Sunday, July 19, 2026

How did Buddhism help me initially?

Though I was raised a mystical Christian I found Christianity especially in the Protestant Version of Christianity very racist growing up in the 1950s. I wanted no part of this racism. I want and wanted all races to be equal in what they could accomplish in life.

So, in my 20s I became interested in Tibetan Buddhism because the Compassion of Buddhism interested me. Also, when I went to the Kalachakra Initiation with the Dalai Lama and about 500,000 other people in Bodhgaya India I saw how devoted Tibetan Buddhists there were on a whole different level than what I experienced from Christians in the U.S. which is a more materialistic way of viewing religion. So, i was impressed with their kindness to each other and to me and my family there in Bodhgaya. I found this also in Dharamshala, India where the Dalai Lama lives too.

So, initially I got interested in Tibetan Buddhism to go beyond racism that I saw rampant in Protestant Christianity especially in the 1950s growing up. Then the idea of Compassion for all beings in the past, present and future of the entire universe I was attracted to too.

Then I realized that Guatama Buddha who lived over 2500 years ago now even before Jesus was a Soul traveler like me and traveler to worlds with Billions of people living there on those worlds so I felt right at home with another fellow soul traveler too.

The kindness and helpfulness I found in Tibetan Buddhism changed my life a lot especially during the 1980s and 1990s in my life.

At this point I consider myself to be a Mystical Christian Tibetan Buddhist.

Christians do not consider Buddhism to be a religion but instead a philosophy so there really is no conflict between Buddhism and Christianity in this sense.

So, many priests and ministers of many Christian Denominations around the world are also Buddhists.

About 25% of all Buddhists believe in God like I do also.

Why do I believe in God?

Because without God I wouldn't have survived to 10 or 15 years old at all.

So, my life has always been God Centered and kindness centered and compassion towards all beings in the universe centered along the way.

I'm also very grateful that I never had to kill anyone in this lifetime too.

By God's Grace

Why are Mantras used in many religions

There are many prayers that could be considered Mantras even in Christianity. For example, my mother's childhood prayer in the 1920s was:

Now I lay me down to sleep

I pray the Lord my soul to keep

If I should die before I wake

I pray the Lord my Soul to take.

This prayer was given by many many children especially in the 1920s. However, since children died a lot then this is why "I pray the Lord my Soul To take" is there. Whether this comforted children or just scared the hell out of them both are likely true.

However, fear was used much more to control children before about 1970 too here in the U.S. it's just the way it was when I grew up in the 1950s.

for example, in Buddhism there is the Tara Mantra that I personally see as a mother diety similar to Mother Mary the Mother of Jesus:

The primary Sanskrit mantras for Goddess Tara include the Green Tara mantra, the White Tara mantra, and the fierce Tantric Tara mantra

Green Tara Mantra (Universal/Liberation)

Sanskrit: Om Tare Tuttare Ture Svaha

Meaning: I bow to the liberator, mother of all buddhas. [1, 2]

When I was in Dharamshala I got a Poster of all of the 21 Taras for example that I brought home to the U.S. in 1986 after being in India and Nepal from December of 1985 until April of 1986 with my family. I was 37 at the time.

Then also I consider the Hail Mary prayer to also be a mantra:

Which goes something like:

Hail Mary full of Grace

The Lord is with thee

Blessed Art thou among Women

And blessed is the fruit of your womb Jesus

Though there are also much longer versions of this I see this grouping of words as a mantra too in that you repeat this mantra over and over again.

What this does is it creates visualizations in your mind of Mary saving you and your family just like the Tara Mantra gives you visualizations of Tara Saving you and your family.

It's a way to get beyond your fears and terrors of the world by placing a mantra and visualizations of positive things in your life and your family's life too.

Especially during difficult times prayer mantras can help a person focus on what they want in their lives rather than having their emotions and minds explode in Chaos and confusion.

So, it is a way to focus yourself through prayer so you don't explode completely with emotions that can be destructive if they are not utilized properly through prayer.

Others might define all these things differently than I do but this is my personal experience with Christian and Tibetan Buddhist Mantras.

By God's Grace

Two U.S. service members killed in Jordan and another is missing after Iranian strikes, military says

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual

begin quote:

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual analysis

Iran is capable of hitting "a wide range of targets of the region."

ByGaby Vinick and Victoria Beaule

July 16, 2026, 1:49 PM

Even as President Donald Trump boasts the U.S. "demolished" the Iranian military, Iran is continuing to flex its muscles having struck and damaged at least three American bases in the Middle East since the resumption of hostilities with the U.S. in early July, an ABC News analysis found.

An ABC News analysis of satellite imagery and video suggests that bases in Jordan, Bahrain, and Qatar sustained damage in Iranian-claimed missile and drone strikes. A former United Nations base camp and an industrial area, both in Kuwait, have also been struck.

Map of Iranian strikes on Gulf countries and Jordan.
Felt Maps/ABC News

While the operational damage appears to be limited from this set of strikes, they still demonstrate that the U.S. has "failed to successfully attrit their forces to the extent where they can no longer do these types of attacks," according to Sam Lair, a fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute.

CENTCOM declined to comment on the reported strikes.

Ken Pollack, the vice president for policy at the Middle East Institute and a former CIA military analyst, told ABC News that the Iranians are "looking for targets that they know they can hit" and "control escalation."

Iran live updates: Jordan intercepts Iranian missiles, Kuwait reports drone attack

He pointed to their targeting of military bases over civilian targets, noting they do not run as great a risk of retaliation from the U.S. And since Iranians began testing American and Gulf defenses at the start of the conflict in late February, Pollack said they may have "identified chinks in our armor."

Satellite imagery from July 12 showed apparent damage to a warehouse building in the U.S. Navy's 5th Fleet Headquarters in Bahrain, a "favorite site for the Iranians to hit since the war broke out," Lair told ABC News.

A graphic showing damage in Bahrain.
Felt Maps/ABC News

Lair confirmed there appears to be a hole in a warehouse roof.

"I think it's not so much the warehouse as what the site represents," Lair said, adding it's "symbolically important" and shows that "Iranians are able to hold at threat American targets."

On Monday, Trump said the U.S. is "knocking out all of [Iran's] offensive capability." He also reinstated a naval blockade on commercial ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.

Trump's Strait of Hormuz blockade erases the last concession to Iran in preliminary deal

"It's important to remember that for the Iranians, they don't need to shut down all of the trade in the Strait of Hormuz," Pollack said. "They don't need to destroy every city in the Arabian Peninsula. All they need to do is to be able to threaten to do so."

Ukraine's deep strikes mean 'significant change' for war, former Russian PM says

Jul 17, 2:05 AM

Iran live updates: Kuwait reports Iranian attacks following latest US strikes

2 hours ago

Trump says documents show voting vulnerabilities, China meddling and fraud

Jul 17, 7:29 AM

He called the periodic attacks on the Gulf states "absolutely ruinous to the futures that they charted out for themselves – and that's what Iran's banking on."

Satellite imagery from July 12 also shows the southern part of a building at Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar destroyed.

A graphic showing damage at Al Udeid Air Base.
Felt Maps/ABC News

According to Lair, the damage "probably makes it a little bit more difficult to sustain flight operations out of Al-Udeid."

He described the site as "very accessible" and "not very well-defended," but he did add that, "a lot of the most sensitive material at the base was removed, along with many of the personnel, before the war started at the end of February, and I'm not sure how much has been returned."

"You may as well try to further degrade the capabilities of that base, especially since it's one of the largest hubs in CENTCOM," Lair said, but cautioned that the "operational impact of those strikes is unclear."

Taken together, the images show that Iran remains capable of striking "a wide range of targets of the region," Lair said, adding that while "it's not one for one … it kind of suggests that the Iranians are still able to hold the Strait at risk, and are willing to do so, despite the long-running U.S. air campaign."

"It reminds everyone in the Gulf that they are still vulnerable to Iranian attacks," Lair said. "It's a very uncomfortable reality."

Intuitive fred888

Top 10 Posts This Month

Sunday, July 19, 2026

How did Buddhism help me initially?

Why are Mantras used in many religions

Two U.S. service members killed in Jordan and another is missing after Iranian strikes, military says

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual

Iran hit at least 3 bases hosting US assets in latest strikes: Visual analysis

Popular Reads

Ukraine's deep strikes mean 'significant change' for war, former Russian PM says

Iran live updates: Kuwait reports Iranian attacks following latest US strikes

Trump says documents show voting vulnerabilities, China meddling and fraud

Related Topics