(The Daily Show) Jon Stewart comes in to mock the Freedom 250 Concert, celebrating 250 years of lip service to democracy and maybe 250 more...as the nation advances toward the FIFA World Cup with the help of birth right citizenship (and all the players the government invited back to play on the team)
(Psyfluence) July 12, 2025: Let's explore the deep crisis affecting our mind and society in the Digital Age. We live trapped in a world overwhelmed by distractions, superficiality, and mass consumption of empty content that dulls our consciousness and weakens our ability to think deeply.
We talk about the silent collapse of the modern mind, a reality where truth is shaped by algorithms, noise replaces reflection, and mediocrity is celebrated as freedom and authenticity.
Did you know this generation is being educated to obey without questioning? We are being trapped in a sweet servitude full of filters, likes, and digitally-induced dopamine addiction. But not all is lost.
There are those who resist, who seek lucidity and depth amid the filth. If you feel something inside you refuses to settle for superficiality and constant noise, this video is for you.
Join the conversation, awaken consciousness, and learn why in a world full of mental trash and why thinking has become a revolutionary act.
Remember. Don’t forget. Subscribe, like, and share so more people can open their eyes and start rebuilding authentic thought.
Independence Beach: Celebrating our American freedom from swimsuits
You only live many times (Ariana Viera)
(Wonderhussy Adventures) Welcome to Wonderhussy Adventure #809. Date: July 2, 2024, pre-Independence Day, spending the Fourth of July at Wonderhussy's favorite clothing optional beach, celebrating our independence from bathing suits. Website: Wonderhussy.com. Support: wonderhussy. Help fuel next trip: paypal.me/wonderhussy,cash.app/$Wonderhussy.
CREDITS: Theme song by Michael Saint-Leon switchyardstudios.com. Fluffing a Duck by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... Cattails - Thatched Villagers by Kevin MacLeod is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Why didn't Buddhist ascetics go naked like Jains and yogis?
Jainism has two sects, white-clad and sky-clad, whereas Buddhism has saffron robes for all.
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Ah, nudity is great. - What about white robes?
It was hot in proto-India in the Buddha's time. Pointing the way to freedom and final liberation or moksha was as free as the deer, wandering where they list in search of (alms) food. But there were obstacles. The Awakened One, the Buddha, had freed himself. Now it was time to make known the Path to Freedom, the Dharma. But how long would that knowledge last in the world? It had gone out before and was sure to dim again.
We shramanas existed long before the Buddha
He realized he needed a spiritual community of successful practitioners, a Noble Sangha, where "noble" means "enlightened" (Ayran) and Sangha means "spiritual community." There are various stages of enlightenment, from four kinds of stream entry to arhatship. They are detailed in the Path to Freedom and condensed in the Path of Purification. This Sangha would have them all.
To keep it going and to preserve the Teachings, the Buddha laid down rules in a Disciplinary Code (Vinaya Pitaka), with explanations for why each rule was instituted. The monastics recited about 227 core rules, the Patimokkha ("Path to Liberation"), each fortnight. If followed, they would ensure the long life of Buddhism (the Dharma), enlightened beings on earth (a Noble Sangha), and inspire confidence in new practitioners.
The Guru is naked (Jainism)
How was it going to look if monks and nuns went around naked? It was not unheard of. The Jains led by contemporary teacher Mahavira ("Great Hero"), the Nigantha Nattaputta, had already accepted females into the monastic community. That was a first. The Buddha always intended to, as he knew that his Sangha would not be complete until there were the four kinds of people (male and female monastics and laypersons).
This whole business about extra rules for nuns or not wanting to accept women is very suspect and seems more a conspiracy by male monastics to keep their all-boys club or wrest control of it from any kind of actual democracy. The Buddha had set up the first democratic rules, pre-Greece for its governance. See the scholarship of Ayya Tathaloka for evidence in the Bhikkhuni Vinaya of the later appearance of the garudhammas or "eight additional rules" and their unlikely back story.
Naked Mahavira: We don't need Five Requisites
The Buddha explained exactly why he allowed Five Requisites for Buddhist wandering ascetics -- robes of stitched cast-off garments, ceramic bowl, allowable medicines, shaving razor, needle and thread -- and the kinds of accommodations they were permitted. Rather than hairy, disheveled, wild men and women wandering around the hillsides naked and covered in ashes, he foresaw a better way, the perfection of the "pure life" of blamelessness for intensive practitioners wishing to make a quick end of all suffering.
Nude is not all it's cracked up to be, but the view at night in the Sierra Nevada, it's awe inspiring!
Nirvana was here. And now a means of enlightenment and attainment of the bliss of nirvana had arrived with the Buddha. Many made use of it and so, even today, the world has arhats and those on the path to full enlightenment. And Buddhism became the first universal missionary religion spreading far and wide, outside the subcontinent into neighboring countries and lands. The rules made that possible. Hooray for the Monastic Disciplinary Code (Vinaya). And people, if they want, they can go about naked.
Wonderhussy Adventure #809, Summer 2024, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation); Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
More than 500 activists gathered in downtown Los Angeles to protest the 4th of July American holiday.
Known as "The Farce of July," it is an annual march to "demand an end to white supremacy on native land." It took place this Farce (Fourth), too.
It is organized by Xicano Records and Films, a creative collective planting intergenerational seeds of love for decolonization through music, art, films, word, and actions.
The action started at [LA's oldest street] Olvera Street. The group then proceeded, stopping along the way. Native leaders dropped tobacco to remember the past and the ancestors.
There were a few small altercations in the protest, including a lone counter-protestor chanting, “ALL lives matter.” [Of course, all lives do not matter, and they will not until Black lives matter. That's the point of the controversial BLM slogan.]
At the federal courthouse, there were U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents present.
Is it time for a veggie BBQ, cold soft drinks under a hot sun, and a comfy lawn chair to watch the fireworks show? Ah, North America, the US of A, knows how to party. It's like Cinco de Mayo, which is not any kind of Independence Day but still a time for patriotism and intemperate celebration. In Alameda, it once seemed like a good idea to have a parade. Then it was time to grill, first Buddha's Delight then some seared tempeh strips with BBQ sauce, and finally Buddha Bowls for everyone.
In Colombia, voters have rejected a peace agreement between the government and the nation’s largest rebel group in a shocking turn of events that threatens to prolong the nation’s 52-year-old civil war. By a razor-thin vote of 50.2 to 49.8 percent, Colombians rejected the peace deal hammered out with the FARC guerrilla movement and signed just days ago by Pres. Juan Manuel Santos. It was a stunning upset for a referendum that was expected to pass overwhelmingly. DN! speaks to Mario Murillo, a longtime Colombian activist and author of Colombia and the United States: War, Unrest, and Destabilization. More
These pages invite us to explore some of the Buddha's basic teachings as they are presented in the ancient Pali canon, Pali being the exclusively Buddhist language.
Each page in this section contains a selection of short passages from the sutras (see discourses in Glossary) that introduce or illustrate different aspects of a single topic.
If a particularly meaningful or interesting passage is encountered, in most cases, it is possible to read the full text of the sutra from which it came by simply following the link at the end of that passage.
Many of the passages are cross-referenced to other pages, allowing for the perusal of a theme to whatever depth or breadth is desired.
This is by no means an exhaustive tutorial. A number of the topics introduced here are explored more thoroughly in the Study Guides. The General Index also has many references to additional readings on related topics. Begin the tour by exploring the Going for Guidance (in the Triple Gem):
The Sangha:Descriptions of the Sangha — the whole community of "noble persons," a noble being anyone who has gained at least the first stage of enlightenment (ariya-sangha) and the monastic Sangha, that is, the community of ordained monks(bhikkhu-) and nuns (bhikkhuni-) Sangha.
(City of Pasadena) AmericaFest 2014 in the most economically-divided city in the US, with castles and homeless camps, banks and nonprofits side by side, a tale of two cities (Kipling). (Pasadena Media) Radical Pasadena's AmericaFest 2013 fireworks spectacular inside the world-famous Rose Bowl usually reserved for New Year's Day sports activities and a little parade.
FURTHER READING
BUDDHIST DICTIONARY by Ven. Nyanatiloka (Buddhist Publication Society, 1980) is a classic handbook of important Buddhist terms and doctrines compiled by a Western scholar-monk in Theravada Buddhism
The Buddha's Path to Deliverance, by Nyanatiloka Mahathera (BPS.lk, 1982), is a systematic exposition of essential points of the Dharma based on passages from the sutras
Study Guides: anthologies of short passages suitable for individual and group study
Proceeds from the 18th annual "Farce of July" benefit the Liberation Based Healing Conference. Come out for music, poetry, vendors, food, and workshops.
Performances by Mellow Man Ace, Aztlan Underground, Alice Bag, Ras United - (OC), T.I.W.A.E.I.S, Redstar - (Ohlone), Vice Versa - (female bass, drums, and male fronted guitarist), The Howling - (womyn fronted), Salvajes - (Santa Ana hip hop), Comandante Lenca/Moha uno, Salvi Fuerza Zsa Zsa Gabor - (noisecore hip hop San Diego), Kill the Bullfighter - (conscious East Los roc), Zero - (El Vuh), Eyerie Cihuatl-Ce, Jim Crow - (South Central punk/hip hop/minstrel band), Zapoteca Roots, Klee Benally - (Blackfire), ICDLA Yaotl, NKRIOT, Quinto Sol.
Sounds totally Zef, Ninja! - Right, Yo-Landi
Sound and lighting by DJ Meno Man. DJ sets by DJ Survive, DJ Papalotl. Speakers: Corine Fairbanks (AIM, "American Indian Movement," Southern California), Jose Paez of Liberation Based Healing Conference, El Hormiguero, Two Spirit Queer Invasion, Indigenous Peoples Liberation Party, Anahuac Cultural Center for Self Sustainability (ACCSS), Know Your Roots Collective (KYR), Pico Youth speaker, Ayotzinapa speaker, street vendors speaker, High Speed Rail speaker. Children's area.
For vendor information contact Maria Villamil at (323) 353-2263 (space limited). ENTRY: $10 donation, kids and elders always free. IN THE SPIRIT OF RESISTANCE: NO DRUGS, WEAPONS, ALCOHOL, AND ABSOLUTELY NO FIREWORKS!
This is what it takes to comply with the image society will accommodate. But things aren't what they seem when they're partially hidden behind walls of pretense -- built for our peace of mind. The barriers between us are maintained by our acceptance of the roles others choose to define.
In a world of competition life's portrayed as a contest where we're forced to live by making gains at others' expense.
Renaissance man and his best friend (R)
But no one's really gaining when perpetual conflict's the result of our relationships. We don't need this cultural cosmetic division. It upholds the self-interest on which the system feeds, A decolonized consciousness, one of mutual respect, is the only way to cure this cosmetic disease.
It's a "Mice Race"! Dawn breaks, but it isn't a new day. Men like sheep, women like mice -- all caught in the rat race. Take a closer look at what's going on today. Are we justified in having nothing to say? Are we justified in having nothing to say? Are we not aware of a feeling of humiliation? Don't we have to sell ourselves, keep on saying, "Sir." Are we really satisfied that everything's okay?
"The New Age Traveller" - UK doc includes footage of Stonehenge Free
Festivals, Battle of the Bean Field, Castlemorton... (Time Shift/BBC 4)
Conditioned from the start, and controlled from all directions, swamped by a normality that mustn't be questioned. Ignorance is only a form of self-deception. Are we justified in having nothing to say?
Take a closer look at what's going on today. Are we really satisfied that everything's okay? Perhaps, after all, too much thinking doesn't pay.
Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells, Wisdom Quarterly - People I Know (People I Thought I Knew)
The country's most beloved country music darling tow years running, a real celebrity jihadist, Taylor Swift and a jar full of cookies (celebjihad.com)
My ex-girlfriend used to be unusually beautiful and happy. Now she's extraordinarily beautiful and pregnant. She's changed. Something's gotten into her -- something alien. We never wanted children and took many precautions.
Fond of worrying, she claims she heard her biological clock ticking. Time was running out for her to fulfill her prime objective, her effeminate function, the sine qua non of having a uterus and a flood of estrogen: motherhood.
"How now? You never wanted to have kids or get married?"
"I thought I didn't (at least not with you), but maybe that's what I've been looking for? Maybe that will complete me."
"Sad," I thought, "very sad." I didn't believe it. But maybe that is the way to happiness. Look around. You can see how it's working, how happy everyone is.
"FARCE," the smartest British vegan atheist punk rock Rudimentary Peni CD of one-minute songs constantly playing at the offices of Wisdom Quarterly, says it all:
She is such a pretty girl Her shape fits well into a mold Her mind removed Her body's sold She does exactly what she's told
He is such a brave young man If his brain can't then violence can His mind was drained since life began Of the compassion he once had
Why go on living in the past We just uphold this sexual farce Past is past is past is farce Why go on living in the past
If air to breathe is hard to find In her tight mold she doesn't mind She fits in well She's one of a kind Her processed mind upholds the lies
He in turn plays out the part We tempted him with from the start And she in turn plays out the part Dictated to her by the past.
But we all love her and feel (or at least imagine we feel) her love. So what can we do? Let everyone do just what they like, make their own successes and possibly some mistakes.
"Do what you want to do what you want to, be what you want to be what you want to" were my exact words in the end.
And this is what she said she would do. Well, she didn't say much. How many words would have been enough? Too many to bother to try utter.
MICE RACE Are you really justified In having nothing to say...
CONDITIONED FROM THE START AND CONTROLLED FROM ALL DIRECTIONS SWAMPED BY A "NORMALITY" THAT MUSTN'T BE QUESTIONED
Ignorance is only a form of self-deception Are you really justified In having nothing to say Take a closer look At what's going on today Are you really satisfied That everything's okay? Perhaps after all Too much thinking doesn't pay
So here we are at the end of a long line of past lives. One of us overcame lust. Maybe one day, maybe one day she will descend like Bahiya of the Bark Cloth's friend and former spiritual companion. And she could point in the direction of enlightenment. She is much wiser than I. So till then, with a great deal of metta and admiration, a wordless anjali mudra.
FARCE: 1. Sacrifice, 2. Cosmetic Plague, 3. Subdued Violence, 4. Only Human, 5. The Bile Ball, 6. Farce [at 4:40], 7. Blood Jellies, 8. Mice Race [at 7:44], 9. Defined by Age, 10. Zero Again, 11. Bubble [at 12:30].
BUBBLE: You have a bubble of hope. You live inside. You're surrounded by tokens and symbols of hope. It's your choice...
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