A Sobering Lesson: Real Mastership Versus Fake Mastership (Updated)

There may be no case more perplexing or egregious than that of Yanagi Ryuken, a purported master of aikido. Master Ryuken apparently believed himself capable of defeating multiple attackers without deigning to touch them. Rather, he could rely upon the magic power of chi. Video of him demonstrating his devastating abilities shows that his students were grotesquely complicit in what must have been a long and colorful process of self-deception. Did these young athletes actually think that they were being hurled to the ground against their will? It is hard to know. What seems certain, however, is that Master Ryuken came to believe that he was invincible; otherwise he wouldn’t have invited a martial artist from another school to come test his powers….

TED: ‘Ron Finley: A Guerrilla Gardener in South Central LA’

Ron Finley plants vegetable gardens in South Central LA — in abandoned lots, traffic medians, along the curbs. Why? For fun, for defiance, for beauty and to offer some alternative to fast food in a community where “the drive-thrus are killing more people than the drive-bys.”

Was Mother Teresa’s Humanitarian Image ‘A Myth’?

A collection of reports that accuse Mother Teresa of failing to be the humanitarian saint she was widely perceived to be. The allegations include accepting money from corrupt sources, keeping secret bank accounts, misusing millions of dollars in donations (money that could have been used to alleviate poverty or improve the conditions of her hospices was used, instead, to open new convents, increase missionary work, and fund other Vatican projects), refusing to help the needy when they approached the sisters at the wrong time according to the prescribed schedule, discouraging sisters from seeking medical training to deal with the illnesses they encountered (with the justification that God empowers the weak and ignorant), the imposition of “unjust” punishments on sisters (such as being transferred away from their friends), and keeping sisters in check by prohibiting the reading of secular books and newspapers, and emphasizing obedience over independent thinking and problem-solving… This post also includes Time Magazine’s August 2007 article on “Mother Teresa’s Crisis of Faith.”

Quote & 2005 Movie: Sophie Scholl

“The real damage is done by those millions who want to ‘survive.’ The honest men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don’t want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won’t take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don’t like to make waves — or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honour, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, mate small, die small. It’s the reductionist approach to life: if you keep it small, you’ll keep it under control.

“If you don’t make any noise, the bogeyman won’t find you. But it’s all an illusion, because they die too, those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe?! From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does. I choose my own way to burn.”

– Sophie Scholl (1921 – 1943), German student, a member of The White Rose Society, a non-violent anti-Nazi resistance group. Died at age twenty-two.

Documentary: ‘Eat, Fast & Live Longer’

Michael Mosley is a medical doctor, journalist and television presenter. He has set himself a truly ambitious goal: he wants to live longer, stay younger and lose weight in the bargain. And he wants to make as few changes to his life as possible along the way. He discovers the powerful new science behind the ancient idea of fasting, and he thinks he’s found a way of doing it that still allows him to enjoy his food. Michael tests out the science of fasting on himself — with life-changing results…

‘Shadow Effect’ Author Debbie Ford Tells Oprah She Has Cancer (Updated)

Debbie Ford, the co-writer of “The Shadow Effect” with Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson and “The Dark Side of the Light Chasers” tells Oprah that she has cancer…

Carla Golden: ‘What 16 Years of Smoking Taught Me About Playing Small’

Carla Golden writes: “After working through this process for several weeks, my cigarette cravings disappeared…”

Jill Bolte Taylor: Does Our Planet Need A Stroke Of Insight?

I’ve come to understand that the two issues of mental health and global health are closely linked — if not one and the same. Similar processes we use to improve our mental health can help us make better, more responsible decisions as a society — by focusing on the compassion and integrity of our right brain, rather than the judgment, punishment and deception of our left brain…

Story: ‘The One I Feed’

There was grandfather, his little grandson often came in the evenings to sit at his knee and ask the many questions that children ask. One day the grandson came to his grandfather with a look of anger on his face…

New NHNE Facebook Page on Relationships!

NHNE now has a new Facebook page on relationships. NHNE’s relationship page is dedicated to the rarest, most valuable of all earthly treasures: conscious, caring, healthy relationships — first, with our fellow human beings, and then with the rest of creation…

Wanda Easter Burch: ‘She Who Dreams’

Wanda Burch dreamt that she would die at a certain age; her dreams foretold her diagnosis of cancer, and then guided her toward treatment and wellness. She took advantage of all the usual medical resources available to her, but believes she is alive because of her intimate engagement with the dreamworld. “She Who Dreams” takes the reader into that healing dreamworld, opening a path to self-diagnosis and physical and psychic health. Through powerful prose and practical exercises, this book describes in compelling detail a life lived and deepened, and a death postponed. In the process it shows that wisdom lives within everyone, and that anyone can tap into that wisdom through dreamwork…

Movie Worth Seeing: ‘Jodhaa Akbar’

If you are looking for an interesting movie, with a beautiful message, take this one for a spin. It’s long, but worth it. One Amazon viewer writes: “It is a beautiful story about a wise leader who bucks tradition and chooses compassion over bloodshed, openness and acceptance over intolerance. It is also a wonderful love story.”

Story: The Power of Words

There was once a wise sage who wandered the countryside. One day, as he passed near a village, he was approached by a woman who saw he was a sage, and told him of a sick child nearby. She beseeched him to help this child. The sage came to the village, and a crowd gathered around him, for such a man was a rare sight. One woman brought the sick child to him, and he said a prayer over her. “Do you really think your prayer will help her, when medicine has failed?” yelled a man from the crowd…

Documentary: ‘Overview’ (Watch It Here)

Planetary Collective presents a short film documenting astronauts’ life-changing stories of seeing the Earth from the outside — a perspective-altering experience often described as the Overview Effect. The Overview Effect, first described by author Frank White in 1987, is an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it. Common features of the experience are a feeling of awe for the planet, a profound understanding of the interconnection of all life, and a renewed sense of responsibility for taking care of the environment…

Mr. Happy Man – Johnny Barnes

Johnny Barnes is a Bermuda native found waving to passing traffic at the Foot of the Lane roundabout in Hamilton, Bermuda, from roughly 3:45 am to 10 am, every workday, rain or shine. A Bermuda institution mentioned in several guidebooks and profiled in a documentary film, he is known for waving and saying “I love you, God loves you,” to passing commuters during the morning rush hour into Hamilton…

NYPD Officer’s Kindness Sparks Online Sensation

A tourist’s snapshot of a New York City police officer giving new boots to a barefoot homeless man in Times Square has created an online sensation…

All About Emanuel Swedenborg

All about Emanuel Swedenborg. “People who have had near-death experiences peek through the door of the after-life, but Swedenborg explored the whole house.” — Kenneth Ring, founder of International Association for Near Death Studies (IANDS)

Extraordinary Human Capabilities (Updated)

Pulse Resource Page on Extraordinary Human Abilities…

New Hit Series: ‘Call The Midwife’ (Updated)

Call the Midwife is a moving and intimate insight into the colorful world of midwifery and family life in 1950’s East London. We are introduced to the community through the eyes of young nurse Jenny Lee as she arrives at Nonnatus House to live and work as a midwife alongside an Order of Nuns…

Jon Bon Jovi’s ‘Soul Kitchen’

The vision at Soul Kitchen is to serve healthy, delicious, and when possible, organic meals. At the Soul Kitchen you will notice there are no prices on the menu and you might have been seated with someone you don’t know. Customers pay the minimum donation or volunteer in some way to earn a voucher for a meal. The Soul Kitchen has served over 11,500 meals, most recently 31% of their diners were people in-need; and volunteers have donated over 12,200 hours of time to the program…

‘One Laptop Per Child’ Unleashes The Genius In African Children

One Laptop per Child (OLPC) performed a bold experiment. They dropped off closed and taped boxes with Motorola Xoom tablets and without any instruction in two remote Ethiopian villages. The tablets were preloaded with alphabet-training games, e-books, movies, cartoons, paintings, and other programs. About 20 first-grade-aged children each were given a tablet in Wonchi and Wolonchete respectively — two isolated rural villages without a person that can read or write. Within four minutes after the tablets were dropped off, one of the children figured out how to turn on and use the tablet. Within five days, they were using about 47 apps per child, per day. Within two weeks, they were singing ABC songs in the village, and within five months, they had hacked Android…

The Island Where People Forget to Die

Doctors said that Stamatis Moraitis had lung cancer. They gave him nine months to live. He was in his mid-60s. Moraitis considered staying in America and seeking aggressive cancer treatment at a local hospital. But he decided instead to return to Ikaria, where he could be buried with his ancestors in a cemetery shaded by oak trees that overlooked the Aegean Sea. At first, he spent his days in bed, as his mother and wife tended to him. He reconnected with his faith. On Sunday mornings, he hobbled up the hill to a tiny Greek Orthodox chapel where his grandfather once served as a priest. When his childhood friends discovered that he had moved back, they started showing up every afternoon. They’d talk for hours, an activity that invariably involved a bottle or two of locally produced wine. I might as well die happy, he thought. In the ensuing months, something strange happened. He says he started to feel stronger. One day, feeling ambitious, he planted some vegetables in the garden. He didn’t expect to live to harvest them, but he enjoyed being in the sunshine, breathing the ocean air. Elpiniki could enjoy the fresh vegetables after he was gone. Six months came and went. Moraitis didn’t die. Instead, he reaped his garden and, feeling emboldened, cleaned up the family vineyard as well. Easing himself into the island routine, he woke up when he felt like it, worked in the vineyards until midafternoon, made himself lunch and then took a long nap. In the evenings, he often walked to the local tavern, where he played dominoes past midnight. The years passed. His health continued to improve. He added a couple of rooms to his parents’ home so his children could visit. He built up the vineyard until it produced 400 gallons of wine a year. Today, three and a half decades later, he’s 97 years old — and cancer-free. He never went through chemotherapy, took drugs or sought therapy of any sort. All he did was move home to Ikaria…

Documentary: ‘The Man Who Saved The World’ (watch it here)

In October 1962, the world held its breath. On the edge of the Caribbean Sea, just a few miles from the Florida coast, the two great superpowers were at a stand-off. Surrounded by twelve US destroyers, which were depth-charging his submarine to drive it to the surface, Captain Vitali Grigorievitch Savitsky panicked. Unable to contact Moscow and fearing war had begun, he ordered the launch of his submarine’s nuclear torpedoes. As the two sides inched perilously close to nuclear war — far closer than we ever knew before — just one man stood between Captain Savitsky’s order and mutually assured destruction. Set over four hours on October 27, 1962, the tensest moments of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this program tells the powerful but forgotten story of Vasili Arkhipov and Soviet submarine B-59. With most of the action set in a claustrophobic submarine running out of air, “The Man Who Saved the World” combines tense drama with eyewitness accounts and expert testimony about some of the most critical events in the Cold War…

Rodriguez & ‘Searching for Sugarman’

Like so many musicians before him, the singer songwriter named Rodriguez came from nowhere. He was born poor in Detroit, spent his life poor in Detroit. In the late 60s, he cut a couple of records. They got great reviews but went nowhere. What he didn’t know, what no one in America knew, was that half way around the world in South Africa, he was more popular than Elvis or the Beatles. He’d never been there. No one there knew anything about him. Even when word spread that he had died, his records continued to sell. Then, four years ago, a young Swedish filmmaker heard about Rodriguez — decided to shoot a documentary about him. The film, now captivating audiences across the country, is being talked about as a possible candidate for an Academy Award. It’s released by Sony Pictures Classics and called “Searching for Sugar Man.”

Town Says Goodbye To Man Who Spent Life Helping Neighbors

How a small town in Oregon showered a man, who’s life was full of caring for others, with love…

New Documentary: ‘Chasing Ice’

In the spring of 2005, National Geographic photographer James Balog headed to the Arctic on a tricky assignment: to capture images to help tell the story of the Earth’s changing climate. Even with a scientific upbringing, Balog had been a skeptic about climate change and a cynic about the nature of academic research. But that first trip north opened his eyes to the biggest story in human history and sparked a challenge within him that would put his career and his very well-being at risk. Chasing Ice is the story of one man’s mission to change the tide of history by gathering undeniable evidence of our changing planet…

Lilou Mace Interviews Raymond Moody

LiLou Mace interviews NDE researcher, Raymond Moody. Moody (born June 30, 1944) is a psychologist and medical doctor. He is most famous as an author of books about life after death and near-death experiences (NDE), a term that he coined in 1975…

Aaron Huey at TED & Famous Native American Words (Updated)

“Look at me, I am poor and naked, but I am the Chief of the nation. We do not want riches but we do want to train our children right. Riches would do us no good. We could not take them with us to the other world. We do not want riches, we want peace and love. The riches that we have in this world, Secretary Cox said truly, we cannot take with us to the next world. Then I wish to know why commissioners are sent out to us who do nothing but rob and get the riches of this world away from us?”

Living in the Kingdom: Our Visit with Mother Antonia

Greg Mackie writes: “On August 21, Patricia and I had the great honor of visiting Mother Antonia, the ‘prison angel of Tijuana.’ It was a beautiful experience. As we saw how totally devoted Mother Antonia and the sisters who serve with her were to their mission of serving ‘the least of these,’ we felt like we were in the presence of people who, to a much greater degree than most, were really living in the Kingdom…”

What If Jesus Had Been A Republican?

1. When Jesus returned to Capernaum after some days, it was reported that he was at his home. 2. So many gathered around that there was no longer room for them, not even in front of the door; and he was speaking the word to them. 3. Then some people came, bringing to him a paralyzed man, carried by four of them. 4. And when they could not bring him to Jesus because of the crowd, they removed the roof above him; and after having dug through it, they let down the mat on which the paralytic lay. 5. When Jesus saw this he grew angry, “Why did you wreck my roof? Do you have any idea how much that cost to install? Do you know how many tables and chairs I had to make in my carpentry shop to pay for that roof? The reeds alone cost five talents. I had them carted in from Bethany.” 6. The disciples had never seen Jesus so angry about his possessions…

7-Year-Old Publishes Book About Her Near-Death Experience

Ari Hallmark was 6 years old last year when an EF-4 tornado hit Ruth killing five members of her family, but she vividly remembers the horror and destruction. She remembers cows flying through the air, trucks hitting the house, glass breaking all around her. And she remembers taking a quick trip to Heaven. Ari tells her story in a new book she co-authored…

How A Fictional Tree Planter Inspired Real Ones

How a fictional story inspired real people to change the world by planting trees…

Favorite TED Videos (Updated)

A collection of our favorite TED videos…

TED: ‘Pam Warhurst: How We Can Eat Our Landscapes’

What should a community do with its unused land? Plant food, of course. With energy and humor, Pam Warhurst tells at the TEDSalon the story of how she and a growing team of volunteers came together to turn plots of unused land into communal vegetable gardens, and to change the narrative of food in their community…

Amy C’s Near-Death Experience

EXCERPT: “I came to understand that most of us have lived much, MUCH longer than we could even fathom. That our lives that feel so very long are infinitesimal when placed in the Whole picture… which for that matter, cannot even be framed. I was shown how every single individual through their own free will chooses paths that MATHEMATICALLY take them to the circumstances of their next existence or life. That NOTHING at all sits in accident or chaos. That every single aspect of our lives are ruled by NATURAL Laws that we placed ourSELVES in! That in a sense, we create our own worlds. I was shown how one can never assume either, that if someone lives a life of suffering that this is because of “evil” deeds. Many may CHOOSE a life of suffering because of what it Awakens in them.. or to help another, etc.. We can NEVER EVER assume that we can be accurate in guessing why each Being lives the life they live. I cannot describe the relief… the refreshing, peaceful balm this Knowledge was for me. To finally gather this Truth that I’d yearned for all of my life… That all IS Good! That there IS sense and beauty all around. That no one is just “free-falling” as it had seemed before! That God doesn’t just get to toy with us as He pleases with random ideas of tests, including rewards and punishments that just depend upon His current mood or mindset. While in this experience, out in the vast expanse of stars and planets, moons, and Knowledge, I Knew complete Trust for what felt like the first time. This was bliss for me. I had lived in fear and distrust and panic for 30 consecutive years…”

The Epic Hacking of Mat Honan (& How To Protect Yourself)

Mat Honan writes: “In the space of one hour, my entire digital life was destroyed. First my Google account was taken over, then deleted. Next my Twitter account was compromised, and used as a platform to broadcast racist and homophobic messages. And worst of all, my AppleID account was broken into, and my hackers used it to remotely erase all of the data on my iPhone, iPad, and MacBook…”

Genevieve’s Mother

Genevieve White writes: “I feel like having a little blather about my lovely little mother. As time has gone on, I have seen so many different kinds of mums, and I have realized more and more just how lucky I was to have had her as my mum…”

Documentary: ‘Mister Rogers & Me’ (Updated)

An MTV producer’s life is transformed when he meets the recently retired host of ‘Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,’ Fred Rogers. Friendship with the PBS icon sets the young producer on a hero’s quest to find depth and simplicity amidst a shallow and complex world through conversations with Susan Stamberg (NPR), Tim Russert (‘Meet The Press’), Marc Brown (‘Arthur’) and more…

Dead Man Reportedly Visits Two Doctors

When Faye Aldridge’s husband, 53 year old Burke Aldridge, was in the final stages of cancer, he promised to send her a fax from heaven. Within hours of being pronounced dead at the hospital, oncologist Dr. Carl Willis and neurosurgeon Dr. Arthur Cushman, two men who had never met, both swore Burke Aldridge paid them a visit at their homes before either of them even knew he was dead…

Is Jesus Reaching Out To Muslims Through Their Dreams? (Updated)

Is Jesus Christ reaching out to Muslims through their dreams and encouraging them to embrace his teachings? This is exactly the phenomenon that some former Islamic adherents claim they have personally experienced. Numerous stories about Muslims, among others, who see the Christian savior in their dreams and convert as a result are streaming out of the Middle East…

David Spangler: An Encounter With Beings From The Future

As someone who is aware of non-physical dimensions to the world and of the beings that dwell and work within them, I have experiences that fall outside the definitions of reality with which our modern society is comfortable. I suppose that’s par for the course for someone acting as a spiritual teacher. But occasionally things happen that are outside even my usual boundaries of normality, and it’s delightful when they find unexpected correlation and confirmation from other unrelated events. It is not unusual for me to have communication with non-physical, invisible beings; indeed, it happens almost every day and forms an important part of my work as I teach my online classes in collaboration with colleagues who dwell in spiritual worlds. But one day a couple of years ago I found myself in touch with beings of a totally different nature than any I had contacted before. Instead of being intelligences living in a different dimension of the earth, these were two individuals who seemed to be living in the future…

Shamanism (Updated)

Pulse Resource Page on Shamanism…

Bus Monitor Karen Klein

An Indiegogo fundraiser on behalf of Karen Klein, the bus monitor who was verbally abused in Greece, N.Y. by the group of 12- to 15-year-olds she was supervising, has raised more than $630,000 — and continues to grow. This page includes links to the fundraiser, along with comments from the school principal and school district where Ms. Klein works…

Dannion Brinkley With Lisa Harrison

Born in 1950, Dannion Brinkley is the author of three international best selling books — Saved by the Light, At Peace in the Light, and Secrets of the Light. He is also a internationally known speaker who has appeared on hundreds of television and radio shows. In 1994 his New York Times bestseller, Saved by the Light, was the highest rated made-for-television movie of all time by the Fox Network. In 1997, Dannion co-founded The Twilight Brigade in Los Angeles with a small but dedicated team of experience hospice volunteers and trainers. Since then, more than 5,300 have taken the volunteer training. Brinkley is also controversial. Brinkley told his story to near-death researcher Raymond Moody shortly after it occurred, but details of his account have been questioned by his doctor and various journalists. For example, although Moody said one of Brinkley’s afterlife visions of the future later came true, many other forecasts proved inaccurate. Brinkley’s claim that he served as a CIA sniper during the Vietnam War was challenged by writers who checked his military record…

Documentary: ‘Living Without Money’

The documentary Living Without Money portraits the life of 68 year old Heidemarie Schwermer, a German woman who made a deliberate choice to stop using money 14 years ago. She cancelled her apartment, gave away all of her belongings and kept nothing but a suitcase full of clothes. This was a decision that changed the entire outlook on her life dramatically….

The Difference Between Men & Women

Let’s say a guy named Roger is attracted to a woman named Elaine. He asks her out to a movie; she accepts; they have a pretty good time. A few nights later he asks her out to dinner, and again they enjoy themselves. They continue to see each other regularly, and after a while neither one of them is seeing anybody else. And then, one evening when they’re driving home, a thought occurs to Elaine, and, without really thinking, she says it aloud: “Do you realise that, as of tonight, we’ve been seeing each other for exactly six months?” And then there is silence in the car. To Elaine, it seems like a very loud silence….

Little Free Libraries

Todd Bol wanted to honor his mother, a former teacher and book lover who died a decade ago. So two years ago, Bol built a miniature model of a library, filled it with books for anyone to take, and placed it outside his home in Hudson, Wis. From that idea, hundreds of similar Little Free Libraries are popping up on lawns across the country…

Town Cares For Teenager Abandoned By Parents

Dawn Loggins was homeless at the start of the school year, abandoned by her drug-abusing parents. The teachers and others in town pitched in — donating clothes and providing medical and dental care. She got the janitorial job through a school workforce assistance program. She’s grateful for the work. But it’s where she’s going next, beyond the walls of Burns, that excites her most. She applied to four colleges within North Carolina and one dream university. She’ll graduate soon before heading off, leaving her dust pan behind…

Book: ‘Meeting The Shadow’

Editors Connie Zweig and Jeremiah Abrams deserve congratulations for constructing this remarkable collection of illuminating looks at the hitherto inscrutable human “shadow.” This substantial volume brings together extremely diverse perspectives on this eternally timely topic, citing brief but pithy passages from luminaries like Carl Jung, James Hillman, M.L. von Franz, John Sanford; Harville Hendrix, Marsha Sinetar, Larry Dossey, W.Brugh Joy; M.Scott Peck, Rollo May, Ernest Becker, Sam Keen, Robert Jay Lifton; Ken Wilber, Robert Bly, Joseph Campbell and John Bradshaw. There is much distilled wisdom in these pages, organized in a meaningful, coherent, even entertaining fashion — with intelligent commentary by the editors, who scatter lovely little nuggets from Rilke, Nietzsche, Rumi, Shakespeare, Lao-Tzu, Blake, Dante and others throughout. Some reviewers have called this highly readable book the “I Ching” of the shadow, and for good reason: readers, even those new to the notion of the “shadow,” can pick it up, open to practically any page, and discover something valuable and essential to understanding themselves and others more deeply and more compassionately….

The Dark Side of Buddhism

A resource page listing articles and resources pertaining to the dark side of Buddhist thought and practice…