[ZESTCaste] 144 LESSON 21 01 2011 Ajivaka Sutta To the Fatalists Student FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT for Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation to attain Ultimate Bliss

144 LESSON 21 01 2011 Ajivaka Sutta To the Fatalists Student FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT for Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation to attain Ultimate Bliss Filed under: General Posted by: @ 12:08 am 144 LESSON 21 01 2011 Ajivaka Sutta To the Fatalists Student FREE ONLINE eNālandā Research and Practice UNIVERSITY to VOTE for BSP ELEPHANT for Social Transformation and Economic Emancipation to attain Ultimate Bliss  through  http://sarvajan.ambedkar.org http://www.orgsites.com/oh/awakenedone/ Awakeness Practices All 84,000 Khandas As Found in the Pali Suttas Traditionally the are 84,000 Dharma Doors - 84,000 ways to get Awakeness. Maybe so; certainly the Buddha taught a large number of practices that lead to Awakeness. This web page attempts to catalogue those found in the Pali Suttas (DN, MN, SN, AN, Ud & Sn 1). There are 3 sections: The discourses of Buddha are divided into 84,000, as to separate addresses. The division includes all that was spoken by Buddha."I received from Buddha," said Ananda, "82,000 Khandas, and  from the priests 2000; these are 84,000 Khandas maintained by me." They are divided into 275,250, as to the stanzas of the original text, and into 361,550, as to the stanzas of the commentary. All the discourses including both those of Buddha and those of the commentator, are divided  into 2,547 banawaras, containing 737,000 stanzas, and 29,368,000 separate letters. Course Programs: LESSON 144 Ajivaka Sutta (Canonical) Bhikkhu, Thanissaro http://www.accesstoinsight.org/tipitaka/an/an03/an03.072.than.html AN 3.72  PTS: A i 217  Thai III.73 Ajivaka Sutta: To the Fatalists' Student translated from the Pali by Thanissaro Bhikkhu © 1999–2011 I have heard that on one occasion Ven. Ananda was staying in Kosambi at Ghosita's monastery. Then a certain householder, a disciple of the Fatalists (Ajivakas), went to him and, on arrival, having bowed down to him, sat to one side. As he was sitting there he said to Ven. Ananda, "Among us, sir, whose Dhamma is well-taught? Who has practiced well in this world? Who in the world is well-gone?" "In that case, householder, I will question you in return. Answer as you see fit. Now, what do you think: those who teach a Dhamma for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — is their Dhamma well-taught or not? Or how does this strike you?" "Sir, those who teach a Dhamma for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — their Dhamma is well-taught. That's how it strikes me." "And what do you think, householder: those who have practiced for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — have they practiced well in this world or not? Or how does this strike you?" "Sir, those who have practiced for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — they have practiced well in this world. That's how it strikes me." "And what do you think, householder: those whose passion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising; those whose aversion is abandoned… whose delusion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising: are they, in this world, well-gone or not? Or how does this strike you?" "Sir, those whose passion… aversion… delusion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising: they, in this world, are well-gone. That's how it strikes me." "In this way, householder, you have answered yourself: 'Those who teach a Dhamma for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — their Dhamma is well-taught. Those who have practiced for the abandoning of passion, for the abandoning of aversion, for the abandoning of delusion — they have practiced well in this world. Those whose passion… aversion… delusion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising: they, in this world, are well-gone.'" "How amazing, sir. How astounding, that there is neither extolling of one's own Dhamma nor deprecation of another's, but just the teaching of the Dhamma in its proper sphere, speaking to the point without mentioning oneself. "You, venerable sir, teach the Dhamma for the abandoning of passion… aversion… delusion. Your Dhamma is well-taught. You have practiced for the abandoning of passion… aversion… delusion. You have practiced well in this world. Your passion… aversion… delusion is abandoned, its root destroyed, made like a palmyra stump, deprived of the conditions of development, not destined for future arising. You, in this world, are well-gone. "Magnificent, Master Ananda! Magnificent! Just as if he were to place upright what was overturned, to reveal what was hidden, to point out the way to one who was lost, or to carry a lamp into the dark so that those with eyes could see forms, in the same way has Master Ananda — through many lines of reasoning — made the Dhamma clear. I go to the Buddha for refuge, to the Dhamma, & to the community of monks. May Master Ananda remember me as a lay follower who has gone for refuge from this day forward, for life." See also:Sn 4.8; AN 3.78; AN 5.159; DN 16 (the Buddha's answer to Subhadda's question). BUDDHA (EDUCATE)!    DHAMMA (MEDITATE)!  SANGHA (ORGANISE)! WISDOM IS POWER Awakened One Shows the Path to Attain Eternal Bliss Using such an instrument The Free ONLINE e-Nālandā Research and Practice University has been re-organized to function through the following Schools of Learning : Buddha's Sangha Practiced His Dhamma Free of cost, hence the Free- e-Nālandā Research and Practice University follows suit As the Original Nālandā University did not offer any Degree, so also the Free  e-Nālandā Research and Practice University. The teachings of Buddha are eternal, but even then Buddha did not proclaim them to be infallible. The religion of Buddha has the capacity to change according to times, a quality which no other religion can claim to have…Now what is the basis of Buddhism? If you study carefully, you will see that Buddhism is based on reason. There is an element of flexibility inherent in it, which is not found in any other religion. Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar , Indian scholar, philosopher and architect of Constitution of India, in his writing and speeches IKAMMA,REBIRTH,AWAKEN-NESS,BUDDHA,THUS COME ONE,DHAMMA II.ARHA ,FOUR HOLY TRUTHS,EIGHTFOLD PATH,TWELVEFOLD CONDITIONED ARISING,BODHISATTVA,PARAMITA,SIX PARAMITAS III.SIX SPIRITUAL POWERS,SIX PATHS OF REBIRTH,TEN DHARMA REALMS,FIVE SKANDHAS,EIGHTEEN REALMS,FIVE MORAL PRECEPTS IV. MEDITATION,MINDFULNESS,FOUR APPLICATIONS OF MINDFULNESS,LOTUS POSTURE,SAMADHI,CHAN SCHOOL,FOUR JHANAS,FOUR FORMLESS REALMS V. FIVE TYPES OF BUDDHIST STUDY AND PRACTICE,MAHAYANA AND HINAYANA COMPARED,PURE LAND,BUDDHA RECITATION,EIGHT CONSCIOUSNESSES,ONE HUNDRED DHARMAS,EMPTINESS VI. DEMON,LINEAGE with Level I: Introduction to Buddhism,Level II: Buddhist Studies, TO ATTAIN Level III: Stream-Enterer,Level IV: Once – Returner,Level V: Non-Returner,Level VI: Arhat Jambudvipa, i.e, PraBuddha Bharath scientific thought in mathematics,astronomy,alchemy,andanatomy Philosophy and Comparative Religions;Historical Studies;International Relations and Peace Studies;Business Management in relation to Public Policy and Development Studies;Languages and Literature;and Ecology and Environmental Studies Jambudvipa, i.e, PraBuddha Bharath scientific thought in Mathematics Astronomy Alchemy And Anatomy Alchemy http://www.scribd.com/doc/23089274/Rarick-C-A-Enlightened-Management-An-Analysis-of-Buddhist-Precepts-Applied-to-Managerial-Activity http://www.tealchemy.org/what/alchemists/index.html   Buddhist Alchemists The two most famous Buddhist alchemists of ancient India were the Mahasiddhas Nagarjuna and his student, Kharnaripa, who is also known as Aryadeva. From India, the mahasiddha tradition continued on into Tibet from the 8th Century A.C.E. onward, communicated through the rich lives of many saints too numerous to name here. A few of the more famous Buddhist alchemists known in Tibet were the Indian master Guru Padmasambhava and his lineage of saints called the tertons, or "treasure revealers." Of special mention are the tertons Thangtong Gyalpo and Nyala Pema Dudul. Many of the stories below are hard to believe, but tread carefully through these lines: there is an inverse relationship between cynicism and a sense of wonder… Nagarjuna Nagarjuna's enlightenment experience is described in his brief biography, which is found in the Songs of the Eighty-Four Mahasiddhas. The account below is the oral tradition version of Nagarjuna's song, transmitted to Keith Dowman by Bhakha Rinpoche:  For many years Nagarjuna had been a famous scholar of the first Buddhist university, Nalanda, where he was the penultimate philosophy professor. But hungry for true wisdom instead of book learning, Nagarjuna began propitiating Tara, yearning for the attainment that would give him the power to actually benefit other beings. The place he sought attainment was Rajgiri, near Vulture's Peak, a location blessed by Gautama Buddha. There he committed himself to a retreat intent upon connecting with the Twelve Consorts of the Supreme Elementals.   And so they came to challenge him. On the first day, there was an earthquake, which was the trial of the earth element goddess. The second day, a vast flood poured over his retreat spot; the trial of the water element. On the third day, a holocaust of fire burned through the place, the trial by fire. On the fourth day, violent tornadoes and whirlwinds blew, threatening him with a trial by wind. On the fifth day, a shower of weapons fell from the sky, threatening to pierce him. This was the trial of the space element, for weapons like spears knives and arrows kill by creating space in vital organs. On the sixth day, vajra thunderbolts fell on the spot where he sat in retreat, the unity of all the elemental energies together, but he remained unperturbed. On the seventh day, the Elemental Consorts gathered to attack him in person, but they failed to distract him from the great compassionate committment that he had set his heart on. Defeated, they appeared before him saying, "What do you need? We will provide you with whatever you want." He asked them for enough food to sustain him during his retreat and spent twelve years at that spot, opening his heart to wisdom. During that time the Elemental Consorts provided him with four handfuls of rice and five handfuls of vegetables each day. At the end of twelve years, he had one hundred and eight Elemental Consorts under his command, and he had the power to turn mountains into gold, although he was restrained from performing this miracle because of the strife it would have caused the locale.  Dowman writes that Nagarjuna's alchemical sadhana or meditation practice is called "The Alchemy of Mercury" (Sanskrit: Parada-rasayana). Nagarjuna was one of India's preeminent rasayana-siddhas, (rasameaning "gold" and siddha meaning "master of miracles") the accomplishment of which can be described as the ability to apply the alchemical process at every level of his being. Nagarjuna's enlightenment reads as a symbolic tale that speaks of his reintegration of the five fundamental elemental energies. The only way these elements could have harmed him was if he was cut off from or in disharmony with the elemental powers that he encountered: for fire cannot burn fire, nor does water drown water, and so on. As he harmonized and integrated the pure elemental energies within his mindstream, the outer appearances of these elements could find nothing to smash, drown, burn, blow apart or explode. And as a result of this alchemical awakening he was able to manifest the outer sign of his realization, the capacity to transform earth and stone into gold. Nagarjuna's work was well known in India before the Muslim invasion, which erased most traces of Tantric Buddhism that had not been transmitted via the Silk Road and by other means to practitioners in Nepal, Tibet and elsewhere. Al-buruni, a Muslim traveler and journalist of the eleventh century writes: "A famous representative of the science (of rasayana) was Nagarjuna, born at Fort Daihak, close to Somnath (in Sindh). He used to excel at the art and compiled a book which contains the essence of all literature on that subject and is very rare. He lived a hundred years before our epoch." (See Dowman's Masters of Mahamudra, p. 120) Kharnaripa Kharnaripa also spent many years at the monastic college Nalanda, where he became a preceptor to over a thousand monks and taught numerous scholars. But like Nagarjuna, he felt a great yearning for true wisdom beyond the intellect, so he left Nalanda in search of Nagarjuna. He met a fisherman along the way who was actually a great spiritual being, the Bodhisattva Manjusri in disguise, and asked him where Nagarjuna could be found. The fisherman told him that Nagarjuna lived nearby in the jungle, where he spent his time gathering the required ingredients for his elixir of immortality. Kharnaripa found him there, and asked to be taken as a disciple. After receiving much instruction, a tree nymph appeared to him and gave him delicacies, which he brought to Nagarjuna. But when Nagarjuna went to see the nymph for himself, he was only able to see her head and shoulder. When he asked why he was not able to see her whole form as Kharnaripa had, she told him that he still had some traces of lust, whereas his student had none.   At this point, Nagarjuna and Kharnaripa agreed it was time to take the alchemical medicine, and Nagarjuna drank some, passing it to his student. Kharnaripa threw the bowl of medicine on the ground, where a leaf miraculously sprouted before their eyes. "If you waste this precious medicine, you must prepare some more by yourself!" Nagarjuna told him. Kharnaripa then urinated into the bowl and handed it to Nagarjuna, causing Nagarjuna to burst out laughing. Nagarjuna threw this liquid onto a branch which immediately bloomed like before. At that moment, Nagarjuna turned to his student and said, "Now that you have bloomed, do not remain in the realms of suffering." Kharnaripa's story of enlightenment is unique in theEighty-Four Songs in that it involves the preparation and use of alchemical elixir. But Kharnaripa manifests wholeness beyond the need for any catalyst, which is the true accomplishment of alchemy; Kharnaripa does not drink the elixir, but throws it on the ground because he has finally recognized himself as whole and complete. The tale clarifies the fact that sacred ritual empowerment substances are merely reminders that stir our dormant or unrecognized innate completeness and awakeness, and not "holy things" that make us "clean" or "complete." Completeness is what we discover within, it is not something we manufacture or something given to us by holy beings. At that point, Nagarjuna tests Kharnaripa one more time, scolding him about wasting the sacred substance. Although we can say completeness need only be discovered within, we also must acknowledge that this is something that cannot be faked; we cannot convince ourselves that we embody any degree of wisdom that only remains a concept, a set of adages that is not completely assimilated into our being. So along the way we must make use of catalysts such as practices and tools that our teacher shares with us. These instructions, items, and rituals that are shared must be treated with utmost respect or we can lose contact with our innate wakefulness along the way. But Kharnaripa rises to the occasion and proves to Nagarjuna that he has completely assimilated the teachings and made them his own: he urinates into the bowl. Obviously, the color of the liquid is gold, and this is a good joke. But on another level, there is profound symbolism here: Kharnaripa is demonstrating the fact that he has gone beyond the concept of "waste" or "impurity." What was previously considered "impure" has now become an elixir that causes a barren branch to bloom miraculously. And this elixir is not just a copy of Nagarjuna's recipe, but a sign of the power of lineage: Nagarjuna's alchemical recipe has been drunk by Kharnaripa and becomes him, and he becomes the elixir, which is not rendered into waste, but emerges as a unique liquid that is potent and miraculously untainted.   Guru Padmasambhava Guru Padmasambhava had twenty-five heart disciples, women and men who attained complete realization through his inspiration and their walk on the path of wisdom and compassion. While together, this great Guru and his disciples completely merged their mindstreams, and all abided in the absolute wisdom state beyond any concept of separation or unity. Out of this sublime state of supreme understanding, they made aspirations to benefit beings throughout history, far into the future. This was the auspicious connection and wish that was the birth of one of the most unstoppable forces of creative power, the treasure or, in Tibetan, "terma" tradition of Buddhism that has flooded out of Tibet and into the rest of the world. These treasures appear based on the wisdom of saints who reemerge throughout human history to benefit beings of different proclivities and locales. As their wisdom dawns again during their upbringing, they reveal profound teachings appropriate to the circumstances of their culture and the needs of the era. As this wisdom stirs within the terton's unique personality and language, this tradition has the potential to maintain a freshness that is resistant to dogmatism and stagnation. These treasure teachings and the tertons who reveal them have appeared since the eleventh century up to the present day. Through his powerful intention, Guru Rinpoche hid these treasures within each of the five elements. As it is said in the revelatory biography, the Padma Kai'Thang (which is itself a terma): "If one discerns clearly, there are eighteen kinds of treasures…the eighteenth is the admirable treasure, the coffers of which are as many as the treasures, earth, water, fire, wind, sky, mountains and rocks, [this kind of treasure has] admirable guardians, admirable revealers, admirable time and admirable conversion." (Vol. I p. 333) And as the Third Dodrupchen Rinpoche wrote in his authoritative treatise on the Terma Tradition, Wonder Ocean, these treasures remain uncorrupted throughout time until their revelation, as they cannot be destroyed by fire, wind, water or earth. (p. 69)   Thangtong Gyalpo Thangtong Gyalpo was a true Tibetan "renaissance man:" he was an accomplished artist, intrepid explorer and statesman, an engineer, doctor, mystic, miracle worker and even a blacksmith. Above and beyond these diverse proclivities, as a composer and playwright he is celebrated as the founder of the Tibetan Opera tradition. His miraculous activities as an alchemist were a result of his accomplishment on the visionary path of the termatradition: he had the ability to work ably with whatever circumstances presented themselves to him. After being poisoned by a jealous lama, he remained in meditation for a week and discovered the cure through the process of revelation. The formula he discovered is called "Drubthob Rika" in Tibetan, the "White Yogi pill," and is still used successfully to counteract poison. He had a vision of local elemental spirits who gave him a gift of blueprints for suspension bridges that had never been seen before in Tibet at that point in the Thirteenth Century. As he began to construct the chain links for these massive bridges, his alchemical wisdom was put to practice, resulting in an iron alloy that has not rusted to this day. His smelting methods still remain a mystery. As a visionary alchemist, he tangibly manifested the wisdom of the "elixir of immortality" by living to the ripe old age of 125. He was famous for his accomplishment and transmission of the long-life ceremony, which is displayed in the iconography of this statue. This statue was possibly made by his own hand, and shows him holding the vase full of the elixir of immortality and a pill of longevity in his other hand.   Drubje Pema Dudul Drubje Pema Dudul was a master from Nyarong, Southeastern Tibet who lived a modest life as aterton, but died in a spectacular manner shared by many in the Dzogchen tradition: he manifested what is called "Jalu," the "Rainbow Body" at the time of his death. The Rainbow Body is a sign of the perfection of the alchemical process during the after death state in the Dzogchen tradition. At the time of Pema Dudul's death, this miraculous occurrence was not unprecedented in Tibet; in fact, incredibly, there were records and accounts that reached above a thousand instances of this miracle. In his extensive treatise The Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism, Dudjom Rinpoche writes, "It is impossible too, to enumerate all those who passed into the rainbow body by the paths of the profound treasures of the Great Perfection, as exemplified by the Southern [Termas of Pema Lingpa] and the Northern [Termas of Rigdzin Godemchen]. Even during this late age, this may still be illustrated." (p. 919) In his spiritual classic, the bestselling book The Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, Sogyal Rinpoche writes: "This may be very difficult for us now to believe, but the factual history of Dzogchen lineage is full of examples of individuals who attained rainbow light body, and as Dudjom Rinpoche often used to point out, this is not just ancient history. Of the many examples, I would like to choose one of the most recent, and one of with which I have a personal connection. In 1952 there was a famous instance of the rainbow body in the East of Tibet, witnessed by many people. The man who attained it, Sonam Namgyal, was the father of my tutor and the beginning of this book. He was a very simple, humble person, who made his way as an itinerant stone carver, carving mantras and sacred texts. Some say he had been a hunter in his youth, and had received a teaching from a great master. No one really knew he was a practitioner; he was truly what you would call a "hidden yogin." ….he then fell ill, or seemed to, but became strangely, increasingly happy. When he illness got worse, his family called in masters and doctors. His son told him he should rememberthe teachings he had been given. But his response to his son was, "Everything is illusion, but I am confident that all is well." Just before his death at seventy-nine, he said " All I ask is that when I die, don't move my body for a week." When he died his family wrapped his body and invited Lamas and monks to come and practice for him. They placed the body in a small room in the house, and they could not help noticing that although he had been a tall person, they had no trouble getting it in, as if he were becoming smaller. At the same time, an extraodinary display of rainbow-coloured light was seen all around the house. When they looked into the room on the sixth day, they saw that the body was getting smaller and smaller. On the eight day after his death, the morning in which the funeral had been arranged, the undertakers arrived to collect the body. When they undid its coverings, they found nothing inside but his nails and hair. My masters Jamyang Khyentse asked for these be brought to him, and verified that this was a case of the rainbow body." This phenomena is presently being studied by Father Francis Tiso, a Roman Catholic priest and Tibetan scholar. Interestingly, the most recently known phenomenon of this occurrence took place in Nyarong in 1998, in the area where Nyala Pema Dudul lived at the end of the Nineteenth Century. It is believed that this most recent Rainbow Body Master, Khenpo Achos, although a Gelugpa monk, was a lineage holder of Drubje Pema Dudul's Dzogchen teachings. The Dzogchen teachings are considered the pinnacle of Buddhist meditation practices, and often the practices are centered around working directly with the nature of the five elements. The five element practices that Nyala Pema Dudul revealed as terma was called "Sky-Encompassing Self-Liberation" (Kha'-Khyab Rang-Drol in Tibetan), and within that series of teachings there is a practice of alchemy called"Chulen of the Three Dimensions." The picture below is of the cave where he revealed this terma.    Chulen literally means "taking the substance." There are many types of chulen that have various applications. Tsi dang contains eight ingredients which work together to strengthen and coordinate the function of the major organs. Its main effect is physical health and youthfulness. Another type of chulen is called rotsa, which is used specifically to strengthen and balance energy; so there are many different kinds of chulen traditions and medicines. In the contemplation tradition of chulen, the pills are used in conjunction with meditations and yoga in order to recognize awareness as the pure nature of the elements. The practice is a gradual process where the practitioner weans himself from eating solid food, and attainment of the practice is the development of the ability to subsist on the pure essence of the elements themselves. At that point, the practitioner no longer has to eat anything.  The teaching instructs the practitioner on the preparation of medicinal pills, and the method of visualization, breathing and yogic techniques to reintegrate the practitioner's inner and outer experience of the elements back into its natural state. As Namkhai Norbu writes, "Chu is the essential substance of the elements: it maintains the physical body and, if our energy is uncoordinated, it co-ordinates it, if it is weak, it reinforces it. Therefore, chudlen is useful, above all, to harmonize energy and develop clarity…The Body of Light (Jalu) can manifest when the principles of Dzogchen are combined with Chulen." The terma text itself mentions that when the great saint Yeshe Tsogyal asked Guru Padmasambhava for these teachings, he replied, "Listen. There are many methods to achieve total realization, but in particular, there is the Chulen of the Three Dimensions, which embodies infinite qualifications." In Drubje Pema Dudul's biography, it is said that he practiced Chulen with a little solid food for the first three years, Chulen of medicinal pills for the next three years, and Chulen of absorbing the essence of the elements directly from space for the final three years of his retreat. At the conclusion of his nine year retreat he had attained full enlightenment as his teacher the Mahasiddha Choying Rangdrol had predicted.   When Drubje Pema Dudul knew his time was near, he called all of his students back to the area where he lived, and after giving them each his heart advice and practicing the Feast Offering with them, he had them follow him up a mountain, where he set up a small tent and asked them to sew the door shut. With the instructions that they should practice the Feast Offering together for a week before checking on him, they witnessed numerous rainbows appear over the mountain and the surrounding area. When they returned to the spot where his tent stood, they found it still sewn shut; opening it, they found his body had disappeared. His meditation belt and cloak were in a heap, within which they found all of his hair and twenty nails from his hands and feet. This picture is of the shrine built over the spot where he manifested the Rainbow Body. Drubje Pema Dudul's lineage continues through many masters, including Chogyal Namkhai Norbu,Wangdor Rinpoche, as well as Tulku Serdo Rinpoche, Khandro Sherab Lhamo, and Lama Pema Karma. http://www.cinematherapy.com/birgitarticles/ca-harbin.html Cinema Alchemy – Using the Power of Film for Healing and Transformation By Birgit Wolz, Ph.D., MFT I have loved movies all my life, and they often had a powerful impact on me. For example, I remember Il Postino (The Postman) (1994). In this film, the main character Marios talents and passionate heart never had reason to show themselves. His life on a quiet Italian island had been simple, carved out for him as it was by his fisherman father. But when renowned poet Pablo Neruda is sentenced to political exile there, Mario takes the job of delivering his daily fan mail, and gradually becomes friends with the famous man. This friendship serves as a catalyst for Mario to get in touch with his passion for poetry and the natural beauty around him. I fell under The Postman's spell and became completely enchanted. There is so much vitality and genuine passion in this film. While I watched with increased conscious awareness, the simplicity in the main characters lives as well as their appreciation for poetry and nature made me feel joyful and relaxed. It felt as if I could breathe a little deeper, as if my busy life had stopped for a while, and I enjoyed these moments of peacefulness. The tenderness in the relationship between Mario and Neruda, as well as the authenticity that Mario displayed, touched me deeply. After the closing credits this feeling stayed with me, and I recognized that the movie had made me aware of deeply held values again, values that had been buried in my everyday life. I decided to bring these qualities back by spending more time alone in nature, simplifying my life and bringing more tenderness and authenticity into my relationships. These and many other amazing experiences with movies have planted a seed that continues to grow over time. I learned, and teach now, that one of the most important aspects in utilizing the power of movies is watching films with conscious awareness. We enhance our conscious awareness when we bring non-judging attention, curiosity, and acceptance to whatever is arising in our experience of the present moment while viewing a film. Many spiritual orientations teach us to become more aware of ourselves because they recognize the healing power of awareness. The Jewish Talmud points out that normally we do not see what we think we see, that what we perceive is more a reflection of us than it is objectively it. Everything we experience is altered and shaped by our minds. Our desires filter our selection of the items that we perceive. Our emotions color those perceptions. And finally, our attention wanders from perception to perception, virtually guaranteeing that what we see of the world and ourselves is mostly inaccurate. Buddhism makes the same basic observation saying that our awareness is usually clouded and that we are spiritually asleep. When we are not mindful we replace authentic experience with habitual responses. Buddhism, Christianity and Islam, speak of this state as a dream, illusion, or maya in which our minds are veiled. St. Paul claimed, A veil lies over their mind, while Islam multiplied the metaphor to seventy-thousand veils. Charles Tart offered that we live in a consensus trance that is a much more pervasive, powerful, and artificial state than ordinary hypnosis, and it is all too trance like. The metaphors differ, but the message is the same. The experience of watching movies can be seen as a metaphor for this trance or illusionary state. Becoming consciously aware in the present moment helps us to wake up. This is like remembering that we are watching a film even as we are deeply absorbed in the story. Sensing our arms as they touch the sides of our seat in a movie theater or in front of the TV might make us conscious that we are just watching images on a screen in front of us. Abbreviated Guidelines to Watch Movies with Conscious Awareness: Since our rational mind is only a small part of the portal to your inner wisdom, I suggest a process in which you watch and listen with your whole body, not simply with your mind. In preparation for each viewing session, before a movie starts in a theater or before you turn on the video, sit comfortably and relax. Let your attention move effortlessly, without strain, first to your whole body and then to your breath. Notice any tension or holding. To release tension you may experiment with "breathing into" any part of your body that feels strained. When you start watching the movie, pay attention to the story and to yourself. Do not continue to create a particular state, such as relaxation, but rather be a compassionate witness of what is. Observe especially how the movies images, ideas, conversations, and characters affect your physical sensations. What happens when these throw you off balance because they trigger undesired emotions? Just put your attention on that experience while you are watching. In all likelihood, whatever unbalances you in response to a movie character or scene is similar to whatever unbalances you in daily life. Stay present and alert. Watch your responses with an interested, curious detachment. Bring your inner attention to "all of you" head, heart, belly, etc. Once in a while you might notice a certain sensation or emotional response from your subtle, always-present intuitive core. You might let yourself get totally absorbed by the movie for a while and forget about anything else. Notice your sensations when you come back to awareness of yourself. These guidelines are intended as a practice in observing from the inside. As a witness, you step back and the bigger picture becomes more obvious. You will notice that, at first, it is easier to stay consciously aware of your reactions to movie characters than to real people with whom you might experience some emotional entanglement. Practicing with movies will help you apply conscious awareness from reel life to scenes in your real life. You will regain access to values or capacities in the big movie of your life with which you might have lost touch. As I experienced with Il Postino, this process can provide an opportunity for you to become deeply present, connect with your inner wisdom and essential Self.   Birgit Wolz wrote the following continuing education online courses; Cinema Therapy - Using the Power of Movies In the Therapeutic Process, which guides the reader through the basic principles of Cinema Therapy. Cinema Therapy with Children and Adolescents - This course teaches Cinema Therapy with young clients. It includes numerous movie suggestions, which are categorized according to age and issues. It serves therapists, teachers, and parents. Positive Psychology and the Movies: Transformational Effects of Movies through Positive Cinema Therapy - This course teaches how to develop clinical interventions by using films effectively in combination with positive psychotherapy. It serves for mental health practitioners and anybody who is interested in personal growth and emotional healing. Therapeutic Ethics in the Movies - What Films Can Teach Psychotherapists About Ethics and Boundaries in Therapy, which covers: confidentiality, self-disclosure, touch, dual relationships and out-of-office experiences (i.e., home visits, in-vivo exposures, attending a wedding, incidental encounters, etc.) Boundaries and the Movies - Learning about Therapeutic Boundaries through the Movies, which covers informed consent, gifts, home office, clothing, language, humor and silence, proximity and distance between therapist and client, and, finally, sexual relations between therapist and client. DSM: Diagnoses Seen in Movies - Using Movies to Understand Common DSM Diagnoses. Psychodynamic Diagnostic Manual (PDM) - A New Approach to Diagnosis in Psychotherapy   MAY YOU BE EVER HAPPY, WELL AND SECURE MAY YOU LIVE LONG MAY ALL SENTIENT AND NON-SENTIENT BEINGS BE EVER HAPPY MAY YOU BE ALWAYS HAVE CALM, QUIET, ALERT,ATTENTIVE AND EQUANIMITY MIND WITH A CLEAR UNDERSTANDING THAT NOTHING IS PERMANENT