Jodistrict

And his millions of followers convince him that he is right. It is one hell of a trap to get out of.

It depends on the person, Russell Brand needs suffering to wake him up. But it is up to him. He could end up doubling down.

For me the only reason is a path to direct experience.

As stated in the Four Noble Truths, the Buddha taught a method to end suffering, focusing like a laser beam on this single issue. He avoided unproductive discussions of metaphysics, a stance illustrated in the famous Parable of the Poisoned Arrow. In this story, the Buddha compared metaphysical speculation to a man shot by a poisoned arrow who refuses treatment until he knows the archer's name, caste, and village. Thus, the Buddha maintained that belief in a creator God is not necessary for liberation, offering instead a path emphasizing total personal responsibility to liberate oneself.

In Hinduism, the view supports a particular practice for self-realization. The view of Vedanta supports a renunciation practice. Tantra supports living in the world. Thus, all views are valid. Pantanjali’s Yoga Sutras is dualistic, but if you read the entire sutras you will discover that it leads to non duality.

The judge went over the top with his eloquent speech. Precise and clear, the opposite of Brand’s word salad. He is Sir Joel Bennathan - knighted by the Queen in July 2023. In the trial, he dotted every i and crossed every t. I don’t see an appeal’s court overturning his decision. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joel_Bennathan

This is a cultural thing. There are other cultures that don't mak a big deal out of age. My ex-wife is 20 years younger than me.

"Watch this powerful documentary, Meditation in Progress: The Dhamma Brothers, showcasing the impact of Vipassana meditation on inmates in an Alabama prison. See how meditation transforms their lives, providing a rare look into the challenges faced by the inmates."

This is the text of the “Soldier’s Declaration”, written in 1917 by Siegried Sassoon, who had distinguished himself for bravery in combat in World War I . “I am making this statement as an act of wilful defiance of military authority, because I believe that the war is being deliberately prolonged by those who have the power to end it. I am a soldier, convinced that I am acting on behalf of soldiers. I believe that this war, upon which I entered as a war of defence and liberation, has now become a war of aggression and conquest. . . . I have seen and endured the sufferings of the troops, and I can no longer be a party to prolong these sufferings for ends which I believe to be evil and unjust.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegfried_Sassoon

One thing to keep in mind is that at that time there was no such thing as a “world” war. They had no idea what they were getting into. It was a militaristic culture and it was assumed there would be a conventional war that would be resolved. Technology had created an integrated world that created unknown consequences.

This is a big difference in actual practice. For example, Vedanta (and Buddhism) are both body negative. In Buddhism there are meditations to contemplate how disgusting the body is. Tantra is body positive, everything about the body is divine.

He will be housed long-term in a Vulnerable Prisoner Unit (VPU) separated from the main prison population. He will be safe. Boredom will be a problem. The amount of money he can bring into prison is strictly limited. Here is an interesting discussion of Brand’s possible life with input provided by ex cons. https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/1xrz8bo/uk_ex_cons_what_is_russel_brands_prison_sentence/

There is a difference in that the Vedanta view is specifically for renunciates, that is people who renounce the world. Kashmir Shaivism is the path of tantra, as the view of the householder who lives in the world. The tantra path is to regard every experience in the world to reach liberation.

It has nothing to do with his politics, but these conspiracy theories are amazingly affective since there are so many low intelligent people in the world. This is consistent with UK actions, back in 2016, they barred the PUA Rooshv from entering the country. https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/feb/02/50000-sign-petition-to-ban-events-by-pick-up-artist-and-legal-advocate