World to end yesterday: Viking mythology

Pat Macpherson, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly, George Knapp (Coast to Coast, 2-22-14)

From the point of view of quantum physics, there is plenty of room for interpretation within the realm of what is known (themindunleashed.org).

 

We collectively co-create physical reality

In quantum physics -- the scientific study of the nature of physical reality -- there is plenty of room for interpretation.

 

The most popular and mainstream, the Copenhagen interpretation, has as one of its central tenets the concept of wave function collapse: 

(Facebook/TheMindUnleashed)

That is, every event exists as a “wave function” that contains every possible outcome of that event, which “collapses” -- distilling into the actual outcome once it is observed.

For example, if a room is unobserved, anything and everything that could possibly be in that room exists in “quantum superposition” -- an indeterminate state, full of every possibility, until someone enters the room and observes it, thereby collapsing the wave function and solidifying the reality. More

Investigative journalist and radio host George Knapp shares several news items that have recently caught his attention, including articles on the Viking apocalypse, DHS's quest for a national license-plate recognition database, tsunami "ghost" stories from Japan, and the possibility of alien life inside of atoms:

• Are super-intelligent aliens hiding in our atoms?
• 10 mind-bending implications of Many Worlds Theory
• Jailed whistleblower on CIA-torture suffering retaliation



Japanese Buddhist ghosts post-tsunami

• Bizarre tsunami Ghost Stories haunt Japan An unusual outbreak has struck Japan in the wake of the 2011 tsunami which killed nearly 20,000 people: ghosts, possessions, exorcisms. Rev. Kaneda, top priest at a Zen Buddhist temple, says he has exorcised several people who had been invaded by the spirits of tsunami victims, writes Richard Lloyd Parry in the London Review of Books. Believe the stories or don't, they can be moving and scary...
• Homeland Security wants nat'l license plate tracking 
• Norse mythology predicts world will end yesterday:

Ready for the Viking apocalypse? Norse myth predicts world will end Saturday, Feb. 22

Nathan Klein (DailyMail.co.uk)

Apocalypse: Vikings believe Norse mythology claiming end of world will strike yesterday.

 

People in York, Jorvik Viking Festival

We have survived the Mayan apocalypse and Y2K, but be afraid -- the end of the world is coming...again!

This time it’s the Viking apocalypse that is allegedly set to destroy Earth, with Norse mythology claiming the planet will split open and unleash the inhabitants of Hel on Feb. 22.

Doom: The final battle of the gods [Buddhist devas], otherwise known as Ragnarok, signals the end of the world. Vikings believe the apocalypse will begin on Saturday.

Apocalypse NOW comes as the Viking community prepares for the Norse apocalypse called Ragnarok this Saturday [yesterday], in which the Earth is predicted to split open, and gods [devas] will battle for supremacy. 

According to Vikings Ragnarok is a series of events including the final predicted battle that results in the death of a number of major gods, the occurrence of various natural disasters and the subsequent submersion of the world in water.

The wolf Fenrir is also predicted to break out of his prison, the snake Jormungand will rise out of the sea, and the dragon of the underworld will resurface on Earth to face the dead heroes of Valhalla -- who, of course, have descended from heaven to fight them. More
   
APOCALYPSES THAT NEVER HAPPENED

THE MAYAN APOCALYPSE

The world was set to be destroyed by an asteroid, or some other interplanetary object such as an alien invasion on December 21, 2012. Scientists said this wasn't possible... and were proved right.

THE CHRISTIAN RAPTURE
When his four original predicted dates failed to come to fruition, Christian radio broadcaster Harold Camping revised his prediction and said that a "Spiritual Judgment" took place in May 2011, and that the end of the world would occur on October 21.
THE [HOAGLAND] COMET

There were grave fears Comet Elenin would cause disturbances to the Earth's crust, causing massive earthquakes and tidal waves in August 2011. Others predicted that Elenin would collide with Earth on October 16.

THE BLACK HOLES
A number of groups claimed that activation of the Large Hadron Collider experiment would bring about the end of the world through the production of planet-eating micro black holes on September 10, 2008. Similar claims were made two years later [just as the first nuclear test in the U.S. was thought to stand a good chance of destroying the world by sparking an uncontrolled series of nuclear fusion/fission events].
THE NUCLEAR WAR
In 2003, Japanese cult Aum Shinrikyo predicted the world would be destroyed by a nuclear war sometime between October 30 and November 29.
THE NATURAL DISASTERS
Yoruba priests in Nigeria predicted dramatic tragedy and crisis in 2002, including coups, war, disease, and flooding.
THE MILLENNIUM BUG

Diet is the secret to beauty.

Predictions a "Y2K" computer bug would crash computers and cause major catastrophes worldwide when the clock ticked over to midnight on January 1, 2000. Planes were tipped to fall out of the sky and electronic gadgets were predicted to malfunction, ultimately resulting in society ceasing to exist.

• Notes: Posh Spice "fixed her face with diet -- not Botox," says her dermatologist; Victoria Beckham recently (finally) admitted to having a boob job
• Radio: 21st Century UFOs
  UFO research pioneer Richard Dolan joins George Knapp for a discussion on how to distinguish and investigate UFOs in the 21st century, when we are flooded with videos, data, and claims of all types.
• POWER TO THE PEOPLE: Ukraine's Pres. Yanukovych is ousted by protesters and Parliament

Daughter of Ukraine's jailed ex-PM Yulia Tymoshenko, Yevgenia, reads letter from her mother in front of giant screen displaying the opposition leader in 2012 during an anti-government protest in Kiev. Tymoshenko suffers from debilitating back pain and has accused prison guards of beating her (GlobalPost.com).

Buddhism in SWEDEN is growing fast!

Jaya (Buddhist Broadcasting Network, bbncommunity.com, 9-11-13); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

It is evident that Europe is changing very rapidly, economically and socially. Although these changes are widely discussed in the media, there are a few that attract very little attention.

 

The change in demography, in particular the growth of alternative religions, is one notable item. Sweden is no exception.

Due mainly to the arrival of Diasporas and the organic growth of Eastern traditions, such as Buddhism, many domestic people are paying attention. Buddhism is still relatively small in Sweden. But in recent years it has seen tremendous growth. It is trending, and estimates on new Buddhists are on an upward swing.

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In April 2011 (the last year for which reliable data are available) it is estimated to have risen to around 35,000 to 40,000 or 0.38-0.43% of the Swedish population, making it the third largest religion after Christianity and Islam.

 

Most practitioners have Asian backgrounds from Thailand, China, and Vietnam. According to official reports in 2011, Buddhism is proportionally the fastest growing religion.

There are now several Buddhist temples in Sweden, including Stockholm (Theravada Thai and Sri Lankan), Borås, Eslöv, Gothenburg, Fredrika, and other parts of Sweden.

 

A BNN reader reports that a giant project in the northernmost part of Sweden is underway. It is supposed to be the biggest Buddhist center in Europe. It has now, however, had to scale back its plans to get clearance for its application to build. But once the project is completed, Sweden will have an enormous Buddhist center that can facilitate more followers.

 

 

Stockholm Buddhist Temple

The Stockholm Buddhist Vihara (monastic residence) is a Buddhist temple in the Theravada tradition. Like old centers in Washington D.C., Los Angeles, and elsewhere, it was established by the Sinhalese community to continue an ancient tradition of spreading the Dharma or Dhamma. The center was built in Sweden in 1985 by the Sri Lanka-Sweden Buddhist Association (SIDA) in conjunction with the arrival of the first resident monastic in Stockholm. It is the first ever Buddhist temple formed in Scandinavia, and the members are mostly of Sri Lankan origin.

A Scandinavian home
SIDA came into being in 1983 as a result of the energetic efforts and dedication of ardent Buddhist devotees who gathered in Stockholm during the winter of 1982 to discuss the possibility of forming an association.

Their courage and determination resulted in establishing a temporary organization, which became permanent after a general meeting in March, 1983 at the SIDA Auditorium in Stockholm.
 
Once established in 1985 the Stockholm Buddhist Temple moved to several temporary locations until the monastics and devotees succeeded in acquiring a permanent building for the center in Jakobsberg in 1995.

Thai Temple in Gothenburg
In 2005 Mrs. Eh and her husband Stein donated five hectares in northern Rörum for a temple building. However, lack of municipal water and sanitation would have meant additional costs if it had been built there.
 
So in 2006, Mrs. Eh and her husband found a property, one owned by a Thai/Swedish family, was for sale. They jumped at the opportunity to create a temple in southern Sweden and decided to purchase the property.
 
The temple has been built by Theravada Thai Buddhists and their partners living in southern Sweden. They have received help from the monks of Wat Pa in Copenhagen under the direction of Abbot Phar Kru Somsak.
 
Theravada temple in Skåne Åstorpsvägen

Buddhism is not a law or set of dogmas. It is a direct path to enlightenment, something to be undertaken and verified for oneself. Since it is not a "religion" in our Western sense, one need not abandon any faith or creed to practice.

It is often spoken of as an Eastern philosophy or a way of life, says the Buddhist monk Bhikkhu Assati. All are welcome here to meditate, not only Buddhists. When the temple at Railway Road 13 in Åstorpsvägen was recently inaugurated, about 100 people attended. Most were Sri Lankan Buddhists from southern Sweden who previously had to travel to Stockholm or Copenhagen, where there are already Buddhist temples.
 
"Some attendees were not Buddhists," says Mr. Nandi Dei Zylva, Chairman of Standing Behind the Temple, a Sri Lankan Buddhist cultural association in Skaane. "My wife, for example, is a Christian."

"We’re neighbors with Björnekulla Church, and the pastor and his family came here," continues Mr. Dei Zylva. "They were very friendly and accommodating and said that our visitors were free to use their parking [lot]."

The temple in Åstorpsvägen was financed by members and is a Sri Lankan Buddhist temple, unlike the Bjuv, which is Vietnamese. Bhikkhu Assati explains the difference:
 
"Buddhism, which originated in Nepal and India, has two branches -- ours called Theravada [Teaching of the Buddha's Elder enlightened disciples] and the Bjuv called Mahayana [Great Vehicle]. Theravada is more conservative than the Mahayana. It is much like the difference between Catholicism and Protestantism."

• [A more apt comparison might be Sufism to Islam or Judaism to Christianity because both are related but one is a popularization and is ten times larger.]

"Regardless of the difference, we have a good working relationship with the temple in Bjuv," adds Mr. Dei Zylva. "Before we got our own [Theravada] temple, we went there often."
 
The temple’s representatives wish many Åstorpsbors will come to visit and meditate. They welcome all who feel the need to replace their daily stress with a moment of contemplative rest.
 


In addition to the Bjuv Buddhist temple of Sweden, there is a Vietnamese temple in Katrineholm.

Swedish Xmas Fair, L.A. (video)

Amber Larson, Kelly Yanni, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly

Sweden is famous for more than IKEA

(SWEA) December is the time for SWEA, the Los Angeles Annual Swedish Christmas Fair. Scandinavian artisans, Sankta Lucia (candlelight) dancers, and vendor stands present the best of Sweden: fine art, tchochkes, jewelry, toys, Christmas collectibles, and much more.

Sankta Lucia, from Italy, is honored in Scandinavia with light and dance

Traditionell Lucia -- och ändå fick man hålla i hatten.
 

Kris has a bad helper, Krampus

All are invited to enjoy an authentic Swedish lunch or fika (coffee) and home baked sweets or maybe an invigorating glass of hot virgin Glögg. The radiant Lucia pageant and her choir performs twice, at noon and again at 3:00 pm. Children have their own fun corner. This fair will set kids, Krampus, Kris Kringle, and cruddy grandparents in the mood for the holidays!

• Happy Birthday Mao! (BBC) 
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Like Sami-inspired bhumi-devis ("earthbound beings of light"),

legacy Christian singers celebrate St. Lucia in Mora, Sweden.