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Russell Brand Compilation
ThailandTom
Veteran
I know in the US some of you know of this guy, but back in Britain we have known him from when he was a huge drug addict and a new born TV star. This video is a compilation of his ideas and I am inspired personally, he really seems to have changed his life around. What do you guys think?
http://sharepowered.com/a-must-see-russell-brand-destroys-everything-were-being-told/
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Comments
I watched a few minutes as it seemed to be essentially the same thing over and over. My initial take is that he has indeed found a greater purpose for his life but most of what he is saying is parroted spiritual dogma not actual knowledge or experience. I'm glad he is speaking out and shedding light on the things he is though.
A narcissist flogging a few third -hand ideas.
Have you had any original ideas?
I think whatever he is he's clean and sober and a more compassionate, loving human being, which is a step in the right direction.
He's a good product of Narcotics Anonymous I think. A bit weird though.
I think he's quite entertaining in small doses.
Millions maybe billions of people look at celebrities as role models. He is talking about yoga and self evaluation. This is good!
I think the key part of my post is not the originality or lack of.
Neophyte on fire!? Come back down and become intimate with the ordinary...lol ... I should add I think its wonderful when we first make these connections. He seems to be sensing the wonder. Thats great. Of course you can't presume something is there just because to can't perceive it or vice versa for that matter..... Bob
So much doubt and hate, I myself doubt most of you have even watched most of the video. paraphrasing..
'I wear these beads and jeans because I like them, but I see their transient nature and attaching ways'.
He if I recall has ADHD and or something else so is naturally fast and sped up, cant fault him for that yet many of you already have or even on the original comments post. If you watch enough he says that he has been in the showbiz game, and he has, he says they want you to be occupied with Justin Beiber etc, but that is not what is our trug spirituality, we are missing it as a race, is this not an important message
Tom...I have ( along with many Brits ) seen quite enough of Brand to last me several lifetimes.
He is a narcissistic twit who last year phoned an 80 year old man, who did not know that Brand was broadcasting the conversation on air ,to boat about the sexual acts he had committed with the man's grandaughter.
For which he was sacked by the BBC..
This year he is parroting ' eastern ' teachings and lecturing politicos.
Next year it will be something else.
There are many people I might listen to regarding wisdom and principles, etc. Russell Brand is not one of them. I agree very much with Citta.
I would not not listen to him either. I do give him the benefit of the doubt that at least he may be being genuine- maybe he has had an awakening. At one time I myself was a menace to society now I am a useful member of society (pretty much lol!) ....Everything changes. Bob
So, maybe a year ago he was a "twit," and this year he's discovered something to help him with his suffering and on his journey through life... I would never disparage that. I'm quite certain I was a twit just a few years back, heh. Although his intensity sort of reeks of new discovery (is this a bad thing?), I think it's clear that he has actually done a lot of research and doesn't appear to just be a tourist. I don't know why some seem so dismissive of him because he appears to be genuine. You don't need to take him as a teacher in order to respect the man.
We see a LOT of him here.
This might mean that we have grown cynical and that Americans are seeing him with fresh eyes.
Or that we have seen his various hidden shallows..
Time will tell.
Russel Brand is not an unknown in America and has not been for many years. I would say he was probably put on the map for most people in 2008 from the movie Forgetting Sarah Marshall, although I know I'd seen his stand-up prior to that. But regardless, I don't see why any of this matters... Everyone has the capacity to change. He seems to be an intelligent individual, at the very least, and I wish him well. Perhaps you do not believe in Buddha Nature.
"After the original Awesome sound King Thus Come One had passed into extinction, and after his Correct Law had also passed away, in the period of his Counterfeit Law, monks of overbearing arrogance exercised great authority and power. At this time there was a bodhisattva monk named Never Disparaging. Now, Gainer of Great Authority, for what reason was he named Never Disparaging? This monk, whatever persons he happened to meet, whether monks, nuns, Laymen or laywomen, would bow in obeisance to all of them and speak words of praise, saying, 'I have profound reverence for you, I would never dare treat you with disparaging and arrogance. Why? Because you are all practicing the bodhisattva way and are certain to attain Buddhahood.'
Well you are free to deduce that I " don't believe in Buddhanature " on the back of my lack of conviction concerning Mr Brands new found spirituality...
We'll see...
I didn't mean that as a slight. I'm just not sure what branch of Buddhism you practice and I know not all of them believe in Buddha Nature. I also mentioned Buddha Nature because I didn't want you to misinterpret my quote of the LS to infer that Russel Brand is "Bodhisattva Never Disparaging" (or a Bodhisattva at all, I mean... bit early to tell all of that). The point of that chapter is that regardless of how we may perceive others, they all contain the seed of Buddhahood because of Buddha Nature and the proper way to go about things is to treat them as such. Bodhisattva Never Disparaging didn't become a Buddha because of never studying, but simply because he recognized the Buddha Nature in all and paid respect.
Although... I just realized that I accidentally omitted the last chapter, which probably didn't help for clarity. Haha... oops.
"When this monk was on the point of death, he heard up in the sky fully twenty thousand, ten thousand, a million verses of the Lotus Sutra that had been previously preached by the Buddha Awesome Sound King, and he was able to accept and uphold them all. Immediately he gained the kind of purity of vision and purity of the faculties of the ear, nose, tongue, body and mind that have been described above. Having gained this purity of the six faculties, his life span was increased by two hundred ten million nayutas of years, and he went about widely preaching the Lotus Sutra for people.
Because this is a man who -- in a very short period of time -- went from being broke to being worth $15 million...but who is against people making profit.
Because I don't believe in most social structure being socialist, while his lifestyle -- including a new bachelor pad worth $2.2 million -- says just the opposite.
Because a few months of spouting off about caring about society, after at least 14 years of something quite the opposite, doesn't convince me that this is a sincere turn. It may very well be a plan hatched by him and or his financial advisers to take his career off in a new direction.
If he's sincere, he has a whole rest of his life to earn respect. In fact, before one can earn respect, one also needs to learn how to respect others. And he shows little sign of that.
It seems you know a lot more about him than I do, so you all may be right. But regardless, I still hope that he is sincere and wish him well.
Also... P.S. Welcome back @ThailandTom Causing controversy like usual...
I'm not a Russel Brand fan, personally, and the language he uses to describe his philosophy does not speak to me. But hey, that's just little ol' me
Ultimately, only Brand knows if he has reached some sort of awakening or not. We cannot know for him. What we can know are our own steps in awakening and where we are on our own paths.
Regardless of his income, he's a man who knows how to make a splash in the media. If he's preaching love rather than hate it has to be a good thing.
Unless he's doing so "to make a splash in the media". Then the intent is a problem...and how often do people say here on the forum that intent is everything (even though it's not).
Personally I find him to be OTT in his personality and like some have said, in small doses he is fine. But I consider him to be using his status in society for good now, he is spreading a very important message and he obviously has many people who will listen, to me that is something simply great.
@Zombiegirl I never intend to create controversy