Sex and Suffering in Buddhism

(Buddha's Wisdom) Sex in Buddhism: Not a moral rule, but a deeper question

• Dukkha: suffering, disappointment, unsatisfactoriness, ill
• Vimuttimagga: The Path to Freedom
• Visuddhimagga: The Path of Purification

"Sex positive" Buddhists?

How can Wisdom Quarterly publish this? - How? It's a sex positive site. - O, makes sense

"If people start thinking freely about sex...they [might] start thinking freely about everything!"

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SlutWalk, Washington DC, USA 2012

The sex-positive movement is a social and philosophical movement that seeks to change cultural attitudes and norms around sexuality, promoting the recognition of sexuality (in the countless forms of expression) as a natural and healthy part of the human experience and emphasizing the importance of personal sovereignty, safer sex practices, and consensual sex (and sex work free of violence or coercion).

I'm straight. Don't want sex? Become a monk.

It is based on the idea that "sexuality is an important part of the human experience and it deserves respect" [1]. Although the definition of the term greatly varies among those involved in the movement, its central notion is "openness to a variety of sexual orientations, interests (or lack thereof), identities and expressions" [2].

(Elephants in the Rooms - Ken LeCorte) Why is prostitution really illegal?

I regret all that science and math. I really wanted to be a Hedonist with Jeffrey Epstein & Co!

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The sex-positive movement also advocates for comprehensive sex education and safe sex as part of its campaign.[3] The movement generally makes no moral distinctions among types of sexual activities, regarding these choices as matters of personal preference [4]. More

 

Rich, beautiful celebrities still have to date?

(Daddy Pacino) Celebrities flirting wildly like nobody's watching: Is everyone awkward?

Suffering Sandpapery Sex? Three Secrets to Juicier Lovemaking

What makes someone sexually attractive?

(AARP) We’ve all been there before: We’re about to get it on and — *album scratch* — our girl isn’t giving what she’s supposed to. Knowhatimsayin? Like that filthy/racy Cardi B song featuring Megan Thee Stallion. What’s up with my natural lube being a no-show? Why is this happening?

Will my customers still like me when I'm old?

Vaginal dryness is more common during perimenopause and after menopause. “As the reproductive portion of a woman’s life starts to come to a close, estrogen [female hormone] levels drop because it’s not necessary for you to make eggs anymore,” says Dr. Nicole E. Williams, M.D., founder of the Gynecology Institute of Chicago and author of This is How You Vagina: All About Your Vajayjay and Why You Probably Shouldn't Call It That.

Ziggy Jones: "Sex, Sand, Summer" (music video)

This is How You Vagina (Dr. Williams, MD)

Estrogen helps keep the vagina well lubricated and aids in sexual intercourse, she says. So declining estrogen levels can mean vaginal dryness that causes rough discomfort or sandy pain during sex. Some women also experience a chafed or burning feeling during day-to-day activities.

Menopause isn’t the only reason for vaginal dryness. Some other causes are medications, including antidepressants, antihistamines, and hormonal birth control pills; childbirth or breastfeeding; vaginal infections; stress. Whatever the circumstances, we’re not stuck with sandpaper-like sex. Here’s how to add more slip and slide to the ride. More: sisters.aarp.org

• COYOTE, BAYSWAN
• Family Guy; Buddha's Wisdom (video); Tamekia Reece (Sisters Newsletter from AARP, 11/4/22); Daddy Pacino; Ziggy Jones (song); Ashley Wells, CC Liu, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Legal prostitution in Las Vegas? Scam

(JacobslifeinVegas) What Las Vegas prostitutes REALLY do to you

• Prostitution in Nevada (does not include Las Vegas or non-rural counties)

Will Chris or other boys be going there?

Viva Las Vegas. Nevada is the only U.S. state where prostitution is legally permitted in some form. Prostitution is legal in 10 of Nevada's 17 counties, although only six allow it in every municipality.

I'm the bouncer! I work here! - Unhand me!

Six counties have at least one active brothel, which mainly operate in rural, isolated areas [1].

The state's most populated counties, Clark (where Las Vegas is) and Washoe (which contains Reno), are among those that do NOT permit prostitution. But they do permit "escorts" that may trick tourists into believing they are accessing legal prostitution.

It is also illegal in Nevada's capital, Carson City, an independent city. The vast majority of prostitution in Nevada takes place illegally in the metropolitan areas of Las Vegas and Reno.

About 66 times more money is spent by customers on illegal prostitution in Nevada than in the regulated brothels [2]. More

Machiavelli's understanding of sexual desire

(Psyphoria Echo) 7 hidden signs a woman wants you: she'll never say it | Machiavelli

The Polyamorous Professors Geoffrey Miller
and Diana Fleischman on Rebel Wisdom

(Wisdom Unleashed) After studying 500 prostitutes, modern evolutionary psychologist Dr. Geoffrey Miller] discovered this truth about women -- confirming what Niccolò "The Prince" Machiavelli had tried to teach centuries earlier in his book The Prince:

The Prince and what prostitutes can teach us about evolutionary biology

(Self Dark MirrorYT) What 400 prostitutes taught Machiavelli about male weakness

California dreaming: early San Francisco prostitutes cycle through money (wiki)

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Portrait of Machiavelli (by Santi di Tito)

The Prince (Italian Il Principe, Latin De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Machiavelli, an Italian diplomat, philosopher, and political theorist.

He wrote it in the form of a realistic instruction guide for new princes. Many commentators have viewed that one of the main themes of The Prince is that immoral acts are sometimes necessary to achieve political glory [1, 2].

Melania Trump is/was a whore escort

(Keith Edwards) Leaked audio confirms Melania was an escort [who "dated" and may have had a baby with pimp, Israeli spy, and professional child molester Jeffrey Trump before marrying Donny Trump]

From Machiavelli's correspondence, a version was apparently being written in 1513, using the Latin title De Principatibus ("Of Principalities") [3].

However, the printed version was not published until 1532, five years after the death of Machiavelli. This was carried out with the permission of the Medici Pope Clement VII.

But "long before then, in fact since the first appearance of The Prince in manuscript, controversy had swirled about his writings" [4].

Japanese women rent middle aged men? Rental Family

Although The Prince was written as if it were a traditional work in the mirrors for princes style, it was generally agreed as being especially innovative.

This is partly because it was written in the vernacular Italian rather than formal Latin. More

American Evolutionary Psychologist Miller's sex research

The Mating Mind: Sexual Choice

Dr. Miller's 2003 book The Mating Mind: How Sexual Choice Shaped the Evolution of Human Nature proposes that human mate choices, courtship behavior, behavior genetics, psychometrics, and life cycle patterns support the survival value of traits related to sexual selection, such as art, morality, language, and creativity.

According to Dr. Miller, the adaptive design features of these traits suggest that they evolved through mutual mate choice by both sexes to advertise [in]heritable fitness [13].

• WHO IS DR. MILLER? Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, Dr. Miller graduated from Columbia University in 1987 [5], where he earned a BA in biology and psychology. He received his Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Stanford University in 1993, with Roger N. Shepard as his principal adviser [1].

Behavior

Dr. Miller's clinical interests are the application of fitness indicator theory to understand the symptoms, demographics, and behavior genetics of schizophrenia and mood disorders.

His other interests include the origins of human preferences, aesthetics, utility functions, human strategic behavior, game theory, experiment-based economics, the ovulatory effects on female mate preferences, and the intellectual legacies of Charles Darwin, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Thorstein Veblen.

 

In 2007, Dr. Miller (with Joshua Tybur and Brent Jordan) published an article in Evolution and Human Behavior, concluding, based on a sample size of 18 strippers at a club in Albuquerque, New Mexico, over a two-month period, that lap dancers make more money during ovulation [14, 15].

Spent: Sex, Evolution [and Shopping]

For this paper, Dr. Miller won the 2008 Ig Nobel Award in Economics [16].

 

In his 2009 book Spent: Sex, Evolution and the Secrets of Consumerism, Dr. Miller attempts to apply Darwinism to consumerism, arguing that marketing has exploited our inherited instincts to display social status for reproductive advantage [17].

He makes the claim that marketing persuades people—particularly the young—that the most effective way to display social status is through consumption choices over than conveying traits such as intelligence and personality through direct communication [18]. More

• Wisdom Unleashed; Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The ladyboys of gay Buddhist Thailand

(Max Stoli) I found out WHY there are so many "ladyboys" (katois, kathoeys, kathoys) in predominantly Theravada Buddhist Thailand (and it's not what one would expect).

• Travel Guides and Travel Inspiration (Lonely Planet)
• Pattaya Beach (Thailand's Santa Monica/Venice Beach)
• Bangkok, capital of Thailand: "One Night in Bangkok"

Happy National Barbie Doll Day

Nordic German propaganda? OH MY!!!!

Throw on some Avenged Sevenfold or Aqua — because today, March 9, is National Barbie Day! In 1959, an 11-inch-tall German bombshell [adult toy Kewpie doll named Bild-Lilli*] made her debut at the American International Toy Fair in New York.

Designed by Ruth Handler, the co-founder of Mattel Inc., Barbie was created to allow girls to imagine what their lives could be like in the [feminist] future.

German sex worker doll Bild-Lilli

Aqua "Barbie Girl" (official music video)

I was born to be the real life Barbie.

She’s had a slew of careers, from registered nurse to astronaut. And she’s done it all with a companion, usually a fembot boytoy called Ken.

Barbie was a single lady for all of two years. But in 1961, overwhelming demand caused Handler to release a boyfriend for her — a softly gendered Ken boy.

 

Jane Goodall Barbie and Bobo

(The verdict’s out if he’s ever going to put a ring on it so we can have a Matrimonial White Wedding Barbie and a dangerous Divorced Barbie with seething contempt for the patriarch who put her on the path to homemaker when she was doing so well in the world).

On National Barbie Day, pink-blooded Americans celebrate all things Barbie.

History of National Barbie Day

Hey, White Grrl, need some hairspray?

Barbie is simply iconic. There is nothing that comes close to the spectrum of emotions that are conjured by the girl doll. She is perceived uniquely, of course, by every individual who has ever played with her or owned a clone of her as a slave owner might possess a coveted piece of plastic to sell later for profit. What are we teaching kids?

Yah, I vuz made 4 German men

Barbie was inspired by Lilli, a German adult doll, which had sexy and misogynistic attributes and had a more “adult” appeal.

• Original German vintage Bild Lilli Hausser pre-Barbie

From this brutish idea, the co-founder of Mattel toy company Ruth Handler became inspired to create a doll who was a grown woman.

Mexican Conquest Barbie

It had been in 1956, while on vacation with her family, that Handler first came across the adult sex symbol Lilli doll. She noticed how enamored her 15-year-old daughter Barbara (Babs, Barb, Barbie) was.

Before the creation of capitalist bonanza Barbie, most dolls were either infantilized babies or children. Handler’s vision was to create a doll that had a grown female’s anatomy without all the naughty bits children have been searching for ever since under her and Ken's cute outfits. More

Can kids say "cultural appropriation"? No, it's just a toy, a Day of the Dead Barbie Catrina

• Avenged Sevenfold "Mattel"; Aqua "Barbie Girl"; NationalToday.com; Ananda (Dharma Buddhist Meditation), Ashley Wells, Crystal Q. (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Teen girl-fight opened Epstein scandal

(True Crime Recaps) Two teen girls fighting in high school blew Epstein scandal wide open

(TYT) Jon Stewart calls out in Clintons' Epstein connections and cover up

(Kim Iversen) Trump: Why doesn't MAGA like me?

The Sexy Girls for Epstein and Trump

(Heather Blessington) EPSTEIN MAXWELL HIDDEN DOCUMENTARY

• The women accusing Trump of rape, sexual assault, and molestation are speaking out

Sex work? What's happening to Japan?

What is happening to Japan?

(Oriental Pearl) Premiered Oct. 9, 2025: TOKYO. Is Japan cooked? I (Oriental Pearl) have seen a lot of changes here in the last few years. And things seem to be getting worse.

• Donate to Tokyo's Homeless: jpkb.org/akiramenai
• Below are my affiliate links to learning tools I highly recommend:
• My Instagram: instagram.com/anming
• Oriental Pearl YouTube membership: @orientalpearl

Tokyo's Red-Light District for sex

(Broke But Rich) Japan's dark secret: Why they sell themselves (full doc)

Japan's DARK SECRET: Why they SELL themselves (full documentary)

Geisha Kyoto Gion (Japanese culture)

(Broke But Rich) Feb. 22, 2025: Dive into the dark side of Japan with us as we explore the world of "standing girls" ("sign girls")—infantilized females who wait in public streets to sell themselves. This isn't the typical nightlife scene. Buddhist Japan’s unique culture -- and attitude towards sex (as with the ancient geisha courtesans) -- has created an unexpected environment where this underground trade operates in plain sight. But why does it happen? And what’s the real story behind these women?

• VIDEO: The Origins of Sacred Temple Prostitution

History's 20 most influential poets

This free event includes open mic, which means participants can also recite.

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Poetry is like a pulse running through history, shaping revolutions, kindling love, and exposing the rawest human truths. Some poets whispered change; others roared it. These poets and their verses outlived empires as their voices refused to fade. Find out the minds behind the world’s most enduring poetry.

Homer

Homer (Dan Castellaneta/Matt Groening)

Few figures loom as large as Homer. His epics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, laid the foundation of Western literature. These [epic] war stories, fate, and heroism influenced countless works, from Shakespeare to Hollywood. Though his life remains a mystery, his words have echoed for nearly three millennia....

ODYSSEY

The Goddess Athena, Greece

Then the goddess, flashing-eyed Athena, answered him: “Therefore of a truth will I frankly tell thee all. [180] I declare that I am Mentes, the son of wise Anchialus, and I am lord over the oar-loving Taphians. And now have I put in here, as thou seest, with ship and crew, while sailing over the wine-dark sea to men of strange speech, on my way to Temese for copper; and I bear with me shining iron. [185] My ship lies yonder beside the fields away from the city, in the harbor of Rheithron, under woody Neion. Friends of one another do we declare ourselves to be, even as our fathers were, friends from of old. Nay, if thou wilt, go and ask the old warrior Laertes, who, they say, [190] comes no more to the city, but afar in the fields suffers woes attended by an aged woman as his handmaid...” Homer, Odyssey, Book 1, Line 178

• A Winelike Sea | Lapham’s Quarterly
• The mystery of Homer’s “wine-dark sea” | Psychology Today

Rumi

Eight centuries later, Rumi’s words still enchant hearts worldwide. A mystic, poet, and philosopher, his poems—especially "Masnavi"—explore love in its divine and human forms. His poetry, full of longing and ecstasy, speaks across cultures and religions. He is also one of the most widely read poets today....

MASNAVI

Can translations capture Rumi?

At the hour of the morning-drink a beloved said to her lover by way of trial, “O such-and-such son of such-and-such, I wonder, do you love me or yourself more? Tell the truth, O man of sorrows.”

He replied, “I have become so naughted in thee that I am full of thee from head to foot. Of my existence there is nothing (left) in me but the name: in my being there is naught but thee, O thou whose wishes are gratified. By that means I have become thus naughted, like vinegar, in thee (who are) an ocean of honey.”

Filled with sunniness?

As the stone that is entirely turned into pure ruby: it is filled with the qualities of the sun. That stony nature does not remain in it: back and front, it is filled with sunniness

Afterwards, if it love itself, that (self-love) is love of the sun, O youth; And if it love the sun with (all) its soul, ‘tis undoubtedly love of itself. Whether the pure ruby loves itself or whether it loves the sun, There is really no difference in these two loves: both sides (aspects) are naught but the radiance of the sunrise. Until it (the stone) has become a ruby, it is an enemy to itself, because... Masnavi of Rumi

Shakespeare (The Bard)

Shakespeare’s mastery of language reshaped literature forever. His sonnets brim with passion, despair, wit, and unrelenting curiosity left a lasting mark. As the most quoted writer in history, his influence extends beyond poetry—his storytelling also shaped modern drama. “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” and others have immortalized his name.  More

SONNET 130

Willy, I'm not that hot.

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;

Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;

If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;

If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.

I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,

But no such roses see I in her cheeks;

And in some perfumes is there more delight

Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know

That music hath a far more pleasing sound;

I grant I never saw a goddess go;

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare

As any she belied with false compare.

• Shakespeare, S. 130: My mistress' eyes are nothing like the sun
• Analysis of Shakespeare's Sonnet 130 - My mistress's eyes
• 10 Ancient Practices That Still Bring Peace Today | Watch

FREE TO RSVP

Poetry in the Afternoon (Third Thursdays) at the SPARC Centre Gallery, featuring South Pasadena Poet Laureate and popular YA (young adult) author Ron Koertge as well as Peace Activist Mandy Kahn (prs org). There is also an OPEN MIC for participants to sign up to perform. Subject matter is open but will cover the sensitive subject of sex. Free. Refreshments served, part of the Fremont Playhouse, rear gallery. RSVP:

• (Disclosure Project) What About Sex? Poetry ft. Ron Koertge + Mandy Kahn w/ open mic (SPARC Gallery), Thu, Jun 19, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• (Nature Center) What About Sex? Poetry ft. Ron Koertge + Mandy Kahn w/ open mic (SPARC Gallery), Thu, Jun 19, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• (PasaDharma) What About Sex? Poetry ft. Ron Koertge + Mandy Kahn w/ open mic (SPARC Gallery), Thu, Jun 19, 2025, 4:00 PM | Meetup
• MSN.com, Poets in Human History; Aaron (SPARC Centre Gallery), Monica, Dhr. Seven, Wisdom Quarterly

The Wild West as Anglo outlaws encroach

Rare Wild West photos we were never meant to see | Hidden History Revealed

(Secret History) May 19, 2025: Let's unearth the untamed spirit of the Wild West with 100+ rare and powerful historical images. From brothels full of sex workers and saloons full of outlaws, to killers with towering stacks of buffalo (American bison) skulls in Detroit to fearless Apache warriors defending themselves from invaders intent on destroying everything in Arizona, each photo reveals the gritty reality behind the legends of the mythological American frontier. Witness a land in conflict and transformation — where Native American traditions met British colonial rule and restless westward expansion, where white cowboys faced off in dusty saloons, and where pioneers built new lives on top of other civilizations. These striking moments frozen in time tell stories of survival, ambition, and resilience not found in textbooks.

📜 HIGHLIGHTS:

• Breathtaking portraits of Indigenous/Native leaders • Black Buffalo Soldiers • frontier women • chilling artifacts of outlaw justice and survival • boomtowns, railroads, and the wild hustle of the Gold Rush • famous faces like Annie Oakley, Buffalo Bill, and Billy the Kid captured in rare detail • everyday life in mining camps, sleazy saloons, and isolated homesteads

These are real people, in real moments — gritty, raw, and unforgettable. 💬 Which photo surprised the most? Drop a comment! 👍 Like, subscribe, and tap the bell for more lost chapters of American history.

KEYWORDS: wild west history, rare wild west photos, old west documentary, American frontier, cowboy culture, Native American history, Gold Rush era, frontier life, outlaw legends, wild west towns, transcontinental railroad, 1800s America, historical Wild West, Old West images, real, photography, legends, shootouts, pioneers, pilgrims, settlers #WildWest #OldWest #AmericanHistory #Cowboys #NativeAmericanHistory #GoldRush #FrontierLife #BuffaloSoldiers #Outlaws #RarePhotos #HistoricalPhotos #WesternExpansion #1800sAmerica #RealWildWest #PioneerLife

• VIDEO: The days of lawless gun swinging are behind us
• Hidden History (YouTube); Pfc. Sandoval, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly