Life changes. Accept it? No, fight!

(Buddhism Podcast) Life never stays the same: Learning to ACCEPT change (impermanence) | Buddhist wisdom

Go gently into that good night?

Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (1914–1953)

Poem by Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,

Do not go gentle into that good night.

I was born, but I don't want to die, ever.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,

Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.

Do not go gentle into that good night.

Rage, rage against the dying of the light. Source

• Tara Brach (meditation, psychologist, author, teacher)

Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

Radical Acceptance

Buddhist author and therapist Dr. Tara Brach, Ph.D. has 4.6 out of 5 stars (with 5,127 reviews).

In our current times of global crises and spiking collective anxiety, Buddhist therapist Tara Brach’s transformative practice of "radical acceptance" offers a pathway to inner freedom and a more compassionate world.

This classic work now features an insightful new introduction, an exclusive bonus chapter, and additional guided meditations.

“Radical Acceptance offers us an invitation to embrace ourselves with all our pain, fear, and anxieties, and to step lightly yet firmly on the path of understanding and compassion.”

—Thich Nhat Hanh

Why do things have to change and be unstable?

“Believing that something is wrong with us is a deep and tenacious suffering,” says Tara Brach at the start of this illuminating book. This suffering emerges in crippling self-judgments and conflicts in our relationships, in addictions and perfectionism, in loneliness and overwork—all the forces that keep our lives constricted and unfulfilled.

Radical Acceptance offers a path to freedom, including the day-to-day practical guidance developed over Dr. Brach’s 40 years of work with therapy clients and Buddhist students.

Man, the Buddha was right! Loss sucks: dukkha.

A longtime friend of Buddhist clinical psychologist Dr. Jack Kornfield, Dr. Brach's writes with great warmth and clarity. She brings her teachings alive through personal stories and case histories, fresh interpretations of Buddhist tales, and guided meditations.

Step by step, Dr. Brach shows readers how to stop being at war with themselves and how to begin to live fully every precious moment of our lives. More

Cristina Mariani: filthy female standup comic

No, to Hades with change! Fight till death!

Be a man. Fight change. Fight it till death!

Metal and men clash once more to the end/ Warriors above, with the power to kill, descend/ Militia of blood, troops of hate march to die/ Soldiers of Hell, veterans of death arise/ [CHORUS] Prepare for attack/ Your body will burn/ Endless war/ There's no return/ Prepare for attack/ Death will arrive/ Your orders are clear/ No way to hide/ Fight till death!// Senseless death of all mankind overtakes/ Armored assassins destroy, at will, your escape/ Children of sorrow are trampled into the grave/ There is no future, no f*cking world to be saved/ [CHORUS]// To reign in Hell [guitar solo: Jeff Hanneman]// Gods of steel unleash their destruction on man/ Reign of death, what is the final command?/ Scepters of hate are dropped upon this Earth/ Clouds of terror destroy all hope of rebirth/ [CHORUS]/ Death will arrive/ Your orders are clear/ No way to hide/ Fight till death...

• VIDEO: I'm a Mexican Buddhist: Afghan Dharma
• Buddhism Podcast; Tara Brach; Dylan Thomas; Slayer; Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Most beautiful girl in world is Black

Symmetry, lips, eyes, supreme complexion...

At just three years old, she was called “the most beautiful girl in the world.” Here’s what she looks like now at 17.

 At just 10-years-old, she was given the title “the most beautiful girl in the world.” Many years later, many believe that description still fits her.

 

While many young girls dream of entering beauty competitions and taking home crowns, she gained worldwide attention without competing in any beauty pageants.

BGT star Alesha D pays tribute to EV in live TV rap

"Black is Beautiful" (album)

Her captivating look drew modeling agencies to her from an early age. With piercing blue eyes, long hair, a confident gaze, and full lips, she was labeled “the most beautiful girl in the world” before she even turned 10.

In 2010, she appeared in a controversial spread for Vogue that sparked debate about makeup use and the early sexualization of young girls.

It's all about their beauty and our money, right?

She also appeared on the covers of Teen Vogue and Jalouse [which emphasized her math skills, test scores, nerdy habits, and thoughtful opinions on contemporary societal issues...uh, no, they just cared about her looks, too].

• When she was 3 years old, she was named the most beautiful girl in the world

What is the cause of physical beauty?

Is British Black beauty Alesha Dixon the most beautiful? Here she is at Eurovision 2023

  

Question: Russell J. Taeza

Dear Venerables: 🙏 (*anjali mudra*). Thank you in advance 😍 for your time and guidance. 😇 In the sutras (Pali canon discourses), it is said that karma (our store of deeds) affects how we are reborn, that is to say, beautiful/ugly, wise/dull, wealthy/poor.

I have developed confidence in the Buddha’s Teaching from my own personal observations. Now, as far as my practice has taken me, from the observation of my own mind/heart, I’ve seen how this could be: EMOTIONS affect my physical appearance, particularly my facial features.

Bright feelings brighten the complexion.

I’ve observed just how the heart/mind feels when it is feeding on joy (piti) derived from kindness, compassion, and generosity. That to me is what the Buddha meant by wealth and beauty: The mind being bright, our next rebirth, our new physical form and character will tend to be pleasing.

Emotions project outward through our facial, speech, and bodily expressions so that everyone experiences them.

The real danger I find is the mind getting overcome by negative emotions. Negative emotions can become deeply ingrained when one hasn’t developed enough mindful awareness of them.

Don't tell me to "smile," Russell!!!

For example, I have a friend whose life outlook isn’t that great; negativity is so ingrained in her mind that she doesn’t notice it at all anymore. I’ve tried my best to uplift her world view but with no luck at all.

Now to me, this is what the Buddha meant by ugliness and being poor, the mind clouded, on the next birth, the new physical form and characteristics tends to be just mediocre and at worst unpleasant (not pleasing).

Don't tell me what to do, Russell. Do you, Boo.

Would it be right view, right understanding, to say that the mind, with its accumulated characteristics from previous deeds (karma), is the forming and conditioning force behind the physical body at rebirth?

This brings to memory a sutra in which the Buddha refers to the physical body as past karma. Have I approached this teaching and contemplated it correctly?

With gratitude (katanyu) 🙏, Russell

 

REPLY by Ajahn Brahmali, Feb. 26, 2015

Ajahn Brahmali | BSWA

Dear Russell: That’s an interesting point you are making, and there may well be much truth to it. Our mind is certainly powerful, and its influence is enormous. However, I think there is a tendency for people to think of the results of karma [vipaka, phala, karmic results and fruits] too much in physical terms, such as one’s physical appearance or one’s wealth.

But the really important issue is one’s mental life, and it is this that karma is really all about. We do good things and we feel good. The result is a rebirth where we feel good. Part of this can be physical factors, since there is obviously some degree of happiness to be derived from good material circumstances.

But we all know of cases of people who are wealthy have miserable lives, including depression and all sorts of personal problems. If we are truly depressed, how much use is our wealth to us? With metta. Source

• Nirvana (Buddhism), Ajahn Brahmali in Wikipedia
• She let the world mock her so her children could eat
• Woman with 800 tattoos shares new photo of herself without any ink. She has completely covered up all of her tattoos, and the contrast is striking
• A Little Britt of Fun, March 1, 2026; Russell and Ven. Brahmali (SuttaCentral.net); Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Dhr. Seven, Jen B. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Roast of lying AG Pam Bondi (comedy)

(Sammy Obeid) Roasting Pam Bondi | stand up comedy

(The Jimmy Dore Show) Erika Kirk's crazyreptilian snake eyes compilation haunts viewers

(Inside Politics) All hell breaks loose as Sen. Schiff and FBI Dir. Patel fight

🚨 Chuy García excoriates Trump's AG Pam Bondi to her face in opening statement

I work for these two men, the United States!

(Inside Politics) What just happened in the House Judiciary Committee was a blistering, evidence-driven rebuke of Attorney General Pam Bondi — and Congressman Jésus "Chuy" García left no doubt why he called her “one of the worst AGs in our history.”

I brownnose the right asses to get ahead. Jealous?

In this video we break down García’s specific allegations:

• selective prosecutions,
• weaponized DOJ priorities,
• a heavy-handed immigration enforcement shift, and
• disturbing claims that federal agents and local victims in Chicago were mishandled — including cases involving ICE and CBP.
• Filibuster in the U.S. Senate? Filibuster?

Trump "the greatest president in history"

🚨Pam Bondi cornered by Zoe Lofgren under brutal cross exam

García also pressed Bondi on the handling of the Jeffrey Epstein Files and alleged cover-ups that protected powerful figures tied to the Trump administration. He cited reporting from the Wall Street Journal, showing even the President Tryno privately criticized Bondi as "weak." He named local cases — including allegations around Silverio Villegas Gonzalez, René Good, and Alex Peretti — and a chilling example of a Montessori teacher, Marimar Martinez, who was reportedly labeled a domestic terrorist. This is not a partisan rant — García’s critique is supported by court outcomes, career prosecutor resignations, and pushback from conservative judges. Watch the full breakdown to understand the scope of the allegations, the legal and political stakes, and what this hearing could mean for DOJ accountability going forward.

(Inside Politics) Lying FBI Director Kash Patel, combative with Sen. Adam Schiff all hell breaks loose as they brutally battle over exposed Epstein Files.

(Times of India) 'Epstein with UAE sultan...' Jeffrey Epstein's TOP SECRET

Middle East network to keep [Israel, Mossad, and CIA] in control of region

How to regrow natural teeth: science

(Mind & Marvel) SOSTDC1 (USAG-1) is a single gene, a molecular bouncer, that keeps teeth from growing in mammals

(NewsNation) Drug to regrow teeth may be on market by 2030

Next, they'll be regenerating eyes with herbs.

Trend: infantilizing girls in China

(Aina | Expat in China) Why Chinese girls want to look like children: Infantilization is the prolonged treatment of one who is not a child as though that person were a child [1]. Studies have shown that an individual, when infantilized, is overwhelmingly likely to feel disrespected. Such individuals may report a sense of transgression akin to dehumanization. It may even have a racist dimension. Infantilization is an important concept pivotal to maintaining slavery. Children of enslaved women would also be enslaved because both belonged to the master. More

(Whaddo You Meme??) Life of pornstars ruined by career choice

The horrifying secret the porn industry is hiding (Christian fanatic POV)

• AINA | Expat in China; Whaddo You Meme??; CC Liu, Crystal Q (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Europeans, Cro Mags, Neanderthals, Asians

How to pick up: clubbing in the wild

Clubbing in the Wild (David Attenborough nature documentary parody)

Verbal communication is just 7% of the whole?

(Viva La Dirt League) Let's have a never-before-seen glimpse at the human mating ritual that is clubbing, not the baby seal kind but rather the even more gory dance that is pre-dating (predation) of the species in its efforts to perpetuate the species.

Get a 12% discount off all SteelSeries products by using code VLDL12. Not only does one get a special discount but VLDL makes 8% on all sales. So get a great deal and help support VLDL. Link: https://bit.ly/31ltYT2 Code: VLDL12. HUGE THANKS to attenbro420 for doing the voiceover on this one. Check out more of his stuff here: bit.ly/2Lm6fuU. SUPPORT ON VIVAPLUS: vivaplus.tv. MERCH: vldl.shop. ALL SOCIALS: vldl.info. WATCH STREAM: bit.ly/VLDLtwitch. SERIES PLAYLISTS: bit.ly/VLDLplaylists.

• Viva La Dirt League (VLDL), May 23, 2018; Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Who's behind my eyes experiencing all this?

Who is the one behind our eyes? Buddhist insights beyond no-self

(Buddhism Podcast) Buddhism Explained. Right now, it feels like someone is watching from behind our eyes. Who is it? Buddhism teaches that what we call “self” (atta, atman, soul, ego, personality, essence) is not what it seems.

The Buddha didn’t just deny the self — he pointed to something much deeper, something that remains when the seeker disappears. This video follows the teachings on awareness, no-self, and the quiet presence that doesn’t need a name. The Buddha’s answer isn’t something to find — it’s what’s always been here.

• 00:00 - "No one there"...but why does it still feel like someone's watching?
• 05:37 - Not a person, just a process
• 10:25 - The final trap: holding onto "no-self"
• 14:46 - No one is seeing, but seeing still happens
• 18:51 - When the seeker disappears

#BuddhistWisdom #NoSelf #BehindYourEyes

• Buddhism Podcast, June 12, 2025; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Beach Life Music Festival, LA (May 2-4)

I'll be at BeachLife after my haircut without my Bang[le]s

It's always time for Zen (jhana)

Friday was an odd day in Los Angeles, the cosmopolitan neighbor of Orange County, with cloud cover, cold, and a little mist. This is not the beach life, which is usually all sun (with some smog and traffic thrown in just to spoil the dream, a homeless mess and a meanness bordering on NYC style). The Los Angeles County Fair begins, and the Renaissance Pleasure Fair continues. So the BeachLife Festival must go on, and Wisdom Quarterly will be there with Dharma Buddhist Meditation (Meetup) to make it better with public group meditation on the sands of Redondo Beach.

Los Angeles County Fair (Dan Petchye)

Imagine a concert by the seashore with surly winds and California clouds. May is warm, if still a little runny with the remains of the LA Fires. Sometimes Southern California gets a sudden spell of actual weather. This time will work. This time all the bands will rock. This time we're going to make the mood buoyant with mass meditation enough to levitate someone.

In the midst of chaos, metta

Imagine seeing Sublime, CAKE, the Long Beach Dub Allstars, (hot) Susanna Hoffs of the Bangles (the eyes of the band), Skip Marley (grandson of Bob Marley), or Alanis Morissette, The Beach Boys (or what's left of them but including handsome John Stamos)...

Big Head Todd and the Monsters, and a few others like the Pretenders, Lenny Kravitz, Aloe Blacc, The Struts, Shovels & Rope, Digable Planets, Train, O.A.R., Lily Meola, Jackson Brown, and even Mt. Joy.

Beautiful eyes are more beautiful with kohl

Dharma Buddhist Meditation will be present for a mass meditation to bring spiritual vibes to Day 2 of the event by positioning ourselves in different spots all around the concert (wearing Hoffs brand kohl around our eyes) before Sublime, on the sand, near the stage, away from the mosh pit (which will go crazy for CAKE), but be rocking for the LB Dub Allstars, Marley, and The Beach Boys!

It was all nerves, not sexy, seductive confidence?

Lenny Kravitz live at BeachLife Festival, Friday, May 2, 2025

FREE TO RSVP:

beachlifefestival.com

• Disclosure Project: Mass meditation at BeachLife Fest, Redondo Beach, Sat, May 3, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup
• Nature Center: Mass meditation at BeachLife Fest, Redondo Beach, Sat, May 3, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup
• PasaDharma: Mass meditation at BeachLife Fest, Redondo Beach, Sat, May 3, 2025, 6:00 PM | Meetup

Who's Alanis Morrisette? And is she ironic? - She went from Forgiven to Uninvited

WHAT HAPPENED?

Live 'n stoned at BeachLife Fest '25

(DanfromLA) Dan (possibly exhibiting some level of intoxication but accompanied by his mom for safety) shows the vibe (relaxed) and weather (long sleeves) out at BeachLife Festival 2025, as Lenny Kravitz interrupts him by singing, Friday, May 2, 2025, Redondo Beach, California. But, Dan, what about Susanna Hoffs?

• Redondo Beach, CA Weather Forecast | AccuWeather

Then this moment finally happened in real life!

Susanna feels like making LOVE

She really feels it, so let's help -- and make LOVE (metta) with her:

What is metta (mass) meditation?

Meditation is walking, standing, or lying down

Mettā (Sanskrit maitrī) means "friendliness, loving-kindness (universal agape), benevolence, friendliness, amity, and good will."

It is an active interest in the wellbeing of others that leads to the impulse of compassion (karuna). It is the first of the Four Sublime States (brahma-viharas) recommended by the Buddha as helpful meditations to develop up to absorption (jhana).

Indian eye makeup in Egypt as seen on mural

It is one of the Ten Perfections (dasa pāramīs) of the Theravāda school of Buddhism. The cultivation of it, called mettā bhāvanā, is a popular form of Buddhist meditation. It is a one of the Four Immeasurables (unlimitables, universals) in Divine Abiding meditation.

Metta or "loving-kindness meditation" is often practiced in Asia by broadcast chanting, during which Buddhist monastics chant for lay Buddhists.

It's easier when we act as one. I'll call you back.

The universal aspect of loving-kindness is discussed in the Buddha's Metta Sutta and is also found in the ancient and medieval texts of Jainism and Hinduism as metta and maitri. More

"Mass" meditation is doing meditation en masse, as a whole, in a group, a collective, increasing coherence, power, and influence. One person in samadhi (jhana) through metta is very powerful, imponderably so, but 100 even if they do not attain to the level of absorption, still have a tremendous effect on the collective consciousness of the region.

Alanis Morissette launces world tour in 2025 (Live Nation UK)

• BeachLife Festival | Live Music Festival
• May 2-4, 2025, Redondo Beach, CA, USA

• Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B., Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Fun with JD: Trans, veg, LGBTQ friend

Who is JD Vance? Trump vice president pick in cartoons (usatoday.com)

So what if I wear eye makeup and lady's clothes? My wife accepts me! And I look good!

"JD [Jane Doe?] Vance" has gone through many changes in name and identity: transvestite

My Indian wife Usha Vance can't wait to get to the White House and call PM Narendra Modi

We live in a very openminded neighborhood with lots of gay flags for the LGBTQIA+ movement

I know I look good. This eyeliner brings out my eyes, and my beard makes me look manly

Usha married a Honky, but a rich Honky, so Indians will accept it. He should grow beard.

We eat beans, not beings, because it is the Hindu and compassionate thing to do like Jesus

Get off our backs! I passed muster with Don Jon Trump; that should be enough!

Deep down, I'm a hillbilly from Redneckville, who is a venture capitalist who went to Yale.

.

Ukraine's Vlad Zelenski is LGBTQIA+

We envision DJ Trump dying and leaving the MAGA legacy to JD Vance, who writes another hit book, this one called Redneck Soliloquy. Having led a civil war-engendering revolution after losing to Harris-Balz campaign. the US of A gets Pres. JD, who attempts to install Usha, 58, 38, as his VP with the help of PM Modi and Indian forces, including multimillionaire Vivek Ramaswamy and also-ran Hirsch, so that this country always has an Indian in the White House from now on -- Kamala, Nikki Haley, somebody. JD is a vegetarian from Ohio? Great. Have you met Hope, Timmy's Midwest vegetarian daughter? Has a transsexual "friend"? How close? Wears eye makeup? Looking good, very Indianesque like Lord Krishna and all Indian babies. Had gay thoughts at Yale University? Or was just a 100% heterosexual man in a wig and ladieswear like Ukrainian PM Vladimir Zelinski? PM Vlad was proudly LGBTQ, so what about JD?