Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal: Orgy? Burning Man Journal (Fire Sutra)

Sunday, August 25, 2024

Orgy? Burning Man Journal (Fire Sutra)

What do "Burners" look like up close? It's just mainly West Coast doing white people stuff.

But when we got there, it was fun playing Mad Max: Thunderdome with everyone.

15 lanes? There was an 8-hour traffic jam, but we got a free car wash from all the rain (2022).

No one is forcing you to come inside. Raincoat

From the CEO’s Desk: From the Beach to Black Rock City and the World in 1986, a small group gathered on Baker Beach for the first burn, not yet imagining what would become Black Rock City.

That initial connection sparked a global culture. Now, with Black Rock City just days away, Marian Goodell shares her thoughts. In the spirit of transparency, Burning Man is keeping it real with the Burner global community.

Please don't dial 911 [at our] screams of pleasure
There aren't really sex ORGIES at Burning Man, are there? No, no, well, I mean, I suppose it depends on how you define "orgy." Are there tents with mattresses inside and naked people horsing around in a Bacchic manner? Well, yeah, sometimes. It depends on the attendees. Anyone can have any kind of tent. Come to our ECSTATIC MEDITATION TENT (jhanic-piti) on the Playa by the smoking dragon structure where "No sex, please; we're Ameboids and Gatchularians" is our motto if it's a non-orgy you want. But if it's an orgy of diversion and hedonistic distractions, keep going to the Orgy Dome.
SEX ALERT: "The Orgy Dome"!? (Burning Man)
Burning Man Schedule of Events – BRC 2024
What to wear? Etsy.com has "Burning Man clothing"
Come hear the Buddha's "Fire Sermon" or read it below.*

WARNING: Adults only! Orgy in progress.

In days, there will be a gathering of people in the Black Rock Desert, celebrating and putting into practice a culture of creativity, innovation, and connection.

The Burning Man Project has been supporting and encouraging this Burning Man cultural movement since 1986.

Cheshire Cat, Alice in Wonderland

Burning Man migrated from the beach in San Francisco, to the Nevada desert and then out into the world.

In 2023, 74,000 people came together in Black Rock City and, incredibly, an additional 95,000 people participated in official Burning Man Regional Events (regionals) around the world.

I didn't mean to cling! I was just curious

Specific to Black Rock City this year, we can’t wait for the Curiouser & Curiouser convening. We expect the metropolis to bring together nearly 70,000 participants, including similar levels of first-time Burners on the Playa as in the past.

Those who are new will discover as they acculturate with the Survival Guide what community—at Burning Man events and in the world—is truly all about:

storytelling,
celebration, and
laughter,
informality and care of others,
generosity,
kindness, and
collective effort.

Traffic jam rumors are exaggerated. It only took us 7 hours from Nevada to festival (2023)

This is the temporary "Black Rock City" that Burners pay to park in for a week (NY Post).

Trashy? MOOP ("matter out of place") I was just leaving… no trace (Burning Man)

This is better than Vegas, though more expensive

Let’s remember, we were all newbies once, and with that wide-eyed expression caught up in awe and joy we went on to do more and bigger things. From building a wilderness camping experience in Black Rock City as an experiment in civics to achieving our nonprofit goals, no one said it would be easy.

Tantric sex is better for intimacy in dating.

And the goal remains the same—to make the world better. The key to our collective success is the long-term survival of the Burning Man culture and our continued ability to inspire participation—in Northern Nevada and worldwide.

In this moment of societal division, isolation, and a decline in people connecting, the antidote is more togetherness, mental well-being, and creativity.

*The Buddha's "Fire Sermon"

Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), "Burning" (Aditta Sutra, SN 35.28) from the Connected Discourses on the Six Sense Bases; edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

The Buddha taught: "ALL is burning"!

On one occasion the Buddha was dwelling in Gaya, at Gaya’s Head, together with 1,000 meditators. There he addressed them: “Meditators, all is burning! And what, meditators, is the 'all' that is burning?

“The eye is burning.

“Forms [visual objects] are burning, eye-consciousness is burning, eye-contact is burning, and whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant — that too is burning.

“Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with rebirth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“The ear is burning…
“The nose is burning…
“The tongue is burning...
“The body is burning…
“The mind is burning

Maitreya: What is the "all" that is burning?

and whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant — that, too, is burning.

“Burning with what? Burning with the fire of lust, with the fire of hatred, with the fire of delusion; burning with rebirth, aging, and death; with sorrow, lamentation, pain, displeasure, and despair, I say.

“Seeing thus, meditators, the instructed noble disciple experiences dispassion [disillusionment, revulsion, letting go] towards the eye, towards forms, towards eye-consciousness, towards eye-contact, towards whatever feeling arises with eye-contact as condition — whether pleasant or painful or neither-painful-nor-pleasant...

Bomjon, the Nepalese boy meditator, perhaps practicing tummo, spontaneously catches on fire.

“One experiences revulsion towards the ear…towards the mind…towards whatever feeling arises with mind-contact as condition….

“Experiencing revulsion, one becomes dispassionate. Through dispassion one's mind is liberated.

“When it is liberated, there comes the knowledge: ‘It’s liberated.’ One understands, ‘Destroyed is rebirth, the utmost life has been lived, what had to be done has been done, and there is no more [of this to come] for this state of being.’”

This is what the Buddha said. Elated, those meditators delighted in the Blessed One’s statement. And while this discourse was being spoken, the minds of the thousand meditators were liberated from the taints by letting go (nonclinging).

Come hear the Buddha's Fire Sermon from a fiery pulpit

[Does Burning Man matter anymore?]

This man is ready with water guns. It used to be better: shots of 2014 Burning Man (NYPost)

This giant symbolic man will burn. He'll be set on fire. Think of the symbolism! Eh, don't think.

DANGER: Dust storms may strike. No refunds.

Burning Man culture is more relevant than ever. This is exactly what it offers through art, music, learning, leadership, and civic engagement.

In the early years, annual ticket revenue was sufficient, but it alone does not fund Black Rock City and all the other ways the nonprofit brings Burning Man culture to the world.

Since becoming a nonprofit in 2011, philanthropic support has been increasingly vital. It is even more important today given lower ticket sales to this year’s event.

It is easy to hypothesize about why we’re in this moment, but let’s not forget that while the movement is vibrant, any culture is impacted by what is happening in broader society. Moods and societal values change, economic forecasts and consumer confidence fluctuates, local, state, and federal laws shift, the weather patterns become unpredictable, and costs rise,

But one thing remains: Our passion and commitment to bringing more Burning Man culture to the world is steadfast. More (COMMENTS)

Aug. 25, 2024: Rain and mud problems

(KCAL) It's last year all over again, when we were trapped in a mud flood of desert rain and slop clay

It might rain and become muddy. Pack accordingly. Bring mud tires and trip insurance.

Y'know things are bad when ya pray for drought

The desert is an unforgiving place. It's not really that it's hot. That's not what makes it a "desert." What makes it one is temperature extremes. Sure, it's hot in the day and you'll die of dehydration. But in the night, you'll freeze to death and die of predation. Jinn, snakes, coyotes, scorpions, shapeshifters, the wilderness is not the place to be wandering. But if lost, travel by evening or night when it's cooler.

These new oversized mud tires keep me unstuck
If you happen to be driving to a new city in the desert that pops up once a year for a week, bring mud tires, a raincoat, galoshes, boots, and chains to get hauled out of mud and sand traps. Today, Sunday, Aug. 25th, is the first day of Burning Man 2024. Problem. The gates are locked to Black Rock City due to rain. Burners and Newbies must have sensed this when they were buying tickets like previous years. Form a line. Pull a tarp over your art installation. And wait for the water to soak in the ground before driving and getting stuck in the soup like last year.