(The Jimmy Dore Show) U.S. seizes a Venezuelan plane in the Dominican Republic. Trump says to LEGALIZE it. Legalize what? Jimmy Dore sits down with guest Matt Taibbi. Kamala Harris and Pulitzer Prize-winning Chris Hedges have something to say, too. RFK Jr.'s VP candidate Nicole Shanahan also put out a nice commercial on TDS ("Trump Derangement Syndrome").
Jimmy Dore, The Jimmy Dore Show (jimmydore.com); Seth Auberon, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
It's another mandatory beach day in Southern California to fight the heat with cold LA seawater
Workout time, Jen Love Hewitt
Los Angeles will see highs in the 90s for much of next week and inland areas such as Palm Springs will see temperatures topping 110 degrees, according to the National Weather Service.
While Northern California won’t see as extreme temperatures as the southern portion of the state, they will still be above average temperatures for most of the week.
This will all go on while fire crews are battling wildfires all over the state with the largest being near the Tahoe National Forest, north of the capital Sacramento near the Nevada border.
A brush fire sparked in Fairfield on Sunday, leading to evacuation warnings before it could be fully contained, according to CalFire Lake Napa Unit (Fire Rescue)
Dubbed the Bear Fire, the Sierra County blaze sparked Monday (Labor Day) afternoon and prompted mandatory evacuations in the surrounding area according to state and federal fire officials. More
The Mirror US via MSN, 9/3/24; Ashley Wells, Pfc. Sandoval (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
(Metamorphosis) Alan Watts -- the Westerner who made Eastern philosophy (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, Mahayana, Theravada, Zen, Confucianism) intelligible to Westerners -- was one of the most important thinkers of all time.
He introduced Eastern philosophies to the Western world and helped the constantly occupied Western mind to slow down and understand.
This speech discusses "ego death" (realizing by means of mindfulness and attention that what we take to be "self" is not self, not personal, not ours or under our control, etc.) and how it constitutes a fundamental element in the attempt to re-institute a connection with the real world around us. #alanwatts#egodeath#savetheworld
There are powerful entheogens in the outside world that mimic things like DMT that our brains produce. A flood of them, particularly of the Spirit Molecule DMT, can for a moment give us a vision of reality.
If calm-and-insight meditation is the reliable way there, entheogens are the unreliable, irregular, "accidental tourist" way of traveling.
For the nonbeliever, they can make a believer out of one quite quickly. The path is just the same as it was, but now it becomes clearer to the one on the path that it is real and that this journey (to bliss, to the end of all suffering) is necessary without delay.
Drugs are not the Buddha's path
Colonic first then get to practicing, Krystle Cole
Drugs (somas, haomas,hallucinogens, psychedelics, etc.) are not the Buddha's path to enlightenment or nirvana, and one may wonder why. It is very easy to see why.
The problem is the ego, but the ego is only a construct and not actually real no matter how much we wish it were so that it could go on forever or be annihilated right now and release us from this interminable merry-go-round.
It's crazy to think there's not a "self" since our whole experience of the world is through a self (personality, ego, POV, paradigm, set of memories, atman, soul). It is not correct to say there is NO self. There is a self in a conventional sense, of course. It is in the ultimate sense that there is no self. This is the distinction. So we may "find ourselves," "lose ourselves," store up karma (deeds), bear the result of our actions (deeds), and so on. What is there then? There are Five Aggregates (form, feeling, perception, formations, consciousness) clung to as a self. AHA! Who or what clings? Form forms, feeling feels, perception perceives, mental formations form, and consciousness is conscious. This is not a speculation but rather an observable fact to a mind purified by samadhi (stillness, coherence) that systematically practices the Four Foundations of Mindfulness (satipatthana). It is not a joke, noy a philosophy, not a belief, not a paradox, not a mystic experience. It is verifiably true. And to be free, the Truth must be seen. The Truth sets one free of wrong views, delusions, and ignorance.
What about MAPS and Awake Project?
Drugs are not the answer because they do not promote coherent calm and insight-practices. The real more immediate problems are greed, hatred/fear, and delusion. This last one, a manifestation of ignorance (avidya, avijjha) is the root of all problems. The solution is enlightenment/awakening (bodhi).
There is no need to take a substance, a red pill to snap out of The Matrix. It may temporarily work, and we may see a world of spirits (Dracos, Archons, devas, ogres, ghouls, reptilians, Pleiadeans, asuras), but it won't last.
It is far better to systematically relax and still the mind, collect its faculties, concentrate its powers to the point of samadhi (a coherent state of superconsciousness, stillness, clarity). Then we can begin.
The Buddha's contribution to the world was going from this point (samadhi) to enlightenment/awakening (bodhi). Samadhi is not awakening; it is far from it.
The Three Poisons of greed (clinging), hatred (aversion), and delusion (ignorance) still exist, though temporarily suppressed or attenuated and made so subtle as to not be noticed. But they remain in a latent state. They must be rooted out, cut off at the root. We need not cut them; wisdom cuts them. Knowing-and-seeing cuts them. This is why it is not enough to theoretically understand and "get it." Direct experience is necessary -- or a great deal of saddha (confidence, conviction, faith).
It's hard to imagine that faith alone, the path of the great many of the world's inhabitants, could ever do anything, but it does seem to be able to do one thing -- to put us on the Path and impel us. With faith we can go forward and come see for ourselves rather than remaining lost in doubt and perplexity, skepticism and endless questioning.
The Three Poisons (greed, hatred, delusion) must be cut off at the roots. Then knowledge-and-vision of the Truth arises. The "ego" (self or soul construct, these functionally integrated Five Aggregates, which are all processes not enduring realities) will be seen for what it is and what it is not.
This is a lasting and durable solution to letting go of all things clung to as a "self" that lead to suffering. And what again is clung to that leads to so much suffering? They are the Five Aggregates, Skandhas, Heaps: form (physical elements); feelings, perceptions, mental formations, and [the process of] consciousness(es).
Taking these to be an eternal soul, a self, the property of a self, something separate from a self, the constituents of an actual self, all such wrong views lead to pain (dukkhata) and suffering (dukkha), rebirth and more ignorance (confusion, misunderstanding, not knowing, uncertainty, not-seeing, etc.).
Has one ever met a stable and enlightened shaman or drug dependent person? No because the way of shamanism and drug abuse leads to oddity and imbalance, seeing so much of the invisible and not being able to integrate it or let it go.
For all one's progress in seeing all there is, the fundamental problems have not been addressed or solved.
But a wandering ascetic, a Buddhist monastic living in accordance with the Monastic Code of Discipline (Vinaya), the Patimokkha, practicing in accordance with the Buddha's Dharma for calm and insight, that person realizes what is real and what is not and is thereby liberated here and now in this very life.
There's no comparison between lifestyles, the route (maze) of drugs or the Middle Path to enlightenment.
If drugs were needed, the Buddha and subsequent arhats would have revealed that. What is needed is "clear seeing" (vipassana) built atop a stabile foundation of samadhi (absorbed stillness and concentration).
Alan Watts via Metamorphosis (YouTube), Jan. 4, 2021; Dhr. Seven, Amber Larson, Pat Macpherson, (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
How did Buddha know about the Truth? (Buddhism and science)
Amitabha: Cosmic Buddha of Limitless Light
(Pure Land Buddhism) Recent scientific discoveries, particularly in the field of quantum physics, reveal that what the Buddha taught 2,600 years ago was right. This video talks about how the Buddha knew about the Truth and what scientists can learn from Buddhism.
What is the very devotional Pure Land School of Mahayana Buddhism that is so devoted, not to the historical Buddha (Shakyamuni, Siddhartha Gautama) but to the "Cosmic Buddha" (one of various such beings) Amitabha?
🔸Official website for daily Nianfo (Buddhānusmṛti or "Recollection of the Buddha") and free Dharma resources): pure-land-buddhism.com. 🙏 Namo Amitabha Buddha! Namo Amituofo! 🙏
Pure-land-Buddhism.com (Pure Land Buddhism, YouTube, Sept. 7, 2020; CC Liu, Dhr. Seven (eds.), Wisdom Quarterly
A red flag warning was issued today (Monday, 9/2/24) for far Western Nevada (home of Burning Man's Black Rock City), Northeastern California, and the Tahoe Basin by the National Weather Service (NWS).
The warning comes amid [a burgeoning traffic jam out of the desert with high temperatures, strong wind gusts, and low humidity -- conditions that could cause wildfires to start and spread rapidly.
At the Reno-Tahoe International Airport, wind gusts had already reached around 30 miles per hour as of 10:00 am, Meteorologist Matthew Chyba at the weather service told SF Gate.
He said as conditions are "ripe" for wildfires to spread, members of the public are urged to follow their local fire restrictions and avoid outdoor activities that can cause sparks.
This happens near dry vegetation, including yard work, target shooting, or even campfires.
The red flag warning coincides with the exodus from Burning Man festival, which sent thousands of revelers driving into the desert amid blowing playa dust.
Traffic jam out of the desert
Drivers leaving Burning Man have been encouraged to "triple-check" their load and trailer for loose items before they leave the desert for the pavement.
Festivalgoers depart for Burning Man as event fails to sell out for the first time in years (Getty)
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Sundown on dusty, sleepy non-town (BRC)
Average travel time to leave the event was around three hours as of Monday morning, according to several posts on X (Twitter). One recent ex/tweet read:
"Average travel time for Greeters to Black top is 5h 50m. All lanes are designated outbound early. The speed limit is 5mph."
According to NWS, the area will have lows around 53 degrees Monday night with wind gusts between 10 and 15 miles per hour, with the strongest hitting around 30 miles per hour. In the day Reno is expected to hit temperatures of around 90 degrees.
Santa Fe Dam, Irwindale, Los Angeles, catches on fire again today
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Do not ask for whom The Man burns, Allison. He burns for us. - Us? - The Burners of Mankind
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Sparkly things and fire at Burning Man 2024
(Commotion Camp) Sept. 2, 2024: Gorgeous weather was enjoyed this year at Burning Man 2024 for the 70,000+ Burners who made their way to the annual week-long, large-scale art event in the Nevada desert.
This year's Burning Man highlights include a surprise DJ set by Rufus Du Sol, a plane that shot flames and lasers, a magnificent art installation titled "Naga and the Captainess" [a naga in Buddhism, Jainism, and Hinduism being a sea serpent, reptilian, dragon], some new super creative art cars, and the always entertaining Burning Man fashion choices. They were spotted on the playa and throughout Black Rock City the whole time.
Songs: Alan Watts' voiceover, "Overthinker" by INZO, and "Magic Carpet Ride" (Moon and Sun Remix).
Sure, new Burners might make their escape into a long traffic jam all day long, creating a 14-lane traffic jam to the nearest paved road.
But experienced festivalgoers will remain to catch the symbolic burning of The Man. It's almost the whole point, which is really about community and creativity. This is just the capper.
Take your MOOP home and out of the desert.
There's a mania, a manic mode, that overtakes the crowd when the fire begins. Things explode, the desert glows, and everything spirals into a Bacchanalian feast. There's only this, and it's better to hit the road in the morning, after cleaning up and removing the MOOP ("matter out of place," aka trash). "Leave no trace" is a principle of this alternative festival.
(LiveScience) Scientists have discovered exactly how earthquakes trigger quartz into forming large gold nuggets — finally solving a mystery that's puzzled researchers for decades.
Goldnaturally forms in quartz — the second-most abundant mineral in Earth's crust after feldspar. But unlike other types of gold deposits, those found in quartz often cluster into giant nuggets.
Best use, hidden bank bricks or public Buddhas?
These nuggets float in the middle of what geologists call quartz veins, which are cracks in quartz-rich rocks that periodically get pumped full of hydrothermal fluids from deep within the crust.
"Gold forms in quartz all the time," said Chris Voisey, a geologist at Monash University in Australia and the lead author of a new study published Monday (Sept. 2) in the journal Nature Geoscience.
"The thing that's weird is really, really large gold nugget formation. We didn't know how that worked — how you get a large volume of gold to mineralize in one discreet little place," Voisey told Live Science. More:
CLASS: The Various Aspects of Meditation Theory in the Diamond Sutra
Not Czech monk Ven. Dhammadipa (Xing Kong)
Ven. Dr. Dhammadipa Sak, Ph.D. (aka Fa Yao) is the abbot of the US Zen Institute in Germantown, Maryland, and the Amata Meditation Center in Boyds, Maryland.
He previously served as the abbot of Chuan Yen Monastery (BAUS' CYM) and the Temple of Enlightenment. He is currently a vice president of the Buddhist Association of the United States (BAUS).
The Diamond Sutra
Wiki edit by Wisdom Quarterly
This Sanskrit discourse is a Mahāyāna Buddhist sutra (a kind of apocryphal sacred text) from the genre of "Perfection of Wisdom" (Prajñāpāramitā) literature.
Translated into a variety of languages over a broad geographic range, the Diamond Sūtra is one of the most influential Mahayana sutras in East Asia, particularly prominent within the Chan (or Zen) tradition [1] alongside the Heart Sutra.
A copy of the Chinese Tang Dynasty version of the Diamond Sūtra was found among the Dunhuang manuscripts in 1900 by Taoist monk Wang Yuanlu and sold to Aurel Stein in 1907 [2]. They are dated back to May 11, 868 [3]. It is, in the words of the British Library, "the earliest datedprinted book" [4].
It is also the first known creative work with an explicit public domain dedication, as its colophon at the end states that it was created "for universal free distribution" [5], a tradition carried on today by many Mahayana publishers given that the Buddha's Dharma is priceless.
Title
I did it, Batman! - There's no I. Keep meditating!
The Sanskrit title for this work is the Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra, which may be translated roughly as the "Vajra Cutter Perfection of Wisdom Discourse" or "The Perfection of Wisdom Text that Cuts Like a Thunderbolt" [1].
In English, shortened forms such as Diamond Sūtra and Vajra Sūtra are common. The title relies on the power of the vajra (diamond or thunderbolt and also an abstract term for a powerful adamantine weapon) to cut things as a metaphor for the type of wisdom that cuts through illusions to get at ultimate reality [1], which is what the Abhidhamma literature of the Pali canon aims to do.
This sutra is also called Triśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra ("300 lines on the Perfection of Wisdom Sutra").
The Diamond Sūtra is highly regarded in East Asian countries with historical traditions of Mahayana Buddhism [1]. [It is not considered an actual "sutra," a discourse by the Buddha or his immediate disciples, in the Theravada tradition of South and Southeast Asia.]
Translations of this title into the languages of some of these countries include... More
ABOUT THE TEACHER: Born in Taiwan and raised in Malaysia, Ven. Dhammadipa received his ordination in Sri Lanka in 1987. He earned a Ph.D. in theology and religious studies from the University of Bristol, UK, in 2005.
Ven. Dhammadipa has also been a visiting lecturer at the University of Chicago School of Divinity. His primary interests include Abhidhamma and meditation practices, and he frequently emphasizes the importance of meditation in society.
He is fluent in Chinese, Cantonese, Hakka, and English and is literate in several other languages including Pali, Sanskrit, Japanese, French, and German for his academic pursuits.
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Drivers leaving Burning Man have been encouraged to "triple-check" their load and trailer for loose items before they leave the desert for the pavement.
