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This episode we are talking about the Four Great Temples--Asukadera, Daikandaiji (aka Kudara Odera), Kawaradera, and Yakushiji.  Much of the information, outside of the Nihon Shoki itself, comes from Donald F. McCallum's book:  "The Four Great Temples: Buddhist Archaeology, Architecture, and Icons of Seventh-Century Japan". For sources, photos, and more information, check out our blogpost at: https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-142 Rough Transcript Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 142: The Four Great Temples   Rising up into the sky, the bronze spire atop the pagoda seemed to touch the heavens.  The beams, doors, and railings were all painted bright red, with white walls, and green painted bars on the windows.  At each level, the eaves swept out, covered in dark ceramic tiles, with shining bronze plaques covering the ends of the roof beams.  At each corner, a bronze bell hung, chiming in the breeze.  This pattern continued upwards, tier after tier. Around the base of the pagoda, throngs of government officials dressed in their formal robes of office moved past, flowing through the temple's central gates.  As they passed, they looked up at the impressive tower, the largest of its kind in all of Yamato.  From somewhere, a deep bell chimed, and the crowds made their way towards the lecture hall.  There, the monks were prepared, with sutras and voices at the ready.  Facing a sacred image, they would read through their sutras in unison.  Their voices would carry through the great empty space and reverberate through the crowds—those that could get close enough to hear, anyway.  The chanting created a musical cacophony.     In that sea of human voices, one could almost sense something more—something spiritual.  A power, that one could almost believe could hold at bay just about any disaster that could befall a person—or even the state itself.   Alright, so this episode we are still in the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tennou.  I know we've already seen how that ends, but there is still a lot to cover. But before I go too far, I'd like to first give  a shout out to Lisa for helping to support the show on Ko-Fi.  I can't tell you how much we appreciate it.  If you would like to support us as well, we'll have more information at the end of this, and every episode. We've talked about how the reign of Ohoama was a time where the court reinforced, but also subtly adjusted, the laws of the Ritsuryo state.  They seem to have equally courted the Kami, Buddhism, and even continental ideas of yin and yang.  Today we are going to dive into Buddhism and the State.  More specifically, I want to talk about something called the Yondaiji, the Four Great Temples, and look at how these government temples, also known as "kanji" or "Tsukasa no dera" came to be, what we know about them from archaeological research, and the role they played in the State.  This is going to probably recap things from earlier episodes.  I am also drawing a lot from a book by Donald F. McCallum called, appropriately, "The Four Great Temples", which goes into a lot more detail than I'll be able to get into, here, but I recommend it for those who are really interested in this subject. Up to this point, we've talked a little about the relationship that the court had with Buddhism.  By the late 7th century, Buddhism had spread throughout the archipelago, and there were many temples likely created by local elites.  Sensoji, in Asakusa, Tokyo, claims a founding of 628, though it may have actually been founded sometime just after 645.  There are other temples around Japan, far from the Home Provinces, which likewise had similar claims to being founded in the early to late 7th century, and I question how much a role the government had in each of them. .  In 673, there were two temple-related mentions of note in the Chronicles.  In one of Ohoama's earliest edicts he orders the copying of the Issaiko, the Buddhist canon, at Kawaradera.   That same year, 673, Prince Mino and Ki no Omi no Katamaro—whom we discussed last episode—were sent to build Takechi temple, later known as Daikandaiji.  I mention Daikandaiji specifically because while it was originally built as the Temple of Takechi, at some point took on that other  name—"Daikandaiji", aka Ohotsukasa no Ohodera—which Aston translates as the "Great Temple of the Great Palace", as it appears to have specifically been designated as the great temple of the government. In other words, it is one of a few National Temples.  And this became particularly important in the year 680, which is the year we are told the government stopped administering—and, more importantly, stopped funding—all but a handful of so-called "national temples".  At this point, as I've mentioned, Buddhism was widespread enough that there were enough adherents that could maintain their own local temples. Of course, local elites likely found some cachet in funding temples, and communities of believers in various areas would likewise have been asked to provide funds as well. So the court accordingly declared that going forward, the government would only administer 2 or 3 national temples.  For all other temples, if tthey had been granted the proceeds of sustenance-fiefs, those would be limited, from the first year to the last, of 30 years in total.  As I read it, that indicates that if they had received the fiefs 15 years ago, they would be allowed to hold onto them for another 15 years, after which point they would need to find alternative sources of funding.  The early national temples appear to be Daikandaiji and Kawaradera.  Finally, there is Yakushiji, which Ohoama began construction on in 680 for his queen, Uno no Sarara, when she was ill—and just hold on to that for now.  Interestingly, Asukadera, or Houkouji, in many ways the original national temple, was not designated as such in the new reorganization, but it would continue to be administered by the government as a temple in a special arrangement. That's why the original count in the Nihon Shoki mentions "2 or 3" national temples instead of four.  These four temples are mentioned in the Shoku Nihongi, the Chronicles following the Nihon Shoki, as the Four Great Temples, or Yondaiji.  Although that work wasn't compiled and published until the end of the 8th century, the term Yondaiji appears in an entry for 702, about five years after the last entry in the Nihon Shoki, and over a decade before its publication So at this point we're going to look at each of these "great" temples individually, plus a couple of other important ones, and what they tell us about the history of Buddhism, Buddhist temples, and the Yamato state at this point in Ohoama's reign. The first of these four temples, chronologically, is Asukadera.  This is the temple originally built by the Soga, and the first major Buddhist temple built.  Its layout shows three separate golden image halls, or kondou.  And here we should probably recap something about the general layout of a Buddhist temple, so we can understand what we are talking about. The most important buildings in a Buddhist temple at this time were the kondou, the golden image halls; the pagoda, or stupa; and the koudou, or lecture hall.  The golden image halls held golden Buddhist images—Buddhas, Boddhisatvas, Arthats, and more.  These rooms are often somewhat dark, and would have been lit mainly by candles, as well as the sun coming through—though even then the sun often is obscured by overhanging rooves and latticework.  Sometimes the doors would have small openings so that the sun's rays strike in a particular way at different times.  All of this presents an image of bright gleaming gold in the darkness—a metaphor for the teachings of the Buddha, but also an intentionally awe inspiring display for those who came to view them and pray. The kondo were usually the first structures to be built for a temple, so if your temple had nothing else, it probably had an image hall. The next structure that one would probably build would be the stupa, or pagoda.  A pagoda was a tower, in which were sometimes kept images, but more importantly, it would often hold some kind of relic.  The idea of the stupa originated as a place to house relics—often bone fragments and teeth attributed to the Buddha, even if those were actually precious stones.  Stupas were originally (and still, in many places) large mounds, but as Buddhism made its way over the Silk Road, these were replaced with multi-tiered towers. Pagodas are often 3 or 5 storeys, though the number of stories can go up to 7 or 9 or as low as 1.    Once again, in a world where most buildings, other than perhaps a specially made lookout tower, were only one or maybe two stories in height, a three to five story pagoda must have been something to behold, especially covered with tiled eaves, adorned with bronze bells, and brightly painted in the continental fashion. In Europe I would point to similar uses of gold and ostentatious ornamentation on the cathedrals of the day, and even in churches more generally, if on a smaller scale.  This is meant to impress and thus lend authority to the institution.  And of course, because that institution was so closely aligned to the State, it gave the State authority as well.  We mentioned, previously, how the monumental structures of the kofun had given way to the Buddhist temples as a form of ritual display. The last of the three buildings I would mention is the lecture hall, or Koudou.  This would also likely have Buddhist images, but it was more of a functional hall for conducting rituals, including recitation of sutras and presenting Buddhist teachings.  The koudou was often at the back or north end of the temple complex.  In early Buddhist temple layouts, it was common to have everything in a straight line, more or less, and to remain symmetrical.  So there would be a main gate through which one would enter.  In front of you there you probably saw the pagoda.  Beyond the pagoda was a path, and then the kondou, or image hall, typically with a lantern in front, and behind that was the koudou, or lecture hall.  This was all typically oriented on a north-south axis, such that one would enter through the southern gate and walk north towards the lecture hall.  The north-south orientation is likely another feature from the continent, where the most important buildings were often south-facing, and thus in the north of the compound.  This was the same with the palace layout, and likely for similar reasons—not just cultural, but also practical.  After all, the sun, in the northern hemisphere, remains slightly to the south, and so this would have provided the most light through the day.   This layout was not strictly adhered to, however. For instance, if we look at Asukadera, you would enter through the southernmost gate and you were then met with another gate for an inner compound.  This middle gate would lead you to a large courtyard, about 320 meters on a side, with a covered walkway, or gallery, along the entire circumference of the compound.  Entering through the middle gate one would have first noticed the large pagoda and not one but three golden image halls.  A path led to the pagoda, and then beyond from the pagoda to the central kondou.  There is even a stone where a large bronze lantern was likely situated between the pagoda and the kondou.  Based on archaeological evidence, it appears that there was originally just one image hall, directly north of the pagoda, but at a later date, they added two more kondou to the east and west of the pagoda.  This has been compared to a temple layout found in Goguryeo, but given that these were likely later additions, and we know that Baekje artisans were involved, I suspect that is just later coincidence. Connecting the layout of the temples to continental examples has been a keen area of study for many scholars.  The general theory is that temple layouts can help point to whether there was more of a Baekje, Silla, or Goguryeo influence during the construction of the temple, and what that might have meant for Yamato's international relations as well as various political factions in the court who may have leaned more towards one group or another. The last building at Asukadera, the koudou, or lecture hall, was directly north of the kondou, but you couldn't get there directly.  The entire pagoda and image hall compound was separate from the lecture hall, which stood north and apart, though still on the temple grounds, which would have been surrounded by an outer wall.   At this point, since we're talking about the layout of Asukadera and where it came from, I'm going to digress from the next of the four great temples and talk about two other early temples that are important for understanding Buddhist temple building at this time. So bear with me for this slight detour. The first of these is Shitennoji, the Temple of the Four Heavenly Kings, in modern Osaka.  This temple is said to have been built in 593, and is attributed to Shotoku Taishi.  Presumably he made a vow to do so during the war between the Soga and the Mononobe, which we discussed back in episode 91.  As you may recall from that and earlier episodes, the Mononobe were considered to be against the idea of Buddhism, while the Soga were promoting it.  Shitennouji was important, but doesn't show up in the Chronicles as much as other temples, and was all the way over in Naniwa.  As such, I suspect that it was not considered a good candidate for "national" temple status at the time.  Still, if we look at the original layout, Shitennoji is quite similar to what we see in Asukadera.  Everything is on a north-south axis.  You go through a middle gate to the inner compound.  There you find a pagoda, and past that, a lantern and then the kondou.  Unlike Asukadera, the koudou, or lecture hall, is incorporated into the back wall, such that the gallery continues from the middle gate around to either side, and then meets at the sides of the lecture hall.  There are also east and west gates, as well as other buildings, but the main layout is pretty comparable. The second is another temple, which also lays claim to being founded by Prince Shotoku Taishi, and which was not included in the four great temples.  This may have had to do with the fact that it wasn't in the Asuka valley, but also may have had to do with just the timing.  That temple is the famous one known as Horyuji.  Horyuji was founded on the site of the Ikaruga palace, said to have been the home of none other than Prince Umayado, aka Shotoku Taishi.  As such, one imagines it was quite the prominent temple in its day.  However, it was at a distance from the capital, and it also had the misfortune to have burned down in about 670, just before Ohoama ascended the throne, and it wasn't fully rebuilt until about 711, leaving a forty year gap where the temple was not necessarily at the forefront of Buddhism. Still, like Shitennoji, it is interesting to look at the original layout for Horyuji and compare it to Asukadera.  First off, you have the same north-south orientation, and you have the same separate, internal compound for the image hall and the pagoda.  Unlike in Asukadera, however, the kondou and the pagoda, which both faced south, were on an east-west axis, flanking the central pathway.  Entering through the middle gate one would have seen a five storey pagoda on the left and the kondo on the right.  The Koudou was outside the inner compound in the rear, along that central north-south axis.  There is also evidence of two other buildings.  One likely held a large bell—and possibly a drum—and the other was likely a sutra repository, where they could keep holy texts and various ritual implements. I will also note that, even though Horyuji burned down in 670 and was accordingly not that prominent during Ohoama's reign, it is absolutely worth visiting because substantial portions of those rebuilt buildings are still standing today. Indeed, both the Horyuji pagoda and kondou are among the oldest wooden buildings in the world. The central pillar of the pagoda was felled in 594 according to dendrochronological dating. The kondou was damaged by fire during a restoration in 1949, but about 15-20% of the original building from 670 still remains.  Going back to the Great Temples, the next of these to be built was Kudara Ohodera.  Kudara here means "Baekje", but this appears to refer more to the temple's location near the Kudara river, rather than to the kingdom of Baekje.  Kudara Ohodera is remarkable in a couple of different ways.  First off, there is the fact that it is the first temple with a firm royal lineage—that is to say a temple that claims to have been founded by the sovereign.  Asukadera was founded by Soga no Umako, the Prime Minister, and though Prince Umayado is said to have been the Crown Prince, nonetheless, he never reigned as sovereign, though he was considered the founder of both Shitenouji and Houryuuji.  Kudara Ohodera, however, is said to have been founded at the behest of Tamura, aka Jomei Tennou, who reigned from 629-641.  The temple appears to get its start in a record dated to 639, and by 645 it appears to be fully operational. There is another tale of its founding—in the Daianji Engi, the history of Daianji, a successor temple to Kudara Ohodera, there is mention of a Kumagori Dojo, and many modern histories claim that this was the actual first temple, but there isn't much evidence.  Donald McCallum, in his treatment of Kudara Ohodera's history in his book, "The Four Great Temples", suggests that the Kumagori Dojo story is likely a later legendary founding that got recorded, as there is scant evidence for it, and no mention of it in other records.  On the actual founding of Kudara Ohodera, however, there does appear to be general agreement with the Nihon Shoki, despite some minor differences in the dates. The call to build Kudara Ohodera comes alongside Tamura's also building Kudara Palace.  Kudara Ohodera was also built on a grand scale, and it is said to have had a nine-storey pagoda—almost double the size of a five-storey pagoda, which already towered over other buildings of the time. Despite all of this, for a long time it was unclear where Kudara Ohodera was actually situated.  There were several sites proposed, but most recently archaeological research on Kibi Pond seems to have placed the temple there.  At excavations on the southern side of the pond were found remnants of the foundations of two buildings, arranged in an east-west format.  The western foundation would appear to be for a pagoda—but one much larger than any of the five storey pagodas we've seen elsewhere.  And to the east was the foundation for what appears to be the kondo.  This golden image hall, however, is likewise much larger than any other hall of this time.  This arrangement would fit very well with a Houryuuji-like temple layout.  There were also various other traces that were consistent with the early mid-7th century, which would coincide with the 639-645 dates for Kudara Ohodera's construction.  Subsequent excavations appear to have found quarters for the priests, as well as at least part of a gallery wall and one gate, situated due south of the kondo.  There may have been another gate south of the pagoda.  The koudou, the lecture hall, may have been in the area that was later excavated to create the pond, and therefore we may never have any hard evidence of its location, despite numerous attempts to dig trenches to find more of the temple buildings.  This probably also means that, similar to Shitennouji, the lecture hall  was incorporated into the enclosing gallery wall rather than being outside, because if it was outside, then it likely would have been farther north and we would probably have seen some trace.  As it is, the lack of any trace suggests that it was inside or part of the enclosure with the pagoda and kondou. The large size of this archeological site concurs with what we know about Kudara Ohodera, both in its description and in the fact that it is referred to as "Ohodera", or "Great Temple"—no other temple has really been given that name directly, though there are a few references to "Ohodera"  that are ambiguous and might refer either to this temple or Asukadera..  Still, if this temple, sometimes also called Kibi Pond Temple due to its location, is *not* Kudara Ohodera then that just brings up more questions.  How could there have been such a monumental Buddhist temple this close to Asuka and within the bounds of the later Fujiwara-kyo and yet nobody thinks to mention it?  It doesn't appear to have been started and abandoned, as there were quite a few structures built.  So if this isn't Kudara Temple then someone has some 'splaining to do. Indeed, McCallum notes that while there are some objections, the preponderance of evidence seems to lean greatly in favor of the Kibi Pond site for Kudara Ohodera.  We still have yet to find the Kudara palace, however, so who knows.  There are also questions about the construction as various architectural features are missing in ways that are not consistent with other sites. Some oddities, such as a seeming lack of rooftiles given the apparent size of the building, actually may be a point in favor of this being Kudara Ohodera, since we know that the temple was moved in 673 when Ohoama requested that they build the Takechi Ohodera, which appears to have been Kudara's successor temple.  If they had reused the material from Kudara Ohodera to build, at least in part, Takechi Ohodera, that could explain why rooftiles and other such things are not present in the numbers expected at the Kibi Pond site. Takechi Ohodera is another bit of a mystery.  I can't help but note that Takechi is the name given Ohoama's son who was with him on the front lines of the Jinshin no Ran.  We also see a "Takechi no Agata-nushi", who is noted as the governor of the district of Takechi.  In all cases here it is spelled "Taka-ichi", or "high market", and it is not an uncommon name—we even find a Miwa no Kimi no Takechimaro.  In the record of the Jinshin no Ran it is noted that the governor of Takechi was possessed by the kami of Takechi and of Musa.  These were named as Kotoshironushi and Ikuikazuchi.  They claimed that they had been the kami that escorted Ohoama to Fuwa and saw him safely there.  As such, donations were made to their shrines.  Musa is an area in modern Takaichi district, which includes the area of Asuka, and is part of Kashihara city.  The Takaichi Agata Jinja—or the Takechi District Shrine—sits in the Shijo area of Kashihara city, north of Mt. Unebi. There are several proposed locations for Takechi Ohodera, but despite excavations, no clear temple features have been found.  As such, there isn't anything to clearly point to one or the other. What we do know is that Takechi Ohodera underwent another transformation.  According to the Daianji Engi, the Takechi Ohodera was renamed to Daikandaiji in 677.  There is no specific mention of this in the Nihon Shoki, other than a note that Takechi Ohodera was also known as Daikandaiji and a reference, in 679, of "fixing the names".  Personally, I can't help but wonder if this is a case of a nickname becoming the name-in-fact.  As I mentioned earlier in the episode, Daikandaijij, which can also be read as "Oho-tsukasa no Oho-tera" can be translated into something like Great Government Official Great Temple or Great Temple of the Royal Court.  We do know the location of this temple in later years, but this is probably not exactly where Takechi Ohodera was originally built. For one thing, it is suspicious that the temple lines up exactly with the later grid for Fujiwara-kyo, the later capital city that was built north of Asuka.  We also are told by the Daianji Engi that a nine storey pagoda and kondou were built between 697 and 707 CE.  There are also notes about activities at the temple mentioned in the Shoku Nihongi for the same period.  And yet there were also activities being held during that time which would not seem feasible if they were renovating in place.  So likely the new construction was at a new site—possibly near the old site.  And at this later site, the rooftiles were from a later period, closer to the period of the later construction and not really matching with earlier construction dates. So what did this temple of many names – Kudara Ohodera, then Takechi Ohodera, then Daikandaiji – actually look like?  We probably have a layout for the original temple and the later temple.  If Kibi Pond Temple is the original Kudara Ohodera, the original temple had the kondou and the pagoda on the same east-west axis, and likely had the koudou north of that – very Horyuji-like.  But based on the layout at the later temple site, we have something quite different.  From the central gate, there is a path straight towards the Kondou, with the Koudou directly north of that, and the nine-storey pagoda in an odd, off-set position, southeast of the kondou.  This disrupts the symmetry even more than the Kudara Ohodera layout.  There is some speculation that this asymmetry was temporary and that they planned to fill the other space but just never got around to it, but there is no indication that they had prepared for anything, either.  Also odd is the fact that the koudou, the lecture hall, was the same size as the image hall, the kondou, and that was roughly the same size as the enormous hall at Toudaiji, which is really saying something.  This really was a tremendous building, fitting for the main temple of the royal government. The third of the four great temples is Kawaradera, and this one is challenging to plot out chronologically as there isn't a lot of documentation.  There is no exact date for the building of Kawaradera.  There is a mention of it in 653, but the same entry in the Nihon Shoki also states that there are sources that claim it should be Yamadadera, instead.  Based on other evidence, this actually seems more likely.  Yamadadera is thought to have been the work of Soga no Kurayamada no Ishikawa no Maro, and it is where he eventually fled when accused of treason.  It was founded in 641, according to the Joguki, the record of Prince Shotoku, but construction didn't actually start until2 years later, and monks only began to occupy it in 648.  The following year, however, construction halted as that is when Ishikawa no Maro fled there and committed suicide.  Construction was resumed in 663, but still took time.  Still, even in the middle of this very long DIY project, it makes sense that there might be some activities in 653, even if construction was paused.   Later the temple would be completed, and seems to have had powerful backing.  Uno no Sarara, Ohoama's queen, was a granddaughter of Ishikawa no Maro, and so likely had a connection to the temple, but it never attained the status of a national temple the way the others had.  As far as its layout—it was similar to Shitennouji, with the pagoda, kondo, and koudou all in a line on the north-south axis. Kawaradera was another matter.  Though we aren't sure when it was built, exactly.  If we discount the 653 date as applying to Yamadadera instead, then the first date we really see anything at Kawara is Kawara Palace, built for Takara Hime—aka Saimei Tennou—who took up residence there when the Itabuki Palace burned.  Later it would be used for her mogari—her temporary interment.  The next mention of a temple at Kawara isn't until this reign, in 673, when Ohoama had the Buddhist canon, the Issaiko, copied, as I noted at the top of the episode.  So it must have been established and built some time before 673. Although we don't know when it was founded, we very clearly know where it was, as the foundations stones are still present, and quite clear—and unlike other Asuka era temples, it would stay in Asuka, rather than being removed up to the new capital at Heijo-kyo. Given everything else and its apparent importance, the lack of information on when Kawaradera was established is quite odd.  McCallum suggests that this could have been deliberate as a way to help delegitimize the temple in the 8th century, but also admits that it may have just been due to the general problems with early record keeping back in the day and there may not have been a good record of why and when the temple was founded.  The rooftiles are similar to those used during the time that the court was at Ohotsu.  I would also note that there is a connection between the foundation stones and a quarry up near Ohotsu at what is, today, Ishiyamadera.  That still doesn't tell us when Kawaradera was founded, as that could have been any time, and doesn't necessarily mean that it was during the time the court was in Ohotsu. Regardless of what textual evidence does or does not exist, the archaeological evidence is pretty staggering.  Even today you can go and see some of the exposed foundation stones.  This was a massive temple.  There was a south gate and then a middle gate just north of that.  The main enclosure was divided into two courtyards.  In the first, just beyond the middle gate, at the north end was the middle kondo, while in the courtyard itself, facing each other on an east-west axis, was a western kondou and the temple pagoda.  Past the middle kondou was a larger courtyard, with the koudou, or lecture hall, in the north, with a bell tower or sutra hall in the south west and southeast corners.  The walls of the enclosure were made up of a covered gallery, and around the outside of the northern courtyard, containing the koudou, were smaller chambers believed to be the monks quarters, something we don't necessarily see at all of the other sites. Despite being an important temple, and one of the Four Great Temples during the Asuka periods, when the capital eventually moved to Heijo-kyo, in modern Nara, Kawaradera had the distinction of being the only one of the four that was not moved as well. All three of the other Great Temples had new compounds built in Heijo-kyo, and the temples were thus "transferred" to the new capital.  Presumably that means that most of the monks and administration moved there, and those new temples took up the roles, duties, and responsibilities of the old temples.  The temple complexes in Asuka were not necessarily destroyed or deconstructed, but instead were apparently left to their own devices, becoming reduced in status.  Many of them fell into disrepair, and when disasters, such as fire, struck they were not rebuilt to the same extent as before, if at all.   Kawaradera, however, appears to have not been transferred.  It would eventually be replaced as one of the Four Great Temples by the temple of Koufukuji, which was specifically a temple for the Fujiwara family, who were having a bit of a moment in the Nara period.  Some have speculated that Kawaradera was specifically left behind in Asuka for that reason—so that the Fujiwara family temple could sneak into the ranks of national temples.  Or it may have been that Kawaradera had a particular connection to Takara Hime and the site of her interment.  If it was a memorial temple to her, then perhaps it didn't seem appropriate to remove it from its physical location.  McCallum also suggests that it was so powerful in its position in Asuka that it preferred to stay and keep its stipend-fiefs, perhaps believing that even the move to Heijo-kyo would be just another short fad, as had been Ohotsu and Fujiwara-kyo.  Of course, if so, they were sorely mistaken. And so Kawaradera would eventually fade from the picture, but during the time of Ohoama's reign, and into that of his immediate successors, it seems that it certainly held some sway. The fourth of the Four Great Temples was the temple of Yakushiji—the temple of the Medicine Buddha.  This is the latest temple of the bunch.  Its construction was ordered in the year 680 in response to Ohoama's queen, Uno no Sarara, falling ill.  And so he vowed to build a temple for her—specifically a temple to Yakushi Nyorai, the Medicine Buddha, whom we discussed last episode.  That said, there is considerable time between the order to construct a temple and getting enough of it built to actually be functional.  I haven't really touched on this, except when I briefly discussed Yamadadera and how long that took to build, but all of these temples were massive works, much more complicated than the traditional palace buildings.  For the most part, palace architecture could be built relatively quickly with the tools and labor available.  This was a good thing, seeing as how, for many years, the sovereign had moved again and again, either because of the previous sovereign's death in the palace or just because they chose a new location for a palace.  As such, one couldn't spend years building a new palace.  So palace buildings were simply made with wooden posts, sunk into the ground, with thatched roofs.  In a few examples we see attempts to use wooden boards or tiles, but they weren't complicated. A temple, on the other hand, was something different.  Temples were largely wood, but they were massive in size and their roofs were covered in heavy ceramic tiles.  All of that weight had to be properly distributed on a strong base—simple posts were not likely to work.  Instead they were built on raised stone foundations.  That's great for us looking at them, today, but at the time it would have been an inordinate amount of labor.  Hence why a temple like Yamadadera took so long to build. So Yakushiji may have been founded in 680, but was likely not finished until much later, which is why we don't really see it in the records for Ohoama's reign and why the order for national temples probably only states that there were just two or three.  However, it would become one of the four great temples, and is also notable because, in its transfer to Heijokyo, it largely retained its shape and layout, meaning that you can go to it, today, and still get some sense of what it may have been like back in the Asuka period.  Granted, there are certainly differences, but there are enough similarities that it is likely worth a visit.  Many of the other temples were significantly modified when they were rebuilt in the new capital in Nara.  The layout for Yakushiji is a basic rectangular layout.  North of the central gate there is not one, but two pagodas, on an east-west axis from each other, flanking the path to the kondo, roughly in the center.  Finally the koudou at the north end, built into the roofed gallery.  The modern Yakushiji, a UNESCO world heritage site, maintains one of the pagodas from 730.  Other buildings have been lost and rebuilt over the years.  Today, the covered gallery only goes around half of the compound.  This temple would be important, but mostly in the period following the current reign. This period of the four Great Temples perhaps gives us some insight into the relationship between Buddhism and the State.  Early on, Buddhism was the province largely of the Soga family, and Soga no Umako was apparently the most powerful figure of his day.  He founded Asukadera, and early temples weree founded by Soga or their associates, including Prince Umayado.  McCallum points out that the National Temples, however, were, with one exception, founded by sovereigns.  Kudara Ohodera was the first, Kawaradera was likely founded for Takara Hime, and Yakushiji was founded for Queen Uno.  The only one of the four that wasn't expressly founded on a sovereign's order was that of Asukadera, the temple by Soga no Umako.  This may explain why it was both included and excluded as a national temple in the Chronicles.  After all, there is no doubting its importance, but the narrative of a single, strong, royal house is somewhat impeded by the idea that one of those temples was founded by what was, for all of his power and authority, a private individual.  Ultimately they didn't include it in the edict and yet still acknowledged it as one of the Great Temples. McCallum also points out that these four may not have been fixed quite so early on.  For example, on the matter of Houryuuji—there is a bronze plaque that mentions an "Ikaruga no Ohodera", suggesting that the Ikaruga Temple—that is to say Houryuuji, founded on the estates of Prince Umayado—was at one time granted that title.  Of course, there are questions as to the exact date of the inscription, and whether or not they meant "Ohodera" in the later sense of a national temple or simply in the sense that it was large; and the term may have meant something else, earlier on. The roster of official temples, the Tsukasa no Tera or Kanji, would grow over time, but that is something for a later period.  It is worth noting, though, that the Chronicles at this point seem to distinguish between three types or levels of temples at this time, based on other edicts that we see.  There is also the matter of temple names. The first edict is from the 5th day of the 4th lunar month of 679, six years into Ohoama's reign.  The declaration states that the court would consider the history of any temple with sustenance fiefs and add or remove them as appropriate.  This suggests that there were temples with sustenance fiefs—that is, that had stipends based on lands whose official output went to their upkeep—and temples without such fiefs.  The latter were likely more local temples, likely funded by local elites, possibly out of actual devotion, or an attempt to gain the power that Buddhism presumably brought, or possibly just in emulation of the central court, much as the peripheral elites had also constructed the keyhole shaped kofun.  Along with the adjustments of stipends, we are also told that the administration quote-unquote "fixed" the names of the temples. This again goes to the government's control of the temples and Buddhism.  McCallum suggests that what is meant here is that they moved away from locative names to Buddhist names for the temple; up to this point, temple names appear to be about the location of the temple.  So we have Asuka dera, or Asuka Temple, built in Asuka.  Kudara Ohodera is Kudara Great Temple because it was by the Kudara river and the Kudara palace.  When it was moved to Takechi, they changed the name to Takechi temple.  Kawaradera was at Kawara, while the temple we know as Houryuuji was known at the time as Ikaruga Temple—or possibly Ikaruga Great Temple.  But later these temples would be known by their Buddhist names, so Asukadera is Houkouji.  Kudara Ohodera becomes Daikandaiji—and in fact, it is after this point that we see Daikandaiji in the narrative.  Ikaruga dera—though not one of the yondaiji, or four Great Temples—becomes Horyuuji.  I'm not quite so sure about Kawaradera, but Yakushiji, which is founded after this decree, comes to us with a Buddhist name rather than just the name of a location. This change in name likely simplified, somewhat, the concept of moving, or transferring the temples.  Rather than establishing a brand new temple with new administration and everything, they could build a new temple, but grant it the name and rights of the old temple.  The old temple grounds could still be used and occupied—it was still *a* temple, but it was no longer *the* temple, at least for official purposes.  It would be strange, however, to move the Asuka Temple up to the area of modern Nara city and still call it the Asuka Temple. The year after reassessing the stipends and fixing the names of the temples we get the edict about the 2 or 3 national temples.  And we've mostly discussed that, but here I would just point out that it does add a third distinction to the types of temples.  So we have temples with no stipends, temples with stipends—but they would only last for 30 years total after which they were expected to find new sources of funding—and the national temples, which would presumably receive funding through the government in perpetuity—or until the court changed its mind. So why do we care about any of this?  Obviously Buddhism has had a huge impact on Japanese culture.  However, this isn't just about the religion as an idea, but about the institutions.  These temples—especially these great temples—contained a fair amount of wealth.   It wasn't just the golden images, or the elaborate amount of work and materials that went into the creation of the buildings.  There was also the sustenance-fiefs that were paying for the upkeep.  These temples were also being managed by formal government administrators.  They also performed rituals that the court relied on.  Association with these temples was no doubt important.  Later we see princes and other members of high status families taking high ranking positions, and the temples ended up cultivating their own power.  Over time, the power of various Buddhist institutions would grow,  often challenging or even rivaling the power of the court itself. There are a few other items from this reign that we see related to these temples and Buddhism, more generally.  In 677 we see a Buddhist festival at Asukadera, where the entire canon was apparently reda out.  The sovereign himself showed up and did obeisance to the Three Precious Things—an interesting bit of religious piety and humility.   At the same time, he had all of the Princes and Ministers find one person each to renounce the world and become a monk or nun—both men and women were chosen, without apparent distinction.  We are also assured that they all did so of their own volition, and weren't forced.  In 679, we see a regulation on the clothing of priests and nuns, as well as the men and horses who  accompanied them when they traveled.  If priests are going around with a full on noble retinue, well, that probably says something about the status of priests—at least the abbots and heads of these institutions. 680 – A fire breaks out at the nunnery at Tachibana temple.  Tachibanadera is situated south of Kawaradera, and similar to that temple, it seems to have previously been the site of a royal palace and also isn't recorded as being founded in the Nihon Shoki—it appears fully formed in this record.  Tachibanadera's own records seem to suggest that it was founded in 606, and claims a founding by Shotoku Taishi.  It is also said to be the site of the palace where Shotoku Taishi was born to his mother, Princess Anahobe no Hashibito, consort of Tachibana no Toyohi, aka Yomei Tennou.  Shotoku Taishi is also the subject of the primary image of Tachibana temple, today.  Although Tachibanadera wasn't one of the Four Great Temples, it was likely connected to one—Kawaradera.  Not only was it built on the same north-south axis as Kawaradera, but some of the tiles are similar to Kawaradera's founding tiles.  The layout was similar to Yamada-dera or Shitennouji, with the pagoda, kondou, and kooudou, all in a single north-south orientation.  It is possible that Kawaradera was a monastery for male monks while Tachibanadera may have been the complementary nunnery for female initiates.  680 had a lot going on.  In the 10th lunar month, the sovereign handed out alms to monks and nuns—silk and cloth.  A month later, Ohoama vowed Yakushiji in hopes that it would help his wife, Queen Uno, who was unwell.  He also granted a general amnesty, likely to just add further merit.  Apparently it was successful, as she would go on to live for quite some time after that, even helping to take the reins of government when Ohoama himself fell ill. In 682, Princess Hidaka fell ill.  190 people, both men and women, were pardoned for capital or lesser crimes, in an attempt to make merit, and the following day we are told that over 140 people renounced the world at Daikandaiji—likely on the Princess's behalf. The year after that, 683, we see the sovereign making appointments to the official buddhist offices of Soujou, Soudzu, and Risshi—Doctors of the Law.  This was probably a somewhat regular occurrence, though this is the first time we see the Risshi, it seems.  The mention here is apparently due to the admonition given that "Those who control the monks and nuns should act according to the law."  Definitely seems to be something there—perhaps a reason as to why the Soujou and Soudzu were being appointed.  But the Nihon Shoki doesn't give us a lot more to go on other than speculation. Later that same year, in the 7th lunar month, we see priests and nuns gathered at the palace for the first ever ango, or retreat.  An ango is where priests and nuns of different temples are brought together.  The term refers to a practice said to come from the time of Shakyamuni, before there were temples.  Shakyamuni's acolytes, who spent much of the year wandering, would return to one place during the rainy season. At that time they would listen and discuss Shakyamuni's teachings.  In some sects, this practice of coming together would be particularly important, and it was a mark of honor for how many retreats a monk might have attended over the years. In 685, the court promoted Buddhism with an edict requiring every household to maintain a Buddhist altar, with a statue of the Buddha and a copy of a sutra inside.  It is unclear to me if this was just for merit-making or what, but it must have been somewhat lucrative for the various temples, who would have likely been the source for said sutras, and, at least peripherally, the statues as well.  Later that year, in the 4th lunar month, there was another ango at the palace.  The month after that, Ohoama went to Asukadera and presented precious objects and worshipped.  In the 8th lunar month Ohoama went to Joudouji – Aston claims this is Asukadera, also known as Houkouji—and the next day he visited Kawaradera and provided rice to the monks there.  One month after that, Ohoama was feeling ill, so the court ordered Daikandaiji, Kawaradera, and Asukadera—the three Great Temples that were fully operational at that point—to chant sutras for his sake.  In return they were granted various quantities of rice. Ohoama recovered for a time, but it was perhaps a precursor of what was to come.  A month later a monk from Baekje and a lay monk were sent out to seek a medicinal herb known as white okera.  Today, a similar compound is known in Chinese traditional medicine as Bái Zhú.  A few months later Ohoama went to the medicinal herb garden of Shiranishiki, and a few weeks later he was presented with Bai Zhu, the boiled white okera.   That same day, ritualists performed the Chikonsai, the "Calling of the Spirit".  All of this seems to indicate the early onset of symptoms that may have been temporarily abated, but likely were part of the disease or illness that would eventually take his life. But we covered most of that last episode, and we are already dragging on longer than I expected, so I think I'm going to end it here.  Coming up in the narrative, since I started to mention it, I'll probably take a look next at the founding of the new capital of Fujiwara kyo, and what that would mean, along with other initiatives that would outlive Ohoama. Until then if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.

For the first regular episode of the year (excepting our New Year's recap) we take a look at the New Year Traditions at Temmu's court.  How did the court celebrate the New Year in the late 7th century? For more, check out our blogpost:  https://sengokudaimyo.com/podcast/episode-141 Rough Transcript: Welcome to Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  My name is Joshua and this is episode 141: Temmu's New Year's Traditions   The chill winter air meant that most of the assembled crowd had donned multiple layers of robes.  Men and women had assembled together, upon the open, rock-covered courtyard, both to see and be seen.  To the north and east of the courtyard were the walls and gates of the buildings that made up the royal palace, the rooves of the buildings just visible beyond the gates. The onlookers stood arrayed around the open lanes that had been created for the event—at one end of the rocky field were targets, while at the other were archers, also arrayed in their finest outfits.  While technically they wore hunting robes, cut to allow greater movement in the arm, many of these fabrics had no business being anywhere near a moor or the dirt of open fields.  After all, this wasn't just some hunt:  They were demonstrating their skills in the center of the State.  At the officials' command, the archers let loose their arrows.  The crowd murmured at the soft crack of the bowstring, the faint whisper of arrow as the fletchings cut through the air, and the thud as the arrows struck their targets.  Looking downrange, approval bubbled through the crowd: the targets were well-struck.  Behind the archers on the field, another group awaited their turn. The events of the day would be the talk of the court, from the lowest clerk to the highest prince , for days to come.   Not just the well-placed shot, but also the grace and poise of the one who had let loose an arrow of particular note.  And heaven forbid an arrow miss its target.  Even kicking up stones or scraping the earth could have negative social consequences.  A particularly good showing could inspire poetry, and beyond the prizes being offered to the winner, could also bring notice to those from more obscure backgrounds. The new year had just started, and a good performance might be just what was needed to help put the rest of the year on a good footing.     Welcome back!  This is the first episode of the new year, 2026, and we are still going through the reign of Ohoama, aka Temmu Tenno, covering the period from 672 to 686. Before we get started, though, a quick shout out to Suzuki for supporting us on Patreon.  It means a lot and helps us keep this thing going.  If you would like to support us or our efforts to maintain the website, where we also have the Armor manual, clothing, and a miscellany on various topics, we have information at Sengokudaimyo.com and we will have more information at the end of this and every episode.  Support is appreciated as I really do want to try and minimize ads—I don't put any into the podcast myself, though some platforms may place ads around the podcast, which I cannot always control.  Now we've covered a lot this reign, but this episode we are going to cover three things in particular.  First off, and perhaps a bit of a tangent, we'll talk about some of the issues with the Chronicles when it comes to reading it,especially in translation.  It seems quite clear to me that even the sources that the Chroniclers were using weren't always in agreement with each other on how they spelled certain things or even in properly recording when things happened. After that we'll cover the major topics of this episode, focusing primarily on the New Year traditions of the court—we'll look at the major events of the first month for each year in the reign, allowing us to see some of the similarities, and differences. Finally, we'll look at the last year of Ohoama's reign, particularly as he grew ill, because it can be a fascinating question:  What did people do when disease struck before we had modern medicine?  Here the Chronicles reveal a lot about not only the beliefs of the time, but of their syncretism: how people were willing to reach out to whatever power they could in order to cure disease.  Whether it was Yin-yang divination, beseeching the local kami, or attempting to make merit, all of these things were on the table when it came to illness and mortality. And so, let's get into it. One of the first things I want to talk about is the problem that we have in trying to read the Chronicles, both in the way they are written and then the translation issue on top of that.  Even in Japanese the Chronicles have to be translated out of an ancient form of kanbun—basically a Japanese version of Chinese, using Sinitic characters.  Like any document written by non-native speakers, the Chronicles have their idiosyncrasies that make it different from what someone in Chang'an might be writing at the same time.  There are times and places where it is clear that something is meant to be read in the Japanese pronunciation, which itself was different from modern Japanese.  Add to this the fact that there are many times that different Sinitic characters sound alike in Japanese—especially in modern Japanese.  So any English translation of the Chronicles which doesn't give the actual characters in the source text can add to the confusion.  This is why I like to consult either the Japanese Historical Text Initiative or an electronic version of the National History series text—though even those have issues at times when the characters used in the text don't exist in modern character sets, though that seems to be less and less of a problem. One example I want to give of the complexities of reading the Chronicles, and the need to dive deeper into the original language and consult multiple versions, is a set of records for Ki no Omi no Abemaro and others.  He is our first mention of a member of the Ki family: on the 9th day of the 8th month of 673, the first year since Ohoama's ascension and one year after the Jinshin no Ran, we are told that Ki no Omi no Abemaro and others were given favors and rewards for their service during the war in Iga province.  Indeed, Ki no Omi no Abemaro is listed prominently in the records of the Jinshin no Ran and appears to have been one of the generals for Ohoama and the Yoshino faction in general.  Less than a year later, on the 28th day of the 2nd month, Ki no Omi no Abemaro died and was posthumously awarded the rank of Daishi, which was 5th from the top in the old system of 26 ranks.  A rather respectable rank, to be sure. Later that same year we get a note that Ki no Omi no KATAmaro—another member of the family, apparently--was appointed, along with a "Prince Mino" as a commissioner for the erection of the Great Temple of Takechi. Two years later, however, we get a record on the 22nd day of the 4th month of 676 that the sovereign, Ohoama, sent an order to the Governor of Mino telling him to let the children of Ki no Omi no Abemaro, resident in the district of Toki, be removed to the East country and become peasants in that country.  On the face of it, this appears to be an incredible fall from grace.  Ki no Omi no Abemaro is basically one of the top generals and heroes of the Jinshin no Ran, but his children are so unruly that they are banished to the East and stripped of their noble status?  There has to be a story there, right? Then in 679, on the 3rd day of the 2nd month, we are told that Ki no Omi no Katamaro died.  For his service in the Jinshin War he received the posthumous rank of Upper Daikin.  That would have been roughly the 7th rank—two below Ki no Abemaro.  So was the Ki family back in the good graces of the court?  What is going on? First off, when we go to the original text, we see that Aston, whose translation of the Nihon Shoki we've been working on Ihas made an apparent error in translation.  Remember, Aston was translating the Chronicles back in 1896, without the aid of modern computers, along with a lot of other research that has happened since then, and I can hardly fault him for missing things here and there.  This is why, if you cannot check the original, you may want to also look at the new translation from John Bentley.  Here we can see that he translates the name not as "Ki no Omi no Abemaro", but rather that of "Ki no Omi no KASAmaro".  And if we compare Ki no Omi no KaSAmaro with the previous entry on Ki no Omi no KaTAmaro we can see that these are actually the exact same names except for a single character.  Which leads us to the question:  Are these the same person, and the scribes simply miswrote one of the characters in the name?  It may not even be on the Chroniclers so much as whatever texts they were, themselves, working on.  This isn't helped by the fact that we later on see another entry for Ki no KATAmaro, but that one uses character for "KATA", meaning "hard", using the kun'yomi, or Japanese reading, rather than using two phonetic characters in the on'yomi reading.  So is this just another way to write "KATAmaro" or is this a different person altogether? Ultimately, we cannot be entirely sure.  It does seem wild that there would be two "Ki no Omi no Katamaro" at court at the same time and nobody otherwise distinguished the two.  The question about KaSAmaro and KaTAmaro, and whose kids were sent into exile, is a bit harder to untangle. And, truth be told, it is ultimately a minor point.  We have only a couple of lines here, and maybe these passages will help illuminate something later in the histories, but for now, they are just fragments of the story of what was happening.  Parts of the tattered tapestry from which the royal history was ripped out and restitched together, the rest of the story largely discarded, unless it made its way to us through other means. The Chronicles may be flawed, but they are still our main source for the period, and while we might challenge individual items, we still get a glimpse at how things operated back at this time.  For instance, if we look at the events happening around the New Year, we can see some common threads. The New Year is an important tradition in many cultures.  Whether it was a solar or lunar cycle—or some combination—the new year indicated a new cycle, and was often accompanied by associated symbols and rituals.  Today in the US it is often celebrated with fireworks and champagne, followed by making resolutions for the new year.  In Japan, people will often go to their local shrine or temple for an important first visit, and temple bells will ring out 108 times. Another tradition is the osechi-ryori, the  traditional new years foods.  This has grown over time from a tradition of eating a large bowl of rice to various other foods that are seen as auspicious or having special properties, such as the hardening of teeth—a major concern before the era of modern dental hygiene!  Then there are traditions such as the Kagami Biraki, or opening of the mirror, and the creation of special mochi, or rice cakes for the purpose.  Of course all of these traditions started somewhere and have evolved over time, so what do we know about the New Year celebrations during the late 7th century? One caveat: in the Chronicles, we only really see what was happening in the court, and the Yamato court at that.  There may have been local traditions that others were following that, unless we find documentation about them, we likely would never know.  But many of the court traditions were passed down to later generations. These traditions appear to include the giving of gifts; large, celebratory banquets; and the annual archery tournament. Banquets are some of the first and most common things we see.  We see a banquet as Ohoama assumed the throne in 673—which probably was the event that overshadowed anything else they might have done that year.  The following year, 674, there doesn't seem to have been much recorded, and I wonder if they were still pulling everything together after the turmoil of Ohoama's ascension.  And so it is that in the first month of 675 we really get to see the annual new year's events in their full form.  On the second day of that year, from the Royal Princes on down, all of the public functionaries presented their respects to the sovereign.  I suspect that this was a large ceremony, where everyone gathered in the courtyard of the palace together or something similar, not that each person individually went up and presented their respects—I doubt Ohoama would have wanted to sit through all of that.  Also, as we've already seen, there were limits on what parts of the palace different functionaries were allowed to enter.  So some of these well-wishers may have been "outside", others in the courtyard, and others in the palace building itself, depending on their rank and importance in the bureaucratic hierarchy. On the following day, all public functionaries, from the initial rank upwards, presented firewood.  Aston notes that this is the first mention of what would become a yearly practice.  Firewood may not seem like much, but it would have likely been important to keeping things running, especially given how early people were supposed to arrive at the palace and administrative complex each day.  This wasn't firewood for a fireplace—they didn't have those—but probably would have been used either for cooking or, I suspect, for the large braziers that burned with wood and pitch to light the darkness, particularly in the winter months.  Firewood could also be processed into smaller pieces of coal for other uses.  It is interesting that for the first ceremony, the Chronicles describe the court from the Royal Princes on down, while for the giving of firewood the order is from the initial—which is to say the lowest—ranks upwards.  This could indicate the order in which things progressed in these cases. Several days after that, on the 7th day of the first month, a banquet was given at court for the Ministers—so only the higher ranking functionaries.  But ten days later, on the 17th, everyone of rank—the Ministers of State; the Daibu, or high officials; and all of the public functionaries from the initial rank upwards had an archery meeting in the Court of the Western Gate. Archery and archery contests had been important to the Yamato people for ages—and the same on the continent.  Confucius, in his day, suggested that archery was a martial skill that even nobles should cultivate.  I believe we've noted before how archery could be used both for warfare and for just feeding your family.  As such, it was considered a particularly useful skill for just about everyone to have.  It probably also helped that it was a martial skill that noblemen and others could use to show off without actually risking any injury to themselves in the process.  I'm just saying.  And as we described at the top of the episode, this particular archery contest would, for both participants and spectators, likely have been a chance to show off the top of their game, whether in martial prowess, clothing, or behavior. And since we are looking at the new year's celebrations, let's keep this going and look at later years in Ohoama's reign. As I go through these you'll start to see the patterns, where the events I've just described will generally recur year after year, but not identically, sometimes with a shuffle in the schedule. In 676, we see that the Ministers and public functionaries pay their respects on the first day of the new year.  On the 4th day, the sovereign granted gifts to the higher level officials, from Royal Prince Takechi, down to the high officials, or Daibu, of Shoukin rank.  Their not so secret Santa gifts included robes, hakama, lined garments, obi for their waist, leg straps, and staves, or walking sticks.  We are also told that everyone above the rank of Shoukin also got an armrest thrown in, as well.  Further gifts or grants were given out several days later, on the 7th, to everyone from Shoukin on up, based on their individual circumstances.  Then, on the 15th, we again see all of the functionaries present firewood and then they were all entertained at a court banquet. The following day they held the annual new year's archery contest, with prizes, at the court of the western gate.  Those who hit the target received prizes of different values.  In his recent translation of the Nihon Shoki, Bentley references Kuroita on Article 41 of Miscellaneous Statutes, saying that this archery event was apparently a regular new year's occurrence, and even the prizes were noted as varying over time. The same day they held the archery contest, that year, Ohoama held a banquet at the Shima Palace.  Shima was the name given to the Soga Prime Minister, back in the day, so I assume that this was at or near the site of the old Soga residence? In 677, by comparison, we don't see nearly as much referenced.  There is archery at the South Gate, vice the west gate, but that is it.  The festivities in 678 similarly only talk about the archery at the south gate.  There is also mention of a preparation for worshipping the kami of heaven and earth, for which a purification was held throughout the state.  In addition, an abstinence palace, or saiguu, was erected on the bank of the Kurahashi river.  Kurahashi appears to refer to a tributary of the Ohara river, in Sakurai.  This feels less like a New Year's celebration, however, and more like a sign of merit-making.  The Saiguu would have likely been to prepare for a trip to Ise shrine, and three months later Ohoama was preparing to go to the Saiguu, but that is when Princess Towochi suddenly died, and they scuttled the plans. In 679, the court greeted the New Year with a new decree.  Ohoama declared that Princes, Ministers, and public functionaries—anyone in service to the government, basically, were to refrain from paying respects during New Years or other ceremonies to anyone except relatives of the grade of elder brother, elder sister, and above, or to the senior members of the Houses.  Princes weren't even to pay respects to their own mothers unless they were, themselves, princesses.  Ministers were likewise not to pay respects to their mothers if they were of "mean" rank.  In other words, if they were commoners. These kinds of statutes are interesting.  First of all, you ask yourself why?  In all likelihood, there were various local traditions and individuals paid respects to their parents as well as to others to whom they owed respect for one reason or another.  Here the State is ordering society such that there is a clear hierarchy, at least among the members of the court.   Since women often found advancement by marrying up, it was usual for one's mother to have been born a lower rank in society than oneself.  And so we see them enforcing the social order. That new order was based on Confucian concepts of hierarchy, and this seems to go along with those same ideas. What we don't really see is how this was enforced—if at all.  The day after that, the yearly archery competition took place at the West Gate of the palace. The next year, 680, we see a New Year's Banquet at the Court of the Great Hall.  Ohoama himself occupied the Mukai-kodono, which appears to refer to one of the smaller wings.  Based on the palace layout that we see in the posthole remains, this probably means that he was set up in the smaller wing, likely in a more intimate space, while most of the other guests were in the large hall, maintaining that crucial separation of sovereign and subjects. This New Year's archery event included Princes of the Blood all the way down to the rank of Shouken—the very lowest rank in the court—and it was held at the South Gate. You may be noticing a pattern, that the archery competition is listed as being held at either the south or west gates.  The south gate probably refers to the main gate of the later Okamoto—aka the Kiyomihara—palace.  The West gate refers to the west gate of the Ebinoko enclosure.   We talked about these and the general layout of the palace back in Episode 134, and you can check out that podcast blog post for some images of what things looked like, as well.  These gates were on the north and east sides of a large, rectangular courtyard, which was likely the actual event location.  So it isn't as if these were separate areas, just a difference of where things were set up in what was otherwise the same relative space. The following year, 681, we see similar ceremonies.  We see offerings made to the kami of Heaven and Earth, and we once again see a note about various functionaries paying their respects at court.  Even though this wasn't mentioned every year, it could have been an annual thing and just wasn't always recorded so the Chroniclers just wrote down what they had records for.  There are certainly other things we don't necessarily witness in the records, such as the annual promotions and promulgations.  We see irregular promotions, of course, such as on someone's passing, but the regular administration of the government and promotions of people to new positions is not something we really see regularly documented, since it doesn't really shed much light on the sovereign and the royal household.  And so we sometimes see things if they get mentioned, but otherwise we only see glimpses.  That would change as records became more administrative and the histories were more about simply recording what was happening—though still from a particular angle.  At this point, however, we aren't dealing with a single court record, but rather with numerous records, stories, and recollections.  That same year, 681, we also see another banquet, with Ohoama situated in the Mukai no Kodono, while the Princes of the Blood and non-royal Princes were both introduced into the inner reception chamber.  Ministers attended in the outer reception chamber.  They all received sake and musical performances, and rank advancements were given out.  Kusakabe no Kihi no Ohogata was graduated from the rank of Upper Daisen to Lower Daikin, and given the title of Naniwa no Muraji.  A few days later, Sakahibe no Muraji no Iwazumi was granted a fief with 60 horses and received presents of coarse silk, floss silk, cloth, and one hundred mattocks—the last one being a rather interesting gift, I have to admit.  Of course, in true Chronicles fashion, we have no idea why these gifts were made—we don't even have another reference to Iwazumi around there, but he must have done something. We are later told that there was the annual archery shoot, and then a decree, possibly unrelated to New Years, that the various provinces were ordered to repair the shrines to the kami of heaven and earth. The year 682 is an anomaly.  There is no mention of a banquet, nor of an archery tournament.  I wonder if this may have to do with some of the sad events of that first month.  While it started fine—Toneri no Miyatsuko no Nukamushi was raised from Daisen to Lower Shoukin—we are told that on the 18th, Lady Higami, one of Ohoama's consorts, died in the palace.  The next day there was an earthquake, and she was buried on the 27th.  A prominent illness and death may have put a pall on the ceremonies, and could explain why we don't see any mention of them for that year. It is also possible that some of this New Year tradition had become so routine that people were no longer commenting on it, and therefore the Chroniclers weren't including references to it. The following year, in 683, we again see the functionaries paying their respects.  We also see the presentation of a three legged sparrow by the Viceroy of Tsukushi, Tajihi no Mabito no Shima, along with others.  A three legged sparrow would have been something: it is reminiscent of the three legged crow, often depicted in the sun.  It is unclear if it was still alive, but that wasn't the point.  They invited the Princes of the Blood down to the Ministers to great hall, the Daigokuden, for a banquet, where the three legged sparrow was displayed. .  Later that month, Ohoama issued a decree in regards to all of the auspicious omens and made presents to everyone, from Shouken rank upwards.  There was also a general amnesty—all crimes were pardoned, from capital offenses on down, and all forced labor was remitted, so that people didn't have to provide the normal service.  The phrasing for this particular entry is intriguing.  Ohoama is mentioned as Yamato Neko Sumera no Mikoto and is specifically called a "God Incarnate".  This is one of the rare times that we see the Chronicles explicitly call out the sovereign as a living deity.  Of course, they trace the royal lineage back to Amaterasu, but there isn't a lot suggesting that the sovereign is necessarily a deity. And in reality, this was probably something that was more honorific than anything else.  Heck, at times in Japanese history we would see sovereigns selling their calligraphy to help keep the royal palace funded while warriors went around actually being in charge of things.  However, this divine language did show up in the 19th and 20th century, especially as the Tennou, now called Emperor in English terminology, once again was recognized as the Head of State, and people would actually pray to him.  Not necessarily like praying at a shrine, but out of respect.  And remember, a lot of time the Tennou was kept out of sight of regular people and hidden, much like the way that the kami were treated.  The concept of the Emperor's divinity was very much tied up in the elevation of the State and the general sense of Nationalism that had gripped Japan in the early half of the 20th century.  And so the allies quite explicitly had Emperor Showa renounce his divinity after Japan  World War II. Those studying Japanese history have probably heard of this concept, and so it is interesting to see evidence of it here, as well as the nature of the royal house, where the sovereign is kept at a distance from those of lower rank, unless they are directly serving him.  But it was not as though the sovereign was a god in the sense of being all powerful.  Even if he were considered a living, visible kami, the kami were not omnipotent, and there was no getting over the fact that our particular sovereign, Ohoama, was getting older.  Only a year or so earlier, he had suffered a rather bad illness, so he clearly was not invincible.  And it is of course possible that this language was simply royal exaggeration, rather than any attempt to define the sovereign as something more than he was.  Still, that concept would continue to play a part throughout Japanese history. The same day in 683 that Ohoama issued the pardons, we are told that there was a special performance at the Woharida Court of dance and music from Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla—the "Three Countries" of the Korean peninsula, even if only one of them was still going strong.  The Woharida palace is thought to have been north, along the banks of the Asuka River.  It may have been moved over time—there appears to have been a palace in the Furumiya area, near Toyoura, but there is also evidence of a palace by a shared name over by Ikazuchi-no-oka, on the other side of the river.  Excavations at Ikazuchi no oka revealed pottery with the name of the palace, suggesting that this was the site, but even then, that pottery was from the later Tempyo era.  Regardless, it seems that the Asuka valley was just chock full of palaces, new and old, though the older ones were not as regularly used for government functions, one assumes. The following year, 684, we again get told about the annual archery shoot.  It took place in the Eastern court this time, with Ministers in attendance.  Apparently they had men skilled in archery shooting alongside palace attendants and little people—the word used in Japanese is "Shuju" or "Hikihito".  This word is often translated as "dwarf"; it appears to be a derogatory term for anyone considered short of stature, though it is also used to refer more generally to those seen as either lacking wit or to actors and performers. This isn't the first time we see the term.  Back in 675, about 9 years prior, Ohoama had sent orders to a number of regions near the capital, from Awaji to Tamba, to Afumi and to Mino and Wohari, among others, to send as tribute common people who could sing, shuju—or dwarfs—and jugglers.  More generally they seem to be referring to entertainers, and it strikes me that could be what is meant here.  Either way, the entertainment industry was hardly a lucrative one, and we can see that performers are almost more of a commodity, to be "paid" as tribute, rather than a professional who is "hired" to work.  I suspect that, as in many other times and places, individuals who were shorter than average often found work as entertainers in this sense—whether they wished it or not. The year 685 we don't see any mention of archery, though it probably still happened.  Instead the Chronicles focus on the various government officials paying their respects to their sovereign.  The rest of the entries for the month are largely concerned with changes to the rank system as of that year. The year 686, we get the last records of various new years festivals—four months later, the sovereign would grow terribly ill, and he would eventually pass away later that year.  However, for those still celebrating the new year in 686, that was all in the future. The last year of Ohoama's reign started out relatively like others. Ohoama went to the Daigokuden, the Great Hall of Audience, and gave a banquet to the Princes and High Officials.  There he decided to have something of a riddle challenge.  He would ask riddles, and then offer prizes for the correct answer. And no, unfortunately we don't have any of the riddles, at least that I have seen.  Aston calls these "conundrums" and notes that they are specifically nonsensical questions, and provides examples such as "Why does a horse, after a rapid run, listen to the earth? Why does a dog, when he goes slowly, raise his leg?"  Ohoama's son, Prince Takechi, answered correctly, and so did Prince Ise.  Their prizes differed in content, but in both cases were pretty extensive.  The winners received ceremonial robes, brocade or purple hakama, numerous bolts of coarse silk, many pounds of thread, hundreds of pounds of flossed Silk, and hundreds of bolts of cloth. I think that makes it quite a bit more lucrative than any of the quiz nights I've ever been to. Later that month, there was another banquet, this time for nine Buddhist monks of Daikan-daiji. Besides its status as a national temple, this may have also been related to the year before, when Ohoama had fallen ill, and prayers had been offered at Daikandaiji for his recovery.  The courthad likewise provided gifts to the temple in the last month of the previous year, and then, at the banquet, gave to the attending monks silk and cloth, based on their rank. But that wasn't the end of the gifts.  The following day the Princes and High Officials all received upper garments and hakama—likely referring to official garments—each getting one suit, each. Then, on the 13th day of the new year, the court invited 20 exceptional individuals to a banquet.  These were talented people, professors, divination specialists, and physicians.  They were also wined and dined and presented various gifts. On the 16th day, the Princes and High Officials were then invited to a banquet in the Daigokuden.  They were given gifts of silk and cloth, based on their rank.  Then they held another riddle competition, with correct answers rewarded with gifts of coarse and flossed silk. This was only a short time after disaster had struck, though a bit removed—two days earlier, in the evening, the royal storehouse at Naniwa had caught fire, eventually burning the entire Toyosaki palace complex to the ground.  Some claimed that it was actually started at a private residence,  that of Ato no Muraji no Kusuri, and then spread to the Palace.  In the end, only the military storehouse was spared. This would have been quite the tragedy for the government, but it did not halt the festivities happening down in Asuka.  The Naniwa Palace appears to have been a major government center for the administration of the state, but it was not the royal court which had been in Asuka for over a decade.  Indeed, I imagine that the news probably reached Asuka around the time of the Banquet itself. And yet, rather than putting a damper on the festivities, they continued another couple of days – presumably everything was already prepared and there was no point in canceling.  On the 17th, the court sponsored a banquet in the rear palace, presumably for the Queen and members of the imperial family.  Then the following day there was a great revel at the palace.  Ohoama took his place in front of the royal muro and made presents to performers, as well as to the singers.  As before everything varied according to rank. Asuka wasn't the only place to get in on the festivities.  The same month, the court also sponsored a banquet for the Silla envoys in Tsukushi, sending Prince Kawachi and others. Regrettably, that would be the last new year that Ohoama would see.  In the fifth month, he grew ill, and what we see in the Chronicles after that is an interesting look into how people of the time dealt with sickness. First, the court had the Sutra of Yakushi expounded at Kawaradera and held a Buddhist retreat in the palace, inviting monks to come and expound Buddhist teachings.  Yakushi, or Yakushi Nyorai—Bhaisajyaguru in Sanskrit—was known as the Medicine Buddha, and his name in Sinitic characters was basically "Master of Medicine".  It is said that he was responsible for the Eastern Pure Land, and that, as a Bodhisattva, he had made 12 great vows to cure the illnesses of all living beings in the world.  For that reason, Yakushi Nyorai was often called upon to cure illness.  In fact, six years earlier, when the Queen, Uno no Sarara Hime, had taken ill, Ohoama erected an entire temple to Yakushi Nyorai, known as Yakushiji.  He then had 100 people take vows as priests, and they attributed her recovery to this effort. In this case, however, it seems that it didn't have quite such an effect, and Ohoama remained under the weather.  We are also told that the court sent Palace Attendants, the Oho-toneri, to clean the pagodas of various temples and that a general amnesty was announced for all under heaven, emptying the prisons.  All of this points to the idea of making merit in the hope of bringing good karma, and thus healing. But the following month, Ohoama was still ill.  Divination was performed by the Onmyoji, the court diviners, and they claimed that there was a curse from Kusanagi, the sword that is considered one of the three main royal symbols.  This is the sword that was said to have been found by Susanowo in the tale of Yamata no Worochi, and which gained its name, Kusanagi, when used by Yamato Takeru, cutting down the grass to save him when his enemies tried to catch him by setting fire to the field where he was hunting.  For more on that, check out Episodes 34 and 35. Given the importance of Kusanagi, I suspect that the idea of destroying it to remove the curse was out of the question, and so it was sent to Atsuta Shrine, where it was enshrined and would largely stay except when needed for enthronement ceremonies.  And yet, even after the sword was taken away, the illness remained.  Six days later, on the 16th day of the 6th month, the court sent Prince Ise and officials to Asukadera and asked the monks there to make and oath with the Buddha to make Ohoama whole through the power of the Three Treasures of Buddhism.   For their work, the three Buddhist Officers, the Master of the Law, and the Upadhyaya and temple directors, as well as those monks with the rank of "master" each received a donation of one robe and one cover, or "Ohi". Three days later, the court ordered the hundred officials to go to Kawaradera and perfom the ceremony of lighting lanterns and giving offerings to Buddha.  Then they held a great feast and offered repentance for their transgressions.  All of this sounds like a continued attempt to make merit for the state, and thus for Ohoama. We then see the court granting the monks Hounin and Gishou 30 stipend-households to provide for them in their old age, which may be more merit-making, or possibly was related to some of the many other activities so far.  There are a few issues with this entry, and Aston and Bentley don't seem to agree on the actual date.  Bentley has it on the 28th, but that seems odd as it comes before the entry for the 22nd of the same month.  Aston has it as the 20th, but then claimes that there is something odd about the date of the 22nd. On the 22nd, we are simply told that the district kitchen of Nabari caught fire.  Aston notes that this would have been the official government arm in the district gathering food to supply the royal household—rather than being a kitchen in terms of a place to prepare food. Merit-making continued into the 7th month.  We see the Soujou and Soudzu, the primary and secondary prelates of the Asukadera, performing ritual repentance.  The following day there is another general amnesty, and Aston specifically mentions performing a Oho-harai, or cleansing. The day after taxes were halved from the provinces and corvee labor with local conscripted labor was exempted for the year.  Then we see the court presenting paper offerings to the Kunikasu Kami in Ki provinces, as well as the four shrines in Asuka and the Great Suminoe—aka Sumiyoshi—shrine. On the 8th day of the 7th month, 100 monks were invited to the court to read the Golden Light Sutra—Konkoymyou kyou.  And on the 15th there was another court issued amnesty. Despite all of these attempts to make merit and intercede with the Buddha or with various kami, Ohoama's illness continued.  We see that the court issued a decree that all things that should occur, great or small, should be reported to the queen and the crown prince—presumably because Ohoama was no longer in a state to be able to do so. Continuing with their efforts, the court declared that destitute commoners who had been forced to borrow rice seed or money before the 12th month of the previous year would be exempted from repayment.  And then the court changed the name of the year to Akami-tori, or Shuuchou.  They also renamed the palace in Asuka to "Kiyomihara"—again, go check Episode 134 for more on the palace.  "Shuuchou" is the Red Bird, likely referring to Suzaku, though Aston also points out that "Asuka" here is given as "flying bird", as well, and there had been numerous bird-related omens reported throughout the reign. Although these names would not have been used prior to this point—the 7th month of the final year of the reign—the Chroniclers applied the nengo, Shuuchou, to all of the entries for this year, and the name of the palace is often given as "Kiyomihara" is given to distinguish it from the Later Okamoto Palace, even though it was simply the latter palace with the addition of the Ebinoko enclosure. The changing of the era name was likely another attempt to change the seemingly inauspicious year, along with all of the merit-making that the court had been undergoing. And yet they kept going. The court selected 70 people who were diligent in keeping Buddhist laws and had them take the tonsure, and they sponsored a feast—or festival—in the Royal Muro of the Palace. At the same time the various princes had a statue of the Boddhisatva of Compassion, Kannon, made for the sovereign and had the Lotus sutra—the sutra where Kannon is first mentioned—read out at Daikandaiji. Kannon, or Avalokitesvara, was originally seen as a male Boddhisatva, but is often depicted as a woman.  They are also known as Guanyin, from which we get Kannon in Japanese.  Guanyin is also seen as Goddess of Mercy, and is one of the most popular figures across multiple sects of Buddhism and even outside of the Buddhist faith, where she is still seen as a goddess.  In this case, however, it seems clear that the princes were seeking compassion to relieve the sovereign of his affliction. And yet it persisted. They had 80 more people take the tonsure, and then 100 more men and women, placed 100 statues of the Boddhisatva, Kannon, in the palace, and then read out 200 volumes of the Lotus Sutra. And then they made prayers to the kami of Heaven and Earth.  And they dispatched Hata no Imiki no Iwakatsu to present paper offerings to the Tosa great shrine.  Nothing seemed to be working. In the 9th month, we see the royal princes and others, down to the various ministers, all gathered at Kawaradera making oaths for the health of the sovereigns.  This last ditch effort would go unrewarded.  Five days later, and Ohoama would pass away.  Of course, they couldn't just say that he died:  The Chronicles actually say that he divinely departed.  After all, didn't they call him an incarnate kami? Two days later, the court began the ritual of mourning, raising voices in lamentation, and setting up a temporary palace of interment in the courtyard, south of the palace.  Ohoama's body was placed there some thirteen days later, and people mourned his passing. For the rituals, we see monks and nuns performing ritual lamentation in the courtyard between 3 and 5 am, around the time that court officials would normally be waiting at the gates.  Over the next several days, various ceremonies were held and eulogies given.  We are told that the court presented offerings of food for the dead for the first time, and over the next several days monks and nuns would offer their laments and then various individuals would provide their eulogies.  Finally, on the last day of the ninth month, the eulogies concluded with Nyang-u, a Baekje prince, who pronounced a eulogy on behalf of his father, and then the Miyatsuko of various provinces came and did likewise.  There were also performances of all manner of singing and dancing. With that, the reign of Ohoama would come to an end.  The government would continue under his wife, the Queen, and Crown Prince.  We'll get into the succession in a later episode.  For now I'll just say that he was eventually buried in a large tomb in the modern Noguchi area of Asuka, and you can still go see it. And while that does bring us to the end of the reign, we still have a few more things that I want to discuss.   This episode just seemed a good time to talk about all of the various new years ceremonies, and that seemed to lead naturally into the very last year, but there is still more to discuss.  For one thing, we still haven't quite covered the spread of Buddhism and the changes in the structure.  There are also various laws and punishments that are worth covering.  Finally, there are the Chronicles themselves: we've talked about it all along, but the Nihon Shoki and the Kojiki are attributed to this era, as is the start of what would become the capital of Fujiwara-kyo—many works that Ohoama would not live to see to the end, but is largely held responsible for starting. But until then, if you like what we are doing, please tell your friends and feel free to rate us wherever you listen to podcasts.  If you feel the need to do more, and want to help us keep this going, we have information about how you can donate on Patreon or through our KoFi site, ko-fi.com/sengokudaimyo, or find the links over at our main website,  SengokuDaimyo.com/Podcast, where we will have some more discussion on topics from this episode. Also, feel free to reach out to our Sengoku Daimyo Facebook page.  You can also email us at the.sengoku.daimyo@gmail.com.  Thank you, also, to Ellen for their work editing the podcast. And that's all for now.  Thank you again, and I'll see you next episode on Sengoku Daimyo's Chronicles of Japan.  

In this interview I am once again joined by Dr Ben Joffe, anthropologist, occultist, and scholar practitioner of Tibetan Buddhism. Ben reveals the industry convention of guru ghostwriting in which spiritual teachers employ one or a team of writers to produce their dharma books, explains his collaborative process with Nida Chenagtsang on their latest Vajrayana book, and sheds light on his own editorial process. Ben discusses whether a scholar should have practice experience before translating religious texts, considers whether historical inaccuracies debunk the spiritual value of Buddhist scriptures, and raises questions about the origin of terma treasure texts. Ben also compares the Yuthok Nyinthig retreat format to the Abramelin Ritual of Western Occultism, details the signs of success in tantric practice, and shares Yuthok's promise to appear in bodily form to practitioners with sufficient devotion and attainment. … Video version: https://www.guruviking.com/podcast/ep337-guru-ghostwriting-tantric-retreat-dr-ben-joffe Also available on Youtube, iTunes, & Spotify – search ‘Guru Viking Podcast'. … Topics include: 00:00 - Intro 01:12 - Ghostwriting for gurus 08:03 - Lamas often don't write their books 10:24 - Ben's editorial process 18:32 - Is guru ghostwriting a dirty secret? 19:17 - Vajrayana jargon vs a felt sense 29:56 - What is a scholar practitioner? 37:39 - Ben's retreat experiences 41:13 - Did Yuthok the Elder really exist? 50:06 - Anachronisms and retroactive attribution in Tibetan historiography 51:57 - Origins of the Tibetan medical tantras (rgyud bzhi) 58:08 - Terma treasure texts: mystical revelation or an editorial process? 01:02:08 - Why have Western scholars been hesitant to question terma texts? 01:05:04 - Does critical scholarship debunk Buddhism? 01:10:55 - Medicine Buddha ex machina 01:12:45 - Referring out 01:13:24 - Encountering Yuthok vs the Holy Guardian Angel in the Abramelin Ritual 01:20:10 - Special 7-day Yuthok ngondro 01:24:10 - Is Yuthok Nyingthig the best tantric system? 01:28:27 - The power of aspiration prayers 01:30:53 - How long does it take to become fully enlightened? 01:33:51 - Practice according to number, time, or signs 01:34:54 - Mythic resonance of lineage 01:36:33 - Signs of spiritual progress 01:41:35 - Ben comments on the Abramelin Ritual 01:43:59 - Sumton's Yeshe Zung's devotional prayer 01:46:50 - Yuthok as a Mighty Dead 01:48:47 - Do Yuthok's promises cause ego inflation and delusion? 01:52:09 - Verifying dreams and spiritual signs 01:58:26 - How to connect with spiritual blessings 02:05:09 - What are blessings? 02:06:32 - Spiritual signs in the Jesuit tradition 02:08:49 - Ngondro as a hazing 02:10:55 - Do people expect to encounter Yuthok at Dr Nida's retreats? 02:15:38 - Dr Nida's approach vs traditional contexts 02:21:00 - Typical student profile and outcomes 02:29:28 - Permissive approach to tantric vows 02:32:37 - Pros and cons of laissez-faire tantric practice 02:33:28 - Charismatic founder stage 
… Previous episodes with Dr Ben Joffe: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=joffe Previous episodes with Dr Nida Chenagtsang: - https://www.guruviking.com/search?q=nida 
… To find out more about Dr Ben Joffe, visit: - https://perfumedskull.com/ - http://www.skypressbooks.com/ … For more interviews, videos, and more visit: - https://www.guruviking.com Music ‘Deva Dasi' by Steve James

Lama Zopa Rinpoche reads the General Confession in the presence of two relics. He clarifies some of the points and explains how to mediate on how everything is merely labeled.Rinpoche then recites the increasing effect mantra, the mala blessing mantra, and the mantra for blessing the feet. He describes the benefits of these mantras. Next, he gives the oral transmission and a detailed commentary of the blessing the speech practice. He says that if you do this practice, it perfects the power of speech, increases whatever recitation you do by ten million times, and prevents the power of mantra being destroyed by black foods. He describes the visualizations, mantras, and prayers of this practice.To conclude, Rinpoche asserts that everyone should recite Chenrezig and Medicine Buddha mantras. The Chenrezig mantra is needed to develop compassion, achieve bodhicitta, and fulfill the wishes of all beings. The Medicine Buddha mantra is needed for success as it pacifies obstacles. Rinpoche says that as long as you are still breathing, even if you don't do other prayers, you should at least recite these two mantras.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadampa Geshes is mainly aimed toward Sangha and those doing a lifetime retreat. Even though most of us are unable to practice like the Kadampa geshes, reciting the Ten Innermost Jewels leaves a positive imprint so that we can practice like them in the future.Rinpoche reads the bodhicitta motivation aimed toward freeing hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, sura beings, asura beings, and intermediate state beings. He continues with the tsog offering and Praise in Eight Lines. He says that it's important to make strong requests to actualize the three principals of the path in this very lifetime without delay.Rinpoche concludes with dedications and the Medicine Buddha practice. He explains how to visualize and pray to each of the seven Medicine Buddhas, while dedicating it to those who are sick as well as those who have passed away.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains that the Ten Innermost Jewels of the Kadampa Geshes is mainly aimed toward Sangha and those doing a lifetime retreat. Even though most of us are unable to practice like the Kadampa geshes, reciting the Ten Innermost Jewels leaves a positive imprint so that we can practice like them in the future.Rinpoche reads the bodhicitta motivation aimed toward freeing hell beings, hungry ghosts, animals, human beings, sura beings, asura beings, and intermediate state beings. He continues with the tsog offering and Praise in Eight Lines. He says that it's important to make strong requests to actualize the three principals of the path in this very lifetime without delay.Rinpoche concludes with dedications and the Medicine Buddha practice. He explains how to visualize and pray to each of the seven Medicine Buddhas, while dedicating it to those who are sick as well as those who have passed away.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org//

Lama Zopa Rinpoche explains how the tea offering to the eight groups of worldly devas can help stop natural disasters, such as extreme weather events. He recalls a time when he was at the Taipei Center in Taiwan during a typhoon. As the wind was pummeling the windows, he asked a geshe to do the tea offering. As soon as the offering was done, the wind stopped. Rinpoche adds that if the person is living in more pure morality, it has more power. Rinpoche advises to do the tea offering before building a house, starting a project, or travelling.Rinpoche continues bestowing the oral transmission of The Confession of Downfalls to the Thirty-Five Buddhas, beginning with Infinite Splendor. He outlines how each Buddha purifies negative karma.Rinpoche says that reciting the names of the thirty-five Buddhas purifies negative karma because in the past, when they were bodhisattvas, they made strong prayers to benefit us. In the same way, Rinpoche advises that we should pray that we will be able to help sentient beings in the future when we become enlightened. He says we should follow the example of the Medicine Buddha and the thirty-five Buddhas.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Lama Zopa Rinpoche continues the discussion from the previous session about his pen-pal when he was in Buxa, Rachel Levi (a member of the Buddhist Society in London). Rinpoche recalls his dream about receiving a letter when she passed away. Although they didn't meet, when Rinpoche was in London, he met her niece. When the niece's husband passed away, an extensive puja was offered at Manjushri Institute. This made the niece very happy. Rinpoche highlights that it's important for centers to do pujas, as much as possible, when somebody connected to the center has passed away. He describes the types of practices that can be done, such as the Medicine Buddha puja and the King of Prayers.In preparation for death, Rinpoche advises those who have taken Highest Tantra initiation and done the enabling retreat to do self-initiation. He says this is best done daily. He also mentions how he read the Heruka middle version self-initiation to Lama Yeshe while he was passing away.Rinpoche discusses the powerful purification of reciting the names of the Thirty-five Buddhas and combining this with prostrations. He says this purifies many eons of negative karma, so you don't have to experience the four suffering results. In the Lama Tsongkhapa tradition, this is a very important daily practice. Rinpoche gives specific details about how to do the practice. He also describes how to do the Vajrasattva purification meditation by combining it with circumambulation. Rinpoche says that you collect unbelievable merit by circumambulating.From April 10 to May 10, 2004, Lama Zopa Rinpoche gave extensive teachings during the Mahamudra Retreat at Buddha House in Australia. While the retreat focused on Mahamudra, Rinpoche also taught on a wide range of Lamrim topics. This retreat marked the beginning of a series of month-long retreats in Australia. Subsequent retreats were held in 2011, 2014, and 2018, hosted by the Great Stupa of Universal Compassion in Bendigo.Find out more about Lama Zopa Rinpoche, his teachings and projects at https://fpmt.org/

Ven Robina leads a Medicine Buddha practice for the mother of one of the participants who had died that night. She introduces the visualization and mantra, and the benefits of this practice for those who are sick and dying. Lawudo Trek | March 22, 2019 | Monjo, Solu Khumbu https://www.lawudo-trek.org

Express mediations at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California. YouTube

Express mediations at Land of Medicine Buddha, Soquel, California. YouTube

The arrival of three new viruses. How planetary influences may impact each zodiac sign's health vulnerabilities. Important mantra: “Even though I'm scared, I love and accept myself." A proactive strategy to maintain vitality. Encouraging the use of the Medicine Buddha for healing energy.

The arrival of three new viruses. How planetary influences may impact each zodiac sign's health vulnerabilities. Important mantra: “Even though I'm scared, I love and accept myself." A proactive strategy to maintain vitality. Encouraging the use of the Medicine Buddha for healing energy.

The Divine Healer, identifiable in Egyptian and Greek myths, also appears in the White Lotus Sutra as both the Medicine Buddha and the Good Physician, in the parable of that name, who leaves his sons to cure themselves. Excerpted from the talk The Archetype of the Divine Healer by Sangharakshita, part of the series Parables, Myths and Symbols of Mahayana Buddhism in the White Lotus Sutra, 1971. *** Subscribe to our Dharmabytes podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts Bite-sized inspiration three times every week. Subscribe to our Free Buddhist Audio podcast:  On Apple Podcasts | On Spotify | On Google Podcasts A full, curated, quality Dharma talk, every week. 3,000,000 downloads and counting! Subscribe using these RSS feeds or search for Free Buddhist Audio or Dharmabytes in your favourite podcast service! Help us keep FBA Podcasts free for everyone: donate now! Follow Free Buddhist Audio: YouTube  |  Instagram  |  Twitter  |  Facebook  |  Soundcloud  

Wellness + Wisdom | Episode 666 In this special replay episode, Josh Trent meets Paul Levy, author of the book Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World and founder of the Awaken In The Dream community, to dive deep into what causes mass psychosis in our society, how we can escape the collective dream, and why awareness is the ultimate antidote to the mind virus. How is the Wetiko mind virus governing our lives and the world, and what is the most efficient remedy to awaken from the collective dream? Join Paul and Josh as they dive deep into Wetiko. Learn how to recognize Wetiko, what to do to free yourself from it, and how it impacts society and manifests in our day-to-day lives. "We are embodied reflections of each other. And what that means is that there's no separate self. When you begin to see that, you'll see through the imagination. Wetiko makes us think that we exist in a way that we don't. It makes us think that we exist as a reference point in space and time, as a separate self, and as soon as we see ourselves in that way, we then think the world is objective, separate from us." - Paul Levy

Something To Think About Series #62 Santa Fe, NM, USA 00:02:01 | Aug 19, 2021 YouTube

We are embodied reflections of each other. And what that means is that there's no separate self. When you begin to see that, you'll see through the imagination. Wetiko makes us think that we exist in a way that we don't. It makes us think that we exist as a reference point in space and time, as a separate self, and as soon as we see ourselves in that way, we then think the world is objective, separate from us. - Paul Levy Live Life Well from Sunrise to Sunset Save 20% with code "WELLNESSFORCE" on everyone's favorite Superfoods brand, ORGANIFI, including their Sunrise to Sunset Bundle and their Women's Power Stack that includes HARMONY + GLOW for true hormonal balance and great health radiating through your beautiful skin. Click HERE to order your Organifi today. Are You Stressed Out Lately? Take a deep breath with the M21™ wellness guide: a simple yet powerful 21 minute morning system that melts stress and gives you more energy through 6 science-backed practices and breathwork. Click HERE to download for free. Biohack Your Mind & Body with Plunge Ice Baths!Save $150 on your PLUNGE order with code "WELLNESSFORCE" As seen on Shark Tank, Plunge's revolutionary Cold Plunge uses powerful cooling, filtration, and sanitation to give you cold, clean water whenever you want it, making it far superior to an ice bath or chest freezer. *Review The Wellness + Wisdom Podcast & WIN $150 in wellness prizes! *Join The Facebook Group   Wellness + Wisdom Episode 599 In this special replay of episode 503, Josh Trent meets Paul Levy, author of the book Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World and founder of the Awaken In The Dream community, to dive deep into what causes mass psychosis in our society, how we can escape the collective dream, and why awareness is the ultimate antidote to the mind virus. How is the Wetiko mind virus governing our lives and the world, and what is the most efficient remedy to awaken from the collective dream? Join Paul and Josh as they dive deep into Wetiko. Learn how to recognize Wetiko, what to do to free yourself from it, and how it impacts society and manifests in our day-to-day lives.   Listen To This Special Replay of Episode 503 As Paul Levy Uncovers: [2:45] Poisoning Of The Human Evolution Awaken In The Dream With Paul Levy Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World by Paul Levy Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil by Paul Levy 405 Tim Corcoran | Vision Quest: How To Find Your Place In The Ecology of Life, Purpose Mountain & Spiritual Courage Paul Chek The mind virus: Why the origin of all evil comes from our psyche. 345 Zach Bush MD: Humanity, Consciousness & COVID19 How we get distracted by searching for problems outside of ourselves. Why most spiritual traditions point to the Wetiko mind virus. Carl Jung Why Josh finds it fascinating that the word, “evolution” contains the word, “love.” The reason why we as a society commit collective suicide. Why the mind virus is a source of the greatest evil and how we became its instrument. What it means that the medicine is encoded inside the mind virus.   [9:15] Wetiko Manifestation In Our Everyday Lives What the Wetiko is trying to reveal and why we need to recognize what it's showing us. Kabbalah Kahuna shamanism Christian mysticism How Paul discovered his childhood trauma and the suffering caused by his father wound. How the process of observing his own mind for several years and meditating made him realize that we are having a collective dream. Why his awakening was mistaken for a mental illness. Why he identifies with the shamanic archetype. His realization that the evil he received from his father was manifesting through the system in the psychiatric institution. What happens when an evil cannibalistic spirit takes over people's minds. Trans-personal energy: Higher-dimensional energy that can possess us and keep us “asleep.” How groups of people with power unwillingly become the instrument of trans-personal energy.   [16:15] Our True, Creative Nature VS Collective Psychosis His practice to become familiar with his true nature to avoid being touched by evil. What true nature is according to Paul and how it helps us with Wetiko. Paul explains why nobody is immune to Wetiko. Why a negative father is an archetype that exists in the collective unconscious, and how it relates to domination and objectification of Mother Nature. The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts Why Josh thinks forcing a meaning of something can make us fall into spiritual bypassing. The reason Paul wrote the book about Wetiko and had to split it into two books. How seeing Wetiko takes away its power and empowers yourself.   [23:40] Fighting Wetiko With Our Consciousness Why the essence of the Medicine Buddha is an inspiration to Paul, and the story behind his tapestry. Wetiko in sacred texts: Why was it edited out of the Bible? How Wetiko offers us a false identity and how it manipulates us through it unless we are able to identify our true self. Uncovering how the Bible indirectly describes Wetiko as a blindness of the mind correlated to the coldness of the heart. Why the revelation of quantum physics is a medicine for Wetiko. What it means that we are the solution and we possess the creative power to heal ourselves from the mind virus. Paul explains a Tibetan Buddhist tradition: Terma (hidden treasure). How quantum physics is a modern-day analog to the Terma: Discovering there is no such thing as an objective world. Why the belief that we are passive witnesses and the world is objective gives power to Wetiko. How dreams become a reflection of our minds, reinforce our viewpoints, and hypnotize ourselves   [36:00] The Collective Dream Of Separate Selves Josh explains why it's impossible to go back to being unconscious after you start your healing journey. What the Bleep Do We Know!? The importance of recognizing that we are in a collectively shared dream. Why the characters in our dreams are aspects of ourselves. There is no separate self: We are embodied reflections of each other. Why seeing ourselves as separate from the world keeps us disconnected from our true nature. What it means that we are unique points of consciousness expressing itself from a source according to Josh.   [40:20] Becoming The Observer + Changing The Past Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality by Paul Levy Why according to quantum physics there is only the present moment, and how we can access our power through it. What it means that the past isn't finished: We can observe the past in this moment and change it through our creative imagination to heal. How we express the atemporal part of us that is conscious in the linear timeline. Unnatural time frequency and mind distortion: How our relation to time causes insanity. Why we put too much emphasis and give meaning to time.   [44:20] Awakening From The Wetiko Dream God is dark and light, everything and nothing, love, and hate. Why our power lies in how we interpret our experience according to Paul. How quantum physics proves to us that we are creating our experience of the world and ourselves moment by moment. The universe is malleable and mutable just like our experiences and who we are. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama Why the more you express compassion, the more compassion there is to share. How helping others awaken actually helps us because we are not separate. Bodhisattva: Being in the process of awakening. How awakening can also become contagious that can affect the world in a positive way. The secret power of dreaming: What would happen if we and all characters in our dreams would awaken. Josh sings a song that reminds him of what Paul was talking about.   [51:15] The Self-Induced Mind Blindness What physically impossible things happened to Paul when he started awakening. He tells a story about how he helped a blind woman see again with his words, and how it made him realize he was not insane but awakening. 311 Mark Wolynn | It Didn't Start With You: Ending The Cycle of Inherited Trauma 366 Mark Wolynn | How To Heal Generational Trauma: The Thoughts, Feelings, Patterns & Behaviors Formed Before You Were Ever Born It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn Why the Bible says that mindblindness is self-induced. The essence of Paul's work: Trying to help people open their eyes and see Wetiko. What happens when you recognize the correlation between the outer world and your inner state, and finally recognize the dream.   [57:55] The Source Of Our Suffering A text by Jesus Christ that was edited out from the Bible: “I am a mirror to those that perceive me.” Why the mirror is a symbol of true nature in Buddhism. How identifying ourselves with our unhealed wounds feeds the Wetiko. How Buddha discovered that the source of our suffering is clinging. What it means that there is no Wetiko outside of us and the fear of Wetiko is actually Wetiko.   [01:01:55] The Inner & The Outer Manifestation Of Wetiko 344 Leslie Manookian | COVID19 – The Truth About Flattening The Curve Josh explains collective madness according to Carl Jung. Why Paul believes that Jung used the word ‘totalitarian psychosis' to describe Wetiko. The inner and the outer reflection of Wetiko: How it controls our mind like totalitarianism controls the world. How we can envision who we are and our world through ideas. Why the greatest tyrants in history were scared of new ideas. How our creative power potentiates when we get in phase with each other and become of service to the whole. Paul reveals why quantum physicists lose their job when they try to tell the truth about consciousness. The new symbolic idea: We can change the collective dream we're having.   [01:06:55] How Our Trauma Projects In The World Why the mirror etymologically means a holder of the shadow. Shadow projecting: Not owning our own darkness makes us project it out and embody it. How the evil outside of us is a reflection of ourselves, and why recognizing this brings us closer to our light and goodness. Josh shares his experience with his fear of being dominated. How Paul's father tried to annihilate his light when he saw him stepping into his light because that's what he was doing to himself. The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind by Wilhelm Reich Unpacking how we are still murdering the Christ; the light force within us, by not being awake. How abuse trauma shows us that we are abusing ourselves.   [01:13:15] The Antidote For Wetiko 481 Scott Jackson | Rewire Yourself: How To Create A Life You Love With Freedom From Subconscious Sabotage Symbols are the language of dreams and the antonym to ‘diabolic': Recognizing the dream-like nature is the antidote for the diabolic energy of Wetiko. How language creates our experience according to Paul. What happens to all the potentialities that don't manifest in the world. Why there is always the possibility of creating a different reality according to quantum physics. Hundredth monkey effect Why it's important to envision ourselves awakening. What wellbeing means to Paul: Connecting with our creative agency and our true nature.   Power Quotes From The Show The World Is A Reflection Of Our Inner World "What's happening externally in the world is reflecting what's happening in the mind, and vice versa. With Wetiko, we all have a potential, when all of a sudden it becomes activated, it will set up this shadow government within our mind. It will subsume the healthy parts of the psyche into its service. It will hijack the psyche. It will colonize our mind. It will dictate to the ego in such a way that we then become in service to it, to the point that we become possessed, we become taken over, we become instruments of our own enslavement. That's exactly what's happening in the world with totalitarianism." - Paul Levy   The Subjective Observation Of The World "There is no such thing as an objective world. That's just an idea in our head that the active observation of the world actually influences the world we're observing. That's the description of a dream. What that means is that the active observation is creative. That's the portal into this immense vast creative power that each one of us has, each and every moment in creating our experience." - Paul Levy   What Feeds The Wetiko Virus "There is no Wetiko outside of us. If people hear about a mind virus and feel afraid, that feeling afraid, that is Wetiko. There's nothing to feel afraid of because there is nothing there. But if we cling to it and give it with reality, then we're colluding with our own victimization, then we're complicit with evil, then we're investing in the reality of Wetiko, and there's nobody else to blame but ourselves." - Paul Levy   Links From Today's Show  Awaken In The Dream With Paul Levy Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World by Paul Levy Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil by Paul Levy 405 Tim Corcoran | Vision Quest: How To Find Your Place In The Ecology of Life, Purpose Mountain & Spiritual Courage Paul Chek 345 Zach Bush MD: Humanity, Consciousness & COVID19 Carl Jung Kabbalah Kahuna shamanism Christian mysticism The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts What the Bleep Do We Know!? Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality by Paul Levy The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama 311 Mark Wolynn | It Didn't Start With You: Ending The Cycle of Inherited Trauma 366 Mark Wolynn | How To Heal Generational Trauma: The Thoughts, Feelings, Patterns & Behaviors Formed Before You Were Ever Born It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn 344 Leslie Manookian | COVID19 – The Truth About Flattening The Curve The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind by Wilhelm Reich 481 Scott Jackson | Rewire Yourself: How To Create A Life You Love With Freedom From Subconscious Sabotage Hundredth monkey effect M21 Wellness Guide Wellness Force Community Leave Wellness + Wisdom a review on Apple Podcasts Paul Levy YouTube Awaken In The Dream Josh's Trusted Products | Up To 40% Off Shop All Products BREATHE - 33% off with the code “PODCAST33” SiPhox - 10% off with code "JOSH" Holy Hydrogen - $100 off with code "JOSH" ⁠Myoxcience - Save 20% with code "JOSH20"⁠ SinuSonic - 15% off with "JOSH15" Organifi - 20% off with the code ‘WELLNESSFORCE' QI-Shield EMF Device - 20% off with the code "JOSH" SEED Synbiotic - 30% off with the code "JOSHTRENT" BON CHARGE - 15% off with the code "JOSH15" MANNA Vitality - 20% off with the code "JOSH20" SimplyO3 - 10% off with code "JOSH10" Kineon - 10% off with code "JOSH10" Mendi.io - 20% off with the code "JOSH20" Adapt Naturals - 15% off with code "WELLNESSFORCE" SpectraSculpt - 15% off with the code "JOSH15" SaunaSpace - 10% off with the code "JOSH10" Cured Nutrition CBD - 20% off with the code "WELLNESS FORCE" PLUNGE - $150 off with the code “WELLNESSFORCE" LiftMode - 10% off with the code "JOSH10" MitoZen - 10% off with the code “WELLNESSFORCE” Paleovalley - 15% off with the link only NOOTOPIA - 10% off with the code "JOSH10" Activation Products - 20% off with the code “WELLNESSFORCE” SENSATE - $25 off with the code "JOSH25" BiOptimizers - 10% off with the code "JOSH10" ION - 15% off with the code ‘JOSH15' Feel Free from Botanic Tonics - $40 off with the code "WELLNESS40" ⁠Essential Oil Wizardry - Save 15% with "WELLNESSFORCE"⁠ ALIVE WATERS - 33% off your first order with the code "JOSH33" Earth Runners Shoes - 10% off with code "JOSH10" DRY FARM WINES - Get an extra bottle of Pure Natural Wine with your order for just 1¢ Drink LMNT - Zero Sugar Hydration: Get your free LMNT Sample Pack, with any purchase ⁠EnergyBITS - Save 20% with "WELLNESSFORCE⁠" ⁠Create Wellness Creatine Gummies - Save 20% with "JOSH20"⁠ ⁠EQUIP Foods - Save 15% with code JOSH15⁠ Free Resources M21 Wellness Guide - Free 3-Week Breathwork Program with Josh Trent Join Wellness + Wisdom Community MANNA Vitality The only supplement you will ever need.   Save 20% with "JOSH20"   Manna harnesses the power of nature through their Mineral Matrix blend, a unique composition of natural ingredients such as Shilajit, Ormus, and marine minerals. • Energy & Longevity • Brain Performance • Sex Drive • Immunity Defence • Beauty & Glow   This blend is designed to support overall mental and physical performance, including cognitive function and energy levels, for an overall boost in vitality. By using natural ingredients, Manna provides a safe and effective way to enhance your body's natural abilities and unlock your full potential. Manna is a combination of the highest quality minerals, amino, fulvic and humic acids and nutrients gathered from some of the highest and lowest points on the planet —the mountains and the sea—to provide a comprehensive and enhanced mineral matrix.   Save 20% with "JOSH20" ABOUT PAUL LEVY Paul Levy, a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence, is a wounded healer in private practice who helps others who are awakening to the dreamlike nature of reality. He established the Awaken In The Dream Community in Portland, Oregon. Paul is an artist who is deeply influenced by C. G. Jung's work and has been a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for over 35 years. For over two decades, he was the coordinator of the Portland PadmaSambhava Buddhist Center. He is also the author of several best sellers: The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World

Dive into the origin story of my brand and community Blue Magic Alchemy according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of three distinct meanings: outer, inner, and secret.  The outer meaning of the name is rooted in alchemy and the transformative power of breathwork highlighting my focus on helping individuals harness the power of their breath to bring about personal transformation.  Moving on to the inner meaning ,it is revealed that mushrooms play a significant role. It is worth noting that the hallucinogenic substance found in mushrooms turns blue when the mushroom is bruised.  Lastly, the secret meaning of Blue Magic Alchemy involves transpersonal experiences with blue deities such as the Medicine Buddha and Shiva. These experiences are deeply personal and transformative, reflecting  the work that goes beyond the surface level and into the realm of spirituality and higher consciousness. I am truly grateful for your support and the connections that we are building in community. Sign up for my newsletter at www.bluemagicalchemy.com to stay in the loop on the current breathwork and integration offerings. I am taking new clients for a six-week Breathwork for Integration coaching program, where you'll learn multiple dimensions of awareness, regulation and expansion with your breath as well building a consistent practice for your personal growth.  In conclusion, Blue Magic Alchemy is a company with a name that holds multiple layers of meaning. The outer meaning is related to alchemy and breathwork, while the inner meaning revolves around mushrooms and their transformative power. The secret meaning involves transpersonal experiences with blue deities and reflects the nature of the integration work that we are sharing together.

Why, in times of pain, sickness or stress do many Mahayana Buddhists turn to meditation and the mantras of Medicine Buddha? Why is Lapis Lazuli Bhaishajyaguru called the Supreme Healer and the King of Medicine? What empowers the healing power of the the great Lapis Lazuli Light Medicine Buddha, known in Tibetan as Sangye Menla?In times of pain, sickness, or stress, many Mahayana Buddhists rely on sacred Medicine Buddha meditation for healing. Long Sanskrit Dharani of MEDICINE BUDDHA (video): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzYy8KGIdxs Short Medicine Buddha Mantra (Tibetan Pronunciation) by Yoko Dharma: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkWpvmjWpZc Buddha Weekly's Youtube Health Topics and Medicine Buddha Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8d71VyWOwkEwcVlbn9rPhIRzIzOShv6Z 10 Research Studies supporting health benefits of meditation and visualization: https://buddhaweekly.com/science-meditation-peer-reviewed-studies-prove-least-10-reasons-meditate-daily-boosting-immune-system-increasing-cognitive-function-reduction-inflammation-th/ MUSIC AVAILABLE on your favorite streaming service: APPLE MUSIC: https://music.apple.com/us/album/medicine-buddha-healing-dharani-mantra-in-sanskrit-single/1695980329 SPOTIFY: https://open.spotify.com/album/7GM59ltUh44w7BRLad1BHz OR any of your favorites: Instagram/Facebook, TikTok/TikTok Music/Resso/Luna, YouTube Music, Amazon, Pandora, Deezer, Tidal, iHeartRadio, Claro Música, Saavn, Boomplay, Anghami, KKBox, NetEase, Tencent, Qobuz, Joox, Kuack Media, Yandex Music (beta), Adaptr, Flo, MediaNet In Buddhism, where the power of mind is preeminent, it is no surprise that meditation is widely embraced as a healing method.The words medication and meditation differ only by one letter. They both come from the same Latin root word, medeor, which means to heal or to make whole.While modern medicine normally involves various modalities and medicines, in traditional Tibetan and Chinese medicine meditation plays a large role in healing. NOTE: It is always recommended that you seek professional health care advice, and treat Medicine Buddha practices as supportive. Support the show

Something To Think About Series #31 YouTube

In this episode, I explore some more ideas from the Alain de Botton book The Consolations of Philosophy, focusing on the surly sentiments of Schopenhauer and on Nietzsche's admonition to "live dangerously!" Happiness isn't about being safe all the time; nor is it about being comfortable or...well...happy. I also talk about the Medicine Buddha and the mantra associated with that archetype: TAYATA, OM BEKADZE, BEKADZE, MAHA BEKADZE, RADZA SAMUNGATE SOHA. I've recently been invoking him/it, trying to support my own healing (the "physical inadequacy" continues!) and that of those I love. Lastly, I discuss some ideas from the book Zen Spirit, Christian Spirit, by Robert E. Kennedy, Jesuit priest and Zen roshi. This episode has bells!

This offering is an outtake from Episode 22, on Rob Errera's horror rock novel ‘Hangman's Jam', a story about a haunted song that beguiles an up-and-coming rock band. In the last segment of that episode, my friend Zeena Schreck joined me to talk about the power certain songs have in spiritual and magical practices, to add real-world context to Rob's novel. Zeena has been on the podcast a few times, and each time our conversation tends to branch out and take on a life of its own, which means I always have some bits that don't make it into the regular episodes, many of which wind up as stand-alone mini-episodes, like this one. For those of you who are not familiar with Zeena and her work, here's a short introduction: Zeena Schreck, formerly LaVey, was raised within the Church of Satan. She came to international prominence early in life as the organization's High Priestess and first public spokesperson, defending the Church in the 1980s during the infamous media-fueled U.S. Satanic Panic. She resigned her position in 1990, severed ties with her father, Anton LaVey, and renounced Satanism and Western occultism to pursue her own religious path, which led to her becoming a practitioner and lineage holder of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. Zeena is also an interdisciplinary visual and musical artist based in Berlin, Germany. Her latest solo album, ‘Transcend', was just released and is available on Bandcamp. You can find the link below. So much of Zeena's art converges with her spiritual practice. This is definitely true of ‘Transcend'. To celebrate the release of this amazing album, have a listen to this outtake from my interview with her from Episode 22, in which we talk about the use and power of Medicine Buddha mantra for spiritual and physical healing, energy transference and mantras as a means for energy transference, approaching Medicine Buddha in the spirit of receptivity and experimentation, the importance of having compassion—even for negative forces—and more. You'll also hear clips from two tracks from ‘Transcend': “Ascent” and “Parting Clouds.” Music used in this interview is by Zeena Schreck and used with her approval and cannot be reproduced without her permission: “Ascent” “Parting Clouds” Links: Zeena's new album ‘Transcend' on Bandcamp: https://zeenaschreck.bandcamp.com/album/transcend For news of Zeena's current public activities and releases, subscribe to the e-newsletter at https://www.zeenaschreck.com/subscribe.html Zeena's website: www.ZeenaSchreck.com Zeena's blog: https://www.zeenaschreck.com/blog Zeena, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeenaschreck_art/ Zeena, YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeenaSchreckOfficial Zeena, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZEENA.Official.ZeenaSchreck Episode 22 of Rock is Lit: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/roberreraandzeenaschreck Episode 6 of Rock is Lit: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/zacharylazar/tonysokol/zeenaschreck Rock is Lit Bonus: Zeena on Her Spiritual Path: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/podcast-vault-feed/zeenaschreckandspirituality Rock is Lit Bonus: Zeena on Her Godfather Kenneth Anger: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/podcast-vault-feed/zeenaschreck Leave a rating and comment on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350 Leave a rating and comment on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451 Christy Alexander Hallberg's website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/ Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This offering is an outtake from Episode 22, on Rob Errera's horror rock novel ‘Hangman's Jam', a story about a haunted song that beguiles an up-and-coming rock band. In the last segment of that episode, my friend Zeena Schreck joined me to talk about the power certain songs have in spiritual and magical practices, to add real-world context to Rob's novel. Zeena has been on the podcast a few times, and each time our conversation tends to branch out and take on a life of its own, which means I always have some bits that don't make it into the regular episodes, many of which wind up as stand-alone mini-episodes, like this one. For those of you who are not familiar with Zeena and her work, here's a short introduction: Zeena Schreck, formerly LaVey, was raised within the Church of Satan. She came to international prominence early in life as the organization's High Priestess and first public spokesperson, defending the Church in the 1980s during the infamous media-fueled U.S. Satanic Panic. She resigned her position in 1990, severed ties with her father, Anton LaVey, and renounced Satanism and Western occultism to pursue her own religious path, which led to her becoming a practitioner and lineage holder of Tibetan Tantric Buddhism. Zeena is also an interdisciplinary visual and musical artist based in Berlin, Germany. Her latest solo album, ‘Transcend', was just released and is available on Bandcamp. You can find the link below. So much of Zeena's art converges with her spiritual practice. This is definitely true of ‘Transcend'. To celebrate the release of this amazing album, have a listen to this outtake from my interview with her from Episode 22, in which we talk about the use and power of Medicine Buddha mantra for spiritual and physical healing, energy transference and mantras as a means for energy transference, approaching Medicine Buddha in the spirit of receptivity and experimentation, the importance of having compassion—even for negative forces—and more. You'll also hear clips from two tracks from ‘Transcend': “Ascent” and “Parting Clouds.” Music used in this interview is by Zeena Schreck and used with her approval and cannot be reproduced without her permission: “Ascent” “Parting Clouds” Links: Zeena's new album ‘Transcend' on Bandcamp: https://zeenaschreck.bandcamp.com/album/transcend For news of Zeena's current public activities and releases, subscribe to the e-newsletter at https://www.zeenaschreck.com/subscribe.html Zeena's website: www.ZeenaSchreck.com Zeena's blog: https://www.zeenaschreck.com/blog Zeena, Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zeenaschreck_art/ Zeena, YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/ZeenaSchreckOfficial Zeena, Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZEENA.Official.ZeenaSchreck Episode 22 of Rock is Lit: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/roberreraandzeenaschreck Episode 6 of Rock is Lit: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/rockislitpodcast/zacharylazar/tonysokol/zeenaschreck Rock is Lit Bonus: Zeena on Her Spiritual Path: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/podcast-vault-feed/zeenaschreckandspirituality Rock is Lit Bonus: Zeena on Her Godfather Kenneth Anger: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/podcast-vault-feed/zeenaschreck Leave a rating and comment on Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/rock-is-lit/id1642987350 Leave a rating and comment on Goodpods: https://goodpods.com/podcasts/rock-is-lit-212451 Christy Alexander Hallberg's website: https://www.christyalexanderhallberg.com/ Christy Alexander Hallberg on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube: @ChristyHallberg Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

From a divine 17th century French Canadian cathedral . . .  to a young couple presenting Medicine Buddha-oriented offerings in the midst of northern Colorado's 'Rawah Wilderness' -- a tale of bountiful faith and practice touching distant times and realms. (Length: 14 minutes) Written and shared here by Mark Winwood of the Chenrezig Project (mwinwood@gmail.com), with musical accompaniment by San Francisco Bay-area musician Bobby Vega in collaboration with Chris Rossbach.

A film that follows the work of Mongolian spiritual leader Khamba Lama Natsagdorj is being shown in Cambridge on Tuesday evening. Julian Clover speaks to the director of The Medicine […]

Below is a link to the official most epic and rad store on all of the internet. You may support this show, and my mission in life by visiting: www.Linktr.ee/christophheinen --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/christoph31/message

We are embodied reflections of each other. And what that means is that there's no separate self. When you begin to see that, you'll see through the imagination. Wetiko makes us think that we exist in a way that we don't. It makes us think that we exist as a reference point in space and time, as a separate self, and as soon as we see ourselves in that way, we then think the world is objective, separate from us. - Paul Levy Are You Stressed Out Lately? Take a deep breath with the M21™ wellness guide: a simple yet powerful 21 minute morning system that melts stress and gives you more energy through 6 science-backed practices and breathwork. Click HERE to download for free. Is Your Energy Low? Get more superfoods to improve your energy, digestion, gut health plus also reduce inflammation and blood sugar. Click HERE to try Paleovalley's Apple Cider Vinegar Complex + Save 15% with the code 'JOSH' *Review The WF Podcast & WIN $150 in wellness prizes! *Join The Facebook Group Wellness + Wisdom Episode 503 In this episode, Josh Trent meets Paul Levy, author of the book Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World and founder of the Awaken In The Dream community, to dive deep into what causes mass psychosis in our society, how we can escape the collective dream, and why awareness is the ultimate antidote to the mind virus. How is the Wetiko mind virus governing our lives and the world, and what is the most efficient remedy to awaken from the collective dream? Join Paul and Josh as they dive deep into Wetiko. Learn how to recognize Wetiko, what to do to free yourself from it, and how it impacts society and manifests in our day-to-day lives.   Listen To Episode 503 As Paul Levy Uncovers: [2:30] Poisoning Of The Human Evolution Awaken In The Dream With Paul Levy Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World by Paul Levy Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil by Paul Levy 405 Tim Corcoran | Vision Quest: How To Find Your Place In The Ecology of Life, Purpose Mountain & Spiritual Courage Paul Chek The mind virus: Why the origin of all evil comes from our psyche. 345 Zach Bush MD: Humanity, Consciousness & COVID19 How we get distracted by searching for problems outside of ourselves. Why most spiritual traditions point to the Wetiko mind virus. Carl Jung Why Josh finds it fascinating that the word, “evolution” contains the word, “love.” The reason why we as a society commit collective suicide. Why the mind virus is a source of the greatest evil and how we became its instrument. What it means that the medicine is encoded inside the mind virus.   [14:00] Wetiko Manifestation In Our Everyday Lives What the Wetiko is trying to reveal and why we need to recognize what it's showing us. Kabbalah Kahuna shamanism Christian mysticism How Paul discovered his childhood trauma and the suffering caused by his father wound. How the process of observing his own mind for several years and meditating made him realize that we are having a collective dream. Why his awakening was mistaken for a mental illness. Why he identifies with the shamanic archetype. His realization that the evil he received from his father was manifesting through the system in the psychiatric institution. What happens when an evil cannibalistic spirit takes over people's minds. Trans-personal energy: Higher-dimensional energy that can possess us and keep us “asleep.” How groups of people with power unwillingly become the instrument of trans-personal energy.   [21:00] Our True, Creative Nature VS Collective Psychosis His practice to become familiar with his true nature to avoid being touched by evil. What true nature is according to Paul and how it helps us with Wetiko. Paul explains why nobody is immune to Wetiko. Why a negative father is an archetype that exists in the collective unconscious, and how it relates to domination and objectification of Mother Nature. The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts Why Josh thinks forcing a meaning of something can make us fall into spiritual bypassing. The reason Paul wrote the book about Wetiko and had to split it into two books. How seeing Wetiko takes away its power and empowers yourself.   [28:25] Fighting Wetiko With Our Consciousness Why the essence of the Medicine Buddha is an inspiration to Paul, and the story behind his tapestry. Wetiko in sacred texts: Why was it edited out of the Bible? How Wetiko offers us a false identity and how it manipulates us through it unless we are able to identify our true self. Uncovering how the Bible indirectly describes Wetiko as a blindness of the mind correlated to the coldness of the heart. Why the revelation of quantum physics is a medicine for Wetiko. What it means that we are the solution and we possess the creative power to heal ourselves from the mind virus. Paul explains a Tibetan Buddhist tradition: Terma (hidden treasure). How quantum physics is a modern-day analog to the Terma: Discovering there is no such thing as an objective world. Why the belief that we are passive witnesses and the world is objective gives power to Wetiko. How dreams become a reflection of our minds, reinforce our viewpoints, and hypnotize ourselves   [40:46] The Collective Dream Of Separate Selves Josh explains why it's impossible to go back to being unconscious after you start your healing journey. What the Bleep Do We Know!? The importance of recognizing that we are in a collectively shared dream. Why the characters in our dreams are aspects of ourselves. There is no separate self: We are embodied reflections of each other. Why seeing ourselves as separate from the world keeps us disconnected from our true nature. What it means that we are unique points of consciousness expressing itself from a source according to Josh.   [45:05] Becoming The Observer + Changing The Past Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality by Paul Levy Why according to quantum physics there is only the present moment, and how we can access our power through it. What it means that the past isn't finished: We can observe the past in this moment and change it through our creative imagination to heal. How we express the atemporal part of us that is conscious in the linear timeline. Unnatural time frequency and mind distortion: How our relation to time causes insanity. Why we put too much emphasis and give meaning to time.   [49:05] Awakening From The Wetiko Dream God is dark and light, everything and nothing, love, and hate. Why our power lies in how we interpret our experience according to Paul. How quantum physics proves to us that we are creating our experience of the world and ourselves moment by moment. The universe is malleable and mutable just like our experiences and who we are. The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama Why the more you express compassion, the more compassion there is to share. How helping others awaken actually helps us because we are not separate. Bodhisattva: Being in the process of awakening. How awakening can also become contagious that can affect the world in a positive way. The secret power of dreaming: What would happen if we and all characters in our dreams would awaken. Josh sings a song that reminds him of what Paul was talking about.   [56:00] The Self-Induced Mind Blindness What physically impossible things happened to Paul when he started awakening. He tells a story about how he helped a blind woman see again with his words, and how it made him realize he was not insane but awakening. 311 Mark Wolynn | It Didn't Start With You: Ending The Cycle of Inherited Trauma 366 Mark Wolynn | How To Heal Generational Trauma: The Thoughts, Feelings, Patterns & Behaviors Formed Before You Were Ever Born It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn Why the Bible says that mindblindness is self-induced. The essence of Paul's work: Trying to help people open their eyes and see Wetiko. What happens when you recognize the correlation between the outer world and your inner state, and finally recognize the dream.   [01:02:40] The Source Of Our Suffering A text by Jesus Christ that was edited out from the Bible: “I am a mirror to those that perceive me.” Why the mirror is a symbol of true nature in Buddhism. How identifying ourselves with our unhealed wounds feeds the Wetiko. How Buddha discovered that the source of our suffering is clinging. What it means that there is no Wetiko outside of us and the fear of Wetiko is actually Wetiko.   [01:06:40] The Inner & The Outer Manifestation Of Wetiko 344 Leslie Manookian | COVID19 – The Truth About Flattening The Curve Josh explains collective madness according to Carl Jung. Why Paul believes that Jung used the word ‘totalitarian psychosis' to describe Wetiko. The inner and the outer reflection of Wetiko: How it controls our mind like totalitarianism controls the world. How we can envision who we are and our world through ideas. Why the greatest tyrants in history were scared of new ideas. How our creative power potentiates when we get in phase with each other and become of service to the whole. Paul reveals why quantum physicists lose their job when they try to tell the truth about consciousness. The new symbolic idea: We can change the collective dream we're having.   [01:11:40] How Our Trauma Projects In The World Why the mirror etymologically means a holder of the shadow. Shadow projecting: Not owning our own darkness makes us project it out and embody it. How the evil outside of us is a reflection of ourselves, and why recognizing this brings us closer to our light and goodness. Josh shares his experience with his fear of being dominated. How Paul's father tried to annihilate his light when he saw him stepping into his light because that's what he was doing to himself. The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind by Wilhelm Reich Unpacking how we are still murdering the Christ; the light force within us, by not being awake. How abuse trauma shows us that we are abusing ourselves.   [01:18:00] The Antidote For Wetiko 481 Scott Jackson | Rewire Yourself: How To Create A Life You Love With Freedom From Subconscious Sabotage Symbols are the language of dreams and the antonym to ‘diabolic': Recognizing the dream-like nature is the antidote for the diabolic energy of Wetiko. How language creates our experience according to Paul. What happens to all the potentialities that don't manifest in the world. Why there is always the possibility of creating a different reality according to quantum physics. Hundredth monkey effect Why it's important to envision ourselves awakening. What wellbeing means to Paul: Connecting with our creative agency and our true nature.   Power Quotes From The Show The World Is A Reflection Of Our Inner World "What's happening externally in the world is reflecting what's happening in the mind, and vice versa. With Wetiko, we all have a potential, when all of a sudden it becomes activated, it will set up this shadow government within our mind. It will subsume the healthy parts of the psyche into its service. It will hijack the psyche. It will colonize our mind. It will dictate to the ego in such a way that we then become in service to it, to the point that we become possessed, we become taken over, we become instruments of our own enslavement. That's exactly what's happening in the world with totalitarianism." - Paul Levy   The Subjective Observation Of The World "There is no such thing as an objective world. That's just an idea in our head that the active observation of the world actually influences the world we're observing. That's the description of a dream. What that means is that the active observation is creative. That's the portal into this immense vast creative power that each one of us has, each and every moment in creating our experience." - Paul Levy   What Feeds The Wetiko Virus "There is no Wetiko outside of us. If people hear about a mind virus and feel afraid, that feeling afraid, that is Wetiko. There's nothing to feel afraid of because there is nothing there. But if we cling to it and give it with reality, then we're colluding with our own victimization, then we're complicit with evil, then we're investing in the reality of Wetiko, and there's nobody else to blame but ourselves." - Paul Levy   Links From Today's Show  Awaken In The Dream With Paul Levy Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World by Paul Levy Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil by Paul Levy 405 Tim Corcoran | Vision Quest: How To Find Your Place In The Ecology of Life, Purpose Mountain & Spiritual Courage Paul Chek 345 Zach Bush MD: Humanity, Consciousness & COVID19 Carl Jung Kabbalah Kahuna shamanism Christian mysticism The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts What the Bleep Do We Know!? Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality by Paul Levy The Art of Happiness: A Handbook for Living by Dalai Lama 311 Mark Wolynn | It Didn't Start With You: Ending The Cycle of Inherited Trauma 366 Mark Wolynn | How To Heal Generational Trauma: The Thoughts, Feelings, Patterns & Behaviors Formed Before You Were Ever Born It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle by Mark Wolynn 344 Leslie Manookian | COVID19 – The Truth About Flattening The Curve The Murder of Christ: The Emotional Plague of Mankind by Wilhelm Reich 481 Scott Jackson | Rewire Yourself: How To Create A Life You Love With Freedom From Subconscious Sabotage Hundredth monkey effect Shop the Wellness Force Media Store breathwork.io PLUNGE – Save $150 with the code “WELLNESSFORCE" HIGHER DOSE INFRARED MAT - Get 15% off with the code “WELLNESSFORCE15“ Organifi – Special 20% off to our listeners with the code ‘WELLNESSFORCE' MitoZen – Save 10% with the code “WELLNESSFORCE” Paleovalley – Save 15% on your ACV Complex with the code ‘JOSH' NOOTOPIA - Save 10% with the code "JOSH10" Activation Products – Save 20% with the code “WELLNESSFORCE” NEUVANA - Save 15% with the code “WELLNESSFORCE” SENSATE - Save $25 on your order with the code "JOSH25" DRY FARM WINES - Get an extra bottle of Pure Natural Wine with your order for just 1¢ CHILISLEEP - Save 25% on Josh's favorite ChiliSleep products with the code "JOSH" ION - Save 15% off sitewide with the code ‘JOSH1KS' TOUPS - Save 15% with the code "JOSH" Feel Free from Botanic Tonics – Save 40% when you use the code ‘WELLNESS40′ Drink LMNT – Zero Sugar Hydration: Get your free LMNT Sample Pack, with any purchase BREATHE - Save 20% by using the code “PODCAST20” Essential Oil Wizardry: Save 10% with the code ‘WELLNESSFORCE' MY GREEN MATTRESS - Save up to $125 on your order with the code "JOSH" NEUROHACKER - Save 15% with the code "WELLNESSFORCE" ALIVE WATER - Save 33% on your first order with the code "JOSH33" M21 Wellness Guide Wellness Force Community Leave Wellness + Wisdom a review on Apple Podcasts Paul Levy YouTube Awaken In The Dream   ABOUT PAUL LEVY Paul Levy, a pioneer in the field of spiritual emergence, is a wounded healer in private practice who helps others who are awakening to the dreamlike nature of reality. He established the Awaken In The Dream Community in Portland, Oregon. Paul is an artist who is deeply influenced by C. G. Jung's work and has been a Tibetan Buddhist practitioner for over 35 years. For over two decades, he was the coordinator of the Portland PadmaSambhava Buddhist Center. He is also the author of several best sellers: The Quantum Revelation: A Radical Synthesis of Science and Spirituality Dispelling Wetiko: Breaking the Curse of Evil Wetiko: Healing the Mind-Virus That Plagues Our World

Welcome to Episode 301 of the 3 Minute Mantra Podcast with Aaralyn Shiri! Today's mantra is Teyata Om. This is a Buddhist mantra known as the Medicine Buddha mantra, but we are only singing the first couple of words. It is a mantra for the relief of pain and suffering of all kinds - otherwise known as Unconditional Love. It can be focused intention on the Buddha Heart and the path that Jesus offers off the planet. So come back to the present moment and sing with me for 3 minutes. Humming is great, too! Just connect with your body and feel the vibrations. ~Aaralyn You can find my music on: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6PljdshLeQi2xk2a6N1K0t Apple Music: https://music.apple.com/us/artist/aaralyn-shiri/1504815886 Sound Cloud: https://soundcloud.com/aaralynshiri Band Camp: https://aaralynshiri.bandcamp.com/ Instagram.com/AaralynShiriMusic Facebook.com/AaralynShiriMusic --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/aaralynshiri/message

Jonathan Goldman is a writer, musician and teacher. He is an authority on sound healing and a pioneer in the field of harmonics. Jonathan is the author of HEALING SOUNDS: THE POWER OF HARMONICS (Inner Traditions), SHIFTING FREQUENCIES (Light Technology) THE LOST CHORD (Spirit Music) and TANTRA OF SOUND (Hampton Road), co-authored with his wife Andi. He has studied with masters of sound from both the scientific and spiritual traditions, including the Dalai Lama's Chanting Gyuto and Gyume Monks and has been empowered by the Chant Master of the Drepung Loseling Monastery to teach Tibetan Overtone Chanting. Jonathan holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Film Making from Boston University and a Master's Degree in the Independent Study on Sound Healing from Lesley College. He is a lecturing member of the International Society for Music and Medicine. Jonathan is the director of the Sound Healers Association; the original organization dedicated to the education and awareness of sound and music for healing. He is also president of Spirit Music, which produces music for meditation, relaxation and self-transformation. Jonathan has created numerous cutting edge recordings including: "Dolphin Dreams", "Sacred Gateways: Drumming and Chanting", "Trance Tara", "Ultimate Om", "Holy Harmony" and "Medicine Buddha"; created for H.H., the Dalai Lama's teachings in Northern California this May, 2001. His overtone chanting is heard on Kitaro's 2001 Grammy Award winning album. Jonathan's best selling release "Chakra Chants" won the 1999 Visionary Awards for "Best Healing-Meditation Album" and "Album of the Year". Jonathan's highly acclaimed albums: "The Lost Chord", "The Divine Name" (co-created with Gregg Braden) and "ChakraDance" also won as the Visionary Awards. His latest album are "The Tantra of Sound Harmonizer" and "Reiki Chants". His collaboration with Tibetan Chant Master Lama Tashi "Tibetan Master Chants" was been nominated for a 2006 Grammy Award for "Best Traditional World Music". Jonathan has written numerous articles on the therapeutic and transformational uses of sound and music, which have appeared in many national publications. He has also contributed chapters and interviews to many books, including: MUSICMEDICINE, SONIC ALCHEMY, MUSIC: PHYSICIANS FOR TIMES TO COME and HEALING SPIRITS. Jonathan's work has been cited in many books, including Julia Cameron's VEINS OF GOLD. The McGraw-Hill college text, MUSIC IN OUR WORLD, has a chapter on Jonathan's recording of "Dolphin Dreams". In DAVINCI DECODED, Jonathan's CD "Chakra Chants" is listed as the #1 Selection for "Top Ten Spiritual Playlist". An internationally acknowledge Master Teacher, Jonathan facilitates Healing Sounds Seminars at universities, hospitals, holistic health centers and expos throughout the United States and Europe. He has appeared on national television and radio, including Art Bell's "Coast to Coast AM" and has been featured in national periodicals including "USA Today" and "The New York Times". His annual Healing Sounds Intensive attracts participants from throughout the world. - www.healingsounds.com ******************************************************************To listen to all our XZBN shows, with our compliments go to: https://www.spreaker.com/user/xzoneradiotv*** AND NOW ***The ‘X' Zone TV Channel on SimulTV - www.simultv.comThe ‘X' Chronicles Newspaper - www.xchroniclesnewspaper.com ******************************************************************

Join me for a peek into my private community coaching sessions. Calling all #shamans #deathdoulas and #energyhealers I've been speaking to my community constantly and creating content for the private mentoring and coaching group. After strengthening the foundation for the Next Level Healer group, it's finally time to get back to podcasting and share my message with the world. If you would like an invite into my private mentoring group for healers on Facebook and Telegram, email me at evangelinehemrick@gmail.com for an invitation into my private coaching group. In this episode, I'm speaking freely to community members who have already had training with me. If some of the topics I discuss here are new to you, here's some more podcast episodes that will help familiarize you with terms and modalities I use. Human Design I was introduced to Human Design in 2009 and have used it in my coaching and healing sessions since then. In this episode, I'm exploring the possibility that we can transcend our energy blueprint as we continue to evolve. This is just a possibility I'm exploring, not a hard stance or fact. I'd love your thoughts in the comment section! If you're interested in exploring your own unique Human Design, check out this podcast interview with Kip Winsett, a Human Design Mentor. Check out: Human Design for Everyone Reiki In Reiki energy healing training, we use the Sanskrit Medicine Buddha chant. I also incorporate the Christ energy when I call on the Medicine Buddha, who has transcend the reincarnation loop. Both Christ Consciousness and Tibetan Reiki principles teach that we do not have to stay stuck in a loop of reincarnating to work on "lessons". I have changed my perspective on Reiki and I don't simply teach Reiki techniques anymore. If you want to learn more about my experience with Reiki healing, you can listen to this podcast episode: How Reiki Changed My Life and Why I Don't Teach Reiki Healing Anymore London Real Interview David Icke is a very controversial fellow, but I'm sharing here my takeaways from his latest interview with Brian Rose. I'm passionate about learning and growing and I'll never stop exploring with a curious mind. Let me make this clear. I share this interview in case you are curious about expanding your perspectives. I do not find this information to be negative or fearful because I walk with path of the shamanic practitioner and we embrace all of life. In shamanism, we stay inclusive to transcend, as Ken Wilbur taught. Check out David Icke's latest interview on London Real only if your own intuition and discernment calls you to this information. https://youtu.be/gYbIUJjBprU https://freedomplatform.tv/rose-icke-7-the-trap-what-it-is-how-it-works-and-how-we-escape-its-illusions/ Are you ready to explore the possibility that we can even up level how we die? My Death Doula course is open for enrollment and Sacred Transitions Death Doula Collective is a supportive space for you to explore serving humanity in an even greater capacity. We help people die well. Check out my Death Doula Training Course here.

Venerable Amy Miller leads a Buddhist meditation for healing anxiety. This practice helps you create a safe mental space, reconnect to the positive, and relax your body through breathwork and thought-replacement. Episode 116: Healing Anxiety with Buddhist Mind TrainingVenerable Amy Miller is a Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher who's managed several Buddhist retreat centers, including the Vajrapani Institute in California and Vermont's Milarepa Center. She's the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell, and currently a resident teacher and board member at Land of Medicine Buddha in Santa Cruz. Support the show

Buddhist nun and teacher Venerable Amy shares how we can practically manage anxiety, depression, and other difficult emotions with Buddhist meditation and mind training techniques.Venerable Amy Miller is a Tibetan Buddhist nun and teacher who's managed several Buddhist retreat centers, including the Vajrapani Institute in California and Vermont's Milarepa Center. She's the co-author of Buddhism in a Nutshell, and currently a resident teacher and board member at Land of Medicine Buddha in Santa Cruz. Episode 115: Transforming Anxiety, Depression, and other Difficult Emotions with Ven. Amy MillerSupport the show

Welcome to Episode 59 on Blue Buddha Healing Meditation. This is a guided meditation recorded in the Akashic Records. Blue Buddha, also known as Medicine Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, unexpectedly appeared before me in a meditation one day, which formed the inspiration for this meditation. We also called upon your team of Akashic Masters and Guides, connected to the rays of the Central Sun and each part of our body. We then worked with Blue Buddha to send healing energies to the major organs, systems, bones and blood of our body. Energetic healing takes time, and the physical body is often the last to heal. Be kind, loving & gentle to yourself as you receive the healing. Do remember to drink clean and if possible, structured water after the meditation. This meditation is useful for anyone who would like to receive energetic healing to their physical body.Credits to music used: The Quiet Morning by David Fesliyan

David Crow, L.Ac., graduated from the American College of Traditional Chinese Medicine in 1984; he is a California state licensed acupuncturist and nationally certified by the National Commission for the Certification of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine. In this episode, David talks about his years of studying with elders from varying traditions in their native environments in Nepal and India. He stresses the need to revive the lost tradition of intertwining botanical medicine with spirituality and valuation for the sacredness of all life. David has been a clinician, consultant, researcher, and educator for over 35 years. He has travelled extensively to study traditional medicinal systems, including spending several years studying Tibetan and Ayurvedic medicine in Nepal and India. David is the author of four books, including In Search of the Medicine Buddha, about his time with traditional doctors in the Himalayas, and Sacred Smoke, about his ethnobotanical research in Ecuador. He is the founder and owner of Floracopeia, Inc., a company devoted to supporting sustainable ecological agriculture through the production of essential oils. As an educator, he has taught extensively for over two decades in the US and Canada, and online internationally; over 7,000 students have attended his online courses in the last five years, and over 300,000 have attended his popular annual Plant Medicine Telesummit hosted at The Shift Network. Useful Linkshttps://www.floracopeia.com/https://www.crowconsultations.com/In Search of the Medicine BuddhaSacred Smoke: The Magic and Medicine of Palo SantoTo learn more about plants & your health from Colleen at LabAroma check out this informative PDF https://mailchi.mp/2fe0e426b244/osw1lg2dkhDisclaimer: The information presented in this podcast is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Please consult your doctor if you are in need of medical care, and before making any changes to your health routine.

Jason Espada recites the entire Medicine Buddha Sutra. Recitation or listening to any sutra is considered a healing practice — the more so for Medicine Buddha Sutra with the Great 12 Vows of Bhaishajyaguru, the Lapis Lazuli Medicine Buddha. Chanted soothingly in classical style, the meditation is serene and empowering.   Because of Medicine Buddha's great vows, any person who recites his mantra or sutra can benefit from his healing energy. Support the show

What do the Buddhist teachers say about doggie and kitty Buddha Dharma? Did Buddha teach that Dogs and cats have Buddha Nature, just like humans? How can you help your companion meet the Dharma in daily life? How can we help when our companions are passing from this life?Many Mahayana meditations, sadhanas and prayers use language such as “all beings have been our mothers…” — a constant reminder that every being, even the insect we step on by accident, is our family. Ultimately, Mahayana Buddhists accept that humans and animals are interconnected as a single family — in the Oneness of the Universe.Clearly, your doggie, kitty, hamster, budgie and extended animal companions all have both Buddha Nature and karma. In what ways does this change our relationship to our beloved companions?Lama Zopa Rinpoche, in a teaching on “animals in everyday life” said, “There is a story when Buddha gave teachings to 500 swans in the field and the next life they were born as human beings, became monks, and they all became Arya beings, able to achieve the cessation of suffering and the true path. So the result is unbelievable, just by hearing Dharma words.” This teaching illustrates that all animals have Buddha Nature. The swans, in just one life cycle, became humans, monks, and ultimately Aryas.Most Buddhists are familiar with these stories. Yet, in real life, do we really treat our animal companions as fellow journeyers on the path to Enlightenment? If we did, we'd bring our pets meditation rooms and retreats. We'd acknowledge our companions are subject to Karma, just like us. This means that, as their friends, we need to be mindful of their actions, as much as our own, because they, too, have Buddha Nature. They, like the swans, can become Aryas (Enlightened Beings). When your doggy chases and kills a squirrel, you have to help him mitigate his unfortunate karma. When you kitty kills a blue jay, you have to take a measure of responsibility. PODCAST INCLUDES MEDICINE BUDDHA MANTRA FOR PETS SUNG BY THE AMAZING YOKO DHARmA. Support the show

Chú Dược Sư nhẹ nhàng thanh thoát 1 giờ | Medicine buddha mantra | Medicine mantra |藥師佛心咒| 藥師佛咒| 药师佛 | Chú Dược Sư Tiếng Phạn  #chuduocsu #thanchuduocsu #medicinemantra #chuduocsu #kinhduocsu #thanchuduocsu #medicinemantra #chuduocsutiengphan #mantrabuddha #duocsuphat #tamchuduocsu #duocsutamchu #phatduocsu #mantra #buddha * Dược Sư Tâm Chú (Tiếng Phạn) Tayatha Om... Bekandze Bekandze Maha Bekandze Randze Samu Gate Soha * Phiên âm: TỀ-DÀ-TÀ ÔM BẾKANCHÊ BẾKANCHỀ MÀHÀBẾKANCHÊ RADCHA SUMUD-GÁTÊ SHOHA TỀ-DÀ-TÀ ÔM BẾKANCHÊ BẾKANCHỀ MÀHÀBẾKANCHÊ RADCHA SUMUD-GÁTÊ SHOHA TỀ-DÀ-TÀ ÔM BẾKANCHÊ BẾKANCHỀ MÀHÀBẾKANCHÊ RADCHA SUMUD-GÁTÊ SHOHA * Chú Dược Sư Nguyện trừ bỏ nỗi đau đớn của nhiều bệnh tật trên thân thể, cùng vượt qua được biết bao sự đau khổ bởi vì dính mắc, hận thù, ghen ghét, ham muốn, tham lam và sự thiếu hiểu biết trong tâm hồn.

Express Meditation series. Start the day with your mind pointed in positive direction. YouTube 30:49 | Teachings at Thubten Norbu Ling Buddhist Center. 

In this episode Robert Thurman is joined by Tenzin Metok, founder of the Medicine Buddha App, which allows you to book online consultations with Tibetan doctors and wellness practitioners. Through THUS | Menla's sponsorship, this app will allow you to make donations to directly sponsor the medical training of aspiring Tibetan doctors at the Men-Tsee-Khang in India! Men-Tsee-Khang is the largest and oldest Tibetan Medical & Astro-science Institute, established in Tibet by HH the XIII Dalai Lama in 1916 and re-established by the XIV Dalai Lama in India in 1961. To educate each doctor it costs $5000, plus $500 in administrative and other fees. When you choose to use the Medicine Buddha app you are supporting a 100% Tibetan employed team and helping to expand the influence and reach of Tibetan culture internationally. We thank you for your generous support, if you cannot donate, please share this podcast episode and download the free ap. Every share, download, mention and donation helps!

Most of us would do almost anything to avoid feeling shame, an emotion that creates a feeling that we are fundamentally flawed. Shame is a self conscious emotion - one connected to how we view ourselves through the eyes of others. Shame has an evolutionary purpose for sustaining social norms and can be seen in its most contemporary manifestations through “cancel culture.” Our other “self conscious” emotions contempt, disgust, and guilt — perpetuate the judgement and “othering” polarizing us from others and degrades our ability to engage with our full hearts of empathy.In order to transform our shame we must see it closely and hold it with great care. Ven. Chogkyi and Dr. Ekman will unpack the scientific understanding of shame and consider its cognitive, emotional and somatic impact on our lived daily experiences. They will consider: is shame to be avoided at all costs? Is there any purpose to these emotions, do these emotions have any kind of a message for us? How can we learn to manage these emotions mindfully and with compassion?*****Join Ven. Tenzin Chogkyi as she explores shame with Dr. Eve Ekman, a foremost emotions researcher. Dr. Ekman is the director of Cultivating Emotional Balance and has been exploring burnout, shame and other emotions in her teaching and research.This episode was recorded during 'Healing the Body, Healing the Mind', a weekend of workshops and talks organised by Science & Wisdom LIVE in collaboration with Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and Land of Medicine Buddha.*****About Ven. Tenzin Venerable Tenzin Chogkyi is a Buddhist monastic who first became interested in meditation and Buddhism in the early 1970s, and became a student of His Holiness the Dalai Lama and other Tibetan Buddhist teachers in early 1991. Ven. Tenzin took novice ordination in 2004 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and completed several long meditation retreats over a six year period. Ven. Tenzin teaches Buddhist philosophy and meditation within the FPMT network, and also teachers Cultivating Emotional Balance. She is passionate about social justice and interfaith work in addition to her Buddhist practice, and has been teaching in prisons for more than a decade. She resides at Land of Medicine Buddha.About Dr. Eve EkmanEve Ekman is a Senior Fellow at the University of California Berkeley Greater Good Science Center, Director of Cultivating Emotional Balance Training Program and volunteer clinical faculty at the UCSF Department of Pediatrics. Ekman draws from an interdisciplinary set of skills and knowledge from her professional work and personal practice in clinical social work,  integrative medicine, emotional awareness, contemplative science, and meditation.Ekman's inspiration for research and training were inspired by her experience as a medical social worker in the emergency department of San Francisco General Hospital coupled with her training in emotion awareness and meditation intervention which she now leads: Cultivating Emotional Balance, CEB.

In today's episode, we will explore the rich and fascinating world of Sowa Rigpa, the Tibetan Science of Healing, and discover some of the ways that traditional medicine can help to revolutionise our approaches to health, personal and social wellness, and environmentalism. For years, scientists have been warning of an impending rise in zoonotic infections like Covid-19. A perfect storm of deforestation, global warming, widespread inequality, and disrespect for the ‘sensitive' regions of the planet have forced us into a new and frightening era of uncertainty. But beyond tackling this singular epidemiological eruption, how can we truly heal on a deeper level?800 years ago, the renowned yogi-physician Yuthok Yönten Gönpo composed a collection of texts that would come to represent the basis for all Tibetan medicine, seamlessly integrating cutting-edge Indian, Chinese, and Greco-Arabic medical developments with indigenous healing knowledge. Of particular interest is Tibetan Medicine's unique theory of ‘provocation' (Tib. gDon). Rooted in a deep and sophisticated indigenous understanding of the energies of the natural world, Tibetan scientists like Yuthok concluded that infectious diseases arise in part due to an imbalanced relationship with the natural world.We will also explore Tibetan perceptions of rLung (‘wind'), a highly sophisticated and fascinating framework for conceptualising mind-body interactions, along with a simple traditional method for soothing excess rLung on your own. Together, these two concepts – rLung and gDon – illustrate two of the many ways that traditional medicine can help us to unite disparate fields of science, health, and philosophy to enter into a new age of revolutionary wellness.This episode was recorded during 'Healing the Body, Healing the Mind', a weekend of workshops and talks organised by Science & Wisdom LIVE in collaboration with Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and Land of Medicine Buddha.About Erik Jampa AnderssonErik Jampa Andersson, director and founder of Shrīmālā, is a Sowa Rigpa practitioner, SKI teacher, and meditation instructor with students and clients across the world. Erik is one of the few westerners to have completed a comprehensive education in the Gyu-Zhi (Four Tantras of Tibetan Medicine) as well as clinical training in Tibetan herbalism, dietetics, and manual therapies.A Buddhist practitioner since age 14, Erik found an early home in the Tibetan tradition under the close guidance of Lama Tsultrim Allione, Tulku Sang-Ngag Rinpoche, and Khenpo Urgyen Wangchuk. After a stint in Tibetan Studies and Eastern Medicine at Naropa University, he completed the Shang Shung Institute's Traditional Tibetan Medicine program between 2012-2017 and trained extensively under notable senior Amchis such as Dr. Phuntsog Wangmo, Dr. Namgyal Tsering, Dr. Nyima Tsering, and other Sowa Rigpa physicians in America and Asia.

"The first step in healing ourselves is becoming aware of our breathing and how we breathe, because that regulates all our bodily systems."Today, Paula Chicester explores the healing power of our breath. She shares some simple exercises to connect with our breathing, reduce our levels of stress and promote healing in our minds and bodies. Finally, she leads a healing meditation techniques from Traditional Chinese Medicine, giving a taste of how the breath can connect the body with our inner world.This talk is part of 'Healing the Body, Healing the Mind', a weekend of workshops and talks organised by Science & Wisdom LIVE in collaboration with Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and Land of Medicine Buddha.

Can meditation help us to be more focused, reduce our negative emotions, and enhance our mental and physical wellbeing?In this episode, Buddhist teacher Geshe Namdak explores the relationship between the mind and the body and discusses the three pillars of mind-training according to Buddhist philosophy: self-awareness, self-discipline and loving kindness and meditation. He also leads three short meditations to develop greater awareness and mindfulness of our body, feelings and mind. Finally, he explains how to employ analytical meditation to reduce the grasp of destructive emotions, addictive behaviour and unwholesome habits.This talk is part of 'Healing the Body, Healing the Mind', a weekend of workshops and talks organised by Science & Wisdom LIVE in collaboration with Jamyang London Buddhist Centre and Land of Medicine Buddha.

Podcast: This week on the show we feature a pre-recorded conversation with Ji Hyang Padma, author of Field of Blessings: Ritual & Consciousness in the Work of Buddhist Healers. Ji Hyang believes that we are hungry for a direct experience of the sacred in this culture. We try to fill the void with technology, and its “quick fix” of images and information. This leaves us hungry for true connectivity. We don't need more information. We need more appreciation. Gratitude opens the heart, and gives our life meaning; it becomes a form of spiritual experience that gives us strength. Field of Blessings explores how meaning-making can be approached by deep examination of the stories of our lives, which bridge the gap between the inner world and the outer world, giving shape to our experience. How can these narratives be spoken, written, or embodied? Ritual is the story brought-to-life, and a powerful vehicle for spiritual transformation, for reconnecting people with an embodied wholeness. Ji Hyang Padma shows that Chöd, Medicine Buddha practices, and other Tibetan rituals are used by healers to evoke sacred energies, radical empathy, and to contact deep archetypal realms of the psyche. Ji Hyang Padma is currently a CPE Chaplain Resident at the University of San Francisco Medical Center, and combines an academic and professional career with her role as a Zen teacher. Ji Hyang has done intensive Zen training and teaching in Asia and North America for 20 years, 15 of these as an ordained nun. She has completed several 90-day intensive retreats in Korea and North America. She also teaches Zen workshops annually at Omega Institute and Esalen Institute. While her practice has been situated within the Korean Zen tradition, she has had the benefit of studying with teachers across a wide spectrum of Buddhist lineages. Ji Hyang has also served as Director of Spirituality and Education Programs at Wellesley College, and Director and Abbot of Cambridge Zen Center, one of the largest Zen Centers in the country. Additionally, she has served as a meditation teacher at Wellesley College, Harvard University and Boston University. She is gifted at finding an entry-point into practice for people who are just beginning their journey. She is also the author of Living the Season: Zen Practice for Transformative Times. More information about Ji Hyang Padma's work can be found at: Mountain Path website: www.mountainpath.org, Ji Hyang Padma on The Mystical Positivist: On Buddhist Healing, Ji Hyang Padma on The Mystical Positivist: Living the Season.

Led by author and mentor Dr. Nida, Robert A.F. Thurman journeys though the Medicine Buddha's garden, exploring the tools, techniques and transformative technologies of Sowa Rigpa (Traditional Tibetan Science of Healing) as found in Mandalas, Buddhist Thangka iconography, and in the The Blue Beryl paintings. Recorded during the annual Tibet House US | Menla New Year's gathering, this episode is an extended teaching on Tanaduk-the Medicine Buddha's Pure Land and the symbolism of Buddhist healing sciences intended for those of any background or tradition. Opening with a short introduction to "The Four Tantras" the root text used by Traditional Tibetan Medical colleges, this episode includes: introductions to Mandala practice and creation, to Buddhist Sutras and Tantras and in-depth discussions of the specific imagery found within The Blue Beryl. Used as a memorization tools, The Blue Beryl: Atlas of Tibetan Medicine paintings were commissioned by the 5th Dalai Lama‘s Spiritual son Ghamtso Gyatso (1645-1705), and illustrate the physical symptoms, disease, treatment, medicinal herbs & plants used by Tibetan doctors. To learn more about the work of Dr. Nida and Tanaduk, The Medicine Buddha's Pure Land, please visit www.purelandfarms.com. To enjoy the full video teaching, streamed January 3rd, 2020 as part of the Tibet House US | Menla Online virtual retreat "Envisioning 2021", please visit: www.thusmenla.org.    

On the occasion of the Festival of Bhaisajyaguru Tathagata, together we look into the deep blue world of the Medicine Buddha, Bhaisajyaguru, known as “The Master of Healing.” Rev. Clairissa considers ways in which, when faced with sickness, each of us may find healing within the fathomless depths of our own Deeper Mind.

Com sua imensa bondade, o renomado Buda da Medicina concede paz e saúde a todos os seres sencientes. Ao recitar seu mantra é possível encontrar a cura para enfermidades relacionadas à saúde mental, física e espiritual – através de um corpo saudável, podemos cultivar um coração compassivo e uma mente clara. | With his immense kindness, the renowned Medicine Buddha concedes peace and health to all sentient beings. By reciting his mantra, it is possible to find the cure for ilnesses related to mental, physical and spiritual health - By attaining a healthy body, we can cultivate a compassionate heart and a cleared mind. Práticas são feitas toda terça-feira às 19 horas (UTC -3), Disponíveis em nosso canal no YouTube | Practices are done every tuesday, at 7:00PM (UTC -3), available on our Youtube channel. Gravada no dia 26 de maio de 2020 | Recorded on May 26th, 2020 Lama Rigdzin Chagdud Gonpa Dordje Ling

10-06-2019 Brief Medicine Buddha Sadhana by Lion's Roar Dharma Center

The man is sometimes behind the camera and sometimes behind the guitar but always behind Birmingham's musick-ers. Daniel Hargett joins us to talk about the webseries Welcome to Monotonia, which he created and directs. Their first season is airing every Sunday on the Earth Hotel network, and his groups Future Primitives and The Secret Midnight Band can be found all over Birmingham and the Southeast. This week's short episode is full of strange feelings, music from another floor, and reverberations of the weeks we've had before. Thanks for being one.​​​​​​​Future Primitives: https://www.facebook.com/FuturePrimitives123/Secret Midnight Band: https://www.facebook.com/secretmidnightband/Welcome to Monotonia on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-i-jJkwGCNI0.00.00 - Welcome again0.01.09 - "Bhaisajyaguru भैषज्यगुरु Mantra (of the Medicine Buddha)" //0.02.09 - "I Got a Heart" (demo) //0.04.37 - Daniel Hargett //0.40.04 - "The Eternal Now" - Future Primitives (At Analog on 3rd) //0.44.28 - "Goo" - Secret Midnight Band //0.47.39 - "Love Under Will" Future Primitives (Live from MONO BHAM) //(Rectilinear: contained by, consisting of, or moving in a straight line or lines)

In this 11-minute podcast interview, BCB host Channie Peters talks with Marissa Cleveland, Events Manager for the BI Museum of Art (BIMA), and Bob Ruch who is hosting a group of Tibetan monks on Bainbridge Island. They talk about this unique opportunity for the art museum to offer the extraordinary experience of witnessing the creation of a sand mandala to museum visitors. Marissa explains how this is a perfect fit with the theme of the museum's current show: Journeys. Mandala is the sanskrit word for circle. The sand mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. In Tibetan Buddhism, intricate, colorful mandalas containing many Buddhist symbols are used as objects for meditation practice.The sand mandala is one of the most elaborate, intricate, exquisite art forms, typically created by highly trained Tibetan monks. And after the sand mandala has been created, there is a formal ceremony of blessings, the sand is swept up, and poured into the sea. While this is symbolic of impermanence, the real significance of the sand mandala is that it is created to be a container for blessings, power and well-being. Before it is swept away, blessings are offered in a ceremony. These blessings fill every grain of sand, and then the sand is poured into the sea, which carries the blessings out into the world. This ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form will be recreated by six monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastic College in India at the BI Museum of Art during the hours the museum is open, 10 am - 6 pm from Monday, May 2nd through Saturday May 7th. Because Friday, May 6th is Arts Walk, and the museum will be open until 8 pm. the monks will adjust their hours to continue installing the sand until the museum closes at 8 pm so that museum visitors can watch this intricate, meticulous meditative art during Arts Walk. This specific sand mandala will be of the Medicine Buddha, the Buddha of Healing, the manifestation of the healing energy of all enlightened beings. The sand installation will be in the museum's Orientation Gallery so that visitors can walk through and observe the monks at work during museum hours. There will not be any seating in this small space. According to tradition, on the last day after the sand mandala has been completed (in this case, Saturday May 7th), the monks conduct a ceremony to bless the sand. This will occur at approximately 3 pm at the Art Museum. The monks will take the sand that has been swept up from the mandala and carry it to Eagle Harbor where it will be poured into the sea to take its blessings to other shores. Also during the construction of the sand mandala, May 2-7, a DVD video documentary will be continuously playing in the museum's auditorium about the Gaden Shartse Monastic College, which has a highly structured academic curriculum that also includes optional study of arts such as painting, calligraphy, tailoring, Tibetan butter sculpture formation, and sand mandala creation. Training in sand mandala creation is highly skilled and takes three years. While the monks are visiting Bainbridge Island, they will also be available for Buddhist House Blessings, by appointment. As the host for the monks while they are here, Bob Ruch may be contacted by email to arrange house blessings by the Tibetan monks, and to learn more from them about Gaden Shartse Monastic College and how to support their work. Credits: BCB host: Channie Peters; BCB audio editor and social media publisher: Barry Peters.