Aghori sadhus

misecmisc1

hi all,

on internet, i saw this small video https://youtube.com/watch?v=GEpJdHS1pV0 on Aghori sadhus. may be you all know about Aghori sadhus, but if not, then it may be interesting for you all to know about them.

one thing which i like about in it is - no discrimination between clean and unclean - may be this might be similar to the teaching on no like and no dislike.

lobster

Tee Hee,

The aghori are my favourite sadhus. Some of the practices are still found in Tantric Buddhism and spending time with dead and decaying bodies is still done by some Sangha monastics. These practices are extreme and can not be performed without supervision as they can be very dangerous to ones mental well being. In one sense aghori are crazy. In another they are an extreme path of breaking through. Animal sacrifice, cannabalism, intoxication and other extreme behavour is certainly not the simplest way. In many parts of the world it is illegal and very naughty anyhow ...
http://articles.theflowerraj.org/india/indian-culture/article_1.html

Tsk, tsk, seduced by the Dark Side of the Force you are @misecmisc1?
http://www.berzinarchives.com/web/en/archives/approaching_buddhism/teachers/tsenzhab_serkong_rinpoche/a_portrait_of_tsenzhab_serkong_rinpoche/part_2.html

As somone who practices the dark arts (one of my hobbies) I am only too aware of the requirements of the Middle Way. Balancing and earthed/grounded behaviour is fundamental, otherwise one can end up clinical.

Steve_B

I made through about a minute of that video. It appears to be a sensationalized depiction of cannibalism rituals practiced my a Hindu sect.

Are there any parts of it in later sections that have anything at all to do with Buddhism?

misecmisc1

@Steve_B said:
I made through about a minute of that video. It appears to be a sensationalized depiction of cannibalism rituals practiced my a Hindu sect.

an example above of a little information is dangerous.

Are there any parts of it in later sections that have anything at all to do with Buddhism?

not with Buddhism, but with spirituality. so if the watching is intended to view things, which might be copyrighted by Buddhism only and not regarding how spirituality is practiced by some other group of people, then viewing the above video might not be helpful.

but in a dharma talk given by a teacher on Tonglen practice, i heard about Tantra being mentioned in the talk. so i think Tantra may have become a part in some form of Buddhism, may be Tibetian Buddhism, but i am not sure about it. but the idea was not regarding Tantric practices of Hinduism, but the view these persons are having about nothing as holy and nothing as unholy, but every thing as sacred. this might help in no like, no dislike mode.

Cinorjer

Interesting. I hadn't been aware of this little sect before this.

While anything involving death and cannibalistic rites fascinates us, I had to go to our old standby wiki to find out they are a small group of ascetic Shiva worshipers who intentionally break social norms in order to eliminate their power over them. So they hang out in cremation grounds and play around with dead body parts to eliminate the fear of death, practice certain sexual customs to eliminate desire, etc. In such a heavy caste-worshiping culture, they must be considered unclean in the worst sort of way.

But according to the article, they're popular for ridding houses of evil spirits and ghosts, that sort of thing.

federica

You seem to spend an awful lot of time on your computer @misecmisc1 ... first facebook, for all those glowing and ego-boosting 'likes'.... now youtube, trawling obscure and at times quite ludicrous links to short films which have little or nothing to do with Buddhism...

Tell me - how's your actual PRACTICE coming along...?

mmo

Hmm. This might be useful for me. Watching Aghori sadhus regularly will probably help me reach my goal of becoming a vegetarian. I don't eat red meats, but still eat occasional fish and chicken.

DairyLama

Vinaya rule #639: "Don't eat brains."