Mindblown: a blog about philosophy.
Origin of the Three Poisons and First Kleshas
The Three Poisons (Sanskrit: triviṣa; Tibetan: dug gsum) or the three unwholesome roots (Sanskrit: akuśala-mūla; Pāli: akusala-mūla), refer to the three root mental states that give rise to other mental states, or kleshas. Kleshas cloud the mind, resulting in harmful actions. Sages and monks have long understood the destructive power of the Three Root Poisons,…
The Adversary in the Cosmic Stupa
From ancient times, stupas (Sanskrit: स्तूप, = ’heap’) have played a prominent role in Buddhist ritual and devotional practice. Stupas, which are rounded earthen hemispheres or domes, contain relics such as bones of revered monks and nuns. They also contain a trodden path around the dome so pilgrims can walk around and meditate (pradakhshina). As Buddhism…
In the Image of God
One of Buddha’s fundamental insights was that of Pratītyasamutpāda (Sanskrit: प्रतीत्यसमुत्पाद, Pāli: paṭiccasamuppāda). This states that all phenomena arise from other previous phenomena. All that we observe arises from preceding causes. This insight extends in the Four Noble Truths to explain karma and samsara. We can use the insight of arising phenomena to gain insight…
The Precision and Power of Pentecost
The Day of Pentecost always comes on a Sunday. It celebrates a remarkable event. But it is not only what happened that day but when and why it happened that reveals the hand of God. It also offers a powerful gift for you. What happened on Pentecost If you heard of ‘Pentecost’, you probably learned…
The Resurrection of Jesus: Fact or Fiction?
In our modern, educated day, we sometimes wonder if traditional beliefs, especially ones about the Bible, are only out-dated superstitions. The Bible recounts many incredible miracles. But probably the Good Friday and First-Fruits story of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from the dead after his crucifixion seems the most unbelievable. Is there any logical evidence to take…
The Revived Woman paired with the Resurrected Son
We have gone through portraits of Jesus presented in the Gospels by looking at him through his Jewish lens. In doing so we have seen two over-riding themes. Jewish Contributions to Mankind’s Progress Consider the following in light of the fact that the total Jewish population is 15.2 million, 0.19% of the 8 billion worldwide population. We…
Cosmic Rhythm only God could Dance: From Creation to Cross
What is dance? Theatrical dance encompasses rhythmic movements, meant to be viewed by spectators and to tell a story. Accordingly, dancers coordinate their movements with other dancers, using different parts of their own body, so that their movements generate visual beauty and accentuate rhythm. Usually this coordination occurs in a repeating time interval, called meter. Researchers have…
Day 7: Jesus in Sabbath Rest
A striking Jewish distinctive is their keeping of the Sabbath, which occurs every Saturday. This Jewish keeping of the Sabbath goes back 3500 years to when Moses instituted seven special festivals. Leviticus 23 describes all these seven festivals, six of which are celebrated annually (including Passover, which we looked at previously). Sabbath Origins But leading out…
Day 6: Good Friday and Jesus the Passover Lamb
Jews celebrate several festivals that come from events unique to their history. One of their more well-known festivals is Passover. Jews celebrate this festival in memory of their deliverance from slavery in Egypt about 3500 years ago. Recorded in Exodus, Passover climaxed the Ten Plagues on Pharaoh and Egypt. For Passover, Moses instructed every Israelite family to slay…
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