Jewish Brit exposes America (Borat)

(Amazon Prime Video UK & IE) The very best of Borat's pranks | Prime Video

(JoBlo Movie Clips) Borat Pamela Anderson scene, Hollywood

(The Clean Laugh Club) Ricky Gervais: Truth about Epstein's Island, Hawking

Rooting for colonizer Spain? (comedy)

(scottdavid) BORAT'S GUIDE FOR [AMERICAN] MEN

Get Funny or Die Tryin (Sammy Obeid)

Sammy K. Obeid (born Feb. 9, 1984) is a Palestinian-American [1, 2, 3], writer, and stand-up comedian. He has released one comedy album, Get Funny or Die Tryin. The New York Times described his comedy as displaying "an analytic style full of wordplay, clever misdirection, and ethnic humor riffing on his Middle Eastern roots" [4].

Did the Americas root for colonizer Spain?

On his website (SammyObeid.com), he is described as "Lebanese-Palestinian-Syrian-Italian-American [5, 6, 4]. He has been featured on America's Got Talent, Conan, and Last Comic Standing.

He once performed 1,001 nights of comedy in a row (just like the classic of world literature One Thousand and One Nights), which he claimed was a world record [7]. Obeid is also a host for the Netflix show 100 Humans and the founder of KO Comedy (IG) [8]. More

(The Daily Show) Did a secret "Stargate" in Iran cause Trump-Israel's war? What is Stargate 10?

(UJ) Katt Williams goes off on Trump, Kamala, Amerikkka | stand up

Comedians strike back at rude hecklers

(CeleVox) When stand up comedians destroyed woke hecklers from stage (savage moments)

(Don't Tell Comedy) Psych Ward Jesus | Dan Docino | stand up comedy

De-escalate, don't call her a fuggin bish #SammyObeid

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (BBC)

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Primary Phase (1)

"Don't Panic"

This work of pure comedic genius began as a BBC Radio play by Douglas Adams (who was the first to think to combine science fiction and comedy), the audio of which is presented here: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. It became so popular that it became a book then a sequel then a series then a trilogy with additional installments that made calling it a "trilogy" more and more misleading. It is perhaps the single funniest piece of work we have ever heard, a masterpiece.

• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Audible Audio Edition): Douglas Adams, Stephen Fry, Random House Audio
• The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: The Primary Phase (dramatized) (Audible Audio Edition): Douglas Adams, Full Cast: Peter Jones, Susan Sheridan, Simon Jones, Geoffrey McGivern, Mark Wing-Davey, Stephen Moore, BBC Digital Audio

The farce that is President DJ Trump

(Tiny Hands Productions) Rense.com: Right/Left both see it

WQ meeting at KROQ Comedy Show (3/13)

(OCV) What is stand-up comedy? Dave Chappelle explains with some examples for Johnny

WHAT HAPPENED?

The club filled up with lots of hooting and hollering patrons eager to see Johnny make a mockery of himself as he dies on stage. But there are many other standup comedians doing the heavy lifting. Vanessa actually dressed up for the evening, wearing a very low-cut blouse that makes her visibly uncomfortable, getting hit on by Blind Charlie's date. She's touching and rubbing away while High T Vanessa visibly squirms and tries to get her to stop. Jake looks like a pregnant B with a small dog strapped to his belly as he yells. The poor thing must be deaf by now as his nervous human companion tries to fade into the woodwork. Klein is sitting up front, but Ally is missing in action, having joined DJ Omar Kahn for a private confab in oblivion. The crowd roars as Johnny is forced to take the stage, six inches off the ground, with a stream of drinkers repeatedly heading for the washroom to see or smell what kind of mess Jake has made. He doesn't bomb! The crowd loves him. He's a simpleton but very affable, and he seems to have prepared some material that he didn't practice on the radio show. He even has a guitar hidden away, which he pulls out in Minute 4 to peals of "Tamales Tamales!" But he has a new song, maybe prepared for the occasion. His girlfriend in skulking in the back surprised to see the crowd participation and encouragement. He was set to fail as he does on most episodes of "Johnny Doesn't Know," but his ego has survived the ordeal. Klein cuts out and by the time Jake stumbles onto the stage as the headliners, the crickets are chirping and the crowd is getting antsy. He doesn't seem well prepared, considering himself an old hat at this, he's sure he can just wing it by memory and a cheat sheet. The crowd tries to help, but Vanessa puts down her phone and it just gets worse and worse. Meanwhile, the WQ meeting has moved to the NoHo Buddhist Temple on Oxnard, the Sarathchandra Buddhist Center. The most amazing this to come from the evening are the knowledge that The Good Nite is full of free standup, music, and open mics most nights and WQ has set its next meeting for the Kwan Yin Meditation Temple in Monrovia, hugging the foothills next to Old Town.

World Champ MJF roast Klein. Ally. Show. | Friday the 13th

(KROQ) Streamed live morning of March 13th. It's the Klein.Ally.Show. (KAS) on KROQ.com. There's snow in New York and a heatwave in Los Angeles as we all head out for the big comedy show with Host Dirty Jake Dill.

On today's show: Jewish wrestler Maxwell Jacob Friedman (MJF) joins KAS in studio, "Johnny Doesn't Know," "5-10-20," and more.

It's another Friday the 13th and another day of not-so-gentle ribbing, this time from All Elite wrestling star MJF (Maxwell Jacob Friedman). He stopped by the studio while gearing up to defend his AEW World Championship title. He mercilessly roasts Klein's new nose, Ally's lack of hygiene, Dirty Jake's virginity, Columbian Vanessa's odd voice, and Low T Johnny the Postman's everything.

• VIDEO: Whose EGO was most hurt by South Park?
• SiC & Lost In Hollywood: Tributes to Slipknot and System of a Down, Friday, March 13th from 7 pm to 11 pm | Eventbrite (Jake's Sports Cafe & Backroom | Lubbock TX | Facebook)

The show also brings back 5-10-20, challenging listeners to place three KROQ alt rock songs in order: One from 5 years ago, 10 years ago, and 20 years ago.

The show also hears Low T Johnny's final ideas before his big 5-minute [self-immolation] set for tonight at the Good Nite in NoHo at 7:00 pm. Be there!

Today being Good Luck Friday the 13th, Wisdom Quarterly: American Buddhist Journal is meeting to see stand-up comic Low T Johnny from KROQ's KAS Jake Dill (Instagram) is putting on a comedy show at The Good Nite Bar tonight at 7:00 pm.

• The Good Nite Bar (IG)
• 10707 Burbank Boulevard
• NoHo (North Hollywood), LA 91601
• FREE (no cover)

Join the entire morning zoo crew: Ally Johnson, Kevin Klein, High T Vanessa the Columbian, Dirty Jake Dill, Low T Johnny, and maybe even the elusive and never-before-seen DJ Omar Kahn.

• KAS, kroq.com, March 13, 2026; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Christian Rock Hard: South Park (comedy)

Comedy: It's a mad MAD (Magazine) (film)

(YouTube Movies & TV) "When We Went MAD!" (full film)

Go mad. Enlist. Kill for patriotism and bank profits.

MAD is an American humor magazine that was launched in 1952 and is currently published by DC Comics, a unit of the DC Entertainment subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.

MAD was founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines [2], launched as a comic book series before it became a magazine. It was widely imitated and influential, affecting satirical American media, as well as the cultural landscape of the late 20th century, with editor Al Feldstein increasing readership to more than two million during its 1973–1974 circulation peak [3].

It is the last surviving title in the EC Comics line, which sold Mad to Premier Industries in 1961 but closed in 1956.

Mad publishes satire on all aspects of American life and popular culture, politics, entertainment, and public figures. Its format includes TV and movie parodies and satire articles about everyday occurrences that are changed to seem humorous.

Mad's mascot, Alfred E. Neuman, is usually on the cover. More: Mad (magazine)

Thanks, Rob Reiner: 'This Is Spinal Tap' (film)

This is Spinal Tap (1984) Trailer #1 | Movieclips Classic Trailers

Comedy and politics: Jimmy Dore Show

• Jimmy Dore, Kurt Metzger, The Jimmy Dore Show, Dec. 16, 2025; Pfc. Sandoval, Shauna Schwartz, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Trump loves 'minors' in latest rant

(Jimmy Kimmel Live) Kimmel on Trump's long, racist, economic stump speech in Pennsylvania

(Daily Show) Desi Lydic on Trump's mangina, manopause, love of minors

Erika Kirk intel asset

Native American Comedy Slam (standup)

Native American Comedy Slam | The original full show

(laugh out loud flix) Premiered Nov. 15, 2025: The Original Native American Comedy Slam was created in the bold spirit of The Kings of Comedy—a no-reservations-needed, “Goin’ Native” stand-up event that celebrates Indigenous humor at its finest.

Hosted by the legendary Charlie Hill, the special features powerhouse performances from

• Larry Omaha,
• Howie Miller,
• Marc Yaffee,
• Jim Ruel,
• Vaughn Eagle Bear, and
• JR Redwater.

Filmed during the Laugh Out Loud Comedy Festival in Los Angeles, this groundbreaking event made history as the first-ever filmed showcase to feature seven of the nation’s top Native American comedians together on one stage. It remains a landmark moment in Indigenous representation and comedy culture. Discover more from each of these incredible artists—explore their work and follow their journeys:

1. Charlie Hill - RIP Tribute to Charlie:    • Charlie Hill • Remembering a Native Americ... Charlie Hill (More about Charlie) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie...

2. Larry Omaha: https://www.larryomaha.net/ Larry Omaha Instagram: larryomaha Larry Omaha Facebook: larryomaha

3. Howie Miller: https://www.howiemiller.com/ Howie Miller on Facebook: howiemillercomedy

4. Vaughn Eaglebear, who also spells his last name Eagle Bear Vaughn Eagle Bear on Facebook: vaughn.eaglebear. Vaughn Eagle Bear's music: https://vaughneaglebear.hearnow.com/b... Vaughn Eagle Bear on YouTube: @veaglebear

5. Marc Yaffee: https://laughwithmarc.com/ Marc Yaffee Facebook: laughwithmarcyaffee Marc Yaffee Instagram: marcyaffee Marc Yaffee YouTube: marcyaffee

6. Jim Ruel Facebook: jimruelcomedy Jim Ruel Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jimruel2/?h...

7. JR Redwater Facebook: jrredwatercomedy JR Redwater Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/jrredwaterc...

The Original Native American Comedy Slam was Directed and Produced by: Scott Montoya • imdb.to/2LVcn0y

For anyone who thinks Charlie Hill’s opening comments about the Iroquois Confederacy helping shape American democracy are inaccurate, here are a few reputable historical sources that explain the real connections between the "Haudenosaunee system" and early American political thought and is spelled out in the new documentary series by Ken Burn "American Revolution.”

• The First 10 Minutes of "The American Revo... Go to 1 minute into the first ten minutes of this new series on PBS from Ken Burns "American Revolution.” here is a link:    • The First 10 Minutes of "The American Revo...

The Native American Government That Helped Inspire the US Constitution: https://www.history.com/articles/iroq... US Democracy and the Iroquois Confederacy https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2023/09/the... Follow lolflix at: Instagram: lolflix / lolflix / lolflix.com Twitter: lolflix   or @lolflix More Comedy: http://lolflix.com/ lolflix cool stuff to merch: https://teespring.com/stores/lolflix © lolflix, Inc. All Right Reserved • No portion of this video may be copied and reposted without express written permission of lolflix, Inc. and LOL Comedy Inc. ® lolflix “Laugh Out Loud Flix” is a federally registered Trademark.

29 products laugh out loud flix tagged products below. Learn more Native American T-shirt,7 Colors! Portion Donated, MMIW,Native Hope, Pow Wow, Native Pride, Lakota, Sioux, Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee $21.25 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/1739914076/native-american-t-shirt7-colors-portion?gpla=1&gao=1 Native American clothing - Indigenous Owned Stores - I am my Ancestors wilds dream - Indigenous clothes - Native shirts - Indigenous AF $28.00 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/922501578/native-american-clothing-indigenous?gpla=1&gao=1 Womens Oglala Lakota People Cotton Shirt - Honoring First Nations, Inuit, Native American Indigenous Cultures $21.86 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/1455679758/womens-oglala-lakota-people-cotton-shirt?gpla=1&gao=1 Indigenous shirt - Native tshirt - Native tee - Native American shirts - Indigenous apparel - Funny Native shirts - First Nation fashion $28.00 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/866625250/indigenous-shirt-native-tshirt-native?gpla=1&gao=1 Native American Shirt, Four Direction Color Shirt, Native, Indigenous, Native Blanket, Unisex Jersey Short Sleeve Tee $21.25 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/1652731418/native-american-shirt-four-direction?gpla=1&gao=1 Native American Shirt, American Tribe Shirt, Indigenous Shirt, Indigenous Peoples Day Shirt, Gifts For Native Americans $24.99 Earns commission etsy.com/listing/1278655098/native-american-shirt-american-tribe?gpla=1&gao=1

• Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events (by Yvonne Wakim Dennis, Arlene Hirschfelder, Paulette F. Molin, 2022)
• Indigenous Firsts: A History of Native American Achievements and Events
• An Indigenous Peoples' History of the United States (ReVisioning History Book 3) by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

Deported to China; South Park (comedy)

(Spotlight by Laugh Society) Jimmy O. Yang on Asian chefs 😂 | Best jokes!

(Armchair Analysis) South Park; (Laugh After Dark) David Jin: My parents deported me to China

Henry Cho best of Asian American jokes | Henry Cho Comedy (stand up comedian)

(Sammy Obeid) Oklahoma has billionaires? Standup comedy

(Big Think) Asian comedienne faces herself and others' expectations

Yoga is for white people (Zarna Garg)

Bikram ran scam called Bikram Yoga

Zarna Garg (born Feb. 15, 1975) [1] is an Indian American stand-up comedian and screenwriter. CNBC says she is "the zany, outspoken voice of the Indian American woman" [2]. She is also a New York Times bestselling author.

• ZG is a "Desi" (a member of the Indian diaspora) comedian at Zarna Garg.com. Desi a loose term used to describe the peoples, cultures, and products of the Indian subcontinent and their diaspora [4], deriving from the Sanskrit देश (deśá), meaning "land" or "country" [5]. It traces its origin to people from South Asia: India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh and is sometimes extended to include the Sri Lanka, Nepal, the Maldives, and Bhutan. More: Desi

Early life and education

Watch Zarna Garg: Practical People Win Streaming Online | Hulu

Born in India, she lived in Mumbai (Bombay) as a teenager. Her Indian father demanded that she get married the day after her mother died, which was when she was 14.

Why are we Americans overachievers?

Rather than submit to an arranged marriage, she moved out of the house and stayed with friends and family [4]. Eventually, she emigrated to the USA to live with her sister in Akron, Ohio [2][5].

She earned a BA degree in finance from the University of Akron and a JD (Juris Doctor) degree from the Case Western Reserve University School of Law in Cleveland, Ohio [6].

After being a stay-at-home mother for 16 years, she was encouraged by her children to try stand-up comedy [7], so we have them to thank. More

• Zarna Garg (Comedy Dynamics); CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Pro-Palestine Jewish comedian: Shuster

Noam is coming to Los Angeles: Coexistence, My Ass (Laemmle NoHo)

"Coexistence, My Ass!": Israeli standup comic Noam Shuster-Eliassi uses humor to oppose Israel's occupation of Palestine

Do all lives matter? - Yes, but Jewish lives matter most. - Isn't that racist? - No, we're the victims.

Can I love Palestinians as much as Israelis?

(Democracy Now!) Oct. 29, 2025: Coexistence, My Ass! is a new comedic documentary opening today (Wednesday, Oct. 29th) in New York, highlighting Noam Shuster-Eliassi, an Israeli Jewish comedian and peace activist.

Shuster-Eliassi strives for justice and equality for Palestinians and "to make present the elephant in the room that a lot of artists [in Israel and the U.S.] prefer to ignore."

Harvard's Coexistence, My Ass!

Trailer | Coexistence, my Ass! | Amber Fares

(TYT) Steve Bannon gets heated with Laura Loomer on 'Greater Israel'

(Katie Halper) Israel’s LIES collapse after American teen kidnapped by IDF

DN! also speaks with Director Amber Fares, who says the film — like others dealing with the topic of Palestine and Zionism — is struggling to find distribution in the United States but has six screenings already set up, including an opening at the IFC Center in New York City.

Noam Shuster-Eliassi: The Israeli comic laughing in the face of Jewish apartheid

Find me on Facebook and Instagram

(Friday Night Semites) Oct. 31, 2024: Noam Shuster-Eliassi is a self-described “traitor comedian” – a Jewish Israeli artist, activist, and all-around cultural troublemaker who isn’t afraid to push the boundaries of what’s possible.

Growing up in Israel’s only intentional Jewish/Palestinian community called Neve Shalom/Wahat as-Salam ("Oasis of Peace"), Noam refused to join the Israeli Army (IDF) and instead became an organizer against Israel's occupation.

Sammy Obeid on Israel/FBI's murder of Charlie Kirk

Noam Shuster live at the Wilbur Theater, Chicago, 2020

Coexistence, My A (Santa Monica)

Now, she’s turning her unique perspective into comedy that takes on everything from Israeli censorship to the contradictions of what she calls the “peace industry.”

Think of her humor as the antidote to Israel’s polished PR (psyops and propaganda posing as "public relations")—challenging, honest, and unapologetically bold.

In this episode with standup comedian Sammy Obeid, Noam breaks down her one-woman show, Coexistence, My Ass! (yes, that’s really the name), the reactions to her pro-Palestine material, and the toll of being a loud voice for human rights and equality from Gaza to the West Bank and inside present-day Apartheid Israel itself.

I really hope Bibi likes my show.

She also dishes out some wild stories from her time at East Jerusalem’s “Corona Hotel” quarantine, shares what it’s like to speak at international peace summits without pulling punches, and dives into her own, not-so-sanitized take on Israel’s official narratives.

This conversation gets real about the risks (and occasional rewards) of using comedy to cut through apartheid, dehumanization, and the unspoken hierarchies baked into racist Israeli society.

#podcast #israel #NoamShuster #comedy #shortvideo #shorts #short #shortsvideo #shortsfeed #share #youtubeshorts #viralvideo #trending #subscribe #palestine #gaza #comedy #standupcomedy #sammyobeid

• Noam Shuster-Eliassi | FB
• Noam Shuster-Eliassi: The Israeli Comic Laughing in the Face of Israeli Apartheid (Friday Night Semites)
• Noam Shuster-Eliassi LIVE in Los Angeles (FB)
• Latest DN! shows
• Support this work: democracynow.org/donate
• Not in our name! (ifnotnowmovement.org)
• Genocide confessions: breakingthesilence.org.il
• Jewish Voice for Peace (jvp.org)
• Israelis Against Israel: nkusa.org
• ‎شرش | Shoresh | שר”ש‎ (@shoresh_us) • IG
• Rabbis for Ceasefire
• CODE PINK: Women for Peace
• American Veterans for Peace
• Amy Goodman, DemocracyNow.org, Oct. 29, 2025; Shauna Schwartz, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Dearly departed Diane Keaton dead

From the archives: Diane Keaton

(CBS Sunday Morning) Oct 11, 2025: Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton, renowned for both comedies like "Annie Hall" and dramas like "The Godfather," died on Oct. 11, 2025, at age 79. In this Nov. 14, 2010 "Sunday Morning" profile, Keaton talked with Katie Couric about her Broadway debut in the musical "Hair"; playing foil to Woody Allen; adopting two children in her 50s; and why she never married. Her mother, Dorothy Deanne (née Keaton), was Mrs. Los Angeles and Mrs. Highland Park, inspiring and encouraging her.

• Diane Keaton's final Instagram post before her death showed her at home with dog her beloved golden retriever

World Smile Day: A Path to Happiness

Buddhism's Seinfeld: funny Ajahn Brahm

The first Friday of October is World Smile Day (Oct. 3, 2025), a relatively new holiday with a fascinating story. Created by a commercial artist named Harvey Ball, this day came about as a response to his creation of the smiley face. Harvey worried that the commercialization of the symbol would lessen its impact. We can hardly blame him for his estimation; the symbol has been used in many different ways including clothing, comic books, coffee mugs, pins, and more. These little yellow faces are more than just a symbol, they’re a statement about the power of smiling.

History of World Smile Day

Has this symbol always existed?

In 1963, Harvey Ball, a graphic artist and ad man from Worcester, Massachusetts, created the smiley face symbol [the yellow emoji icon] we’ve all come to know.

Popularity for this symbol exploded into the world of popular culture. It’s every artists’ dream for their work to be respected and recreated and few symbols have had quite the legacy that Harvey’s creation has had. More: nationaltoday.com

Smiling animals brighten our day

If looking for something to brighten an otherwise dreary winter day, look no further than these adorable animals. Looking at their cheery grins will no doubt put a smile on the face that watches them, too. These smiling animals will brighten the day

Buddhism: There is no way to happiness. Why? Happiness is the way

I let go, surrendered, and blissed out on the mat.

This is a tricky truth no one talks about, at least not in the West. We are forever searching and seeking, scheming and striving to get happy, to FIND a way to happiness. But this message turns that sort of thinking on its head.

When at a Buddhist monastery or on a Buddhist retreat, it's not uncommon to ask, "How do I attain meditative absorption (jhana)?" Another word for it is "zen" or dhyana and dharana on a yoga retreat. But there's no answer. One is taught a technique but no way to achieve the thing one strives for. Why?

I have a theory. - What is it? - Do the GOOD.

It is reached by letting go, dropping the striving, surrendering up the muscling, giving up the go-getter attitude. It just happens. And teachers will say, "There's no way to [scheme and use force to] do it. Meditators just do it."

I went to the room of the greatest jhana teacher in the world, and I pressed him, "What's the secret?"

He didn't know what I meant, he said. He didn't even know what I was talking about, he claimed. Then I thought, he's given me an opening. Here's my chance. I better ask very carefully:

"How does one meditate...successfully? What I mean is, how does one attain absorption? How does one get to..." He looked at me like I was kidding and when he saw that I was not, as if by rote, he gave me the basic instructions:

• Sit up straight, but not too straight, relax, bring your attention under your nose to the breath, remain aware of each and every in-breath and out-breath that is happening. Don't do anything but give your undivided attention to that breath (composed of an in-portion and out-portion). Just that. [Then what? - Then nothing, just that. - No, but there has to be something more; it can't be just that. - Just do that (in addition to keeping silent, following the Eight Precepts, and always keeping the breath in mind except when asleep) and then report to me what happens during the daily interview sessions. Try it. It's very simple, but there's nothing easy about it. So keep at it.]

Bare awareness (mindfulness/sati) is a start.

"No," I said, "not how does one sit; how does one succeed? How does one get to that state of one-pointedness, samadhi, stillness, rapture, unbroken focus...?"

"Oh, that," he said. "I don't know that." I thought he was joking, a real effort to make an American-style joke, and I didn't know why he wasn't telling me. He knew I was sincere. He knew I had been striving all month long. Then I applied more pressure than probably anyone would ever dare to apply.

I wasn't leaving without an answer: "What do you mean you don't know? Who better than you? If you don't know, who could possibly know?"

Then he stunned me, as he often did with the directness of his insight and his willingness to share his knowledge with me? "I don't know because I do not read minds. People come to me. I give them the instructions. And some of them come tell me what is happening, and I guide them from there."

You asked him what?! Did he throw you out?

"But WHY do some of them have something start happening since not everyone does?"

"That I do not know. I just know they do. And when they do, I can help them, guide them to go deeper. But how they get to it in the first place, that I do not know." [These aren't exact quotes, just the gist of the conversation, which only lasted a few desperate minutes as I pushed and pushed.]

As he said this, I realized I had asked him this before, after sitting with him in Asia at his massive monastery, where it seemed everyone was succeeding and attaining. I asked him and pushed him a little on the matter with someone sitting by me to catch what I might be missing, two Americans sincerely wanting to experience what Buddhist texts write about, what the Buddha taught, what sutras say happens.

At that time he looked at us and perceiving our sincerity said one strange word, his guess as to what it was distilled down to ONE thing as if it could ever be just one thing distinguishing success from just sitting. That word was parami. She smiled next to me, but I grimaced, perplexed. "'Parami?' The Sanskrit word paramita?"

"Yes," he answered, but he was actually talking about the Pali (and therefore Theravada Buddhist) form of the word parami. In either case, it means "perfection," but the Sanskrit is a diluted Mahayana term of six factors, whereas the historical Buddha always taught TEN intentional actions (deeds, karma).

My teacher clarified. What he imagined (from what he heard from many of his successful students reporting to him) was that they remembered doing skillful deeds in the past, and he concluded that those past skillful deeds were coming to fruition as they sat. And that's why some succeeded and not others.

What kinds of questions are these? You are silly.

(What I was really getting at was, WHAT ACTIONS CAN SOMEONE DO NOW OR WHILE ONE IS SITTING IN MEDITATION, ANXIOUS FOR SOMETHING TO HAPPEN, TO MAKE IT HAPPEN?)

That he didn't know, so I had to undertake a lifelong journey of trying to figure it out. Of course, it will have something to do with the Factors of Absorption (jhananga, "limbs of jhana"). Leigh Brasington figured this much out, having had the insight that happiness is the way:

Right Concentration: Practical Guide to the Jhanas

Brasington teaches a technique of focusing on one of these factors, happiness (piti, joy, pleasure, rapture, bliss) as it arises in the body in serenity meditation. By focusing on it, it increases based on the principle that, "Where attention goes, energy flows." This is true enough, but how does one get the initial happiness/bliss to pay attention to and make increase?

Now it makes sense that what I had always been looking for was a carrot or apple in front of the horse (mule, donkey, jackass). I could only neigh in realizing it: THE GOAL is not this happiness because THIS HAPPINESS is the way to relaxing, letting go, unstriving, surrendering, unclutching, dropping hangups, persisting without grasping or clinging, shikantaza ("just sitting"), not setting up a goal and striving for it. Why? It's because those blissful states of meditation and their attendant stillness, mindfulness, and progress towards insight are NATURAL. They arise. We don't "do" them. We can't do them. We don't know how and do not have that power.

But if we relax and just watch with vigilance, stillness, steadiness, persistence, we are cultivating the Factors of Absorption and other factors of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment, which are categorized into seven groupings.

• One is reminded of a very important thing the Buddha once explained to someone. When talking about the Bodhisatta, himself at the stage of still being a seeker of enlightenment, he once realized that he could neither strive too hard or be negligent. Doing either, he sank as if in a great ocean (samsara), but not striving and not being negligent, he made progress. What could this mean either than the Middle Way of avoiding extremes, of persisting but not pushing, of cultivating but not disturbing the peace or giving in to apathy, listlessness, or despair?
• Thai Forest Tradition arahant Ajahn Maha Boowa seems to be suggesting the same thing here (translated by the American intellect Ven. Thanissaro): "The tactics [techniques] given by each of the Buddhas to the world are called the Dhamma [Truth] of the doctrine. These aren't the genuine Dhamma. They're tactics [methods] — different offshoots — actions and modes displayed by the genuine Dhamma, means for letting go and striving, teaching us to let go, teaching us to strive using various methods, saying that the results will be like this or that. As for the genuine Dhamma of results in the principles of nature, that's something to be known exclusively in the heart of the person who practices. This Dhamma can't really be described correctly in line with its truth. We can only talk around it. And particularly with release [nirvana, liberation, freedom]: This can't be correctly described at all, because it's beyond all conventions and speculations. It can't be described. Even though we may know it with our full heart, we can't describe it. Like describing the flavor [of a soup using only words to someone who has yet to simply taste it]." From Things As They Are.

Smile, be happy. Don't overdo it; just let it be.

So happiness IS the way. Be happy. Right now. Choose it. It's a choice. Smile. After all, it's World Smile Day. Reflect, "Why is the Buddha ALWAYS smiling slightly?" There are no statues of him yelling or throwing things, losing his temper or his poise. Why? It's because once one uproots the defilements, there is nothing more tat can upset. One knows-and-sees directly.

Like that, Lisa, just like that. Hold it.

And to the extent that that knowing-and-seeing is the goal, one has reached it. Things have become clear, and nothing can any longer upset us. What was in the way, aside from the defilements (of which there are many subtle ones) and lack of parami-karma (ten skillful deeds performed with the ambition of nirvana being the result)? What is the direct path to bodhi (enlightenment, awakening, realization, liberating-insight)?

What is the way to bodhi? The Seven Factors of Enlightenment. What is the way to those factors? The preceding factors of the 37 Requisites of Enlightenment. How does one do any factor? It's probably a good idea to be happy. How does one even begin to dream to do that? Smile.