Daniel

It's Japanese. A somewhat modern rendering. https://www.cincinnatiartmuseum.org/about/blog/the-legend-of-the-laughing-buddha/

Glad to hear it I think you'd remember. Pear-shaped. Uber-enthusiastic IT super-hero. My picture is to the left. That's me. It's kinda rough around edges. But, we'll bounce back. Covid was really difficult on the city. We need another 5 years, I think to recover. How's your summer so far? Or... Is it always summer there?

This sort of mystery needs an experienced detective. Where's inspector Foote? @Mark Foote

What's funny about that?

Waves. I live here, Luke. City of Roses, Portlandia, home of the annual nude bicycle ride, where the young come to retire. We moved here almost 25 years ago. How are you?

Where's brother luke? @liminal_luke

Sometimes, difficult questions are easier to answer from the counter-intuitive approach, then, apply what was learned there to the original question.

Everyone's a winner... step right up, step right up....

Ahah! Thank you! I'll read up on it and reply once I am more educated on it.

@Ajay0, Was this intended for the "Abrahamic" sub-forum? If so, please let me know if there is anything "Abrahamic" that you would like to discuss. This is not a harsh judgement. I'm not intending anything other than to understand what sort of conversation you would to inspire via the information you have posted here Best wishes from me to you, -daniel-

Many thanks.

The best that I know of, based on what you have shared, would be a gradual untangling, not a jolt.

Greetings. I am typing to you from NEPDX. I'm a stone's throw from Laurelhurst Elementary school.

My vote? It matters when you share it. Either in person, or like you shared it with us, in this thread. At the very least, it matters to me.

I will keep you in mind if I happen across someone or something which fits within your parameters. In the meantime, I wish you the very best. Sincerely,

You're looking for a practice which produces fundemental, meaningful, substantial changes in an individual's life? But, wisely, you would like hard evidence that the practice can (not will) produce these results prior to investing the time? Edit to add: But there is a specific roadblock or roadblocks which is/are interferring with this for you? You're thinking, maybe, you need a sort of a "jolt" to skip over the roadblock or blocks?

@DreamBliss, Thank you for your passionate inquiry. I appreciate what you've written, and I think, I can't say for sure, but I think I understand what you're feeling. If I understand, what you've written resonates deeply with how I feel in many ways. Based on what you've written, again, if I understand properly, there is a great deal to discuss. In my opinion, the items below are where the discussion should begin: #1: Noted. You need this. It is not a want. Details are not and will not be provided here. I won't ask. This, my friend, if it is literally true, is a very dangerous position.. Anything includes a lot. Do you really mean it? Anything? Literally?

Yes. I am like a sponge. I will very likely remember your feedback. OK. Reminds me of a song: " ... feels like the first time ... feels like the very first time." - LINK I have no idea. You're doing fine. Noted

That's not what I have in mind. Is that in the article? I agree. Why would they be hidden? If they're alive, are they in danger? If they were to become public, would they be believed? Yes, the gospel story includes several elements which are considered by biblical critical scholars as common mythology motifs. I think it goes further than that. The Christian bible is tapping into cross cultural, universal themes because its intended audience is not geo-specific. If so, this explains why elements of the story and the lessons taught are found elsewhere and underpin the human experience.

If you are referring to the structure of our morning prayer service, I certainly agree that there is a "mountain" being climbed. The ascension ( communion / reunion ) is real. In Buddhism, the traveler realizes the path, the destination, and the journey, are all literally equivalent such that the feelings which indicate motion and ascension are illusory? If so, they seem to be inverses in the category of alternative states of consciousness or awareness.

I wouldn't call it strange, but, I can understand why one would feel that way. Each of these are intended to line up with previously accepted Jewish prophecies. However, the original prophecies are very different than how modern mainstream Christianity aggregates them. Here's a good example regarding the "virgin" birth. "Virgin" is in quotes because the original prophecy does not include a virgin. https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/chapter-18f-virgin-misconception-myth Also, mainstream Christianity uses a method for prophecy interpretation called "Pesher". The intent is to reveal a hidden prophecy which is scrambled and scattered throughout various texts. Using Pesher to interpret prophecy permits a great deal of strangeness.

If you are saying there is a correspondence, I trust your judgement. I would also add that the practice, if executed regularly, includes grounding so that the individual is much less likely to lose their sense of self and context ( who, where, and when ).

Thank you for the feedback. I will keep that in mind for any future replies directed towards you. Best wishes, sincerely, -daniel-

The verse as written is: Μὴ νομίσητε ὅτι ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν· οὐκ ἦλθον βαλεῖν εἰρήνην, ἀλλὰ μάχαιραν Μὴ - Lest ( soft negation ) νομίσητε - think ὅτι - that ἦλθον - [ I ] came βαλεῖν - "casting"? "Like a net? From the root βάλλω. That's an interesting word choice. "Net <--> Sword" is a sharp contrast. εἰρήνην - "peace-as-a-consequence-of-unity" Another interesting word choice: from the root εἴρω = "bound / united". It means "peace" but it is peace that comes from a fundamental connection. Strong's Lexicon indicates that εἰρήνην was the traditional Jewish Greek invocation on departure. This matches the traditional hebrew invocation on departure which is: Shalom. Shalom is from the root Shaleim, which means "complete". Also Salam in arabic. Bound, united, complete, all of these are expressing the same message. When Jewish people part ways, traditionally it is said: "Be at peace, we are united, we are complete." That is what is expressed by the word "Shalom" in hebrew and also the meaning of "Eirene" "εἰρήνην" in Greek. It is a a true peace that can only be accomplished through inclusion. As an aside: there's also a Greek Goddess in their pantheon named "Eirene / Irene", the goddess of peace. Perhaps there's an additional layer of meaning in this as well? Jesus is saying that he did not come to bring either the traditional Greek version of peace? And. He did not come to bring the traditional hebrew version of peace. He came to bring something different than that. ἐπὶ - to τὴν - the γῆν - [ the physical ] earth Often a word chosen to translate the hebrew words Eretz and Adamah in the Greek Old Testament. οὐκ - not ( harsh negation ) ἦλθον - [ I ] came βαλεῖν - "casting" ( like a net ) εἰρήνην - "peace-coming-from-unity" ( see above ) ἀλλὰ - but μάχαιραν -"slaughter-knife" μάχαιρα has specific connotation. It only had one edge as contrasted with a ῥομφαία, a more elegant two-sided double edged sword. There is context here that is needed. The μάχαιραν is not an ordinary "sword" even though that is how it is translated into english. It is a long single sided knife which was often used in ritual slaughter. This can be seen in Homer's Illiad where the priest of apollo uses a μάχαιραν to slaughter the sacrifice. In hebrew, this sort of knife is called a khaylif. The knives used for ritual slaughter were ( and are ) exceptionally sharp and long so that the beast would be dispatched painlessly with a single deliberate stroke. This is the ending of the statement. This is what Jesus is saying he is bringing. He is bringing a slaughter-knife to execute a ritual. According to what's written, the verse is contrasting the imagery of casting a wide net ( εἰρήνην / Eirene / inclusive-peace ) with executing a ritual slaughter ( μάχαιραν / Machairan / divisive-salvation? ) @Tommy, what do you think about this analysis?

To be clear, I do no think he was advocating violence either. I wrote "he was not opposed to violence." Agreed. I think what I meant to communicate is being misunderstood. I apologize for not being more clear.