[FairfieldLife] The Ultimate Cult Behavior -- the unpaid dharmic warrior
I honestly don't know which is sadder -- that Judy and Jimbo believe that FFL is all about a battle between themselves and me, or that they think they are winning. :-) I'll expand upon this, because in its 30 short words I think I finally stumbled upon the ultimate test of whether a spiritual or religious organization can be accurately called a CULT or not. Those who are anti-cult have all sorts of definitions of what constitutes cult behavior, but they're often so generalized that they apply equally to corporations, sports fanatics, and political divisions such as Democrats vs. Republicans. But there is one phenomenon that seems to me to truly *define* cult thinking, and that's when people who believe in or follow a particular philosophy or religion or set of dogmatic beliefs take it upon themselves -- on a volunteer, unpaid basis -- to do battle against anyone who dares to criticize or demean or (the worst) laugh at the things they consider holy. This strikes me as a *completely* ego-based activity, which is why it seems so out of place in organizations that preach (if not actually teach) pathways to what they think of as enlightenment. The *dogma* of such organizations is almost always couched in the language of non-ego and non-attachment, but the activity of doing battle with that organization's critics is *totally* based on ego and attachment. Go figure. You all know the kinds of people I'm talking about. They are the $cientologists who will do or say *anything* to get the people who dare to criticize $cientology. They are the Catholics who are willing to do the same with those who criticize or lampoon *their* dogma. And, of course, they are the TMers who do the same thing here on Fairfield Life. Such people have clearly nominated themselves (in their own heads, that is) as defenders of the faith, as some kind of dharmic warrior whose Purpose In Life is to find some way to demonize and perform character assassin- ation on those heretics who laugh at All Things TM. You can *tell* how *involved* they are with what they see as their dharma, simply by watching the hatred creep into the comments they make, and by noticing the gloating behavior they trot out when they think they've delivered some zinger that makes them (and thus their side) look good, and that makes the critic (and thus the other side) look bad. Such people have a tendency to declare victory after having done something that most people would consider mere ego-preening, behavior that would be embarrassing in Jr. High School students. But to the unpaid volunteer dharmic warriors, getting into long, convoluted arguments with someone who represents evil while they represent good is as noble a pursuit as Arjuna going out to kill his own relatives on the equally ego-driven battlefields of the Bhagavad Gita, simply because he was told to by the leader of *his* cult. This behavior seems to me to be the ultimate definition of what it is to be a cultist. Anyone who thinks and acts like this is *by definition* more than a little attached to the things or people they believe they are defending. Anyone who gets into pissing contests like this, and who bases their *own* self worth on how effectively they've put down one of their (and thus their org's) enemies has *by definition* a host of ego problems. It would be one thing if these people were actually being PAID by the organizations in question to do this. But they're not. They're doing it for their *own* ego reasons. *Their* egos are the ones inflated and made stronger every time they chalk up what they believe to be a win. *Their* attachments get strengthened every time they do battle. I think it's all very sad. And I've seen spiritual or religious organizations in which this behavior *would never be tolerated*. If anyone in a position of power with those organizations ever caught one of their followers doing such stuff, they would come down on them hard, and do everything in their power to get them to stop behavior that is, after all, perceived by most people without a horse in the race as Just Fucking Embarrassing. Such organizations I would not necessarily class as cults. But the organizations that actually support or *encourage* such behavior, and that *applaud* it (such as $cientology and the TMO), them I would definitely class as cults. How can you tell when you're in danger of becoming a cultist? When you believe that by doing verbal battle with someone who criticizes the things you believe, you're doing something positive or life-supporting. How can you tell that the organization in whose name you're doing these things is a cult? When the organization itself or its followers applaud you or hold you in some kind of esteem for doing them.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu wrote: Per Jerry Jarvis (his opinion not shared by many Buddhists) although he used the word Unity: After Unity and dropping the physical body, the purpose of evolution has been fulfilled and there's no further relative existence for subtle bodies since there's no need. ... This differs from many Buddhist Schools: After E., evolution may continue indefinitely, especially for the purpose of assisting others. The medium for this exchange would be any number of transformation bodies, and the impulse or momentum for ongoing Enlightenment objectives on behalf of all sentient beings would be the will power and energy of the Enlightened Buddha transferred to the subtle bodies. ... The implication - the tree that one hugs (if any) could be the transformation Body of an Enlightened Buddha. ... In any event, these options clearly differ from Jerry's (and insofar as J. was a mouthpiece for MMY, the latter also). ... In other words, Jerry is saying that entities may spend eons attempting to get Enlightened, and once the objective has been attained, there's no more existence. ... Obviously, this scenario differs from Christianity. The Goodfellas: http://www.museumsyndicate.com/images/8/71192.jpg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: (snip) Bahd idea, as Ahnold might say. For many of them, the experiences soon faded, and they would have been thought of as fools or liars if they *admitted* that they had faded, because within the TM org at that time, it was *assumed* that if you experienced CC, it was PERMANENT. Could this have been one of those secret teachings divulged only to TM teachers? Because it was always my understanding that one could slip into and out of the experience of any state of consciousness, although at some point a particular state supposedly became permanent. After all, witnessing is said to be a temporary state of CC; CC is said to be a permanent state of witnessing. I learned TM in 1975; was the concept of witnessing as a temporary state something that was introduced after Barry's time but before mine? Genuinely curious here. FWIW, IMU, CC in Sanskrit is 'turiiyaatiita' (turiiya-ati-ita), that is, (again, IMU) 'gone (ita) beyond (ati) the fourth (turiiya)'*. * Seem to recall the original reconstructed PIE (Proto-Indo-European) form is something like 'kturiiya', which in Sanskrit has developed into two forms: 'turiiya' and 'caturiiya' (pronounce: chaturiiya; kturiiya - katuriiya - palatalization of the velar k-sound: caturiiya); but that might be utter BS, heh heh...
[FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@ wrote: Looks like there's already a flag on the play - Navashok calls roughing the passer, but it looks like the officials will overturn it... The confession is only recent. To me it seems that the guy has strong enlightenment experiences, and actually uncovers deeper layers of conditioning. It has nothing to do with forcefully de-enlightening oneself. To me this guy seems to be very honest and straightforward, so his 'confession' is rather a plus than a minus.. There was a five yard penalty for excessive display of ego, but because the player has acknowledged this, the penalty shall be cancelled. Still first down. A time out will not be assessed. LOL, funny Steve. I don't quite see myself in the role of a judge or a referee, I have my opinions, true, but then they are just that, opinions. I do not condemn anybody, certainly not Cesar, whom I hardly know, I would direct everybody to his FB page because I cannot really speak for him. I also don't judge DrD either. What I believe in is that, after (initial) awakening, there is still a display of ego in many, and that the ongoing work, is all about the PURIFICATION OF INSTRUMENTS (Aurobindo's term). Instruments here relates to all our mental faculties, like mind, intellect, emotion (the subtle bodies) and of course ego. I think there are layers of ego or the sophistication of ego, which I think will get uncovered with time. But to do so, I believe it needs a certain culture, an awareness of it, or maybe as in the case of Cesar, simply a strong degree of sincerity. That's my point, not judging or condemning people. I also believe that in our human field, usually things are mixed up. So, devotion gets mixed with ego/pride, and, as I understand devotion to be a good thing, I think that if it comes at the cost of demeaning other teachers / saints / religions in order to heighten one's own spiritual ideal, then the ego has instrumentalized devotion for it's own purpose.
[FairfieldLife] Designed in Herwood!
This little sucker, toy for phone, even Windoze phone, is designed in Herwood (Hervanta, daughter town of this tropicalists home town...) http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/07/nokia-lumia-620-review/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Buddha at the Gas Pump - 158. Fr. Thomas Keating
Yeah, I got to go up to Spencer Mass and be part of checking the brothers meditations and giving advanced lectures on meditation and TM back in the days. Was an exciting time in American spirituality. Those were heady times in TM and also watching the start of the whole centering prayer movement. Church Monasticism was pretty stuck up and barbaric in its ways but changing then because of openings in the larger church waged by Merton and others earlier. There was an extraordinary group of particular brothers around Fr. Keating within the monastery there who were highly knowledgeable and excited from looking at writings of Mysticism within and then outside of their own traditions. They could see the descriptions and that they did not have the practices needed to achieve the experiences so they went specifically looking surveying what was out there in the spiritual practice parketplace. It was a heady time.TM itself was evidently too proprietary and confined for them to be helpful working with inside their church. But the training and the effortless aspect of TM became central to what they picked up with, co-opted and went on with in to something that could be taught to parishioners more universally. They've had a huge and successful impact on American spirituality even spilling over in to Protestant faiths with their instruction. That is history and Fr. Keating was one of the men of it. He and the guys he was with took the ball and really ran with it. As a team they've played a good game. -Buck in the Dome --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann wrote: What an extraordinary man. How wonderful that you interviewed him. He was a huge part in the healing process for many of my friends when they moved forward from their time in the context with Robin back in the mid 1980's. I spent time at the monastery as well, a stunning place in Snowmass Colorado. Father Keating was a vital part in the transition for these people from pain and suffering to becoming productive and healthy individuals again. I will watch this interview with great interest. I have not seen Keating for 26 years. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer wrote: New post on Buddha at the Gas Pump 158. Fr. Thomas Keating by Rick Fr. Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach, LTD. He has served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board. Fr. Keating is one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity. Fr. Keating's interest in contemplative prayer began during his freshman year at Yale University in 1940 when he became aware of the Church's history and of the writings of Christian mystics. Prompted by these studies and time spent in prayer and meditation, he experienced a profound realization that, on a spiritual level, the Scriptures call people to a personal relationship with God. Fr. Keating took this call to heart. He transferred to Fordham University in New York and, while waiting to be drafted for service in World War II, he received a deferment to enter seminary. Shortly after graduating from an accelerated program at Fordham, Fr. Keating entered an austere monastic community of the Trappist Order in Valley Falls, Rhode Island in January of 1944, at the age of 20. He was ordained a priest in June of 1949. In March of 1950 the monastery in Valley Falls burned down and, as a result, the community moved to Spencer, Massachusetts. Shortly after the move, Fr. Keating became ill with a lung condition and was put into isolation in the city hospital of Worcester, Massachusetts for nine weeks. After returning to the monastery, he stayed in the infirmary for two years. Fr. Keating was sent to Snowmass, Colorado in April of 1958 to help start a new monastic community called St. Benedict's. He remained in Snowmass until 1961, when he was elected abbot of St. Joseph's in Spencer, prompting his move back to Massachusetts. He served as abbot of St. Joseph's for twenty years until he retired in 1981 and returned to Snowmass, where he still resides today. During Fr. Keating's term as abbot at St. Joseph's and in response to the reforms of Vatican II, he invited teachers from the East to the monastery. As a result of this exposure to Eastern spiritual traditions, Fr. Keating and several of the monks at St. Joseph's were led to develop the modern form of Christian contemplative prayer called Centering Prayer. Fr. Keating was a central
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Ultimate Cult Behavior -- the unpaid dharmic warrior
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: I honestly don't know which is sadder -- that Judy and Jimbo believe that FFL is all about a battle between themselves and me, or that they think they are winning. :-) I'll expand upon this, because in its 30 short words I think I finally stumbled upon the ultimate test of whether a spiritual or religious organization can be accurately called a CULT or not. Those who are anti-cult have all sorts of definitions of what constitutes cult behavior, but they're often so generalized that they apply equally to corporations, sports fanatics, and political divisions such as Democrats vs. Republicans. But there is one phenomenon that seems to me to truly *define* cult thinking, and that's when people who believe in or follow a particular philosophy or religion or set of dogmatic beliefs take it upon themselves -- on a volunteer, unpaid basis -- to do battle against anyone who dares to criticize or demean or (the worst) laugh at the things they consider holy. This strikes me as a *completely* ego-based activity, which is why it seems so out of place in organizations that preach (if not actually teach) pathways to what they think of as enlightenment. The *dogma* of such organizations is almost always couched in the language of non-ego and non-attachment, but the activity of doing battle with that organization's critics is *totally* based on ego and attachment. Go figure. You all know the kinds of people I'm talking about. They are the $cientologists who will do or say *anything* to get the people who dare to criticize $cientology. They are the Catholics who are willing to do the same with those who criticize or lampoon *their* dogma. And, of course, they are the TMers who do the same thing here on Fairfield Life. Such people have clearly nominated themselves (in their own heads, that is) as defenders of the faith, as some kind of dharmic warrior whose Purpose In Life is to find some way to demonize and perform character assassin- ation on those heretics who laugh at All Things TM. You can *tell* how *involved* they are with what they see as their dharma, simply by watching the hatred creep into the comments they make, and by noticing the gloating behavior they trot out when they think they've delivered some zinger that makes them (and thus their side) look good, and that makes the critic (and thus the other side) look bad. Such people have a tendency to declare victory after having done something that most people would consider mere ego-preening, behavior that would be embarrassing in Jr. High School students. But to the unpaid volunteer dharmic warriors, getting into long, convoluted arguments with someone who represents evil while they represent good is as noble a pursuit as Arjuna going out to kill his own relatives on the equally ego-driven battlefields of the Bhagavad Gita, simply because he was told to by the leader of *his* cult. This behavior seems to me to be the ultimate definition of what it is to be a cultist. Anyone who thinks and acts like this is *by definition* more than a little attached to the things or people they believe they are defending. Anyone who gets into pissing contests like this, and who bases their *own* self worth on how effectively they've put down one of their (and thus their org's) enemies has *by definition* a host of ego problems. It would be one thing if these people were actually being PAID by the organizations in question to do this. But they're not. They're doing it for their *own* ego reasons. *Their* egos are the ones inflated and made stronger every time they chalk up what they believe to be a win. *Their* attachments get strengthened every time they do battle. I think it's all very sad. And I've seen spiritual or religious organizations in which this behavior *would never be tolerated*. If anyone in a position of power with those organizations ever caught one of their followers doing such stuff, they would come down on them hard, and do everything in their power to get them to stop behavior that is, after all, perceived by most people without a horse in the race as Just Fucking Embarrassing. Such organizations I would not necessarily class as cults. But the organizations that actually support or *encourage* such behavior, and that *applaud* it (such as $cientology and the TMO), them I would definitely class as cults. How can you tell when you're in danger of becoming a cultist? When you believe that by doing verbal battle with someone who criticizes the things you believe, you're doing something positive or life-supporting. How can you tell that the organization in whose name you're doing these things is a cult? When the organization itself or its followers applaud you or hold you in some kind of esteem for doing them.
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment
Hey navashok I really appreciate what you say here especially the part about how mixed our qualities can be. It reminds me of something I see sometimes in older people. I think of it as the second innocence. When they've gone through a lot and been humbled by life. And come out on the other side. Very at peace with it all, even their own flaws which they often have a friendly but firm attitude towards. What I notice in myself is that I can shift from a pride energy to a humble energy or vice versa in a nanosecond. It can happen so fast. I think doing the TMSP has made it easier for me to catch these shifts when they happen. And life is always there to show me what refinement still needs to happen. From: navashok no_re...@yahoogroups.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 4:34 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@ wrote: Looks like there's already a flag on the play - Navashok calls roughing the passer, but it looks like the officials will overturn it... The confession is only recent. To me it seems that the guy has strong enlightenment experiences, and actually uncovers deeper layers of conditioning. It has nothing to do with forcefully de-enlightening oneself. To me this guy seems to be very honest and straightforward, so his 'confession' is rather a plus than a minus.. There was a five yard penalty for excessive display of ego, but because the player has acknowledged this, the penalty shall be cancelled. Still first down. A time out will not be assessed. LOL, funny Steve. I don't quite see myself in the role of a judge or a referee, I have my opinions, true, but then they are just that, opinions. I do not condemn anybody, certainly not Cesar, whom I hardly know, I would direct everybody to his FB page because I cannot really speak for him. I also don't judge DrD either. What I believe in is that, after (initial) awakening, there is still a display of ego in many, and that the ongoing work, is all about the PURIFICATION OF INSTRUMENTS (Aurobindo's term). Instruments here relates to all our mental faculties, like mind, intellect, emotion (the subtle bodies) and of course ego. I think there are layers of ego or the sophistication of ego, which I think will get uncovered with time. But to do so, I believe it needs a certain culture, an awareness of it, or maybe as in the case of Cesar, simply a strong degree of sincerity. That's my point, not judging or condemning people. I also believe that in our human field, usually things are mixed up. So, devotion gets mixed with ego/pride, and, as I understand devotion to be a good thing, I think that if it comes at the cost of demeaning other teachers / saints / religions in order to heighten one's own spiritual ideal, then the ego has instrumentalized devotion for it's own purpose.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Buddha at the Gas Pump - 158. Fr. Thomas Keating
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, navashok wrote: I just finished reading Bill Howell's CULT, I know it took me long time, but I did not read it continuously, it wasn't on the top of my agenda. I must say that I was very touched by the last chapter, before the epilogue, called 'Desert' (p. 308), I was touched by the reunion of Caitlin and Matthew especially, the story how they came back to life from believing to be 'evil' or without human soul is heartbreaking. From all of what I have read, Bill Howell seems to be sincerely narrating things as they were happening, his motivation does not in any way seem to be revenge or anger, but to help people get out of similar desperate situations. I also believe that the conclusions he draws make sense. The book has its lengths, for somebody not being part of it, it goes a bit too much into details, telling every bodies story more or less, but that last chapter before the epilogue, 'UNGRASPING THE LIGHT THAT CASTS SHADOWS Chapter 19 Desert' is just superb, it brought me to tears. It is just amazing what kind of drama is revealed in the book, going much beyond what we knew here, but I won't get into it, I don't want to stir up all the mud here once again. I hope everybody gets his peace about it finally, and of course Ann, you have been part of it, so you know the story much better than I do. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann wrote: What an extraordinary man. How wonderful that you interviewed him. He was a huge part in the healing process for many of my friends when they moved forward from their time in the context with Robin back in the mid 1980's. I spent time at the monastery as well, a stunning place in Snowmass Colorado. Father Keating was a vital part in the transition for these people from pain and suffering to becoming productive and healthy individuals again. I will watch this interview with great interest. I have not seen Keating for 26 years. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer wrote: New post on Buddha at the Gas Pump 158. Fr. Thomas Keating by Rick Fr. Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach, LTD. He has served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board. Fr. Keating is one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity. Fr. Keating's interest in contemplative prayer began during his freshman year at Yale University in 1940 when he became aware of the Church's history and of the writings of Christian mystics. Prompted by these studies and time spent in prayer and meditation, he experienced a profound realization that, on a spiritual level, the Scriptures call people to a personal relationship with God. Fr. Keating took this call to heart. He transferred to Fordham University in New York and, while waiting to be drafted for service in World War II, he received a deferment to enter seminary. Shortly after graduating from an accelerated program at Fordham, Fr. Keating entered an austere monastic community of the Trappist Order in Valley Falls, Rhode Island in January of 1944, at the age of 20. He was ordained a priest in June of 1949. In March of 1950 the monastery in Valley Falls burned down and, as a result, the community moved to Spencer, Massachusetts. Shortly after the move, Fr. Keating became ill with a lung condition and was put into isolation in the city hospital of Worcester, Massachusetts for nine weeks. After returning to the monastery, he stayed in the infirmary for two years. Fr. Keating was sent to Snowmass, Colorado in April of 1958 to help start a new monastic community called St. Benedict's. He remained in Snowmass until 1961, when he was elected abbot of St. Joseph's in Spencer, prompting his move back to Massachusetts. He served as abbot of St. Joseph's for twenty years until he retired in 1981 and returned to Snowmass, where he still resides today. During Fr. Keating's term as abbot at St. Joseph's and in response to the reforms of Vatican II, he invited teachers from the East to the monastery. As a result of this exposure to Eastern spiritual traditions, Fr. Keating and several of the monks at St. Joseph's were led to develop the modern form of Christian contemplative prayer called Centering Prayer. Fr. Keating was a central figure in the initiation of the Centering Prayer movement. He offered Centering Prayer workshops and retreats to clergy and laypeople and authored articles and books on the method and fruits of Centering Prayer. In 1983, he presented a two-week intensive Centering Prayer retreat at the Lama Foundation in San Cristabol, New
[FairfieldLife] Re: Buddha at the Gas Pump - 158. Fr. Thomas Keating
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, navashok wrote: I just finished reading Bill Howell's CULT, I know it took me long time, but I did not read it continuously, it wasn't on the top of my agenda. I must say that I was very touched by the last chapter, before the epilogue, called 'Desert' (p. 308), I was touched by the reunion of Caitlin and Matthew especially, the story how they came back to life from believing to be 'evil' or without human soul is heartbreaking. Now THAT is funny. :-) The Twilight series as cult. I always thought it was a polemic on abstinence. Then again, many cults go in for that, too.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment
Thanks for this - I agree completely with it. On FFL there is very little blind obedience to ANYTHING. All of us have been around the block, so what may look to you like inordinate defense of a guru, may in fact be an attempt to get the critics to open their eyes, and examine their legion of blindspots, as they would like others to do. It is not ever a case of kill the messenger, and only an egomaniac would think so. Thanks again.:-) --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Share Long wrote: Hey navashok I really appreciate what you say here especially the part about how mixed our qualities can be. It reminds me of something I see sometimes in older people. I think of it as the second innocence. When they've gone through a lot and been humbled by life. And come out on the other side. Very at peace with it all, even their own flaws which they often have a friendly but firm attitude towards. What I notice in myself is that I can shift from a pride energy to a humble energy or vice versa in a nanosecond. It can happen so fast. I think doing the TMSP has made it easier for me to catch these shifts when they happen. And life is always there to show me what refinement still needs to happen. From: navashok To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 4:34 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment  --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, seventhray27 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, doctordumbass@ wrote: Looks like there's already a flag on the play - Navashok calls roughing the passer, but it looks like the officials will overturn it... The confession is only recent. To me it seems that the guy has strong enlightenment experiences, and actually uncovers deeper layers of conditioning. It has nothing to do with forcefully de-enlightening oneself. To me this guy seems to be very honest and straightforward, so his 'confession' is rather a plus than a minus.. There was a five yard penalty for excessive display of ego, but because the player has acknowledged this, the penalty shall be cancelled. Still first down. A time out will not be assessed. LOL, funny Steve. I don't quite see myself in the role of a judge or a referee, I have my opinions, true, but then they are just that, opinions. I do not condemn anybody, certainly not Cesar, whom I hardly know, I would direct everybody to his FB page because I cannot really speak for him. I also don't judge DrD either. What I believe in is that, after (initial) awakening, there is still a display of ego in many, and that the ongoing work, is all about the PURIFICATION OF INSTRUMENTS (Aurobindo's term). Instruments here relates to all our mental faculties, like mind, intellect, emotion (the subtle bodies) and of course ego. I think there are layers of ego or the sophistication of ego, which I think will get uncovered with time. But to do so, I believe it needs a certain culture, an awareness of it, or maybe as in the case of Cesar, simply a strong degree of sincerity. That's my point, not judging or condemning people. I also believe that in our human field, usually things are mixed up. So, devotion gets mixed with ego/pride, and, as I understand devotion to be a good thing, I think that if it comes at the cost of demeaning other teachers / saints / religions in order to heighten one's own spiritual ideal, then the ego has instrumentalized devotion for it's own purpose.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Ultimate Cult Behavior -- the unpaid dharmic warrior
Barry, the reason you get smacked down so often is not because of your criticisms of TM. It's because you're a poisonous, low-vibe individual. You're chronically dishonest, and you treat the people you don't agree with like shit. Proof: Many here make the same TM criticisms you do, and they are generally treated with respect because they're honest and they treat others with respect even in disagreement. The only thing you've stumbled upon--and goodness knows it was a long time ago, because you've been saying this for years--is a way to foist the blame for your own inexcusable behavior onto your critics, and even more absurdly and dishonestly onto the TMO. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: I honestly don't know which is sadder -- that Judy and Jimbo believe that FFL is all about a battle between themselves and me, or that they think they are winning. :-) I'll expand upon this, because in its 30 short words I think I finally stumbled upon the ultimate test of whether a spiritual or religious organization can be accurately called a CULT or not. Those who are anti-cult have all sorts of definitions of what constitutes cult behavior, but they're often so generalized that they apply equally to corporations, sports fanatics, and political divisions such as Democrats vs. Republicans. But there is one phenomenon that seems to me to truly *define* cult thinking, and that's when people who believe in or follow a particular philosophy or religion or set of dogmatic beliefs take it upon themselves -- on a volunteer, unpaid basis -- to do battle against anyone who dares to criticize or demean or (the worst) laugh at the things they consider holy. This strikes me as a *completely* ego-based activity, which is why it seems so out of place in organizations that preach (if not actually teach) pathways to what they think of as enlightenment. The *dogma* of such organizations is almost always couched in the language of non-ego and non-attachment, but the activity of doing battle with that organization's critics is *totally* based on ego and attachment. Go figure. You all know the kinds of people I'm talking about. They are the $cientologists who will do or say *anything* to get the people who dare to criticize $cientology. They are the Catholics who are willing to do the same with those who criticize or lampoon *their* dogma. And, of course, they are the TMers who do the same thing here on Fairfield Life. Such people have clearly nominated themselves (in their own heads, that is) as defenders of the faith, as some kind of dharmic warrior whose Purpose In Life is to find some way to demonize and perform character assassin- ation on those heretics who laugh at All Things TM. You can *tell* how *involved* they are with what they see as their dharma, simply by watching the hatred creep into the comments they make, and by noticing the gloating behavior they trot out when they think they've delivered some zinger that makes them (and thus their side) look good, and that makes the critic (and thus the other side) look bad. Such people have a tendency to declare victory after having done something that most people would consider mere ego-preening, behavior that would be embarrassing in Jr. High School students. But to the unpaid volunteer dharmic warriors, getting into long, convoluted arguments with someone who represents evil while they represent good is as noble a pursuit as Arjuna going out to kill his own relatives on the equally ego-driven battlefields of the Bhagavad Gita, simply because he was told to by the leader of *his* cult. This behavior seems to me to be the ultimate definition of what it is to be a cultist. Anyone who thinks and acts like this is *by definition* more than a little attached to the things or people they believe they are defending. Anyone who gets into pissing contests like this, and who bases their *own* self worth on how effectively they've put down one of their (and thus their org's) enemies has *by definition* a host of ego problems. It would be one thing if these people were actually being PAID by the organizations in question to do this. But they're not. They're doing it for their *own* ego reasons. *Their* egos are the ones inflated and made stronger every time they chalk up what they believe to be a win. *Their* attachments get strengthened every time they do battle. I think it's all very sad. And I've seen spiritual or religious organizations in which this behavior *would never be tolerated*. If anyone in a position of power with those organizations ever caught one of their followers doing such stuff, they would come down on them hard, and do everything in their power to get them to stop behavior that is, after all, perceived by most people without a horse in the race as Just Fucking Embarrassing. Such organizations I would not necessarily class
[FairfieldLife] Re: Buddha at the Gas Pump - 158. Fr. Thomas Keating
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck wrote: Yeah, I got to go up to Spencer Mass and be part of checking the brothers meditations and giving advanced lectures on meditation and TM back in the days. Was an exciting time in American spirituality. Those were heady times in TM and also watching the start of the whole centering prayer movement. Church Monasticism was pretty stuck up and barbaric in its ways but changing then because of openings in the larger church waged by Merton and others earlier. There was an extraordinary group of particular brothers around Fr. Keating within the monastery there who were highly knowledgeable and excited from looking at writings of Mysticism within and then outside of their own traditions. They could see the descriptions and that they did not have the practices needed to achieve the experiences so they went specifically looking surveying what was out there in the spiritual practice parketplace. It was a heady time.TM itself was evidently too proprietary and confined for them to be helpful working with inside their church. But the training and the effortless aspect of TM became central to what they picked up with, co-opted and went on with in to something that could be taught to parishioners more universally. They've had a huge and successful impact on American spirituality even spilling over in to Protestant faiths with their instruction. That is history and Fr. Keating was one of the men of it. He and the guys he was with took the ball and really ran with it. As a team they've played a good game. Yes, they did. The monastery out in Snowmass was sublime. The monks working the farm and tending the sheep by day in their jeans and flannel shirts and then attending services/mass in their monastic garb was wonderful to see. Witnessing the devotions and chanting in the little chapel were some of the most spiritual and deep experiences I have ever had. They seemed to have combined something sacredly ancient with something very relevant to the present for me back in 1987-88. And the sense of community and brotherhood was very strong there along with the depth of commitment to God, to spiritual and personal growth and to deep inner and outer devotion to Him and to his creation. -Buck in the Dome --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Ann wrote: What an extraordinary man. How wonderful that you interviewed him. He was a huge part in the healing process for many of my friends when they moved forward from their time in the context with Robin back in the mid 1980's. I spent time at the monastery as well, a stunning place in Snowmass Colorado. Father Keating was a vital part in the transition for these people from pain and suffering to becoming productive and healthy individuals again. I will watch this interview with great interest. I have not seen Keating for 26 years. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer wrote: New post on Buddha at the Gas Pump 158. Fr. Thomas Keating by Rick Fr. Thomas Keating is a founding member and the spiritual guide of Contemplative Outreach, LTD. He has served on Contemplative Outreach's Board of Trustees since the organization's beginning and is currently serving as the Chairman of the Board. Fr. Keating is one of the principal architects and teachers of the Christian contemplative prayer movement and, in many ways, Contemplative Outreach is a manifestation of his longtime desire to contribute to the recovery of the contemplative dimension of Christianity. Fr. Keating's interest in contemplative prayer began during his freshman year at Yale University in 1940 when he became aware of the Church's history and of the writings of Christian mystics. Prompted by these studies and time spent in prayer and meditation, he experienced a profound realization that, on a spiritual level, the Scriptures call people to a personal relationship with God. Fr. Keating took this call to heart. He transferred to Fordham University in New York and, while waiting to be drafted for service in World War II, he received a deferment to enter seminary. Shortly after graduating from an accelerated program at Fordham, Fr. Keating entered an austere monastic community of the Trappist Order in Valley Falls, Rhode Island in January of 1944, at the age of 20. He was ordained a priest in June of 1949. In March of 1950 the monastery in Valley Falls burned down and, as a result, the community moved to Spencer, Massachusetts. Shortly after the move, Fr. Keating became ill with a lung condition and was put into isolation in the city hospital of Worcester, Massachusetts for nine weeks. After returning to the monastery, he stayed in the
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Ultimate Cult Behavior -- the unpaid dharmic warrior
authfriend: Barry, the reason you get smacked down so often is not because of your criticisms of TM. It's because you're a poisonous, low-vibe individual. You're chronically dishonest, and you treat the people you don't agree with like shit. Barry just doesn't seem to get it - HE is the cult leader that sold us the snake oil - Barry is the TB that worked for the TMO, and he's the Lenz enabler. He got it all mixed up - Barry is supposed to be the informant, and apologize to us, not the otherway around. LoL! Proof: Many here make the same TM criticisms you do, and they are generally treated with respect because they're honest and they treat others with respect even in disagreement. The only thing you've stumbled upon--and goodness knows it was a long time ago, because you've been saying this for years--is a way to foist the blame for your own inexcusable behavior onto your critics, and even more absurdly and dishonestly onto the TMO. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: I honestly don't know which is sadder -- that Judy and Jimbo believe that FFL is all about a battle between themselves and me, or that they think they are winning. :-) I'll expand upon this, because in its 30 short words I think I finally stumbled upon the ultimate test of whether a spiritual or religious organization can be accurately called a CULT or not. Those who are anti-cult have all sorts of definitions of what constitutes cult behavior, but they're often so generalized that they apply equally to corporations, sports fanatics, and political divisions such as Democrats vs. Republicans. But there is one phenomenon that seems to me to truly *define* cult thinking, and that's when people who believe in or follow a particular philosophy or religion or set of dogmatic beliefs take it upon themselves -- on a volunteer, unpaid basis -- to do battle against anyone who dares to criticize or demean or (the worst) laugh at the things they consider holy. This strikes me as a *completely* ego-based activity, which is why it seems so out of place in organizations that preach (if not actually teach) pathways to what they think of as enlightenment. The *dogma* of such organizations is almost always couched in the language of non-ego and non-attachment, but the activity of doing battle with that organization's critics is *totally* based on ego and attachment. Go figure. You all know the kinds of people I'm talking about. They are the $cientologists who will do or say *anything* to get the people who dare to criticize $cientology. They are the Catholics who are willing to do the same with those who criticize or lampoon *their* dogma. And, of course, they are the TMers who do the same thing here on Fairfield Life. Such people have clearly nominated themselves (in their own heads, that is) as defenders of the faith, as some kind of dharmic warrior whose Purpose In Life is to find some way to demonize and perform character assassin- ation on those heretics who laugh at All Things TM. You can *tell* how *involved* they are with what they see as their dharma, simply by watching the hatred creep into the comments they make, and by noticing the gloating behavior they trot out when they think they've delivered some zinger that makes them (and thus their side) look good, and that makes the critic (and thus the other side) look bad. Such people have a tendency to declare victory after having done something that most people would consider mere ego-preening, behavior that would be embarrassing in Jr. High School students. But to the unpaid volunteer dharmic warriors, getting into long, convoluted arguments with someone who represents evil while they represent good is as noble a pursuit as Arjuna going out to kill his own relatives on the equally ego-driven battlefields of the Bhagavad Gita, simply because he was told to by the leader of *his* cult. This behavior seems to me to be the ultimate definition of what it is to be a cultist. Anyone who thinks and acts like this is *by definition* more than a little attached to the things or people they believe they are defending. Anyone who gets into pissing contests like this, and who bases their *own* self worth on how effectively they've put down one of their (and thus their org's) enemies has *by definition* a host of ego problems. It would be one thing if these people were actually being PAID by the organizations in question to do this. But they're not. They're doing it for their *own* ego reasons. *Their* egos are the ones inflated and made stronger every time they chalk up what they believe to be a win. *Their* attachments get strengthened every time they do battle. I think it's all very sad. And I've seen spiritual or religious organizations in which this behavior *would
[FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Renouncing enlightenment
nablusoss1008: My point was that the Turq claims he was in CC in Fuiggi but in reality he had a few days of witnessing, believing it was CC. This short experience decades ago have made such an impression on the poor soul that he keeps referring to it as a major event in his life year after year here. If anyone experienced pure CC and it was permanent, they would probably just disappear, since they would have burnt up all their accumulated karma and samskaras. If they were in CC and perfectly still, with no thoughts or mental stirrings, thier breathing would be the only karma produced - they would be 'light as a feather'. With karma the to be free from the three gunas there would be nothing to act, or act upon. That's when the enlightened could fly into another deminshion in the cosmic string - they could fly away in the transcendental. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend wrote: Could this have been one of those secret teachings divulged only to TM teachers? Because it was always my understanding that one could slip into and out of the experience of any state of consciousness, although at some point a particular state supposedly became permanent. After all, witnessing is said to be a temporary state of CC; CC is said to be a permanent state of witnessing. I learned TM in 1975; was the concept of witnessing as a temporary state something that was introduced after Barry's time but before mine? Genuinely curious here. It's very simple, and you are correct. It's the Turq who got the terms mixed up and thinks witnessing 24/7 is CC. Maharishi never said such a thing and the Turq makes confused claims, as usual. Er, well, Nabby, that's what *I* said, not what Barry said. It's certainly what I was taught.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Serious Question
the Yoga Vasistha: A real preceptor is one who can produce blissful sensation in the body of the disciple by their sight, touch, or instructions. The back story, A movement held hostage. I got a friend who lunches with Bevan whence Bevan is in town and this friend says of Bevan that our Bevan is scared to death of saints for fear he might have a spiritual experience. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck wrote: Life work of The holy. On Saintly Healing Maharishi says, That is `The department of the Almighty does it`. It is not the individual - it is the department. And it is only one way, it is not two ways. The help is not given, it is received. It is received by our ability to attune with that. And that ability develops with devotion, surrender and service. These three things - automatically one is elevated to that level. And help doesn`t come from outside, it comes from right were we are, from our own being. But those unaware of one`s own being have this mechanics to help them. And this is true for all the saints in all the times through out the world. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon wrote: Paraphrasing Maharishi, a doctor doesn't need to be in good health to heal others. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Buck wrote: No, are looking at and talking about something else bigger here. Primary care providers with a degree in medicine, even Chopra, are more usually just different trades-people compared to saints. --- In mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com, authfriend wrote: This is a good answer, Mike. I wouldn't want to have to define holy man or saint, so I wouldn't want to say what would disqualify him (or qualify him, for that matter) for being either. He wasn't a perfect human being, that's for sure. It's up to the individual to decide how much they want to hold his sins against him. Couldn't describe? Saints? Okay, if you won't stick your neck out at this point I will for sake of the discussion here. We all know them when we see them. Saints become described by their work. As spiritual people our saints are those particular people who can help people spiritually and who distinguish their life work that way. More than just doing good works and different from folks [think Batgap.com] just being awake authors or spiritual teachers out on the circuit but those being in the work of tangibly lending spiritual transformation by interceding with healing for others of the binding influences in the subtle bodies of the spiritual psycho-physical and emotional samskara towards helping to free people of the binding influences in their spiritual life on earth. Real saints, it's those particular enlightened who can tangibly or manifestly heal people who are either afflicted or ignorant in their spiritual lives. -Buck --- In mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon wrote: Yeah, he's still a holy man, just not as holy as most of us thought. The Bible tells usÃÂ that all men fall short of the Glory of God. That means that all men have and will sin. Maharishi was a man, not God. The Bible also speaks of angels coming to earth and having sex with women. Veda Vyasa had sex with an unmarried woman in a boat while crossing a river, thus we have Shukadeva. Maharishi belongs on a pedestal, just not as high as we might have thought. My thoughts are that M was a very high soul on a mission and upon taking birth as a man, he did things men do. From: Michael Jackson To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com; Sent: Sunday, February 3, 2013 12:58 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Serious Question ÃÂ OK, serious question here to all those who have defended Maharishi as a saint and true holy man. How do you account for the stories that several of his former skin boys have told about his sexual escapades? Mark Landau, Billy Clayton, Nedd Wynn and others have told stories that are very similar as to what who and when. Do you think they are all lying and if so why? Or do you honestly think it is alright for a true holy man who always said he was a lifelong celibate to have sex repeatedly and lie about having done so?
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams rich...@rwilliams.us To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] Re: Rama,Krishna, Buddha are nothing reply 2 Xeno
Xeno, I've been wanting to reply and tell you that I enjoyed this post and as usual, because it made me think. I actually think that it's the job of other people, the world, etc. to fall very short of imagined ideals. Maybe that's the only way we can learn to love unconditionally. Fascinating what Russell says about morality and geography. Maybe will google. As for being average, I think being ordinary is maybe the most relaxing state of all (-: From: Xenophaneros Anartaxius anartax...@yahoo.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Tuesday, February 5, 2013 7:14 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Rama,Krishna, Buddha are nothing *MY* Guru is the greatest guru. No guru is greater than *MINE*. When one says this it is an attempt to puff up oneself by basking in the apparent glory of another, like having oneself photographed with celebrities. No one in the attempt to preserve their ego tends to say, 'My guru was the dumbest, sleaziest bastard I have ever had the misfortune to meet'. All human teachers are human beings; they have what we would in ourselves call faults. Look at how scientists have changed the world and made us so much more comfortable; no one calls them saints. A teacher's wares are what we want, what they can show us to improve our situation; that is the part we take with us. If they are successful, we move beyond our need for them. What they are as people may or may not correspond with what we would call enlightened. That is not what enlightenment is about. Enlightenment is about seeing the world for what it is, ultimate reality, or a ultimate as it is humanly possible to perceive. As for morality (a function of geography according to Bertrand Russell), seeing that religious leaders, gurus, politicians all seem to fall very short of some imagined ideal, is there any tangible evidence that enlightenment or spiritual advancement has anything to do with morality, or can influence it more than in just a passing shot? If this game has to do with seeing the world as it is, how does morality fit into this and why? Why is it that gurus and their students always seem to fall very short of imagined ideals? Look at the lot of us here. The 'average', so to speak, of all of us here, is what gurus have wrought. That, I think, would indicate we are missing something here.
[FairfieldLife] Cult Mania
Check out this guy! Siberian cult leader who claimed he was alien god from the star Sirius jailed for ritual rape of dozens of disciples * Russian Konstantin Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had 30,000 followers * Leader forced disciples to take part in orgies, occultism and drugs trafficking * The 45-year-old said he was 'sent to Earth to enlighten mankind' * By WILL STEWART http://www.dailymail.co.uk/home/search.html?s=authornamef=Will+Stewart\ A Russian cult leader has been jailed for 11 years for raping and sexually assaulting his followers. Konstantin Rudnev, 45, forced his disciples to take part in orgies, occultism, and drug-trafficking, a court in Novosibirsk, Siberia heard. Former Red Army conscript Rudnev, a self-proclaimed alien god from the star Sirius, demanded blind submission from his followers mainly aged between 14 and 30. [Cult leader: Konstantin Rudnev has been jailed for 11 years after Russian authorities spend over a decade trying to bring him to justice] Cult leader: Konstantin Rudnev has been jailed for 11 years after Russian authorities spent over a decade trying to bring him to justice `Rudnev's cult members often lost their money and property and abandoned their relatives and friends, and many of them were reported missing,' reported the Siberian Times http://siberiantimes.com/other/others/news/cult-leader-jailed-for-11-ye\ ars-in-siberia-for-raping-and-sexually-assaulting-his-followers/ . `After joining up, females were forced to take part in `ritual rapes' and orgies with Rudnov and other cult leaders, the court was told.' One mother told how her son took up yoga classes with the sect - called Ashram Shambala - when he was 15, and three years later vanished after joining his 30,000 followers. More than a dozen followers gave evidence against Rudnev and shocking videos were also found showing how some Ashram Shambala followers were subjected to violence and sexual abuse. [Predator: Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had over 30,000 followers devoted to his teachings which saw them cut all ties with their families and take part in drugs trafficking and sex orgies] Predator: Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had over 30,000 followers devoted to his teachings which saw them cut all ties with their families and take part in drugs trafficking and sex orgies Media reports suggest some victims were under age. His sect was set up before the collapse of the USSR but earlier attempts to convict him over a 12 year period had failed because his `victims' refused to testify against him in court, said prosecutors who had sought a 15 year sentence. Rudnev claims to his followers that he was sent to Earth to enlighten mankind, drawing up his own bizarre teachings called `The Way of a Fool' which mocked traditional views of family life, study and work. He was also convicted of creating a religious organisation infringing on people's personalities and rights. The sect was lucrative and he became a multi-millionaire, preying on the vulnerable in a country undergoing massive transformations after the collapse of Soviet rule. [Guilty: Female members of Rudnev's cult were forced to take part in 'ritual rapes' some of which were reported to have been underage at the time] Guilty: Female members of Rudnev's cult were forced to take part in 'ritual rapes' some of which were reported to have been underage at the time He ran yoga seminars to lure young people who then disowned their families and gave their life savings and property to his Ashram Shambala sect. According to him, his eccentric 'teachings' took elements from the Bible, the Koran, Karmasutra, shamanism, paganism and tantric sex. Prosecutors alleged his methods were sinister and involved the brainwashing of vulnerable people. When he was arrested some 15 people - including a 14 year girl from Belarus - were on police search lists after being reported missing by relatives. Rudnev's lawyer Alexander Nizhinsky said: `We think the verdict announced today was not very objective.' In 2004, a psychological commission found him criminally insane and he was placed in a mental hospital, but later escaped. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2274974/Siberian-cult-leader-cla\ imed-alien-god-star-Sirius-jailed-ritual-rape-dozens-disciples.html#ixzz\ 2KET3e95b http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2274974/Siberian-cult-leader-cl\ aimed-alien-god-star-Sirius-jailed-ritual-rape-dozens-disciples.html#ixz\ z2KET3e95b Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter http://ec.tynt.com/b/rw?id=bBOTTqvd0r3Pooab7jrHcUu=MailOnline | DailyMail on Facebook http://ec.tynt.com/b/rf?id=bBOTTqvd0r3Pooab7jrHcUu=DailyMail
[FairfieldLife] Re: Health benefits of Xanthohumol
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Yifu wrote: http://www.xanthohumol.com It is 200 times more powerful than Resveratrol, the world renowned Antioxidant found naturally in Red Wine. Yes but...red,red wine...mmm... http://linsiloo.wordpress.com/2010/09/06/mmm-red-wine-cheese-platter/ virtual reality 3-D neosurrealism: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbeSKFoKx1Y
[FairfieldLife] More Cult News
This time about Andrew Cohen: Making Sense of Post-Cult Trauma the Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist My Thirteen Years at EnlightenNext by William Yenner http://americanguru.net/news-and-reviews/making-sense-of-post-cult-trauma-the-relational-system-of-the-traumatizing-narcissist/
[FairfieldLife] And Yet More Cult News
Just think, if you'd had more ambition and were willing to bounce on your butt in India while promoting Hindu supremacy, you could have gotten writeups like this, too. [Venkata Panindra performing pranayama in Ongole. photo:Kommuri Srinivas] http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/engine\ erturnedyogi-performs-rare-feat/article4381131.ece http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-andhrapradesh/engin\ eerturnedyogi-performs-rare-feat/article4381131.ece Engineer-turned-yogi performs rare featAfter mastering the materials science, a mechanical engineer has mastered yoga postures to elevate his body up in the air winning the appreciation of one and all. The 24-year-old Venkata Panindra, an assistant professor in an engineering college performed Vandana treyam by locking the air in his throat, stomach and perennial gland at a packed TTD Kalyana Mandapam here during the Sadhus meet that concluded on Sunday. It took six months to learn the yoga posture mentioned in Bhagavad Gita under the guidance of Sri Yogananda Bharati from Vizianagaram'', says the youth, an M.tech in Mechanical Engineering, while talking to The Hindu . I got fascinated with yogasanas during my childhood itself, says the yogi who has mastered different yoga and Pranayama techniques, winning acclaim from sadhus and laymen as well. He wants to explore the Patanjali yoga system fully and propagate the greatness of the Hindu way of life so that the present generation gets benefited, he adds.
[FairfieldLife] Re: And Yet More Cult News
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, turquoiseb wrote: Just think, if you'd had more ambition and were willing to bounce on your butt in India while promoting Hindu supremacy, you could have gotten writeups like this, too. Only if you'd learned to master your perennial gland... (snip) The 24-year-old Venkata Panindra, an assistant professor in an engineering college performed Vandana treyam by locking the air in his throat, stomach and perennial gland at a packed TTD Kalyana Mandapam here during the Sadhus meet that concluded on Sunday.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cult Mania
The guy is criminally insane. End of story. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, salyavin808 wrote: Check out this guy! Siberian cult leader who claimed he was alien god from the star Sirius jailed for ritual rape of dozens of disciples * Russian Konstantin Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had 30,000 followers * Leader forced disciples to take part in orgies, occultism and drugs trafficking * The 45-year-old said he was 'sent to Earth to enlighten mankind' * By WILL STEWART A Russian cult leader has been jailed for 11 years for raping and sexually assaulting his followers. Konstantin Rudnev, 45, forced his disciples to take part in orgies, occultism, and drug-trafficking, a court in Novosibirsk, Siberia heard. Former Red Army conscript Rudnev, a self-proclaimed alien god from the star Sirius, demanded blind submission from his followers mainly aged between 14 and 30. [Cult leader: Konstantin Rudnev has been jailed for 11 years after Russian authorities spend over a decade trying to bring him to justice] Cult leader: Konstantin Rudnev has been jailed for 11 years after Russian authorities spent over a decade trying to bring him to justice `Rudnev's cult members often lost their money and property and abandoned their relatives and friends, and many of them were reported missing,' reported the Siberian Times ars-in-siberia-for-raping-and-sexually-assaulting-his-followers/ . `After joining up, females were forced to take part in `ritual rapes' and orgies with Rudnov and other cult leaders, the court was told.' One mother told how her son took up yoga classes with the sect - called Ashram Shambala - when he was 15, and three years later vanished after joining his 30,000 followers. More than a dozen followers gave evidence against Rudnev and shocking videos were also found showing how some Ashram Shambala followers were subjected to violence and sexual abuse. [Predator: Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had over 30,000 followers devoted to his teachings which saw them cut all ties with their families and take part in drugs trafficking and sex orgies] Predator: Rudnev's cult Ashram Shambala had over 30,000 followers devoted to his teachings which saw them cut all ties with their families and take part in drugs trafficking and sex orgies Media reports suggest some victims were under age. His sect was set up before the collapse of the USSR but earlier attempts to convict him over a 12 year period had failed because his `victims' refused to testify against him in court, said prosecutors who had sought a 15 year sentence. Rudnev claims to his followers that he was sent to Earth to enlighten mankind, drawing up his own bizarre teachings called `The Way of a Fool' which mocked traditional views of family life, study and work. He was also convicted of creating a religious organisation infringing on people's personalities and rights. The sect was lucrative and he became a multi-millionaire, preying on the vulnerable in a country undergoing massive transformations after the collapse of Soviet rule. [Guilty: Female members of Rudnev's cult were forced to take part in 'ritual rapes' some of which were reported to have been underage at the time] Guilty: Female members of Rudnev's cult were forced to take part in 'ritual rapes' some of which were reported to have been underage at the time He ran yoga seminars to lure young people who then disowned their families and gave their life savings and property to his Ashram Shambala sect. According to him, his eccentric 'teachings' took elements from the Bible, the Koran, Karmasutra, shamanism, paganism and tantric sex. Prosecutors alleged his methods were sinister and involved the brainwashing of vulnerable people. When he was arrested some 15 people - including a 14 year girl from Belarus - were on police search lists after being reported missing by relatives. Rudnev's lawyer Alexander Nizhinsky said: `We think the verdict announced today was not very objective.' In 2004, a psychological commission found him criminally insane and he was placed in a mental hospital, but later escaped. Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2274974/Siberian-cult-leader-cla\ imed-alien-god-star-Sirius-jailed-ritual-rape-dozens-disciples.html#ixzz\ 2KET3e95b aimed-alien-god-star-Sirius-jailed-ritual-rape-dozens-disciples.html#ixz\ z2KET3e95b Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook
[FairfieldLife] The top five regrets...
I found this quite profound, seems that I share a lot of these values already. I think if my number was called tomorrow I would regret not travelling more. Which gives me an incentive to get off my arse! Top five regrets of the dying A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life? There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps. A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai http://www.inspirationandchai.com/Regrets-of-the-Dying.html , which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying http://www.amazon.co.uk/TOP-FIVE-REGRETS-DYING-ebook/dp/B005OS3RSK . Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, she says, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it. 2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. 3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. What's your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to achieve or change before you die?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The next logical step - USPS?
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams wrote: The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cult Mania
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John wrote: The guy is criminally insane. End of story. Not a very convincing story either, Sirius is way too hot to sustain any sort of life that we might understand - so he wouldn't have duped me. Just one of the advantages of a good science education!
[FairfieldLife] Re: The next logical step - USPS?
Don't you know that the USPS will never go bankrupt? Why? Because the Post Master General of the USA is the de facto leader of the country. According to Freemasonry literature, President Obama is only a figure head. This statement applies to all the countries in the world. The real power and authority belong to the postmasters of each country in the world. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams wrote: The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
Just think of all the trees that could be spared if we didn't have a post office! From: Richard J. Williams rich...@rwilliams.us To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 6:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] More Cult News
On 02/07/2013 10:49 AM, turquoiseb wrote: This time about Andrew Cohen: Making Sense of Post-Cult Trauma the Relational System of the Traumatizing Narcissist My Thirteen Years at EnlightenNext by William Yenner http://americanguru.net/news-and-reviews/making-sense-of-post-cult-trauma-the-relational-system-of-the-traumatizing-narcissist/ The CW's new series The Cult starts on the 19th. They've been running a short 15 second or so promo during commercial breaks. One show actor Robert Knepper in what looks like 8mm film clip and they flash some text over one being True Believers. I hope it is a good series not a template made show. Anyway here is a longer trailer rated Absolutely Not for Buck: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uZYsW8EZoI
[FairfieldLife] Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of our Lives
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embeddedv=wnlTYFKBg18
Re: [FairfieldLife] The top five regrets...
Yep, come visit Fairfield (-: Thanks, this is a great list. From: salyavin808 fintlewoodle...@mail.com To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 1:14 PM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The top five regrets... I found this quite profound, seems that I share a lot of these values already. I think if my number was called tomorrow I would regret not travelling more. Which gives me an incentive to get off my arse! Top five regrets of the dying A nurse has recorded the most common regrets of the dying, and among the top ones is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. What would your biggest regret be if this was your last day of life? There was no mention of more sex or bungee jumps. A palliative nurse who has counselled the dying in their last days has revealed the most common regrets we have at the end of our lives. And among the top, from men in particular, is 'I wish I hadn't worked so hard'. Bronnie Ware is an Australian nurse who spent several years working in palliative care, caring for patients in the last 12 weeks of their lives. She recorded their dying epiphanies in a blog called Inspiration and Chai, which gathered so much attention that she put her observations into a book called The Top Five Regrets of the Dying. Ware writes of the phenomenal clarity of vision that people gain at the end of their lives, and how we might learn from their wisdom. When questioned about any regrets they had or anything they would do differently, she says, common themes surfaced again and again. Here are the top five regrets of the dying, as witnessed by Ware: 1. I wish I'd had the courage to live a life true to myself, not the life others expected of me. This was the most common regret of all. When people realise that their life is almost over and look back clearly on it, it is easy to see how many dreams have gone unfulfilled. Most people had not honoured even a half of their dreams and had to die knowing that it was due to choices they had made, or not made. Health brings a freedom very few realise, until they no longer have it. 2. I wish I hadn't worked so hard. This came from every male patient that I nursed. They missed their children's youth and their partner's companionship. Women also spoke of this regret, but as most were from an older generation, many of the female patients had not been breadwinners. All of the men I nursed deeply regretted spending so much of their lives on the treadmill of a work existence. 3. I wish I'd had the courage to express my feelings. Many people suppressed their feelings in order to keep peace with others. As a result, they settled for a mediocre existence and never became who they were truly capable of becoming. Many developed illnesses relating to the bitterness and resentment they carried as a result. 4. I wish I had stayed in touch with my friends. Often they would not truly realise the full benefits of old friends until their dying weeks and it was not always possible to track them down. Many had become so caught up in their own lives that they had let golden friendships slip by over the years. There were many deep regrets about not giving friendships the time and effort that they deserved. Everyone misses their friends when they are dying. 5. I wish that I had let myself be happier. This is a surprisingly common one. Many did not realise until the end that happiness is a choice. They had stayed stuck in old patterns and habits. The so-called 'comfort' of familiarity overflowed into their emotions, as well as their physical lives. Fear of change had them pretending to others, and to their selves, that they were content, when deep within, they longed to laugh properly and have silliness in their life again. What's your greatest regret so far, and what will you set out to achieve or change before you die?
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams rich...@rwilliams.us To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
[FairfieldLife] Post Count Fri 08-Feb-13 00:15:02 UTC
Fairfield Life Post Counter === Start Date (UTC): 02/02/13 00:00:00 End Date (UTC): 02/09/13 00:00:00 487 messages as of (UTC) 02/07/13 22:49:16 44 doctordumbass 42 Michael Jackson 40 turquoiseb 38 nablusoss1008 38 Share Long 29 authfriend 28 Bhairitu 27 seventhray27 27 obbajeeba 22 Richard J. Williams 20 navashok 17 Buck 13 card 12 salyavin808 12 Ravi Chivukula 12 John 10 Ann 9 srijau 9 merudanda 6 Mike Dixon 4 seekliberation 4 Xenophaneros Anartaxius 4 Alex Stanley 3 Yifu 2 merlin 2 laughinggull108 2 feste37 2 david 2 PaliGap 1 wgm4u 1 raunchydog 1 martin.quickman 1 at_man_and_brahman 1 Rick Archer 1 FairfieldLife 1 Dick Mays Posters: 36 Saturday Morning 00:00 UTC Rollover Times = Daylight Saving Time (Summer): US Friday evening: PDT 5 PM - MDT 6 PM - CDT 7 PM - EDT 8 PM Europe Saturday: BST 1 AM CEST 2 AM EEST 3 AM Standard Time (Winter): US Friday evening: PST 4 PM - MST 5 PM - CST 6 PM - EST 7 PM Europe Saturday: GMT 12 AM CET 1 AM EET 2 AM For more information on Time Zones: www.worldtimezone.com
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
Maybe your carrier is reading your books first. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 2:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams mailto:richard%40rwilliams.us To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
As for postal carriers, mine is a heroine for me. Here's why. The people who stole my SS# last year, used it to file a tax return. As an address they used an empty store front about 3 blocks from where I live. It was to this address that the IRS sent a letter saying that they were investigating the possibility of a tax refund. But my carrier recognized my name on the letter, remembered where I live and delivered the IRS letter to me. I turned it over to my CPA and he was able to tell the IRS that there could be no refund for me because he had not yet done my tax return! So we were able to avoid a big mess simply because my carrier went the extra mile on my behalf. I also chalk it up to living in a small town. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 4:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams rich...@rwilliams.us To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
Maybe. She's overweight and the book is another one on metabolic typing. ;-) On 02/07/2013 05:01 PM, Mike Dixon wrote: Maybe your carrier is reading your books first. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 2:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams mailto:richard%40rwilliams.us To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
Around here it is the postal carrier of the week. Sometimes the mail doesn't come until 7:30 PM. Though the neighbor got her mail this morning I've seen a carrier deliver by truck driving to each house and do that side of the street but not do mine until late in the day. Weird. Sometimes the put all the packages on another truck and it can come much later. America is really falling apart. I'm trying to find a new accountant this year. The one I've used for about 20 years has too pay too much rent for her office and I get to pay part of that. It's an upscale town for old money people and where the company I used to work for was first located. When I switched to her from my Seattle accountant she only charges $200 (small business return). Now it is almost $500. Nothing wrong with her work but my neighbor, a real estate agent, only pays $240. I spotted HR Block's price list and for small business starts at $214 which would probably be close to what I would actually pay. But I would prefer to find a local independent account to use. Thing is like my neighbor's accountant many don't want to take on additional clients. A few years back I got a recommendation from a friend but when I checked last year that guy was no longer in business. BTW, I notice they no longer put your full SS# on tax documents. Just the last 4 numbers. On 02/07/2013 05:05 PM, Share Long wrote: As for postal carriers, mine is a heroine for me. Here's why. The people who stole my SS# last year, used it to file a tax return. As an address they used an empty store front about 3 blocks from where I live. It was to this address that the IRS sent a letter saying that they were investigating the possibility of a tax refund. But my carrier recognized my name on the letter, remembered where I live and delivered the IRS letter to me. I turned it over to my CPA and he was able to tell the IRS that there could be no refund for me because he had not yet done my tax return! So we were able to avoid a big mess simply because my carrier went the extra mile on my behalf. I also chalk it up to living in a small town. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 4:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams rich...@rwilliams.us To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
Update. After sending off those two posts I checked my snail mail again and the book arrived along with a couple other pieces of mail. So my carrier didn't read it first. I also did some searches on USPS tracking and many folks say that it can take an extra day after tracking says out for delivery to actually be delivered. America is falling apart. In some cases though I've seen tracking behind the delivery. On 02/07/2013 05:01 PM, Mike Dixon wrote: Maybe your carrier is reading your books first. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 2:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not shown so I will call the PO and ask what is up with that. Two years ago I won a book and it too never showed up so they sent another copy. The book fit fine through my mail slot so I doubt if the first copy was swiped from my doorstep as there was no need to leave it there. I also doubt that yesterday the book was left at my doorstep because I went for a short walk and actually ran into the carrier. I should have asked if she had the book and instructed her to just push it through the slot. My bet with the book and maybe the one two years ago it was miss delivered to another address. You may have noticed that those post office boxes you can't put a package weighing over a certain amount in them which would preclude books. Hence someone getting my book might not know what to do with it because they would need to return it to the PO. They should be able to call the PO and have them pick it up. Bet they won't do that. My neighbor said she got a Christmas card for another address completely out of this area of the town. She was able to correct the address as apparently it was a little unreadable by looking up the person in a directory. When she asked the carrier why it was delivered to her house the carrier said I didn't know what to do with it. That's what we have for postal carriers these days. On 02/07/2013 07:45 AM, Share Long wrote: I wonder if there are other Boomers like me who like to pay their bills via snail mail. I never liked the idea of online banking and I liked it even less after my credit cards and SS# were compromised last year. I know online banking is inevitable. Just putting it off as long as possible. From: Richard J. Williams mailto:richard%40rwilliams.us To: mailto:FairfieldLife%40yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 8:51 AM Subject: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? The USPS owns eleventy-billion trucks and employs eleventy-billion union workers, all to deliver a product nobody wants. Posted by Stephen Green: http://pjmedia.com/vodkapundit/2013/02/06/only-one-michael-moore-was-harmed-in-the-making-of-this-column/
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
I'm laughing because my CPA charges me more each year though it seems he does less. For example, he no longer prints and snail mails the forms. He emails them to me and I get to print them out! Then I fill them out so that I'm not even sure what he does any more except transfer a few numbers. Except they had extra work last year because of the identity theft. Anyway, I'm grateful because I'm sure I wasn't doing my taxes correctly. A while back my regular carrier was training someone. BTW, she's overweight too and very red faced. Pitta kapha? Anyway, the next week I saw the trainee on his own trying to deliver something to me that belonged to a next door neighbor. I pointed him in the right direction and proceeded to worry about receiving all the info needed for my tax return. I just received a letter today from IRS. Because of last year's identity theft, they've given me a pin number to add to my return. One very good thing was that the thieves used my first and last name only because that's how my credit cards are. However I also use my middle initial on my tax returns. That was another clue for IRS to know which return was from the real me. And of course my CPA who's been doing my taxes for several years. Illuminati staging blackouts? Sort of ironic. Fascinating about Nadi astrology and 81 year cycles. I watched The Cult not for Buck. I survived (-: Sorry to hear that watching movies isn't tantra. But glad all books have arrived in virgin state (-: I'm hoping if America is falling apart it's just so that it can rise like a phoenix from the ashes (-: From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:27 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? Around here it is the postal carrier of the week. Sometimes the mail doesn't come until 7:30 PM. Though the neighbor got her mail this morning I've seen a carrier deliver by truck driving to each house and do that side of the street but not do mine until late in the day. Weird. Sometimes the put all the packages on another truck and it can come much later. America is really falling apart. I'm trying to find a new accountant this year. The one I've used for about 20 years has too pay too much rent for her office and I get to pay part of that. It's an upscale town for old money people and where the company I used to work for was first located. When I switched to her from my Seattle accountant she only charges $200 (small business return). Now it is almost $500. Nothing wrong with her work but my neighbor, a real estate agent, only pays $240. I spotted HR Block's price list and for small business starts at $214 which would probably be close to what I would actually pay. But I would prefer to find a local independent account to use. Thing is like my neighbor's accountant many don't want to take on additional clients. A few years back I got a recommendation from a friend but when I checked last year that guy was no longer in business. BTW, I notice they no longer put your full SS# on tax documents. Just the last 4 numbers. On 02/07/2013 05:05 PM, Share Long wrote: As for postal carriers, mine is a heroine for me. Here's why. The people who stole my SS# last year, used it to file a tax return. As an address they used an empty store front about 3 blocks from where I live. It was to this address that the IRS sent a letter saying that they were investigating the possibility of a tax refund. But my carrier recognized my name on the letter, remembered where I live and delivered the IRS letter to me. I turned it over to my CPA and he was able to tell the IRS that there could be no refund for me because he had not yet done my tax return! So we were able to avoid a big mess simply because my carrier went the extra mile on my behalf. I also chalk it up to living in a small town. From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 4:49 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? I pay most of my bills via snail mail but some of the banks and my credit union have added another option other than autopay. I can now just pay my credit union credit card via transfer so saves the cost of a stamp. Same with my rarely used credit card from a bank that I have a petty cash checking account. So another stamp saved. Over a week ago I bought a used book via Amazon for $1. The shipping and handling from the book store was $4. Fine but the book store was only up in Washington state (I thought I had selected a California store but maybe they had a store in California but no longer). Anyway the order went out the following day. It arrived at the post office yesterday and tracking said out for delivery. As of today it still has not
[FairfieldLife] Re: Genetic Roulette - The Gamble of our Lives
Holy smokes# I always suspected everything around GMO's would go this way. Evidently a lot more is known now. It's about time someone stops the runaway. This is a tremendous update. Give this video to anyone you know thinking of breeding children. -Buck --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 wrote: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embeddedv=wnlTYFKBg18
Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS?
The first year I ever filed a schedule C tax return was for 1972. I got audited by the IRS because I didn't know what I was doing. I appealed and got some of the extra tax off including a pissed supervisor who probably went back and wrung the neck of my first caseworker for not allowing deductions for show costumes. The IRS recommended I use an accountant. A friend I knew through TM recommended his accountant. Those guys started out in a small office near downtown Seattle and wound up in a suite in the tallest building. By that time my prep fee was $600. Too much so that's why I switched to someone local since I had moved from Seattle to the SF Bay Area. I hate our tax system. It's like they expect everyone to be a bookkeeper. But we know that only a small percentage has the mindset for that. I'm all with simplifying our tax system but that is a hard task and too many (mainly CPAs) make money off it. I would just use one of the software packages but would probably blow that. Half the time I'm not even sure of the terms on the worksheets the account sends. Nadi astrology system: 9 years for each planet starting with the Sun, Moon On 02/07/2013 05:53 PM, Share Long wrote: I'm laughing because my CPA charges me more each year though it seems he does less. For example, he no longer prints and snail mails the forms. He emails them to me and I get to print them out! Then I fill them out so that I'm not even sure what he does any more except transfer a few numbers. Except they had extra work last year because of the identity theft. Anyway, I'm grateful because I'm sure I wasn't doing my taxes correctly. A while back my regular carrier was training someone. BTW, she's overweight too and very red faced. Pitta kapha? Anyway, the next week I saw the trainee on his own trying to deliver something to me that belonged to a next door neighbor. I pointed him in the right direction and proceeded to worry about receiving all the info needed for my tax return. I just received a letter today from IRS. Because of last year's identity theft, they've given me a pin number to add to my return. One very good thing was that the thieves used my first and last name only because that's how my credit cards are. However I also use my middle initial on my tax returns. That was another clue for IRS to know which return was from the real me. And of course my CPA who's been doing my taxes for several years. Illuminati staging blackouts? Sort of ironic. Fascinating about Nadi astrology and 81 year cycles. I watched The Cult not for Buck. I survived (-: Sorry to hear that watching movies isn't tantra. But glad all books have arrived in virgin state (-: I'm hoping if America is falling apart it's just so that it can rise like a phoenix from the ashes (-: From: Bhairitu noozg...@sbcglobal.net To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Sent: Thursday, February 7, 2013 7:27 PM Subject: Re: [FairfieldLife] The next logical step - USPS? Around here it is the postal carrier of the week. Sometimes the mail doesn't come until 7:30 PM. Though the neighbor got her mail this morning I've seen a carrier deliver by truck driving to each house and do that side of the street but not do mine until late in the day. Weird. Sometimes the put all the packages on another truck and it can come much later. America is really falling apart. I'm trying to find a new accountant this year. The one I've used for about 20 years has too pay too much rent for her office and I get to pay part of that. It's an upscale town for old money people and where the company I used to work for was first located. When I switched to her from my Seattle accountant she only charges $200 (small business return). Now it is almost $500. Nothing wrong with her work but my neighbor, a real estate agent, only pays $240. I spotted HR Block's price list and for small business starts at $214 which would probably be close to what I would actually pay. But I would prefer to find a local independent account to use. Thing is like my neighbor's accountant many don't want to take on additional clients. A few years back I got a recommendation from a friend but when I checked last year that guy was no longer in business. BTW, I notice they no longer put your full SS# on tax documents. Just the last 4 numbers. On 02/07/2013 05:05 PM, Share Long wrote: As for postal carriers, mine is a heroine for me. Here's why. The people who stole my SS# last year, used it to file a tax return. As an address they used an empty store front about 3 blocks from where I live. It was to this address that the IRS sent a letter saying that they were investigating the possibility of a tax refund. But my carrier recognized my name on the letter, remembered where I live and delivered the IRS letter to me. I turned it over to my CPA and
