Cancer, I've been here before.

So the docs found a new spot on my lungs. It is May 27th, 2026, I've been here before. I'm ready for this. Interesting, it was exactly four years ago on this day that I posted "My Cancer Cure" post on here. In that post I wrote: "We all come into this life with a mission, a reason, and when that reason is done so are we...this is why cancer doesn't matter to me, if I still have a reason to live, the cancer will wait. And as I told you before, the blue Buddha came to me in a dream and so I know I am healing and will stay alive as long as I continue my mission. I am chanting each morning that this body which can create a cancer cell, can heel a cancer cell. Therefore, I chant that the recent spots they found on my lungs are smaller than they were the day before, and that they are not cancerous. I then thank the heavenly deities for providing this. I also pray that the medicine king will bring me the knowledge, doctors, cures, etc., that I need...."

I go into how I eat raw bitter melon, broccoli, and carrots in the morning. I also go into my faith: "The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law which saved my life over a year ago by alarming me to have my lungs checked. I've told you about it before, how while chanting my chest began to hurt which caused me to go to the hospital where they found a cancer spot. It amazed the doctors that I brought it to their attention so early. I had part of my lung removed and have lived another year without cancer. Now, it looks like there are more spots which could be cancerous.  I am not sure what I have left, if it is to share with you how my faith has saved me again, or how I know by chanting I am protected and will be here as long as I am needed.  Maybe just to share my cure with you, kind reader. The faith I speak of is the Mystic Law. To obtain it all you have to do is chant: Nam Myoho Renge Kyo. Give it a try. 

May, Aleister Crowley, and the Esoteric Message of Nursery Rhymes

Hermes and Maia

May, the fifth month of the current Gregorian calendar and the third month of Spring's rule, which derives its name from the Roman Springtime goddess Maia, whose divine powers encouraged the growth of crops. 

Wooo, I have to stop here for Maia is also the mother of Hermes, and well, I have to go Hermetic on your ass now because we have invoked the name of Hermes Trismegistus which brings us to today's topic: The Holy Qabalah, Aleister Crowley, and Nursery Rhymes, for you see all nursery rhymes were holy before the Demiurge's Fake Religion of today.  

 So hold onto your seats boys and girls as we reveal one of the great secrets of the adepts.  

Old Mother Hubbard

Went to her cupboard

To get her poor dog a bone;

When she got there, 

The cupboard was bare, 

And so the poor dog had none. 

Who is this ancient and venerable mother?  According to Aleister Crowley she is none other than Binah of the Kabbalah, as is evident in the use of the holy letter H with which her name begins. 

And to what cupboard did she go?  To the most secret caverns of the Universe? And who is this dog?  It is not the name of God spelt backwards (saying "not" is the only way one can share the true secrets of an Initiate without provoking the spirits of the teachings).  And what is the bone?  It is the master's Wand.  

As Crowley said in his The Book of Lies, "This rime is the legend of the murder of Osiris by Typhon when the limbs of Osiris were scattered in the Nile, and Isis sought them in every corner of the Universe, and she found all except his sacred lingam..." which was not found until Crowley's own time, but that's another story for another time.  

How about this one:

Little Bo Beep

She lost her sheep, 

And couldn't tell where to find them. 

Leave them alone!

And they'll come home,

Dragging their tails behind them. 

"Bo" is the root meaning Light, from which spring such words as Bo-tree, Bodhisattva, and Buddha. And "Peep" is Apep, the serpent Apophis.  This poem therefore contains the same symbol as that in the Egyptian and Hebrew Bibles.  The snake is the serpent of initiation, as the Lamb is the Savior.  This ancient one, the Wisdom of Eternity, sits in its old anguish awaiting the Redeemer.  And this holy verse triumphantly assures us that there is no need for anxiety.  The Saviors will come one after the other, at their own good pleasure, and as they may be needed, and drag their tails, that is to say those who follow out their holy commandment, to the ultimate goal. 

So get to work performing your holy commandment.  I'm serious, now what is your holy commandment?  Only you can know that, and believe me it is not in any church or Turkish Bathhouse -- you see, I did the extremes there.    

Hickory, dickory, dock!

The mouse ran up the clock;

The clock struck one, 

And the mouse ran down, 

Hickory, dickory, dock!

The clock symbolizes the spinal column, and the mouse is the Ego (the Qabalistic spelling of the word "mouse" backwards). The Ego force being driven up the spine, the clock strikes one, that is, the duality of consciousness is abolished.  And the force again subsides to its original level to try again.  Go back into meditation and figure it out. 

"Hickory, dickory, dock!" is the mantra which was use by the adept who constructed this rime, thereby hoping to fix it in the minds of men. 

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall;

Humpty Dumpty got a great fall'

All the king's horses

And all the king's men

Couldn't set up Humpty Dumpty again. 

Humpty Dumpty is of course is the Egg of Spirit, the fertility egg, and the wall is the Abyss -- his "fall" is therefore the descent of spirit into matter; and no mere leader of men can put him back together again, it takes more, much more, such as faith. Faith in what, now that is the true question here.  

So that is it for today, Initiates.  Remember, after five years of silence you will begin to understand.  The answer is love, but first, we must listen.  Oh, and never look at your image in the mirror besides a candle.  But you probably already know this.  

~~ Eso Terry

Prana

"The Prana in me, sees the Prana in you."

What is Prana? A clothing store for the active Buddhist in all of us? Yes, it is, but before materialization got a hold of us, Prana was more, much more. Let's dive into it now

First, there is much confusion regarding Prana. Google Prana and you'll see everything from crossed-legged yoga poses to energy enemas. The problem is they seldom mention "apana," and to put it bluntly, you can't have one without the Apana (other). Yes, it's a yin/yang thing. Therefore, Prana and Apana are two primary, opposing energetic forces in yoga that regulate the body and mind. Prana is the upward/inward life force of intake and expansion, located above the navel. Apana is the downward/outward force of elimination and grounding, located below the navel area.

Now that that is clear, we will talk about Prana, and to do so I'll use a passage from Fourteen Lessons in Yogi Philosophy and Oriental Occultism, written by Yogi Ramacharaka 1862–1932, where he writes: "Prana is everywhere and in everything. Prana is not the Ego, but is merely a form of energy used by the Ego in its material manifestation. When the Ego departs from the physical body, in what we call "death," the Prana, being no longer under the control of the Ego, responds only to the orders of the individual atoms or their groups, which have formed the physical body, and as the physical body disintegrates and is resolved back to its original elements, each atom takes with it sufficient Prana to enable it to form new combinations, the unused Prana returning to the great universal storehouse from whence it came."

So you see, Prana is in all forms of matter, and yet it is not matter - it is the energy or force which animates matter.

Maybe a better definition can be found in Insighttimer.com:

"In the heart of ancient wellness practices lies a concept so powerful yet so subtle that it forms the very essence of our being. Prana, often described as the life force or vital energy, courses through the universe and every living creature, connecting us to the broader cosmos with invisible threads. This concept, deeply rooted in yogic traditions, is not just about the air we breathe but encompasses the energy that animates life itself...ancient texts and practices within Hinduism have long acknowledged the significance of prana, highlighting its role in the creation and sustenance of life. Though Hindu tradition isn’t the only well-known philosophy that recognizes life force — “Qi” (chi) in Traditional Chinese Medicine is a notable parallel." 

Finally, prana is seen as the bridge between the physical and the non-physical, influencing our health, emotions, and spiritual state. Recognizing and harnessing this energy is key to achieving a state of balance and harmony within oneself and with the surrounding world.

Now that that's clear, I'll return you to your regular way of being.


~~ Eso Terry

"Prana is everywhere, boys and girls, even in a clown like me!"

the gunas

In Sankhya, matter is said to have three gunas: sattva, rajas, and tamas. These terms are translated in a variety of ways by different scholars, usually something like “harmony,” “mobility,” and “inertia.”

Sattva, is a nominal form of sat (being) with a suffix which is equivalent to English “-ness” or “-hood,” hence sattva implies a thing’s essential being.

Rajas, from the root rañj (colored, especially reddened), is associated with vapor or mist, desire, menstrual discharge, etc. and in the context of Sankhya philosophy implies exciting emotions motivated by desire.

Tamas, from the root tam (choke, be exhausted, become immobile), has the general meaning of darkness, obscuration, heaviness, or ignorance, hence implies a condition of dullness, habituality, or stupidity.

According to the folks at Theosophy.World, "There is a temptation to identify these three gunas with properties of physical matter. For instance, it is claimed by physicists that all laws of matter involve at the very least three undefined variables, usually identified as resonant frequency, energy, and inertia. That sounds very much like sattva, rajas, and tamas. But one cannot eliminate any of the three physical variables in the way that the Gita urges you to eliminate, or at least minimize the influence of, rajas and tamas. So that cannot be what they mean. A more plausible interpretation would be to equate the three gunas with the theosophical idea of the elementals of the three lower planes of matter: tamas with the physical elemental which seeks repetition of past actions, rajas with the emotional (or “astral”) elemental which seeks excitement and is mainly driven by desire, and sattva with the mental elemental which seeks harmony among ideas, thus is sometimes equated with knowledge, happiness, and illumination.

Helena P. Blavatsky grapples with the task of explaining the nature of the gunas when she writes, “What are the ‘producers’ evoluted from this universal root-principle, Mula-prakriti or undifferentiated primeval cosmic matter, which evolves out of itself consciousness, and mind, and is generally called ‘Prakriti’ and amulam mulam, ‘the rootless root,’ and avyakta, the ‘unevolved evolver,’ etc.? This primordial tattwa or ‘eternally existing “that,”’ the unknown essence, is said to produce as a first producer (1) Buddhi — ‘intellect’ — whether we apply the latter to the sixth macrocosmic or microcosmic principle. This first produced produces in its turn (or is the source of) (2) Ahankara, ‘self-consciousness’ and Manas, ‘mind’” (CW IV:580-81). In other words, she follows the general outline found in Sakhya. I. K. Taimni, in his book, Man, God and the Universe, explains the gunas thus: “Here then we have really another example of integration and differentiation not at the level of matter or vibration but at the level of the mind, for perception of properties is a function of the mind though the stimulation comes from matter and vibrations. The conception of Prakti as an integrated state of the gunas, which contains all gunas in a potential state and from which any guna or property can emerge if the proper conditions (the particular combination of the three gunas based on harmonious motion, irregular motion and no motion) are present will thus be seen to be in perfect accord with our scientific ideas regarding the nature of integration and differentiation. In the conception of Prakti as the integrated state of the gunas (dharmas — depend upon different combinations of the three gunas) we have gone up from the level of matter or vibration to the level of the mind which is the product of the interaction of Spirit and matter” (pp. 204-5).

In our modern Yoga-Coffee-Shop world today where Yoga is a form of light exercise for the body, the mind, and the "Spandex" ego, the popular definition (as found in YogaBasics.com) can be summed up as:

"All three gunas are always present in all beings and objects surrounding us but vary in their relative amounts. We humans have the unique ability to consciously alter the levels of the gunas in our bodies and minds. The gunas cannot be separated or removed in oneself but can be consciously acted upon to encourage their increase or decrease. A guna can be increased or decreased through the interaction and influence of external objects, lifestyle practices and thoughts.

"To reduce tamas avoid tamasic foods, oversleeping, overeating, inactivity, passivity and fearful situations. Tamasic foods include heavy meats and foods that are spoiled, chemically treated, processed or refined. 

"To reduce rajas avoid rajasic foods, over-exercising, overwork, loud music, excessive thinking and consuming excessive material goods. Rajasic foods include fried foods, spicy foods, and stimulants. 

"To increase sattva reduce both rajas and tamas, eat sattvic foods and enjoy activities and environments that produce joy and positive thoughts. Sattvic foods include whole grains and legumes and fresh fruits and vegetables that grow above the ground. All of the yogic practices were developed to create sattva in the mind and body."

As you might have guessed, there are a lot of ways to correct your gunas as mentioned above, things like Sweat Yoga and/or purchasing cool Yoga items on Amazon.com -- which you won't find here.

The bottom line is that there is a lot of hype about gunas today, put in a nutshell; however, there are three forces within us we must understand, and though the ancients teachers tried to leave us with  definitions, gunas do vary by end person. In other-words, know your gunas, know thyself, and if that doesn't work, there is always ayahuasca.


~~ Eso Terry

Emily Dickinson's Karma Connection With T.W. Higginson.

 

 This is a 70's 16mm film I've had for years and want to share It is the letters Emily wrote T.W. Higginson, and his thoughts on the matter. As a Buddhist, I see how they are connected. Their relationship was never physical - this lifetime - they only met briefly twice, but were bounded by karma. We all have these relationships, contacts, that we know once were more and will be again, but not this lifetime.

~~ Eso Terry

The Sacred Fire

In Taoism, Yang is fire and Yin is water. Is it any wonder that the two places we find ourselves most contemplated are either beside a fire with a marshmallow on a stick, or on a beach starring at the ocean with a beer in our hand (beer optional). It's primordial to say the least.

This being the Year of the Fire Horse (2026), I'll start my brief meditation on The Sacred Fire with the Chinese New Year, which uses fire to symbolize purification, protection, and prosperity, where fire is used to ward off evil spirits and welcome good fortune. Traditions include jumping through bonfires (tiao huo) in Guangdong, burning ritual gifts for ancestors, and setting off fireworks to scare away the mythical monster Nian

If you've ever been to a Chinese New Year, it is like being a flame in the fire. It's very special indeed.

The Sacred Fire holds immense significance in Hinduism, symbolizing purity, the divine presence, and connection between the earthly and spiritual realms. It serves as a critical element in various rituals, such as the Agnicayana and Vedic sacrifices, where it represents both the act of sacrifice and the deity Agni. Sacred fire is central to numerous ceremonies, including weddings, where it signifies commitment and divine blessings. This fire, regarded as holy, is essential for maintaining spiritual practices and connections in different aspects of Vedic traditions.

In Buddhism, "Sacred Fire" symbolizes spiritual practice, purification, and dedication, reflecting ascetic rituals, the rejection of empty traditions, and a quest for deeper spiritual truth, serving as a revered element in both ascetic and Brahminical traditions.

In the Shingon sector of Japanese Buddhsim, the Goma (fire) Ritual is performed with the purpose of destroying negative energies and detrimental thoughts and desires. In the ceremony, a priest burns wooden sticks in the scared fire. The fire symbolizes the wisdom of the Buddha and the wood sticks symbolize what is to be cleansed and released.

According to Geoffrey Hodson of the Theosophy Society, "Fire is one of the garments of God, Who, to the spirits of fire, appears clothed in flame." In other Christian faiths, the Sacred fire embodies the divine presence, purity, and righteousness, guiding individuals spiritually. It plays a crucial role in Zoroastrian worship, where it symbolizes passion for faith and the connection to Jesus Christ.

In Irish culture, fire is more than just a physical element; it’s a living, breathing presence that embodies the energy of life itself. Whether lighting the way during ancient festivals or offering protection against unseen forces, sacred fire has been a source of both comfort and awe for generations.

I could go on for fire is what originally gave us life separated us from the animal kingdom. It warmed us, cooked our foods, lighted the darkness, but also burned if we got too close.

The most sacred of all the fires I've studied, are The Sacred Fires of Delphi in Greece, and The Sacred Fire of Vesta in Rome.

The Sacred Fire of Delphi was an eternal flame kept within the hestia (hearth) of the Temple of Apollo, symbolizing the center of the world and the divine presence of Apollo. The Sacred Fire of Vesta was an eternal flame in ancient Rome dedicated to the goddess Vesta, protector of the hearth, home, and family. The fire was tended by the Vestal Virgins, who were chosen by lot from patrician families; the Vestals served for thirty years, during which they ensured the flame never went out and performed rituals linked to domestic life. These included the ceremonial sweeping of the temple on June 15 and the preparation of sacred food for major festivals. As Vesta embodied the hearth, the flame symbolized both the life of every Roman household and the vitality of the state. As with the Sacred Fire of Delphi, both were believed to guarantee the goddess’s protection and the enduring strength of the cities. Furtermore, both The Sacred Fire of Delphi and Rome were extinguished with the rise of Christianity around 390 AD; however, if you look closely in the original Christian Gothic Cathedrals, you will see somewhere in the stone, carved out with the gargoyles, a fire wheel, to which most esotericist agree, was the initiates way of keeping the Pagan fires alive, a reminder to seek the fire from within, not from a temple.


~~ Eso Terry

The Buddha Paradox We All Must Learn: Lotus Sutra by Way of the Dual Cosmos

That Buddhist Paradox is this: to attain Buddhahood, you must be a Buddha. 

Ouch, how that even possible? Here's the answer: 

Thousands of years ago, gifted sages had possessed extraordinary intuitive sensibilities with which they crossed the horizon of consciousness into unexplored territory. With their mind’s eye they saw beyond the boundaries of earthly forms and observable distances into exotic heavenly domains where deities and celestial spirits resided. The sages observed that gods governed the cosmology of Nature with a set of absolute laws. Accordingly, mortals who honored the universal precepts acquired beneficence and protection from spirit-world forces dedicated to the sustenance and perpetuation of existence. Conversely, those who disregarded the supreme sanctity of divine law were destined to suffer the chaotic consequences of their ignorance.

When the mystics returned from trance, they conveyed their findings to the residents of the mortal world in parables, metaphors and symbolism. Through richly poetic languages, they described a universe apportioned into two parallel worlds — one a mortal, physical existence and the other an immortal, spirit realm. They further concluded that two distinct entities fused to form the human being. One component was corporeal and the other metaphysical. The model of a twofold human — fusing body and soul — mirrored the duality ascribed to the large-scale cosmos.

The doctrine of duality preceded the establishment of human civilization and the institutionalization of religion. Tribal shamans already had linked the soul and creation to the will of gods. Accordingly, sentient beings lived in a god-created material world until their earthbound presence extinguished in death. Thereafter, their soul passed on to a higher spirit realm. The end of the mortal body coincided with the release of the spiritual entity into an eternal place — where deities and spirits ruled, and birth and death were unknown. Ancient sages had reasoned that before mortality began the spirit realm already existed. Therefore, they decreed that the place of beginnings and ends — was the lower world.

According to the doctrine of a dual cosmos, the initiative for the commencement of the mortal world came from the higher immortal realm where from a powerful god created the mortal world through a sudden, unprecedented, spontaneously generated event — a “first” cause — independent of any preexisting condition.

The doctrine of duality also provided early societies with the foundation for communal order. Human values came to be sanctified as divine laws envisioned as the wishes of the immortals. Moral codes and social rules were cloaked in divine significance and relevancy. The sacred laws governed the individual’s place in the family, clan, tribe and nation. Respect for the laws led to paradise in the afterlife, while their defilement conjured the specter of dire consequences. Judgment came when the soul of the dead crossed to the realm of the spirits. There, one’s eternal fate would be adjudicated from evidence gathered in a single mortal existence.

Upon a cosmic scale the mortal’s virtues would be weighed against any misdeeds. At length, an incongruity developed within the doctrine of dualism, perhaps in some measure because of the discrepancy in logic between the creation and the judgment scenarios. On the one hand, judgment in the afterlife rested solely upon the mortal defendant’s earthbound performance — accountable for his self-willed thoughts and actions. On the other hand, the doctrine of creation transcended cause and effect by relying solely on the absolute will of gods (heavenly deities). 

Ancient sages disagreed over the basis for final judgment. Those who saw deities as omnipresent imperial sovereigns deemed human will to be valid only as a confirmation of the immortal will. Conformity to the sanctified laws set the standard for judgment. Other sages preferred less imposing deities and a freer human will. Their gods judged the human soul on choices made in the mortal realm. The doctrinal deviation between the wills of gods and man eventually led to a theological divergence — characteristic of Western and Eastern religions.

The Occident preferred a creationist model founded upon the supremacy of an omnipotent, omnipresent God whose will and authority superseded natural law. By contrast the Eastern Practitioners made natural law supreme and assigned its management to a hierarchical pantheon of gods. Among them, one god had initiated the beginning of mortality by setting the great wheel of universal cause and effect into motion, while a pantheon of gods served in advancing the continuous forward rolling of existence. On a personal level each mortal being had to contend with a similar wheel. One’s fate was determined by how well the individual’s own cycle of cause and effect synchronized with the larger universal wheel of laws rolled by the gods.

Subsequently, Western and Eastern dualists crafted differing doctrines regarding the aftermath of death. The West believed in an afterlife, while the East proposed a next life. At length, two contrasting doctrines developed on the subject:

1 The Doctrine of Eternal Afterlife — Living beings experienced only a single mortal lifetime — one birth, one death. In the afterlife, the court of the immortal realm decreed judgment on their souls based upon the merits or demerits they accumulated during existence. Thereafter and forever more, their souls would reside in a dimension of the spirit realm, either damned to serve a sentence of eternal punishment in a hellish netherworld, or forever enjoying the heavenly realm in blissful peace.

2 The Doctrine of Rebirth — The spirit realm served as a between-lives court. Its justices decided the fate of mortals based on past performance. They determined where and under what circumstances a mortal would be born in the next life. The sentence could either return one to Earth as a human or animal, or cause the soul to incarnate as a tortured creature in a hellish netherworld. The destined place and circumstance of the next birth reflected the progressive stage of one’s spiritual evolution.

Bridging the two doctrines, sages of ancient India developed the concept of emancipation from the cycle of rebirth. Accordingly, mortal temptations caused one to be reborn. By severing oneself from earthly desire one could bring an end to this indeterminate recycling. They reasoned that attachment to gratification of the senses bound mortals to a fate of repeated physical forms. They resolved that rejection of earthly desire freed the spirit-self from the causal bond that drew it back to the mortal plane. A successful aspirant would in death ascend to the heavenly realms and enjoy the rest of eternity in a state of bliss. A spirit emancipated from the birth cycle joined the gods in eternal and immortal formlessness.

In the first millennium B.C.E. in India a sage of the Sakya clan (Skt Sakyamuni) succeeded in achieving a clear, unobstructed view of all existence. The Enlightened One (i.e., Buddha), a title chosen in honor of his supreme wisdom, introduced a new vision quite different from the traditional doctrine of dual dimensions and dual-natured beings. He proposed that fundamentally all states of existence were facets of one indivisible cosmology. In the Buddha’s world-system, a single identity encompassed everything — including humans, spirits, gods, universe, eternity. All existence was one Reality of Life. The purpose of his teachings was to define the scope and essence of this singularity.

 According to the Buddha, the Reality of Life was boundless, everlasting and absolute, and simultaneously finite, mortal and ever-changing. The Buddha explained that the infinitely multifaceted scope and essential singularity of Life transcended relativist thinking and comprehension. His view of Life was profoundly ironic. While it was not itself a substance, without it substance could not exist. Although it had no actual form of its own, it could not be described as nothingness.

Moreover, the singularity of Life could not be proved at all, although the existence of sentient mortal beings testified to it. Sakyamuni compared the boundless entirety of Life in the universe to an ocean, and likened individual mortal manifestations of Life to the drops that composed it.

Through this metaphor the Buddha illustrated that no actual distinction can exist between individual life and the universal life-singularity. Just as no distinction exists between the ocean and its component drops, there is no distinction between existence and death, spirit and form, person and environment, mortality and immortality. He proposed that the mortal mind creates the illusion of segmentation causing the eye of human perception to conjure a divided cognitive reality.

According to Sakyamuni’s metaphysical teachings, the physical senses caused one to discriminate. Sentient beings discerned their world through mental markers, such as substance, shape, size, color, age, origin, distance, destination, movement, speed, direction and so on. Thus, the senses triggered the perception that the external world was separate and distinct from the subjective self. As a result of this false sense of separation, Sakyamuni asserted, it would appear natural that a dual-self of body and soul co-existed. However, he declared, at the very core of both form and formlessness was one Reality.

The Buddha viewed apparent distinctions as nothing more than superficial designations — relative and temporary boundaries. By contrast he advanced a Doctrine of Non-differentiation wherein he proposed that all of existence was one indivisible singularity — a cosmic essence which all mortal entities arose from, eventually receded to and were composed of. He saw a transcendent, infinitely boundless field of Life conjuring countless objects and subjects all sharing a single inseparable quality. According to his Reality, there were no dual worlds of spirit and substance, no physical form could ever be immortal, no soul could exist as an independent entity separate from a body, and as all effects required a cause neither the universe nor any single phenomena could be born by spontaneous origination. 

The Buddha’s teaching regarding the boundless singularity of Life was the overarching theme of his Dharma — a Sanskrit word that simultaneously meant Cosmology, Reality, Truth and Law. The Buddha’s Dharma represented a single, integrated Theory of Everything. His Cosmology encompassed a view of the universe that encompassed phenomenal as well as spiritual facets. The reference of the Buddha’s Dharma to Truth meant that it revealed both the observable and hidden truths of existence. In reference to it as the “Reality of All Existence,” the Dharma included tangible, as well as intangible realities. Wherein the Dharma also meant Law, it referred to universal laws governing all natural functions affecting matter, energy, space, time, as well as the laws of life and death, and social/moral laws. Hence, the Buddha’s Law encompassed all the laws of existence, including natural, metaphysical and human laws. In all the Buddha’s Dharma interchangeably conveyed his views regarding the configuration of the universe, natural laws and forces, and the role of human beings within the grand cosmos of existence.

As the Buddha’s sutras provided the vehicle for unveiling his Dharma, the word Dharma also came to be synonymous with his teachings. In that context, Dharma referred to the Buddha’s sermons on the purpose and function of Life.

The sutras described a super-cosmos. It encompassed the present large-scale universe and all mortal subjects within it . The absolute singularity they recounted spanned an infinite and eternal field, yet these teachings deemed it to be actively ever-changing relative to mortal existence. Within the framework of the Buddha’s cosmology, everything that was mortal manifested in the mortal realm repeatedly.

This applied to universes as well as human beings. It was easy to see that birth ended in death, but to propose the reverse as viable required the configuration of a cosmic dynamic that tied together a string of mortal existences. From Sakyamuni’s vantage, the True Reality of All Existence was the cosmic ocean from which the waves of mortal transmigration repeatedly arose and to which they receded.

This doctrine was deemed to be of such profound scope, nature and essence that only a Perfectly Enlightened being could fathom it. Nevertheless, the Buddha declared that those who would choose to follow his teachings in due course would accomplish Perfect Enlightenment — a state-of-being equal to his own. Thus, he set forth to describe a new cosmology in carefully crafted stages guided by the capacity of his to absorb it. As they honed their abilities to learn it, Sakyamuni advanced his Dharma. As they grasped each progressive stage of his Cosmology, they awakened within themselves a greater capacity to fathom it.

Sakyamuni’s disciples embarked on the journey toward Perfect Enlightenment — some by learning through listening, others by using exceptional intuitive and meditation skills to realize the truth of his teachings. Yet, from the start of his discourse he presented them with a seemingly irreconcilable dilemma concerning this lofty state. Accordingly, Perfect Enlightenment was infinitely profound. Hence, Perfect Enlightenment was beyond the grasp of one’s mental processes, whether it be pursued by learning or realization. Therefore, it was impossible for any of his disciples to fathom the ultimate Dharma unless they were already Buddhas.

Nevertheless, if they are to fathom that which the Buddha teaches, they must never forsake their desire for Perfect Enlightenment. The paradox of attaining Perfect Enlightenment was defined as follows: Perfect Enlightenment cannot be attained, because only a Buddha can fathom Perfect Enlightenment. Yet, the teachings of the Enlightened One cannot be fathomed unless one desires to fathom Perfect Enlightenment. The caveat appears to say that one must pursue that which one cannot hope to gain.

To the many learned and spiritually skilled disciples who chose to follow the Buddha’s course, this Paradox of Attainment placed the achievement of Buddhahood beyond reach. Awestruck by the majesty of his supernaturally august appearance they deemed Perfect Enlightenment to be the crown worn by the king of all wisdom — the Enlightened One who has deciphered all the secrets of the universe.

When asked how he had achieved such a state, Sakyamuni replied that for countless eons of past lives he selflessly devoted himself to the salvation of others. He urged his followers to similarly turn their focus away from pursuing enlightenment for their own sake. Vowing to aid the Buddha in his effort to lead people toward the liberating teachings of the Buddha’s Law, many of his disciples chose to apply the practice of Selflessness (Skt bodhisattva) by devoting their lives to aiding the welfare of others.

While the practice of Selflessness equated the path of Perfect Enlightenment with action rather than reflection, Sakyamuni still impressed upon them another version of the Paradox of Attainment. In their case he had described a lengthy journey across many existences during which a devout bodhisattva would undergo 52 stages of advancement to be climbed one step at a time. After an incalculable span of time one would reach the threshold of the summit — the fifty second stage of enlightenment. Nevertheless, the Buddha advised, it did not necessarily follow that one who reaches the fifty-first (non-regression) will be able to find that it provides access to the fifty-second step (Buddhahood). On the contrary, he cautioned, even the most selfless being would not be able to ascend the top to the level of Buddhahood from a stage below. Once again, Sakyamuni declared that only a Buddha could ascend the fifty-second step (buddhahood), as only a Buddha can know the way to Perfect Enlightenment. For the practitioners of Selflessness, he provided the following Paradox of Attainment: one who climbs the stages of Selflessness cannot reach Perfect Enlightenment, because the final rung to Perfect Enlightenment can only be ascended by one who is already a Buddha. As only a Buddha can access Buddhahood, one who ascends Perfect Enlightenment must be a Buddha who is returning to that level. Thus, through the Paradox of Attainment Sakymuni placed those who practiced Selflessness in the same quandary as the practitioners of Learning and Realization. Ironically, from the start of his teachings, Sakyamuni harbored a Dharma which would allow his followers to know the secret of Perfect Enlightenment and in so doing overcome the Paradox of Attainment. Nevertheless, until they were ready to receive this gift, the Buddha forestalled his revelation of his ultimate Cosmology wherein he would reveal the “Truth of the Reality of All Existence” — for in their ignorance they might reject it.

To protect them from premature misunderstandings, the Buddha spent over 40 years imparting the depth of his Dharma in progressive stages before leading his followers to the portal of Buddhahood. Gradually, he taught them increasingly sophisticated principles probing the theoretical underpinnings of his Cosmology.

Eventually, he completed his provisional teachings and led them into the Dharma of the Lotus Sutra wherein he resolved the enigma that stood in the way of Perfect Enlightenment. And that enlightenment was further defined by Nichiren Daishionin, The Buddha of the Later Day of Law in the form of chanting Nam-myoho-renge-kyo.  

It's really simle. 

Friday 13th and the Tarot Card

It's Friday the 13th. Finally, I wait all year for this day. I've told you before how lucky Friday the 13th is for me, so I won't repeat myself. Instead, let's look at the 13th card of the Tarot, Death. 

In the Major Arcana of the Tarot, the 13th card is Death. Contrary to popular fear, when upright this card signifies transformation, endings, and rebirth rather than literal death. When reversed, it may indicate stagnation, upheaval, decay, or resistance to change.

Despite its ominous reputation in superstition, thirteen holds a positive and powerful role in esoteric traditions. It is regarded as the number of mystical manifestation and cosmic law.

The teachings of Jesus are framed around the formula 1 + 12 (Christ plus the apostles), producing thirteen. According to Pythagorean philosophy, one added to twelve creates an unlimited number, symbolising transcendence beyond completion. Through this principle, miracles—such as the multiplication of loaves and fishes—are said to occur.

Thirteen represents an all-or-nothing law of destiny:

• Death through failure and degeneration
• Rebirth through regeneration and transformation

It is also the sacred number of the Great Goddess, reflected in the thirteen lunar cycles of the year.

Pythagors in 30 Seconds.

 

Pythagoras was born around 570 BC on the Greek island of Samos.

Pythagoras made influential contributions to philosophy and religious teachings in the late 6th century BC. 

Many mathematical and scientific discoveries were attributed to him, as well as discoveries in the field of music, astronomy, and medicine, but Pythagoras is best known for the Pythagorean Theorem which bears his name.

The Pythagorean Theorem simple stated is... well, math so we're going to skip it.  

Pythagoras and his disciples were the conceives of the "Golden Ratio" which is 1.618, the perfect analogy of the universe.  More math, so we won't go into this either.

Pythagoras started a liberal school where the students weren't allowed to talk for a year or look into a mirror beside a candle.  He taught them reincarnation, and the power of numbers.

Pythagoras and his disciples were the first to use the concept of "cosmos" and point out that the earth rotates around the sun. 

Pythagoras was a vegetarian.

And most importantly for us, Pythagoras was a number freak and taught us that numbers are everywhere and in everything....

Watch the film for the complete run down.  It's only 3 minutes.  And as we know, Pythagoras thought the three was the "perfect number!"

Paracelsus As Seen by Academia - Film

The God-Fearing Paracelsus left us some good stories. In this college film played for students of medicine in the 60's, two things are apparent: 1. They were a lot smarter when it came to literature for they quote "Faust," and 2. Operations haven't changed much, a little more automated, but basically the setup.

~~ Eso Terry

Roger Bacon 101

Roger Bacon was rich. So we know his story. Please take a moment now and think about all the other esoterics of his day, who because they weren't rich, we know them not. Now on with the poop on this guy. 

Roger Bacon was born about 1214, and he grew up wanting to be a teacher. He went to Oxford University in England; and after obtaining his degree, he became a teacher on the staff of the University of Paris in the 1240’s.

The writings of the Greek thinker Aristotle had been lost to Europe for over ten centuries and had recently been rediscovered.  Bacon had studied Aristotle at Oxford and became very excited.  He believed that Aristotle was a great thinker, and he taught his students in Paris about Aristotle’s writings.

During this time, Bacon was also working with light rays and lens and doing many chemistry experiments.  His experiments were based on some things that Aristotle had written about, but these experiments were not working out. He discovered that on many topics the famous and honored Aristotle was wrong.  Years of hard work based on some of Aristotle’s false teachings had to be thrown away. Perhaps worse was his realization that he had sent students out into the world with false knowledge.

Bacon was very disappointed at having wasted so much effort by trusting Aristotle.  Although much of Aristotle’s writing was correct, the errors made it risky to trust anything.  Bacon began struggling with the problem of how to make knowledge trustworthy.

Bacon first decided that there was something fundamentally wrong in the way people judged what was true and false.  In Bacon’s day, people believed that arguing logically could prove the truth.  Everyone thought Aristotle’s arguments were logically correct so they judged Aristotle to be writing the truth.  But Bacon knew, from his failed laboratory work, that Aristotle was wrong about many things he had written – even though Aristotle had very good rational arguments to support his views.

Bacon also studied other respected writers and found many to be wrong.  When he tried to discover what had led these men astray in their writings, he came up with four central reasons for their errors – the four stumbling blocks to truth.

Some were wrong because they had relied on a supposed “expert” who was wrong.

Some were wrong because they relied on popular opinions or beliefs that were wrong.

Others were wrong because they just wanted things to agree with their pet ideas and to conceal their ignorance through pride.

And lastly and most dangerous, some were wrong because they had believed in a logical argument.

These four sources of error were to be avoided at all costs.  It is ironic that Aristotle had espoused these very points two thousand years earlier (and they are still taught today in courses in rhetoric) as the best strategies to use in winning a debate or in persuading an audience by oratory.  Sadly, Aristotle’s stated goal, however, was merely to persuade the listener – not to find Truth.

Bacon now set out to devise a systematic way of judging whether a statement was true or false and thereby obtain trustworthy knowledge.  Bacon believed that “seeing might be believing” for experiments in his laboratory, but he was even unsure about whether personal bias could sneak in unsuspectingly to sway one’s observations.  Therefore, Bacon said that several people (the more the better) should do the experiment separately and independently to see if they all got the same results.  If many different people in different places at different times could do the same experiment and get the same results, then personal bias should be ruled out.  What was seen and duplicated in the laboratory could be considered to be true.  He wrote up his experiments in detail and had his students try to repeat them before he would trust the results.

Bacon summarized his belief clearly:  “Neither the voice of authority nor the weight of reason and argument are as significant as experiments from which come peace to the mind.”

Bacon’s ideas threatened a number of the powerful teachers of his day, and he was forbidden to continue his experiments or work on his books. He sent a copy of his preliminary work to the Pope, Clement IV, who liked Bacon’s ideas and wanted to see more. The Pope liked Bacon’s view that by observing creation, one learned more about God. It is not clear whether Bacon had to continue his work in secret or whether Clement ordered that Bacon be allowed to continue his work.  In any case, Bacon did continue his work.

It is believed that some time after Clement died, Bacon, his protector now gone, was imprisoned for his outspoken criticisms of current beliefs because there is a complete absence of any record of Bacon’s activity from 1279 to 1289.  His last work dates from about 1292 and is incomplete.  We assume that he died then at the age of about 72.

It is difficult to accurately assess Bacon’s influence in bringing about that revolutionary period in human thought – the Renaissance – that began several hundred years after his death.  Whether his work was widely influential or whether the “scientific method” was independently rediscovered really makes no difference in judging the greatness of the man himself.  His ethical standards in science and his relentless pursuit of truth stand as a beacon to inspire us all to the utmost in keen, objective observation and scrupulous honesty in all of our undertakings.

~~ Dr TV Boogie