The Floods: SoCal surf's up; Hurricane Isaias

The Buddha warned of four great floods

Ven. Nyanatiloka (Buddhist Dictionary) edited by Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

Say it slowly, Awakened One, so we can hear it.

The Buddhist term "floods" (ogha) is a name for the four influxes (the āsavas or "taints, corruptions, cankers, outflows, intoxicating biases" as in DN 16 the Mahā Parinibbāna Sutta, Paṭisambhidā-magga, and Vibhaṅga).

What are these four great dangers? The flood or influx of:

1. sensual craving (kāmāsava)
2. [craving for] existence (bhavāsava)
3. [wrong] views (ditthāsava)
4. ignorance (avijjāsava).

I want to hear this to be free from future dangers

A list of three, omitting the influx of views, is possibly older and occurs more frequently in the sutras (e.g., in MN 2, MN 9, DN 33; A.III.59, 67; A.VI.63). The Vibhanga (Khuddakavatthu Vibhanga) mentions both this threefold and fourfold division.

The fourfold division also occurs under the name of "floods" (ogha) and "yokes" (yoga).

Through the first stage of enlightenment (the path of stream-entry), the flood of [clinging to wrong] views is destroyed.

Through the third stage (the path of non-returning), the flood of sensual craving is done away with.

Through the fourth stage (the path of arhatship, full enlightenment), the floods of craving for eternal existence (endless rebirths in samsara) and ignorance are stopped. Craving can be brought to cessation?

The Samaññaphala Sutta (MN 2) shows how to overcome these four floods, namely, through:

• insight (wisdom),
• sense-control (restraint),
• avoidance (adverting attention),
• wise use of the necessities of life,
• and so on.

Why would anyone want to awaken?

For a commentarial exposition, see Atthasālini (Tr. I, p. 63f: II, pp. 475ff.)

Khīnāsava is "one whose corruptions are destroyed" or "one who is free of cankers." This is a name for an arhat, a perfected person, a Buddhist saint, completely liberated person who has awakened and experienced nirvana in this very life and lives out the remainder of life in complete certainty of liberation (moksha) and freedom (vimutti).

Can an enlightened person surf over the floods?

This state of arhatship is frequently called āsavakkhaya, "the destruction of the floods." Discourses concluding with the attainment of arhatship by those who hear them, often culminate with the words:

"During this utterance, the hearts of the [meditators, listeners, hearers] were freed from the floods through clinging no more" (anupādāya āsavehi cittāni vimuccimsū'ti).

California coastal flood chaos! 🌊 Massive waves flood streets, vehicles stranded in Newport Beach, OC

Aerial view of the low-lying City of Newport Beach, SoCal (photo by Don Ramey Logan/wiki)

.

No, Son, that's too dangerous! Get inside!

(Storm-HQ) Southern California coastal flooding turns streets into rivers on October 9, 2026, as massive waves, swells, and unusually high tides overwhelmed ritzy Newport Beach (OC) and Long Beach (LA), battering Surf City USA in Southern California.

Floodwaters surround vehicles across the Balboa Peninsula, while powerful surf damages multimillion dollar beachfront homes and coastal defenses in Long Beach.

With Tropical Storm Rachel approaching, emergency officials warned that more dangerous flooding could follow.

Tropical Storm Rachel hits LA, OC

(NewsX Live) We're in absolute shock; all we can do is play in the water

(Asianet) Will Tropical Storm Rachel take out parts of So. California?

Newport Beach is so rich with such a concentration of West Coast wealth that it has its own flag

See, God, it's just that Newport is where we park all of our rich and fancy yachts (Balboa Island)

Aerial view of the Lido Peninsula in Newport Beach, California (Don Ramey Logan)

.

Balboa Peninsula, Newport Beach, OC

Newport Beach, California, became one of the hardest-hit communities as seawater surged into residential streets across the Balboa Peninsula. Flooding affected approximately 15 to 20 blocks, leaving vehicles surrounded by corrosive seawater and reaching nearby properties.

Officials reported that the morning tide rose roughly nearly two feet (20 inches) above its predicted level, creating dangerous conditions for motorists and residents.

The City of Newport Beach declared a local emergency as coastal floodwaters spread through vulnerable neighborhoods.

Home about to collapse into ocean

Meanwhile in Malibu, residents like Del Rey just want to get high by beach

(KTLA 5) Home on verge of collapse as high tide hits Long Beach Peninsula

Emergency crews deployed pumps, opened drainage valves, and worked to rebuild protective sand barriers.

Toxic sewage about to swamp LA, OC

WARNING: Residents and visitors are urged to avoid flooded streets while authorities respond to the rapidly developing coastal flooding emergency.

Long Beach, in LA County (home of the Queen Mary and Spruce Goose), are also suffering significant storm damage as massive waves batter the Peninsula and break through sections of a protective coastal barrier.

The Beach Boys and their Woody vehicle popularized the myth of a perfect, ever-sunny SoCal

.

We're fine on sunny days. Let's clean up!

Seawater flooded nearby streets, damaged beachfront properties, and threatened homes along Seaside Walk. Building inspectors declared some structures unsafe to enter, while one severely damaged beachfront home faced the risk of collapsing toward the ocean.

The destruction extends beyond flooded neighborhoods. Powerful surf is damaging the access road to San Onofre State Beach near the Orange County and San Diego County boundary.

Coastal erosion, damaged infrastructure, and dangerous waves are raising concerns across Southern California as residents prepare for additional high tides.

• Hurricane Isaias leaves mark on Florida Panhandle with long road to recovery ahead
• Isaias moving inland after Cat 2 Florida landfall causes extensive damage to several communities | Fox

Hurricane Isaias hits Southeast USA

Hurricane Isaias 2026: storm damage, flood threat on Florida’s Gulf Coast

(Severe Weather USA) Hurricane Isaias landfall, power out, winds, floods

I ain't afraid of no surf!

Tropical Storm Rachel added another threat to the California flooding emergency. The approaching Pacific storm prompted a rare tropical storm watch for coastal San Diego County, including San Diego, Oceanside, Carlsbad, and Chula Vista.

Forecasters are warning of possible strong winds, heavy rainfall, dangerous surf, and additional coastal flooding over the weekend.

• [SoCal is suffering a massive heat wave during Indian Summer 2026, but over the weekend it'll rain before things heat up again.*]

At least mountains are safe? Not quite

Big Bear Lake in summer, Southern California

Flood watches far from the beaches also cover inland communities across San Diego, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties. Palm Springs (the high desert), Coachella (site of the massive annual festival), Indio (with its inland Salton Sea), Big Bear Lake (home of Jackie and Shadow, the most famous eagles in the world), and Lake Arrowhead face the possibility of flash flooding as tropical moisture approaches desert valleys and mountain communities.

These locations are under weather alerts rather than confirmed reports of widespread flood destruction.

Hurricane Simon goes for Mexico

(Asianet News English) Hurricane Simon comes after Mexico: boats sink,

roads flood, and tourist destination Puerto Vallarta prepares for big hit

Will Trump's Iran bomb us in time?

Iran, now's a good time to bomb LA and SD

Coastal flood advisories extend north toward Malibu, Ventura, San Francisco, Monterey Bay, and Big Sur, where elevated tides and powerful waves threaten low-lying roads, beach facilities, and shoreline neighborhoods. (Goodbye, Gilroy, "Garlic Capital of the World," and your festival).

Malibu and surrounding neighborhoods, LA

Authorities warn that dangerous conditions could continue through the weekend and into the following week. This video covers the Oct. 9, 2026, California floods, Newport Beach flooding, Balboa Peninsula flood damage, Long Beach coastal flooding, Tropical Storm Rachel, massive waves, flooded streets, vehicles surrounded by water, damaged beachfront homes, coastal erosion, and severe weather across Southern California, West Coast, USA.

Post-Iran nuking weather report

*Tropical Storm Rachel to bring rain, coastal flooding risk to SoCal

• ALERT: Bill Martin West Coast Weather Channel: Rachel

The confirmed flooding and property damage described in this report occurred primarily in Newport Beach and Long Beach. Other California locations face flood watches and coastal warnings, with additional impacts dependent on changing weather conditions.

For official California flood warnings, coastal flood advisories, and tropical storm updates, follow the National Weather Service, NOAA National Hurricane Center, and local emergency management authorities. And don't say we didn't warn you. #CaliforniaFloods #NewportBeach #CoastalFlooding

Massive volcano and quake hit Japan

(Stefan Burns)

(The Lustre Archive) The global civilization that was erased 12,000 years ago) Graham Hancock

Waiting for Hurricane Milton in hotel (live)

The mayor of Tampa said if you stay in Tampa, you will die. Dead. Evacuate now.

• VIDEO: Walt Disney World Resort livestreams Milton

LIVE: Hurricane Milton coverage

(USA TODAY) Already powerful Hurricane Milton was again gaining strength Tuesday and could double in size before slamming into west-central Florida in what could be one of the "most destructive hurricanes on record" late Wednesday. The National Hurricane Center issued the warning Tuesday, saying damaging winds, life-threatening storm surge [of over 12 feet], and heavy rainfall will extend well outside the forecast cone. Hurricane warning maps show Florida blanketed in red and orange alerts. "Air Force reserve hurricane hunters find that Milton's intensity has rebounded," the hurricane center said in an advisory Tuesday afternoon. Milton had undergone stunningly rapid intensification Monday, its sustained winds reaching 180 mph. By Tuesday the wind speed dropped dramatically although still a fierce Category 4 storm. It climbed back to 155 Tuesday afternoon, just below Category 5 status. Fluctuations were expected as the storm closes in on Florida, said John Cangialosi, a specialist with the National Hurricane Center. Audio provided in part by iHeartRadio iheart.com/live/247-news...

• Terrifying footage: weather.com
• Controversial influencer Caroline Calloway says she's going to die in Hurricane Milton for refusing to evacuate house
• Florida Democrat shuts down Marjorie Taylor Greene for telling everyone outside of government that we can control the weather by machine

Allison Gilgenbach is hunkering down ahead of the big, bad hurricane with her daughters Reagan, 11 (left) and 8-year-old Reagan (courtesy of Allison Gilgenbach)

.

I'm waiting out Hurricane Milton in a Universal Studios Hotel with my daughters. We're not scared.

How will we survive? The trick is to wait out Hurricane Milton in a city far, faraway, like one on vacation in Buddhist Asia, in this case Japan's second city of Osaka.

(INSIDER) My family of three paid $650 to enter early and skip the lines at Universal Studios. Similar perks would've cost us double back home in Florida.

For that price, my family and I got upgraded tickets to Universal Studios Japan in Osaka. Having early access to the park and express passes for rides saved us hours of waiting in lines. We're in no hurry to get back to Florida.

Shitennoji Temple, Osaka: Discover one the oldest Buddhist temples in Japan

(TT Travel Photography) Here are photos taken at Shitennoji Temple, the first and oldest Buddhist temple in Japan. It is one the most important sites to see here. Comment and contact for more info, always happy to share! #city #osaka #travelphotography Music: Modern Time - An Jone / Crazy - Patrick Patrikios.

Visible from "space" 20 miles up in low orbit

Tickets to Universal parks in the U.S. can cost twice as much, so it was a great value. As a longtime Florida resident, I've been to Universal Studios Orlando many times. So on a recent trip to Japan, my family decided to explore the Universal theme park in Osaka. We can watch the storm on TV.

We only had one day to see everything — and it's one of the most popular theme parks in the world — so we wanted to make the most of our vacation.

The best way to do that was splurging on early entry park tickets and express line passes for all of us. Here's everything we accomplished during our visit. I'm waiting out Hurricane Milton in a Universal Studios hotel with my daughters. We're not scared.

• YouTube mom’s child abuse scandal ends in $1.85 mil settlement
• This new camera could film it (shop.panasonic.com/pages/lumix-s9)
• Story by Jane Ridley (jridley@insider.com), Insider via MSN.com, Oct. 9, 2024; Ashley Wells, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Hurricane Milton: death metal Tampa

We've been weaponizing weather since Vietnam

TAMPA, Florida, MAGA Country - Once upon a time, there was a hurricane (possibly a typhoon, monsoon, or cyclone) they named Milton. Big mistake. Who's afraid of a Milton? It's like Bart's weakling friend Millhouse. Call it "Maverick" or "Uncle Milty" if people are supposed to run away. Everyone who stays in place to weather will die, says the mayor.

We blame DeSantis, for the immorality of rulers seems to impact the state by the subtle interplay of karma and karmic results.

O, you KNOW they can, says Marjorie T. Greene

In any case, whether it's Ricky Martin's fault or a politician, Spanish invaders or right-wing Cuban extremists, perhaps all the death metal afficionados around Tampa are culpable. Tampa is the death metal capital of the world. DeSantis could be to blame directly because fellow Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene knows the U.S. government controls the weather and is sending storms to impact the election. Did she tell Ron? The government, of course, has no other way of stealing elections other than feigning that it's Mother Nature's doing.

• Hurricane | Microsoft Weather (msn.com)
• How Tampa's zoo and aquarium are hunkering down and preparing to ride out Hurricane Milton's arrival: Animals refuse to leave?
• ‘It’s beyond ridiculous’: Genocide Joe Biden responds to Marjorie Taylor Greene’s weather modification hurricane claims
• Florida sheriff issues warning for authorities enforcing homeless crackdown: Get them off the streets and out of town (drop them off at the beach)
• West Central Florida braces for Category 4 Hurricane Milton (aka Uncle Milty)

The desert of Saudi Arabia: weather control

If Gov. Ron could just go to the Swamp and talk to his fellow politicians in the DC then the state might be spared and the Carolinas could absorb it like Helene, a great hellish name for a storm. Rumor has it Milton is the 4th strongest storm in the history of the world, with 160 MPH winds, but it's tempering and calming down. HAARP really can steer storms with great precision, but that is not to say the steerers are answering to the current administration in Florida or Washington. Floridians, run! Tampa, become a ghost town. Millhouse, uh, Milton, calm down. Take it easy. Heat dissipates, and the melting icecaps will soon cool the waters, keeping all in balance.

Helene Storm barrels toward Florida

Florida and Gulf of Mexico hit by Helene

Mandatory evacuation underway as Helene barrels towards Florida AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson reports on the worsening conditions from Gulfport, Florida, on September 26, 2024. Weather: Mandatory evacuation underway as Helene barrels towards Florida.

Meanwhile, madman, convinced he can fly a magic carpet off a cliff, jumps to his death (with a parachute just in case) but ends up flying the carpet down for two minutes at a tremendous speed, safely deploying his parachute and making it safely to the ground, having filmed the entire experience from his POV. One has to see it to believe it and never read stories about Aladdin in the same way: French man leaps off mountainside on a magic carpet and flies thousands of feet down to safety through midair (MSN)

1st Day of Summer: Summer Solstice (6/20)

What we call "Stonehenge" is really a reconstruction set up by cranes and heavy equipment.

Take that, Big Oil! You're ruining the environment, and this orange cornstarch proves it! (CND)

VIDEO: Environmental activists spray Stonehenge with orange corn powder | Coast to Coast

It's time for Buddhist Summer School 2024

It's finally the first day of summer, after wildfires, heat waves, earthquakes, volcanos in Hawaii and Mexico, and more political nonsense than one can comfortably fathom.

Unofficial summer began on Labor Day a few weeks ago. But the Sun (Sol, Surya) and Earth (Gaia, Bhumi) do not decide, and not even Moon (Luna, Soma, Chandra) has the final say.

It is Gregorian Calendar reading humans making our social constructs that decide, but somewhere high above in the arrangement of celestial bodies, we move from a wet spring to a grass-filled summer. There will be flames. The big first wildfire has ruined our Summer Solstice and Full Strawberry Moon Ceremony and postponed it indefinitely.

DisclosureFest.org

DisclosureFest.org (Disclosure Project Meetup) was all set to go off as a three-day festival this weekend. But the Post Fire in nearby Gorman forced it to be scrapped to avoid smoke and ash irritation, heat, and injury if it kicked up again, sparing tens of thousands of party people around the Castaic Lake Lagoon 40 minutes west of Downtown Los Angeles out by Magic Mountain.

Instead, there's a much smaller free vegan potluck party at Oh Happy Days Cosmic Cafe above Pasadena on Saturday, June 22, 2024 (meetup.com). Or enjoy the Summer Solstice at Kinship Yoga on Friday night, 6/21/24 in Highland Park (NELA) with Ryan and Stellar.

Like California, Arizona is in the Southwest US

Anything's better than staying in Arizona, the Land of Sun and Sand. the summer gods are not happy so they're scorching the land. Get out, unless you're at ASU. In that case, alkalinize with a mostly raw, green, fresh diet to avoid burning. Acidity gives way to quick sun damage.

Summer Solstice Party — (kinshipyoga.com)

• Bhikkhu Bodhi (As It Is); Amber Larson and Dhr. Seven, Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Wisdom Quarterly

Alberto slams Texas, Louisiana, Mexico (live)

'I've never seen anything like this before': Alberto storm surge floods Texas campground

(FOX Weather) June 20, 2024: San Luis Pass County Park was flooded by storm surge from Tropical Storm Alberto. Park Superintendent Mike Mullenweg joins FOX Weather to discuss how the campground is progressing on Thursday. #foxweather #tropics

(ABC News) Tropical Storm Alberto slams Gulf Coast, June 19, 2024: A tropical storm warning is in effect in both Texas and Louisiana after the first named storm likely to become a hurricane hits Mexico and the states across the Gulf like Texas and Louisiana.

Breaking: Tropical Storm Alberto hammers Mexico and South Texas | LiveNOW

(FOX LiveNOW from FOX) Started streaming June 20, 2024: Tropical Storm Alberto approaches the Mexican Gulf Coast this morning with sustained winds of 50 MPH.  The first Atlantic named storm of the season is also expected to dump lots of water on South Texas as it moves ashore.

@LiveNOWFOX on Twitter: https://twitter.com/livenowfox Raw and unfiltered. Watch a non-stop stream of breaking news, live events and stories across the nation. Limited commentary. No opinion. Experience LiveNOW from FOX.

Walk like Mayan in Mexico: ET pyramids?

Mexican pyramids in Teotihuacan, the Pyramid of the Sun (MSN)

Pyramids but not as we know them (©J.Enrique Molina/Alamy)

.

The UMS is an ancient civilization and empire.

The pyramids of Mexico take the basic principles of the traditional pyramidal structure to the next level. Some are stepped. Others are covered with niches. Most are topped by temples. One in Chichen Itza was built so that the shadow of a giant reptilian serpent appears to be slithering up its staircase during equinoxes.

Mexican History (B. Wellman)

Click through this gallery to see the incredible feats of ancient engineering to learn the extraordinary stories behind them:

• Walk like a Mayan: Mexico's most incredible pyramids
• Cholula (Mexican site of the world's largest pyramid)
• Spanish is not the language of Mexico, for that is the tongue of imperial conquerors from Spain. The language of Mexico is Nahautl (Aztec) and other Native American languages
• WARNING: Strange storm (hurricane) heading from Gulf of Mexico west-northwest toward Mexican coast; usually the move north to USA

We didn't have sex with ETs; they had sex...

Archaeologists discover what no one was supposed to see

Mexican who plays an alien (Lynda Carter Cordova)

Miscegenation is a kind of sex, one that is often forbidden. The uncovering of new artifacts does not always lead to a clearer understanding of the past. They often deepen the mystery. Some discoveries raise more questions than they answer. Each new find adds to the complexity of our historical narrative. MSN

DISCLAIMER: The content presented in is intended solely for entertainment purposes. Information draws on facts, rumors, and fiction, so viewers should not interpret any part of this content as factual or definitive. Enjoy responsibly. For copyright matters, please contact via email.

The USA never invaded Mexico but did invade Spain's empire and steal land for itself.

I'm La Mexican Barbie with a bullied brain, searching for a future but I'm just a game.

.

Who built this empire and civilization?

Even when mummified space alien extraterrestrial bodies are on display, we turn away.

.

Most "Mexicans" today are a blend of DNA

Could one of the oldest Mexican pyramids, the Great Pyramid of La Venta in Tabasco be a Buddhist-style stupa or burial mound (barrow, tumulus, kurgan)? The pyramid is on the island of La Venta, and while it may be the least spectacular of Mexico’s great pyramids, it is probably the most ancient. 

Just across the Gulf from Louisiana, USA, is Mexico's Yucatan and El Castillo pyramid

Ethnic Realities of Mexican Americans

It seems like nothing more than a 100-foot-high mound of earth and clay, but it is the focal point of La Venta's ceremonial plaza, an ancient Olmec Empire city that flourished on the island between 800 and 400 BC. Archaeologists have speculated that it may well house the tomb of a great Olmec ruler, possibly not fully human. More

The Buddhist Connection

How the Swans Came to the Lake: A Narrative History of Buddhism in America

How the Swans Came to the Lake (Rick Fields)

.

Priestess cross-legged, 300-600 AD, Veracruz, Mexico

(Feb. 8, 2022) Americans Rick Fields and Benjamin Bogin have earned 4.7 out of 5 stars with 9 ratings (4.8 stars with 44 ratings in previous edition). A modern classic unparalleled in scope, this sweeping history unfolds the story of Buddhism's spread to the West.

How the Swans Came to the Lake opens with the story of Asian Buddhism, including the life of the historical Buddha and the spread of his teachings, or Dharma, from proto-India to Southeast Asia, Afghanistan (Gandhara), China, Korea, Japan, Tibet, and elsewhere.

Mayan statue in meditation (dreamstime.com)

Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind

Coming to the modern era, the book tracks how Western colonialism in Asia served as the catalyst for the first large-scale interactions between Buddhists and Westerners.

Author Rick Fields discusses the development of Buddhism in the West through key moments such as Transcendentalist fascination with Eastern religions; immigration of Chinese and Japanese people to the United States; the writings of D. T. Suzuki, British Californian Alan Watts, and members of the Beat movement; the publication of Zen Mind, Beginner’s Mind by Shunryu Suzuki; the arrival of Tibetan lamas in America and Europe; and the influence of Western feminist and social justice movements on Buddhist practice.

Xōchipilli (Aztec God of art, games, dance...) Mayan art

FREE: An inglorious Columbus

This fortieth anniversary edition features both new and enhanced photographs as well as a new introduction by Fields’s nephew, Buddhist Studies scholar Benjamin Bogin, who reflects on the impact of this book since its initial publication and addresses the significant changes in Western Buddhist practice in recent decades. More

• BUDDHISTS IN MEXICO: An Inglorious Columbus: Or Evidence that [Chinese] Hwui Shan and a Party of Buddhist Monks from Afghanistan Discovered America in the Fifth Century, A.D. (by Edward Payson Vining)
• Dhr. Seven, Crystal Quintero, Pfc. Sandoval, Pat Macpherson (eds.), June 18, 2924, Wisdom Quarterly