Can desalination solve our water needs?

(Unknown Variables) America poured billions of gallons of filtered (desalinated) seawater into a dead desert -- and what happened next was unbelievable. Israel has been desalinating salt water for a long time, as have other countries. Why doesn't the USA do it? It's more about politics and economics of selling freshwater than any technological obstacle to abundance and prosperity.

White girl crime: bouncy, coed; shoplifting

(Bad Boats) Happy foreign college student DUI: It can't be easy as cops deal with temptation

Officer, can you let me get off?

(Corrupted) When dirty cop gets seduced (and takes sex bribe)

(Naked Criminal) When suspects try to flirt with cops to get off

(Evidence Room) White privilege: Woman thinks she can just steal then offer sex bribe

White Fragility: Why It's So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism is a book written by Robin DiAngelo about modern race relations in the United States. An academic with experience in diversity training, DiAngelo coined the term "white fragility" to describe what she views as any defensive instincts or reactions that a white person experiences when questioned about race or made to consider one's own race.

Author Robin Jeanne DiAngelo

In White Fragility, DiAngelo views racism in the United States as systemic and often perpetuated subconsciously (below conscious awareness, aka implicit bias) by individuals. She recommends against viewing racism as committed intentionally by "bad people" and instead advocates for seeing it for what it is. More

• Whiteness Studies
• White privilege
• European colonialism
• The West's New Imperialism
• White's Atlantic slave trade
• Institutional racism

Entitled white women shoplift? Say it ain't so!

Respect my mother f'n authority, bich, or else!

In our second investigation, Ms. Denny gets out of hand because she is hiding multiple identification documents. She shoplifts then wants to pay for the items, even though the clerk has previously refused the sale. She's bouncy and privileged with enough of a sense of entitlement that "Phil Lincoln," presumably the aggressive police officer responding to the call, gets tired of it very quickly and takes her down that results in broken glass from a bottle of stolen alcohol and charges of resisting arrest without violence in addition to petty theft.

Is Epstein-victim Trump a bisexual?

(Luke Beasley) Unearthed Trump gay footage exposes him

Alcohol was ruining my life. How I quit

Why alcohol is ruining our lives (Jordan Peterson, Andrew Huberman, Mike Tyson)

(Sober Leon) Today's video shares some motivation to end alcoholism from some of the most influential people in the world. If quitting alcohol makes me a quitters, then I quit! I'd rather be clear, detoxed, and sober. If anyone is trying to get sober and needs some motivation, this video is a must watch. #alcoholfree #sober #stopdrinking

• soberclear.com
• soberclear.com/dark-contr...
• Get INSTANT access to BRAND NEW “Alcohol Control 🍺 Video Training” (2023)
• 📞 Book a roadmap call to see if the Soberclear Program and First Principles Thinking could be a good match: soberclear.com/bookcall-ytd 🎭
• SOBERCLEAR PROGRAM: See if REFRAMING method is the right thing to try. (Spots are limited): soberclear.com/soberclear...
• MEN ONLY: First Principles Thinking to control alcohol: soberclear.com #sober #stopdrinking #alcoholfree
• TIMESTAMPS: 00:00 - The truth about alcohol 02:15 - Andrew Huberman & James Hetfield 02:37 - David Harbour 1 02:53 - Bill Burr 03:14 - Nikki Glaser 03:41 - Ben Affleck 1 04:09 - Joe Rogan & Malcolm Gladwell 04:47 - David Nutt 05:29 - Jordan Peterson & Theo Von 05:50 - Joe Rogan & Malcolm Gladwell 2 06:22 - Daniel Radcliffe 06:52 - Ben Affleck 2 07:12 - Daniel Radcliffe 2 07:25 - Jordan Peterson 2 08:22 - Robert Lowe 08:48 - Brad Pitt 09:28 - James Hethfield 2 10:13 - Mike Tyson 10:48 - Janey Lee Grace 11:48 - Scott Strode 12:38 - Jordan Peterson 3 13:15 - Andrew Huberman 2 13:54 - Paul Churchill 15:06 - Anthony Hopkins 16:02 - Bradley Cooper 16:28 - Patrick Bet David 17:02 - David Harbour 2 17:45 - Ian McShane 18:06 - Ben Affleck 2
• 🗣 Interact with me on a personal level! Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/43652...
• 🎁 Check out the SOBERCLEAR website
• 🚨If this video helped, share it with friend to benefit as well :)
• Sober Leon, May 10, 2023; Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Alcoholic? Shut up! Drinking is fine

(Oldfangled Film) The Alcoholism Film (Rod Serling, 1974)

Liquid ignorance in a bottle

In Buddhism, the fifth precept is to abstain from intoxicants like alcohol (beer and liquor), drugs, and other [12, 13] things that occasion heedlessness. Early Buddhist Texts nearly always condemn alcohol, and so do Chinese Buddhist post-canonical texts. Smoking that leads to craving is sometimes also included here.

Right action is an important start on the Path

In modern times, traditional Buddhist countries have seen revival movements to promote the basic Five Precepts the Buddha pointed out as longstanding sources of grievous suffering (karma or deeds producing unwelcome results). As for the West, these precepts play a major role in Buddhist organizations. They have also been integrated into mindfulness training programs, though many new mindfulness specialists do not support this because of the precepts' religious import. Lastly, many conflict prevention programs make use of the precepts. Five Precepts

• VIDEO: Precept motivation: Don't touch alcohol

Drunk and high at the same time

Cross faded Kanye West "Mercy" (explicit) ft. Big Sea, Pusha T, 2 Chainz

(Kendrick Lamar) "Swimming Pools (Drank)" (by the Strawberry Girls)

"I can quit anytime I want!"

“Put the glass down” theory: Stop stress before breaking

(Tool) "Sober" - "Sober" (song) - Kids sing it (O'Keefe Music Foundation) - Ultra Lyrics

"Sober"

Why won't they stop, Mom?

LYRICS: There's a shadow just behind me/ Shrouding every step I take/ Making every promise empty/ Pointing every finger at me/ Waiting like a stalking butler/ Who upon the finger rests/ Murder now the pattern, must we/ Just because the son has come/ Jesus, won't you f*cking whistle/ Something but the past and done?/ Jesus, won't you f*cking whistle/ Something but the past and done?// [CHORUS] Why can't we not be sober?/ I just want to start this over/ Why can't we drink forever?/ I just want to start this over// I am just a worthless liar/ I am just an imbecile/ I will only complicate you/ Trust in me and fall as well/ I will find a center in you/ I will chew it up and leave/ I will work to elevate you/ Just enough to bring you down/ Mother Mary, won't you whisper/ Something but the past and done?/ Mother Mary, won't you whisper/ Something but the past and done?// [CHORUS]// Trust me, trust me, trust me, trust me, trust me// [CHORUS]// Why can't we not be sober?/ I just want to start things over/ Why can't we sleep forever?/ I just want to start this over/ I want what I want/ I want what I want/ I want what I want/ I want what I want

• Alcoholism
• Drinking culture
• Teetotalism (not drinking)
• Alcohol abuse
• Addiction
• Addiction severity index
• Alcohol dependence
• Physical dependence
• Alcoholics Anonymous

Getting drunk with Eckhart Tolle

(Eckhart Tolle) What alcohol (liquid ignorance) is really doing to us

Eckhart Tolle shares his awakening experience and the shift in consciousness

New Year's Eve Celestial Ball (12/31)

WHAT HAPPENED?

Where did these DJs learn to move us?

Through the gloom of clouds and mist, muddy streets and threats of "rain," we made our way to big house in Shadow Hills in the Foothills of the Valley. It was warm and bright inside, pulsing with lights and DJs. In a room to the right were throw pillows, tapestries, chocolates of all kinds and the massage area. On the ceiling was a map of the night sky in colorful lights or a psychedelic representation of it anyway. We gathered in a giant circle that spanned three rooms and the dancefloor, spilling into a fourth, for introductions. Pick a word that represents the year we are leaving. Introduce yourself to the person on your left, mimic their every move, share deeply. Raw vegan foods and cheesecake by Rawsheed were cooling, and warm curries were bubbling. Hibiscus tea filled a punch bowl with stevia and lemon essence.

Kinship Yoga 108 Sun Salutations

There was socializing all around in every room and a long primary dinner table set to serve two dozen people as others retreated to an adjoining room to eat, talk, and plan their karaoke, dancing, and singalong routines. The massage room became a healing chamber with too many signing up too late as hours rushed until the ecstatic moment of the countdown: 10, 9, 8...2026 was on its way. Is this happening simultaneously in New York, or did it happen three hours before? It's already tomorrow in Oceania and Australia. Dancing, screaming, hoots and howls to welcome in the new year, it's something Gatsby might have overseen from West Egg. Where's Daisy? She's dancing somewhere.

Ecstatic Dance with Sita Das Ji

Others are developing mindfulness and meditating, healing and letting go, and the drizzle has stopped down below in the Basin and Valley that is Los Angeles. People settled into corners for deep talks about the environment, human potential, psychology, saving the world, lamenting the Levant, and strategizing for paths to health and greater prosperity.

This is a good crowd with Vanessa and Annie outdoing themselves. Not since this past summer's pool party in Beverly Hills and book release has a compassionate celebration been so celebratory. Everyone was full, and it was approaching 2:00 am as we cleaned up, hugged, and meandered back down to the City of Angels.

Annie Vandenheuvel | Meetup

This 2025/2026 New Year's Eve is a Silver and Gold Celestial Ball hosted by Annie Vandenheuvel (Fruitful) and Vanessa Marsot (vegansofla.com) in Los Angeles.

Enter the glittering world of Arcana and find your Tarot Dreams. Once you arrive, find a host of figures to illuminate your chosen path. Draw in ultraviolet colors on the walls of your inner landscape.

• New Year's Eve Vegan Celestial Ball
• Wednesday, Dec. 31, 2025, 8PM-1AM
• Sunland-Tujunga, Shadow Hills, L.A.

Fashion inspiration from famous vegan (plant-based) men | Watson & Wolfe

Start 2026 by watching the 14th Dalai Lama's NYE message of peace #Buddhism #love #fypシ

What the f*ck do DJs actually do-do-do-do?

24 Hours With: Charlotte de Witte at Tomorrowland EDM Rave in Belgium, Europe, 2025

Kindness [to the environment and all its animals and human-animals] makes us stronger

• FREE TO RSVP: (Disclosure Project) New Year's Eve Celebration, Los Angeles, Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 8:00 PM | Meetup
• (Nature Center) New Year's Eve Vegan Celebration, Los Angeles (SF Valley), Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 8:00 PM | Meetup
• (PasaDharma) New Year's Eve Vegan Celebration and Ball, Los Angeles (Valley), Wed, Dec 31, 2025, 8:00 PM | Meetup

World-class vegan influencer Vanessa Marsot

Purchase a vegan food ticket ($40) to receive Alchemical creations by Chef Rawsheed (Facebook) and special elixirs. Appetizer, a main course, and dessert are all included. Or just come to party ($15).

Everyone in attendance will be provided an elixir of sparkling cider for the midnight toast. A DJ will be playing for our dancing pleasure at this ball between open mic and karaoke sets. Bring instruments!

To practice METTA, I became vegan. 😁

Tip jar massage will be available. Come dressed like a celestial Devi in silver or gold outfit for the ball. Or dress however you feel inspired with comfort as the goal.

Strut down a glittering catwalk in vegan ball attire for everyone to admire. (Please consider ahimsa, "non-harming," and avoid wool, silk, fur, leather, and feathers stolen from tormented animals).

• RSVP TO ATTEND:
• Meetup.com/vegansofla...
• Vegans of Los Angeles
• Vegan Spirituality | Meetup
• Celebration of Fruit Group | Meetup
• Retreats | Ellora Wellness

Will somebody kiss me right at midnight?

DETAILS

Massage is mind-body healing.

Payment for the food ticket due by Dec. 29th. Address of location given upon RSVP by Dec. 30th. Venmo: @Vanessa-Marsot Zelle: 818-383-5998 PayPal: vmarsot@gmail.com. Questions? Contact Vanessa at (818) 383-5998 or Annie at (310) 892-9617.

This event is advertised on multiple sites, so the Meetup numbers do not reflect the total number attending?

DISCLAIMER: Event organizers assume no liability; all participants do so at their own risk. By attending, you agree that neither you nor any third party will hold any of the group's leaders liable for any injury, loss, or damage to your own person or any members of your family, friends, acquaintances, children, pets, or property, arising directly or as a consequence from a group activity.

No cooking tonight. We have a vegan chef!

(BOSH!) Here are nine vegan party recipes (perfect for New Year's Eve or Day) 🎉

Patrik Baboumian celebrates first vegan decade | PETA

• Vegan Foodbank Volunteer Day (Sorting Day), Wed, Jan 14, 2026, 10:45 AM | Meetup
• Vegan New Years Potluck, Sat, Jan 17, 2026, 12:00 PM | Meetup
• Charlotte de Witte at Tomorrowland Belgium 2025 (main stage closing)

Vegans of LA (vegansofla.com)

• Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Jen B., Dhr. Seven, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Irish Latinos: Somos paisanos (comedy)

Irish-Mexican boxing champ 'Cinnamon Barrigan' aka Canelo Alvarez

I'm not Irish. I'm purely Mexican.

Canelo in Spanish is the masculine form of the word "cinnamon," which is a common nickname for redheads [19].

Jicama con chile (mx.pinterest.com)

In Mexico, it is common for people to associate red hair with the Irish soldiers who fought for Mexico. They were Los Patricios, "Saint Patrick's Battalion," during the Mexican–American War. Speaking about his ancestry, Canelo Álvarez once said, "There might have been an Irish grandfather somewhere back in my past" [18]. Canelo's neighbors nicknamed him "Jícama con Chile," which translates as "white root with red chili flakes" — a popular snack in Mexico and Los Angeles [20]. More: Canelo Álvarez Wiki (Who's his mother? Ana Maria Barragan).

• What is the Spanish word for "sneaky"? Furtivo (furtive)
• What does Somos paisanos mean? "We are paisanos."
• Irishman becomes Latino; Ana Saia; Eds., Wisdom Quarterly

Coachella 2026: Let's party to forget?

(K-pop lite?) Monster High Fright Song ft. KATSEYE | Official Music Video | Monster High

In all the pop hoopla, Goldenvoice forgot the rock 'n' roll.

Coachella 2026 featuring Sabrina Carpenter, Wet Leg, Justin Bieber, KAROL G, and more 🪁

I'm not a washed-up drug addict. I won't be.

(Coachella) Sept. 16, 2025: Passes go on sale this Friday, Sept. 19, at 11:00 am Pacific Time. Register now for access. coachella.com. This is NOT a counter-cultural event anymore.

• How to be a [post-Disney] industry puppet (the Sabrina Carpenter way)

Go see Kaskade to hear EDM "I Remember (Deadmau5/Kaskade song)"?

Deadmau5 featuring. Kaskade - "I Remember"

KAROL G (reggaeton) "Si Antes Te Hubiera Conocido" | Coke Studio

• Coachella 2026 - Awake Tours go to Coachella

Ever wanted to mosh with the celebrities at Coachella, take photos by the famous Ferris Wheel, or attend one of the world’s biggest, greatest, and arguably most (in)famous music festivals? Join Awake Tours as it ventures through beautiful Los Angeles then heads on over to the oasis that is Palm Springs (and the dusty town that is Indio) to experience Coachella 2026! A deposit of $750 (which comes off the total price) holds a seat. The remaining amount is not required until 12 weeks before the tour's departure. More

What kind of lineup is this?

I love Justine. She my boy, we go full buck wild!

Peaches had that hit song, "F*ck the Pain Away" from Sofia Coppola's Lost in Translation (Scarlett Johansson in Tokyo). Is that why we party or crave to drive out to the windy, dusty, burning desert to walk, walk, and walk some more, trying to squeeze la dolce vita out of life? How else is Goldenvoice sucking so much cash out of our phone apps?

He used to be a somebody, a something

Even with a big mistake of a 2026 lineup -- headlining recovering rap molestation victim and drug addict Justin Bieber, after his harrowing affair with serial child molester and party thrower, Epstein-style blackmailer, accused sex trafficker, best buddy Sean P Diddy Puff Daddy Combs -- we suppose it's better than no show at all. Where's the big star? Kaskade. Sabrina Carpenter? K-pop? KATSEYE.

How do people NOT know this about Sabrina Carpenter and pop music?

Cops cover up: Hot drunk cop kills motorist

Thinks fatal car crash is funny: "He didn't look okay" [because I mangled him with my vehicle]

You will cover up my crimes like I cover y'all!

(PoliceCamCentral) Washington State, summer 2025: Off-duty female cop drives drunk, kills motorcyclist, as police attempt to cover up her intoxication and avoid having her say anything incriminating on bodycam. She is finally arrested for DUI, found to be more than twice the legal limit. Through it all, she thinks the fatal crash she was involved in or caused is funny even as she is soaked in the blood of her victim, asking to be allowed to go home to get out of bloody and incriminating clothes as she gave CPR until she thought victim was dead and didn't bother to keep going, even though paramedics did continue. (She may have killed him by her drunken negligence as much as by colliding with him in the first place). It's silent behind the Blue Shield as other officers deserve to be arrested, investigated, and imprisoned for conspiracy charges of helping out their hot friend and colleague, scratching her back just as they would expect her to cover up for them.

White entitlement and privilege

(Access Hollywood) Why Rhode Island Assistant Attorney General
arrest video is going viral: ‘You’re gonna regret this!’

Father, Son, and a 'difficult' relationship

Fathers’ Day — The Young Buddhist Editorial

For Father’s Day tell us a story about how a father-figure in your life has taught you a life lesson about Buddhism — whether it was intentional or not as is the case with most “dad” lessons.

Hallie Ewig and her hip hop gangster rap dad

Hallie Ewig (she/her/hers) University of Washington, Class of 2022: “For as long as I can remember, my dad has exclusively listened to hip-hop music. When I was little, instead of listening to pop artists on the car radio, he would play artists like Tupac, Notorious B.I.G., and Wu-Tang Clan from his iPod. I never really understood why he listened to music most parents would find “profane.” One time I asked him, “Dad, why do you listen to songs with bad words in them?”

WARNING: Profane! 2Pac gangsta rap hip hop old skool ft. Eminem, Biggie

He responded by turning up the volume and saying, “Just listen to the lyrics, Mika.” If you really listen to the lyrics, you can see that all of these Black artists are sharing a common theme intertwined with the swear words: systemic racism. My dad has been exposing me to Black oppression before I was even old enough to understand it.

He taught me that it is important to not only listen to others but to do so with compassion, and music is a great place to start. Even though we face our own racism as Asian-Americans, we must be compassionate to the struggles of others so that we can unite to overcome them together. Black men, women, children, members of the LGBTQ+ community, dreams, and futures [all] matter. They have always mattered, and they will forever matter. Thank you, Dad, for everything!” More: The Young Buddhist Editorial

• The Dad - The Son is created using material from the father (Chad Knight) as seen in this #short
• Statue of the son was made from pieces removed from the father to represent what parents do to build the lives of their children : r/MadeMeSmile

The statue of the son (r/MadeMeSmile)

QUESTION: It's Father's Day. How would a Western follower of the Buddha make use of this celebration?

How and why would a "modern" or "Western" follower of the Buddha's Teaching celebrate this day and use it to give gratitude to his or her father as one of his/her first gods and the other three gods?

Maybe readers would like to share also how you fulfill their personal duty to give others inspiration and ideas. This mean not being greedy but instead sharing possible merits you have. (Note: This question is given as a gift of Dhamma and not for commercial purpose or meant for worldly gain.) Source: Buddhism Stack Exchange

The Buddha’s Legacy as a Father

Ven. Rahula, the Buddha, and Ananda

The San Mateo Buddhist Temple warmly welcome all to join the community in person for its Family Dharma Service on Sunday, June 15, 2025. On the occasion of Father’s Day, Rev. Adams will share a Dharma Talk about the legacy that Sakyamuni Buddha left for his son Rahula and how the Buddha’s compassionate care for all beings was like the concern of parents for their only child. The Buddha's Legacy as a Father (June 15) - San Mateo Buddhist Temple

Wisdom Quarterly COMMENTARY

Do you love me, Daddy? - More than life itself.

Was Prince Siddhartha loved by his father? The story/allegory of the Buddha's life makes that clear, unless he was a narcissist trying to live through his child, as even many non-narcissists do. King Suddhodana doted on his beloved son, the prince and future chief of the Scythians/Indo-Sakas. He wanted for his son what he wished for himself -- world dominion, the role of "world monarch" (chakravartin). The Brahmin soothsayers said it would be so IF only the boy were pampered and kept from seeing the world as it really was. For the son so loved the world that he came back to save everyone.

A father with a father and wife

Sid married at 16 and had a son at 29. Realizing it was now or never, he set off on a quest.

In this anachronistic, Western-informed fantasy, Samsara (2001), beautiful Yasodhara rips selfish Siddhartha for daring to leave his family to pursue his own fame, glory, and good times.

The Buddha's loving father

It's sad to reflect that most Westerners do not know who the Buddha was, their heads having been filled up with popular misconceptions of a fat happy Budai or Herman Hesse's book Siddhartha (which the careful reader will note is NOT about the Buddha but another guy named Siddhartha) which tangentially touches on the story of the Buddha's life.

Hesse's novel mirrors Everyman's Tale, the Hero's Journey, based on the allegorical story of the Buddha's life in general. Some of the Buddha's life story is not even about this Buddha but previous ones the Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama) mentioned when teaching about previous supremely enlightened teachers (samma-sam-buddhas) who had arisen in this world.

Buddhist Madonna and Child

We forget that Siddhartha G. was a father because what are we all taught? That's right, that he abandoned the family (renounced the palace) for the easygoing life of a spiritual nomad, a wandering mendicant answering to no one with all the fun and palaver of going East on a spiritual quest. What could be more fun and full of good times? All that yoga and sitting around, no job, talking to other groovy hippies with long hair and beards on the Hippie Highway to Magadha and Bihar.

(Dalai Lama) Mothers are kind, and fathers

are left to be the unpopular tough ones.

The prince leaves his wife, Yasodhara (Bimba Devi), never meets his kid (Rahula or "Bondage"), says "fudge you" to the Ol' Man (King Suddhodana), not even a wave his mother-aunt (his mother, Queen Maya's sister, Pajapati Gotami)...right? Right? Wrong.

Scythian King Suddhodana with his son the Bodhisatta Prince Siddhattha Gotama

.

Thus We Heard (Bhante Piyananda)

Intention (cetana) matters. It is the basis of karma (deeds, actions). What was Prince Siddhartha thinking to drop out like that? (Where was he going to tune in and turn on?) We know from the ancient texts of the Pali canon that his wife knew where he was, how he was, and why he was doing it. So well did she know that she copied him. When he ate only one meal and slept on the ground and wore saffron, she took up these things. We impute to her how we would feel if we had been abandoned after giving birth, and this is completely wrong and misleading. The Los Angeles area monk Ven. Walpola Piyananda understands the matter so well that, together with Stephen Long, he tried to correct all the misconceptions in his book Thus We Heard - Recollections of the Life of The Buddha.

I'm hitting the road on a quest.

Siddhartha's intention, motivation, impulse to leave was to find "salvation" from suffering for everyone -- his father, his mother(s), his wife, his son, his family, his friends, his people, and all living beings, particularly the humans and devas. He didn't go to go forever. He went until he was successful. It took him seven years to do what he had to do (to accomplish what it means to be a "supremely awakened" "Buddha," which is different from an arahant or paccekabuddha). He had to attain full realization (maha bodhi), make known the path to enlightenment, which entailed preaching the Dhamma (Dharma exclusive to buddhas), and establish a Sangha (community) of successful practitioners, disciples capable of memorizing, chanting, and teaching that Dharma.

Mom, where's Dad? - That deadbeat?

As soon as he did that, he came back. How old was his son when he returned to Kapilavatthu (Gandhara, Afghanistan, Saka Land)? His son, Rahula, was 7. His former wife had not remarried even though she could have and was encouraged to. The family had not moved on -- his father having sent many messengers to bring his son back to rule the Sakas/Shakyas/Indo-Scythians and to find news of him. The only thing that had changed was that the son's son was now the prince. Rahula was now being raised to lead. The Buddha didn't think that was much of a legacy to leave his son. Instead, he gave him his grand inheritance worthy of a buddha: He had him ordain as a monastic, stayed by him, and brought him to enlightenment.

The moral of the story, the denouement?

King Suddhodana goes to greet the Buddha

Son Rahula became Ven. Rahula and enlightened. Wife Yasodhara became a nun (Ven. Rahulamata) and enlightened, the fiercest disputant in all the land able to debate anyone and win. Father King Suddhodana became an Aryan ("noble") disciple, attaining one or more of the stages to enlightenment. Mother Queen (Maha) Pajapati Gotami (Prajapati Gautami) became the world's first Buddhist nun and enlightened.

Many Scythians/Shakyian princes and princesses entered the Monastic Sangha and gained realization -- and the Buddha opened up that possibility to everyone, creating a Noble Sangha that was far larger than the Monastic Sangha we all imagine to be the "disciples" of the Buddha. It may have included 80,000 people, but it certainly included countless millions of devas. The Buddha is popularly known not only as the "Master Physician" but also as the "Teacher of Gods and Men" (of devas and humans).

Does that sound like a hippie on the Hippie Trail gallivanting around India with no job, doing nothing, leaving his wife, abandoning his son, sticking a choice finger in the direction of a loving and overprotective father and doting foster mother? The Buddha didn't forget his biological mother (Maha Maya) or even his previous mother in many lives (a woman the texts simply refer to as Mata along with her husband, Shakyamuni's father in many previous lives).

Now remember, young man, be a good father.

Wouldn't it have been better if he had stayed home, raised his son, tended to the householder life of the palace, been a dutiful son to his father, and made his mother proud? We wouldn't be talking about him now. He would never have become the Buddha, "the Enlightened One," in that life. But people, Westerners in particular, still want to bellyache, gripe, and air their grievances, full of wrong view, putting down the Great Teacher like they know better how a profitable life is lived.

• Monty Python (video); The Young Buddhist Editorial; 2pac gangsta rap mix; Tupac Shakur; Buddhism Stack Exchange; San Mateo Buddhist Temple; Dalai Lama; Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly