forbearance.
 
The weakness of the fierce yet vanquished titan comes from his lack of understanding, earning him the label "foolish," which leaves him helpless to resist the passions raging within him.
 

Was Zarathustra an asura? (G6G)

Though these verses were penned thousands of years ago, their truth is timeless. It is the same truth that has helped many non-violent social and political reform movements achieve dramatic results in our own century.

Conquest is only the apparent victory of the short-sighted, while transformation of oneself and others is the more lasting "victory" of the wise. Remaining unprovoked in the face of anger and hostility still offers the best hope for healing our troubled world.

• THE FOOLISH AND THE WISE (Bala-Pandita Sutra, AN 2.21) "Meditators, there are two foolish persons. Who are the two? The one who does not see a transgression as a transgression, and the one who does not rightly forgive another who has confessed a transgression. These are the two fools. There are two wise persons. Who are the two? The one who sees one's own transgression as a transgression, and the one who rightly forgives another who has confessed a transgression. These are the two wise persons."

Bas relief of Sakka, King of the Devas [of Tavatimsa], and apsaras (wiki)

.

Calm in the Face of Anger (verses)

[Matali:] Sakka, could it be you're afraid,

Or weak, that you forgive [khanti] like this,

Though hearing such insulting words

From the lips of Vepacitti?

[Sakka:] I am neither afraid nor weak,

Yet I forbear Vepacitti.

How is it one who knows, like me,

Would get provoked by such a fool?

 

[Matali:] More angry will a fool become

If no one puts a stop to him.

So let the wise restrain the fool

By the use of a mighty stick.

[Sakka:] This is the only thing, I deem,

That will put a stop to the fool:

Knowing well the other's anger,

One is mindful and remains calm.

[Matali:] This very forbearance of yours,

Sakka, I see as a mistake.

For when a fool reckons like this:

"From fear of me he does forbear,"

The dolt will come on stronger still —

Like a bull the more that one flees.

Deva Sakka defeats the dragon or naga (1st-art-gallery.com).

[Sakka:] Let him think whatever he likes:

"From fear of me he does forbear."

Among ideals and highest goods

None better than patience is found.

For surely he who, being strong,

Forbears the ones who are more weak —

Forever enduring the weak —

That is called the highest patience.

For whom strength is the strength of fools,

It is said of the strong, "He's weak!"

For the strong, guarding the Dharma,

Contentiousness is never found.

 

It is indeed a fault for one

Who returns anger for anger.

Not giving anger for anger,

One wins a dual-victory.

 

One behaves for the good of both:

Oneself and the other person.

Knowing well the other's anger,

One is mindful and remains calm.

In this way one is healing both:

Oneself and the other person.

The people who think, "He's a fool,"

Just don't understand the Dharma.

.

The lore of St. Michael, the archangel, are echoes of Sakka, King of the Angels. He is revered in Buddhism, Vedic Hinduism, Yazidi Islam, Eastern Orthodox Christianity, and Catholicism.

Real "demon possession" in Indiana (video)

Pat Macpherson, CC Liu, Wisdom Quarterly; Marisa Kwiatkowski (IndyStar); The Blaze

(CNN) Exorcisms over Skype? Evangelical Rev. Bob Larson insists that the exorcisms are real.

Ghost in window photographed by police in real life haunted house (Hammond Police Dept.)

Indiana police and Department of Child Services investigated Ammons' paranormal claims.
 

Latoya Ammons, mother of possessed (IS)

A woman and three children claim to be possessed by demons. A 9-year-old boy walks backward up a wall in the presence of [two official eyewitnesses,] a family [Department of Child Services] case manager and [a registered] hospital nurse.

 

Gary police Capt. Charles Austin said it was the strangest story he had ever heard.

• Police recorded voice of unseen being on helmetcam

(Jan. 28, '14) Child services officers in the US witnessed a 9-y.-o. boy walk

backwards up a wall...possessed by demons, according to official documents

  
Officer Austin, a 36-year veteran of the Gary Police Department, said he initially thought Indianapolis resident Latoya Ammons and her family concocted an elaborate tale as a way to make money. But after several visits to their home and interviews with witnesses, Austin said simply, "I am a believer."

 

Siddhartha faced Mara (a "devil") and "demons" (yakkhas) under the Bodhi tree.

 

Not everyone involved with the family was inclined to believe its incredible story. And many readers will find Ammons' supernatural claims impossible to accept.

 

Inside haunted house (Gary Police Dept.)

But whatever the cause of the creepy occurrences that befell the family -- whether they were seized by a systematic delusion or demonic possession -- it led to one of the most unusual cases ever handled by the Department of Child Services (DCS). Many of the events are detailed in nearly 800 pages of official records obtained by The Indianapolis Star and recounted in more than a dozen interviews with police, DCS personnel, psychologists, family members, and a Catholic priest.

 

Brown Lady ghost (answers.com)

Ms. Ammons, who swears by her story, has been unusually open. While she spoke on condition her children not be interviewed or named, she signed releases letting The Star review medical, psychological, and official records that are not open to the public -- and that are not always flattering.

 

Furthermore, the family's story is made only more bizarre because it involves a DCS intervention, a string of psychological evaluations, a police investigation and, ultimately, a series of exorcisms. It's a tale, they say, that started with flies. More

Real-life demon possession – Details almost too horrifying to believe
Jason Howerton (The Blaze, Jan. 27, 2014)

"Little goblins" (Duendecitos)

The Blaze is discussing the story and all the day’s news [as Pres. Obama prepares his fifth State of the Union address] on their live "BlazeCast" with Editor-in-Chief Scott Baker beginning at 2:00 pm ET. A terrified mother claims she watched in horror as her demon-possessed 9-year-old son walked backwards up a wall and ceiling. Her claims would be easy to dismiss if a child services case worker and a nurse weren’t reportedly there to witness it all. More

"Goblins" in Buddhism
Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Wisdom Quarterly Wikipedia edit

Ancient Greece, and therefore what we call the "West," inherited its mythology from India

Ancient Greek "Pan"

A kumbhāṇḍa (Pāli kumbhaṇḍa) is one of a group of dwarfish, misshapen "spirits," shapeshifting goblins, gnomes, duendes, cretins, poltergeists, among the lesser earthbound forest entities of Buddhist cosmology and Indian mythology.
 
Kumbhāṇḍa was a dialectal form for "gourd," who may have gotten their name from being thought to resemble gourds in some way, for example in having big stomachs.
 
But kumbhāṇḍa can also be interpreted as "pot-egg" -- "pot" (kumbh ) and "egg" (aṇḍa), egg being a common euphemism for "testicle." These creatures were imagined as having testicles "as big as pots," much as salacious Pan is portrayed as constantly erect phallus.
 

Modern mythical American "Goatmen" (AM)

The terms kumbhāṇḍa and yakṣa ("demon," "ogre") are sometimes used for the same creatre, yakṣa (Pali, yakkha) in these cases is the more general term, including a variety of shapeshifting entities.
 
Kumbhāṇḍas are classed as earthlings subordinate to one of the Four Great Sky Kings (cāturmahārājikakāyika devas), namely the Regent Virūḷhaka, Guardian of the South. One of the chiefs of the kumbhāṇḍas is called Kumbhīra.
 

"Angels" (generally good light-beings), humans, and "demons" (generally harmful light beings)

 
Cops flee Bulawayo, Zimbabwe Police Station after "goblin" emerges from suitcase dumped there by family
Mafu Sithabile (bulawayo24.com, Jan. 17, 2014)

Goblin (kumbhanda, duende) drawing

A family from Nketa 7 suburb dumped its tenant's "goblin" at the Tshabalala Police Station, sending cops fleeing in different directions.

The incident occurred at about 8:00 pm on Wednesday. A family that claimed a lodger owned the goblin [kumbandha, duende] brought it to the station in a suitcase.

"We heard some screaming from the charge office and most officers who had knocked off rushed to see what was happening. At first everyone gathered around the suitcase, wanting to see what was inside," said a cop.

Real goblin/kumbhanda killed? (TW)

The officer said a traditional healer who had come with the family opened the suitcase and a weird looking creature jumped out of a bottle that was filled with blood.

"No one told anyone it was time to run. One minute, the charge office was full, the next, it was empty. I think some people went out through the windows because we could not all have fitted through the door. Fat cops and slim cops all ran for their lives screaming," said the cop. More
 

Signs of the Times (sott.net)

• "Goblin attack" closes Zimbabwe medical clinic, nurses refuse to return to work
• Explosion in Zimbabwe that killed 5 people was apparently the result of a "goblin disposal ceremony" gone wrong
• Zimbabwe clinic cleared of "goblins"
• Zimbabwe man tells court he sells goblins for a living
• Clinic in Zimbabwe forced to close because "goblins" are terrorizing staff
• "Goblins" force four Zimbabwe schools to close
• "Goblin" blamed for Zimbabwe underwear mystery
• VIDEO: "South Park" gnome steals underwear
• Goblins saga, girl dies under "mysterious" circumstances
• Goblins set family home ablaze?
• School closes as teachers flee from goblins
• Girls at Zimbabwe school "attacked by goblins"
• VIDEO: Asteroid impacts Wyoming state, USA?

Demons? "Black-eyed children" (Whitley Strieber's Dreamland)

Selling off sacred Hopi artifacts (audio)

Xochitl, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly; A Martinez, Leo Duran (Take Two/KPCC/SCPR.org)

Sacred Hopi Kachina figurines, Heard Museum, Phoenix, Arizona, USA (heard.org)

  

Don't look! Kachinam or "friends" (Laurel Morales)

The Hopis say Katsina masks, which are embodiments of devas, cannot be sold. These fantastic artifacts invested with life are usually given to a young girl at a public ceremony as a blessing and part of her education.

 

But in France, a judge will decide today whether 32 Hopi artifacts can go up for sale at an "art" auction. However the Hopi tribe, indigenous Native Americans or First Nations people, say those objects contain the spirits of ancestors, and selling them as commercial art is illegal.

 

The question "What is Art?" can have an open-ended answer. But what if that art is a really important part of one's own culture? A French judge will decide whether they can go up for sale at an art auction.
 
Laurel Morales is a reporter for Fronteras (frontiers, borders) based in Flagstaff, Arizona. She explains the details and whether this case may end different than a similar suit earlier this year. LISTEN

Georgia O'Keefe in New Mexico: ...Katsinam and the Land

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Sylvia Boorstein on Enlightenment (video)

Amber Larson, CC Liu, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly; Buddhist meditation teacher Sylvia Boorstein (Spirit Rock), It's Easier Than You Think: The Buddhist Way to Happiness

Marriage ceremony in Phuket, Thailand (Ted Richardson, Esq./flickr/thaiembassy.com)

 

Fischel's wife was a devi glowing in the dark (WQ)

When I started to practice meditation in the early seventies it was hip. Everybody was meditating; every weekend you could take a workshop in another form of meditation. The advertisements for the workshops usually suggested that at the end of the weekend you'd be totally enlightened.

I remember once going to a party that looked like a regular party -- people talking, visiting, and laughing -- and in the middle sat a woman with a strange look on her face, eyes closed, face serene, totally tuned out from the whole scene.

Somebody leaned over to me and said, "Look at her, she's enlightened," and I thought to myself, "If that's what enlightenment is, I don't want it."
 

Meditation for levitation (Ruwan_W/flickr)

What I did want, at least for a while, were exotic powers. I heard extraordinary stories of people who could bilocate or levitate. Sometimes, as I sat on my cushion and experienced an unusual lightness in my body, I imagined I was about to levitate. I hoped I would. I thought it would be a far-out thing, rising up off my cushion and floating in the air.

I think I was also influenced by a story my grandfather told about my grandmother -- a woman who died when I was nine years old. I knew here as a sickly old woman, but my grandfather remembered her as the very beautiful woman he had married when she was 18 years old. He told me she was so beautiful that "she glowed in the dark." I asked him if he really meant that, and he said, "Yes, she really did." 

He said, "At my nephew Murray Fox's wedding, the hall was lit with gaslight because it was before electricity, so it was quite dark, and everyone said, 'Look at Fischel's wife, she shines in the dark!'" I held that as a wonderful, luminous memory and as an ideal. What I wanted to achieve from my meditation practice was to shine in the dark. I think a lot of us in the early days wanted magic.

My Buddhist meditation teachers, whom I met in 1977, talked about enlightenment but not about magic. They talked about "seeing clearly" and how it could mean happiness and the end of suffering. That sounded like the kind of magic I wanted most. More

• It's Easier Than You Think (sylviaboorstein.com)
• Quotes: It's Easier Than You Think (Goodreads.com)

The Avatars Are Coming?

Semjase space devi

(NYC812) Odd narrator speculates that the sun is affecting human DNA causing the emergence of human-star-people hybrids. They are incarnating into avatar bodies birthed by ordinary terrestrial parents. Why? A mother who gives birth to such a baby will love her child no matter how different that child is. In this way, extraterrestrials arrive integrated into the fabric of the existing society. So if a black couple gives birth to a blond, blue-eyed, classically Eurocentric "angel" baby, that baby will be loved. Who can explained such children being born to Asian couples? "The wife cheated" is the rational if harsh conclusion. But then an Egyptian couple has twins, one white one not. How could beautiful, non-albino children be so white they practically glow in the dark?