Check out this video!

[brendan]

http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/the-sup ... ation.html

Funny video.

[plwk]

Another story here (but no name given either)



But seriously, what's so fascinating about it?

[booker]

No offence, but David's flying looks more impressive

[PadmaVonSamba]

Bogus. Never trust a Discovery Channel magician to "level" with you!

The rebirth of the dead giveaways:

1. If you watch from too close the trick doesn't work.
2. Must be performed in a particular spot, in front of a curtain (of prayer flags)
3. Camera only reveals behind the magician before the floating begins.
Once he's in the air, we don't get to see behind him, so you don't see the mechanism that lifts him up.
4. Watch the YouTube version. He lands with a slight bounce as the device (basically a type of crane or level, like a see-saw) drops him back onto the floor
5. The host, a professional magician, says "it's the real deal" so of course, it's not. He's not some skeptical journalist. They are all in this together.

This is classic vaudeville. I hope that this "monk" and his assistant behind the prayer flags were paid well by the Discovery Channel. It was a good trick, well done.

However, It doesn't really help dispel the misconceptions that many people have about the Dharma.

[Basho]

I think my favorite part is probably the fact that right after the "monk" starts chanting the chenrezig mantra, which i chant everday and have yet to float (although the vajrapani mantra teleports me, instantly, to wherever i want to go) and the "magician" says "hes chanting his mantra, this guys the real deal". Of course he is. he knows the secret om padme hung mantra

[Tarpa]

Haha ya I saw that show too, total B.S., didn't know wether to laugh or be angry about it but what do I expect from television ?

Things I found quite funny about it -

The so called " monastery " was just a little house and how rude of that guy to just walk in somebodys home like that when nobody answered the door, at night no less, the inside was obviously a studio set, the little windows inside were western style, there was no shrine anywhere to be seen, just what looked like long folding tables, candles everywhere, birthday cake candles wich I thought was funny as hell, and brand spanking new prayer flags everywhere INSIDE the house, you could tell they were new because they were bright and still had a bit of a curl in them, no thangkas on the walls, no shrine, no furniture, just birthday candles and prayer flags, lol. Then of course it just got more ridiculous from there once the supposed " monk " appeared. Total B.S. and I think that guys an idiot as well as being disrespectful to our tradition, Hollywood's on crack.

[davidchatman]

Its amazing video indeed.

[Nighthawk]

Does anyone know of any real siddhas? I guess there are a few alive in the tibetan tradition?

[brendan]

Does anyone know of any real siddhas? I guess there are a few alive in the tibetan tradition?

What do you mean like a solution to cancer,leukemia , abnormal cell growth etc?

The so-called "perfect Buddhas" are only pefect on paper, they are all fantasy.

Brendan

[Mr. G]

Does anyone know of any real siddhas? I guess there are a few alive in the tibetan tradition?

What do you mean like a solution to cancer,leukemia , abnormal cell growth etc?

The so-called "perfect Buddhas" are only pefect on paper, they are all fantasy.

Brendan

No Buddha has claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth. Anything else you want to make up about what Buddhas can do?

[gad rgyangs]

Does anyone know of any real siddhas? I guess there are a few alive in the tibetan tradition?

What do you mean like a solution to cancer,leukemia , abnormal cell growth etc?

The so-called "perfect Buddhas" are only pefect on paper, they are all fantasy.

Brendan

No Buddha has claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth. Anything else you want to make up about what Buddhas can do?

yeah that stuff is definitely more Jesus' line of work.

[brendan]

Does anyone know of any real siddhas? I guess there are a few alive in the tibetan tradition?

What do you mean like a solution to cancer,leukemia , abnormal cell growth etc?

The so-called "perfect Buddhas" are only pefect on paper, they are all fantasy.

Brendan

No Buddha has claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth. Anything else you want to make up about what Buddhas can do?

If that is true there would not be suffering of medical conditions!

As the so-called "Perfect Buddhas" who have "unlimited compassion" , would of handed out the cures.

Like i said, its nonsense.

Buddhas are only correct on paper.

Brendan

[Mr. G]

If that is true there would not be suffering of medical conditions!

As the so-called "Perfect Buddhas" who have "unlimited compassion" , would of handed out the cures.

Like i said, its nonsense.

Buddhas are only correct on paper.

Brendan

Did you read what I wrote?

No Buddha has claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth.

No Buddha can wave their magic wand and grant you enlightenment. Unlimited compassion means they guide by teaching. A Buddha is not an omnipotent God, and never claimed to be.

[brendan]

If that is true there would not be suffering of medical conditions!

As the so-called "Perfect Buddhas" who have "unlimited compassion" , would of handed out the cures.

Like i said, its nonsense.

Buddhas are only correct on paper.

Brendan

Did you read what I wrote?

No Buddha has claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth.

No Buddha can wave their magic wand and grant you enlightenment. Unlimited compassion means they guide by teaching. A Buddha is not an omnipotent God, and never claimed to be.

What about medicine Buddha?

Why do you pray to them for?

Its just a play on words.

You said "Unlimited compassion means they guide by teaching".

Its non-sense.

[Mr. G]

What about medicine Buddha?

Why do you pray to them for?

You meditate on the Medicine Buddha to help with sickness. However, this does not override Karma:

This last episode of Moggallana's life, however, showed that the law of moral causality (Kamma) has even greater power than the supernormal feats of this master of magic. Only a Buddha can control the karmic consequences acting upon his body to such an extent that nothing might cause his premature death.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... .html#ch10

Its just a play on words.

No, it's a fact. There is no sutta, sutra or tantra that says a Buddha claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth.

Think I'm wrong? Give me a citation where it says a Buddha is omnipotent.

[gad rgyangs]

Mr. G is right, but that doesn't stop 99% of East Asian Buddhists from praying to the Buddha, Tara, Guanyin, etc, for intercession in exactly the same way that Christians pray to Jesus and Mary.

[Mr. G]

Mr. G is right, but that doesn't stop 99% of East Asian Buddhists from praying to the Buddha, Tara, Guanyin, etc, for intercession in exactly the same way that Christians pray to Jesus and Mary.

I have no problem with petitionary prayer. The problem is when they think it's a magic bullet that overrides karma.

[brendan]

What about medicine Buddha?

Why do you pray to them for?

You meditate on the Medicine Buddha to help with sickness. However, this does not override Karma:

This last episode of Moggallana's life, however, showed that the law of moral causality (Kamma) has even greater power than the supernormal feats of this master of magic. Only a Buddha can control the karmic consequences acting upon his body to such an extent that nothing might cause his premature death.

http://www.accesstoinsight.org/lib/auth ... .html#ch10

Its just a play on words.

No, it's a fact. There is no sutta, sutra or tantra that says a Buddha claimed to have powers to cure a person with cancer, leukemia or abnormal cell growth.

Think I'm wrong? Give me a citation where it says a Buddha is omnipotent.

Your quotes mean nothing.

Its just continually a play with words.

They are only Buddhas on paper.

How do they help you or me?

If they understand the causes of suffering then they have then causes to stop suffering,for you and me.

They (Buddhas) are said to be perfect, they are clearly not perfect (only on paper).

Brendan

[brendan]

Mr. G is right, but that doesn't stop 99% of East Asian Buddhists from praying to the Buddha, Tara, Guanyin, etc, for intercession in exactly the same way that Christians pray to Jesus and Mary.

I have no problem with petitionary prayer. The problem is when they think it's a magic bullet that overrides karma.

What do you mean "overides karma".

If they (Buddhas) are perfect then they have _all_ of the perfect causes to stop suffering.

They (Buddhas) are not perfect yet.

Brendan

[Mr. G]

Your quotes mean nothing.

Yes. How foolish of me to define what the Buddha can do by using the words of the Buddha.

How do they help you or me?

If they understand the causes of suffering then they have then causes to stop suffering,for you and me.

They help you by providing you teachings to end the afflictions that cause suffering. You are the one that actually has to apply those teachings by practicing.

If they (Buddhas) are perfect then they have _all_ of the perfect causes to stop suffering.

No, they don't. Once again, provide a citation from a sutta, sutra, or tantra stating that a Buddha is omnipotent and can make you enlightened. If you are unable to, this thread will be locked as you are just blathering mindlessly with no evidence.