The art of sacrifice

I was never good at chess but always loved to play.  There are certainly good points and bad points to the game of chess.  But if you don’t get too involved or obsessed with it we can analyze the principles and take only what is good from it.

Value:

The relative value of pieces must first be known.  The pawn is worth one point.  The bishop and knight are worth three points.  The rook is worth five points and the queen is worth nine points.  The king, because he can be captured and the game lost has infinite value.

Once you understand this you can make an educated choice on how to move or capture your opponent’s pieces.  As you learn to make better choices, you can definitely apply this to your life – whether it is raising a family or developing yourself on the quest.  Chess teaches us to utilize our often neglected reasoning skills.

Sacrifice:

Compassion is the understanding or empathy for the suffering of others.  It is regarded as a fundamental part of human love and foundational to the highest principles in philosophy and religion.  It is much needed today in our society yet it starts with a good intention and proper goals in life.

In chess, one of the great tactics is to sacrifice material to gain a special advantage later.  This teaches us a nice lesson not to be greedy solely for the purpose of material gain.  This is the heart of the bodhisattva’s way of life.  He or she lives on good principles and not bad ones that consist of harming others.  In other cultures, this type of hero is called a good Samaritan in Christianity or a Caretaker in the Native American religion.  It is a universal principle that shines through in most religions.

Needless to say, one of the most surprising moves is considered the queen-sacrifice because her value is among the highest.  When executed properly a master will, more often than not, win the game.

“Combinations with a queen sacrifice are among the most striking and memorable.”  –  Anatoly Karpov

There are two types of sacrifices.  The good sacrifice and the bad sacrifice.  The good sacrifice helps gain an advantage later on.  The bad sacrifice is done without proper forethought and planning.  It would be more of an unconscious impulse – something akin to a martyr complex.

In the spiritual world, it is often thought that we must sacrifice our self in order to attain enlightenment.  Of course, this is very true but how you give up your self is very important.  Without the guidance of a guru and without the guidance of proper scriptural sources you may just believe that suicide is the answer.  Therefore, without any consideration you end up seeking your own death without thinking of how it will affect your parents, children or spouse.

You truly will be creating negative karma if you act selfishly and without awareness.  The results of suicide are told over and over that you end up in a hell realm or a bad migration in your next lifetime.  One must contemplate this, consider the consequences correctly and receive proper instruction before one can gain confidence to act correctly in all situations.

Vipashana:

Chess may have a hidden element in it that could be the starting point to proper insight (vipashana) meditation later on.

I always wondered what would happen if two Buddhas played chess with each other.  Who would win?

By studying the texts of the great chess masters, the answer is already known.  They tell us that the perfect game will consist of neither a win nor a loss.  If either player doesn’t make a mistake then the game will certainly end in a draw.

Two important questions:

1. What is his intent?
2. What is his weakness?

If you keep these two questions in mind; you will be ahead of the game.  Often you will just look at your side of the board and rush to make your move.  But each move consists of an intrinsic advantage and weakness.  You just have to discover it.  When you get stuck ask the question, “What weakness did he leave behind?” and you will learn to expand your awareness to his side of the board.

Life stories:

Here are two beautiful stories that hit the essential point.  In the first, we might not see any immediate benefit to the Bodhisattva hero.  On the surface, it just seems like he lost his life.  But it was a conscious act of compassion that eventually leads to his full enlightenment.  In a future life he does awaken to Buddhahood.  Naturally, this act did not go unnoticed by the Buddhas who have the eye of omniscience.  This compassionate action sped up his development as positive karma was created.

In the second story, we see the power of a realized Buddha making a sacrifice with the principle of crazy wisdom.  Since he was a Buddha there were no harmful consequence to him and his action only enhanced and benefited all who heard, saw and believed the display-like miracle.

1.  The touching story of The Hungry Tigress is from the Jataka tales.  This is one excerpt from a collection of past life stories of Shakyamuni Buddha.

The Bodhisattva, in a lifetime before he became the Buddha, came upon a hungry tigress and her cubs.  Seeing the tigress was too weak to hunt, the Bodhisattva sent his traveling companions away to look for food.  While they were away, he threw himself over a cliff, thereby offering his body for food to the hungry tigress and her cubs.

2.  The story of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava is part of a long discourse given by the late Khenchen Palden Sherab in 1992 on the life of Guru Rinpoche:

With Guru Rinpoche and Mandarava we see the deep sacrifice of both the master and the disciple.  Wanting to learn the dharma from the Guru rather than lead a worldly life and get married, the princess was sentenced to prison for her actions while he was to be burned at the stake.

“The men ignored her and Guru Padmasambhava was captured.  His hands were bound and they led him off surrounded by hordes of people.  They wanted to make sure that he did not try to run away.  By royal decree, his punishment was to be burned at the stake.  Mandarava was sentenced to prison for 25 years, while all 500 of her attendants were sentenced to ten years.  All of this was the king’s decision.  A great quantity of wood was collected from the local households and soaked with sesame oil.”

Guru Rinpoche was tied in the center and the pyre was lit.  The king ordered that no one be allowed into the area for a week except those who were tending the fire.

“Now while Guru Rinpoche was in the midst of the flames, the fire transformed into water, which soon became a lake encircled on its outer perimeter by a ditch sporting a halo of upside-down flames.  In the center of this beautiful lake there was a wondrous lotus flower and above that, Guru Padmasambhava was sitting in the posture of royal ease, even more glorious than before.”

Sutras:

Vimalakirti explains, in The Holy Teaching of Vimalakirti that even sharing the dharma with others is a great dharma sacrifice.  It definitely is not an easy action to perform.

Vimalakirti explains that:

“Those who teach it to others, whether it be no more than a single stanza of four lines, or a single summary phrase from this teaching of the Dharma, will be performing the great Dharma-sacrifice.”

The truth is that obstacles can arise when doing any type of good deed.  Furthermore, it is much harder to spread the dharma that helps liberate sentient beings lost in confusion.  As one common axiom explains:  No good deed goes unpunished.  People often reject unsolicited advice.

Computers:

Most people that love computer programming and chess believe that calculating up to fifteen or twenty moves means more intelligence.  In reality, that is just the power of the intellectual mind and not necessarily intelligence in the sense of having Awareness and Compassion.  For basic game-play, one just needs to utilize three half-moves as the chess coach Bruce Pandolfini advises.  You move once, your opponent moves, then you move again.  This is called a combination.  Only in certain instances does one need to calculate up to ten moves and that usually is near the end of the game.

In Buddhism, there are explicit instructions on how to develop the mind.  With a little thought we can see how our body and mind is also like a computer.  Our ordinary mind, while still unenlightened has a glitch.  The main misconception – the belief in an inherently existent self, needs to be corrected.  Once we can organize our mind properly we surely gain better clarity.  One way to do this is to study and reflect on the scriptural teachings.  And if you are fortunate enough to participate in shedra courses you will be all the better for it.

Final point:

The sutras and tantras tell us that on the eighth stage of a Bodhisattva’s realization there is no longer any separation between meditation and post-meditation.  At that point, there is no compulsive reification of concepts.  What this means is that when you turn away from the chess board, the next moment you no longer have the same habitual thought-patterns going on.  If you lost the game, you can let it go.

In fact, you can let anything go – whatever good or bad things happen, you just abide in the nature of mind.  This is Mahamudra.  In the next moment, you can bring your awareness to the task at hand.  This is something we should all aspire towards.

good luck!
Neo

The pre-cleanse process

Since it is so difficult to know the details that constitute a good cleanse, I thought it would be essential to put things together to show what the step-by-step process would look like.  Here is some information.  MH, the Master Herbalist, on his Ask Barefoot Herbalist forum agrees that doing three liver-flushes before attempting an extended OJ fast is an excellent idea.

The problem:

With the increase of heart-attacks, auto-immune disease, and neurological problems becoming more prevalent in our times it is important to know their root cause as well as the antidotes. 

On the subject of heart conditions, if you ever had Cardiac Catheterization you would most likely have some cause for alarm to have such an invasive procedure done to you.  A simple symptom such as acid reflux would cause you to take an over-the-counter medication.  Usually this works and you are fine and go about your life.  However, when the medication does NOT work you have something to worry about.  You get admitted to the hospital.  They do blood work and tell you that the tests reveal a possible heart attack has occurred.  You get more worried and they call in for more tests.  They give you a catheter through the arm or leg and scope your heart to see what valves are clogged.  They also inject you with a chemical die so they can see on the x-ray monitor what is going on more clearly. 

At this point there are only two available options.  If nothing is majorly wrong then you are advised attend to your diet and go on medication that is not without side-effects.  However, if something is more serious you must comply with having a stent placed in the artery to keep the blood flowing and your heart from shutting down.  At this point you really have no choice in the matter as it will be the discretion of your doctor on the condition of your body.  Click here for an animated video of how the Angioplasty Procedure works along with the insertion of a stent.

But what if you knew the CAUSE of disease and the REMEDY before hand? 

Prevention is the key for being in absolute control of your life.  MH says, “Cayenne is life saving when used correctly.  Outside on a cut is there best use for it.  If you just had a heart attack, it can stop you from dieing by drawing the blood from the heart, etc. many books are written on all the uses.”

“I believe that most deadly heart attacks, etc. are actual adrenal glands bursting.  The sudden adrenal secretion entering the blood stream is more than the heart can handle and the person is dead as their body falls backwards.  I think this is a chemical problem, mostly caffeine and anything used to speed the body up artificially.” — MH

Furthermore, MH says, “According to Richard Schulze old info, he claims if a man is down, already turned GREY, no pulse and you can get cayenne into his mouth before death, he claims the blood will come off of the heart area and travel to the cayenne and the person may come back to life and because of the cayenne they may avoid brain damage.”

The solution:

Not many people can change their dietary habits and addictions so easily.  It is so hard to have discipline that most would just choose medical and leave their health in the doctor’s hands and hope for the best.  Only those inspired by a good author will have the motivation and will-power to eat all raw foods such as fruits, nuts and seeds.

“Cancers and all diseases most likely ALL START when the stomach fails, I have read many times the kidneys fail first, but ODDS are the kidneys failed first because the STOMACH was adding acids to the body that over whelmed the kidney function.” — MH

There are many choices to achieve the same result.  If you know the right principles you can get back on track faster.  Here are a few alternatives to achieve a healthy body:

1. Take the 2010 Longevity Spices along with 1 glass of water (per tablespoon) after each meal.
2. Utilize Herbal Spray I, II, or III to remove the acids via the skin/lymph.
3. The Orange Juice fast for 3, 7, 14, 21 or 40 days.

Longevity Spices:

The Japanese method to cure cancer was to drink 3-5 glasses of water after each meal along with a clove of smashed garlic.

“The stomach method is explained in a garlic/cancer book on the school website…basically the doctor had you drink 3 full glasses of water after each meal with garlic as a method to expand the dieing stomach and a cure for cancer.”  — MH

MH enhanced upon this concept with his 2010 Longevity Spices that has over 108 different herbs with the theory that your liver/body can absorb whatever it needs through a wide variety of herbs.

Herbal Sprays:

For an immediate concern (such as a heart-attack) the antidote is received through a roll-on or spray.  These are two NEW forms of application that MH invented.  They achieve the effects through the skin and lymph nodes which stimulate the blood.  It also enters, in a unique way, through the olfactory sense when sprayed on the face.

“With the roll on, a person can directly roll on the heart area. With the spray method the same herbs can enter the heart in about 3-5 seconds. In theory, the heart could be saved in 3-5 seconds.” — MH

For long term effects, the sprays add beneficial minerals through your skin.  Similar to the nitro patch a cardiologist might use on your heart to dilate the blood vessels so the blood can flow through your heart easier.  The herbal sprays increase heat and circulation and are great for managing pain, arthritis, asthma etc. without the toxic side effects.

The OJ fast:

If you are inspired to heal, cleanse, and regenerate your body to the fullest extent possible then accomplishing a 14 or 21 day OJ fast would BENEFIT you tremendously.

“NO HUMAN HAS BEEN ABLE TO FIND THE SOLUTION FOR BALANCE OF SALTS, IF THEY DID, THEY WOULD FIND THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH.  FASTING ALLOWS YOUR BLOOD STREAM TO SEEK THAT BALANCE, THE FOUNTAIN OF YOUTH!  IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH VITALITY TO DO IT.” — MH

The orange juice fast, done correctly, is a great method to expel a lifetime of salt.  MH teaches us that consuming potassium rich oranges and herbs is the primary way to balance your salt ratio.  He says that all illness is a result of the wrong balance of these salts.

The pre-cleanse:

1. Take one Epsom Salts bath to replenish all the minerals you need.
2. Begin taking the LBB (lower bowel balance) herbs to exercise the colon and move impurities down and out.
3. Prepare yourself for doing 3 good liver flushes following the Dr. Hulda Clark’s recipe.
4. Deworm and remove candida/parasites for 30 days straight with MH’s dewormer.

Epsom Salts

MH tells us that in 1919 Espom Salts was deemed the MIRACLE DRUG and was used in many European Hospitals which has been known as an acid magnet and drags the acids DOWN and OUT with it and that may be its truest healing effect.

“Ocean water is the same as our blood and has been used to cure all diseases in rapid time, maybe the best cure ever of the 1,000+ cures. It has the proper magnesium and one bath in Epsom Salts probably gives us a lifetime supply.” — MH

A good routine would be to put your feet in Epsom Salts each night for a week to draw out the toxins and see how that works for you.

“Humans die from having 900x too much calcium rock in their body that makes them shrink and turn HARD…….magnesium (epsoms salts) is a very cheap substance and mild antidote for calcium build up in the body…this is why people feel better after absorbing it.” — MH

At the very least give yourself one long Epsom-Salts bath in warm water to give your body the minerals it needs to rejuvenate.  It would be equal to the benefits gained by jumping directly in the salty ocean water.

The Lower Bowel Balance:

It is said that, “Death begins in the colon.”  Therefore, creating CIRCULATION is one of the key principles to understand and eventually master.  You need to get used to this LBB herbal formula.  It takes patience and some time for your body to adjust to this herb.  Just go slow.  It will immediately produce heat inside of you that you may not notice at first.

Your body will not do so well if you are still eating meat while on this product.  Since meat is already a warming food, just be careful taking this supplement with it.  At the bare minimum, you would take one or two capsules per meal while still eating meat with no serious side-effect.  The heat imbalance feels like a hot-flash that may only be noticed after seven to ten days.  As with everything, it dissipates quickly when discontinued.  I find it is best to take NO more than three capsules per day (one per meal) while still eating meat.

On the other hand, if you are a vegetarian you will take delight in the heating effect that is generated.  This is how it is originally intended to be used.  As most vegetarians get cold extremities, especially in the winter months, this supplement is important to have.  It is highly recommended to take it with a meal and not on an empty stomach until you become more advanced and detoxified.  With this herbal formula, you learn to adjust and increase your dosage so that you will have a bowel movement BEFORE your next meal.

“The standard rule is to take enough to have 1 bowel movement per meal eaten and normally have a bowel movement 15-20 minutes after each meal.” — MH

If your stools are too loose, you just cut back on the dosage.  It is that simple.  When your circulation is improving, constipation becomes a thing of the past.  However, when your hair gets dry that just means that toxins are going up and out the head.  To reverse this, take more LBB pills to get the toxins moving in the proper direction.

The Liver Flush:

MH offers a Liver Flush Kit that was designed for those wishing to do a Dr. Hulda Clark Epsom’s Salts Liver Flush as easy as possible.  If you can make it work, plan on doing three liver-flushes as part of your health protocol.  That would be great idea as part of a detox program.  For best results, space each liver flush two weeks apart.  Your body needs some time in-between to recuperate.  A reasonable amount of time to have completed three flushes would take you about six weeks.

For five to seven days prior to the liver-flush you NEED to deworm.  This is SO important and is often overlooked.  If you do not deworm prior to your liver-flush you won’t get any gallstones out.  That is a simple rule of thumb everyone should know.

Dr. Clark explained that you should lay on your right side as you rest after drinking the formula.  This is not the best suggestion as this could cause some harm from the pressure and contraction of the body’s weight against the liver.  It is important to know:

• Deworm for six days prior to the liver-flush or you WON’T release any stones.
• Rest on your left side after drinking the liver-flush formula and NOT the right side.

When I did the liver-flush correctly I felt terrific.  It felt as if there was a huge open channel between my liver and stomach.  These two organs were now working in harmony in a way that never occurred before!  With more space to digest, the flow of energy was really wonderful.

Deworm:

MH’s dewormer is, by far, the best and cheapest on the market for the size and quantity that he offers.  It is suggested that you deworm for a minimum of 30 days to thoroughly remove the most stubborn parasites and worms.  While you are deworming, be sure to take the LBB, to assist flushing these foreign invaders down and out.  If you follow this advice you won’t ever experience the Herxheimer Reaction.

The Herxheimer Reaction is the result of the die-off of the candida or parasites in your body too quickly.  This leads to binging on the foods that contributed to the over-growth of the yeast or parasites in the first place.  They will fight to survive if you are not mindful and careful to do this process correctly.

After experiencing a strong feeling of irritability and subsequent hunger pangs, you end up eating the wrong foods such as breads, chocolates and other sweats.  By taking the LBB herbal supplement while you are deworming, there will be almost zero chance for this to happen.

Summary:

After you do your pre-cleanse read my other article I posted by clicking here:  How to Fast so that you will have further information on what you need to know to prepare yourself for an extended OJ fast.  It is also important to know how to break the fast properly and I explain the best way to do that there.

TIP: Leading a virtuous life is one sure way to help increase your Life-Force which is the main condition needed for having a longer life.  This is what a good Samaritan or pure Bodhisattva (hero) practices:

• Generating positive karmic-actions by rescuing animals (who are about to die) and setting them free is an immediate way to increase your life-force.
• Offering necessities such as food and clothing to the poor benefits you indirectly.
• Offering real or imagined lights, canopies, food, clothing, precious metals, or jewelry to a Pure Field of Refuge such as Medicine Master Vaidurya Light Tathagata will generate unbelievable merits for this life and the future.

“Lord of Heaven, if someone at death’s door recalls this divine Dharani, even for just a moment, his lifespan will be extended and he will acquire purification of body, speech and mind. Without suffering any physical pain and in accordance with his meritorious deeds, he will enjoy tranquility everywhere.” — The Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Sutra

Click here to listen to this beautiful long-mantra: Usnisa Vijaya Dharani Song

Good Luck!
Neo