What does it mean to be "present"? That is hard to say for sure, but some Buddhist teachers like American Sharon Salzberg say it means continuously coming back to the present moment. "Begin again." The mind settles, is here, but then it wanders. We realize at some point that it has wandered away from the here and now. What to do? "Begin again." That is a good description of mindfulness meditation. How could we stay in THIS moment? There is something happening that only happens now. If we place our unswerving attention on that, we too will stay in the right now. What is it? The in-and-out breath. Breathing is happening right here, right now, and only now. Stay with the breath, not as something to contemplate or ponder but only watch, notice, keep in mind. See Anapanasati Sutta
We are all taught to celebrate Juneteenth (June 19th) as if that were when the USA abolished slavery. But that happened with the ratification of the 13th Amendment on Feb. 1, 1865. Of course, the American government didn't bother to tell slaves and thereby free them. But that is when it became de jure (by law) illegal. De facto (by fact) we still have slavery in many forms -- human trafficking, working convicts, secretly employing the vulnerable, sexual trafficking of women, children, and boys...
End Slavery NOW: February 1st is National Freedom Day in the USA. Celebrate it by learning about and sharing with others the importance of being a modern-day abolitionist to finally end slavery now.
Feb. 1st is National Freedom Day in the USA, celebrated because in 1865, Pres. Lincoln signed the joint resolution from the House and the Senate that eventually became the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution—the amendment that officially ended slavery in the U.S. even though it still legally exists. More
There may have been more Native American (Indigenous, "Indians," Amerindians) slaves than Blacks or African imports. Most of them were worked to death or contaminated with diseases they had no immunity to deal with, and they are rarely spoken of; however, historians have documented this fact.
And when the USA invaded the Old West using the "Monroe Doctrine" and "manifest destiny" as pretexts, it stole half of the land that was Mexico, under Spanish rule. So a large part of this country is in fact Mexico except that "might makes right."
'Monkey-barring' is the latest dating trend wreaking havoc on relationships
Without letting go of one, you grab the next.
(FOX 32 Chicago) Sept. 2, 2025: Certified counselor Love McPherson breaks down why some people jump from one relationship to the next [like a monkey grabbing bars, not letting go of one and already grabbing the next or like a frog waiting for a new pad to jump on instead of getting into the water of singlehood and swimming to find a better pad like a decent person] and offers steps for healing and forming healthier connections. "Fear of abandonment" anyone?
The term "monkey mind" originates from Chinese xīnyuán or Sino-Japanese shin'en (心猿), which literally means "heart-mind monkey."
It is a Buddhist concept that describes a state of restlessness, capriciousness, and lack of control of one's thoughts and emotions, the inability to find soothing stillness, calm, equanimity, poise, or maintain mindfulness.
Others suffer from it, too?
Attempts to suppress tend not to work. It is spurred by caffeine, stimulants, excitotoxins (chemicals), and is frequently followed by a crash, exhaustion, and cyclical dysfunction:
This "mind monkey" metaphor is found in Buddhist writings in Zen, Chan, Mind-only, Pure Land, and Shingon and has also been adopted by Taoism, Neo-Confucianism, Chinese poetry, theater, and literature.
Perfectionism is a mental illness.
The expression "monkey mind" commonly appears in two reversible four-character idioms paired with yima or iba (意馬), which means "idea horse."
Chinese xinyuanyima (心猿意馬) and Japanese ibashin'en (意馬心猿) illustrate the interconnectedness of a restless mind and wandering (discursive) thoughts.
The "Monkey King" Sun Wukong in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West is an iconic personification of feeling indecisive and unsettled. More
"We are going to leave further excavations (beyond the 5% so far uncovered) to future generations"? That's what someone said and what the team intends to do because of Schwab. Attention is being turned to an older neighboring site, another tepe or tell (Karahan Tepe or Gürcü Tepe?) instead. Which billionaire is making this decision? What does Klaus "World Economic Forum" Schwab (not to be confused with the original German archeologist to excavate here Klaus Schmidt) have to do with it? What are they hiding under structures and by planting an orchard of trees on an arid and barren hillside that cannot easily be dug up the more it grows and becomes established? Even ground penetrating radar will have trouble seeing what's underneath. What are they keeping buried, unexcavated, and therefore secret?
Alan Watts via True Meaning, 2/18/24; Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Just Let Go: Alan Watts
The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck might help
(True Meaning) The Buddha saw a great source of suffering called "clinging." In ignorance, we go around in a cloud of unknowing, full of craving, chasing and grasping anything that might give us pleasure. This is no way to go about ending suffering, and it's not even a way of getting the things we desire. British/Californian philosopher Alan Watts, a Zen practitioner and former Episcopalian priest, talks about the art of letting go. A teacher of Buddhism and Eastern philosophy, Watts was a writer and speaker best known for interpreting dharma for a Western audience. He popularized Buddhism, Taoism, and Hinduism, particularly among hippies.
True Meaning is an official partner with The Alan Watts Electronic University and MindsetDRM.com. It owns all rights to the content used on this channel. Alan Watts Organization:
Is this the most beautiful homeless gal in Los Angeles? She's here to clean up this town.
We're Young Hollywood here to inherit
Los Angeles is a strange place, probably because Hollywood (a tiny component of LA) is a stranger place. Everything we do is so, like, you know? It's like, right, isn't it? In olden times it was called Valley Talk or, because of 1984, ValSpeak.
We have homeless. We have the most homeless, with great weather and friendly sanctuary city treatment of bums. Can we call them bums? Probably not. Some are not bums. They are the currently unhoused. More Americans go through it than anyone imagines. Rent and housing prices make sure of that. And the drugs. And alcohol.
We have so many homeless, that we can have a beauty pageant. Hot gals of the Sunset Strip, or beach, or asphalt jungle. Look at this karmic result.
Then again, art imitates life. Or is it the other way around? Hollywood imitates Los Angeles, and the U.S. (and the rest of the world because of our hegemony) imitates Hollywood.
Chogyam: Spiritual guru or sexed up charlatan?
Even our spiritual yearnings -- and there are a lot of them -- are soon reduced to "spiritual consumerism," a term coined by Tibetan Buddhist sex cult leader (who seems to have been hinted at in My Dinner with Andre) Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche.
And that's to say nothing of his even more explicitly sexually abusive ex-leader of the Shambhala Cult, his disgraced sexy son Sakyong Mipham Rinpoche (who's still making money and trying to sneak back into power).
Mixed karma, beauty without riches?
We're poor but happy, right A?
How can karma (stored up past deeds) make one beautiful without riches? That's very easy to answer.
If we only had one kind of action (deed) in our pasts, we would only have one kind of result in accordance with that seed. But as we have a countless variety of seeds, we have diverse results.
We may see many things go together and then wonder about it when they don't. But we neither know someone's past, nor the person's present state of mind, nor what is to come. How could someone be born super fortunate then mentally or physically incapacitated? It happens and seems tragic and unfair.
SUTRA: The Karma of Creeps
Bhikkhu Bodhi (trans.), "Creeping," The Book of the Tens (AN 10.216) edited by Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly
Humans rise or fall by their deeds (karma)
“Meditators, I will teach an exposition of the Dhamma on creeping. Listen, attend closely, and I will speak.”
“Yes, venerable sir,” those meditators replied. Then the Blessed One said this:
“And what, meditators, is that exposition of the Dhamma on creeping? Meditators, beings are the owners of their karma (kamma), the heirs of their karma; they have karma as their origin, karma as their relative, karma as their resort; whatever karma they do, skillful or unskillful, they are its heirs.
(1) “Here, someone destroys life; that person is murderous, bloody-handed, given to blows and violence, merciless toward living beings. That person creeps along by body, speech, and mind.
“That person's bodily karma, verbal karma, mental karma are crooked. That person's destination is crooked; that person's rebirth is crooked.
“But for one with a crooked destination and rebirth, I say, there is one of two destinations -- either the exclusively painful hells or a species of creeping animal.
What's a creeping animal? The cat-snake
“And what are the species of creeping animals? The snake, the scorpion, the centipede, the mongoose, the cat, the mouse, and the owl, or any other animals that creep away when they see people.
“Thus, a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds (karma). When one has been reborn, contacts affect one.
“It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their karma.
(2) “Someone takes what is not given…
(3) “Someone engages in sexual misconduct…
(4) “Someone speaks falsehood…
(5) “Someone speaks divisively…
(6) “Someone speaks harshly…
(7) “Somone indulges in idle chatter…
(8) “Someone is full of longing…
(9) “Someone has a mind of ill will and intentions of hate…
(10) “Someone holds wrong view and has an incorrect perspective such as:
‘There is nothing given [there is no result of sacrificing for others]…’
‘There are in the world no ascetics nor Brahmins of right conduct and right practice who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known to others.’
Behave like a proper affluent royal, Princess!
“One creeps along by body, speech, and mind. One's bodily karma is crooked… One's destination is crooked; one's rebirth is crooked….
“Thus, a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one.
“It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their karma.
“Meditators, beings are the owners of their karma, the heirs of their karma; they have karma as their origin, karma as their relative, karma as their resort; whatever karma they do, skillful or unskillful, they are its heirs.
(1) “Here, having abandoned the destruction of life, someone abstains from the destruction of life; with the rod and weapon laid aside, conscientious and kindly, one dwells compassionate toward all living beings.
“One does not creep along by body, speech, and mind. One's bodily karma is straight; one's verbal karma is straight; one's mental karma is straight.
How do I get this creep off of me?
“One's destination is straight; one's rebirth is straight. But for one with a straight destination and rebirth, I say, there is one of two destinations -- either the exclusively pleasant heavens or eminent [prominent, influential, affluent] families, such as those of affluent nobles [warrior caste khattiyas, rulers, influencers, royals], affluent Brahmins, or affluent householders, families that are rich, with great wealth and property, abundant gold and silver, abundant treasures and belongings, abundant wealth and grain.
“Thus, a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one. It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their karma.
(2) “Having abandoned the taking of what is not given, someone abstains from taking what is not given…
(3) “One abstains from sexual misconduct…
(4) “One abstains from false speech [bearing false witness]…
(5) “One abstains from divisive speech…
(6) “One abstains from harsh speech…
(7) One abstains from idle chatter…
(8) “One is without longing…
(9) “One is of good will…
(10) “One holds right view and has a correct perspective thus:
‘There is what is given [there is a significance and result of giving, particularly to parents, nobles, teachers, etc.]…’
‘There are in the world wandering ascetics and Brahmins of right conduct and right practice who, having realized this world and the other world for themselves by direct knowledge, make them known to others.’
“That person does not creep along by body, speech, and mind. One's bodily karma is straight… One's destination is straight; one's rebirth is straight….
“Thus, a being is reborn from a being; one is reborn through one’s deeds. When one has been reborn, contacts affect one.
“It is in this way, I say, that beings are the heirs of their karma.
“Meditators, beings are the owners of their karma, the heirs of their karma; they have karma as their origin, karma as their relative, karma as their resort; whatever karma they do, skillful or unskillful, they are its heirs.
“This, meditators, is that exposition of the Dhamma on creeping.”
(DW Documentary)
DW is a German public broadcast service. August 15, 2021, marked a turning point for formerly Buddhist Afghanistan [ancient Gandhara of the Scythians/Shakyians, birthplace of the Buddha, according to Dr. Ranajit Pal], which was once an oddly cosmopolitan, progressive, Westernized country on the hippie circuit.
That was the day of the final withdrawal of Western troops who illegally invaded on the slightest pretext, milking the incidents of 9/11 as preemptive justification to commit war crimes while all the world watches and does nothing in the world court.
It’s also when the "Taliban" [which was created by the CIA and ISI, Pakistan's secret spying service, like the U.S. set up the Mujahedeen to fight the former USSR] entered Kabul [an echo of Kapil or Kapilvastu, one of the three seasonal capitals where the future-Buddha grew up].
G.W. signs "Patriot Act" to spy on US
Protest movements were crushed. Twenty years of hope and effort gone in one fell swoop. After the 9/11 staged event the United States' ensuing "war" on a tactic, its never-ending "War on Terrorism" declared by Co-Presidents Dick Cheney and George W. Bush, Afghanistan had changed.
Now, the Taliban are back in charge and the country has slipped back into the past. As the undisputed rulers of the country, the Taliban satisfy their thirst for revenge and behave as "victors" over the U.S. [with many new weapons left behind for them on purpose], the "greatest military power" in the world.
In the Afghan style of the "palaces" the Buddha grew up in, monasteries were built for the "Monks of the Mines," as temple sites like Mes Aynak were built near gold mines for statues.
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Exquisite piece of Afghan-Gandhara Buddhist art
Their goals can be summed up in a few words: Restoration of the "Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan" and the introduction of "genuine Sharia law."
The new Taliban leaders continue to rely on international donors. As a result, they are trying not to offend them too openly. But they are tightening the noose.
Saving Mes Aynak(B. Huffman)
The few protest movements that have started have been nipped in the bud. Reprisals are handled discreetly. Civil society, which has been abandoned by the West and no longer receives financial resources, is helpless in the face of the new circumstances.
Twenty years of hopes and efforts have been dashed. What do the Taliban want for their country? "The future is in [the Abrahamic God] Allah's hands," says the new refugee minister, Chalil Hakkani, on whom the U.S. has meanwhile placed a five-million-dollar bounty [so he can be murdered as we keep our hands clean].
UCLA demo to save Mes Aynak, Afghanistan
Patrick de Saint-Exupéry and Pedro Brito da Fonseca toured Afghanistan in 2021 before, during, and after the arrival of the Taliban. This film documents what they saw.
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