We spent the day at the largest Chinese New Year celebration in the United States (roughly the size of Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, Upstate New York). Hsi Lai (pronounced \she lie\, which means "Going West") Temple had it all, including Aztec dancers (Danza Azteca, perhaps representing Siberian Asians cum Native Americans who are mostly local Mexicans) topping off a cultural show of martial arts demonstrations, dances, dragons, and a big central horse representing the year to come.
The lines were out the door but moving fast.
The all-you-can-eat vegan buffet was great (daily, only $10) with noodles, veggies, sweet and sour, tofu, lotus roots, soup, tea, fruit, and fried Indian dharma wheels. The rare rainstorm in Los Angeles cleared the skies as the sun broke through for the outdoor festivities.
We have never seen the temple, said to be the largest in the Western Hemisphere, this crowded. Parking was only found blocks away, and buses were bringing in celebrants. Everyone had their phones out, filming the spectacle. And even the monastics were clapping and enjoying themselves.
Everyone was immersed in Chinese culture uniquely blending with this part of Mexico. (Yes, California is part of Mexico or was until our empire stole it from Spain's empire). Perhaps 20,000 well-wishers passed through the gates throughout the day. Festivities continue for two weeks.
BAUS is having an important New Year event (NEW YEAR, NEW MIND) at Chuang Yen Monastery in Carmel, Upstate New York. This is the home of our beloved venerable Theravada Buddhist scholar-monk teacher Bhikkhu Bodhi. It will be held on Sunday, Feb. 8, 2026.
CYM has completed the first semester of the course Ancient Path, Modern Mind: Chinese Buddhism in a Changing World with Ven. You Min.
The Temple is pleased to announce that the second semester will begin in 2026, with the opportunity to explore three core themes under the guidance of Ven. You Min:
Here the great monastic writer has advice on rousing ourselves when energy dwindles. We can train like Jedis under a master and view it as Obi-Wan Kenobi would.
One of Ven. Chödrön's most famous books, When Things Fall Apart, discusses uncertainty and how to find the good in discomfort and difficulty.
It's counterintuitive, but try it.
How can we live our lives when everything seems to fall apart—when we are continually overcome by fear, anxiety, and pain?
The answer, American Pema Chödrön suggests, might be just the opposite of what we would expect.
Here, in her most beloved and acclaimed work, she shows that moving toward painful situations and becoming intimate with them can open up our hearts in ways we never before imagined.
Drawing from traditional Buddhistwisdom, she offers life-changing tools for transforming suffering and negative patterns into habitual ease and boundless joy.
Pema Chödrön's perennially best-selling classic on overcoming life's difficulties cuts to the heart of spirituality and personal growth.
Now in a newly designed 20th-anniversary edition, to which she's added a new afterword, it makes for a perfect gift and addition to one's spiritual library. More
Kash Patel gets grilled on Epstein and Trump's sex crimes, and Trump lives out his King fantasies in the UK
(The Daily Show)
Sept. 17, 2025: Desi Lydic covers Congress grilling FBI Director Kash "K$H" Patel over buried details of the Epstein files and Trump's attempt to put an ocean between himself and the Epstein controversy via a castle-filled king cosplay in the U.K. #DailyShow #Trump #KashPatel
(The Newsmakers) TRT World: Will Israel commit war crimes against humanitarian food flotilla?
Oh, Bojack Horseman, you're not for kids. Real living horses can heal children.
Words of Wisdom: Rupert Isaacson on how horses bring us happiness
(Happinez Magazine International) Feb. 7, 2018: In search of healing for his autistic son, Rupert Isaacson traveled to Buddhist Mongolia and the world with that son on horseback. He discovered how horses have a wonderful effect -- not just on people with autism, but on every single one of us.
Healing autistic children with Shamanic Healer Dawn Paul
(Dawn Paul) I work with autistic children all over the world. I am able to connect with them and obtain information from them as well as carry out any necessary healing in order to allow them to be more whole and comfortable in their bodies. I work on them remotely and then email the parents a report of what I did for their child. Visit liberate-online.co.uk for more information and an article on healing for autistic children.
THE HORSE BOY (official US trailer)
(ZeitgeistFilms) Now on DVD from Zeitgeist Video. How far would you travel to heal someone you love?
An intensely personal yet epic spiritual journey, The Horse Boy follows one Texas couple and their autistic son as they trek on horseback through Buddhist Outer Mongolia in a desperate attempt to treat his condition with shamanic healing.
When 2-year-old Rowan was diagnosed with autism, Rupert Isaacson, a writer and former horse trainer, and his wife, Psychology Professor Kristin Neff, sought the best possible medical care for their son — but traditional therapies had little effect.
Then they discovered that Rowan has a profound affinity for animals — particularly horses — and the family set off on a quest for a possible cure.
The Horse Boy is part travel adventure, part insight into shamanic tradition and part intimate look at the autistic mind.
In telling one family's extraordinary story, the film gives voice to the thousands who display amazing courage and creativity every day in the battle against this mysterious and heartbreaking epidemic.
The filmic companion to Isaacson's best-selling book of the same name and a festival favorite, this ravishing documentary odyssey gives insight into how, in life's darkest moments, one can find the gateway to joy and wonder. More: zeitgeistfilms.com/horseboy
Zeitgeist Films, July 17, 2009; Dawn Paul, Sept. 6, 2019; Amber Larson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
WARNING: Needlessly vulgar sexual references that, though funny, are repulsive and disturbing!
Tim Walz was an utter calamity in the debate
(Link Lauren) Oct. 1, 2024 JD Vance decisively beat (whooped, slammed, destroyed) Tim Walz in the vice presidential debate on CBS tonight.  #jdvance #timwalz
Conservative Americans hate Haitians no matter how hard they work, treating them like slaves.
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Mounted border guard not whipping Haitian
Will the Haitian-Americans of Springfield be vindicated and apologized to or further maligned and lied about? They're not Americans! Who's to say? If an official allowed them in with acceptable paperwork then they are here legally and are, in a sense, Americans. Maybe it's only a temporary status but it is a status nonetheless. Will weird couch humping come up or Vance's history of crossdressing at Yale U come up? One would think he would take this opportunity to dispute it. Viewers are here to see a blood sport, a personal savaging of one another after months of buildup as the two name-call and talk about one another without ever having met. They were both in Congress and the military and the Midwest and Washington, one would think they would have met. Not so small world after all. One this is certain (if anything is because a comet may strike, a mass coronal ejection, a personal exhaustion of karma, a well-deserved military attack, a cyber strike, or the gods/devas may just bump into the switch and shut off the samsara simulation mid-game): One man will lose and we'll never hear from him again, and the other will become vice president, and we'll never hear from him again. Just ask Kosta; it's his joke:
VP Debate: Tim Walz and JD Vance’s biggest moments and misses
(The Daily Show) Oct. 1, 2024: Michael Kosta goes live after the first and only vice presidential debate between Tim Walz and JD Vance. The stakes are as low as possible: one of these men will lose and we’ll never hear from them again, and one will win, become vice president, and we'll never hear from them again. #DailyShow #TimWalz #JDVance #Debate
WATCH LIVE: 2024 Vice Presidential Debate: Vance vs. Walz, hosted by CBS News (NBC News NOW)
(NOWNBC News) NBC News NOW is live, reporting breaking news and developing stories in real time. It is on the scene, covering the most important stories of the day and taking deep dives on issues cared about. Follow moment-by-moment updates on Live Blog: nbcnews.com/politics/2024... #JDVance #Debate #TimWalz
I'm so proud of my curry lover.
Sen. JD Vance won on style if not substance, keeping his cool, presenting meaningful answers in a down-home Midwestern style one would have thought was Tim Walz' specialty. CBS hosts seemed fair, attacking them both and keeping on them. But Walz looked terrible, grimaced, never smiled, looked away, staring at Vance, was nervous and amped up and scared. Trump beat Biden, Harris beat Trump, and now Vance beat Walz. One might disagree with everything Trump stands for. He's a horrible candidate and was an unbearable president, but Vance is nice, not weird, and not deserving of the criticism he has been receiving.
I got hairy legs, and Harris has hairy Walz. You know what I mean! - G-Joe Biden
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I tried. I'm a coach, not a player.
Vance sounded honest, had obviously prepared, and made an excellent presentation. Walz may be a better guy, more down-home, but he did not come across nearly as well. Because Harris' style is much easier to swallow, in spite of her gaffes, vacuity, and changeableness, it seems a better idea to vote Harris Walz (or Hairy 'alls), but if one could elect Vance independent of Trump, that does not seem like the worst thing.
Finally, it happened. I look better in comparison.
We cannot help but feel Vance has a future despite all the embarrassments and missteps so far. Walz needs polish or to be brought back to himself. Where's the guy who appeared at rallies and did such a great job? One would think Vance was a regal Nazi, all image and rugged, whereas Walz was a grunt, foot soldier, "old guy" as he kept calling himself. He's the same age as youthful Harris and much younger than actual old man Trump. Back to the drawing board, or send Walz to Yale for a little refinement. Democrats win, individual candidates not so much. Republicans may have a better position on some things -- if only it weren't for Project 2025, their stand on women, and if Harris loses, it has to be due to the Democrats not opening up the race to others. We were forced to go from a senile war maniac to a goofy cackler, while being threatened by an egomaniac and an odd bird who came out of nowhere to both impress and scare us.
It's sad that, according to the mainstream media, this is coming down to gender, men going red as women swing blue. Yay, blue! But blue isn't what it used to be. Now it's the war party. Now it's the mainstream. Now it's backed by the CIA and Pentagon and old-school Republicans. One has to wonder. What does analyst Jimmy Dore have to say?
We're all getting ready for the big vice presidential debate since Trump is too afraid to face off with Kamala again, having lost so miserably last time while lying about and claiming "it's too late" for another one because people have already started voting. Maybe handsome Vance can advance the ticket because authentic human being and down home Midwesterner Timmy Walz to the bal... is going to trounce him and wrap it up for the Democrats while we vote Green and go for Jill Stein.
Jon Stewart: Trump is the opposite of who his supporters claim he is | The Daily Show
(The Daily Show) It's Monday and time for Jon Stewart to take over The Daily Show and opine and mock and tease with satire and wit. #DailyShow #JonStewart #Trump #Kamala
Trump’s weekend of CRAZY outbursts, he calls Kamala mentally impaired, and Tim Walz vs. Mike MyPillow Lindell
(Jimmy Kimmel Live)
Sept. 30, 2024: The MLB postseason is about to begin, as of yesterday the Earth has a second moon that they’re calling a “mini-moon,” Trump was in Tuscaloosa Saturday to take in the Alabama-Georgia football game throwing food at fans, he spent the weekend saying a bunch of crazy stuff, a Congressional candidate named Derrick Anderson wanted to fit in with the JD Vance-approved model of a family value candidate, self-proclaimed Black Nazi Mark Robinson who is somehow still running for Governor of North Carolina, and we check in with Tim Walz (Andy Richter) from his home state of Minnesota with a special appearance from MyPillow Mike Lindell (James Adomian). #Kimmel
Harris and Trump rallies cold open - SNL
(Saturday Night Live) Sept. 28, 2024: #1 on Trending
News anchor David Muir (Andrew Dismukes) checks in with Kamala Harris (Maya Rudolph), Tim Walz (Jim Gaffigan), Doug Emhoff (Andy Samberg), Donald Trump (James Austin Johnson), JD Vance (Bowen Yang) and Joe Biden (Dana Carvey) at Harris' and Trump's campaign rallies.
Saturday Night Live. Stream now on Peacock: pck.tv/3n1IyzK
Biden takes lead in Fox News poll; Trump and Fox claim Biden will be on drugs at debate: A Closer Look
(Late Night with Seth Meyers) June 20, 2024: Seth Meyers takes a closer look at the Donald and Fox News settling on an interesting presidential debate strategy where they admit Trump will probably LOSE but claim it's because Biden must be on drugs.
Who does Nazi Barbie want me to vote for? As a Swiftie it's important to vote blondly.
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Joe 'n Don pretend to fight, but we (in red) get it.
Who would win a fight between a naked turtle and a hamster wearing a red cap? We're all going to find out.
But there is no way Genocide Joe is being sent in to do battle with Demon 2 with undergoing a degaussing, reset, and reboot (inviting a walk in spirit to enter and do its best to battle whatever or whoever it is that possesses the other guy).
It is a farce of party politics to keep Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. out because he did not jump enough hoops. He's "crazy" enough to believe we were lied to about vaccines? Of course we were. That's not even in dispute. The military was the primary source of misinformation and disinformation. Fauci was kept on because he is so willing to change his tune every few days and deny things he has been caught red-handed doing.
Not only demonically possessed Republicans like Bush and Dick, many politicians do it.
Triumph the Insult Comid Dog (The Daily Show); Seth Meyers; Jimmy Dore; The MeidasTouch; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(Wealth of Geeks) The fact that they are animated does not necessarily make them fit for children. Generally seen as indecent or highly suspect, some cartoons don’t live up to this reputation. But some do. Even if kids love them, do they understand them? Here are 17 of them. (Amaka Chukwuma via MSN.com)
Alejandro (TheHighestCritic, 11/20/20); Pat Macpherson, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
This cartoonish Fat Happy Buddha is NOT the Buddha of history. He is a bodhisattva named Putai, Budai, or Hotei. He was a kind, jolly, overweight monk who gave candy to children from a bag.
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Buzznik Alejandro over at TheHighestCritic.com has a question, which he has already answered quite sure that he's right.
Q: Did the Buddha Gautama use cannabis?
Let's examine this Q from the view of a pot leaf
According, to, like, some mystical sutra, Bro, you know, um, Siddhartha, who later became Buddha, used cannabis. He was all Buddhafied! But, check this out, NOT how you would think, not in the traditional sense.
I didn't use weed either. I was a good monk
It's said that prior to his Great Awakening [his Maha Bodhi, which means prior to when he was the Buddha, which means the "Awakened One"],Buddha Siddhartha lived on nothing but a single cannabis seed per day for SIX YEARS! 🤯
It's a beautiful legend, and we hope it's true because raw hemp seeds are a superfood, a miracle, a health-wonder full of Omega 3, 6, and 9 essential fatty acids in balance, which is extraordinarily rare in nature. Everyone should eat raw hemp seeds every day. Put them in a blender with pure water, and it's an instant healthy white nut-milk with no other ingredients necessary.
What’s interesting about this, is that cannabis only receives slight reference in Buddhist legends even though it is rather significant to the religion.
This is because it is not significant to the religion or the PRACTICE of the Ennobling (Enlightening) Eightfold Path the religion teaches. In fact, the only thing we can think of relating cannabis bud, flower, dab (hash exudations), or the plant as an entheogenic drug, has to do with Buddhism is that the Buddha was a Scythian (Shakyan) from neighboring Gandhara (now Afghanistan, nearby but not in magical Nepal, which is high in the Himalayas) from the foothills of the Hindu Kush, which is part of the Himalayan range, far to the west of Nepal. The Scythians were originally nomadic wandering in Central Asia before settling and adopting an agrarian way of life. They did not drink ordinary alcohol. They drank a special kind made of fermented mare's milk. A mare is a female horse, and the low-grade alcohol made from natural yeast falling on lactose and souring it makes a kind of less addictive alcohol than toxic grain-based alcohol. The Scythians had a drink called soma (haoma) into which they put cannabis to make a kind of mundane ambrosia (amrita). Some may have been a general name because the real stuff seems to have been the entheogen blue lotus, a DMT-type substance also popular in ancient Egypt. It's hard to imagine that Siddhartha, a prince of a Scythian group called the Sakas raised watching dancing girls and musicians, would never have tried it. Cannabis grows wild throughout the foothills, where it originated as a plant.
Prince Sidhartha Gautama, who became the Buddha Gautama, lived in Lumbini in the Himalayan foothills of Nepal, a region that’s rich in cultivated and naturally occurring Cannabis indica known as Nepali Indica.
Prince Sid, who became "The Buddha" by virtue of his spiritual awakening at the age of 35 after six or seven years of intensive endeavor on his quest to discover why we suffer and what can be done about it, was born in Lumbini Garden but he never lived there. He was raised in Kapilavastu (which Dr. Ranajit Pal has demonstrated must have been in Bamiyan, Afghanistan, and its environs, which we feel safe to speculate were Mes Aynak and Kabul (Kabil, Kapil, Kapilavastu) because he lived in three different places, three seasonal capitals that relocated by season, hot, cold, and rainy. He awoke to the Truth. There is no record of him smoking or consuming cannabis to get high or anything else. If the seed was eaten as a food, he might have eaten it but only if it were provided to him as he was a wandering ascetic living on alms, having gone East to proto-India, just south of Nepal, in his pursuit of enlightenment.
As the story goes, Siddhartha the wandering ascetic (doing tapas or extreme austerities and self-mortifications as misguided penance to compensate for this anti-spiritual body, a common practice among yogis) became so weak because of excessive fasting, that he resumed eating because a woman named Sujata and her maid offered him food.
He recovered his strength and realized the body is not a hindrance to spirituality. In fact, it can be a vehicle to it. His strength and health regained, he began his legendary meditation under the Bodhi tree.
It is called the Bodhi tree because bodhi means "enlightenment" or "awakening." Prior to his great awakening, it was not called that. The tree (Ficus religiosa, a giant pipal tree, which is like a banyan) drops tons of fruit, small figs that are not eaten (and who knows why because they are delicious and nutritious) except as a resource during famine. Religious studies teachers in the US note that the chemical composition of these figs is one molecule different from acid, LSD. The implication being, Wouldn't he have eaten these under that tree and otherwise fasting because he was not getting up to go on alms. And though no one was offering this food, the Tree was. He called on the Earth, in the earth-witnessing mudra, to vouch for him. We know trees have dryads. That's why he was fed by Sujata. She and her maid were making offerings to the tree spirit near their house as she wanted to get pregnant. She became pregnant, and this was the big offering in gratitude. Seeing him with his long hair, possibly in dreads from not washing it, they mistook him for spirit of the tree.
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