Listen, Liberal: The Dems screw us (comedy)

Jimmy Dore (TJDS); Family Guy; Thomas Frank; S. Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval, Wisdom Quarterly

WARNING: F-word, obscenity-laced, angry rant! Maverick comedian Jimmy Dore calls everyone out.

Listen, Liberal: What Ever Happened to...

Bestselling author Thomas Frank takes a close look at "liberals." It asks, What's the matter with Democrats?

As liberals we think, "If only Democrats dominate national elections, if only we beat those awful Republicans into submission, the country will be fine." To think so is to fundamentally misunderstand the modern Democratic party.

What's the Matter With America?

Drawing on years of research and firsthand reporting, he points out that Democratic politicians have done very little for liberal goals:

• expanding opportunity
• fighting for social justice
• ensuring workers get a fair deal.

These Democrats have barely dented the consensus that a free market is the answer to everything. It's not for lack of being in a position to: Democrats have occupied the White House for 16 of the past 24 years up to 2016. Meanwhile, the decline of the middle class has only accelerated.

Rich, two-face Democrat leader Nancy Pelosi calls for tax cuts for the rich.

. 

Bernie Sanders: I just want to fit in for once.

Wall Street gets bailouts, wages keep falling, and free trade deals keep coming. With sardonic wit and lacerating logic, Frank lays bare the essence of the Democratic party's philosophy and how it has changed over the years.

Corporate and cultural elitism has eclipsed the party's old working class commitment. For favored groups, this has meant prosperity. For the nation, it has been a one-way ticket to inequality. More

Ajahn Chah: knowing the nature of things

Ajahn Chah (ajahnchah.org) via Ven. Sujato, Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

What is the suchness he awakened to?

When we realize dhamma [nature, suchness, what is just as it is], wherever we sit, we know the Dhamma [the Dharma, the Buddha’s Teaching]; wherever we are, we hear the Buddha’s Teaching.

When we understand Dhamma, the Buddha is within our mind [heart], the Dhamma is within our mind, and the practice-leading-to-wisdom is within our mind.

Having the Buddha, the Dhamma, and the [Enlightened-] Saṅgha within our mind means that whether our actions are, good or bad, we know clearly for ourselves their true nature.

Thai Forest  Kammathana

That is how the Buddha [Tathagatha] discarded worldly opinions, praise and blame, compliments and criticism. When people praised or criticized him, he just accepted it for what it was [tathātā, thusness, just that].

These two things [praise and blame] are simply worldly conditions, so he wasn’t shaken by them. Why not? Because he knew dukkha [disappointment, suffering, distress, ill, unsatisfactoriness]:

He knew that if he believed in that praise or blame, they would cause him to be disappointed, to stress, to suffer.

Bhikkhu Bodhi message: the lesson of corona

Bhikkhu Bodhi (BAUS, Bodhi Monastery); Ellie Askew, Dhr. Seven (ed.), Wisdom Quarterly

Theravada scholar-monk Bhikkhu Bodhi

...In the long run, this epidemic may be teaching us a powerful lesson about the imperative of fundamental social transformation, pushing us to lay the foundations for a more equitable society and a more sustainable world.

It is unconscionable that here, in the most affluent nation on earth, the least among us languish in their time of urgent need. The time is ripe for us to see that everyone’s basic human needs are met.

Above all, we must replace a profit-driven healthcare system with an alternative system built on the premise that health care is a fundamental human right, something to which every person is entitled by reason of his or her humanity regardless of income and social status.

To bring about the change we need requires concerted action from all of us, beginning with the simple task of contacting our congressional representatives and asking them to support such policies as the “moral agenda” proposed by the Poor People’s Campaign.

Anthology: In the Buddha's Words (Ven. Bodhi)

The Buddha said that the truly great person lives for his or her own welfare, for the welfare of others, and for the welfare of the whole world.

This is one of those special times when we are being given the chance to meet this call to greatness, when we are being asked to act for the welfare of the world.

The Numerical Discourses

To act in such a way, we do not have to perform extraordinary deeds of self-sacrifice or unparalleled feats of creative innovation; we don’t have to be the ones who discover a vaccine for the coronavirus.

The requirement, rather, is very simple: to adhere faithfully to the guidelines of social responsibility and to heed the call of social justice. By acting responsibly, even with our own best interest as our motivation, we will be putting compassion into action.

We’ll be promoting the good of our loved ones, neighbors, community and nation, and ultimately the good of the world. More

Bhikkhu Bodhi (Jeffrey Block) is the famous American author of many English translations.

Intro to Dzogchen course: B. Alan Wallace

B. Alan Wallace (wisdomexperience.org); Ashley Wells, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Padmasambhava Bodhisattva

This online course, led by B. Alan Wallace, be introduced to the view, meditation, and way of life of Dzogchen -- the “Great Perfection” tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.

Wallace goes through a remarkable text by 19th century Master Düdjom Lingpa, The Foolish Dharma of an Idiot Clothed in Mud and Feathers, and guides the class in meditations that help participants begin to discover the Great Perfection for themselves.

Additional selected readings, quizzes, and the opportunity to discuss this material with an international community of learners augments understanding and helps integrate this profound path into daily life.

What We’ll Learn

• Practices that lead directly to the heart of Dzogchen
• Special meditation techniques to develop relaxation, stillness, and clarity
• How to observe thoughts and emotions without getting caught up in them
• An overview of the world of the Great Perfection, as told by the great master (Düdjom Lingpa).

About the Course

Dzogchen (“Great Perfection”) is regarded by many to be the pinnacle of the Buddhist teachings, as it presents the most direct path to realizing our true nature and to unveiling the deepest dimensions of consciousness.

About the Teacher

Dynamic lecturer, progressive scholar, and one of the most prolific writers and translators of Tibetan Buddhism in the West, Dr. B. Alan Wallace, PhD continually seeks innovative ways to integrate Buddhist contemplative practices with Western science to advance the study of the mind.

Dr. Wallace, a scholar and practitioner of Buddhism since 1970, has taught Buddhist theory and meditation worldwide since 1976. Having devoted 14 years to training as a Tibetan Buddhist monk, ordained by H. H. the Dalai Lama, he went on to earn an undergraduate degree in physics and the philosophy of science at Amherst College and a doctorate in religious studies at Stanford U.

He later studied Dzogchen with Gyatrul Rinpoche, a senior teacher in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. With his unique background, Dr. Wallace brings deep experience and applied skills to the challenge of integrating traditional Indo-Tibetan Buddhism with the modern world.

B. Alan Wallace is the author and translator of several books, including Düdjom Lingpa’s Visions of the Great Perfection, Stilling the Mind: Shamatha Teachings From Dudjom Linpa’s Vajra Essence, Tibetan Buddhism from the Ground Up, Natural Liberation: Padmasambhava’s Teachings on the Six Bardos, and The Attention Revolution. More + VIDEO

The U.S. is at WAR with Yemen (audio)

Scott Horton (Pacifica Radio LA, archive.KPFK.org, aired Sunday, 3/27/20, 8:30 am) with guest Hassan El-Tayyab (justforeignpolicy.org); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, CC Liu (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The dire situation in Yemen created by the US leading from behind with Saudis (The Hill)

Listen free go to archive.kpfk.org, choose Antiwar Radio, select Sunday, March 29, 8:30 am

.

America’s ongoing genocide in Yemen

(SHS) Scott Horton (antiwar.com) says, "This is the most important story in the world," but there's an almost "total media blackout" on it.

He talks to peace activist and musician Hassan El-Tayyab (lead lobbyist for the Friends Committee on National Legislation's Middle East Policy and Affairs Division, justforeignpolicy.org) about the dire humanitarian situation in Yemen.

• "After 5 years of war in Yemen, American complicity must end" (Hassan El-Tayyab in TheHill.com)

The U.S. continues to lead Saudi Arabia in waging an aggressive war against the Middle East’s poorest country, Yemen.

Horton reminds us that U.S. Pres. Trump could end this war with a single phone call. But Trump is too concerned with arms contracts with the Saudi government to risk jeopardizing the relationship.

Things are already desperate for the Yemeni people, who have a hard time securing food, medicine, and clean water. These humanitarian problems have led to the world’s worst outbreaks of cholera, a disease treated with basic sanitation and nutrition.

It would be an utter disaster if the coronavirus spreads to Yemen on top of the problems they are being made to face by the U.S. military. Points discussed on the show:

• “After 5 years of war in Yemen, American complicity must end” (The Hill)
• Stockholm Agreement
• “Senate passes Sanders’ war powers resolution on Yemen” (Sen. Bernie Sanders, Vermont)
• “3/20/20 Scott Paul on Yemen’s ongoing humanitarian crisis” (The Libertarian Institute)

This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.

• Donate to the show through Patreon, PayPal, or Bitcoin (1Ct2FmcGrAGX56RnDtN9HncYghXfvF2GAh)
• Podcast: Play in window | Download
• Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Android | RSS

Stealth War: How China took over (video)

Pat Bet-David (Valuetainment, 11/29/19); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

China's silent take over

Stealth War (Gen. Spalding)

The host talks about China's "stealth war" with retired U.S. Air Force General Spalding, author of Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept. Brigadier Gen. Robert S. Spalding III assumed the duties of chief deputy directorate for China, Mongolia, Taiwan and retired after 25 years of service.

Contact Host Patrick Bet-David by text (310) 340-1132, tweet (twitter.com), or email (info@valuetainment.com).

• Air Force general behind 5G memo leaves White House
• NSC Senior Director Robert S. Spalding (NSIteam.com)
• Gen. Spalding (Hudson Institute) is an expert on East Asia
• Gen. Spalding leaves NSC after leak of 5G memo Spalding authored the memo but was not implicated in the leak
• Gen. (Ret) Rob Spalding (@robert_spalding) on Twitter

"The Path of Insight Meditation" (pocket guide)

Jack Kornfield, Joseph Goldstein (amazon); Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Spirit Rock's Jack Kornfield (InsightLA.org)

The Path of Insight Meditation is an introductory guide to vipassana or Buddhist insight meditation.

It offers spiritual exercises from two American master teachers -- Jack Kornfield and Joseph Goldstein.

It looks into how this practice leads to compassion and a deeper understanding of "self."

Insight Meditation, Los Angeles (insightLA.org)

Insight meditation is a Buddhist practice that opens the way to profound awakening in our daily lives.

This introductory guide offers wisdom about how this path cultivates compassion, strengthens mindfulness, and leads to a deeper understanding of ourselves and others.

It also includes exercises from these two master teachers, developed from their meditation retreats taught around the world. Goldstein and Kornfield are the founders of the Insight Meditation Society in Barre, Massachusetts, and each has authored many books on Buddhist meditation. More

Write at home (NPR poetry contest)

Family Guy; Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven, Ashley Wells, Sheldon S., Wisdom Quarterly

Breaks in the clouds reveal chemtrail lines.

National Poetry Month is coming, and National Public Radio is on top of it. Rare black voice Michel Martin, nearly drowned out by the white noise that is NPR, announced a call for Twitter submissions for original tweet-length poems (140 characters max even if Twitter now allows more).

Catch All Things Considered (Weekend Edition, March 22, 2020).

When to start writing

There sure are a lot of chemtrail over LA.

"It was a dark and rainy night," every great novel launches with a great opening line. "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." Maybe the greatest was by penned by Jane Austen:

"It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife" (Pride and Prejudice).

It's raining now after the authorities and their corporate allies bombarded the skies over Los Angeles with chemtrails more than usual. Weeks of rain during a lockdown, shelter in place, "safer at home," soon to be curfew, crackdown, Martial Law declaration, we have to "flatten the curve" of this non-infectious disease.

Cell phones killing us and our environment?

Non-infectious? It's not a new germ. It's being caused by 5G wifi, HAARP, cell towers, radio towers, radar, and other microwaves polluting the environment.

Such pollution has already killed off most of the birds that used to darken the skies, brought bees to the brink of extinction, helped cause our recent weather-modification-drought and beetle infestation, which killed more trees than a forest fire, and seems to be the source of this rare extended rainstorm pattern.

Chemtrails over L.A.

5G toxicity isn't a problem. It's done on purpose.

EMFs (electromagnetic fields electrifying the atmosphere) are the cause of diseases like flu pandemics, cancer, heart disease, and so on, not the only cause but the primary cause.

EMFs either allow animal diseases to cross over by weakening our human immune system -- Wuhan, China was the first city to fully deploy 5G -- or is a "disease" condition itself: Cells assaulted by microwaves expel toxins from this "poisoning."

Stop mass microwave radiation (Stop5G.net)

What they expel comes in the form of bits of protein we call "viruses." Rudolf Steiner knew better a century ago; Arthur Firstenberg (The Invisible Rainbow) explains the scientific tests done to prove viruses were not transmissible routes of infection.

Electric waves are killing us.

Why? Dr. Thomas Cowan explained what's happening on March 12, 2020 at the Health and Human Rights Summit in Arizona: A virus is not a cause of disease but the consequence of it, the result of poisoning as the cell clears the problem expelling DNA, RNA, and protein strands.

These dead bits of code are not taking over the cell to magically replicate themselves. It is the cells shedding.

USAF Gen Spalding: Threat of 5G (video)

Pat Bet-David (Valuetainment, 11/28/19); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Threat of 5G

Stealth War (Brig. Gen. Robert S. Spalding)

"Siri?" "Alexa?" "Huawei?" "How may I spy on serve you?"

U.S. Air Force General Spalding talks about the serious threat of 5G with Patrick Bet-David. His book is Stealth War: How China Took Over While America's Elite Slept (amazon.com).

U.S. Air Force (retired) Brigadier General Robert S. Spalding III (ETNAM) assumed the duties of special assistant to the U.S. Air Force vice chief of staff in February 2018. He was the chief deputy directorate for China, Mongolia, and Taiwan Division, who retired after 25 years of service.

Share your thoughts with Patrick Bet-David by texting (310) 340-1132 or send a tweet (twitter.com/patrickbetdavid). Subscribe to Valuetainment for all new updates. To reach the Valuetainment team, email: info@valuetainment.com.

• Air Force general behind 5G memo leaves White House
• NSC Senior Director Brig. Gen. (ret) Robert Spalding
• Rob Spalding (Hudson Institute) is an expert in East Asia
• Air Force general leaves NSC after leak of 5G memo Gen. Spalding, the author of the memo, was not implicated in the leak
• Gen. (Ret) Rob Spalding (@robert_spalding) on Twitter

Corona is ALMOST everywhere. Why? (video)

Tom O'Connor @ShaolinTom; Dr. Cowan, MD; Pfc. Sandoval, S.Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly

Here's the latest COVID-19 coronavirus map by @Newsweek @StatistaCharts @JohnsHopkins. Confirmed cases top 960,000 with nearly 50,000 dead, over 200,000 recovering. USA is #1 in sickness. Spain may pass Italy for the #2 spot behind the US. And businessman Trump says Russia and Saudi Arabia will deal [i.e., collude to drive the price up] to make the oil business wildly profitable again. China denies underreporting coronavirus morbidity and death rates.

Lee Camp "Redacted Tonight" VIP (video)

[202] Presidential candidate Howie Hawkins on how to deal with this crisis

The rich are prepared to let millions of US citizens die in order to safeguard the economy against the coronavirus crisis. The US renews its demonization of Venezuelan Pres. Nicolas Maduro.

• Watch Lee Camp's newest stand-up comedy special FREE: LeeCampAmerican.com

Green Party presidential candidate Howie Hawkins sits down with Camp to discuss the shortcomings of the Bernie Sanders campaign, the Green Party's electoral strategy, and how Hawkins would react to the nation's problems were he to win in 2020.

Naomi Karavani finishes off the show with a look back at the last major pandemic to hit the US: the "Spanish Flu," which did not originate in Spain but was reported by the Spanish press and got dubbed for writing about it during a time of war and rumors of war.

Lee Camp's videos are heavily suppressed by YouTube and Facebook. So to help us avoid this censorship, share it as you see fit, and join Camp's email list by texting "REDACTED" to 33-777. It's free and quick. Or join at LeeCamp.com. Come be in the live audience! It tapes every Thursday at 8:45 pm in Washington, DC (details at leecamp.com/RSVP), radical political comedy not found anywhere else. Cool Redacted Tonight swag that can't be bought anywhere else.

• Lee Camp Redacted Tonight VIP (RT); Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

Heaven's Gate and Glass Skywalk (video)

Because We Camp, Nov. 18, 2014; CC Liu, Ashley Wells (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

The Tianmen Mountains, Heaven's Gate and Glass Skywalk 天门山

Like what Because We Camp does? Donate-to-the-camps. Heaven's Gate is the reason we traveled to Zhangjiajie, Hunan Province, China. It was once desktop wallpaper, so we had to see it for ourselves. And it did not disappoint. Tianmenshan Mountain Park has a 4,700 foot high Glass Sky Walk. The world's longest cable car takes us up in a gondola, the 99 bend road, and Heaven's Gate itself is a favorite destination. With so much extreme man-made and natural engineering, it's no wonder that it's a Redbull Wonderland, a favorite of Wingsuiters. Wingsuit competitions are held here. They fly through the hole that is Heaven's Gate. And if they miss, they get to heaven very quickly. There's a lot of GoPro footage to check out online!

FOLLOW THE BEARD

✩ Instagram: instagram.com/becausewecamp

✩ Blog/Website: becausewecamp.com

✩ Facebook : facebook.com/becausewecamp

MUSIC ♪

"Years & Years - You & I" (Akouo Rework), SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/akouo

"Sneaky Snitch" Kevin MacLeod, Website: incompetech.com

"Chick-a-Boom" (Danny Massure edit), SoundCloud: soundcloud.com/danny-massure

Thanks for watching The Tianmen Mountains, Heaven's Gate, and Glass Skywalk 天门山. Watch "Exploring an abandoned part of Zhangjiajie National Park in China"

The riots to come in Italy and USA (video)

Jimmy Dore (jimmydorecomedy.com); Pfc. Sandoval, Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly

God, Jerry was right: JESUS SAVES (video)

What if "salvation" had nothing to do with our own karma (intentional actions) and understanding? What if were just the whim of some guy, some creator god, in a big simulation? Is life a test as a Big Bang Being looks down from some extraterrestrial home?

If it were then we'd have to worry, "Did I pick the right denomination?" like South Park points out.

The Lord ss a great shopper.

We choose to follow the religion we think is best, but we don't choose which one to believe. That's dictated to us by relatives and society. Why think for myself? Even though others choose for me, it's incumbent on me to question and understand that religion, rather than just taking it for granted.

All religions have something good, and all religions have real problems to be aware of so we don't get sucked in. It's a fact of life:

You take the good, you take the bad, you take it all, and there you have...no salvation at all.

The Buddha awakened in the world. So it doesn't need to be any way other than it is for us to awaken. He pointed out the path he followed to emancipation, liberation, salvation, freedom from all suffering:

Salvation depends on what we do and think and understand. Otherwise, the teachings of religion can be twisted by others to mean what it never meant, things others tell us to control us and mislead us. Who saves? Who could save? We ourselves have to use our heart, our head, and our purified-intuition that is able to directly know.

“No one saves us but ourselves.

No one will, and no one may.

We ourselves must walk the Path.

Buddhas only point the way!"

(The Dhammapada Verses 165, 276)

(April 2 update) April Fools. Does Jesus save? In a sense, if he shops at Walmart and Geico or listens to Slayer, but actually it's not a joke. True believers should know, as Christian scholar Reza Aslan takes pains to document in Zealot, there are two Christian figureheads, Jesus of Nazareth the historical figure, son of man (manusya-putra) and would-be messiah versus "Jesus Christ," son of Zeus, son of god (deva-putra) the Nordic Nazi "Aryan-ideal" lord of astrotheological the West's conception. They are very different persons. Jesus of Nazareth spent his "lost" 18 years in India as a yogi, Buddhist monk at Hemis Gompa, Ladakh/Tibet, who studied Eastern philosophy with various Dharmic religions, as documented by Nicolas Notovitch, Kirsten Holger, Swami Abedananda, and others.

Should postpartum abortion be legal? 🤔 - 3 people successful men must cut off

• Slayer; Seinfeld; South Park; April 1 2020, Sheldon S., Seth Auberon, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How to get girls: Family Guy (cartoon)

Seth MacFarlane, Family Guy S5, Ep7 (Fox TV) via Saving Private Brian; Wisdom Quarterly

Pali Text Society Buddhist translations (free)

Bhante Subhuti (hamericanmonk.org), Sayalay Aloka, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly

How to walk the ancient Buddhist path?

The Pali Text Society has made its Monastic Disciplinary Code, Discourses, and Higher Teachings (Vinaya, Sutta, and Abhidhamma) books available for non-commercial use since 2013.

The sutra books have been extracted from the Buddhadust Website, which is still considered a “work in progress.” However, the work is good enough in its current state to reformat as eBooks.

Stephen Torrence and I (Ven. Subhuti) have done most of the work to reformat the Web pages into eBook versions. There were thousands of webpages requiring many scripts to remove the web content, which we did with Sigil, an open source project.

What if we heard about US life in Asia?

What's special about these books? These are the unabridged editions of the original PTS Sutta books, which were some of the first translations referenced by later translators.

"Unabridged" means the ellipses (…) used to represent missing repetitions have been expanded or “rolled out” with the missing repetitions added back.

It is cost effective to have the full text in electronic editions, as some people swear something is “lost” in translation if these repetitions are removed. Texts have been formatted on the Buddhadust site and grouped in a poetic way, which helps in sorting through the information while reading. 

Because these books are quite old, they are written in an old English religious style using older vocabulary.

Click for the preferred format (PDF, ePub, Mobi, AZW3) under the book to download it to any device. More

"South Park" on religion (video)

Wisecrack Edition, The Philosophy of South Park on Religion; Seth Auberon, Wisdom Quarterly