The Buddha relics multiplied

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• Raise them honest and questioning

  In brief: An English Buddhist couple ask a monk how to bring up their first child without brainwashing — Buddhist, no religion, or every religion?…

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  That is why this is one of those stories of I This was one of my friends a long time ago over in England. A Buddhist English family, Caucasians, had their first child and they asked him, "How should we bring up our child? Should we teach him to be a Buddhist? Or should we teach him no religion? Or should we teach him every religion? We're confused. I don't want to brainwash my kid cuz I was brainwashed. And I want to How do you bring up a child to have a good ethical foundation? And a monk gave this very brilliant advice, which I've repeated to other people. Bring up your child to be one, honest, and two, questioning. And if you encourage that in your child, honesty, it means that they will never deceive themselves believing something which is ridiculous. Truth will be so important to them that even religious statements, they would check out if it doesn't make sense, doesn't matter who said it, they'd reject it. Honesty will be one of the greatest uh filters of truth for misinformation. And secondly, questioning will always be challenging, challenging, challenging until they found out once they've questioned and challenged what's left. More they're questioning and challenging, which they can honestly believe in, that will be the truth. And that would be the best way to to encourage a child's religious or spiritual development as it is yours as well. Please always question and be honest. If you don't agree with it, say so. Don't believe it just cuz I say so. Don't believe it if everyone else in the world except you says so. No, don't believe it. Be honest with yourself there. If it really is true, you feel it is true, even if it goes against your beliefs, if it feels true and is true, change your beliefs. Never bend the facts to fit your faith, bend your faith to fit the facts. That's honesty. So that way, that is how good teachers teach. They don't teach you what to believe. They teach you to be honest and also to question.

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• The samurai who asked about heaven and hell

  In brief: A samurai who has asked everyone whether heaven and hell exist finally demands a straight answer from an old monk. The monk says he's too…

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  there's this old story and this is great Buddhist wisdom because it brings things down from Superstition down into ordinary daily life many of you heard the story before but it's a great story about the the old samurai warrior who too wanted to know what do really Buddhist think about heaven and hell is there a heaven is there a hell no really and he gone around to many many people and no one could give him a a good answer there may be the same with you may have gone to many sort of temples many talks ask many people and it's sort of satisfying you can't really get a straight answer which really satisfies you and answers the question once and for all so this sumai eventually found this old Monk and said old monk look this is my question you know I I've gone around asking so many people this I'm almost fed out to ask it again but is there a heaven is there a hell now if you know this and really know it say so but if you don't know it don't waste my time just say I don't know okay and the mark looked up on it up for this samurai warrior and said you're St to you're too stupid to understand the samurai said what you call me stupid I'm not stupid I'm a samurai warrior these Samurai Warriors have to go through an enormous amount of training and it's not just the uh martial arts it's a lot of um virtuous training and training in medic meditation said I'm not stupid I'm a samurai warrior and the mon looked up at him you a samurai don't give me that you fool you're just a country bumpkin that's all and the samurai said that's twice you've insulted me and he took hold of his sword if you insult me one more time monk I don't care who you are I'll cut off your head just with one swipe of my sword with that stupid old rusty piece of iron you couldn't even slice a a slice of bread with that and that was enough the samurai insulted three times was incense and he got out his sword and was about to Smite the monk's head off when the monk looked right into his eyes and said samurai that's hell and I keep on saying that was pushing his luck but it worked maybe if it didn't work he wouldn't be able to tell the story but that Samurai understood that anger was what hell is like at last he got an answer which wasn't anything to do with Superstition the Mark wasn't saying it says in my scriptures cuz that really offended me a lot when people say it says in the books that's not what I asked you what's in the books I asked you you now you're supposed to be a Christian you're supposed to be a Buddhist you're supposed to be a teacher I'm not saying what I can read the books myself you is there a heaven is there a hell explain I'm not asking the books I'm asking the person and the last he actually got a proper answer he could understand what hell was and he was so impressed he put aside his sword and he bow to that monk that's what you do in Asia out of respect it's not asking for favors it's an act of like thank you so much and remember Mark looked at him again and saw his eyes were watering out of respect and gratitude and the Mark said to him very softly and Samurai now this is heaven that gratitude and respect that's what heaven is like

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• Chanting brought the Dhammasara price down

  In brief: Looking at a noisy 38-acre option for the nuns, they notice a 583-acre property of solitude nearby. Against the fear they cannot afford…

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  You know, about Dhammasara, the container on Sunday, that place. Again, Bianca, she's not here this evening, with her partner Ron, going down Kitchigano, there was that 38-acre property. And just went down there, and he was No, come on. You know, you can't treat nuns like that. It's a small little place, really noisy. But on the way there, there was another property, 583 acres of solitude. And I said, "Let's have a look." I said, "No, no way. We can't afford that. 30 acres is way above our" "No, let's have a look. It doesn't cost anything to look." And of course, you know, eventually we bought it. That's Dhammasara. We don't know how that happened. I went in there with another monk an hour before. We really did some chanting. We really laid it on thick. Powerful super chanting to try to get the price down. And it worked. We got it. Now, don't you try that if you're trying to buy a house or a property. Don't invite the monks first of all, please.

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• He said he had been Emperor Ashoka

  In brief: A famous Thai monk (unnamed here; Brahm withholds the name) told close monks he had been Emperor Ashoka in a previous life, named his…

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  he told his close monks that in his previous incarnation he was the emperor Ahsoka of India now he was a very famous monk who doesn't lie he named his Temple in south of Bangkok Ahsoka Rama exactly the same name as ahsoka's temporary built in pataliputa in Patna and even more amazing in full public gays he was giving a big Dharma talk in the town of ubon at Jan Charles Place and out of nowhere from the ceiling this Medallion dropped down is now in his Museum people saw it hundreds of people a medallion of Emperor Ahsoka and don't have any medallions like that in Thailand which which is amazing so have amazing stuff

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