They Are Trying to Take Our Breath Away

By Lisa Maliga, copyright 2020

When I used to hang out on MySpace back in 2007, I often came across people who had the following quote on their profile:

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.”

It was a quote that seemed to concentrate on life’s highlights. What took people’s breath away? A dramatic sunset, a rainbow, blooming flowers, majestic waterfalls, kittens and puppies, new fallen snow, seeing a loved one after a long absence, and so on. While I appreciate any of the above, I want to be able to breathe with no obstructions. I’ve been practicing yoga for many years. Breathing is essential, you can’t go more than a few minutes without dying.

Yet due to this alleged virus, sometimes referred to as a disease, we are supposed to be wearing face masks/coverings and resemble women living under Sharia law. Right after the 9/11 terrorist attack, anyone wearing a head covering was considered an enemy. Two decades later, Americans and those in many other countries, are being forced to cover most of their face because of Covid-19/corona virus, a sickness with an incredibly low mortality rate.

Our ‘new normal’ is of a society that discourages hugs and handshakes. Smiles are hidden. Prayer, singing, and chanting are forbidden in churches and temples.

The forced mask-wearing in most parts of the world is all about fear, fear of germs and viruses. Fear of each other. Fear vs. faith. It is to make people more compliant. To take tests that are very inaccurate and to test positive can make some quarantine for two weeks. It’s house arrest. The next step is to make fear-ridden people clamor for a vaccine so they can return to normal. A vaccine that will allegedly eradicate coronavirus/Covid-19. Will it? Will the flu shot stop the flu? Why is it called a flu shot instead of an ANTI-flu shot?

The mass hypnosis/hysteria around a flu that can’t survive in the high temperatures of summer is insane. It messes with people’s minds and makes them OCD, incessantly using hand sanitizer. Doctors and other experts are telling us to wash our hands with soap and water, and to do so for at least twenty seconds! Have we regressed to kindergarten?

SANITIZE, SANITIZE, SANITIZE

Another way they’re trying to keep us from breathing properly is to poison us with hand sanitizers. The ingredients contain mostly alcohol with some fake fragrance that can contain up to 200 ingredients, but the FDA doesn’t require them to be listed.

These alcohol-laden sanitizers are liberally sprayed on shopping carts and baskets. All products on store shelves, along with the shelves, are covered with sanitizing chemicals to keep that alleged Covid-19 at bay. Want to touch and inhale [even through a mask] more synthetic chemicals? You will when you check out and discover that all the store’s surfaces have been sprayed. A clerk said it had to be done every hour. Wow, what a fun job she had.

Germaphobes must be giddy with relief, feeling they’re getting their time to be in a world awash in sanitizer.

When the virus scare began in March, I was astonished to see customers waiting for an employee to spray down each shopping cart. I saw that nonsense and took a cart from the parking lot and pushed it in, avoiding the free chemical spray.

It’s now the land of “we spray it for you” and they use the power stream setting. I encountered a shopping cart that had been so over-saturated in sanitizer that I thought it was drunk. I flagged down the masked and gloved employee, who, through foggy eyeglasses, noticed that the plastic seat flap was now a pond. She insisted on cleaning it off and it made little difference.

10 minutes later I felt my throat was closing up. I choked back a cough and a sneeze. My nose started to run. Even blowing my nose would’ve garnered fearful glances from masked customers. I was a suspect! It was all so ludicrous. A year ago, such a scenario was unimaginable.

I went outside and into the fresh night air. I felt fine again. It was obviously the germ-free cart that was upsetting my allergies.

In mid-July the mandates from governors and mayors increased and the big chain stores were requiring all customers to mask up. A few that weren’t were advertising the fact. I went several miles out of my way to shop at a store that wouldn’t bother customers about covering their faces. I was hoping I’d be around unmasked people like it was 2019. Hah! Every employee and customer sported face diapers. I chatted with the teenager cleaning the carts with his spray bottle. He was cordial but I noticed he pulled his mask higher.

There is a simple way to clean off any sanitized cart or basket. It’ll take you about 30 seconds. Bring along a few paper towels or clean rag and wipe off that germ-free cart or basket. Pay attention to the handle[s]. It does the job and you won’t be inhaling toxic fumes.

I have a book about Tibetan Ayurveda [medicine]. There’s a section about skillful behavior and if you suppress the urge to breathe, which is what wearing a mask does, then this is what can happen:
* Dulling of mental clarity
* Tumor formation
* Heart disease

Additionally, wearing a mask for long periods of time can result in headaches, a weakened immune system, acne, and a staph infection may occur if the mask isn’t cleaned or changed frequently. 

If we continue to allow our rights to be taken away, what do we have to look forward to? A police state of perpetual surveillance, lockdowns, social distancing, vaccinations, medical tyranny, restricted travel, no belief in God or freedom of a spiritual path. There will be no allegiance to anyone but the leader of the new world order–the Antichrist.

One of the saddest images I saw occurred when I was waiting in line to enter a supermarket. A frail, elderly man limping past the masked shoppers, leaning on a cane, looked at us and softly apologized for not wearing a mask.

Why should a disabled senior citizen apologize for wanting to breathe? Why should any human being, regardless of age and physical condition?

Many Christians and readers of the bible think these are the end times. But God also helps those who help themselves. Buddha Shakyamuni spoke of the degeneration of society 2,600 years ago. Mahatma Gandhi said “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” That is possible, if you believe it. Start by not wearing a mask. By smiling at those you see whether they are covered up or not. Don’t be angry at those who live in a state of delusion and march lockstep to unjust rules and fear mongering. They worship the god of this world. Love them, love them as they have that seed within them that is the same that is within you. Be at peace with yourself and others will be at peace, too. We are not alone. We never will be. We are all interdependent.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Lisa Maliga is an American author of contemporary fiction and cozy mysteries. Her nonfiction titles consist of how to make bath and body products with an emphasis on melt and pour soap crafting. When researching her cozy mystery, she discovered the art of baking French macarons. She has written three dessert cookbooks, including two on macarons. When not writing, Lisa reads an assortment of books, takes photos, and is working on a series of baking and soaping video tutorials. Visit her website at: https://www.LisaMaliga.com

Subscribe to:
The Discerning Readers’ Newsletter
Win free books, gift cards and more!
http://eepurl.com/UZbE9

Dalai Lama on Compassion & Respect in Today’s Society

Prague, Czech Republic, 14 September 2013 - This morning, after three days in Vilnius, Lithuania, His Holiness the Dalai Lama flew to Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. He was received at the Airport by Karel Schwarzenberg, former Foreign Minister in the Czech government and leader of the TOP 09 party, Tomas Hudecek, Mayor of Prague, and Executive Director of the Forum 2000 Foundation, Jakub Klepal. Arriving at his hotel, Tibetans from the Czech Republic, Hungary and Austria and Czech supporters of Tibet were gathered to welcome him.

After lunch, he greeted a group of physically challenged Czechs who play music together as he was on his way to the Tipsport Arena, venue for his public talk. His first words from the stage, having greeted the audience of more than 6000, were in tribute to his late friend and founder of Forum 2000, President Vaclav Havel.

“He was a humble, genuinely good human being, who put on no airs. From the first he was honest and truthful. I visited him several times after our initial encounter and was one of the last to visit him before he passed away. Because of my friendship for him and others here, I have a special place in my heart for the Czech people. The day after tomorrow, I hope to visit his office to pay my respects although he is no longer physically with us, just as I once visited the home in Patna of Rajendra Prasad, First President of India after he too passed away. As I told Havel’s widow and those who knew and admired him, the best tribute we can pay him is to carry on his activities in his spirit.

“I have come to participate once more in Forum 2000, which was founded by President Havel and led by Oldrich Cerny, who has also sadly passed away since I was last here. I have just met his widow and was impressed by the warm smile rather than grief with which she greeted me.

“I am very happy to be here, to be able to talk to all of you like members of one family and I thank the organizers of this event for making it possible.”

His Holiness began his public talk in his customary way:

“We are all basically the same, mentally, physically and emotionally. We all want a happy life and have a right to achieve it. We have the same emotions, some are destructive, some are positive. I don’t think of myself as anything special; I think of myself as one of you.”

He elaborated that as human beings we are social animals. Like other creatures, ants and bees, for example, our survival depends on the rest of our community. Today’s reality is that the whole world is interdependent. Problems like climate change affect us all, ignoring boundaries. Because of climate change natural disasters are likely to occur, also, natural resources will become scarce and the gap between rich and poor continues to increase. These are challenges we have to face thinking of humanity as one family and working together as one.

“Where humanity used to work together in ancient times we now rely on technological support and material values to the neglect of our human values.” His Holiness said, “I have participated in several conferences about the crisis in human society. At one, in San Francisco, the conclusion was that our difficulties derive from a general lack of human affection. Unfortunately, our education system is materialistically oriented and the influence of religion that used to be a source of moral values has declined. Many of those who continue to follow religion show little real dedication and are inclined to corruption and exploiting others.

“We need to introduce ethics into our education system, not based on faith but on reason. I meet all kinds of people in different parts of the world and it is clear to me that peace of mind is the key to living a happy life. I meet many who are materially successful, while remaining unhappy inside.”

He remarked that women who beautify themselves with cosmetics remind him that while external beauty is one thing, inner beauty is much more important. When a beautiful face wears an angry expression, the beauty is lost. Meanwhile, peace of mind makes for a happy family and a community will be happier if the families within it are peaceful and compassionate.

Occasionally anger may be positive if the motivation is good. Likewise a courageous person needs a strong sense of self; self-confidence is positive. But an over-emphasis on self and selfish concerns doesn’t help, whereas having a compassionate heart is always helpful.

His Holiness suggested that we need a map of our emotions to understand how our emotions work. No one enjoys anger, but everyone appreciates affection. Because warm-heartedness is positive, we need to develop a sense emotional hygiene. The code of ethics that can lead to this needs to be secular ethics. He clarified that when he uses the word ‘secular’ he does so in an Indian context, meaning respect for all religious traditions without bias. The men who contributed to drafting pluralistic India’s secular constitution after Independence - Gandhi, Dr Ambedkar and Dr Rajendra Prasad for example - were all personally religious men. Secular ethics is what is appropriate for our secular education system.

“Many of our problems are our own creation. They derive from our self-centredness. But once we develop a greater concern for the well-being of others, there is no room for bullying, cheating and exploitation. All destructive human action derives from our destructive emotions. These need to be our target. On the other hand, genuine concern for others’ well-being is implicitly an expression of respect for them. If we can reduce our sense of self-centredness, we can reduce our destructive emotions.”

His Holiness reiterated that the essential teaching of all religions is love and once you develop love and affection, you naturally become respectful of others. The key factor is education; education that involves warm-heartedness and takes account of human values.

“If you find any of what I have said interesting,” His Holiness concluded, “please think about it and discuss it with others. Musicians can sing about warm-heartedness. Film-makers, instead of depicting sex and violence, can educate people about the value of simple warm-heartedness and respect for each other. However, if you find what the Dalai Lama says is stale and unrealistic, please, just forget it.”

Among questions from the audience, the first concerned how we know the decisions we take are correct. His Holiness recommended looking at the question not just from one angle, but from many angles. He also said that the mind should be very clear and that unless you take account of reality, your decision will be unrealistic and will fail to bring a result. To another question about fear he replied that there are two kinds of fear: fear with a practical basis like fear of a mad dog and fear that is largely our mental projection.

Someone asked how to put compassion into action. His Holiness said compassion doesn’t just mean sitting still, it means getting up and doing something. Compassion brings energy and enthusiasm to act, but wisdom lends good judgement. Enthusiasm by itself is blind, but wisdom derived from analysing the situation coupled with an unbiased attitude give it direction.

As His Holiness thanked the audience with folded hands for coming to listen to him, they responded with smiling faces and sustained and warm applause. Tomorrow, he will give an explanation of a traditional Tibetan Buddhist text, the “Eight Verses of Training the Mind.”

original photos and link http://www.dalailama.com/news/post/994-compassion--respect-in-todays-society

Serve the World by Sharing Ahimsa: His Holiness the Dalai Lama

New Delhi, India, 6 December 2013: - After a tortuous drive through morning Delhi traffic, His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Vasant Valley School in the south of the city. His Holiness was greeted and escorted to the stage of an amphitheater within the grounds where expectant students and staff awaited them. Following a brief introduction by Director Arun Kapur, His Holiness spoke.

"Hello, good morning, elder and younger brothers and sisters. I'm always happy to meet young people, because it makes me feel younger too. We older people have mostly already done our work, but you young people are just at the beginning of your time, making preparations for a happy life."

He talked about how he sometimes calls himself a son of India because his brain is informed by Nalanda thought and his body has long been nourished by Indian rice, dal and chapatis. As far as Buddhism is concerned, it involves training the mind. In order to do that you have to become familiar with the mind and emotions and ancient Indian psychology is able to fill the gap that reflects something missing from modern life.

Ahimsa, or non-violence, His Holiness explained, is an ancient idea that is relevant right now. Every day we hear reports of violence. The gang rape that caught public attention earlier in the year was about men with no values, no sense of caring for other people.

It's clear that if one has inner peace and concern for others' well-being, one cannot do them any harm. Related to this is corruption, which has become like a cancer afflicting the whole world. The opposite of this is self-discipline, taking account of the short and long term consequences of one's actions. In this context, developing a warm heart, a compassionate heart, is the best way to fulfil one's own and others' interests.

On the topic of peace amidst differences, he said, "India has a marvelous, longstanding tradition of inter-religious harmony. You are a living example that it is possible for different religions to live side by side. This is not only a treasure for India, but something you can contribute to the wider world. The sense of ahimsa or non-violence that Gandhi made so well-known is another such treasure...we need you to serve the world by sharing ahimsa and religious harmony."

He concluded, "In the normal run of things to export you have to increase production, so who will produce the ahimsa and religious harmony for export? It'll have to be young people like all of you. This is an example of the opportunity you have to create a better world."

From The Tibet Post International - original link: http://www.thetibetpost.com/en/features/education-and-society/3774-serve-the-world-by-sharing-ahimsa-his-holiness-the-dalai-lama

Yoga at the Pentagon?

On June 8, 2012, I had the delight of joining 93-year-old yoga master Tao Porchon-Lynch, who was recently named "Oldest Yoga Teacher" by Guinness World Records, as she taught yoga at the Pentagon.

It was incredible seeing 80 Department of Defense personnel -- service members and civilians -- in various yoga poses, from warriors to king dancers, and then flowing through a series of sun salutations to Tao's signature tango music. At one point, I said to myself, "This is pretty cool. I'm doing yoga at the Pentagon!" The final relaxation was especially poignant. I got a deep sense that these folks particularly needed and deserved those moments of personal peace.

At the end of the yoga session, I moderated a discussion on Tao's colorful life, as I've done many times before. There was great interest in Tao's time with Gandhi and her work in the French Resistance during World War II, as well as her peacemaking around the world, such as Yoga for Peace in Israel in 1995 and her more recent appearance at the 2011 Newark Peace Education Summit with His Holiness the XIV Dalai Lama.

During the Q and A, one woman asked why Tao agreed to teach yoga to a group of people who are focused on war and conflict. In her very humble manner, Tao explained that she was simply honored to be there among those who work tirelessly to protect our security. She explained how yoga plays a role in peacemaking, which is the ultimate goal for those in our military. In her view, peace is really about atonement. She broke down the word atonement into "at-one-ment," or oneness. Tao's perspective is that we all have the same breath inside us and yoga brings us closer to that realization.

For me, the day epitomized the essence of yoga in that it was about unity. All of the people in the group had very important "day jobs." Many had to be given permission to take time to be in the class. Yet, they came together, in great numbers, to share in the presence and practice of peace. If all of our leaders -- anyone making critical decisions affecting other people's lives -- would take time every day to experience even a few moments of stillness, I believe our world would be a better place. As the Dalai Lama has said, "World peace must develop from inner peace. Peace is not the absence of violence. Peace is the manifestation of human compassion."

See photos! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-terri-kennedy/yoga-pentagon_b_1629491.html#s1151297&title=Yoga_at_the

Article by Dr. Terri Kennedy, HuffPost Healthy Living

New York Times Interview with the Dalai Lama - Part 1

The last place one expects to find His Holiness Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama of Tibet, the exiled secular and religious leader of the Tibetan people, the winner of the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize, the world's leading exponent of nonviolent political change, is at a glitzy Tucson, Ariz., golfing resort called the Sheraton El Conquistador. Yet there he was on a recent autumn morning, dressed in his traditional maroon robes, surrounded by Buddhist monks and non-Buddhist bodyguards, astonishing tourists as he rushed past the snack bar.

The Dalai Lama had come to this unlikely corner of the world to give a series of interpretive readings from "A Guide to the Bodhisattva's Way of Life" by Shantideva, an eighth-century Buddhist saint. For five full days, 1,500 attendees risked bad backs and cramped hands to sit for hours taking notes on the nature of patience. For them, participants in the expanding Buddhist movement in the Western world, this was a rare opportunity to study with the head of the faith -- the equivalent of taking Bible classes from the Pope.  Moreover, many of the aspirants were more secular types, veterans of the 1960's who'd come to regard the Dalai Lama as the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Mahatma Gandhi of this political moment. It is a forum the Dalai Lama clearly enjoys, a needed break from routine as head of the Tibetan government-in-exile in India. "I am a simple Buddhist monk -- no more, no less," he often says of himself. At the teachings, he gets to be that.

Yet his life has been anything but simple. Born in 1935 to a peasant family in northeast Tibet, he was, at the age of 2, identified after the death of the 13th Dalai Lama as the 14th reincarnation of the Buddha of Compassion. That recognition brought a new name; Lhamo Thondup now became Jetsun Jamphel Ngawang Lobsang Yeshe Tenzin Gyatso (Holy Lord, Gentle Glory, Eloquent, Compassionate, Learned Defender of the Faith, Ocean of Wisdom). Taken to Lhasa to be educated, he grew up in a 1,000-room palace, surrounded by doting monks who tutored him in subjects like philosophy, medicine and metaphysics and gave him a childhood of pure magic.

The magic ended in 1950 when the 15-year-old Dalai Lama was called upon to assume full powers as head of state. This, at the very moment the People's Liberation Army of China was invading Tibet. For the next nine years, the young ruler attempted to negotiate with Mao Zedong and Chou En-lai, who were intent on absorbing Tibet into China. Then, in 1959, after China brutally "quelled" a Tibetan civilian uprising against Chinese rule, the Dalai Lama fled to India; some 100,000 Tibetans have since followed him across the Himalayas.

In India, he was permitted to set up a government-in-exile in a small village, Dharamsala, a long day's drive from New Delhi. "His Holiness reconstructed a viable Tibetan community in India, preserving the culture of Tibet," says his close friend Robert Thurman, professor of Indo-Tibetan studies at Columbia University. "He held the Tibetan people together in exile and gave them hope during the very severe, even genocidal oppression in their homeland.  He's also the first leader of Tibet to become a world leader, even without a political base -- just on his moral force."

In Tucson, a day after his teachings were completed, the Dalai Lama met in his suite with the interviewer. As would be expected from someone who has been worshiped as a demigod since age 2, he greets strangers with a mask of pleasant formality, which soon melts as he becomes engaged in ideas and conversation. An hour and a half becomes three; formality turns to laughter. One senses he's a little bored by the adulation that is his daily fare. The most striking thing about the Dalai Lama is his capacity for joy -- how widely he smiles, how amused he is by his own contradictions, his own human foibles. The journalist William Shirer once said of his interviews with Gandhi in the 1930's, "You felt you were the only person in the room, that he had all the time in the world for you." This is true of Tenzin Gyatso also.

   Q: Your Holiness, you seem such a happy person. Have there been moments in your life when your faith in human goodness was tested?

   The Dalai Lama: No.

   Q:You've never felt in danger of becoming cynical?

   A: No. Of course, when I say that human nature is gentleness, it is not 100 percent so. Every human being has that nature, but there are many people acting against their nature, being false. Certainly there have been sad moments for me.  The Chinese suppressions in Lhasa in 1987, 1988, now that was sad. A great many people were killed. I am sometimes sad when I hear the personal stories of Tibetan refugees who have been tortured or beaten. Some irritation, some anger comes. But it never lasts long. I always try to think at a deeper level, to find ways to console.

   Q: I understand that you were very angry during the 1990 gulf war, as angry as you've ever been.

   A: Angry? No. But one thing, when people started blaming Saddam Hussein, then my heart went out to him.

   Q: To Saddam Hussein?

   A: Yes. Because this blaming everything on him -- it's unfair. He may be a bad man, but without his army, he cannot act as aggressively as he does. And his army, without weapons, cannot do anything. And these weapons were not produced in Iraq itself. Who supplied them? Western nations! So one day something happened and they blamed everything on him -- without acknowledging their own contributions. That's wrong. The gulf crisis also clearly demonstrated the serious implications of the arms trade. War -- without an army, killing as few people as possible -- is acceptable. But the suffering of large numbers of people due to a military mission, that is sad.

   Q: Did you say that killing sometimes is acceptable?

   A: Comparatively. In human society, some people do get killed, for a variety of reasons. However, when you have an established army, and countries with those armies go to war, the casualties are immense. It's not one or two casualties, it's thousands. And with nuclear weapons, it's millions, really millions. For that reason, the arms trade is really irresponsible. Irresponsible! Global demilitarization is essential.

Read Part 2!

Interview by Claudia Dreifus, 11/28/93