A Buddha (Tathagata) is born not only to teach how to live a moral life
but also to reveal the three marks of existence (theenapada) to the world.
In meditation we focus our body and mind and observe.
This is how we perceive this law of nature
and this knowledge gives us strength and energy to let go, not to cling.
That’s liberation.
It isn't easy...
We always try to hold on, me, for me, mine.
But when we analyse and observe, we recognise this law of nature
this knowledge gives us the strength to let go, to release.
So shall we practice?
Excellent...
[Comments on the oracle in Italian]
I started in the Santeria and the spiritual world
when I was 12 years old.
Over time people always came looking for something from me.
[Comments on the oracle in Spanish]
My name is Arnulfo González
I was born in Colombia, in a neighbourhood called Belén
in the bosom of a very humble family
believing in spiritual forces and the power of nature.
As a child, I was a very sensitive person and used to have revelations about people's future.
In my work, as a cartomancer and priest of Santeria,
I have met many interesting people, whose destinies have touched me.
The Magician: José Luis Farinha
It was a very difficult situation for me to accept that I had cancer.
At one point I felt that I didn't want to live any more, that it was too much.
But the smallest and happiest moment, the one with the most concentrated happiness,
was one day in May 2010, may be...
as after the second or third operation
I went to see the results of the tests and they told me:
“No, there is no more cancer to be seen, which means that you are cancer-free.”
And when I left the University Hospital in Zurich, it was bitterly cold.
I don't know how long I stood, half an hour or so, in the street, wearing a T-shirt and a jacket.
Normally, at another time, That cold had made me sick for half a year.
This time nothing bad happened, I knew I wanted to live.
And I think that time I felt the biggest happiness concentrated in a short moment.
I was born in Cali, in a Catholic family.
In addition to Catholicism, Colombia also has many traditions
that originate from indigenous and African ancestors and are practised in parallel.
The ancient Santeria tradition, also called Yoruba Lucumi
was brought by black slaves to various countries.
Of course, each country has given these traditions a different name.
The Priestess: Maria
My mother was worried about me because I couldn't sleep at night.
I was visited by spirits that tormented me
and I had nightmares all the time.
In these dreams I saw myself dancing in the middle of the fire to the beat of the drums.
This led my mother and me
on a tireless quest to discover the origin and cause of these phenomena.
She decided to contact a spiritualist,
who said that I was born with a gift, and I just needed to know how to control it.
In that way I slowly was introduced to this world.
The Hermit: Marco
Hello?
Hi, Mateo!
Yes, hello, hello...
Yes, I’m in Zurich.
Yes, I’m waiting for the train to Lenzburg.
Lenzburg? I don't know, it’s about 20 kilometres from Zurich.
I’ll finally go to visit Bhante Anuruddha and then we start this adventure.
We spoke on the phone and I am interested in...
having an experience as a monk
That is why I’m here today.
I don't know if it would be possible, to come here and live such an experience
and afterwards to decide whether this is something for me or not.
I can give you with some books for the preparation
about the monk's rules and the noble teachings of the Buddha.
We can start there.
n the other hand, I’d like to know more about your reasons for becoming a monk.
There are different purposes for doing something, aren't there?
Yes, of course.
I’d like to know what’s exactly your inner motivation to become a monk.
Good question.
I think, maybe as a monk, I can help better to other living beings.
That on the one hand... On the other hand I’m seeking a calm...
an everlasting calm inside me.
and that's something I've never had
for a moment yes, but then it's gone. Life is like that [ups and downs]
Yes, that’s my main motivation.
And when this disease came, we were financially unprepared
to live or survive for a few months without a salary from the two.
In those terms, it was very difficult to get ahead.
But I think the hardest thing was when I was a child
To deal with my mother's pressure on us to be the best, always pushing
and with her difficulty to say, at least once, that we had done something well.
There was always pressure, it was never enough.
I had my first visions with my father.
He worked as a policeman in one of the most dangerous neighbohoods in Cali, called Siloé
His violent and radical character brought him many enemies.
We saw him leaving for work every day,
but we didn't know if he was going to come back alive.
At times, I could sense when he was in danger.
When I told him, it caused continuous arguments with my mother,
because he found it hard to accept.
He always criticised me for following this path.
I came to Switzerland at the age of 22.
I opened my practice as a spiritual coach, with my forte, tarot cards and snails.
I worked very hard to make myself known, as this practice is not known in this country.
Many people were afraid of the kind of rituals I practiced. I was always called “Vodou-Priest”.
My dad was in his business, in his very... turbulent life
but my mom was with Julia, because she was ill.
You know, when a mother has two children, one of them is fine, and the other one is not?
You can imagine what happens.
Because Julia was born with many health problems, wasn't she?
Yes, I was 3 years old when she was born, and from that moment on my childhood was over.
Did your mother spend more time with Julia, or how was it?
All the time...
because she was forced, wasn't she?
She often had to bring Julia to the doctor, to arrange her transport to school and so on.
And Julia was always sick.
When your child is ill you don't care about anything else.
And if the other one is well, if he's not sick, how he is, you don't look at him or her anymore.
To be honest, my dad was not a family person.
The family for him was something too small
to dedicate himself to its members and waste his time.
In 2005 I had a vision that made me to completely lose control of my senses, as I saw my mother's death.
The doctors found nothing, which caused a big family conflictand raised doubts about my visions.
The practices I learned are based on the power to transform our destinies,
which led me to perform certain rituals.
Two months after my vision my mother suddenly passed away of a massive heart attack.
When she died I felt that a part of me went with her.
My mother’s death made me start to look for answers in different religious beliefs
until I met the Buddhist priest
Bhante Anuruddha.
May all the living beings, be free from suffering, fear and worry - [Poem in Pali]
The cause of suffering, the liberation or Nirvana, and the path to Nirvana.
When we suffer, we know normal suffering, the physical one: getting old, getting sick, dying.
That’s only natural, it’s a law of nature.
But if you think about too much, then you experience a second suffering.
If you recognise this suffering as natural,
then it is easier to let go, to release.
[Meditation on food]
May you attain long life, good health, heavenly life and Nirvana.
Normally in Buddhism a person can get married or not?
Can monks get married or not?
No, they cannot
Ah, they can't get married
But a married man can become a monk
A married man can become a monk
If you want to, you can become a monk. Monks in Buddhism are celibate.
In recent years I felt that I lost my way.
That’s also a good sign.
You have had that experience, that “sadhu”.
I think you have that voice, because it's in your interest.
It’s an internal process.
An inner work, a process of change.
Indeed. Like a power that activates again, right?
There have always been two parts to my being: the spiritual Arnulfo,
who believes very much in spirituality and has a lot of respect for that.
I know that something exists and I can feel it.
But there is also that other part of me
who is human, a person that is very much alive, who loves to be with people, who loves to dance
That's African, Yoruba.
Very nice, I have several of them.
I decided to travel to Sri Lanka to get to know Buddhism at first hand.
I couldn’t believe that Buddhism is just a philosophy or a practice.
In all the cultures I know I always found dogmas, dependencies and self-centredness,
I've had that self-centredness too.
Buddhism is not concerned with the existence of God.
Its teaching is based on the four noble truths.
The first noble truth is Dukkha: there is no life without suffering,
which is subject to dependence, and which begins at the moment of our conception.
The second noble truth is the origin of suffering: craving.
The third noble truth is to end the source and cause of suffering.
The fourth noble truth is the path to extinguish suffering,
by avoiding excessive pursuit of satisfaction,
by training the mind and heart with right thought and right concentration. It is called Samadhi.
I was introduced to Buddhism as a child.
My home was next to the temple.
I spent four years of my childhood there.
Then, at the age of 12
I was ordained as a novice.
I pursued my education at a monastery before enrolling in university in year 2000.
I received an invitation from a Buddhist community in Geneva, so I came here.
I’m very happy to be in this temple again
after around 25 years.
I can remember, as a child, the first time as I came to this temple.
It wasn’t easy to leave my family
and come to stay in a new place.
It was very hard, feeling homesick and adapting to a new environment.
As my mother came I tried to go back home with her
but at the same time I got to know a new environment, new people
and the monks.
I appreciated being in the temple and becoming a monk.
That was a good opportunity for me personally, and a big help at that time.
I’m in this situation now because of that support.
At that time I was motivated and explained the value of being a monk
and I can now understand better all those teachings
[Monk chants the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha]
I met my wife dancing salsa. She was studying law.
Getting to know my belief and my practice was a bit complicated. It was a totally unknown world for her.
Then we got married and today we have two children together
and I have a girl from my previous relationship.
All my children have been baptised into the Catholic faith
and each one of them has his own Orisha
I want them to discover for themselves their own spiritual path.
I teach them to meditate and practice the Dharma as well as take them to mass,
because I want them to be spiritually independent.
Today I vow fervently that I may become enlightened
Taking refuge in the three jewels
Rejoicing in the virtue of all beings
Confessing all my fault
And rejoicing in the Buddha's enlightenment in my mind.
[Singing a children's song]
José Luis' cancer has returned after only a few years
this time in the thyroid gland.
He realizes this soon after his partner becomes pregnant.
Do you see a fox? What do you see here?
A cat.
That's right!
There is a decision to have surgery, to have an operation
which I’ve been fighting against for two years now, not to do it
I’ll have my thyroid removed because they found a volume that’s been growing.
The truth is that from the very beginning I've had the idea
that it all came about because of the lifestyle I was leading.
For working long hours, or for exerting too much effort.
It's possible that everything that happens in our lives
we are the ones who create it, who introduce it into our lives.
Although, when you have an illness, or whatever
we are the ones who influence it to happen.
I don't know, but the truth is....
I can tell you that I was not happy with the life I had before cancer.
I was lost, I had no hope for the future, and then everything changed.
I believe that fear is more dangerous than the disease.
It becomes very difficult, because in the end it is about confronting oneself.
I have leukaemia of the spinal cord, with many complications.
In other words, I have blood cancer
for already many years
and I live with it, it has become my friend.
In the morning we get up together and greet each other...
It keeps me company.
[Requesting the three shelters and the ten precepts for becoming a monk].
I seek refuge in Buddha, Dharma and Sangha.
I assume the precept to refrain from killing living creatures.
I just want to say thank you, especially to my family.
these three people who have supported me
and they really told me: Go, it's time.
[Ceremony chants] I take refuge in the Dharma
sharing the merits with all living beings.
May the beings that dwell in space, on earth, Devas and Nagas, of wondrous power
now rejoice in this merit achieved
and protect the Sasana for a long time to come!
It is not a separation, being a monk doesn’t mean that.
When responsibilities or duties appear, then he will be there for you.
Your family is now the humanity.
I’ve seen that suffering is everywhere in our society
and particularly in recent years
many people in my family have had serious illnesses.
Many friends have died, of cancer and other diseases
and specifically last year my best friend passed away.
As I said goodbye to him -he was in the coffin, according to the catholic system-
and as I said goodbye, I saw myself in the coffin.
That was a very hard moment for me
and that's when I thought: it's time to become a monk.
because life lasts [finger snapping]
no more
That was a very intensive time, as you know we had to go through a very tough situation,
as my father was diagnosed with cancer,
with an incurable and very advanced type of it.
And he wanted to continue working?
Indeed! and when he was very sick, he used to say:
Oh I haven't travelled so much, I haven't spent so much time with the family...
Oh I wanted to do this, this, and that... but as soon as he was feeling a little better, then:
Let's build this church, let's start this project... He would never finish his work.
Can you show me the gift he received?
Sure, it's a heavy one though.
Let's go there
It was for his 70th birthday. These are all big constructions built by my dad.
This is the memorial of Alexander Nevsky, he is the patron saint of St. Petersburg.
You can also see here a metro, the Moscow metro, the Samara metro...
[Discourse of Jewels: Chanting on the qualities of the enlightened minds]. Those who are well trained, freed from all impurities, and with minds firm in Gautama Buddha's training
upon attaining Nirvana, they plunge into immortality freely enjoying the liberation they've gained.
In the Sangha is this precious jewel. - By this truth may there be well-being!
Buddhist devotees perform a ceremony with seeds and plants
which they bury around the tree, the "Bodhi" tree, as an offering to the Buddha.
The sacred Bodhi tree is highly respected by Buddhists,
since it was under it that Buddha received enlightenment.
[Arnulfo performs a Santeria ritual at Bhante Anaruddha's home in Sri Lanka]
[He prays a prayer in Yoruba and Spanish]
Santeria is an animist religion based on the belief in different gods.
who have come to earth to be part of creation.
They are possessors of supernatural forces on which we rely to achieve our goals in this world.
We believe that the world is a wonderful place
and that we deserve to fulfil our dreams and goals.
Death and illness cannot be avoided, but we work to cope with them in the best possible way.
The relationship between the orisha and the practitioner is intimate.
The orisha will be his guardian angel, accompanying him and watching over him
until the last day of his life.
My Orisha protectors are Shangó and Oshun.
Shangó is the god of thunder, music, dance, drums, war and divination.
Oshun, my second Orisha, is the goddess of love, motherhood, family,
the owner of fresh waters, rivers and stringed instruments.
The book is called... I think the translation would be: "Many Lives, Many Masters" by Brian L. Weiss.
and is about the possibility of the existence of different lives,
that you don't live only once, that there is reincarnation.
It’s specifically about the possibility of therapies
through past life regression
or to key situations from past lives.
How are you? Long time no see?
Well, Barbara, meet Jose Luis
Pleased to meet you.
He was very curious to meet you.
Ok, the problem that has brought you here is the issue of poverty.
It may be the issue of poverty, yes
In other words, the fear of poverty
Afraid of staying poor forever.
Have you ever made any experiences with poverty?
I was born poor, my family didn't have many resources.
It wasn't that we were starving, not to that extent, but we were living with very few resources.
5... 4... 3... 2... 1... 0
You are now in a pleasant and deep state of relaxation.
Tell me something, what is your mother like?
Tiny.
Is she tiny?
Yes
And how does she wear her hair?
It's dirty, it's very black...
My mother was a great support for me. She always protected me
and tried to make sure that everything we learned was for the good of the people.
[Singing mariachi music]
Since I was a child I liked to sing and on every birthday of my mother I used to sing her this song.
She would cry from emotion.
When I arrived to Switzerland, I got so involved in my work that I neglected my mother.
She often asked me when I was going to see her.
The thought of having neglected her stayed in my mind
and I can't stop reproaching myself for it.
Today I sing for you because I know you hear me wherever you are.
After my mother's death, I feel her presence very strongly next to me.
I have no peace or tranquillity.
The rituals I practice do not help me, on the contrary, they torment me.
Over the years I developed a spiritual personality that did not match my being.
My life transcended for a long time walking on a red thread,
where good and evil complemented each other.
I pay homage to the Blessed, the Worthy, to the Fully Enlightened...
I feel that I want to take refuge in Buddhism,
because I feel this process has given me a lot of happiness and what I’ve been looking for.
However, my traditions have also given me a lot of things
and I don't want to give them up.
Is it possible?
Yes, it is possible, step by step
gradually understanding and developing.
You know? It is a process, a gradual growing process.
So now the little monks will give you the refuge and the five rules.
[Taking refuge, chanting in pali].
I take refuge in the Buddha.
I take refuge in the teaching.
I pledge not to engage in prohibited sexual relations...
Mrs Dina Maria Andrade, I ask you.
Do you wish to marry Jose Luis Farinha?
Yes.
Mr. Jose Luis Farinha, I ask you.
Do you wish to marry Mrs. Dina Maria Andrade?
Yes.
Go ahead, you can kiss each other
Throughout José's illness I have had to show myself in a way that...
Sorry
Yes, it was very difficult because I was 25 years old, you know?
at 25 years old, and you're with a person who you think is going to be the father of your children
you have a lot of things you want to do
a lot of plans, right?
And suddenly, you're told that there's this illness
and that tomorrow or in a week's time the person you're with might not be here anymore.
Well... that's very difficult to understand, isn't it?
I’m an optimist by nature, and I believe that what is to come
will be better than everything that happened, that's for sure.
We had other plans, we wanted to go travelling
and a few months before I got pregnant.
What can I tell you...
I have a tattoo that I had done and represents a little bit of what our trip would have been like.
It has remained as a tattoo, but not as a trip
God willing, nothing complicated will come, because
I believe that the best of us comes out when we are at our best.
and we don't have to worry about our health or survival.
And so, yes, I think there are plenty of opportunities ahead us and at least 50 more years to live.
You don't know what's going to happen to you tomorrow, do you?
I think that... I know, this is a negative thought, it's not good, but it's how I feel until now.
So I don't know what's going to happen tomorrow with him, with me, with the family. I don't know.
I don't even know if the worst is already over.
That's kind of how I feel.
I thought I had found in Santeria, what I was looking for
because there I found an enormous amount of knowledge
about plants for physical and spiritual healing.
I try to teach my children about the healing power of plants.
This is a variety of basil
but there are seven species.
It’s a whole family. Among the shamans we use all the seven species of basil.
So we are going to mix them all together so that we can put them into this perfume.
Like this?
Let me see
As we crush it, we wish for what we want to be fulfilled.
We're going to put this root here in this jar, look.
Together with this... give it... slowly.
Exactly
As we go about mashing and doing these things, we ask for the intention, the reason why we do all this,
so that all its potential, all its energy, all these properties of the plant, are for our benefit.
Ahhhh, that's nice
Smell...
But here you still have space.
We are done.
Smell...
and now run your hands backwards over your head.
Done?
The monk's life is very simple.
We’ve got this, also the tunic, two tunics, and that’s it.
That’s enough.
When we go out, we eat what people give us.
and we sleep anywhere.
Nothing more is needed.
How nice!
Have you had enough to eat?
No, we have nothing to eat.
You mean you are poor?
Time passes and something happens.
I think they left.
I don't think they came back.
They left and did not return.
And they didn't come back. They went away and did not return.
How old are you?
Tell me
Five...
About five, four...
Four or five years.
You see there where your heart gives its last two beats,
and when it stops. In that instant, when it stops, tell me.
Did I die?
No, I am still alive. I exist, the body died.
I'm here, I'm upstairs.
No, the action involves both
You can’t say "the body died and I’m upstairs"
because you are a unity: body and spirit.
That is so important to understand because then you leave all this trouble you have with the poverty issue,
you leave it definitely behind you and it never influences your life again.
1... 2... 3... open your eyes!
Am I really here?
God, what was that place?
Can I walk now, please?
Let's go to the river!
I think that's enough philosophy and esotericism for today.
Thank you, thank you.
No problem
Oh God, but now I need a break.
Well, this is post-emotion.
But now it will kick in
This is the Hindu one, the Hindu goddess
Now she is a Buddhist
Is she a Buddhist now?
One question: I see that there is always a smile on your face.
You can see that happiness.
I'd like to know when was the last time you were really angry, or when you were sad,
the reason you were saddened and how you handled that?
The most important question of the moment:
How is it possible that here in front of me the person I love the most in this world is dying?
The person is strong but nothing can be done. How is it possible?
I was fighting for his life, for his health, and in the end I realized that I cannot fight that battle.
He had to do it himself... if he wanted to.
That always has to come from inside a person and not from outside.
And to understand that I had to meditate.
In my life, I have gone through many stages
and I’ve explored various meditations and practices from diverse cultures.
Always searching, searching, searching how.
Like rivers full of water are going to fill the ocean,
so whatever is given here, for the benefit of the deceased.
When my mother passed away, I don't know if it was the great pain I felt
that made me feel her presence next to me,
and that I saw her so much... you know what I mean?
When I went for a walk, I felt his presence at my side.
Yes, there are many stories
on these natural, mind-to-mind experiences.
These messages are a kind of signal that may appear.
We can do meritorious deeds on their behalf.
Participating in doing this gives us good karmic energy.
Now I am going to give you a blessing.
Glory to him who is sublime, holy, fully awake.
Such, indeed, is the Kindly One: The Worthy One, fully enlightened,
endowed with clear vision and virtuous conduct...
Bhante takes me to witness a Buddhist burial
to see death up close at the home of a priest whose father has passed away.
People attending the funeral perform a ceremony in his honour.
They relate with great pride the good deeds that the deceased performed in his or her life.
They’re happy he will be reincarnated in another, better world, due to his good karma.
According to their belief, at the last moment before we die,
we all get the memories of what we’ve done in this life
and in that instant it will be decided in which world we’ll be reincarnated:
in heaven with the divinities or in Brahma, a higher and happier state with many virtues.
The goal of a Buddhist is to attain Nirvana,
the enlightenment, the sublime state of absolute peace,
never to return to this material world.
[Monk chants the qualities of the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha].
My partner has helped me a lot because she has accepted it, even with joy.
I’m really grateful to my children and to Petra.
for having allowed me to embark on this journey.
What is the relationship like now?
The relationship is excellent.
I turned 60 last month and my children gave me a trip to Spain for 5 days.
I was very surprised, and they told me: don't even think you're going without us.
That’s great, because they both live at least 300 km away from home.
and the fact that they come with... dad.
I have decided to exhume the body of my parents in the company of Bhante Anuruddha,
and take them to the village where they were born
to give them the last farewell in the company of their brothers and sisters.
I have just had the cremation of my father and mother as I will take them with me to Switzerland.
I also brought them here. This morning I took them to mass
and now we're going to have this ceremony, also for Consuelo, for Juan Pablo, for Diana...
17 years ago, on the day of my mother's death, I had to travel to Colombia unexpectedly,
without being able to organise a ceremony as I would have liked.
Today it has been possible to perform this ceremony in the company of Bhante Anuruddha and my relatives.
Finally I find peace and can let my mother go.
I feel my father's presence reflected in Bhante Anuruddha. 514 00:59:08 I came to yoga because of problems with my back. 515 00:59:18 Then step by step I started practising different meditation techniques. 516 00:59:27 I've seen teachers from different parts of the world 517 00:59:34 but most of them were teaching (yoga) with ancient techniques. 518 00:59:44 Traditional meditation request to sit upright and concentrate, 519 00:59:53 to avoid your thoughts... 520 00:59:57 For us Europeans who never had any practise in it, 521 01:00:04 we don't sit meditating for hours.
Feel your whole body, from top to bottom.
The body never lies. 524 01:00:23 Then I met my teacher, Artem Derevydanko, 525 01:00:28 who opened for me the door to very deep meditation techniques 526 01:00:35 and we do it almost the opposite: 527 01:00:43 We do not sit up straight. 528 01:00:46 We do not stand still. 529 01:00:49 The goal is to reconnect with yourself 530 01:00:53 and really to meet with yourself. 531 01:01:00 When you look at your body, 532 01:01:03 Which part of your body do you focus on the most? 533 01:01:09 My feet. They are warm and tingling. 534 01:01:16 I love to see how people change. 535 01:01:22 I would say that after a year, you would see a completely different person here. 536 01:01:30 I've always found it difficult to concentrate in an uncomfortable position. 537 01:01:35 And you told me not to concentrate, but to let it flow, and that helped me a lot today. 538 01:01:40 That was a good approach for me, and I think that I can get further in this way. 539 01:01:46 Great, thank you very much.
When we understand or recognise,
and you really become aware of what has happened
then we experience a recovery process.
My father always criticised me for following this path.
He said it had no solid foundation.
This made me seek out, in my learning process,
many sources from different cultures, from Indigenous healers,
to esoteric masters, to Afro-Cuban Santeria traditions.
Until I traveled to Cuba and there I met Frank Cabrera Suárez
with an ancestral lineage of early slaves brought from Africa
and from this cradle Santeria spread throughout the Americas.
He became my master.
After spending several days with Bhante Anuruddha meditating,
immersed in silence and studying the dharma,
I began to see my father's figure everywhere in him.
Old memories of my childhood came to my mind
of the violent environment in which I grew up.
Sadness was a part of me, feeling a deep sorrow, for having chosen my gifts as a livelihood
Perhaps that is why I always looked for teachers,
and in each one of them I discovered a particular quality that made them similar to my father.
It may be that, without doing all the work of a search, those years before I found my teacher,
I wouldn't have recognised him when I found him.
I was walking, walking, walking and at the end I came to a garden where there were fruits.
I hope that the people who have accompanied me in this process
will be able to recognise the origin and cause of their suffering.
That they learn from every situation, no matter how negative it may seem,
and that these events do not stop them in their evolutionary process.
On the contrary, may it allow them to open new doors.
All human beings are destined to suffer in one way or another.
Today a new dawn begins in my life. I have awakened.
I love Buddhism and all its philosophy. Thanks to it I feel free today,
without abandoning my beliefs, I abide by and give relevance to its philosophy and practice.