Why I lived as a BUDDHIST MONK for 6 Years / And What It Taught Me About Myself
![Martin K. Pettersson [Former Buddhist Monk]](http://yt3.ggpht.com/hZD1coTY01tKh3uLxyZfyFdIHsQ3Wxd7BFow_bJEbcffd46YTBqllCUgk32lPzDbF9Y9do4ckQ=s48-c-k-c0x00ffffff-no-rj)
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- Опубликовано: 10 сен 2024
- Many have asked why I left to go live as a Buddhist monk in Asia for 6 years, there's gotta be a story there right? Yes there is, and in this video I share it as if though you'd sit next to me and ask me as a friend. It's a relatable story that many can recognize and find something usefull in hearing about how I went from a successfull career to living full time in meditation centers across Asia and Europe.
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Come and join us for livestreamed GUIDED MEDITATIONS on RUclips LIVE. We offer these on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 pm CET.
If you want to work with me DIRECTLY, I offer individual COACHING sessions. To get rates and schedule a free 15-minute call to see if we are a good fit, email me at martinkpetterssoncoaching(at)gmail.com. If you want to SUPPORT the channel and help me create more videos like this, you can buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/FormerMonk
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Disclaimer
All media content provided in the following video is intended for entertainment or educational purposes only. The media content is not meant to provide or replace qualified medical or health treatments and must never be utilised as such. None of our content tries to directly or indirectly diagnose any illness or condition you may be suffering from. Never stop taking or change dosages of medication or health regimes you may be on without first consulting your doctor. We accept no responsibility or liability whatsoever for any direct or indirect adverse effects, injury, loss or damage in any shape or form resulting from reliance upon the information or material provided here. If you have a history of mental illness, don't practise any form of meditation without first consulting your doctor. Our content is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure or safeguard against any illness or disease, always seek advice from your doctor. Do not use any of our content while operating machinery, driving or in a situation where it is not safe to fall asleep.
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Come and join us for livestreamed GUIDED MEDITATIONS on RUclips LIVE. We offer these on Mondays and Thursdays at 8 pm CET.
If you want to work with me DIRECTLY, I offer individual COACHING sessions. To get rates and schedule a free 15-minute call to see if we are a good fit, email me at martinkpetterssoncoaching(at)gmail.com. If you want to SUPPORT the channel and help me create more videos like this, you can buy me a coffee at buymeacoffee.com/FormerMonk
Buddhist monk here for 44 years. I teach dharma and meditation for free.
Chiron Last The Golden Web Pt 1
@@user-ru5xz3lz9cthat’s the way to be . He’s MONITIZED his story and he’s still caught in Dukka
Your story doesn’t address your recognition of your own suffering. clinging or grasping at money and achievement or ANY understanding of Four Nobel Truths or Eightfold Path . I wonder if World Honored One would consider your “montitzation of meditation and “coaching” is Right Livelyhood, Right Effort …and 12 minutes focused entirely on your own SELF . Not much Dharma in this video . Lot of words 😊
If you guys ever have the opportunity to meditate for a long period of time, do it! I meditated for an hour and omg, it was like the world opened up to me. My mind was quite literally, blown.
Nice to hear you had a nice experience!
The true benefits comes from doing it long term though and establishing a daily practice, even if it's only 10min per day is a great step in that direction.
It blew?
@@CCCC-tq8yo another way of saying I was awestruck
Agree with you.
For beginner, 1 hour is a minimum time to sit without motion and focus on the mind.
And... When you eventually entering the first phase... Vittaka... All of the noise aroubd you suddenly shrinked to the backgroudn. You could even heard your neighbours wispering in their bedroom.
That is a minblowing experience.
Meditation did the same for me. After many many years I find much more openness and the beauty of the world without meditating. You do not need any religion, only awareness and empathy.
I live for almost 9 years now the "hermit" lifestyle, and I love it... The big falsehood about this life choice is that you are isolated from human kind and contact, and that it is unhealthy. This is a false narrow claim usually pushed by the media. And we know how that is. Embrace the life which makes good for the heart. In love and light...
Living a solitary life is not for everybody, nor is it for nobody. I could definetely see myself doing it for periods of time but since I have a family now it's not really on the table as of right now.
Happy you found a way of living that works for you, keep it up!
I enjoy it. However I'm guessing that you have been hurt by people and also are worried about being hurt further. Is this true? Asking for a friend.
Today is my birthday, and such a gift was this video... I really felt the lesson you've learned with your grandmother & connected to your story Martin
Thank you, this comment touched me.
Hope you had a great birthday and I wish you all the best with your practice.
It’s so nice to hear about your journey Martin.
When we met in Plum Village, you were Dhammadinne. I arrived at the train station in St Foy LeGrande with no clue. You just appeared in your robes out of nowhere to pick me and other people who had arrived for the retreat. You had the biggest and warmest smile. I felt an instant connection and over the week we shared many lovely conversations. I guess we were on the same path to understand our minds, hearts and ourselves.
Now we’re both married with kids. How life changes.
Wish you the best with your journey brother. Hope to shake your hand one day and meet each other’s families 😊
Aaah, Yohan!
Makes me smile inside seeing you here. I do remember fondly our conversations and miss things like that the most when I think back on my years as a monk.
I would love to meet up one day in the future, with kids. Maybe even in plum village one summer :)
Take care my friend and keep in touch!
With Metta
//DD
Thank you so much for making this video Martin. I attended my first Vipassana retreat in June 2024 and it changed my life in an incredibly positive way.
I'm happy to hear this!
Good luck with your practice and feel free to ask if you have any questions.
Your story around your grandmother was everything; it had me tear up and experience a sense of release that I didn't realize I needed (and probably need more of). Thank you for sharing your story and an avenue to get to know one's mind. I would like to understand my own mind better....
Thank you Kimberly. It's interesting that we spend all our lives with our minds constantly by our side. Yet we do close to no work on exploring it untill we have problems and break down in some way. Don't be afraid to explore and look around, there are so many wonderful people out there willing to help.
I have a video coming up for this weekend where I talk about how I came to realize my own practice that I call "Distortion Meditation" which is simply a different perspective of what's happening when we observe our minds. I've found that it's by far the easiest way to understand what we are trying to do and everyone I've worked with found it helpful aswell.
Either way I wish you the best of luck with your practice, a journey inside is always well worth the effort
♥
I always wondered if these teachings were there even before we were born. Yet, we did not pay any attention or choose ignorance because something is more attractive than simply boring ourselves with doing nothing...but some twist comes in life that takes us to choose this enlightenment path...Enlightenment demands the Taste of Suffering to understand it better.
It's a good question. I think there is something much less "divine" behind it and it seems to simply be the structure of our mind and anyone who sits down long enough will eventually see the same thing. But then we start colouring it with our religion, our beliefs or our desire to be important and imortal.
But I do agree with you that most of us don't pay attention and when we chose to something changes and we see these things clearer.
Great job!
I remember you were telling why you have decided to get roped when we've met at the Vipasana center near Kandi. Thanks for teaching me how to meditate and for providing me with a guided meditation record (it helped a lot throughout this decade and especially helpful nowadays). It was interesting to find out why you have decided to come back to a civil life. Wishing you to be well and happy))
Aah, I remember those recordings. Nice to see you still use them!
I'm planning on doing more guided meditations here on my chanel and also have a few courses planned and will open up for more coaching when I have time for it. But first step is to get consistent with producing videos which is both fun and a challenge :)
Nice to hear from you again Said!
With Metta
Thanks for sharing the sotry with your grandmother! She seemed like an awesome Grandma. What I learned from this is that you should spend your time with others as it could end tomorrow. Thanks for opening up.
I am still 17 and still trying to figure out where to go... and what this is all about.
I loved to sit in my chair and just calmly listen to your story. I love this. I am looking forward to more.
Take care
17 is a wonderful age! Enjoy it and don't be afraid to get it wrong the first time around. There is so much to discover if you chose to do a more spiritual path and even more ways to get lost :)
Thank you for the kind comment.
@@MartinKPetterssonNice to meet you. you found the right way .
@@cronaldo5008 Thank you :)
Vipassana meditation method is so beneficial! 😊
May all beings be happy 🙏😊
It sure is :)
Be a monk is based on your personal needs inside you. That is why Buddha two options. there is Buddhist monk and Buddhist available to everyone when their needs in their life. Monk is pure to give up everything to complete the purity and sincerity on achieved enlighten nivana. The Buddhist is to learn way of life and to improving on your life day by day and enjoying that moment similar in nivana.
One most definetely doesn't need to be a monk to practice. In fact some monks do very little practice whereas some of the laypeople I met where more focused on their practice. It's all about what you do with what you have, not what you have.
@@MartinKPettersson your understanding acceptable and I agreed 👍💯
This is the best (and the funniest at times) "introduction" to Buddhism I have seen for some time. Everyone has a story. Please take the time to listen to Martin's story. You'll forget to drink your coffee. I can almost promise you that.
haha, than you so much for this Thomas, made me smile and forget to drink my tea :)
Martin, I LOVED your video!!! You are so frank and honest about yourself and your experiences! By turns moving, enlightening, and amusing - this was a Dharma talk utterly devoid of pretension and false piety, and therefore so invaluable to seekers and strugglers like me! Thank you!
Thank you for that beautiful answer Arista, really made my day!
I am not a religious person yet I've lived in a world full of religion trying to find the parts that are based on things we can experience rather than simply accepting by belief or doctrine. Always nice to hear that there are others out there who enjoy the same things :)
Great story. So heartbroken to hear about your grandmother's death. It reminded me of my mother & her dinner roll recipe she made for her church, although we got to see her make it before she died but the experience is an unforgettable treasure
Thank you. Loosing my grandmother and later my father were some of the most impactfull events of my life. And you're absolutely right. Even if I could make those buns myself now, it wouldn't be the same as coming into her apartment with the scent of newly baked and getting a glass of milk together with the buns. I don't know how many times I sat at here kitchen table and all the konversations we had :,(
Hey, Martin! I discovered you through the comments section on Think Media. I think you have an incredible story and a wealth of value to share. Thank you.
Thank you Stacie! I apreciate hearing that, and even though my channel isn't big I do so enjoy hearing of how sharing my experiences has helped others even though I never met them in person.
As a fellow creator, what would you recommend I focus more on to become better at sharing my story in a way that helps create change in others?
This was really great to listen to and you look great for 45 mate
Thank you, glad you enjoyed it :)
Modern society isn’t about being happy. That state of being is bad for business. Our modern society all about aspiring to be happy making us miserable in the process.
This is unfortunately true :(
Thank you for sharing your journey. There is so much escapism with the idea of becoming a monk and your sharing of experience gives so much perspective. I was wondering if you could please share the intensive tradition/monastery? I am also looking to develop some perspective and have heard of plum villaged and Goenka traditions but not sure what you meant with the 15 hours a day intensive meditation one. Thank you!
Hey there Random,
The tradition I was talking about was the "Mahasi" tradition. It mostly focuses on noting and combine 1h sitting with 1h walking and pretty much do that all day long except for eating, cleaning oneself and sleeping.
And you are correct, alot of people use monasticism as escapism.
If you're new to meditation I recomend going to one of the goenka retreats. Great place to start for some more serious practice even though I dissagre with much of what is said :)
Thank you Martin. May you be free from hostility, danger, mental, physical, and spiritual suffering. May all beings, seen and unseen, in all realms and planes of existence bless you. May all beings feel inner peace and happiness. Satu Satu Satu Amen
To you as well my friend :)
Thank you for sharing your story, Martin. You have a very compelling way of communicating your experience, I felt like I was right alongside you through all the twists and turns!
It's extra intriguing for me as I used to meditate many hours a day in my early 20s and wondered frequently whether joining a monastery might be the right path for me. I had suffered a bad heartbreak and was really searching for meaning. Our rat-race society didn't seem to have an answers beyond the shallow, to just keep chasing the carrot, never being satisfied.
In a way, I suppose I have lived a little bit like a monk for several of the years in my 20s, but I never actually left the world entirely. Somewhere along the way, I reached an inner decision that my path was to practice being at Peace within the chaos of worldly affairs - I felt, and still do, that the most personal growth is available to me through cultivating a stillness of mind in the midst of the hustle and bustle of owning a business, tending relationships, etc.
I sometimes feel very far from my goal and yearn for a more simple and austere way of living, and then realize that I have chosen this as my path and re-dedicate myself to my intention.
Listening to your story provided me with a lot of value, food for thought, and inspiration. Thank you again with sharing your journey freely with us all!
Thank you, this was such a heartwarming comment to wake up to ♥
I feel you and understand so well how you want to be in society but not necessarily of it. One of the reasons I left was because I simply didn't have enough things coming up for me to look at and I wanted more "material" to work with. Daily life gives that in spades :) I know of quite a few people who live "as monks" in society and seem quite happy with it. I think there is a middle way that's different for everyone, where we can live and prosper wherever we are.
If you haven't already I highly recommend you look up the Goenka centers. Going away for one or two 10 day retreats per year is an amazing way to help support your practice of meditating at home.
Keep on keeping on and if you run into problems with your practice just drop a line in one of my videos. If I have time I always tro to give an answer.
With Metta
Thank you so much for sharing. It truly moved me, I am 54 and on my way too.......and I had and I am having similar experiences.......enjoy the ride brother! God bless!
Thank you Markus :)
Good luck with your practice and feel free to ask if you have any practice related questions.
Loved your story bro! You've got a sweet energy, keep it up!
Thank you for your kind comment :)
Yes please do more videos. The perceptive you would provide will be very unique for us practitioners. Having been born Buddhist and being accustomed to the customs and rituals we also went through a similar cycle. Until we also started weekend courses at mahasi local centers. Then followed it up with several day commitments at local Ajhan cha western monasteries. We do have a similar reaction to the one you made on the video. “The mind went poof! This is what i was searching for “
Happy to hear that Sanditthiko :)
I'm almost done with my office and studio so will be making more videos and also start with meditation in the evening to see how that feels.
Will actually try to live stream for the first time in 40min so if it works I'll do a quick 20min sitting and either talk on a subject that's relevant or answer questions.
Idea is to have one meditation on Mondays and one on thursdays, but will have to see how it works and if at all possible :)
WOW……you’ve done a LOT. I’m looking forward to the rest of your videos.
Thank you Jill! I have been away for a while due to a spine injury but will get back to making videos and have much I want to share :)
very nice story, Martin. Hopefully you are already aware of "Cutting Through Spiritual Materialism," by Chogyam Trungpa, but if you're not, there it is.
Thank you for the tip Cindy. I think I looked through it some years ago :)
Thank you for sharing your story. Quite a journey.
Thank you, I apreciate that :)
Fascinating story. Thanks!
Thank you!
Thank you for sharing your journey. So honest and real. Touching.
Thank you :)
Thanks for sharing your journey to be a monk. ❤
In western world they mainly focus on meditation, but meditation is only one part of the Eightfold Path. which is a component of the 4 Noble Truths The goal of Buddhism is not only meditation but to 'know by soul' the truth of nature, that everything is impermanent, suffering, and nonself. I myself want to be a monk but i am unable to do so due to family and economic burdens. Today, I practice meditation, do right mindfulness, and do both samatha meditation and vipassana meditation.
Practicing Dhamma is very beneficial and at least it can transform me from one who is easily irritated into me who views the world in a more neutral way. I feel my mind 90% much calmer than before. 😊
Good point, there is more to practice than just meditating.
It sounds like whatever you're doing it's working for you and then you should definetely keep on doing it :)
Good luck with your practice!
You are a great story teller! Enjoyed hearing it!!
Thank you :)
I like your explanation
So crystal clear
N when u teared abt your grandma died
With the baking thing
The memories
That is the Real Thing ! You really get it!
And you talk about the Present
Did you follow Eckhart Tolle?
That’s exactly what he said
Live in the Present, there is only As It , not the past, not the future!
I am so glad you explained finding Yourself that I can relate to!
Tq Martin!🙏
Sorry for the late reply,
My grandmother dying was part of that big change of direction in my life and I always thank her for that, just as my father dying was a big part of us getting our two wonderful children when we did.
I did read Echart Tolle a long time ago. He has a similar aproach but at the same quite different since our view of what the present means is different in that I don't consider it something we do with our mind, but rather an actual resistance to being just here which makes us feel time as smeared out. If you look at the last group meditation I held last thursday I talked quite a bit about this during the questions and answers after the sitting. Could've been before aswell since I remember one viewer asking something before.
Happy to have you here and wish you all the best with your practice.
@@MartinKPettersson Thank you again Martin 🙏
So glad this video came up in my recommendations 🙏
Thank you :)
รู้วันเกิด ไม่รู้วันตาย สิ่งที่แน่นอนคือสิ่ไม่แน่นอน
I don’t understand or know why this video popped on my feed. Its been 3 months suddenly I have became spiritual and nothing intrests me anymore.. I am just 20 years old from India who just finished undergraduation. Even I thought of living with monks and becoming one for few months .I have been looking for places which could help me with this thing going on my mind.. I feel like its I am you when you are 16 17 . The journey of yours feels like mine.. I don’t know what to do now .but I would really want to try the vipassana centre .. hope you could help me out.
I feel you my friend!
I'll share my reflections and thoughts that came when I read your message.
First of all, you not having any interest in the world or anything at all is a hard place to be and also where many start their journey. My main recomendation here is not to get too caught up in the ideas or religions that you'll come across but instead focus on how you are feeling as the main point. I'd highly recommend you watch my latest video that I posted yesterday, it ties into this subject well.
Secondly, it's not commonly talked about in spiritual circles but the difference between mental illness and a spiritual seeker is sometimes very thin. I'd highly recommend you find someone to talk to if you have the ability to do this. Being where you are now can rather quickly spiral into a deep depression and it's important to look at what is happening to you and some times it can simply be that you have been forced into a situation where you feel trapped, not comfortable or where you are going against some of your core values and beliefs.
As far as finding a meditation center you are in luck since you are in India ( I assume since you mentioned you were from India ). I don't think I can post links in the comments here, but if you google "Goenka Vipassana India" you should find their webpage and hopefully there's a center near you.
There's also lots of resources here online and if you enjoyed this video then feel free to watch the others that I have since I cover a wide range of topics and they're all done from my perspective. Especially the later ones.
I wish you all the best in your journey, and feel free to write back with how things are going for you.
With metta
//Martin
It's so insightful hearing your journey, especially the big about your career in sales and always wanting to hit the next goal and 'then you'll be happy'. I've literally just left my career in sales so that bit HITS HARD! It's so hard when you're wrapped up in that world to see perspective on what's really important, you truly feel like anytime you're not working is a waste because you're missing out on... money. I'm so sorry to hear about your Grandmother too, what a touching story and I know you'll be making her proud sharing her legacy with the buns ❤
And haha i was laughing so hard at 16:22 what are the chances?! 🤣 The meditation retreats sound amazing, I've never been able to quite get my mind there, but like you said it must be so enlightening. Buddhism and eastern religions have always fascinated me so much. I'm going down more of a route discussing these things on my channel now too but I feel like I still have so much to learn about them, and about spirituality and mindsets in general so I'm SO glad I came across your channel. Keep up the fantastic work!!
Thank you so much for your comment :)
Yes sales is a world of it's own and it's easy to get swept up in it. I did enjoy it while I was active and I think I never saw it as sales, I saw it as understanding and listening to interesting people. The sale would just come by itself most of the time.
I wish I had the recepie for the buns but I still haven't been able to find it from any of our relatives :(
@@MartinKPettersson Thanks so much for your reply. You definitely seem like a personable person so I'm sure that reflected in your relationships with your customers :) And that's such a shame i'm so sorry to hear!
It's troubling to see someone who lived in Burma to study Buddha’s teachings, specifically the Mahasi Sayadaw technique, yet can’t even say their teacher’s name correctly. Burma is a very poor country, but their meditation centers offer teachings for free without asking for any labor and fees in return, unlike many other centers. It feels like some Westerners may not fully appreciate the generosity of Asians, which I find both unsettling and sad.
Also, I couldn't agree with you more about it being important to bring it into every day life :) it's a whole other ballgame
After coming back and now living together with my fiance and our two children I have a very different view in practice than when I was a Buddhist monk.
@@MartinKPettersson yes I can imagine. How, in contrast, how do you view the more Buddhist concept of a “worldly” life.... I know a lot of my Buddhist community are not so focused on children and marriage etc and everything that comes with that. I would be interested to hear your thoughts.... I know often times it feels like a distraction to a lot of practitioners/monks and nuns
I have just realised I am so fed up with this Western world. Is there somewhere I can go permanently to live and breathe Buddhism?
Absolutely.
There are numerous centers in Asia that you can go to. One center I highly recommend that exists in Europe, Asia, and the US is "The Plum Village" tradition from Thich Nhat Han. They have centers where you can ordain for 5 years (used to be at least not sure now), and you can also go live as a layperson for a year at a reduced rate and help out.
Hope this helps :)
not quite finished your video yet, But from spending alot of time with monks and nuns i agree, it;s all so many books, texts, jobs, etc etc, it's not actually veery focused at all on what really matters which is the pure meditations!!!!!
Yes, since many worship the Buddha they believe his teachings are the most important. Rather than seeing that experiencing what he did is what's important. And you do that through meditation and looking inside.
thanks so much for sharing this!!! and also the rest of your inspirational video's!!
You're welcome Danielle :)
a lot of well-rounded spirituality called the mind a “false spirit”. If you think about it, and view disease as a manifestation of spiritual imbalances, most people die from heart and lung problems, not brain problems. The brain overrides the heart and constantly minimizes it, creating serious blockages. The brain thinks it’s too smart for the heart and over the course of decades, the heart breaks down. When people think they are too smart for love, they die. Not everything is in the mind, it’s not always mind over matter. I know this from experience. I did a liver and kidney cleanse and got rid of stones. Literally half my negative thoughts went away afterward. It wasn’t my mind, it was toxins in my body leached into my mind. The buddhist cultures over-emphasize the mind, when the challenge of being human is balancing the mind with the heart. Some monks drink blue lotus tea, a mild psychedelic, yet insist it’s all mind over matter? That is a lie. People aren’t supposed to get rid of emotion and ignoring the heart as a general way of living. The challenge is to balance the left and right hemispheres of your brain and (even harder) synchronize your mind with your heart. I haven’t figured out how to do this, especially with a broken heart but I know that a culture that wants the mind to override everything including the heart, is a culture headed towards destruction and amplified states of hell.
That's similar to what Louis Hay says and what she tries to break down with affirmations which she was imho the person who made it popular in the west.
I personally don't think of it that way. For me thoughts are highly overemphasised in most traditions and it's not the thoughts that are the problem but the feeling of distortion or resistance that those thoughts create in us that is the problem.
If you're interested I talk about this extensively in my other videos, especially the later ones.
Wish you all the best with your practice.
The bhramins must be envious
i respect you brother
THank you Kamal!
Buddism is not religion. Is way of life teaching! 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
I believe it began that way once upon a time, but depending on what country you visit it I unfortunately practiced like any other religion.
Thank you for your reply🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
Thank you for sharing your experiences and insights!
You're welcome, and thank for the kind comment :)
Namo Buddhaya.
Sadhu sadhu :)
Omggg awww I love you ❤ thank you so much for your kindness, loved and open mind to learn about my religion and I love ur story and very easy to understand! One last thing I hope u really enjoyed and have a lot of fun in my beautiful Thailand ❤❤🤪
Thank you :)
Yes I did pass by Thailand a few times, next time I'd like to go see more of the countryside.
Teach me economy so I can have the freedom to travel like you! 🙏🏽
I love this comment! :)
The thing is, when you become a monk you don't need to pay anything. But it's generally not a life filled with travels. Even though it can be.
I’ve been looking into it more and more and I’m really interested in committing some time to travel and be in that environment. Can you share some resources?
@@frankiehands2982 absolutely, tell me what you're after more specifically. Both in terms of, do you want to do lots of sitting meditation, more mindfulness or maybe even Buddhism as a religion?
And also what do you hope to gain from it? Meditation knowledge, some kind of insight or just better living in daily life?
Also how long do you want to be away?
@@MartinKPettersson I want to be as open as you were in the video but that’ll be way too much to type. Short story is I want to go away for maybe a year (longer or shorter) to get away from this city environment. I want to explore Buddhism as a whole. I was raised Christian but I’m on my own path of spirituality. Im a barber and a lot of my friends, family, and clients confide in me. It seems like I have been put on a certain path in life and I want to be the best version of me for myself and them. I don’t sit and meditate as often as I once did but throughout the day I try my best to practice mindfulness. Btw thank you for responding!
Thank you for sharing your story
You're very welcome :)
Follow The Path Of Sanatan Dharma. Practice Complete BrahmaCharya,Naam Jap Of Isht Bhagwan Ji (Chant The Name Of The God), Meditation, Sattwik Food (do not eat non-vegetarian food), Pranayama.
And Never differentiate Between Narayan Ji And Shiv Ji Like most isckon people do Both Are One And The Same Parmatma
सीताराम❤️🙏
Maybe :)
You may already know this channel, but in case you don't, I think this would be so helpful for you since you're trying to understand Buddhism.
www.youtube.com/@BuddhismInEnglish
Thank you for the link Dinada. I've seen his channel before and he does some interesting videos on Buddhism for sure :)
🙏@@MartinKPettersson
This kind of sounds like The Alchemist to me. :p
That's a great book! I remember reading it when I visited Egypt which was the perfect atmosphere for it :)
Very nice video. I done something similar where I spent 5 days at a Trappist monastery. But watching your video, I have to say a very nice work. Thank you for sharing.
Cool, it's always an experience living with people who dedicate themselvs to something other than what most people do.
I seem to be following a similar path. I'm in Sri Lanka right now, and somehow got to live with the monks in their monastery. I'm not religious, but align with the goal of dropping attachments, understanding life and living in peace. Along with, that money has no meaning beyond surviving which sometimes is challenging.
I love responding to questions from visitors most days and giving them perspectives that they may not have considered when dealing with their own stuff. My methods do not need meditation but rather mindful observation of the thoughts that arise. I question these relentlessly as most thoughts/feelings/beliefs aren't mine.
I've questioned the Buddhist ways a lot and find the finality of some of their thinking disappointing. There doesn't seem to be any other possibilities than what's in the discourses.
So, after 8 weeks here I'm now looking for where I can go next. As someone who likes to help and designed to respond and not initiate (Human Design - 6/2 Generator) I will eventually be some sort of coach/teacher/guide/whatever and look forward to the day when I can do that on a larger scale.
Thanks for the video, I'm glad to see that I'm not the only one.
Happy to hear you're finding your way. It's easy to forget that Buddhism is a religion and practiced as such in most countries. Therefore there isn't much flexibility outside of what the old texts says, even when you're a monastics the same rules apply, if not more so.
I personally don't find our thoughts to be the most important, but rather how we distort towards the thoughts. I also try to limit as many ideas and interpretations as possible and focus on the distortion as I call it which is what causes what we then call suffering.
Wish you all the best with your practice!
I will become a monk in 4 years.
Thank you so much for sharing.
You're welcome Jun, thank you for commenting :)
Enjoying your story
Thank you :)
People are programmed robot slaves of the system thinking happyness starts with extern factors like status, money, material things that means nothing and its relativ and an illusion create by society.....out of emptyness buy stuff to create an illusion.
If your happyness depend on extern factors you will never be because extern factors are endless.
Happyness starts inside you no matter what.
The more people around you, the more expectations, talk about others, lying, frustrations, negativity, jealousy, double standards, violent, sneakyness, own benefits, hate, comparing, judge etc.....reflection of their empty broken souls.
Alone or in solitude you have more strength, peace, power, happyness, freedom and time.
Be the light in your life
My grandfather to was my ground one💜💥
Grandparents are a gift, I wish I had mine left
Thank you.
You're welcome Sandra :)
World is sorrow. Out get out of this. Many people distrrubing me. What should I do.
From your comment I get the sense that life is tough and you're feeling overwhelmed and sad right now. If that is true then geting a break (if possible) to give yourself time to breathe can help. Focusing on very simple things like enjoying doing the dishes or enjoying a walk or watching a nice movie are all good things to do while overwhelemed. It's absolutely ok to distract yourself so you can get back on your feet, just make sure it's not something destructive.
Wish you all the best!
Thanks for the vidoe!
I have a question
How long did it take you to attain first jhana? Some people say 1 needs 3 months others say one needs 6 to 9 months?
How long did it take for you personally to attain jhana?
I don't remember specifically. I remember when I got first path and very soon after that I remember playing around with Jhanas when sitting in my Kutti at a Goenka retreat in Sri Lanka.
It's worth noting that there are basically two ways of which people talk about this. One is that it's an altered state of conciousness that one can still experience the world and act in it. There are scriptures that point quite clearly to this. But there are others who say that it is something completely separate from how we experience this world. What I'm talking to is the now generally accepted view of the first one and also was how my teachers within the Mahasi sayadaw tradition described it.
The second description where one dissapears is something I've experienced but I'm honestly not sure what to call this except that it's one of the craziest experiences I ever had while meditating.
In most tradtitions it's also considered something you don't share with other people but I dissagre with this and think it makes more harm when you think you're special and have xperienced something special so you can't talk about it out of fear of boosting the self. This I could go on for a long time and talk about and probably will in a future video :)
Good luck with your practice, and feel free to ask if you have any practice related questions.
thank you for this beautiful insightful story. i can totally see how you became a great salesman with such a storytelling skill.
just out of curiosity - how long did the period of staying at monasteries for maximum 3 months lasted? and how many (more or less) monasteries did you visit in that time?
Thank you for those kind words!
I lived that way for the entierty of my monastisism except for a few months early on and then sometimes during summers when I'd go and visit my family in Sweden. Usually anywhere from 1-3months meditating, then a few days pause at a temple or at the house of my relatives who lived close to the beach in Sri Lanka.
As for how many monasteries I visited I honestly cannot say. I did find my favourite ones that I kept coming back to but I also tried to always try a few new ones every year.
Great story
Thank you Jared :)
People are quick to blame "the west" about materialis culture like that, but Asian culture is not really much different. Actually, my impression when I traveled Asia and from stories that people from Asia told me (e.g., my Indian GF), is actually that the average Asian is more materialist and focused on money and social standing than e.g. the average European.
Of course, spiritual traditions that oppose that money-centered way of thinking such as Buddhism and Daoism emerged in Asia as well but the west also has similar traditions, e.g. Christianity (not originally from "the West" but very influential there), at it's roots opposes materialism and promotes a humble and simply way of life. A Christian monk has a very similar lifestyle as a Buddhist monk, the only differences are the religion and the fact that Christian monks are much less romaticised than Buddhist monks in western culture. Christian meditation is a thing too. Many ancient Greek philosophies such as cynicism and epicureanism also dismiss the idea of luxury and wealth and instead focus on the simple pleasures of life. The ancient Stoics had many parallels with Daoists, e.g., accepting the fleeting and unpredictable flow of nature, not forcing things and not worrying about things you can't control. Philosophers like Spinoza recognised that the universe is a complex web of interconnectedness with all of us being parts of it. Western and eastern philosophies are different sides of the same coin!
Truth is, materialism and those who reject it exists in every culture. You don't have to travel somewhere else to become more focused on your own happiness and connectedness with nature/the universe instead of money and having a "successful" career.
Great points! Thank you for sharing your thoughts. You're absolutely right that many Asian cultures have become more materialistic and moved away from the values that were ingrained in their culture before. It's also equally true that the same values exists in other parts of the world, very likely because it makes sense on a fundamental level.
You took FROM Buddhism but what did you give back?
Namo buddhaya
Hey Martin, great video and thanks for sharing your story. If it's not too personal a subject, I'd be very interested to hear at some point more about the challenges, rewards and surprises of returning to lay life after so many years, and relatedly whether and how you've carried some of the Buddhist ethics/precepts into daily life. The place of sensuality (like music and other entertainment) in my daily life, for example, is something I'm still negotiating as a meditator, so I'm curious to hear about your own experience.
This is a very interesting and well thought out question.
I have thought about this and have quite a few ideas for videos on the subject. I'm currently getting some help with understanding youtube and making my channel more Me for a lack of better word.
I have so many topics I'd like to bring up and discuss and the benefits and also things that are detrimental to happiness for daily life are high on my list.
If you are meditating as a lay person in daily life and doing less than say 5h per day I wouldn't even worry about music. Use it as a tool and simply observe what comes up, emotions, pushing and pulling anxiety and maybe even guilt?
Use the middle way as a guide point and listen to it when you feel like it but don't drown your thoughts every waking hour with music or youtube videos no matter how skillful they are.
The goal is to be happy and peaceful and music can help with both of those.
Good luck with yuur practice and don't hesitate to ask if something comes up you need help with. I always try to answer when I have the time to
@@MartinKPettersson Thank you Martin for your kind response. I meditate for ~2 hours a day (according to the Goenka tradition). Interestingly I have come up against feelings of guilt at enjoying things (like music) I used to take such unconditional pleasure in. I think I can speak for many lay meditators who have no problem accepting the 5 lay precepts but can hardly imagine taking on the 8 yogi precepts (let alone 227!), and who become troubled when they run up against the obvious conclusion that renunciation of wordly pleasure is central to the Dhamma (and then feel guilty about relishing pleasure). Of course, things get complicated when you take into account all the different prominent views out there, even within the traditional Buddhist world-- Pema Chödrön, for example, seems not to be so down on art and music, while I've come across a lot of austere, hardcore Theravadans who insist no sense pleasure, including most art, should have a place even in lay life.
In my opinion, finding one's personal path to greater happiness--deciding whether they want or are even capable of such renunciation, including celibacy--is a subject I estimate as worthy of a video or two, especially since you have experienced both worlds (monastic and lay)! I imagine many lay meditators probably go through at least one period of severe doubt as to how far they want to go on the noble eightfold path, and hence how they should conduct themselves in daily life.
@@DoomrodKilgard Completely missed this reply. For some reason youtube doesn't always show me replies to a comment that I've made.
Yes there is so much diversity in how one is supposed to practice. I have my own system that I've designed and I am more and more sharing that here on my channel since I no longer have to stay within the bounds of my tradition as I did while I was a monk.
As long as you are making progress (defining progress is not as easy as it seem always) then you're doing it right :)
Do the monasteries take care of the monk's daily necessities like foods and water? Since they can't do jobs
It depends a bit on the center you're at. If it's purely a meditation center then you sometimes don't even take your dishes away. But yes food and water is supplied and most places they do the cooking for you or rather they come with alms to the center. In plumvillage we had cookingteams and I sometimes cooked for +500 people with the team I was in.
Would you recommend vipassina meditation to someone who's not done much meditation before? It's on my bucket list to do but the longest I meditate for is around 5/10 minutes, even then it's very rare that I do it even though I know I'm going to feel better afterwards. Great video by the way, thank you for sharing ❤🙏
Absolutely. If you're talking about the Goenka 10 day Vipassana retreats I wholeheartedly recomend them to everyone who wants to try a more serious meditation retreat. I personally don't like his particular meditation style and aproach to the Dharma, but I love what the accessability and high standards they've created with their centers.
Wish you all the best with your practice, and feel free to ask if you have any further questions.
@@MartinKPettersson thank you 🙂🙏
TQ for sharing
You're very welcome, thank you!
Very inspiring story and admire your courage and curiosity to find your selfand wish you a good luck..just check Most Venerable Mahanuwara Wajira Buddhi Thero. His sermons will certainly help you..He is one of the living maha arahants (enlightened one) in Sri Lanka.
Thank you for the kind comment :)
I'l look him up, is he here on youtube?
@@MartinKPettersson Yes he is living noble one who attained Nirvana. Very few but important sermons have been translated to English. There is a sermon named as "Lokaya" ( the world) which gives a perfect explanation of the reality we perceive....
Great story Martin. Thank you for sharing a piece of you. I'm sorry for the loss of your grandmother - I can tell she is a sweet soul.
Did not know you were a salesperson, respect to that. Sales is an excellent life skill one can acquire.
I have a question: Do you think there is a diminishing return when it comes to meditation? Or does the benefits stack linearly? For e.g: If I meditate for 30 mins a day, I get 50% of the benefits upfront?
Appreciate your wisdom, Martin.
Thank you Mat!
Yes, she was a special person and I agree taht sale is something everyone should learn. For me it's about understanding people so it's more like psychology and not that sleezy way that some unfortunately act in.
That last one is a good question. I would not say that the benefits are linear, nor is there really a diminishing return. It's kinda like plateaus depending on what you want from it. To reset and become calm 10 min can work. 45min-1h is the general amount of time most people who do insight meditation sit. I no longer use a timer I simply sit till the sitting is done and that can be 20min - an hour and a half but rarely longer than that since there's too much pain in the legs and your energy wanes. Usually better to get up and do some walking meditation inbetween.
In the future I'll be doing interviews with some of my friends who practice to help show people different traditions. All from monks to people who practice alone at home. I've also thought about interviewing someone like you who are doing it by yourself at home through guided meditations. I think there's alot of people who would be interested in hearing about how you found those 30 days (when you're done) and I think many could learn from you and be inspired. Think about it and we can see. We could do it via skype, zoom or something similar. No preassure but I wanted to put it out there.
Sounds good to me, Martin ;) Thank you for sharing all the tips so far 🙏🏻
You mentioned attending a Goenka retreat, which I also attended earlier this year and thoroughly enjoyed. However, I can't shake the feeling that it had some cult-like aspects, particularly with the long, never-ending chantings, which somewhat detracted from the overall experience. What were your thoughts on the retreat?
Yes, I agree with that. The chanting isn't really an issue for me since it's a Buddhist thing even though mr. Goenka does it in a way particular to himself. If you look through the comments on this video you'll see that I made one long response about Goenka comparing it to the McD of Meditation which some people where offended by even though it does work similar to a McD in the form of Franchise.
I went to atleast 25 retreats in the Goenka tradition but I think it was only the first two or three that I actually followed what they were talking about. The rest of the time I did my own thing and enjoyed the excellent practicing environment :)
Good luck with your practice and if you have more questions feel free to join one of the live streamed meditations I hold every week. There's a Q&A after where I go into more details on peoples questions.
@@MartinKPettersson It seems very unfair to compare Vipassana Centres of the S.N. Goenka school to McDonald's. Vipasaana centres provide you with something beneficial and they do it for free. So why would you compare it to McDonalds which gives you bad food to consume and make you pay for that? It seems rather a rude thing to say
I am a Christian...however i believe the almighty God accepts all who in their personal heart seek to live a life in love and peace. So unacceptable. I continue to struggle with my purpose at 69. And i crave to find my final purpose. Ive had to "let go" of many and i struggle with my own demons. But. I BELIEVE GOD HAS A FINAL PURPOSE FOR ME despite my failures and weaknesses weaknesses
The main thing I gained from being away and practicing all those years is that I don't need to find my purpose to enjoy being here, enjoy being alive.
I wish you all the best on your journey and hope you find what you're looking for.
Hey Martin, please any recomendations where and how could I get on this journey and become a monk? Thank you
That depends :)
Any particular tradition you are drawn towards and also what country would you like to ordain in?
I am aware this comment will very likely be received as overly critical, but I hope you try and sit with it. What do the rest of us, that were not totally lost in narcissistic capitalism and materialism, do to find greater peace? If the task isn’t to develop enough insight to no longer be radically selfish, many of us are there already. What’s the next step?
@@CMch22 would you elaborate a bit in your question. The answer depends on what you want to do.
Do you want to become a better Buddhist or similar follower or are you experiencing some kind of suffering that you want to overcome or maybe something else?
@@MartinKPettersson I’ll do my best. I have found this narrative you describe in your own life the dominant one in the modern pathway to meditation-based spirituality. It seems that for some, this expansion beyond self-absorption is very profound yet most of us in the world weren’t born into nor cultivated enough privilege to develop the problem that your spiritual path helped resolve. My question would then be, for the rest of us who don’t need to fall off our golden throne, what insights can support our journey toward abiding inner peace?
@@CMch22 I wrote a reply yesterday, but unfortunately, it was accidentally deleted when I finished.
The gist of it is that there's no difference. You still do the same practice but skip the part about letting go of things and instead focus on your resistance to having things.
I brought this up in my evening meditation yesterday, so if you go to my channel and watch the live section, you'll see the video. It was before the actual meditation, and I discussed how it's not about what we have or don't have on the outside. Instead, it's how you push or pull (craving and aversion) towards those things.
I hope this helps you with your practice.
🙏
Coming from Norway and are very anti-religius, Buddhism suits me very for personal mental growdt. To improve yourself mindfullnes, be more diciplined, understand your sourrandings, meditation (yogi) and i will get some mala beads to help with my mindfullness in diffrent times. Im in early stage to understand this, been following Sadhguru, Master Sheng Yen, Buddhism channel and Shi Heng Yi (if can be related to this). We have a monastry near me its like 1 hour to drive, and they have meditations days once a mth. I have orders some books to get a better understanding, : The Art of Shaolin Kung Fu, Mindfulness in Plain English, The Buddha and His Teachings, The Dhammapada: The Buddha's Path of Wisdom.
That's great! A reflection on what you wrote since it's how many (myself included) tend to approach this. We go at it trying to understand something and value knowledge when in fact it's experience that should be sought and valued. You might be helped by having some knowledge when you start out, but after that experience trumps everything else.
Good luck with your practice and feel free to ask if you have any quesitons.
@@MartinKPettersson Thanks, finding it little challanging to adopt to this new way of thinking in my 35 ish, in this later stage of the life. I have been doing some Samantha meditation starting with 5 mins a day, i will need longer time. Since in not enough time to get mind and body relaxed.
I agree i that learning of experience is better than in theory.
How to transision/adopt to this way of thinking at this stage of my life?
Thankyou
Hey I loved your video and Iam curious how do you balance everything out on a daily basis,how does your 24 hours look?
Thank you :)
When you say balance, do you mean what my daily life was like in different centers, or what my life is like now as a lay person?
@@MartinKPettersson now as a lay person
in the first 2 mins did he not sound like a intel
What is an intel? Do you mean Intel, as in the CPU maker?
hi Martin, thanks for this video:) It is really inspiring as I'm considering going to go to Nepal and sit a 60 day Mahasi retreat and possibly ordain in the future as well.
How did you travel in between back and forth between Asia and Europe and monastries / centres? Where you carrying money at the time of being a monk?
All the best:)
Hi,
The first period of my monastic life I didn't carry money but I felt that just created more issues than it actually helped. So eventually I carried enough money with me so that I could travel and also had an account with money people donated to me so that I could use that for plane tickets etc.
Have you done any retreats before? 60 days of Mahasi is not the best to start with :)
I'd usually do periods of 90 days and then a break and I felt that time worked well. But I wouldn't have been able to do that right as I started.
thank you for your clear answer. Yes I can imagine that is more practical. I have sat 3 x 10 day retreat with Goenka and next month I can do a 10 day retreat in Mahasi tradition, before travelling to Asia
given this background information including; i've meditated at least 2 hours a day for over a year and served for 2 months at a center earlier. Would you recommend me to go for the 60 day? Or take smaller steps in terms of retreat duration?
@@999thomas999 There's so much in Buddhism that has become tradition and dogma rather than helping you with your practice. I know of more monks who had a stronger sense of self because they lived without money than I know of monks who had problems because they used money. Both still existed though ofc.
If you've sat a few Goenka retreats you know what to expect and I'm sure you'll be fine. It's just more of the same and also many Mahasi traditions are stricter. If you look at my video called a deepdive into meditation I think you'll find that one interesting since I discuss my progress through different techniques more. I've since changed my aproach to practice alot and have my own way of viewing things which is what I'm trying to share more of on this channel. Still learning and understanding how youtube works but I'll slowly be putting more videos out to share that view which I belive would be more benificial than rehashing what others have already said.
I wish you luck on your trip and feel free to write a comment about how things are going for you :)
@@999thomas999 was typing while you answered :)
Answered earlier, but yes just go for it. Goenka is an highly narrow minded tradition and it's good to widen your view and see that there is so much more than what Mr. Goenka offers. They are however the McD of meditation and I know of no better and more easily accesible centers for intense meditation so I always highly recoomend them to people.
Mahasi is a fun tradition and my experience is that their techniques are better for ataining first path and jhanas. Neither of which are really that important any ways but it does help.
How come you stopped being a monk?
Sorry I've missed these comments lately :)
I felt that I had gotten what I wanted from my monasticism and I wanted to apply it in daily life. I was also tired of the religious part of Buddhism that kept gettin in the way of just practicing.
You have tasted the Theravada tradition, you should learn the dharma of the Tibetan tradition under FPMT or Sravasti Abbey, UK. Not necessary to be a monk but be a noble being to benefit all sentient beings, as dependent originated existence is suffering, impermanence and no self.
You are in love with meditation, not into the Mind Only dharma of free inquiry taught by the Tathagata Buddha.
You move around in samsara, looking for something but your mind is not calm, to have an insight into the nature of reality.
Thanks for sharing
We love U all
B good tu ourselves
🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏
Addiction in any form even meditation is not good and not healthy
I agree, if you have something that makes you feel bad or withdrawal while not doing it there's something to look at there.
How to live alone and get rid of women?
Did you mean that as a question, or as a statement of what the video was about?
@@MartinKPettersson my question personally.
A Buddhist Monk who played Jesus Christ... :)
Haha, yes it's a bit ironic. When I left, a friend of mine who writes music actually wrote a german "kraftwerk" style song about it which was hillarious!
It sounds like you're still in Maya, remember you can't bring all the money and material wealth you've accumulated with you, this is not the way to reach divine love for God and for all the living things and humanity overall.
It sounds like you only watched the first 5 minutes :)
Hello.
Do you want more?
Do you still have the desire to be a meditator?
Does that desire to be magic still exist in you, to be a mystic, a wizard.
I have more. lol. Let me know.
so you fell in love purposely just to go away knowing all along, did that person know too? love your story but why are people like this?
I had to listen back to the video because I don't remember exactly what I said and I was a bit surprised by your comment.
There's alot more to that story than what I mentioned here in those 5s. I was burned pretty bad in my first serious relationship. After that I had a hard time opening up. But as I was prepared to leave and go away to become a buddhist monk for an indefinete amount of time those walls aren't there. So maybe saying there is no commitment made it sound like something other than I meant. What I meant was that there was little danger, little fear of being hurt since we both knew I would be leaving and we even had the date for it. She was of course as well aware of it and it was not something I kept secret.
But if you want to I guess you could interpret and see this as a negative, it's up to you. I'm greatful for the time I had with that girl and I think she is aswell.
self promotion no thanks
Feeling an emotional eternal present magnetic moment of pure eternal absolute love with ur Heart and Soul Spirit essence to experience being One with all Creation spheres we are gifting Love in service to all living Light Spirit cellular water worlds membranes experiencing what we are to know the absolute TRUTH as a free Spirit creative intelligence imagination expression
Our free expression not held captive by others,but free from all controller arking types
Are you a Hindu monk or bhuddist monk cuz Buddha sure was a Hindu monk
I disrobed 9 years ago so I'm no longer a monk.
The word hindu didn't existed that time.
And bhramans had no business with him.
DUDE , you FAIL to mention the REASON “ I only stay 3 MONTHS “ is because you have sufficient personal MONEY that ALLOWED you to travel from monastery to monastery…you had NO personal conviction , commitment to your SANGA . You REVEL that as Elite “I ca. meditate 8 hours , other minks no time , maybe 1 hours per day. You became an ELITIST pursuing your own goal of meditation , now you monetize it . Not right vuew WRONG VIEW
@@stevenbelzer9768 that's an interesting perspective, thank you for sharing.
I find it interesting that you mentioned that you were once an atheist, and your journey to finding out your purpose (even understanding your mind and how it works) led you to becoming a monk. However, in your earliest years, you were a part of Jesus Christ Superstar. Not one single atheist believes or wants association with the God of the holy bible or Christians at all. You've also mentioned you have tried everything, but nothing worked. Today, I have three words for you: Jesus loves you. ❤
Jesus is God, throughout the Old Testament to the New Testament. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. With God NOTHING is impossible. Ask Him through prayer (not what monks do, whatever that looks like) to reveal Himself, and through His Holy Spirit what is the real truth.
Just my short testimony of the Great and Living God: growing up going to church, I knew God existed. I just didn't know who Jesus was, His purpose, or anything about having a relationship with Him. Soon, as my parents came into agreement with not forcing us to go to church anymore, that is when my life begun to wreck heavy havoc - slowly but surely, evident. Before that time frame, I lived a rebellious life of sin, causing deep mental pain and misery, wondering why no one truly cared about me and my life, why I never mattered at all. As my years pass by and my life begun to fall apart, God met me right in the middle of me making a vile decision while the peak of the pandemic happened - He used other believers in the body of Christ to speak to me, to tell me how much He truly loved me. And I love Him for that. 1 full year in my faith and I'm not turning back.
You said you've tried everything. But please try Jesus. He loves you and He's waiting for you. He yearns for you to be reconciled back to Him, forever.
Jesus is King. He is the way, truth, and life everlasting. He IS THE ONLY WAY to eternal salvation to the Father (John 14:6).
What is the gospel?
Well, we are all sinners who have fallen short of the glory of God. For the wages of sin is death, our souls would be casted into hell for eternity. Sin cannot dwell with God, for He is holy and just. But there is good news: Jesus came and paid the ultimate sacrifice for our sins by His crucifixion- something that He didn't deserve, but out of His merciful love and grace, He took it upon Himself and bore our punishment, so we can be saved and reconciled back to the Heavenly Father 💕. We did nothing, and can't do anything to save ourselves. Our only requirement is to put all of our faith and trust into Jesus Christ alone. Jesus died on the cross, was buried, and rose on the third day, defeating sin and death, so those who believe will be saved (John 3:16 - 18). That is how much He loves us and more. Repent and give your life to Jesus. Because He loves you. You are cared for and thought of by Him.
God bless you.
Buddhism based mindfull practise is better now.Most other religions is outdated for its purpose now
Thank you for your kind words and for caring ♥
@@amalksuresh286 You are dangerously confused. Apart from Christ, you will end up in Hell, next to your Gautama.
Buddhist Monk Hell and Heaven Testimony
ruclips.net/video/cDbGbzu7a2w/видео.html
@@MartinKPettersson You're completely ignoring what Emi posted.
Buddhist Monk Hell and Heaven Testimony
ruclips.net/video/cDbGbzu7a2w/видео.html
It is quite strange I find Christians don't listen they just pour on there beliefs like gas on everything.
It just sounds like brainwashing or kind of forced conversion..it just makes me feel uncomfortable and dead mam cannot rise from the dead its impossible and sounds like the story telling of a believer rather than reality
😅 it's always the girls fault.. no it was you😂
Haha, so true!
Ego big