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The experiment in the video is from the following video from Veritasium. Even though I don't agree fully agree with their interpretation of the experiment, I think it's an excellent explanation of QED. I highly recommend it!
What is directly-perceived light? It may be kalapas, the smallest units of materiality (rupa, form)
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It is possible to directly perceive light
In Buddhism, āloka-saññā means the "perception of light." A recurring Pali language canon passage reads:
"Here the meditator contemplates the perception of light, fixes mind on the perception of the day, as at daytime so by night, and as at nighttime so by day. In this way, with a mind clear and unclouded, one develops a stage of mind that is full of brightness."
That is, mind becomes full of the perception of light.
This perception is one of the methods for overcoming drowsiness in meditation recommended by the Buddha to the chief male disciple "foremost in psychic powers," Mahā Moggallāna (A.VII. 58). [He may have said the same to the chief female disciple declared "foremost in psychic powers," Uppalavanna Theri.]
Attain absorptions, see kalapa, review in slo-mo
According to DN 33, this method is conducive to the development of "knowledge and vision." (See "purification," visuddhi). And it is said to be helpful for the attainment of the psychic "divine eye." (See abhiññā). Light can also be the direct subject of meditation as a kasina (a disk or special meditation object).
Buddhism has its own physics? Oh, yes. It is called the "Doctrine in Ultimate Terms" or Abhidhammapitaka. Why? In Buddhism, there is conventional reality as distinct from ultimate reality. In one world or perspective, there are things and persons. In another, there are only ultimate mind and matter, nama and rupa ("name and form") or the ultimate constituents of things, namely cittas ("mind-moments") and kalapas ("particles").
Something strange happens when we trust quantum mechanics
(Veritasium) March 4, 2025: Does light take all possible paths at the same time? Massive thanks to Dr. Andrew Mitchell for his help and expertise. To delve further into this topic, see his lecture on classical physics derived from quantum mechanics: Classical physics derived from quantum...
0:00 What path does light travel?
2:40 Black body radiation
6:47 How did Planck solve the ultraviolet catastrophe?
9:42 The quantum of action
13:25 De Broglie’s hypothesis
15:16 The double slit experiment
20:00 How Feynman did quantum mechanics
25:01 Proof that light takes every path
31:16 The Theory of Everything
Incredible gratitude to Prof. David Kaiser, Prof. Steven Strogatz, Prof. Geraint F. Lewis, Elba Alonso-Monsalve, Prof. Christopher S. Baird, Prof. Anthony Bloch, and Prof. Stephen Bartlett for their invaluable contributions to this video. Special thanks to Mahesh Shenoy from FloatHeadPhysics for his help with this video. Check out his excellent intuitive video on the UV Catastrophe here (Sept. 2024): I wish I was taught the birth of Quan...
Looking Glass Universe, 3/28/25; Veritasium, 3/4/25; Ven. Nyanatiloka, Buddhist Dictionary,āloka-saññā edited and expanded by Dhr. Seven; Crystal Quintero, CC Liu, Sheldon S. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Schrödinger's cat: A thought experiment in quantum mechanics
(TED-Ed) Oct. 14, 2014: View full lesson: ed.ted.com/lessons/schrodinger... Austrian physicist Erwin Schrödinger, one of the founders of quantum mechanics, posed this famous question: "If you put a cat in a sealed box with a [radioactive] device that has a 50% chance of killing the cat in the next hour, what will be the state of the cat when that time is up? Chad Orzel investigates this thought experiment. Lesson by Chad Orzel. Animation by Agota Vegso.
I misunderstood Schrödinger's cat thought experiment for years (Now, I finally get it!)
When will cat lovers strike back?
(FloatHeadPhysics) Why is Schrödinger's cat both dead and alive? It's not! This video looks at what quantum superposition is (and is not). How many mental cats must be mutilated and die in these gruesome thought experiments, which lead to real-life desensitization, vivisection (painful experiments and mutilation of living animals, just as dissection is the cutting up of dead ones), and the "sacrificing" (a euphemism for execution of living subjects after an experiment is concluded and every participant must be murdered to clean up). Though scientists go home and pet their spouse's kitties, at work, dressed in white (lab coats) like a priestly class, they callously commit excruciating atrocities in the name of research and their religion, Science (Scientism).
This is not limited to science. There is a shocking Japanese Buddhist koan (riddle, paradox, lit. "case") about a cat.
Nansen Kills the Cat: a vintage koan
Roshi Philip Kapleau (Zen Bow | Winter 2018, Vol. XL, No. 4, a vintage koan commentary by the Rochester Zen Center’s late founder) edited by Wisdom Quarterly
(Shōkei Andreas Praefcke/Wiki)
Mumonkan Number 14: THE CASE: Once the monks of the Western and Eastern Halls were arguing about a cat. Nansen, holding up the cat, said, “You monks, if you can say a word of Zen, I will spare the cat. Otherwise, I will kill it!”
No one could answer, so Nansen sliced the cat in two.
That evening, when Joshu returned, Nansen told him of the incident. Joshu thereupon took off his sandal, put it on his head, and walked off.
Nansen said, “If you had been there, the cat would have been saved!”
Only riddles and koans. No answers anywhere!
THE COMMENTARY: Just say, what is the real meaning of Joshu’s putting his sandal on his head? If you can give a turning word on this point, you will see that Nansen’s action was not in vain. But if not, beware!
THE VERSE: Had Joshu only been there, he would have taken charge. He would have snatched away the sword, and Nansen would have begged for his life. The two protagonists of this koan, Nansen and Joshu, are two of the great masters in Zen.
Nansen was the teacher of Joshu (Chinese Zhaozhou). Nansen (Chinese Nanchuan) in turn was a disciple of the great Baso (Chinese Mazu).
Nansen’s dates are 748 to 835. He had his head shaved at the age of 9, and at 30 took full ordination vows and devoted himself to Buddhist study for several years.
Finally, he knocked on the door of Zen Master Baso and “forgot all that he had previously learned.” At 47, in the year 795, Nansen built with his own hands a retreat hut on Mount Nansen, from which he took his name.
One of his disciples was the governor of the province, and there’s an intriguing mondo between the two. After the governor had had dokusan with Nansen, Nansen said to him, “When you return to your office in the city, how will you rule the people?”
The answer was, “I will use wisdom to govern them.”
Nansen said, “In that case, every last one of them will suffer.”
What we see here is a sense of self-intentionality which, on the face of it, seems to be a very fine thing: to endeavor to govern with wisdom, compassion. But once you talk about it, it’s already gone. You’re already assured that there won’t be any wisdom or compassion.
You don’t need to set about to govern with wisdom or compassion if you just govern fully, put yourself wholly into any activity: nothing held back, without any notions of being wise or being this or being that. The action will be a true action.
We all have this compassion and innate wisdom, this prajna wisdom, that will emerge once we remove the obstacles to its functioning. More: Rochester Zen Center (rzc.org)
CHAPTERS
00:00 The big misconception about Schrödinger's cat
02:24 A deep perspective on the electron double slit experiment
09:12 An inconceivable tool of the 21st century
10:48 What is quantum superposition (not)?
12:52 Are probability waves real?
14:14 Quantum superposition and measurement
16:42 Electron spin quantum superposition
17:37 The real meaning of Schrödinger's cat!
18:54 How quantum superposition gives us life [because the covalent bonds to form H20 are in superposition and not otherwise interacting]
SPONSOR: This video is sponsored by Squarespace. Head to squarespace.com/floatheadphysics to save 10% off first purchase of a website or domain using code FLOATHEADPHYSICS
Float Head (FloatHeadPhysics, YouTube, Aug. 23, 2024); Sheldon S., CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
I brought my family and gave them ACID - not LSD, just acetic acid, vinegar, for our tummies.
I went for the first time. Here are 5 things everyone gets wrong (Anneta Konstantinides/Insider)
Isn't Burning Man just a bunch of Mad Max cosplay wannabees in the desert? Has to be! Look at 'em
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This is "The Man" burned to stick it to The Man
I went to Burning Man for the first time in 2023 — and many people are wrong about the event.
They think Burning Man is a big music festival only attended by celebrities and CEOs. But the truth is Burning Man is full of regular people who work year-round to create an incredible sense of community.
Over the last few years, Burning Man has become known as a haven for Silicon Valley tech bros and Instagram influencers, who cough up thousands of dollars to party in "Mad Max" desert cosplay.
Mad Max, the original in the Outback of Australia
But when I went for the first time last year, I realized there's a lot that people get wrong about the legendary annual event. Now that I've done my own inaugural "Dust Angel" and gotten the full playa experience, I'm ready to correct some of the biggest Burning Man myths. Here are five things everyone gets wrong.
Let's go, Mark. - Where? - I'll kick your @$$!
Burning Man became more prominent as it began attracting high profile Burners like billionaires Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, including supermodels like Heidi Klum and Cindy Crawford. Morevia Yahoo
(DamiLee) What is this magical communion of humanity? This is not a capitalist endeavor like Coachella or Lollapalooza. This is the peoples' event, powered by participants and their creativity. It's like nothing else in the world. There's a reason why 70,000 make it out to desert in a journey as tough as the good old mystery rave days before they got commercial.
CHAPTERS
0:00 INTRO
02:43 Evolving City
05:03 NEW SITE - HUALAPAI VALLEY
05:30 THE CIRCLE
08:06 Safety & Accessibility
08:54 AN EXAMPLE
12:19 Maayan Ziv
14:00 Participatory Design
Some of the footage comes from the videos published on the Burning Man official channel: burningman
Check out their work. It's amazing! I do not own any of this footage or any other footage used in this video. I use it only for the purpose of commentary. Please let me know if I missed anyone. :) GET IN TOUCH: If you’d like to talk, I’d love to hear from you! Commenting on a video or tweeting @damileearch will be the quickest way to get a response from me, but if your question is very long, feel free to email me at hello@damilee.com. I try my best to respond to the emails, but unfortunately, there just aren't enough hours in the day! #architecture#burningman
The Mutants of Black Rock
(Burning Man Project) Astounding! Unbelievable! Motorized! Witness the relentless onslaught of mighty mutant vehicles into Black Rock City, the home of Burning Man in the Nevada desert. THRILL to giant alien predators on wheels. GASP at the mechanized mayhem of these strange and wonderful art cars. AMAZING! Two years in the making, Mutants of Black Rock is a production from Profiles in Dust, the all-volunteer documentary crew that’s been dealing in playa AWE AND WONDER since 2011. Catch more of their work at vimeo.com/profilesindust. Coming soon from Profiles in Dust: Out of Nothing, the first ever behind-the-scenes look at the building of Black Rock City and the dusty heroes who make it happen. You, too, can be a hero and help make it happen: gofund.me/a3e44a7b
(Utica Phoenix) Researchers in China [built] an artificial moon, a research facility to simulate low-gravity environments using magnetism. Experiments will take place within a 2-foot-diameter vacuum chamber that makes gravity essentially “disappear.” This chamber is going to be filled with rocks and dust to simulate the lunar surface and touted as the “first of its kind in the world” [though not the world off the world] and is capable of maintaining such low-gravity conditions for as long as necessary. More
(Break The Rules) July 9, 2024: Support the show and see exclusive Jason Jorjani Q&As on breaktherules. Jason Jorjani talks about our Moon (Luna, Chandra, Soma) being artificial and how it's part of a greater control scheme of astrology, wherein symbols are used to manipulate social consciousness on Earth. Original Stream: "Gods & Aliens | Who Controls Reality? | Jason Reza Jorjani"
MOUNTAIN VIEW, California — NASA scientists are showing off their own fake moon — which they say mimics the real thing in every detail.
The space agency adds that this updated lab model with ultra-realistic lighting and terrain closely simulates lunar conditions. Scientists now have two major types of lunar surfaces at their disposal to help train future robots, rovers, and astronauts traveling to the real Moon’s polar regions.
The so-called Lunar Lab and Regolith Testbed houses at NASA’s Ames Research Center in California house two large indoor “sandboxes” filled with tons of simulated lunar dust. More
Philadelphia to Montauk and Beyond | Al Bielek's Journey through Time and Space
(The Why Files) Al Bielek lived an ordinary life until vivid dreams and a late-night movie unlocked memories of an extraordinary past. He claimed to be [brother of Duncan] "Edward Cameron," a participant in the infamous Philadelphia Experiment of 1943.
Bielek's tale spans decades, involving time travel, secret U.S. government projects, and encounters with future [American] civilizations.
His story intertwines with the mysterious Montauk Project, allegedly continuing the work begun in Philadelphia.
When Bielek shared his experiences, he became a prominent figure in UFO and conspiracy circles. His accounts challenge our modern understanding of reality, raising questions about time, space, and [constant] government secrecy.
Was Al Bielek truly a time traveler, or was his story an elaborate fiction? Ride this rollercoaster of twists and turns, then decide.
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Gino Gentile Jennifer Gentile AJ Gentile Patreon Members THANK YOU MODS: jengen13 (Mrs. Why Files) Victoria Young The Hybrid Paul Rohrbaugh Mischief Timothy Weal Messor SnowCrash RobinSparkles BeezySmeezy TrashPanda SmarmyNarwhal MaryJaneMcweed AC Sanzel DarkLighter
SPONSOR: Try Rocket Money for free: https://RocketMoney.com/WhyFiles #rocketmoney #personalfinance. Thanks Rocket Money for sponsoring this video.
Where's the best place to mediate? The forest. But be protected: practice metta first.
Why does this forest look like a fingerprint?
(Vox) Team Vox set out to solve why a forest in the middle of Uruguay, South America, looks like a fingerprint and other odd patterns — and wound up finding something much bigger.
Deep in the geographic center of Uruguay, there’s a peculiar group of trees just a few kilometers down the road from the small town of San Gregorio de Polanco.
From the ground, it's not particularly notable. But from above, from a bird or drone's eye view (and particularly on Google Earth), the view is mind-boggling:
Hundreds of trees are arranged in perfect concentric arcs, all spiraling toward the center. Together, they look remarkably like a human fingerprint.
When the team first saw this forest in a Reddit post, it was fascinated.
Why had the trees been arranged in this shape?
Who planted them there?
And why — when one zooms out on satellite view — was the entire country of Uruguay covered in similar-looking forests?
To answer that question, the team went straight to the source: interviewing locals, experts, and people whose lives have been shaped by a transformed landscape and economy.
ABOUT: Vox.com is a news website that helps cut through the noise and understand what's really driving the events in the headlines. Check out http://www.vox.com.
Watch full video catalog: http://goo.gl/IZONyE. Follow Vox on Facebook: http://goo.gl/U2g06o or Twitter: http://goo.gl/XFrZ5H.
Vox.com, May 9, 2024; Xochitl, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
Buddhist nun (Sayalay Aloka, Burma) followed footsteps of brothers who took monk mode.
(Tasty Husbands) Cleveland hates pervert Glenn Quagmire for cheating with his wife on Family Guy
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If he succeeds, I'll become a Buddhist nun.
I tried to spend a week eating healthily, meditating skillfully, reading wisely, and sweating profusely by running 5K [as tapas or "burning off" the bad by austerity] every day, all while ditching television completely, giving up social media scrolling, and turning my back and not touching alcohol at all.
I failed, but that didn’t stop it from changing my life.
Health trends are 10 a penny on TikTok, from the genuinely dangerous Gallon of Water a Day for 30 Days trend to the brutal 75 Hard Challenge and the ever-popular 12-3-20. And guys are more likely to be influenced into giving extreme ones a go more than women, according to a recent study.
If only Doggone could write, we'd know all about it. He took a challenge with Ananda to "muscle" his way to meditation. Then he doesn't turn in his results write up.
I clearly am one of those gullible men. I wanted to throw myself headfirst into a new challenge. I've tried and failed any number of them. (Over lockdown, I stuck to the 100-pushup challenge for a little while).
But after hitting a bit of a slump at the start of the year, I wanted something that would jolt me out of it. I was exercising pretty regularly, but spending too long trapped in YouTube rabbit holes and not reading as much as I’d like. That’s where “monk mode” came in.
Going "monk mode" was far harder than I ever thought (iStock/Indy 100).
It was great living up at the Mt. Baldy Zen Center above LA as a Zen monk before music fame.
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First Western Buddhist monk was Irish
It’s a pretty far-reaching term one sees bandied across the internet from time to time, and it can encompass any number of different elements.
There are some challenges listed, including ditching caffeine, which I was afraid to do, considering I was only doing monk mode for a week and had absolutely no intention of giving up my addiction to coffee in the long run, so it didn't make sense.
But in essence, monk mode involves dramatically cutting down screen time by placing a ban on drains like social media and TV.
And it proved to be tough – tougher than I ever imagined it would be. The exercise part was by far the easiest part.
Monks East and West are different. Travel East.
I’m a regular runner anyway, and all it took was upping the level from three 5K runs a week to every day.
It was a bit of a blessing that I went into monk mode after a relatively heavy weekend, which had involved plenty of Guinness [a type of addictive gluten alcohol the use of which is rampant in Ireland and parts of Europe] during a trip to Twickenham, so the no drinking wasn’t much of a problem either.
The challenge taught me a lot about my habit for procrastinating, though. I don’t think of myself as a social media addict, but I found my thumb unthinkingly heading for the Instagram app – out of boredom more than anything else – and I kept having to stop myself. More
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