Mental Culture

Mental Culture 

Mind is the most powerful weapon (that is how Americans use Mind Culture) in this world.

It can be used for good and bad.
 
In practice it is used as a weapon and psychological warfare in politics and religion.
Secret services (CIA, MI5, FBI, KGB) are examples of the clandestine use of this psychological warfare in the past century.
 
Only in Buddhism or Hindu Culture, it is used for benevolence. 

Christianity (fear of god) and Muslim (coercion to inculcate fear and conversion) religions use this fear psychosis for expansion of their control.
 
One need not fear but develop the mental culture of Metta from an early age.
 
But what is promoted is Hate Culture.
 
The tolerance vanishes with this psychosis.
 
One should have the freedom not to be indoctrinated by any pseudo-religions.

Metta Meditation is something that everybody (it takes the fear psychosis out of your mind) can practice.
 

But, I prefer the Moment Meditation.
 
There is a caveat here.
One should not practice these mental techniques in old age without a suitable meditation master.
One might end up psychologically deranged or broken down. I have seen several in my life.
 
Ajan Chach (in the past) and Ajan Brakmavaso (current) are good exponents (guides).

Ajan Brakmavanso to his credit has many simple books in English. 

His talent is that he can put very difficult context in very simple words using a simile. There is nobody to match him currently.
Meditation culture needs hard and strenuous practice.

I have a few reservations (not enough elucidation of Dhamma) in some of his methods but he is free to make his own judgement.
 
One cannot master this in a weekend course.
 
If somebody is doing academic work “Vissusdhi Magga” is a colossal text. That is the only book I do not possess. 
One need only one or most two to three techniques depending on the personality.
 
For me “Dhamma-Pada”, the small volume with 400 odd verses is adequate as an introduction. 

Even from that I do use not more than 10 verses for insight.
The Pali word for "Insight" is “Vipassana”, which is being adopted by Buddhist practitioners of meditation.
I prefer the term “Mindfulness Meditation”.
I go, little further to “Moment Meditation”, which is Mindful presence every wakeful moment of living (except one is in dream state of sleeping).

There are different mental cultures from "Mediums" to "Channels" to "Insight Meditation".
 
Last is the most difficult.
 
There is a lot to pick but one needs a proper Meditation Master to guide one through.

All Americans are not Bad

All Americans are not Bad

This is about Americans.

Not all Americans are bad.

There are lot of good Americans.

What I am against are the American Scientists who conspire for the last 70 years.

It is time I should say good about Americans. 

I have met few of them and there are many like Dr. Steven M. Greer.

Unlike British Americans are fabulously rich and spend time and money to explore the unknown, including UFOs.

Whereas the British will hold onto their prejudices in their entire life.

Even though, yesteryear British scholars had revived and reviewed Buddhist scriptures (Francis Story and Rhys Davies) after the visit of Colonel Henry Steel Olcott to Ceylon, there is none in this country and UK now..

I believe he was sent here by the Church to discredit Dhamma (Buddhism) but he was enthralled and enlightened by studying the scriptures.

Rhys Davies

Thomas William Rhys Davids was born in England, at Colchester in Essex, the eldest son of a Congregational clergyman from Wales, who was affectionately referred to as the Bishop of Essex. 

His mother, who died at the age of 37 following childbirth, had run the Sunday school at his father's church.

Thomas William Rhys Davids, FBA (12 May 1843 – 27 December 1922) was a British scholar of the Pāli language and founder of the Pali Text Society. 

He took an active part in founding the British Academy and London School for Oriental Studies.

He studied for the bar and briefly practiced law, though he continued to publish articles about Sri Lankan inscriptions and translations, notably in Max Müller's (he was a French Scholar) monumental Sacred Books of the East.

From 1882 to 1904 Rhys Davids was Professor of Pali at the University of London, a post which carried no fixed salary other than lecture fees.

In 1905 he took up the Chair of Comparative Religion at the University of Manchester.
Rhys Davids attempted to promote Theravada Buddhism and Pāli scholarship in Britain. 

He actively lobbied the government (in co-operation with the Asiatic Society of Great Britain) to expand funding for the study of Indian languages and literature, using numerous arguments over how this might strengthen the British hold on India. He gave "Historical Lectures" and wrote papers advancing a racial theory of a common "Aryan" ethnicity amongst the peoples of Britain, Sri Lanka, and the Buddha's own clan in ancient times. These were comparable to the racial theories of Max Müller, but were used to a different purpose.
Rhys Davids claimed that Britons had a natural, "racial" affinity with Buddhist doctrine.
This part of Rhys Davids' career is controversial.
His scholarly enterprise was terminated by a bogus investigation by the British.


British Conspiracy
He never renunciate his faith but promoted study of Buddhism. That was his downfall.

Rhys Davids' civil service career and his residence in Sri Lanka came to an abrupt end.

Personal differences with his superior, C. W. Twynham, caused a formal investigation, resulting a tribunal and Rhys Davids' dismissal for misconduct. A number of minor offences had been discovered, as well as grievances concerning fines improperly exacted both from Rhys Davids' subjects and his employees.

With his death study of Buddhism ended in Great Britain.

Unlike, the British, the American continue to study Buddhism up to this date.

Unlike in Britain, America there is considerable number of Americans who practice Buddhist Way of Life without enunciating their own faith (for political reasons).

Buddhism is thriving in America!

They have contributed a lot silently.

I have met few of them and they come here for meditation practices.

I was busy then but I directed them to the proper academics and mediation masters, with my connection in the University.

Unfortunately most of the erudite with knowledge in English are all gone and rare to find now.