Saturday, June 20, 2015
San Jose Reflection-Japan Town
After one week intensive training of computational chemistry, I am now waiting for a flight at San Jose airport. Besides professional materials that I have learned, I also witnessed many other things which I will write as part of my reflection.
Here is reflection #1. History of Japan Town T San Jose.
Japan Town in San Jose had a history more than 100 years. Japanese immigrants replaced Chinese labors (for railroad constructions as well as other western frontier development projects) in 1888 as the Congress enacted a law to prohibit hiring of Chinese labors. Chinese labors were initially imported to work on many dangerous railroad construction projects. However, as Chinese populations exploded, the white settlers felt Chinese as a threat. The 1888 law reflected the fear and the distrust of white settlers on Chinese.
The Japanese were not treated as nicely as the white settlers promised. Initially, only Japanese men were allowed to immigrated, hoping without Japanese women to marry, those Japanese men would eventually die out and would not present a threat to White settlers. That idea did not completely work out as Japanese men can always find Chinese women, or American Indian women to marry. As a result, the Congress gave up that idea and allowed Japanese women to immigrate in U.S. After the Pearl Harbor was bombed, the Japanese American were evicted from their home and were sent to a concentration camp to endure hardship.
Those are the history reflecting human's fundamental fault: fear and suspicion. I hope all of us will learn this part of the history, learning about mindfulness to have a peace on Earth forever.
Saturday, June 13, 2015
Young man, you should get married
"Young man, you should get married."
This is the advice Socrates gave to his student who asked the teacher if he should get married. Here is the story behind that advice.
This was a typical gathering in which crowds of his students jammed inside Socrates' tiny house. The crowds were enthusiastic and participative. The discussions, arguments, and debate got louder and louder.
Meanwhile, Socrates' wife was working on the chores in the kitchen. She was annoyed and displeased.
She took a bucket of water, walked quietly behind her husband's back and poured the water onto her husband's head.
The crowds were stunned and suddenly went into silence.
Socrates broke the silence and answer the question a young man asked him before.
Socrates said,
"Young man, you should get married. If you have a good marriage, you will be happy."
"If not, you become a philosopher." Socrates continued.
This is the advice Socrates gave to his student who asked the teacher if he should get married. Here is the story behind that advice.
This was a typical gathering in which crowds of his students jammed inside Socrates' tiny house. The crowds were enthusiastic and participative. The discussions, arguments, and debate got louder and louder.
Meanwhile, Socrates' wife was working on the chores in the kitchen. She was annoyed and displeased.
She took a bucket of water, walked quietly behind her husband's back and poured the water onto her husband's head.
The crowds were stunned and suddenly went into silence.
Socrates broke the silence and answer the question a young man asked him before.
Socrates said,
"Young man, you should get married. If you have a good marriage, you will be happy."
"If not, you become a philosopher." Socrates continued.
Sunday, May 24, 2015
Self Love by David Hamilton
The following stories were from David Hamilton, one of the Hay House Summit speakers. David is a Ph.D in organic chemistry. He is speaking about 'Self-Love'
I grew up in Scotland working family. We were poor. One night, while I was going to sleep, I overheard that my mom was weeping and begging my dad to buy Christmas presents for me and for my sister. That night, I also wept, partially felt empathy to my mom; partially felt guilty because my mom spent all her money for the family while I spent all the money for myself.
When the school field trip came (in 1976), and all students needed to bring 5 cents to school for a bus ride, I did not ask my mom to give me money.
I was reprimand by the teacher for not bringing 5 cents to school. The teacher said to the class asking all other students to come forward to receive a yellow badge except me. The teacher said that David Hamilton was not good enough.
As a school child, I did not understand the complexity of the adult decision. To me, the yellow badge was a sign of belonging; and I did not belong.
Before the incidence, I was who I was. I had no problem of self-love. After the incidence, I became overly concerned what I have. Because 'What I have' can come and go, I never felt 'self-love' for myself. I am sure, most people feel the same. When we identify ourselves as what we have, we never feel 'self-love' for ourselves. Unfortunately, we have been per-programmed one way or another by our environment, teachers, peers, siblings, and parents.
Thus, to get out this trap for 'self-love' is to mentally believe ourselves that we have enough and we are enough.
Standing tall and having the confidence is relevant to self-love and is important for a life transformation. Harvard had a clinical studies which consisted two groups of volunteer: One group was instructed to stand like a 'Wonder Woman'; while the other group volunteers were instructed to have a weak pose. After 15 minutes, saliva samples were taken from each volunteer and hormone levels were analyzed. Those volunteers with a confidence pose had higher level of dopamine. Thus, a mental attitude of confidence even a fake one is useful.
Being authentic and show our vulnerability are often considered as a no-no in our society especially for men, is contrary useful to help us connect with other human beings I learn this hard lesson from fearing about losing my faithful companion, my dog, Oscar One day, my 12-year old dog, Oscar, was diagnosed as having a terminal cancer. I was devastated so was my partner, Elizabeth. However, since I grew up in Scotland, and Scottish men never cry, I never showed up my emotion in public. Quite contrary, Elizabeth, freely expressed her emotion. I observed that people had more connections and empathy with her than with me. A week later, I visited my mom and my dad. I broke up into tears telling my fear of losing a faithful companion. My mom hugged me. My dad did not say anything; however, he opened the door for me, a gesture of kindness, when I was about to leave. My dad never did that before. The message I would like to convey is that showing vulnerability and being authentic helps us to connect and to love ourselves.
Saturday, May 23, 2015
Prayer, Dreams, and Healing
The following are summaries from the audio tape of Hay House 2015 Summit experts--Larry Dossey, David Hawkins, and Wayne Dyer. I add my comments at the end of the summary
Larry Dossey, David Hawkins, and Wayne Dyer.
Both Dossey and Hawkins are medical doctors who believe spirituality is an important part of being healthy. Dyer is a psychology doctor.
Dossey: Being trained as a medical doctor, initially, I was very skeptical about the effectiveness of prayer in healing. I thought those practices were simply just waste of time. This view changed when I began to review clinical data.
The first clinical studies I am aware of was 1988 clinical trial conducted at San Francisco General Hospital. The results were stunning. After that, there were 143 clinical trials conducted world-wide. The positive effects of prayer are beyond doubt.
The reason that prayer works, according to my (Dossey) interpretation is that within each of us, there is the Universe (God) or Soul. When we have a connection through this Universe, the Universe heals us. Prayer is a way to connect through this Universe (one mind).
Each day, when we go to sleep, our Universe detaches our body. This Universe is not confined to our 3-dimensional world. The detached Universe could meet our ancestors in our dreams. Often these dreams can be very revealing for our present 3-dimensional world. Clinically, a radiologist told me that a woman patient visited his office and told the radiologist that in her dream, her ancestor told her in her dream that she had a tumor in her breast at a certain location. A mammogram was conducted and revealed nothing. However, the woman insisted to have a biopsy done on her breast cell. Surely, the biopsy revealed she did have a tumor at the exact location that her ancestors revealed to her in her dream.
Dyer: The prayer works in my case of leukemia. I had leukemia several years ago. A Peru healer promised me through his prayer remotely from Peru. Surely, my leukemia was healed through his prayer and some other things. (Note from Chen: I am still skeptical about this statement. This seems to be too good to be true. I do need to verify this statement by conducting more research. Whether I miss-understand Wayne's disclosure, or are there other things I had missed.)
Hawkins: Each entity in Universe has an energy; with the energy scale of 100 for body (Note from Chen: any object with a positive absolute temperature will emit light or energy. In physics, this is called the black-body readiation.). The mind (our per-programmed subconscious mind) has an energy scale of 400. It over-powers our body. Thus, our body seeks expressions of our subconscious mind. Clinically, one can see subjects can become allergic to whatever objects simply by making suggestions during a hypnotic state. In kinesiology, a patient can suddenly lose muscle strength simply by engaging in negative emotion or thought. Thus, healing an illness cannot be successful without re-programming a patient’s subconscious.
Chen:
About re-programming subconscious mind
Subconscious mind is stubbornly difficult to change. Subconscious mind is useful; it allows us to walk, to bike, to drive, to eat which we do every day without giving a second thought. However, per-programed subconscious also prompts us to react with negative emotion when someone is pushing our button. Re-programming can succeed through affirmation, meditation. If we engage our thought in consciousness by paying attention to the present moment, we can detach ourselves from reacting emotionally when someone is pushing the button on us.
About subconscious, conscious, and vibration
Since each entity is an energy entity, it can be expressed as a wave with a frequencies. The body has low energy, thus a low frequency. On the other hand, the mind has a higher energy, it has a higher frequency. The wave has not only the frequency but also phase. A positive emotion is often associated with a wave in phase (or in sync) with our body energy. It therefore contributes well-beings and good health. On the contrary, a negative emotion is out-of-phase with the wave from our body energy. Negative emotions lead to illness. Mindfulness, and active conscious mind can gear us to engage in-phase mind-body connection.
About Law of Attraction, Honey-Moon Effects, and Relationship
When two persons engage each other with in-phase energy (vibration), their waves reinforce each other. Their energies amplifies. They attract each other to create a synergistic effect for emotional and healthy well-beings. The opposite of this synergism is that when two persons with out-of-phase energy waves (vibration), two waves cancel each other creating pains in both persons.
When two persons engage each other, and if each person allows his or her partner to push their buttons so that their subconscious minds respond each other. These responses are often out-of-phase interference of two energy waves (vibration) and therefore pains and suffering for each person.
On the other hand, if each person engages his or her conscious mind by listening mindfully, such out-of-phase interference can be avoided because our conscious mind can often gear us to create resonance of two waves. This is so-called the honey-moon effect on the relationship.
Larry Dossey, David Hawkins, and Wayne Dyer.
Both Dossey and Hawkins are medical doctors who believe spirituality is an important part of being healthy. Dyer is a psychology doctor.
Dossey: Being trained as a medical doctor, initially, I was very skeptical about the effectiveness of prayer in healing. I thought those practices were simply just waste of time. This view changed when I began to review clinical data.
The first clinical studies I am aware of was 1988 clinical trial conducted at San Francisco General Hospital. The results were stunning. After that, there were 143 clinical trials conducted world-wide. The positive effects of prayer are beyond doubt.
The reason that prayer works, according to my (Dossey) interpretation is that within each of us, there is the Universe (God) or Soul. When we have a connection through this Universe, the Universe heals us. Prayer is a way to connect through this Universe (one mind).
Each day, when we go to sleep, our Universe detaches our body. This Universe is not confined to our 3-dimensional world. The detached Universe could meet our ancestors in our dreams. Often these dreams can be very revealing for our present 3-dimensional world. Clinically, a radiologist told me that a woman patient visited his office and told the radiologist that in her dream, her ancestor told her in her dream that she had a tumor in her breast at a certain location. A mammogram was conducted and revealed nothing. However, the woman insisted to have a biopsy done on her breast cell. Surely, the biopsy revealed she did have a tumor at the exact location that her ancestors revealed to her in her dream.
Dyer: The prayer works in my case of leukemia. I had leukemia several years ago. A Peru healer promised me through his prayer remotely from Peru. Surely, my leukemia was healed through his prayer and some other things. (Note from Chen: I am still skeptical about this statement. This seems to be too good to be true. I do need to verify this statement by conducting more research. Whether I miss-understand Wayne's disclosure, or are there other things I had missed.)
Hawkins: Each entity in Universe has an energy; with the energy scale of 100 for body (Note from Chen: any object with a positive absolute temperature will emit light or energy. In physics, this is called the black-body readiation.). The mind (our per-programmed subconscious mind) has an energy scale of 400. It over-powers our body. Thus, our body seeks expressions of our subconscious mind. Clinically, one can see subjects can become allergic to whatever objects simply by making suggestions during a hypnotic state. In kinesiology, a patient can suddenly lose muscle strength simply by engaging in negative emotion or thought. Thus, healing an illness cannot be successful without re-programming a patient’s subconscious.
Chen:
About re-programming subconscious mind
Subconscious mind is stubbornly difficult to change. Subconscious mind is useful; it allows us to walk, to bike, to drive, to eat which we do every day without giving a second thought. However, per-programed subconscious also prompts us to react with negative emotion when someone is pushing our button. Re-programming can succeed through affirmation, meditation. If we engage our thought in consciousness by paying attention to the present moment, we can detach ourselves from reacting emotionally when someone is pushing the button on us.
About subconscious, conscious, and vibration
Since each entity is an energy entity, it can be expressed as a wave with a frequencies. The body has low energy, thus a low frequency. On the other hand, the mind has a higher energy, it has a higher frequency. The wave has not only the frequency but also phase. A positive emotion is often associated with a wave in phase (or in sync) with our body energy. It therefore contributes well-beings and good health. On the contrary, a negative emotion is out-of-phase with the wave from our body energy. Negative emotions lead to illness. Mindfulness, and active conscious mind can gear us to engage in-phase mind-body connection.
About Law of Attraction, Honey-Moon Effects, and Relationship
When two persons engage each other with in-phase energy (vibration), their waves reinforce each other. Their energies amplifies. They attract each other to create a synergistic effect for emotional and healthy well-beings. The opposite of this synergism is that when two persons with out-of-phase energy waves (vibration), two waves cancel each other creating pains in both persons.
When two persons engage each other, and if each person allows his or her partner to push their buttons so that their subconscious minds respond each other. These responses are often out-of-phase interference of two energy waves (vibration) and therefore pains and suffering for each person.
On the other hand, if each person engages his or her conscious mind by listening mindfully, such out-of-phase interference can be avoided because our conscious mind can often gear us to create resonance of two waves. This is so-called the honey-moon effect on the relationship.
Thursday, May 21, 2015
Expanse Consciousness
The following story is from Lisa Garr about her near-death Expanse Consciousness experience.
I am an enthusiastic mountain bike riders. In fact, I met my husband in a mountain bike race. We dated for a while then we broke up. However, since we both were enthusiastic mountain bikers, and when we knew that there was a race in Los Angelas of one summer, we decided to race together.
The day of the race was very hot. It was about 90 F in the morning. The bike route was very treacherous and challenging with many hills and ravines.
I was at a top of the hill and saw a woman biker ahead of me on the down slope. I knew I could overtake her with my downhill biking techniques which I have learned over many years. But that was the last thing I was aware of.
Suddenly, I saw myself floating around in a cloud and saw my bike tumbling all the ways down to the bottom of the ravine. I saw a group of emergency medics rushed down to the injured biker--my body; Floating in a cloud, I was wondering what was going on. At that time, I (my soul) felt no pain, but I was fully aware of everything happening to my body and all the conversation of those medics around my body. I saw John (my ex-boy friend) rushed to my side trying to work on my breadth and heart beat. I also felt I shot out a bright light to John (Later, John and I are married. It turns out the most fantastic and wonderful marriage for both of us.)
In the end, a helicopter lifted me up to a hospital where they found I had a severe brain damage that has impaired my short term memory. I had gone through many sessions of therapy to gradually regain my memory.
In summary, I had a near-death experience. In that experience, my soul had detached from my body and I was in an expanse conscious state.
Later, as I was studying psychology, I found that there were already many documented near-death and expanse-conscious cases. What I also found out we do not need to go through such 'near-death' experience to reach such expanse consciousness state. Athletes when they reach 'zone states', they had reached a state of expanse conscious. Monks who meditate can also reach such a zone state of expanse consciousness with meditation.
I am an enthusiastic mountain bike riders. In fact, I met my husband in a mountain bike race. We dated for a while then we broke up. However, since we both were enthusiastic mountain bikers, and when we knew that there was a race in Los Angelas of one summer, we decided to race together.
The day of the race was very hot. It was about 90 F in the morning. The bike route was very treacherous and challenging with many hills and ravines.
I was at a top of the hill and saw a woman biker ahead of me on the down slope. I knew I could overtake her with my downhill biking techniques which I have learned over many years. But that was the last thing I was aware of.
Suddenly, I saw myself floating around in a cloud and saw my bike tumbling all the ways down to the bottom of the ravine. I saw a group of emergency medics rushed down to the injured biker--my body; Floating in a cloud, I was wondering what was going on. At that time, I (my soul) felt no pain, but I was fully aware of everything happening to my body and all the conversation of those medics around my body. I saw John (my ex-boy friend) rushed to my side trying to work on my breadth and heart beat. I also felt I shot out a bright light to John (Later, John and I are married. It turns out the most fantastic and wonderful marriage for both of us.)
In the end, a helicopter lifted me up to a hospital where they found I had a severe brain damage that has impaired my short term memory. I had gone through many sessions of therapy to gradually regain my memory.
In summary, I had a near-death experience. In that experience, my soul had detached from my body and I was in an expanse conscious state.
Later, as I was studying psychology, I found that there were already many documented near-death and expanse-conscious cases. What I also found out we do not need to go through such 'near-death' experience to reach such expanse consciousness state. Athletes when they reach 'zone states', they had reached a state of expanse conscious. Monks who meditate can also reach such a zone state of expanse consciousness with meditation.
My Kindness Journey
The following essay is a testimony of Michael Chase kindness journey. Michael Chase is one of the speakers of the Hay House Summit, 2015.
When I was young, my dad did not treat me well. After I grew up, my dad and I are always at odd. Even he lived only an hour from my house, we did not see each other often. Occasionally, we got together. The awkward situation did not change.
One day, he came to my house, speaking in a hurry tone.
"Mike, this is a legal document that authorizes you to pull the plug for the life support system when I am at emergency situation. Can you look over the document and sign the document?"
I felt dad was pushing my button again because my son was also present at the moment.
"Dad, let us not talk about this, especially when Jeff (my son) is around"
Despite a thorny relation between me and my dad, my son, Jeff, had wonderful relationship with my dad. Jeff was excited to see his grandpa visiting us.
"Dad, can grandpa stay with us tonight?" Jeff begged.
I was quiet, and did not say a word. Dad saw my uneasiness, and made an excuse not to stay.
"Thank you, Jeff. But grandpa needs to go. I have many other things to take care."
This is not true; because I know dad already retired. He would stay overnight with Jeff if I would open my heart.
I saw dad left with a body language of sadness and being deserted. Deep in my heart, I would have to rush to him to ask him to stay. But my head said that I would not like 'this jerk' to stay inside of my house.
Three weeks later, a door bell rings in middle of night. A state trooper came him and deliver a bad news about my dad.
"I am sorry to tell you that your dad had committed suicide"
I was stone-shocked. My resentment to dad had led me to very unkind to dad. From that moment, I told my wife that I will devote the rest of my life to kindness.
When I was young, my dad did not treat me well. After I grew up, my dad and I are always at odd. Even he lived only an hour from my house, we did not see each other often. Occasionally, we got together. The awkward situation did not change.
One day, he came to my house, speaking in a hurry tone.
"Mike, this is a legal document that authorizes you to pull the plug for the life support system when I am at emergency situation. Can you look over the document and sign the document?"
I felt dad was pushing my button again because my son was also present at the moment.
"Dad, let us not talk about this, especially when Jeff (my son) is around"
Despite a thorny relation between me and my dad, my son, Jeff, had wonderful relationship with my dad. Jeff was excited to see his grandpa visiting us.
"Dad, can grandpa stay with us tonight?" Jeff begged.
I was quiet, and did not say a word. Dad saw my uneasiness, and made an excuse not to stay.
"Thank you, Jeff. But grandpa needs to go. I have many other things to take care."
This is not true; because I know dad already retired. He would stay overnight with Jeff if I would open my heart.
I saw dad left with a body language of sadness and being deserted. Deep in my heart, I would have to rush to him to ask him to stay. But my head said that I would not like 'this jerk' to stay inside of my house.
Three weeks later, a door bell rings in middle of night. A state trooper came him and deliver a bad news about my dad.
"I am sorry to tell you that your dad had committed suicide"
I was stone-shocked. My resentment to dad had led me to very unkind to dad. From that moment, I told my wife that I will devote the rest of my life to kindness.
Friday, January 30, 2015
When Pope Committed a Cardinal Sin, Helping Pope is Also a Sin
Excerpt from Dante's "The Divine Comedy".
As Dante and The Poet Virgil descended into Inferno 27, The Circle 8 of the Hell, where the sinners were tormented by locking their heads inside the holes of rocks, a familiar voice of Italian tone coming out the Inferno.
Torment of sinners at Inferno #27.
"I was a man of arms, and then I was a cordelier," trusting, thus girt, to make amends; and surely my trust had come full but for the Great Priest, whom ill befall! who set me back into my first sins; and how and where fore, I will that thou hear from me. While I was that shape of bone and flesh which my mother gave me, my works were not leonine, but of the fox. All wily practices and covert ways I knew, and I so plied their art that the sound went forth to the end of the earth. When I saw me arrived at that part of my age where every one ought to strike the sails and coil up the ropes, what before was pleasing to me then was irksome to me, and I yielded me repentant and confessed. Ah wretched, alas! and it would have avail . " The Prince of the new Pharisees having -war near the Lateran,'-and not with Saracens nor with Jews, for every enemy of his was Christian, and not one of them had been to conquer Acre, or a trafficker in the land of the Soldan,-regarded in himself neither his supreme office, nor his Holy Orders, nor in me that cord which was wont to make those girt with it more lean; but as Constantine besought Sylvester within Soracte to cure his leprosy,' so this one besought me as master to cure the fever of his pride. He asked counsel of me, and I kept silence, because his words seemed drunken. And then he said to me: 'Let not thy heart mistrust; from tills time forward I ab solve thee, and do thou teach me to ac·t so that I may throw Palestrina to the ground. I can lock and unlock Heaven, as thou knowest; wherefor the keys are two, which my predecessor held not ..." Canto 27
Guido da Montefeltro, the military strategist who helped Pope sack the Colonna family, thus also committed a cardinal sin.
The voice came from Guido (c. 1220-98), a military strategist who had led many victories for the ghibelline (pro-emperor party and army) military campaigns in central Italy. In the 1270s and the early 1280s he scored decisive victories over guelph and papal forces before suffering defeat in 1283 at Forlí (in Romagna). Excommunicated, he later captained the forces of the Pisan ghibellines against Florence (1288-92); in 1296 Pope Boniface VIII rescinded the excommunication as part of a political strategy to remove the dangerous Guido from the scene. Guido later retired and became a Franciscan friar hopping that he would relieve all his sins against the church in his earlier career. Pope told Guido that he (The Pope) could pardon Guido's sin if Guido could help Pope a military campaign against the Colonna family to whom the Pope had already made a promise of amnesty. Pope Boniface did not keep his promise; with Guido's help, the Pope sacked his enemy and killed all members of the Colonna family. Because of this, Dante condemned both the Pope and Guido to Inferno 27.
Pope Bontiface committed a cardinal sin by breaking his promise of amnesty and sacked his enemy, the Colonna family. Dante also condemned the Pope to Inferno #27.
Dante's writing on this part had a great influence on Protestant Reformation movement. It inspired Martin Luther (1483-1546) to reject teaching and practice of Roman Cathodic Church that freedom from punishment because of sin could be purchased with money; or could be redeemed by serving the Pope for the wrong cause.
Martin Luther (1483-1546) influenced by Dante's writing, started a church reform movement in the 16th century. The Europe began the Renaissance since the movement.
As Dante and The Poet Virgil descended into Inferno 27, The Circle 8 of the Hell, where the sinners were tormented by locking their heads inside the holes of rocks, a familiar voice of Italian tone coming out the Inferno.
"I was a man of arms, and then I was a cordelier," trusting, thus girt, to make amends; and surely my trust had come full but for the Great Priest, whom ill befall! who set me back into my first sins; and how and where fore, I will that thou hear from me. While I was that shape of bone and flesh which my mother gave me, my works were not leonine, but of the fox. All wily practices and covert ways I knew, and I so plied their art that the sound went forth to the end of the earth. When I saw me arrived at that part of my age where every one ought to strike the sails and coil up the ropes, what before was pleasing to me then was irksome to me, and I yielded me repentant and confessed. Ah wretched, alas! and it would have avail . " The Prince of the new Pharisees having -war near the Lateran,'-and not with Saracens nor with Jews, for every enemy of his was Christian, and not one of them had been to conquer Acre, or a trafficker in the land of the Soldan,-regarded in himself neither his supreme office, nor his Holy Orders, nor in me that cord which was wont to make those girt with it more lean; but as Constantine besought Sylvester within Soracte to cure his leprosy,' so this one besought me as master to cure the fever of his pride. He asked counsel of me, and I kept silence, because his words seemed drunken. And then he said to me: 'Let not thy heart mistrust; from tills time forward I ab solve thee, and do thou teach me to ac·t so that I may throw Palestrina to the ground. I can lock and unlock Heaven, as thou knowest; wherefor the keys are two, which my predecessor held not ..." Canto 27
Guido da Montefeltro, the military strategist who helped Pope sack the Colonna family, thus also committed a cardinal sin.
The voice came from Guido (c. 1220-98), a military strategist who had led many victories for the ghibelline (pro-emperor party and army) military campaigns in central Italy. In the 1270s and the early 1280s he scored decisive victories over guelph and papal forces before suffering defeat in 1283 at Forlí (in Romagna). Excommunicated, he later captained the forces of the Pisan ghibellines against Florence (1288-92); in 1296 Pope Boniface VIII rescinded the excommunication as part of a political strategy to remove the dangerous Guido from the scene. Guido later retired and became a Franciscan friar hopping that he would relieve all his sins against the church in his earlier career. Pope told Guido that he (The Pope) could pardon Guido's sin if Guido could help Pope a military campaign against the Colonna family to whom the Pope had already made a promise of amnesty. Pope Boniface did not keep his promise; with Guido's help, the Pope sacked his enemy and killed all members of the Colonna family. Because of this, Dante condemned both the Pope and Guido to Inferno 27.
Dante's writing on this part had a great influence on Protestant Reformation movement. It inspired Martin Luther (1483-1546) to reject teaching and practice of Roman Cathodic Church that freedom from punishment because of sin could be purchased with money; or could be redeemed by serving the Pope for the wrong cause.
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