Dalai Lama Teaches ‘Stages of Meditation’ & ‘37 Practices of a Bodhisattva’

Thekchen Chöling, Dharamsala, HP, India, 13 March 2017 - The Tsuglagkhang, the Main Tibetan Temple, and its surrounding verandas, as well as the courtyard below, were filled with people this morning waiting for His Holiness the Dalai Lama to arrive. When he did, he stood before the throne, hand raised in greeting, looking carefully to see who was there. Among the crowd were pilgrims from Tibet and they were who His Holiness addressed once he sat on the throne.

“Since many of you couldn’t attend the recent Kalachakra empowerment, this teaching today is principally for you. I have great admiration for the strength of spirit of you people in Tibet. Today, there are 400 million Buddhists in China who follow traditions similar to ours, but where we differ is in our use of logic and reason.  Buddhism was first introduced to Tibet in the 7th century when the Emperor Songtsen Gampo married a Chinese and a Nepalese princess and each of them brought a statue of the Buddha with them. But when Emperor Trisong Detsen wanted to strengthen Buddhism in the country he turned to India and invited Shantarakshita who was one of the top scholars from Nalanda.

“Shantarakshita may not have been widely renowned, but when we read what he wrote we can judge his calibre. His works include the ‘Ornament of the Middle Way’, which deals with what the Mind Only and Middle Way schools of thought have in common, and the ‘Tattvasamgraha’, an explanation of epistemology.

“It was also in Trisong Detsen’s reign that Samye Monastery was founded. It included a Monastic section and a Translation section, where translation of texts that would make up the Kangyur and Tengyur collections was done. There had been Chinese monks in Tibet since the time of Songtsen Gampo and many of them were part of the Unwavering Concentration section which focussed on single-pointed meditation. Some of these monks asserted that there was no need for study, what was required to attain enlightenment, they claimed, was to empty the mind of thought.

“Shantarakshita had anticipated that a conflict might arise between his logical, reasoned approach to the Dharma and this non-conceptual method. He’d advised the Emperor to invite his disciple Kamalashila to Tibet to deal with it. Kamalashila was also a scholar of epistemology. His view prevailed and Tibet became the only Buddhist country where the Nalanda tradition and the use of reason and logic were preserved. We have kept this alive for more than 1000 years.”

His Holiness remarked that the opportunities to preserve these traditions in Tibet has been difficult in recent years, particularly in the great monasteries of Central Tibet, but has not been so tough in Kham and Amdo.

He mentioned that the first text he was going to read, the middle volume of Kamalashila’s three part ‘Stages of Meditation’ had been written at the request of Trisong Detsen and had been composed in Tibet. He said he feels it has a special connection with Tibetans. At the time, Trisong Detsen was a man of great influence, exercising authority over the whole of Tibet. His Holiness contrasted this with the status of the Ngari chieftain who invited Atisha to Tibet and who requested him to compose the ‘Lamp for the Path to Enlightenment’. He clarified that of the three volumes of the ‘Stages of Meditation’, the first dealt with single-pointed concentration, the second and middle volume dealt with both concentration and special insight, while the third focussed on special insight.

Regarding the second text that he proposed to read, the ‘37 Practices of a Bodhisattva’, His Holiness mentioned that the author, Gyalsey Thogme Sangpo, a contemporary of the great scholar Buton Rinchen Drub, was widely regarded as a realized bodhisattva. There is a report that when the two masters met, Buton Rinpoche, who had some trouble with his legs, requested Thogme Sangpo’s blessing to gain some relief.

Brief prayers were recited and His Holiness advised that everyone, teacher and students should correct their motivation in relation to the teaching. In connection with the common verse for taking refuge and generating the awakening mind, he obsereved that often people seem to regard the Three Jewels as external to them, something like a creator god, rather than as something to aspire to attain in themselves.

“As I said yesterday, we need to gain insight into the nature of the mind, thoroughly eliminating the disturbing emotions and their imprints. Nagarjuna says the elimination of karma and disturbing emotions yields liberation. Our distorted way of looking at things can be overcome by understanding the teaching of the Buddha. And in Tibet we have a complete teaching of the three vehicles comprising the fundamental instructions, the Perfection of Wisdom teachings and Tantra.”

During his reading of the ‘Stages of Meditation’, His Holiness again alluded to the importance of tackling the disturbing emotions. He pointed out that it is their nature that the moment they arise in our minds, they disturb us. We can see this clearly if we examine our own experience. He added that today, scientists too recognise that peace of mind is good for our physical well-being.

“What is unique about the Buddha’s teaching is his explanation of selflessness. Just repeating the words to yourself is not enough, it’s necessary to understand what it means—things do not exist as they appear.”

Unable to complete his reading of ‘Stages of Meditation’, His Holiness told his audience that since they had copies of the text they could read it for themselves and try to understand it. He then read the ‘37 Practices of a Bodhisattva’, in the course of which he again noted that we have a distorted view how things exist. We exaggerate, see things as independently existent, create karma and because of that face problems.

At the end of his reading His Holiness mentioned that he had received the ‘Stages of Meditation’ from the Sakya Abbot Sangye Tenzin. He in turn had heard it when he went from Lhasa to Samye and found a Dzogchen Lama teaching it there. The ‘37 Practices’ His Holiness received from Khunu Lama Tenzin Gyaltsen. He added that the copy of the text he uses personally, and held it up for all to see, had been sent to him from Lhasa by the previous Lhatsun Rinpoche.

Announcing that he will give an Avalokiteshvara empowerment tomorrow, His Holiness declared that he will read Je Tsongkhapa’s ‘Three Principal Aspects of the Path’, which happens to be included in the book that was distributed to the audience, as the preliminary teaching prior to that.

original link with photos: http://dalailama.com/news/post/1545-teaching-stages-of-meditation-and-37-practices-of-a-bodhisattva

The Dalai Lama on Laughter

Why I Laugh

In an excerpt from his new book, My Spiritual Journey, The Dalai Lama shares his belief in the surprising power of laughter and smiles to reach other people, even our enemies.

I Am a Professional Laugher

I have been confronted with many difficulties throughout the course of my life, and my country is going through a critical period. But I laugh often, and my laughter is contagious. When people ask me how I find the strength to laugh now, I reply that I am a professional laugher. Laughing is a characteristic of the Tibetans, who are different in this from the Japanese or the Indians. They are very cheerful, like the Italians, rather than a little reserved, like the Germans or the English.

My cheerfulness also comes from my family. I come from a small village, not a big city, and our way of life is more jovial. We are always amusing ourselves, teasing each other, joking. It’s our habit.

To that is added, as I often say, the responsibility of being realistic. Of course problems are there. But thinking only of the negative aspect doesn’t help to find solutions and it destroys peace of mind. Everything, though, is relative. You can see the positive side of even the worst tragedies if you adopt a holistic perspective. If you take the negative as absolute and definitive, however, you increase your worries and anxiety, whereas by broadening the way you look at a problem you understand what is bad about it, but you accept it. This attitude comes to me, from my practice and from Buddhist philosophy, which help me enormously.

I often say jokingly that a truly selfish person must be altruistic!

Take the loss of our country, for example. We are a stateless people, and we must confront adversity along with many painful circumstances in Tibet itself. Nevertheless, such experiences also bring many benefits.

As for me, I’ve been homeless for half a century. But I have found a large number of new homes throughout the vast world. If I had remained at the Potala, I don’t think I would have had the chance to meet so many personalities, so many heads of state in Asia, Taiwan, the United States, and Europe, popes as well as many famous scientists and economists.

The life of exile is an unfortunate life, but I have always tried to cultivate a happy state of mind, appreciating the opportunities this existence without a settled home, far from all protocol, has offered me. This way I have been able to preserve my inner peace.

I Love the Smile, Unique to Humans

If we are content just to think that compassion, rationality, and patience are good, that is not actually enough to develop these qualities. Difficulties provide the occasion to put them into practice. Who can make such occasions arise? Certainly not our friends, but rather our enemies, for they are the ones who pose the most problems. So that we truly want to progress on the path, we must regard our enemies as our best teachers.

For whoever holds love and compassion in high esteem, the practice of tolerance is essential, and it requires an enemy. We must be grateful to our enemies, then, because they help us best engender a serene mind! Anger and hatred are the real enemies that we must confront and defeat, not the “enemies” who appear from time to time in our lives.

Of course it is natural and right that we all want to have friends. I often say jokingly that a truly selfish person must be altruistic! You have to take care of others, of their well-being, by helping them and serving them, to have even more friends and make more smiles blossom. The result? When you yourself need help, you will find all you need! On the other hand, if you neglect others’ happiness, you will be the loser in the long run. Is friendship born of arguments, anger, jealousy, and unbridled competition? I don’t think so. Only affection produces authentic friends.

In contemporary materialistic society, if you have money and power you have the impression of having a lot of friends. But they aren’t your friends; they are the friends of your money and power. If you lose your wealth and influence you will have trouble finding those people again.

Unfortunately, so long as things are going well, we think we can get along by ourselves. However, as our situation and health decline, we soon realize how wrong we were. That is when we understand who really helps us. To prepare ourselves for such a time, by making true friends who are useful when we need them most, we must cultivate altruism.

As for me, I always want more friends. I love smiles, and my wish is to see more smiles, real smiles, for there are many kinds—sarcastic, artificial, or diplomatic. Some smiles don’t arouse any satisfaction, and some even engender suspicion or fear. An authentic smile, though, arouses an authentic feeling of freshness, and I think the smile belongs only to human beings. If we want those smiles, we must create the reasons that make them appear.

https://www.amazon.com/My-Spiritual-Journey-ebook/dp/B003VIWRM2

Original article link:
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2010/10/24/dalai-lama-on-laughter-and-compassion.html

Job...and Satanic Collusion

By Reverend Mark Hunnemann

Not long ago, I wrote a couple of article on demonic collusion. “Collusion” is defined as “a secret agreement, especially for fraudulent or treacherous purposes; conspiracy.” Regarding demons, it means that Satan and his diabolical underlings plan strategy on how to work together to best plan and execute an attack/s.This often entails an astonishing amount of details. I’m watching a special on “Inside the Green Berets”, and demons are spiritual warriors, who are also the ultimate terrorists…who carry out special ops missions that would make our heads spin in their brilliance, as well as their cruelty. The words used in Greek/English to express demonic hierarchies infers that there is intentional strategizing.

While reading the Book of Job, I came across a clear example of Satanic led collusion with other unclean spirits. In the prologue, Satan tells God that he had been walking around on planet earth. Further, he argues to God that Job only loves Him because God put a hedge around him. Please read the text carefully:

Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,
14 and there came a messenger to Job and said, "The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them,
15 and the Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
16 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "The fire of God fell from heaven and burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said,"The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
18 While he was yet speaking, there came another and said, "Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their oldest brother's house,
19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people, and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you."
20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground and worshiped.
21 And he said, "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD."
22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

After getting permission from God Almighty to attack that which belonged to Job, a man who was blameless (that does not mean perfect) and upright, Satan descends back to earth from whence he came and began his collusive deliberations with his subordinates. No, this is not stated explicitly, but it is most certainly implied…based on subsequent events. The plan was to kill, steal, and destroy (sound familiar?)

SMASH…SMASH…SMASH…SMASH—from multiple directions. Satan can only be at one place at a time. From the south (Sabeans..v.15), fire from above (v.16), north (Chaldeans   v.17), and the east (the sirocco wind demonically enhanced…v 19) The Satanic and demonic attacks came smashing down relentlessly….exquisitely timed for maximum affect. Cattle were stolen, many servants slaughtered, and all 10 of his children were killed in an instant. Such was the brilliantly cruel collusion that it included the details of the timing of the attacks, as well as their reporting. The timing was so relentless, that 3 times it says (verses 16, 17, 18): “while he was yet speaking”. No sooner had one tragedy occurred, and been reported, that Satan timed it so they came in rapid fire succession. The narrative presents each of the tragedies in rapid succession, giving Job/us the feeling, later described by Job: “He will not let me get my breath.” Breathless in Uz…and weeping while worshipping.

Note something that is easily overlooked: In every tragedy, there was ONE survivor—somebody had to be spared to bring Job the horrific news. You can bet that they didn’t survive because of their ‘luck’ or wits…What an awful cruelty…Satan sparing 3 men merely to bear the unbearable news. All part of the detailed collusive plan. It is easily lost on the reader that many of Jobs beloved servants were massacred, in light of the unspeakable death of all ten of his children. But surely the death of his servants agonized this righteous man’s soul to its core. And given the massive size of Job’s flocks, there must’ve been many dozens of servants savagely slaughtered.
Let’s go back. To see the incredible attention to detail, the Chaldeans and Sabeans had to be demonically incited against a man that they had previously lived in peace with. Think of a counsel of war, in which Satan oversaw every detail, down to the smallest minutia of this multi-pronged attack. And their timing had to be perfect, in order for it to have the effect it did. Then, we see Satan’s power (derived from God Almighty) over nature, where (presumably) lightning struck at just the right moment and at the just the exact, right place. The devils derivative power over nature is seen in the timing of the sirocco wind as well. These folks would have been used to this wind, so it must have been a supernaturally strong wind that would have destroyed a house, killing ALL the inhabitants (except for one), at the perfect time.

His collusion caused massive losses for Job…steal, kill, and destroy—literally.

Those familiar with the story (which happened in space and time) will know that Satan was granted permission to attack Job’s body, but not kill him..This introduced yet another layer of intense suffering. After being covered with painful boils, Job still maintained his integrity and worshipped…though he was struggling.

Some may disagree with me, but I believe that the cruel advice of Job’s friends was an integral part of Satan’s collusion—the comprehensively detailed plan to crush this dear man. If Peter could be an unwitting mouthpiece for Satan, then why not these three men?

If they had just remained quiet, they would have done well…at least better.

Here is a hint that Eliphaz had been visited by Satan/demon in preparation for this rendezvous. A mysterious experience is expressed in 4:12-16. Dread and trembling came upon him at night and a spirit glided by his face…the hair on his body stood on end. Then the ‘apparition’ stood still but Eliphaz not could make out its detail. And this supernatural midnight rider said: “Can mortal man be in the right before God?”

The doctrine of demons, which these men espoused and crushed Job with, was this: character can be judged by circumstances. Jesus encountered this same thinking in His day (see John 9)

I find it instructive that Eliphaz mentions this demonic encounter, right after his first expression of demonic theology and attack on Job (4:7—11) Btw, I’m not aware of any commentators who agree with me that this experience was demonic, but I may be wrong.

First, you have this man visited by a demon, preparing Eliphaz for his visit with Job. And he appeals to the supernatural nature of this experience to lend authority to the horribly brutal things he was saying to Job…not realizing he had not been discerning of the spirits. He must have forgot that there is supernatural evil as well. Whether it was a shadow demon in humanoid form or another form of demonic apparition, Eliphaz could not make out its details. I must say that this experience has such a modern ring to it, doesn’t it? To those of us who have encountered demons in the night, all the details of the ancient vision sound eerily familiar.

And further evidence of collusion, is the fact that these men who lived so far apart, planned to get together and comfort Job. They thought they were going to comfort Job, but Satan had other plans. He knew their deviant theology, which gave him a foothold. Don’t ever say that doctrine is impractical or not important! The bulk of the book is these men, descending into deeper and deeper depths of attacking and accusing Job, flowing out of their demonic theology, as well as impatience. Do preachers draw attention to the ongoing Satanic collusion via their advice to Job?

They succeeded in causing Job to sink ever deeper into despair. The Accuser was behind the persistent accusing of Job.

I don’t have time to unravel all the detail, but the point is that pastors and individual Christians need to remember the vicious nature of spiritual warfare and be on guard.

To put this in terms so we might understand more fully the devastation, let me put the events like this…All of these events occurred in rapid fire succession, and reported to Job in same rapid fire succession.

1.    The oxen and donkeys were stolen by the Sabeans, and all the servants but one were killed. Job’s checking account has been wiped out.
2.    Fire from above destroyed Job’s sheep, and killed all the servants but one. Job’s savings account was wiped out.
3.    The Chaldeans stole his camels and killed all the servants but one. The rest of Job’s financial portfolio (IRA’s, 401-K, investments, etc.) has been wiped out. ALL of his assets are gone…nothing to live on and no retirement.
4.    All of his children are killed….murdered by the evil one.
5.    Job’s wife is diabolically influenced to cause Job to blaspheme and possibly commit suicide.
6.    Job is soon attacked with painful boils, from head to toe.
7.    His friends turn on him and viciously accuse him of wickedness, as they are under the influence of the Accuser. No sympathy…just one attack after another.

If we saw someone in the same circumstances, would we be tempted to wonder if they were doing something wrong? Don’t say ‘No!’ too quickly. It is hardwired into our fallen humanness, to inwardly judge people who are in systemic dire straits. I went through a rough patch a few years ago, and a friend began insisting (and spreading the news) that I had a demonic attachment. I didn’t…we live in a Fallen world (a blog for another day).

Because we are privy to the real reason for Job’s problems, we know he was under Satanic oppression. BUT, he hadn’t done anything wrong. I have found that a large number of people who are under demonic oppression are themselves blameless. Kids with autism (fill in the blank), or moving into a house with a pre-existing demonic presence, or something generational in nature, all of these can cause innocent people to come under attack from the lawless Accuser. There does not have to always be ‘legal rights’ as we normally understand the term. Sometimes, it is what I call ‘illegal rights’, as in the case with the classes of people I mentioned above….or Job. Let’s be careful with how we use the term ‘legal rights.’

I have come to have reservations about the term ‘legal rights’ because Satan can and does do that which is contrary to God’s moral will all the time. Everything he does is contrary to God’s moral will, though never contrary to His sovereign will. God’s sovereign will is absolute, and no creature can break it because God is sovereign over every molecule. Job had not done anything to give Satan/demons a legal right to attack him. And if God allowed the devil to attack Job without any legal rights to do so, then why not today as well?  I’m well aware that a large percentage of demonic oppression is caused by personal sin, which then gives Satan a foothold (that IS a biblical term.(Ephesians 4:26).

I am trying to apply the fact of demonic collusion, and one application is that Job had not given the devil any legal right to attack him so savagely. But I wonder if he lived today, if we demonologists would secretly wonder what legal rights he had given Satan? We need to have tender, sympathetic hearts, and not rush to judgment.

Job was a mess…crushed to the core of his being. His friends initially didn’t recognize him-such was the comprehensively savage effects (physical and emotional) of this Satanic, collusive attack. People who are under chronic and acute demonic oppression are going to be ‘irregular’ and probably not be candidates for being on the cover of GQ or Better Homes and Gardens. They are often physically, emotionally, and spiritually crushed. Hence, we need to be patient and tenderly sympathetic when they express erratic behavior or rash words, as Job did.

But the bible insists that we not be ignorant of Satan’s schemes, which itself implies collusion, does it not? Scheming in this case is done amidst the demonic hierarchy. Pastors need to be acutely aware of how real spiritual warfare is…and not some hazy notion of occasional temptation. Collusion teaches us that spiritual warfare is to be taken very, very seriously by God’s children.

A healthy respect for Satan’s immense power and intelligence is needed if we are to see just how desperately we need to despair of any self-confidence, self-righteousness, or self-reliance. It will drive us to Christ, and Christ alone, as our deliverer from this serial killer of all serial killers. Just as an awareness of sin will cause us to cling to the cross, so will a deeper understanding of demonic collusion drive us to cling white-knuckled to the cross. We have put the magnifying glass on Satan/demons brilliant strategizing for one main reason—to put the spotlight on the beauty of the atonement. The more we understand Satan’s power, then the more we shall celebrate and weep for joy over the precious Name of Jesus. To quote Martin Luther regarding Satan’s massive power-“ …one little word shall fell him:JESUS."
Amen

Mark Hunnemann is the author of Seeing Ghosts Through God's Eyes: A Worldview Analysis of Earthbound Spirits. It's also available in eBook format.

The Dalai Lama on The Reality of War

Of course, war and the large military establishments are the greatest sources of violence in the world. Whether their purpose is defensive or offensive, these vast powerful organizations exist solely to kill human beings. We should think carefully about the reality of war. Most of us have been conditioned to regard military combat as exciting and glamorous - an opportunity for men to prove their competence and courage. Since armies are legal, we feel that war is acceptable; in general, nobody feels that war is criminal or that accepting it is criminal attitude. In fact, we have been brainwashed. War is neither glamorous nor attractive. It is monstrous. Its very nature is one of tragedy and suffering.

War is like a fire in the human community, one whose fuel is living beings. I find this analogy especially appropriate and useful. Modern warfare waged primarily with different forms of fire, but we are so conditioned to see it as thrilling that we talk about this or that marvelous weapon as a remarkable piece of technology without remembering that, if it is actually used, it will burn living people. War also strongly resembles a fire in the way it spreads. If one area gets weak, the commanding officer sends in reinforcements. This is throwing live people onto a fire. But because we have been brainwashed to think this way, we do not consider the suffering of individual soldiers. No soldiers want to be wounded or die. None of his loved ones wants any harm to come to him. If one soldier is killed, or maimed for life, at least another five or ten people - his relatives and friends - suffer as well. We should all be horrified by the extent of this tragedy, but we are too confused.

Frankly as a child, I too was attracted to the military. Their uniform looked so smart and beautiful. But that is exactly how the seduction begins. Children starts playing games that will one day lead them in trouble. There are plenty of exciting games to play and costumes to wear other than those based on the killing of human beings. Again, if we as adults were not so fascinated by war, we would clearly see that to allow our children to become habituated to war games is extremely unfortunate. Some former soldiers have told me that when they shot their first person they felt uncomfortable but as they continued to kill it began to feel quite normal. In time, we can get used to anything.

It is not only during times of war that military establishments are destructive. By their very design, they were the single greatest violators of human rights, and it is the soldiers themselves who suffer most consistently from their abuse. After the officer in charge have given beautiful explanations about the importance of the army, its discipline and the need to conquer the enemy, the rights of the great mass of soldiers are most entirely taken away. They are then compelled to forfeit their individual will, and, in the end, to sacrifice their lives. Moreover, once an army has become a powerful force, there is every risk that it will destroy the happiness of its own country.

There are people with destructive intentions in every society, and the temptation to gain command over an organisation capable of fulfilling their desires can become overwhelming. But no matter how malevolent or evil are the many murderous dictators who can currently oppress their nations and cause international problems, it is obvious that they cannot harm others or destroy countless human lives if they don't have a military organisation accepted and condoned by society. As long as there are powerful armies there will always be danger of dictatorship. If we really believe dictatorship to be a despicable and destructive form of government, then we must recognize that the existence of a powerful military establishment is one of its main causes.

Militarism is also very expensive. Pursuing peace through military strength places a tremendously wasteful burden on society. Governments spend vast sums on increasingly intricate weapons when, in fact, nobody really wants to use them. Not only money but also valuable energy and human intelligence are squandered, while all that increases is fear.

I want to make it clear, however, that although I am deeply opposed to war, I am not advocating appeasement. It is often necessary to take a strong stand to counter unjust aggression. For instance, it is plain to all of us that the Second World War was entirely justified. It "saved civilization" from the tyranny of Nazi Germany, as Winston Churchill so aptly put it. In my view, the Korean War was also just, since it gave South Korea the chance of gradually developing democracy. But we can only judge whether or not a conflict was vindicated on moral grounds with hindsight. For example, we can now see that during the Cold War, the principle of nuclear deterrence had a certain value. Nevertheless, it is very difficult to assess al such matters with any degree of accuracy. War is violence and violence is unpredictable. Therefore, it is better to avoid it if possible, and never to presume that we know beforehand whether the outcome of a particular war will be beneficial or not.

For instance, in the case of the Cold War, through deterrence may have helped promote stability, it did not create genuine peace. The last forty years in Europe have seen merely the absence of war, which has not been real peace but a facsimile founded dear. At best, building arms to maintain peace serves only as a temporary measure. As long as adversaries do not trust each other, any number of factors can upset the balance of power. Lasting peace can assure secured only on the basis of genuine trust.

original link: http://dalailama.com/messages/world-peace/the-reality-of-war

Incubus And Succubus

(WARNING ADULT CONTENT)

What Is A Incubus?

According to Wiki it is said to be a Demon Who Lies Upon Sleeping Females.

An incubus is a Lilin-demon in male form who, according to mythological and legendary traditions, lies upon women in order to engage in sexual activity with them. Its female counterpart is a succubus. Salacious tales of incubi and succubi have been told for many centuries in traditional societies. Some traditions hold that repeated sexual activity with an incubus or succubus may result in the deterioration of health, or even death

Incubus and Succubus in a nutshell are thought to be demons. They are known for sexual pleasure and people are summoning them left and right. I shudder at all the possible people are going to end up possessed or just way over their head in this so someone like me has to step in and determine if we need to find a minister or priest pending on the person's religion. All over the Internet especially YouTube asking everyone it seemed 'how do I summon one for sexual pleasure and companionship? ' So many asking that question. They are also known to be heavily focused on in Sleep Paralysis situations. They are found in different Demonologies. but I studied Biblical Demonology and a lot of things related like Satanology, Angelology, Christian mythology, etc...

The following is part of the testimony I found on the a random website and this woman was kind enough to share her story. If you go https://exemplore.com/paranormal/My-Personal-experience-with-the-paranormal you can you read her entire article as well as other stories people share. It's getting to be a subject that is coming up more and more and claims of rape. I think some of these are natural sleep paralysis. But I do believe it's not always sleep paralysis. At times it's demonic visitation but that is just my humble opinion. A lot of people are coming forward making claims. I can't prove anything of course. The following is part of this woman's experience with a Incubus. The website address link is above so feel free to read her entire experience and the different testimonies people are sharing about this phenomenon......

" all who summon demons to have sex with you: be careful. You may think you're in charge but you're not. They are in charge, and you may be hurt by the thing that gives you sexual pleasure. For example, I read about a man who was lonely and saw an article on "How to summon a succubus demon." Now he is addicted to a female demon who pleasures him. He has lost his soul and faith due to his sexual addiction. This man is so happy with his succubus that he doesn't even want to meet a real woman and have real sex anymore."

What A powerful testimony just in that little part. All of these people surely can't be lying? I had sleep paralysis I got it when my father was dying most likely due to stress and unable to sleep and what I experienced was not sleep paralysis it was daemonic visitation because I was wide awake. I can only speak for myself. The minute I started praying and engaged in spiritual warfare that was the end of that. I was never bothered again and I'll be honest till this day I get nervous I hate sleep paralysis is so real it seems so real it's so scary. When your faith in Christ is truly there and we truly believe it you can't be touched. Right after Christ showed his self to a certain amount of people when he rose from the grave and they were scared and asked him 'Jesus what shall we do when the enemy comes with Temptation' and he responded with 'there is power in my name and only in my name has the power to make the enemy flee.' But it must be in Jesus name and you must believe it or it'll backfire on you because they know what you're thinking.

Sleep Paralysis

Dealing with these demons is a serious issue and I don't think people realize this. I have the Lords hedge of protection because this is a calling. I technically started at 18 when I was in Bible college. My father was a Pentecostal Roseland and sadly these  things came along with his job and growing up I just inadvertently picked up on things and learned valuable information. Doorbell ring late at night and it was always somebody under possible possession or oppression.  You never ever on these TV shows hear the religious people the priest or the Pastor when people thank them and he or she says 'thank you Pastor or thank you father if it wasn't for you I don't know what would've happened to us' but not one person said "I could not have done it without the power of Jesus it was his power through me. I am just the Visage. I'm powerless." But they carry around holy water all kinds of religious sacraments but yet you'll never hear the name Jesus once the exorcism is over nor will you hear somebody say the Lord did this. That's like taking on demons with no back up. Very dangerous.

Please feel free to check out the other bloggers on here they are very talented and also take a look around our website here in general if you're new to it. You will find blogs that will pertain to you and be so helpful. Thank you so much for stopping by and thank you for taking the time to read this blog. I know it will reach some people.

Written By Jennifer L Auld

Biblicaldemonologist@gmail.com

The Dalai Lama on Ethics

Ground-breaking Ceremony for the South Asia Hub of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and a Public Talk

Hyderabad, Telangana, India, 12 February 2017 - A swift drive across Hyderabad this morning brought His Holiness the Dalai Lama to the site on Hitex Road, Madhapur, where the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics is to build its South Asia Hub. This will be a cooperative venture supported by the MIT based think tank and the Telangana State Government.

His Holiness and HE ESL Narasimhan, Governor of Telangana, unveiled the foundation stone together and then took part in a symbolic planting of saplings, which will grow on the campus.  They were joined in these observances by Deputy Chief Minister, Mohammad Mahmood Ali and Minister of Industries, MA&UD and IT Kalvankutla Taraka Rama Rao. The Governor remarked that peace is commonly invoked in Hindu ceremonies. His Holiness agreed and suggested that prayer also needs to be augmented by action such as training the mind.

At the Hitex Open Arena nearby Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi, founder of the Dalai Lama Center for Ethics and Transformative Values greeted an audience of more than 1000 in the marquee and another 15000 online. He requested the Deputy Chief Minister, Mohammad Mahmood Ali to formally welcome His Holiness and then invited KT Rama Rao to introduce him. His Holiness began his address in his customary way.

“I always begin by greeting an audience as brothers and sisters, because I consider myself to be just one among the 7 billion human beings who I view as brothers and sisters. The way we are born and the way we die is the same whether we are kings, queens, spiritual leaders or beggars. This is why having a sense of the oneness of humanity is important. Wherever I go and whoever I talk to I try to promote this idea in an effort to break down barriers between us. Whenever I can I smile which mostly prompts others to smile in return, making us both happy.

“Although we are physically, mentally and emotionally the same, there are differences between us. I’m Tibetan, I’m Buddhist and I’m the Dalai Lama, but if I emphasize these differences it sets me apart and raises barriers with other people. What we need to do is to pay more attention to the ways in which we are the same as other people.

“Most of the problems we face we create ourselves by stressing secondary differences of nationality, religious faith and so forth. How sad it is that today religion is becoming a cause of conflict and violence. When people are being killed in other parts of the world, we can’t remain complacent, we have to think of how to ensure the well-being of these suffering people.

“Differences of nationality and ideology that were important in the early 20th century seem less powerful today. In Europe, having fought and killed each other for generations, after the Second World War the European Union was created. My physics tutor von Weizsäcker told me that in his youth in every French and German eye the other was an enemy. But, by the 1990s, he said that had all changed. Recognising that nothing good comes from the destruction of war, people had realized that it’s better to live together. It is this spirit of the European Union that I admire and that we need to see adopted in other parts of the world—in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

“In the long run I look forward to a global union and a demilitarized world. As long as human beings are involved there will be some problems, but we need to learn to deal with them through dialogue without resort to the use of force. This will entail developing moral principles because it won’t be achieved on the basis of mistrust and jealousy.”

His Holiness observed that ahimsa is a longstanding Indian tradition that is also not based on fear, but on confidence and compassion. An example is the way religious harmony flourishes here. Indigenous faiths like Hinduism, Jainism, Buddhism and Sikhism thrive, but the flourishing alongside them of religions from elsewhere indicates real tolerance and mutual respect. Zoroastrianism came from Persia. There are barely 100,000 Parsis in their community in Bombay and yet they live without fear—this is India, he said. Likewise, Jews came and created a community in Cochin. Christians and Muslims came too. Now, Indian Muslims form the second largest Muslim population in the world, larger even than in Pakistan. His Holiness remarked that of course occasional problems crop up, but otherwise India is the only country in the world where all major religions live together in mutual respect.

Comparing the ancient civilizations of Egypt, China and the Indus Valley, His Holiness suggested that the Indus Valley ultimately gave rise to the greatest number of thinkers and varied schools of thought, including Buddhism. Ancient Indian psychology with its profound understanding of the workings of the mind and emotions has much to teach us today.

“More than 30 years ago I entered into discussions with modern scientists that have allowed Buddhists and contemplatives to learn more about the physical world, but also for the scientists to learn about the mind and emotions. Ahimsa—non-violence motivated by karuna—compassion is a way of dealing with destructive emotions. For more than 1000 years we Tibetans have kept these traditions that flourished at Nalanda alive. Modern Indians today have a special opportunity to combine modern education with the values and insights of this ancient Indian heritage. Many young people are already doing so. This Center for Ethics with its various programs and activities is making a contribution in this direction. I appreciate my friend here and the State Government for supporting it.

“The Center is named after the Dalai Lama, but I am just one student of the Nalanda Tradition, a student of Nagarjuna. Nevertheless, when I visit other countries I often tell people I meet that I’m a messenger of ancient Indian knowledge—a son of India. I justify this because my mind is filled with Nalanda thought, while my body has been nourished for 58 years by Indian rice, dal and chapatis.”

Answering the audience’s questions, His Holiness explained that since the majority of the world’s population continue to live in poverty we need to pursue material development. However, this pursuit needs to be coupled with inner or mental development. He reported that not only have scientists established that basic human nature is compassionate, but they have found that constant anger and fear undermines our immune system, while cultivating a compassionate mind strengthens it. He declared that when a significant number of people have no interest in religion, attempts to promote universal values have to take a secular approach.

A questioner who noted the role of education in fostering inner values asked about the role of parents. His Holiness told him that science has shown the positive effects of simple physical contact between mother and child, but what is additionally important is that parents shower their children with affection.

When asked how to prepare for death, His Holiness replied that to some extent it depends on what you believe. He said that if you believe in a loving God, thinking of him, his love and compassion can be helpful as you die. For a Buddhist it would be useful to keep the Buddha’s main message of compassion and things’ lack of independent existence in mind. He added that there are also ways of visualizing the process of death with its eight stages of dissolution in order to prepare for it when it takes place, ending finally with the mind of clear light.

“The best preparation for death,” His Holiness continued, “depends on the way you live, avoiding doing others harm and helping them wherever you can. If you do that you’ll be able to die without any sense of regret. So a peaceful death depends very much on how you’ve lived your life.”

Another young woman wanted to know which is the more effective way to train the mind, cultivating concentration or analytical meditation. His Holiness was forthright in his praise of analysis. He reported the way he does it himself. He analyses his body, mind and feelings. He thinks about impermanence and momentary change. He considers how past, present and future constantly shift. Past and future only exist in relation to the present, but the present is apparently impossible to tie down. He mentioned that he reflects on his body and that it consists of parts—head, hands, feet and trunk and asks himself whether any of the parts by themselves are his the body.

Finally, the moderator asked His Holiness to tell him how he manages to look so young. His Holiness retorted, “That’s my secret,” but then explained how he consistently sleeps for nine hours a night. When wakes up he engages in 4 hours of meditation which contributes to his inner peace. Sleep and meditation, he suggested, contribute to inner peace and inner strength. “If you choose, you too can do it.”

Ven Tenzin Priyadarshi wound up the session with a vote of thanks. First of all he thanked His Holiness for coming and then thanked the many people who had made this inaugural session a success: members of his team and the Government of Telangana in particular.

His Holiness attended a sumptuous official lunch as the guest of the Deputy Chief Minister, following which he drove to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport to fly to Amritsar, from where he will drive to Dharamsala tomorrow morning.

Original link with photos http://dalailama.com/news/post/1541-ground-breaking-ceremony-for-the-south-asia-hub-of-the-dalai-lama-center-for-ethics-and-a-public-talk

What Is The Gift Of Biblical Discernment?

What Is The Gift Of Biblical Discernment?

Hello everybody. I hope you're having a wonderful Sunday so far! I trust you had a great weekend and I hope you enjoy my humble blogs regarding my opinion on the Supernatural from a Christian point of view.... even though I hate calling myself a Christian due to how many of them exhibit poor examples. Remember we will answer for turning people off from getting to know The Lord. Have fun explaining why you called yourself a Christian but wanted to be a hypocrite and judge others using Christ's name in doing so. Remember we really want to be in the book of life. And it's sad because a lot of Christians are not going where they think when they leave this world to the other side. A lot of very bad examples of Christians make us all look bad but please know not all of them are like that. Bad ones ruin it for the good honest ones.

Discernment:

The word discern and its derivatives are translations of the Greek word anakrinoin the New Testament. It means “to distinguish, to separate out by diligent search, to examine.” Discernment is the ability to properly discriminate or make determinations. It is related to wisdom. The Word of God itself is said to discern the thoughts and intentions of one’s heart (Hebrews 4:12).

Just as Solomon sought discernment and wisdom (Proverbs 1:2; 1 Kings 3:9-12) to explore the handiwork of God (Ecclesiastes 1:13) and seek out the meaning of life (Ecclesiastes 12:13), so should believers seek “the wisdom that comes from heaven” (James 3:17). We must study the Scriptures which are “able to make you aware of the enemy as well as everything you will need to know to keep yourself safe. And Satan is not above God. The Lord is coming and he knows that for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). We pray to our Lord the prayer be “I am your servant; give me discernment that I may understand your words” (Psalm 119:125). The Bible has everything in it all the information how to conduct spiritual warfare when we find ourselves under attack and that's our discernment as well listen to what you might think your gut is telling you until you learn to recognize discernment. The Bible has all that we need. Even spiritual warfare is explained on how we fight the enemy. It's our weapon.

Something that's noteworthy speaking of song I'm finding out not a whole lot of people realize that King Solomon summons demons to do his bidding like building his castle and things to that nature and that's not what God wanted him to do. They say in Solomons last days that he spoke gibberish. Those demons definitely got him back and God only want him and there is such thing as free will. The days up to King Solomon stuff no one could tell he was saying because he was speaking gibberish and talking to people that were not there. Even the wisdom he was blessed with when it comes to having those demons do his bidding had to of known there would be repercussions. The book called The Lesser Keys of Solomon is nothing but a girl matter of how to summon I believe it's 74 demons I think?

The Bible will NEVER leave us defenseless! You see these demons fear Christ. They fear God. They truly do. Like in the Bible when the demon said to Christ "why have you come to torment us before the appointed time?"I believe this was the one where they (the demons) asked to be casted out into the swine. Remember???? I believe it was that depressed man who was possessed by some demons but I could be getting that mixed up with another story in the Bible so forgive me if I mix things up. I know for a fact these things happened in the Bible, my mind is just having a block. Lol. But you get the point that I'm trying to make.

What Is Spiritual Warfare:

Some Christians feel satan and demons are fought, using a variety of methods and prayers depending on the group, mostly prayer and fasting. From a biblical point of view, spiritual warfare is the cosmic war of good versus evil. Many battles are fought daily between God and Satan; between the Christian Church and the world fueled by our enemy; and within every child of God, between the Holy Spirit and the lusts of the carnal flesh. The clear meanings of good and evil, as defined by God rather than man, are revealed within the verses of the Holy Bible and the life of Jesus Christ.  The Book of Daniel, chapter 10 provides one of the most striking examples of spiritual warfare found in Scripture. It's truly worth a read.

Discernment And Testing What We Are Being Taught.

Discernment is valuable (at least for me it was very helpful in the situations as Christians are responsible to test teachings, preaching and prophecy. It Hass to line up with the word of God. The Bereans were considered noble for hearing the teaching of Paul and Silas, receiving them with eagerness and “examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so” (Acts 17:11). These believers tested the words of the apostles, examining the Scriptures to see if what they were being taught was in line with the Word Of God. It's very important that we do that. All Christians are ultimately responsible for what they choose to believe, no matter whether or not they have been gifted with the spiritual gift of discernment. I just pray and do what I think God wants me to put out there. I always pray before doing a blog to see if the Holy Spirit shows me anything he would like me to share.

When I did two blogs on "Demons and Meth? A Door to Darkness?" and Meth and Demons Part 2 I never dreamed so many people knew about that connection yet. Many people fell victim. Please do read the above-linked blogs as I had to write a second one because the first one really reached out to a lot of people. So please feel free to take a moment to (no matter what you believe in) read "Demons and Meth A Door to Darkness?" if you Google that you will  be surprised how many hits come up. Not to mention all the different stories people are now starting to share and come out a little bit more with it. Since more and more people are it makes others more comfortable. It's no different than when someone claims they have a demon or ghost, it's very hard to make any assumptions until you have done the walk-through and ask the appropriate questions and speak with all witnesses and take notes.

Spiritual Warfare is really one huge blessing the Lord left us with to cast out evil. Think about that. It's sad at times we may have to get dirty in order to handle that but just like Satan dispatches his demons there are Angels doing the same thing except to protect us and guide us in the right direction but we still have our free will. Search online for the paralysis and demons and it goes into more detail about that or you can read one of my blogs that I wrote about it in detail it was called and titled "The incubus and succubus". The enemy and his disgusting vile creatures Will invade you and your body and there's nothing you can you do. If you've  had sleep paralysis know what I'm talking about. The body is still asleep but the brain is awake. I believe it's called a REM cycle. Upon just falling asleep or Just waking up. It's terrifying. And a lot of those cases are natural and known to be medical issue going on  but some believe some  cases are demonic visitation and I think I agree.

Thank you all for stopping by Eye On The Paranormal. Thank you for taking the time to read our blogs.  Feel free to keep commenting the other two blogs I did on " crystal meth and demons". It is still receiving comments, actually both blogs people found help from. They felt better they didn't think they were crazy so you never know who could benefit from it. Just something I wanted to throw in real quick in case you think you have anything to add that would be helpful information on that subject. There's a lot of people struggling to find answers for it. It's definitely something that needs to be addressed already.

Written By Jennifer L Auld