Saturday, August 8, 2026

Ekaterina Sky's Sunrise; planting trees


What can one person do save world?
This painting holds one of my favorite lines from the prayer beneath the collection: "Help us restore what has been harmed and create a future of harmony and respect."

I painted it as a sunrise, a center of gold opening into rays of red and orange, the first light after a long, dark night.

I wanted to make something in color that remembered that the morning still comes no matter how hard the dark period.
How will we save the planet? Forests!
The Sacred Process of Prayer For The Earth painting creation — Ekaterina Sky on Cohart
Life Force Trees | 165 trees per person (ourlifeforce.org)
The best way to see a sunrise is through an old growth forest of vibrant trees
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What we compose shows, so do it with care
The original is now ready to find its home. Inquire on Cohart. People sometimes ask how long a painting like this takes me to compose. The painting itself is a matter of days, but the more complete answer is that it takes much longer. This is because the gold comes in layers that each needs its own time and cannot be hurried.

Gold teaches me patience. It will lift, crack, or refuse if it is rushed. So I stopped counting in days and started counting in layers.

I want to save our world's forests!
A future is built the same way: not in one grand gesture, but in patient layers, small daily choices and acts, the things we plant (sow) and tend (cultivate) and refuse to give up on. What we care for grows. What we show up for shows. Everyone can see what shows from our care in its composition.

As of today, "A Future of Harmony and Respect" is available to view on Cohart, to acquire by inquiry. If someone is standing at the start of something, this is a sunrise for that wall. It is a one-of-a-kind, watercolor with 24 karat sustainable gold leaf, with a prayer sealed inside that can be accessed through a chip that allows it to be heard aloud. And it arrives with a certificate of authenticity and earth conscious packaging.

See the sunrise to inquire about bringing it home at: A Future of Harmony and Respect on Cohart.
  • And I would love to hear: What part of the living world do you most want to see restored?
  • (Maybe it's forests, human communities, vegan kitchens, wild grasslands, fish oceans, bird skies, tunnel systems, space belts full of debris... Tell us in the comment section below)
With love,

Ekaterina Sky

P.S. Feeling moved beyond wall art and mural painting? PLANT TREES through a new movement at ourlifeforce.org. Also, see my art on Instagram: @ekaterina.sky.art
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Buddhism, Shinto, atheism East and West

(No Nonsense Spirituality | Britt Hartley) What Japan told me about atheism and belonging
Man confronted by the Fox goddess
Shintoism is a religion from Japan classified as an East Asian religion by scholars. It is often regarded by its practitioners as Japan's indigenous religion and as a "nature religion." Religious scholars sometimes call its practitioners "Shintoists," although adherents rarely use that term themselves. With no central authority in control of Shintoism, there is much diversity of belief and practice evident among practitioners. A polytheistic and animistic religion, Shinto revolves around supernatural entities called the kami (神), who are believed to inhabit all things, including forces of nature and prominent locations.

Shinto: The Kami Spirit World of Japan
These shapeshifting kami are worshipped at kamidana household shrines, family shrines, and jinja public shrines staffed by priests, known as kannushi (those who deal with the kami), who oversee offerings of food and drink to the specific kami enshrined at that location. This is done to cultivate harmony between humans and kami [shapeshifting spirits, apparitions, ghosts, genies, poltergeists, elementals, ghouls, monsters, tricksters, fairies, gargoyles, or other invisible beings] and to solicit their blessings. Other common rituals include kagura dances, rites of passage, and kami festivals. Public shrines facilitate forms of divination and supply religious objects, such as amulets, to the Shintoists. The religion places a major conceptual focus on ensuring purity, largely by cleaning practices such as ritual washing and bathing, especially before worship. Little emphasis is placed on specific moral codes or particular afterlife beliefs, although the dead are deemed capable of becoming kami. The religion has no single creator or specific doctrine and instead exists in a diverse range of local and regional forms.

What are kami?

Yoshitoshi ground spider yōkai
Yōkai are also referred to as ayakashi (あやかし), mononoke (物の怪), or mamono (魔物). Some academics and Shinto practitioners acknowledge similarities within the seeming dichotomy between the natures of yōkai and most kami, which are generally regarded as relatively beneficent by comparison. Shintoists classify the two as ultimately the same type of spirits of nature or of a mythological realm [3]. Their behavior can range from malevolent harm or mischievous trickster pranksterism to benevolent towards humans. More: yōkai
  • Joe Smith, John the Baptist, Oli Cowdery
    Mormonism    : the theology and religious tradition of the Latter-Day Saint movement of Restorationist Christianity started by Joseph Smith in Western New York in the 1820s and 1830s. As a label, it has been applied to various aspects of the movement, although since 2018 there has been a push from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) to distance itself from this label [1]. A prominent feature of the theology is the Book of Mormon, a 19th-century text that describes itself as a chronicle of early Indigenous peoples of the Americas and their dealings with [the white man's] God [2]. This theology combines mainstream Christian beliefs with modifications stemming from belief in revelations to Smith and other religious leaders.
The atheist symbol is an atomic whirl
Atheism: knowing that there are no Gods (theos); in the broadest sense, an absence of belief in the existence of deities. Less broadly, atheism is a rejection of the belief that any deities exist. In an even narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are certainly no deities. Atheism is contrasted with theism, which is the belief that at least one deity exists.
Nontheism is not atheism
The "whatever" religion
NONTHEISM: The position that whether there is a God(s) or not, that has no bearing on an individual's enlightenment, liberation, deliverance, salvation, emancipation. (Why? The gods/Gods are caught in this samsaric rounds just as other beings are). It is a range of both religious [1] and non-religious [2] attitudes characterized by the absence of espoused belief in the existence of a God or gods.
How much do we care what the Truth is?
It has generally been used to describe silence towards the subject of gods (deus, theos, dīvus) and differs from atheism, which is an active disbelief in any gods. It has been used as an umbrella term for summarizing distinct and even mutually exclusive positions.

Some of these are default atheism, the ever-popular agnosticism (not knowing), apatheism (apathy), egotheism [not to be confused with messiah complex, egoism, egotism, narcissism, Trumpism, or solipsism], ignosticism, ietsism, pantheism, deism, pandeism, 🌈 transtheism, skepticism, or the greatest bunco-religion ever invented, at least so far, Flying Spaghetti Monsterism (aka Pastafarianism).

The religion with most believers is right one
Science: As pirates go down, temperatures go up (misleading graph)
 
Believe and be saved or deny and go to hell
(We apologize in advance if our statements have offended any FSMists; it is never our intention at WQ to offend, diminish, mock, or otherwise find fault with the religion or nonreligion of anyone's choosing. Do carry on believing and never mind our backwards ways. In fact, everyone should convert to this religion and/or make up their own, such as George Costanza Sr.'s Festivusism. We ourselves are nontheists, Buddhists yes, but nontheists.)

FSM Pastafarianism
One day the eternal Creator Deity blessed humankind with starch but cursed it with gluten
.
Impale the shorthaired nonbelievers!
The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM) is the supreme deity of the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster [of the latter-day tortellinis], an ironic, satirical, and parodic new religious movement that promotes a light-hearted view of religion [3]. The parody originated in opposition to the teaching of intelligent design in public schools in the USA. According to adherents ("Pastafaris"), Pastafarianism (a portmanteau of pasta and Rastafarianism 🌬️) is a "real, legitimate religion, as much as any other" [4]. It has received some limited recognition as such [5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. More
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Sutra Study with Bhikkhu Bodhi (8/8)

Teacher: American scholar monk Bhikkhu Bodhi
Dharma students, on Saturday, August 8th, 2026, Bhante (Venerable Bhikkhu Bodhi) will be holding his Sutta Study class in two modes, in-person (in NY) and online (on Zoom).

We will study The Book of Eights. See a PDF of this chapter here. To participate through Zoom, interested parties must register on the BAUS website here.

Class begins at 9:30 am ET with a 40-minute meditation: 30 minutes of mindfulness-of-breathing (ana-pana-sati) and 10 minutes of cultivating loving-kindness (metta bhavana).

Meditation is followed by sutta (discourse) discussion, starting at 10:10 am and running until 11:20 am ET. To determine the time in your own time zone from anywhere in the world, use The World Clock. (Zoom link below).
The schedule will be as follows:
  • 9:30 to 10:10 am: Meditation
  • 10:10 to 11:20 am: Sutta Study
  • The Sutta Study class will be conducted over Zoom at the link given here:
Zoom link for Sutta Class
  • Passcode: Sambodhi
  • Meeting ID: 812 2960 9505
  • Passcode: Sambodhi
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,81229609505#,,,,*26115386# US (New York)
+13126266799,,81229609505#,,,,*26115386# US (Chicago)

Dial by location
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
Virtual meditation over Zoom

Wednesdays 7:00–8:00 pm (ET) with Bhikkhu Bodhi
Dharma students are invited to join Bhante at 7:00 pm (ET) for a Buddhist meditation session over Zoom by clicking here.

Each Wednesday evening, from 7:00 to 8:00 pm, Bhikkhu Bodhi leads a meditation session on Zoom. The session consists of a 15-minute vandana (chanting verses of homage as Buddhist music), followed by a 45-minute guided meditation. All are welcome to join in. The sacred Pali texts for recitation are attached separately. Please see class page on website for chanting text.

With metta,

Bhikkhu Bodhi, Chuang Yen Monastery (BAUS.org)
Passcode: 368764

Note: This is a recurring meeting from 7:00pm to 8:00 pm Wednesdays.
Meeting ID: 835 4090 0862
Passcode: 368764
One tap mobile
+16468769923,,83540900862#,,,,*368764#
US (New York) +13017158592,,83540900862#,,,,*368764#
US (Washington DC)
Dial by location
+1 646 876 9923 US (New York)
+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 253 215 8782 US (Tacoma)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)
+1 669 900 6833 US (San Jose)
Meeting ID: 835 4090 0862
Passcode: 368764
Find local number: us02web.zoom.us/u/kcYniDdmfU

The Buddhist Association of the U.S. (美國佛教會)
2020 Route 301, Carmel, New York 10512
contact@baus.org
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Zazen back home: Berkeley Zen Center

BASIC ZAZEN INSTRUCTION Founder Sojun Mel Weitsman Roshi (berkeleyzencenter.org)


WHAT HAPPENED?
Why'd I come from the West?
A group of seven meditators gathered Saturday morning at 8:40 am on Russell St. between MLK Jr. and Adeline at BZC. Zen Joe welcomed us into the Zendo for instruction, which is also online (Zoom). We were oriented on how to hold our hands, where to walk, where not to talk then got instruction on how to sit and hold ourselves erect. We got a short sit, walked out, came right back in for a full session of zazen. After that, following last week's lay entrustment ceremony, Sue (Ju'en Soetsu), 83, gave a Dharma talk, with precious little Dharma and lots of pablum, ordinary chitchat, very down homey and a whole lot of air. One was reminded of seeing Thich Nhat Hanh in one of his last visits to the Pasadena Auditorium, possibly his very last, articulating next to no words, just giving darshan, uncomfortably, with 5,000 or so onlookers hanging on his every exhale, singing songs, feeling so very in the moment, smiling, settling...until Thay finally made the point that "a flower is composed out of all non-cloud elements," an instruction meant to show [the impersonal nature of] emptiness (shunyata, anatta) that all we take to be so special about flowers is actually water from clouds, nourishment from mud and atmospheric gases, solar radiation, and so on. All that disparate stuff gives us flowers, just as the Five Aggregates give us living beings, who rarely if ever realize they are ultimately only that. One had to think, unless one had been inducted in the Zen cloud of not expecting anything, "Is that all there is, Cristina?"


Instead here, when Sue made some uber-generic observation, one of the helpers signed at the magnificence of the simplicity of her utterance. When we set up no expectations, it's hard to be disappointed. When we do, watch out. Some men in the audience of 40 tried to ask some deeper questions, Sue brushed them off as if she had been studying how to be a difficult Zen interviewee. "Yes," she answered to a multiple-choice question about the meaning of life. "Will you ever answer my question," the audience member persisted, "Yes." - "Will you do it now?" - "Don't worry about it," was her retort to the gleeful squeals of others in the know. Linda Roshi, the committee-selected BZC abbess of the last two years, gently nodded as if in approval. "What are we here but body, breath, and brain [mind]?" she asked rhetorically then quoted Woody Allen of all people, "Showing up is 80%." More heads nodded, and all we could think was, "This is a 'Dharma' talk?" Someone was viewing it on Zoom, so maybe it's recorded for anyone to review. We asked Zen Joe afterward, "Was that a normal Dharma talk?" He shrugged his shoulders and answered, "Yeah, pretty typical."

Maybe all she said was a big "Zen" lesson?

"Some say that to speak of the meaning of the coming from the West is already wrong."

"People these days all make unconcern an understanding. Some say, 'There is no delusion or enlightenment: it's not necessary to go on seeking. Even before the Buddha appeared in the world, before Bodhidharma ever came to this country, it could not have been otherwise. What's the use of the Buddha appearing in the world? What did the Patriarch still come from the West for?"

All such views -- what relevance do they have? You must have greatly penetrated and greatly awakened: then as before, mountains are mountains, rivers are rivers, in fact all the myriad things are perfectly manifest. Then for the first time you can be an unconcerned person." - Roshi Reddit

We think that if we were to ask Sue what she meant, she would rightly say to us, "Don't worry about it."
Zazen (sitting meditation) instruction
In-person Zazen instruction and beginner orientation
Why did Bodhidharma come?
BZC now offers Zen meditation instruction and orientation every Saturday morning, at 8:40 am. Visit BZC at 1933 Russell St., Berkeley by the Thai Theravada temple, next to the library.

BZC shares how we meditate and also some details about how to move around in the zendo (meditation hall) and join services (bowing and chanting).

Zen Master Bodhidharma | Quizlet
After orientation, participants are welcome to join the next period of zazen in the zendo (9:40 am) and a lecture at 10:15 am. The Saturday program ends at 11:30 am. There is no need to sign up. ALL are welcome!

Online instruction is no longer offered live. Please check out the link to Sojun Roshi’s instruction. Or explore the Teachers Page to make an appointment for a one-on-one zazen instruction.


More about zazen instruction
A 45-minute video meditation instruction from BZC's late Founder Sojun Weitsman Roshi: Sojun’s Roshi’s Sept. 2020 Zazen Instruction
Hakuryu Sojun Roshi (Mel Weitsman)
ABOUT: Hakuryu Sojun Roshi (Mel Weitsman) began to practice at San Francisco Zen Center on Bush St. in 1964. In 1969 he was ordained by Suzuki Roshi as resident priest at the Berkeley Zendo. He received Dharma Transmission from Suzuki Roshi’s son and successor, Gyugaku Hoitsu, at Rinsoin Temple in Japan in 1984 and was officially installed as abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center in 1985. Along with his responsibilities in Berkeley, Sojun Roshi helped train students and teachers at several affiliated temples. From 1988 to 1997 he served as co-abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center. He gave Dharma Transmission to numerous students... More
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Ashkenazi Jews are not 'The Jews'?



On the other hand, genetically speaking, Palestinians are the real thing, the real "people of this land" (Judea, the Levant, Palestine, Canaan, Nazareth, Bethlehem, Galilee...) How could that be, Grok? How could you let the truth get out? Somebody call Elon Musk and tell him to fix the algorithm because the previous fixes were not foolproof!

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Thursday, August 6, 2026

Girl Fight: Japanese beauty beats all

(Behind the Knockout) Mona Kimura, Dakota Ditcheva: finishes that put opponents in hospitals


Yi Long does it again using his kung fu skills
(Boxing Game) Buddhism in Japan is covered below. But holy cow, it's the animated Chun-Li in real life! Doll Mona Kimura knocks out everyone because she kicks when she does her martial arts in the ring against opponents who walk right into her foot again and again.

Mona Kimura (Japanese 木村 萌那, Kimura Mona, born April 12, 2001) is a Japanese kickboxer and former amateur boxer who is currently signed to K-1. She represented Japan at 2022 IBA Women's World Boxing Championships [2, 3, 4].
Early career
Who, me, a pretty "girlie doll"? We'll see when we get in the ring.

Japanese Buddhist flag flys over Japan
Kimura started training in karate at age 4 and won seven consecutive JKJO All Japan Junior Karate Championships then started boxing in 4th grade [5, 6, 7]. In 2019 she won the JBC Junior Featherweight Championship... Does she love Bruce Lee or even know who he was? Is she into kung fu like the great [not an actual monastery-trained] Shaolin master Yi Long? She must at least know the who the great martial artists who preceded her are. More

Buddhism in Japan
The Great Buddha (Amida, Amitabha) (Daibutsu) at Kōtoku-in, Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (National Treasure) Le Grand Bouddha du Kotoku-in (Kamakura, Japon)
.
Daruma doll Indian Bodhidharma
Buddhism was first established in Japan in the 6th century CE [3, 4, 5]. Most of Japanese Buddhists belong to new schools of Buddhism that were established in the Kamakura period (1185–1333) [6]. During the Edo period (1603–1868), Buddhism was controlled by the feudal Shogunate.

The Meiji period (1868–1912) saw a strong response against Buddhism, with persecution and a forced separation between Buddhism and the indigenous shapeshifter (kami) tradition called Shinto (Shinbutsu bunri).

Vowz Band 坊主バンド rock to spread Zen
The largest sects of Japanese Buddhism are Pure Land Buddhism with 22 million followers, followed by Nichiren Buddhism with 10 million believers, Shingon Buddhism with 5.4 million, Zen Buddhism with 5.3 million, Tendai Buddhism with 2.8 million, and about 700,000 for the six old schools established in the Nara period (710–794) [6]. More:
Japan at a Crossroads | BBC
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