[FairfieldLife] Re: Meditation: The Dark Side
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: **snip With regard to your contention that Vaj may be right that the Perennial Philosophy is an illusion, I'd just suggest that you not let your mind be so open your brains fall out. **snip to end I made no such contention.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Meditation: The Dark Side
A concession is not the same as a contention, which I believe you understand quite well, or else you would not have segued at the end of your post from arguing that I made a contention to that I had made a concession to Vaj. And my concession to Vaj was an acknowledgement that I don't *know* the truth of the matter discussed and I freely admit the limitations of my knowledge, not only regarding that issue but many things in life which are discussed. My belief in the truth of something, even something that I may have spent a lot of time studying or researching, doesn't render it true, even though I may believe that it is. I'm willing to discuss a subject and argue my position, to the degree I have one, but I can't tell you that it is Truth just because I have formed the opinion that it's true. Moreover, I have no animus for Vaj and within the context of my discussion with him, as with most people, I prefer to be polite and considerate. He stated his views regarding a subject where I hold a differing view; I don't have to be an asshole to disagree with him; that's simple manners. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: **snip With regard to your contention that Vaj may be right that the Perennial Philosophy is an illusion, I'd just suggest that you not let your mind be so open your brains fall out. **snip to end I made no such contention. Well, er, yes, you did (#227230): Vaj, you may be correct, but as a species we all seem to be far more alike than different. We all apprehend the being that we are from different angles and with different approaches, but at some point all that evaporates, certainly, and what 'is' is all that remains. You made a good argument *against* Vaj's view, but you sure as heck started it off with a concession that he may be right. I can't for the life of me figure out why you'd deny it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Kseniya Simonova--Ukrainian sand artist
A really powerful performance. Extraordinary. Thanks for that one. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: Performing on Ukraine's Got Talent (she won). Probably the most remarkable artist I've ever seen. http://www.guardian.co.uk/culture/tvandradioblog/2009/aug/13/ukranian-sand-artist http://tinyurl.com/oz3y3c
[FairfieldLife] Re: Krishna Janmashtami Puja
It's too bad that all the schools are on summer vacation; the TM students won't get the opportunity to celebrate Krishna's birthday. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, michael vedamer...@... wrote: Tomorrow, Thursday, 13 August will be the global Puja for Krishna Janmashtami. The Puja starts with Rashtra Geet at 4:02 pm Holland time; so Puja will start round about 4:15h. Morgen, Donnerstag, 13. August ist die globale Puja anläßlich Krishna Janmashtami (Lord Krishnas Geburtstag). Die Puja beginnt um 16:02 Holland-Zeit mit Rashtra Gita; die eigentliche Krishna Puja beginnt dann gegen 16:15h. Amanhã, 5-feira, 13 de agosto, teremos a Puja global de Krishna Janmashtami (o aniversário de Senhor Krishna). A Puja começará às 16:02 h (horário da Holanda, 11:02 horário de Brasília) com o Rashtra Gita; a atual Puja vai começar aprox. às 16:15h (11:15 horário de Brasília). Pode asistir ao vio no Maharishi Channel (http://www.maharishichannel.in/; Channel 3) complete Programme / das Gesamtprogramm / a programação completa: 1 - 4.02 pm Rastriya Geet 2 - Puja with our Vedic Pandits at the Brahmasthan of India 3 - Guru Dev Puja and Samkalpa 4 - Ganesh Puja with Panchopchar 5 - Lord Krishna Puja with shodshopchar 6 - Pushparchan 7 - Geeta Path 2nd Chapter 8 - Aarti Puspanjali 9 - Chaturth vedo ka Ashirwad 10 - Bhajan and Kirtan 11 - Vijayantetraam Length of the total Puja / Länge der gesamten Puja / Duração da Puja inteira: 1h 40min Jai Guru Dev
[FairfieldLife] Re: Meditation: The Dark Side
Raunchydog, I understand the point you're making in your post re Vaj, but it's an incorrect portrayal of my opinion of him. It did take several readings for me to understand what he was saying in the lines you quoted (below), but that was mostly due to the combination of individual terms that I don't have the occasion to use frequently, and the fact that I don't deal often with philosophical and religious terms. Once I slowed down, however, and put it together word-by-word, it was a very clear and complete expression of his point of view. I may not agree with that view (which doesn't mean that my view is correct), but I have high regard for Vaj's learning and sincerity and it seems apparent to me that he is both well-read in meditation techniques and spiritual practices, and personally experienced in a number of different applications of the spirituality he has pursued. I regard him as an authentic guy. Marek --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchy...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchydog@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradhatu@ wrote: snip Also one of the dangers associated with over-reliance on introspected meditation alone. Without some practice of open-eyed meditation and integration, the subtle dualism created by constantly withdrawing into oneself virtually guarantees a transcend and deny type outcome of some sort. No, it doesn't. Guess you never took SCI, huh? SCI 101: Meditate and act, meditate and act. It's the alternation that does the integrating. Geez, Where does Vaj get this stuff? TM is a dangerous instrospection meditation and it creates subtle dualism that guarantees a transcend and deny type of outcome of some sort? Gibberish. Vaj excels at gibberish. It's as if he has lists of esoteric-sounding nouns and verbs and adjectives, many in Sanskrit, and he chooses one from column A, one from column B, and one from column C to put together in a sentence. Nobody understands what the freak he's talking about, so they think he must be just tremendously knowledgeable. But most of the time *he* doesn't know what he's talking about either. Did you see his earlier comment on the Perennial Philosophy? He really has his gibberish machine cranked up today. Judy, Thanks for the tip on Vaj's post. All I can say is, Wow! What a mouthful of pretentious baloney. Vaj wrote: I'm sorry to say Marek, but I feel illusion of a philosophia perennis as a continuing thread of generic gnosis, same-awakening, across time, as some universal spiritual awakening (for different human-folk) to be totally imaginary and anti-inner-anthemic. It goes against the grain of the fact that we're all unique, each holding his/her own mythos, our own Rig Ved (but not a synthetic thought-plane projection of our imaginings of 'that'). Vaj: Marek, you dummy, I know more than you do and to prove it, I'll dazzle you with expert whack-off wankery. Marek: What the hell are you talking about? Vaj: See how smart I am? Marek: All I see is an asshole.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Meditation: The Dark Side
Vaj can obviously choose to write any way that he feels is right for him, and you can choose to speculate as to what his real motivations are behind his style; but I prefer to accept what he says at face value and evaluate that. I doubt that Vaj was trying to impress me and in any case, the high-falutin' words weren't the issue for me, though I understand that they were for you. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Raunchydog, I understand the point you're making in your post re Vaj, but it's an incorrect portrayal of my opinion of him. It did take several readings for me to understand what he was saying in the lines you quoted (below), but that was mostly due to the combination of individual terms that I don't have the occasion to use frequently, and the fact that I don't deal often with philosophical and religious terms. Once I slowed down, however, and put it together word-by-word, it was a very clear and complete expression of his point of view. Just to clarify, Marek, once you get to illusion of a philosophia perennis, it's clear what stance Vaj is taking. (Note his use of the Latin rather than the English you used.) The point is that he could have expressed the same point of view in about a third of the number of words *much* more clearly and just as completely, if what he wished to do were to communicate rather than impress you and the rest of us with fancy bafflegab. I may not agree with that view (which doesn't mean that my view is correct), but I have high regard for Vaj's learning and sincerity and it seems apparent to me that he is both well-read in meditation techniques and spiritual practices, and personally experienced in a number of different applications of the spirituality he has pursued. I regard him as an authentic guy. He will be thrilled to know you've fallen for his scam.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Alternative to Transcendental Meditation
I agree with you, Patrick, it really is remarkable that Maharishi was able to direct so many people into doing meditation, and on a twice daily basis, to boot. But I think that it was just the right message and medium for the time and for the people who were, for some reason, primed for both. To whatever degree Maharishi's initial mission trajectory may have wavered in the latter part of his life (if it did at all), he came from an authentic and sincere background. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Patrick Gillam jpgil...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, dhamiltony2k5 wrote: Give this to a real business school as a mass market project: Health food stores typically have alternative newspapers that list alternative and complementary health care services. I used to look at these lists regularly. I was looking to see what was being offered by way of meditation instruction. Nothing ever was. Nobody ever offered to teach people how to meditate. I got the impression nobody cared to learn meditation. Which makes Maharishi's achievement that much more remarkable, I guess. Interesting market positioning. Now comes, Marketing the alternative Transcendental Meditation. Give this to a real business school as a mass market project: Craft promotions to segments. The Saks 5th Ave package. Bloomingdales, Eddie Bauer, LLBean, From health and beauty to exploring the inner silence of nature. The Chicken Soup book version. The Walmart store packaged version. Bikers stop for meditation. The John Deere lawn tractor and meditation package. Hot Rods and meditation. Weavers and nitters meditate with the alternative to relieve eye-strain. Cut the national budget with The free meditation incentive package as parts of the stimulus or healthcare, or veterans service benefit plans. Of course, the TMorg already tried the high end Horchow version. Broaden it out now. Alternative Transcendental Meditation: A useful meditation for anyone, a packaging for everyone.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Alternative to Transcendental Meditation
Just today, as I was passing through security at the courthouse, I overheard one of the bailiffs use the phrase . . . it was like that was her mantra or something . . . This bailiff was unlikely to have ever done mantra meditation, and equally unlikely that the two security guards had either, but the word mantra was a term they were all familiar with. TM and its popularity injected the term into the common vernacular. That's pretty cool. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On Aug 11, 2009, at 9:13 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: I agree with you, Patrick, it really is remarkable that Maharishi was able to direct so many people into doing meditation, and on a twice daily basis, to boot. But I think that it was just the right message and medium for the time and for the people who were, for some reason, primed for both. Well, let's not forget he also actually got people interested in doing weekend, week-long and month-long retreats. Asanas and some pranayama. Cool folks to hang with. That's one of his greatest achievements in my opinion--but the emphasis of regular, core practice was his hallmark which he seeded to the masses, whether they even meditated or not. It became a worldwide theme because of his impeccable marketing management. And that may end up being the greatest significance of MMY for the future.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Alternative to Transcendental Meditation
The Perennial Philosophy in practice. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On Aug 11, 2009, at 10:29 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: Just today, as I was passing through security at the courthouse, I overheard one of the bailiffs use the phrase . . . it was like that was her mantra or something . . . This bailiff was unlikely to have ever done mantra meditation, and equally unlikely that the two security guards had either, but the word mantra was a term they were all familiar with. TM and its popularity injected the term into the common vernacular. That's pretty cool. I feel it definitely seeded the collective consciousness, esp. with the Four Avatars -- John, Paul, George and Ringo--to share their love-- and spread the seed naturally throughout the collective web they wove and expanded with their music. Johnny Appleseeds. Sri Sri Ravi Shankar seems to carrying on the original smile of TM. So it moves on and evolves. Even more popular.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Alternative to Transcendental Meditation
Vaj, you may be correct, but as a species we all seem to be far more alike than different. We all apprehend the being that we are from different angles and with different approaches, but at some point all that evaporates, certainly, and what 'is' is all that remains. That's my take, at least, and that same apprehension of the imminent trancendent has been reiterated in many cultures and in many times in the past. But maybe that only means that I've fallen for one of the oldest scams in the book. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: I'm sorry to say Marek, but I feel illusion of a philosophia perennis as a continuing thread of generic gnosis, same-awakening, across time, as some universal spiritual awakening (for different human-folk) to be totally imaginary and anti-inner-anthemic. It goes against the grain of the fact that we're all unique, each holding his/her own mythos, our own Rig Ved (but not a synthetic thought-plane projection of our imaginings of 'that'). On Aug 11, 2009, at 11:26 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: The Perennial Philosophy in practice. **
[FairfieldLife] Re: Bollywood Dance Class in FF
This sounds great. Would love to go to something like this. Another great thing about Fairfield. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer r...@... wrote: From: radhika [mailto:radh...@...] Sent: Monday, August 10, 2009 4:06 PM To: Undisclosed-Recipient:; Subject: please forward to your email lists/put on your calender My friend Minila Shah coming to enliven Fairifled with unbelieveble fun of bollywood dancing. remember half of the bollywood dancers are men so swallow your fear and jump in. its great exersie for the body and brain. Unleash the sexy crazy fun stuck parts of yourself and join in . Forget for now all the self help workshops that dig into your pain and suffereing. put on hold your visualizations for weath and relationships. This workshop will put you in the moment where you feel rich and happy and are having a grand time with loads of fun, food and dance. Balle Balle love radhika http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2009/08/05/bollywood-flashmob-causes_n_252054. html Bollywood in times square
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Relationship of Islam and 'La, la Land'...
Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert babajii...@... wrote: I asked an Islamic guy, on State st., Madison, about the name(s) of God, in the Islamic faith... He said, there's only one name of God: Allah Ok, what about Mohammahd, I asked..? No, he's like a prophet like Jesus or Moses, but not the name of God... So, I heard, it's ' a good thang' if after you end a talk with one of our Muslim brothers, to offer the saying: 'Jesus be with you'...as they see that as an acknowledgement of their faith... So, back to the main topic: If you say this mantra, real fast...Allah, Allah, Allah... Afteer a while, it starts to sound like: La, la...La, la...la, la... ya all git the idea?... r.g. ** The phrase, La'illaha il' Allahu, generally translated into English as There is no God but God, which I first heard in high school within a comparative religion course (it was a Jesuit high school), never made sense to me until I read one of Coleman Bark's introductions to his The Essential Rumi wherein he translates the phrase into two variants: there's no reality but God; there is only God.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Relationship of Islam and 'La, la Land'...
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert babajii...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Robert babajii_99@ wrote: I asked an Islamic guy, on State st., Madison, about the name(s) of God, in the Islamic faith... He said, there's only one name of God: Allah Ok, what about Mohammahd, I asked..? No, he's like a prophet like Jesus or Moses, but not the name of God... So, I heard, it's ' a good thang' if after you end a talk with one of our Muslim brothers, to offer the saying: 'Jesus be with you'...as they see that as an acknowledgement of their faith... So, back to the main topic: If you say this mantra, real fast...Allah, Allah, Allah... Afteer a while, it starts to sound like: La, la...La, la...la, la... ya all git the idea?... r.g. ** The phrase, La'illaha il' Allahu, generally translated into English as There is no God but God, which I first heard in high school within a comparative religion course (it was a Jesuit high school), never made sense to me until I read one of Coleman Bark's introductions to his The Essential Rumi wherein he translates the phrase into two variants: there's no reality but God; there is only God. That sounds like this Buddhist guy, the other day, that was telling me there is really no good or evil...just God.. It's all a play... Maya... What do the Buddhist call Maya? What is their term for it, anyone know? Better yet, what do the Mayans call Maya? r.g. ** Any idea if Mayan religion incorporated monism within its philosophy?
[FairfieldLife] Sitting Quietly, Doing Something
NYTimes, 7.16.9. http://happydays.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/16/sitting-quietly-doing-something/ or, http://snipurl.com/nfegx
[FairfieldLife] Aurora Borealis
A page with several animated still shots of auroras in Alaska. The homw site is full of gorgeous images of Northern Lights and spectacular Alaska. http://www.auroradude.com/animationpage.html or, http://snipurl.com/ncozr
[FairfieldLife] Kuroshio Sea at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
A four-and-a-half minute video of the stunning, nearly 2-million gallon tank, The Kuroshio Sea, with pleasant audio accompaniment by Barcelona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7deClndzQw or, http://snipurl.com/nd7g7 P.S. This is only the second-largest aquarium tank.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Kuroshio Sea at the Okinawa Churaumi Aquarium
Nablusoss1008, you know, I never thought of that aspect of the thing when I saw the video and made the recommendation. I can understand your position and I don't disagree with it, either; only, I was just captivated by watching the rays, particularly, but the whale sharks and just the whole amazing display. Nevertheless, you're correct that it's an unforgivable disservice to those on display. But there is another possible way of looking at it, too. A display like that, showing sights that none but a very, very few would ever have a chance to see in anything like a natural setting -- an exhibit like that exposes the dominant species on the planet (and their young) to wonders that would otherwise be hidden from them. And human ignorance of the whole concept of ecological balance (even of the entire concept of ecology itself) has already doomed so many wonders of this planet to extinction by our ignorant hands. Perhaps the doom of these individuals as aquarium exhibits contributes to the greater presevation of the whole. I'm not dismissing your point of view, but providing an additional one that, for me, mitigates the obvious harm that you point out. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A four-and-a-half minute video of the stunning, nearly 2-million gallon tank, The Kuroshio Sea, with pleasant audio accompaniment by Barcelona. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7deClndzQw or, http://snipurl.com/nd7g7 P.S. This is only the second-largest aquarium tank. Souls inclined to keep animals or fish in prison for a financial gain like this will die out after having created a nasty karma for themselves. Discusting !
[FairfieldLife] Bursting the bubble of ignorance (was Re: Ignorance in High Society?)
Beautiful photographs. To see for the first time how that particular event happens, step by step, after a lifetime of seeing bubbles bursting is really satisfying. Thanks. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@ wrote: To All: A British conductor and his wife decided to commit suicide. See link http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/world/europe/15britain.html?ref=world http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/15/world/europe/15britain.html?ref=world\ Let me see if I've got this straight: * Having been diagnosed with painful and fatal cancers and wishing to die with some semblance of dignity and in each others' arms instead of dying alone in some ghastly hospital room, doped up on drugs or screaming, is ignorance. The point I'm making is that all human beings on earth have a natural tendency to judge matters according to what other people think. For that matter, they make decisions based on emotions and standards that they created for themselves. In vedic terms, these are all maya, or false images of water on the desert floor. John, assuming that you truly believe this: 1. Are you not a human being? 2. If you are, do you not *share* this tendency you speak of? 3. Do you not have emotions? 4. Do you not have standards that you have created for yourself? 5. If you answered Yes to all of the questions above, are *your* thoughts and ideas about the world not maya, or false images? Assuming that you are still sane enough to answer the above questions honestly, do you not then agree that *every single one* of your ideas about Jyotish and Ayurveda, *every single one* of your Jyotish analyses and predictions, *every single one* of your ideas about celibacy and its supposed value, and *every single one* of your ideas about the vedic literature and its supposed value are merely maya, or false images? If so, I count on you to do the right thing and stop presenting any of these things as if any of them were true, or worse, Truth. Leave that to whatever you think is *not* immersed in maya, and is not human. Thank you for your cooperation. See the following series of visual aids to help you understand the point that you were really making without realizing what it was: [Richard Heeks bubble sequence] [Richard Heeks bubble sequence] [Bubble bursting sequence] [ Richard Heeks bubble sequence] [Richard Heeks bubble sequence]
[FairfieldLife] Sunday Morning Drive To College Cove
Here's an inconsequential narrative, but it's illustrated with seven photos that I'm putting into a new album in the Photos section (College Cove), and they are the actual story, or at least, worth looking at for their own sake. These comments only augment them with place names and anecdotal trivia. Last Sunday I went out in the morning to see if there were any waves anywhere. The surf these last few weeks has been small to smallish (waist-high/shoulder-high) but very surfable, particularly for a longboard. But Sunday (and Monday, too, unfortunately) there were no waves anywhere; it was the vast Pacific Lake all up and all down. On Sunday, the last surfbreak I checked out was a spot I've never surfed before, called College Cove. It's just a couple of miles out of the little town of Trinidad and there's a small parking lot at the end of a short gravel road which tees off of a twisty, up-and-down, one lane road, called Stagecoach, that heads north from Trinidad. You take a small trail at the far end of the parking lot through the forest maybe two- or three-hundred yards or so, and there's a little spot to stand in the trees right at the top of the bluff; and from here you can look down and see if the surf is breaking. (see, Photo No. 1.) As you can see for yourself, it was calm and flat, but enticing nonetheless, even if not for surfing. There's a small, stepped trail leading down from the left of the view spot and it wends down the bluff through the trees. Flowers, ferns and foliage of all sorts shoulder the trail the whole way down to the beach. (Photo No. 2.) It's not too far before you glimpse the shorebreak at the bottom of the trail. (Photo No. 3.) College Cove is a lovely arc of soft sand and scattered sea stacks tucked into the redwood and deciduous forest that blankets the hills and valleys that meet the ocean here in Humboldt. This is a view looking south from where the trail empties onto the beach. (Photo No. 4.) Here is another view, looking north while standing among anemone-covered rocks exposed during low tide. (Photo No. 5.) And a sight-line through sea stacks to Trinidad Head. (Photo No. 6.) No one but myself. I walked along the curve of the beach and listened to the gentle crash of tiny waves as they made their own small contribution to the beach -- the lightest and siltiest of sea sand. At the far end of the cove, I started to climb one of the larger stacks, one with trees and brush on top, but after a while I thought better of the idea and made my way back down. As I strolled back to the trail at the other end of the cove I glanced back one more time at the sea and just as I did, the smooth, grey back of a dolphin broke the surface and arced quietly across the still water. I stayed and watched for another few minutes while two porpoises lazily dawdled in the green sea that lapped my feet. Never got that photo. There was work to do Sunday afternoon, jail visits with clients and reviews of police reports in an ongoing trial, and I'd hoped to get some time in the water before all that; but I wasn't dissappointed in the least with the morning that it turned out to be. Got in the truck and headed home. (Photo No. 7.)
[FairfieldLife] Rice Paddy Art
The 2009 crop at the peak of its artistic yield. http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/07/rice-paddy-art/ or, http://snipurl.com/n38j2
[FairfieldLife] Excellent Optical Illusion
No bent or diagonal lines; rows and columns all perfectly perpendicular. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_SqhhJb_P3Kk/R3hXizzEMWI/ACI/mf5nL9mi9Ro/s1600-h/bent+lines+illusion+trimmed.jpg or, http://snipurl.com/n38s3
[FairfieldLife] Re: Rice Paddy Art
It is cool stuff, isn't it, Raunchy? It would seem that the aliens haven't figured out the technology to do crop circles in rice paddies, yet. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchy...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: The 2009 crop at the peak of its artistic yield. http://www.pinktentacle.com/2009/07/rice-paddy-art/ or, http://snipurl.com/n38j2 Alien Crop circles in Japan? Nah. That's for the Brits and Americans. I especially liked the last photo. By the way, it's a chicken not a duck crossing the road. Thanks Marek.
[FairfieldLife] An Antartica year in 6 minutes
Time lapse video of a year's passage in and around McMurdo Bay, Antartica. The last few minutes are particularly stunning. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TemK6CF6lF0feature=player_embedded or, http://snipurl.com/n3hqp **
[FairfieldLife] Re: Rice Paddy Art
Nablusoss1008, crop circles are cool, no doubt about that, and I always enjoy the pictures you post. Only there's nothing convincing (to me) that they are anything but the product of human artifice. My disbelief in their non-human origin doesn't detract my appreciation of them. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: It is cool stuff, isn't it, Raunchy? It would seem that the aliens haven't figured out the technology to do crop circles in rice paddies, yet. Marek This is a real Crop Circle. What you posted Marek was merely child's play. The Mayan Motif Returns to Silbury Hill. This spellbinding event brings back memories of another wonderful formation also with a Mayan motif that appeared in the same field at Silbury Hill in 2004 http://www.cropcircle.tv/archives/2004/silburyhill2/silburyhill2004b.ht\ ml . Both these events could be making us aware of the date of the 21st December 2012. This is the date the Mayan calendar comes to an end. The sheer beauty of this new formation takes ones breath away. The location with Silbury Hill as a backdrop has to be of great significance in itself. Just awesome! Julian Gibsone (Director of our `CROP CIRCLES Hidden Mysteries' DVD) http://www.cccvault.com/cccvideos/trailer09c.html Images John Montgomery Copyright 2009 http://www.cccvault.com/cccvideos/trailer09c.html CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST CROP CIRCLE CONNECTOR DVD http://www.cccvault.com/cccvideos/trailer09c.html Image Steve Alexander Copyright 2009 http://www.temporarytemples.co.uk/ Images Jack Roderick Copyright 2009 http://www.thecropcircleshop.com/ Make a donation to keep the web site alive... Thank you Image Jack Turner Copyright 2009 http://www.chetsnow.com/signs.html Images Lucy Pringle http://www.lucypringle.co.uk/ Copyright 2009
[FairfieldLife] Re: Rice Paddy Art
Judy, I haven't looked into the technical stuff, though I know that you have and are, if not convinced of the assertion that they are the product of aliens, certainly more inclined to think that there are non-human origins of at least some of the art. For myself, the constructions I've seen (several score) don't appear to have been particularly difficult to make, and the aesthetic they reveal seems emminently human, rather than non-human. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Nablusoss1008, crop circles are cool, no doubt about that, and I always enjoy the pictures you post. Only there's nothing convincing (to me) that they are anything but the product of human artifice. Have you ever looked at any of the technical work that's been done, Marek? My disbelief in their non-human origin doesn't detract my appreciation of them. As it happens, I think aliens is the *least* likely explanation for the origin of crop circles. But there's some awfully interesting data of various kinds that seems to support the idea that not all of them were made by humans. If they weren't all made by humans, and none of them was made by aliens, what does that leave us with? Damned if I know.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Rice Paddy Art
Thanks for the site, I'll check it out sometime. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Judy, I haven't looked into the technical stuff, though I know that you have and are, if not convinced of the assertion that they are the product of aliens, Pretty well convinced they're *not* the product of aliens, actually. certainly more inclined to think that there are non-human origins of at least some of the art. For myself, the constructions I've seen (several score) don't appear to have been particularly difficult to make, and the aesthetic they reveal seems emminently human, rather than non-human. Agreed about the aesthetic. However, some of them seem to be more mathematical than aesthetic per se. Not that mathematics doesn't have a beauty accessible to the human mind, but mathematical structures, and their aesthetic, presumably exist independently of human conception. Not at all sure there aren't some circles that would have been awfully tough to make in the time available (in midsummer in Great Britain, where some very complex circles have appeared overnight, there's only about four hours of darkness in which to make them without being spotted--and there are lots of watchers these days hoping to catch them at it). There are other factors, though, in some of the circles that don't seem to have been found in those known to have been made by humans, including altered molecular structure of the plants, microwave radiation, changes in the crystalline scructure of the soil inside the circles, and so on, stuff you wouldn't know about without scientific analysis in a lab and that doesn't appear to have an ordinary explanation. If you're ever curious, this would be the place to start checking it out: http://www.bltresearch.com/index.php Plus which, people have had quite a few very odd experiences inside some of the circles, and there's been some weird animal behavior as well. There's just a great deal of *strangeness* associated with some of the circles. BTW, when I say nonhuman origin, I mean mechanically speaking, i.e., not a bunch of folks with ropes and boards tramping down the crops in the middle of the night.
[FairfieldLife] Re: YouTube video - Guru Dev sings 'Shri Charpata Panjarika Stotram'
The Bhaja Govindam's authorship is attributed to Adi Shankara, the standard
bearer and presumed embodiment of Vedanta. Whatever teachings it contains
would presumably be consistent with Shankara's vedantic philosophy and
worldview.
**
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, BillyG. wg...@... wrote:
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Paul Mason premanandpaul@ wrote:
Link to 'Shri Charpata Panjarika Stotram' ('Bhaja Govindam') sung by Guru
Dev
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbEDqdJSxoofeature=channel_page
Interesting that Guru Dev's teachings (in the song) sound more like classical
Yoga, he even suggests that samsara is difficult to cross, something MMY has
said is easy (obviously in order to promote TM).
Also, he uses the term OM-TAT-SAT in the song, which is an important term
used to describe Prakriti, Brahm and Brahman or; the Father Brahman (Sat),
the Mother Nature Prakriti (OM), and the Son or the reflection of Brahman
(Tat) or Krishna (also Christ).
I don't think MMY wanted to confuse the simple Westerners.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Cause of obesity in the tmorg
Excellent and simple common sense, Alex, and the application of common sense to most problems yields practical solutions. Eat properly, eat less, and exercise more. Most people don't seem to understand how often they have to engage in regular physical exercise to maintain a trim and healthy form. As you know, it makes a world of difference in everything else you engage in, including spiritual pursuits and practices. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, John jr_esq@ wrote: When one of the sense stallions get out of control they must be reigned in, in this case the gustatory sense in out of control resulting in obesity, poor health, and loss of self esteem. In jyotish, there is a principle called argalas which are relationships between the various houses or fields of life. Specifically, the 12th house is the house of meditation. Through TM, the 12th house is enhanced. As such, this effort affects the second house, representing food and appetite. It also represents money and cash in the bank. So, it is understandable why some TMers tend to eat much due to the meditation practice. Obesity is much better explained by diet than morality or astrology, and the solution to roo obesity is a change of diet, not enhanced moral rectitude or astrological propitiation. The TMO indoctrinates people with vegetarian dogma, which in some cases, drives people to eat the wrong diet for their physiology. Roo food is basically veggies, starches, and sweets, and people who are not well suited to such a high-carbohydrate diet will not do well on it. Generally speaking, carbs don't sate the appetite for very long. In my own experience, not only is the satiety short-lived, the hunger that returns is voracious. It's very difficult to not overeat on a diet that makes you feel like you're starving. By contrast, fats and protein are *very* good at sating the appetite. My overeating stopped dead in its tracks, naturally and effortlessly, after replacing most of the starches with a smaller quantity of protein. If one were so inclined, this could even be accomplished on a vegetarian diet with low-carb proteins, like cheese or tofu.
[FairfieldLife] Homeopathy parody
A 2-minute satire from British tv. http://www.videosift.com/video/Homeopathic-A-E-Mitchell-Webb
[FairfieldLife] Re: Homeopathy parody + There is no God.
Mitchell and Webb are great. These two clips are my first introduction to them and they seem to be directly in the Monty Python lineage. Thanks. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo richardhughes...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A 2-minute satire from British tv. http://www.videosift.com/video/Homeopathic-A-E-Mitchell-Webb Priceless! And good to see it again (even though it was only on last week) Here's another classic from the same show: http://www.videosift.com/video/There-Is-No-God-Mitchell-and-Webb
[FairfieldLife] Re: Homeopathy parody
I love the end when they have another round of homeopathic lager. Man, that's strong stuff! ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A 2-minute satire from British tv. http://www.videosift.com/video/Homeopathic-A-E-Mitchell-Webb Too funny! And, because I've never felt any effect whatsoever from any homeopathic remedy I've ever been given, this parody also rings true for me. The story I heard in FF is that Maharishi was asked about homeopathy, and he replied that it wasn't subtle enough.
[FairfieldLife] Smart Crow video
We've written about these guys before, but here's a video that illustrates just how brainy crows are. This is a first-time experience for the crow; food in a basket in the tube that he can't reach; a straight piece of wire that doesn't help . . . until the crow takes it out, bends one end into a hook, then fishes out the basket and retrieves the tasty morsel. Lovely. http://snipurl.com/me54x
[FairfieldLife] Re: Britian just an average joe...........was Most violent countries in Europe?
Both the Department of Justice and FBI include robbery in their measurements of violent crime. Is there some other measurement of violent crime you know of that excludes robbery? ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com , Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Robbery is defined pretty much the same throughout the U.S., the taking from the person of another by force or fear. By definition it's a violent crime. It is not included in the violent crime statistics in the USA. It is included in the statistics of violent crime in Britain, OffWorld
[FairfieldLife] Re: Dali Disney short
When I was little, Dali just blew me away, both his visual extravagance and his technique, which at that time was so far beyond anything I could imagine being able to achieve myself. Those turtle creatures from the 18-second portion of the film that reflects his and Walt's actual collaboration really stands out from the rest of the video, that's for sure. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: Excellent find, Marek. I wonder whether the folks at the Dali Museum in Figureras know about this and have it on display. I will ask when I'm there next. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A completed-in-1999, 6-minute short animation began by Salvador and Walt in 1946. An 18-second portion of the film, right near the end, was the only actual work done at that time. The rest was done from storyboards, sketches and the input from one of the chief animators whose job it was to work with Disney and Dali. As the hosting site suggests -- better see it quick before the Disney lawyers yank it from the net. http://www.monstersandrockets.com/2009/07/dali-and-disneys-destino-completed-sort.html or, http://snipurl.com/lqili
[FairfieldLife] Re: Dali Disney short
Thanks for the invite, Turq; with the exception of Mallorca, I haven't seen any other part of Spain, and I'd love to take you up on your offer. And let me extend the same offer to you should you wish to repatriate temporarily to the Lost Coast. My spare bedroom is still malingering as a studio, but it's available whenever company comes to visit. I just uploaded a picture of it to the FFL Members file in the Photos section. I'd just come home last week from work and the puddle of sunlight and the glow in the room from it, along with the whole composition with the two paintings (the figure from '89 and the non-representational one from '06) and the surfboard locked together was really compelling. At least, that's how it seemed to me, so I took a quick photo. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: When I was little, Dali just blew me away, both his visual extravagance and his technique, which at that time was so far beyond anything I could imagine being able to achieve myself. Those turtle creatures from the 18-second portion of the film that reflects his and Walt's actual collaboration really stands out from the rest of the video, that's for sure. If you ever get to my area of Spain, Marek (and if you do I have a 3-bedroom apartment and you are welcome any time), you really must visit the Dali Museum in Figueras. It's one of the 7 Weird Wonders Of The World. Dali was still alive when it was commissioned, and helped to design it. As a result, the *whole building* is a Dali work of art, not just the stuff inside. There is one famous room that when you walk into it looks like a weird, badly- decorated living room. There is a red sofa in front of a fireplace, with two paintings hung on the walls on either side of the fireplace. But climb a staircase and look through a large lens mounted there, and the entire room turns into a face. One large (the size of a basketball court) room has one wall that is entirely a Dali painting, done for the museum. There are sculptures, paint- ings, collages, and commercial artworks. The man just seemed to have an inexhaustible font of creativity from which to draw. Most fascinating in my opinion are the early works which (like Picasso's blue period) show that Dali could really *paint*. These were paintings created before he got into his surrealist thang, and are as detailed and remarkable-in-their-accuracy depic- tions of real life *as* real life (as opposed to surreal life, which may in fact be more real) as you have ever seen. Flamboyant and an egomaniac he was. One *major* talent in the art world he also was. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: Excellent find, Marek. I wonder whether the folks at the Dali Museum in Figureras know about this and have it on display. I will ask when I'm there next. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A completed-in-1999, 6-minute short animation began by Salvador and Walt in 1946. An 18-second portion of the film, right near the end, was the only actual work done at that time. The rest was done from storyboards, sketches and the input from one of the chief animators whose job it was to work with Disney and Dali. As the hosting site suggests -- better see it quick before the Disney lawyers yank it from the net. http://www.monstersandrockets.com/2009/07/dali-and-disneys-destino-completed-sort.html or, http://snipurl.com/lqili
[FairfieldLife] Re: Dali Disney short
Agreed. The early practitioners of surrealism were wonderfully authentic in their exploration of the genre and the idea of teaming any one of them with Disney's animation team sounds pretty satisfying. Two current practitioners of surrealism I'd recommend are Tricia Cline (triciacline.com) and Toc Fetch (tocfetch.com). ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A completed-in-1999, 6-minute short animation began by Salvador and Walt in 1946. An 18-second portion of the film, right near the end, was the only actual work done at that time. The rest was done from storyboards, sketches and the input from one of the chief animators whose job it was to work with Disney and Dali. Makes me salivate to think what might have been possible in terms of collaborations between Disney (or other) animators and any number of other artists. Picasso/Disney? Miro/Disney? Magritte/Disney? Klee/Disney?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Dali Disney short
My relationship with Tricia postdates either of our sojourns in Fairfield, and I'm unfamiliar with any of her work from her time there, though she's told me of some of what she did then. You're probably right about the innocence, at least to some degree, of course. Age, experience, and whatever wisdom it brings, necessarily lessens, or at least tempers, innocence. But I love what she does and the vision she has; and the temper of her pieces evoke, for me at least, a wonder and pleasure in the world that I appreciate and admire. And she's an entirely delightful person. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Alex Stanley j_alexander_stan...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Two current practitioners of surrealism I'd recommend are Tricia Cline (triciacline.com) I remember when Tricia and her sister lived in Fairfield, and I'm familiar with the work she did back then. Looking at her newer stuff, it's clear that she's technically more refined, but there's an innocence and softness in her earlier works that is no longer there.
[FairfieldLife] UCLA study on meditation
Another small study with 22 meditators of zazen, vippassana, samatha, and other meditation techniques showing specific differences in brain physiology from non-meditators. http://newsroom.ucla.edu/portal/ucla/how-to-build-a-bigger-brain-91273.aspx?id or, http://snipurl.com/ls506
[FairfieldLife] Re: Britian just an average joe...........was Most violent countries in Europe?
Robbery is defined pretty much the same throughout the U.S., the taking from the person of another by force or fear. By definition it's a violent crime. In California it is one of many enumerated serious and violent crimes; crimes that are strikes. The Department of Justice crimes statistics list only rape, robbery, aggravated and simple assault, and homicide as violent crimes. http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/bjs/glance/viort.htm ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, off_world_beings no_re...@... wrote: These crime statitics are BS, because Britain includes robbery as a violent crime, whereas most other countries do not (USA included.) Britain is probably just average when you take out the robbery statistic, OffWorld --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com mailto:FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com , Vaj vajradhatu@ wrote: On Jul 4, 2009, at 2:03 AM, cardemaister wrote: 1. Great Britain Worry not, the Religion of Peace has established as many as 85 Sharia Courts to bring coherence to Great Britain: 85 Sharia courts now operating in Britain According to the think tank Civitas, Among the rulings ... we find some that advise illegal actions and others that transgress human rights standards as they are applied by British courts. But to intervene would be Islamophobic. It might radicalize people. The next question is: In the course of setting up Sharia courts, did authorities establish any process for shutting them down, or did they assume that simply wouldn't be necessary? 85 sharia courts in UK, says report, from the Press Association, June 29: There are as many as 85 sharia courts operating in Britain, according to a new report.Academic Denis MacEoin, the report's author, said the existence of the courts practising Islamic law could lead to different legal standards being applied to Muslim and non-Muslim citizens.He said many of the courts operate out of mosques and their rulings are closed off to non-Muslims. A recipe for disaster, as transparency is a key characteristic of good government. If the courts have something to hide, there is a problem (even beyond the problems inherent in the letter of Sharia law) that should be investigated and exposed. In previous reports it was claimed there were only five sharia courts in the UK, working in London, Manchester, Bradford, Birmingham and Nuneaton.He said: This is not a matter of eating halal meat or seeking God's blessing on one's marriage. It is a challenge to what we believe to be the rights and freedoms of the individual, to our concept of a legal system based on what parliament enacts, and to the right of all of us to live in a society as free as possible from ethnic-religious division or communal claims to superiority and a special status that puts them in some respects above the law to which we are all bound.His report, published by the think-tank Civitas, includes a list of previous sharia judgements which he believes give an indication of the type of ruling being handed down by the courts working in the UK.Among the examples quoted are laws banning a Muslim woman from marrying a non-Muslim unless he converts to Islam and the removal of a wife's property rights in the event of divorce.The report states: Among the rulings ... we find some that advise illegal actions and others that transgress human rights standards as they are applied by British courts.
[FairfieldLife] Dali Disney short
A completed-in-1999, 6-minute short animation began by Salvador and Walt in 1946. An 18-second portion of the film, right near the end, was the only actual work done at that time. The rest was done from storyboards, sketches and the input from one of the chief animators whose job it was to work with Disney and Dali. As the hosting site suggests -- better see it quick before the Disney lawyers yank it from the net. http://snipurl.com/lqili [www_monstersandrockets_com] or, http://snipurl.com/lqili
[FairfieldLife] Another recommendation
Hibi no neiro, a wonderfully creative 4-minute short. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WfBlUQguvyw or, http://snipurl.com/lqje3
[FairfieldLife] Mantra study - Oprah.com
A 3-page summary at Oprah.com of a small study done in 2006. http://www.oprah.com/article/spirit/emotionalhealth/spirit_meditation_mantra_b1 or http://snipurl.com/l981n
[FairfieldLife] Irrepressible
Video, 3 minutes long, worth it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qRw1-y1Txxs or http://snipurl.com/jfbwp
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy: All Hat, No Cattle; was What is Enlightenment? - MMY
Like you, I've only read the few chapters of Coplin's dissertation that appear in a google search. I'd like to read the rest, too. And these titles, like referring to Guru Dev as His Divinity, all seem to be purely honorific. I hadn't heard about the use of maharishi as a pathfinder title, but I agree that it's appropriate should that be so. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Jay Randolph Coplin, in his dissertation on the history of the SRM, writes that in an interview with the then-Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Vasudevananda (the successor to Guru Dev's successor, Shantanand, and predecessor of the current Shankaracharya, Vishnudevananda, in Shantanand's line) -- Vasudevananda told Coplin that it was the Jyotir Math Peeth, itself, that bestowed the title Maharishi. Whether that happened before or after Maharishi began teaching in southern India wasn't written. It may have been an after-the-fact recognition by the Jyotir Math organization, or it may have actually been given shortly after Guru Dev died when Shantanand first ascended the seat. Ramana Maharishi's elevation to maharishi-hood was based on one person's insistence that it was the appropriate appellation for him, Ganapati Muni. All this stuff is made up anyway. According to the chap who edited the book Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi--not sure if this is the same person you're talking about--the title Maharishi is traditionally bestowed by followers on those who are perceived to have inaugurated a new path. But it's a sort of courtesy title rather than some official indication of spiritual rank, as I understand it. If that's all true, it would seem to have been an entirely appropriate appellation for MMY. It was an indication that he was a freelancer, so to speak. Marek, is Coplin's dissertation available in full anywhere, do you know? There are a few chapters from it on the Web, but I'd love to read the rest of it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy: All Hat, No Cattle; was What is Enlightenment? - MMY
Vaj, I've got no idea whether Coplin's comment is true, but it's the only thing I've ever read that explained the origin of the title for Maharishi. And it's not inconceivable that the honorific was given, in part at least, to reward Maharishi for his support (political and monetary) of the Shankaracharya lineage of Shantanand. The only thing I ever heard Maharishi say about it was that people started using it, and he didn't object. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On May 29, 2009, at 10:59 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: Jay Randolph Coplin, in his dissertation on the history of the SRM, writes that in an interview with the then-Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Vasudevananda (the successor to Guru Dev's successor, Shantanand, and predecessor of the current Shankaracharya, Vishnudevananda, in Shantanand's line) -- Vasudevananda told Coplin that it was the Jyotir Math Peeth, itself, that bestowed the title Maharishi. Interesting, nothing I've read by Coplin recently includes that, nor does it appear to be mentioned in any official movement history. Being a hardcore TB, I consider Coplin a questionable source. It also seems questionable for a low caste person in the Shankaracharya. It also goes against the fact that some Shankaracharyas refused to call him Maharishi, instead referring to him simply as Mahesh. I suspect this probably came from one of the bought Shankaracharyas. Given that the people I've met at the Shankaracharya considered MMY some sort of demon who was destined for hell, I have to question the utter disparity. With no independent source to verify this, I'd have to consider the assertion TB tinkering or just tinkering from the broken and embattled lineage of the north. Certainly the most reputable remaining Math, Srinigiri, doesn't recognize him. In fact the Shankaracharya of the south didn't even know who he was and commented that his mind seemed like a supermarket. None of the silence and bliss he loved to brag about. It would be interesting to see this manuscript. I've notice a number of questionable claims from Coplin on the web. It's curious that the manuscript can be found nowhere. Perhaps someone could post it to the files section?
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy: All Hat, No Cattle; was What is Enlightenment? - MMY
Not necessarily, but that's not the point. However he got the honorific, Maharishi certainly felt it was appropriate and never demurred. Many agreed with him and lots didn't. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On May 30, 2009, at 9:57 AM, Marek Reavis wrote: The only thing I ever heard Maharishi say about it was that people started using it, and he didn't object. Exactly. So someone must be lying.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy: All Hat, No Cattle; was What is Enlightenment? - MMY
You're right, I am assuming that someone other than Maharishi himself actually called him that first, and not that he introduced himself as a maharishi. That being said, I'm not arguing that it was some authority or math that first honored him with that. Like Judy pointed out, it's totally common for Indian devotees to extol assumed enlightened saints and gurus with over the top honorifics, and the idea that one of Maharishi's early followers gave him that designation out of their own reverence and pride. But you may be correct, too, and that Maharishi assumed that appelation entirely on his own initiative. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On May 30, 2009, at 3:25 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: Not necessarily, but that's not the point. However he got the honorific, Maharishi certainly felt it was appropriate and never demurred. Many agreed with him and lots didn't. Sorry to be a stickler but you're assuming it's honorific without any evidence to support that. All we truly know is that it's an alias (esp. since it's not the actual name on his passport). What would be helpful is to see a transcript of the alleged Cochlin interview or to hear an MP3 of a recording!
[FairfieldLife] Re: Marshy: All Hat, No Cattle; was What is Enlightenment? - MMY
Jay Randolph Coplin, in his dissertation on the history of the SRM, writes that in an interview with the then-Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Vasudevananda (the successor to Guru Dev's successor, Shantanand, and predecessor of the current Shankaracharya, Vishnudevananda, in Shantanand's line) -- Vasudevananda told Coplin that it was the Jyotir Math Peeth, itself, that bestowed the title Maharishi. Whether that happened before or after Maharishi began teaching in southern India wasn't written. It may have been an after-the-fact recognition by the Jyotir Math organization, or it may have actually been given shortly after Guru Dev died when Shantanand first ascended the seat. Ramana Maharishi's elevation to maharishi-hood was based on one person's insistence that it was the appropriate appellation for him, Ganapati Muni. All this stuff is made up anyway. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On May 29, 2009, at 12:46 PM, Jason wrote: I want to know who gave him the title *Maharishi* .?? Why does he put his bald head in all the org's emblems.?? I think he was a good meditation teacher, but a very poor Philosophy teacher.!! Paradoxicaly, I know many good philosophy teachers who are poor meditation teachers.!! All his titles are self-proclaimed. The movement spiel is that people heard a rumor at one of his early lectures in Southern India that a maharishi was coming from the Himalayas, i.e. probably suggested by some forward materials for the lecture. After that, he just assumed the name himself. According to one of the Shanks. he also added the yogi and was never actually trained as a yogi (thus the asana course made my a gym teacher). Joyce Collin-Smith, an early secretary, actually caught him adding His Holiness to his other aliases.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Rain (was:Mantra and Devata-One and the same)
The post from the Buddhist blog (below) reminded me of an article by Oliver Sacks in the New Yorker in July of '03. Relevant to rain is the last paragraph in this excerpt from that article: A dozen years ago, I was sent an extraordinary book called Touching the Rock: An Experience of Blindness. The author, John Hull, was a professor of religious education who had grown up in Australia and then moved to England. Hull had developed cataracts at the age of thirteen, and became completely blind in his left eye four years later. Vision in his right eye remained reasonable until he was thirty-five or so, and then started to deteriorate. There followed a decade of steadily failing vision, in which Hull needed stronger and stronger magnifying glasses, and had to write with thicker and thicker pens, until, in 1983, at the age of forty-eight, he became completely blind. Touching the Rock is the journal he dictated in the three years that followed. It is full of piercing insights relating to Hull's life as a blind person, but most striking for me is Hull's description of how, in the years after his loss of sight, he experienced a gradual attenuation of visual imagery and memory, and finally a virtual extinction of them (except in dreams)--a state that he calls deep blindness. By this, Hull meant not only the loss of visual images and memories but a loss of the very idea of seeing, so that concepts like here,?there, and facing seemed to lose meaning for him, and even the sense of objects having appearances, visible characteristics, vanished. At this point, for example, he could no longer imagine how the numeral 3 looked, unless he traced it in the air with his hand. He could construct a motor image of a 3, but not a visual one. ... Two years after becoming completely blind, Hull had apparently become so nonvisual as to resemble someone who had been blind from birth. Hull's loss of visuality also reminded me of the sort of cortical blindness that can happen if the primary visual cortex is damaged, through a stroke or traumatic brain damage--although in Hull's case there was no direct damage to the visual cortex but, rather, a cutting off from any visual stimulation or input. In a profoundly religious way, and in language sometimes reminiscent of that of St. John of the Cross, Hull enters into this state, surrenders himself, with a sort of acquiescence and joy. And such deep blindness he conceives as an authentic and autonomous world, a place of its own. . . . Being a whole-body seer is to be in one of the concentrated human conditions. Being a whole-body seer, for Hull, means shifting his attention, his center of gravity, to the other senses, and he writes again and again of how these have assumed a new richness and power. Thus he speaks of how the sound of rain, never before accorded much attention, can now delineate a whole landscape for him, for its sound on the garden path is different from its sound as it drums on the lawn, or on the bushes in his garden, or on the fence dividing it from the road. Rain, he writes, has a way of bringing out the contours of everything; it throws a coloured blanket over previously invisible things; instead of an intermittent and thus fragmented world, the steadily falling rain creates continuity of acoustic experience . . . presents the fullness of an entire situation all at once . . . gives a sense of perspective and of the actual relationships of one part of the world to another. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, BillyG. wg...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard M compost1uk@ wrote: Ah yes - sound chap that MMY! BillyG - by chance I was reading a post on a buddhist blog by a guy called Sachin Modeel (at least I think he may be Buddhist). He's discussing rain: And the rains sang their song, the same lyrics that I had heard since I was a child, yet this time I listened to its roar, intimidating yet graceful. And after many years the rains decided for the first time to ` speak' to me .. There's something about the rain that's beyond this world. Though it is noisy yet it is as peaceful as silence. The noise of your mind just dissolves in the melodies of the song the rain sings. Centuries have passed; poets and seers have sung hymns and poems praising the symphony of rain. Yet there is sacredness to rain which is not of thought, nor of a feeling that can be awakened by thought. This sacredness about the rains can't be written down, it is no to be thought of. It is not recognizable by thought nor can it exploited by thought. Thoughts cannot generate it. But there was a Sacredness to the afternoon's rain and every rain, which is untouched by any word or symbol. This cannot be communicated. But it is a fact. And I would like to take Krishnamurthi's quote to describe what we had realized, Like beauty, it cannot be seen through its
[FairfieldLife] Get out the vote! (Re: Sexy Time)
Edg, thank you for the kind words. You have a raw honesty that is wholly admirable. And as you've pointed out in earlier posts, it takes some time to become accustomed to the personalities that populate this forum. Some of my own early impressions of posters have softened over time. It's relatively easy for me to accept people on their own terms and to learn how it is that they wish to be perceived. Most folks want to be liked and esteemed. I look for what's estimable and likable and validate that. I don't value discord and cavil, and I avoid argument for it's own sake. I appreciate both yours and Turq's contributions to FFL; you're both good guys in my estimation. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung no_re...@... wrote: Marek, Aw, Marek, I'm such a sucker for your equanimity. Honestly, I swoon at your clarity. Ya makes my good parts vibrate like puppy tails. You've had to gently grab my elbow more than once here, and you're good at it. Confession: Turq's energy triggers me. I just don't like his way of slapping anyone's face anytime he wants to and then running away from the discussion and putting his fingers in his ears. Not that he does it every time, not that I don't do this too, but that he has done it often enough -- such that I should have, by now had a forehead slapping epiphany and learned to simply stay away from him. And there's the rub, I don't -- he still can say things which trigger me. I give him that power. That's a tell that I'm still attempting to resolve my inner roilings that can find me indulging in sublimating and projecting the negativity of my past into some real life situation in hopes that an outer resolution will give hints at how to handle the inner conflicts. In effect, I toss it out there so that I can get it off my front burner in here. Not that I haven't confessed as much previously, and not that anyone will consider my past in any way that is as balanced as your perusals of me, but it sure would do me some personal good if folks would take my concepts instead of my barbs as their talking points. But, yeah, my acidity can make it almost impossible to do just that. When I snark about Turq's predatory ways, I'm pointing to something in his life that I see in almost everyone's life -- including my own. Not that we're all cafe droolers, but that we are all capable of wearing masks to the detriment of others. If I am projecting my own predatory dynamics upon a Turq-who-is-almost-wholly-innocent-of-such-charges, what of it? That's something I should deal with, yes, but what of the issue of predation in general? As a writer, I fail at delivering the concepts if I am dressing them up with an untoward specificity that doesn't jive with the readers. I'm seen to be not only trying to discuss an issue, but I'm also pandering to some personal attack agenda. So, instead of trying to get a good discussion going, my striking out with such ridiculous overkill burdens the discussion such that responders cannot avoid handling my excesses instead of the concepts I've hyped. Yeah, I get it. I could write about George Bush's marauding, but there's thousands of bloggers with great insight and writing skills who have adequately deconstructed his brand of evil. But try to find bloggers who see in themselves that same evil. Easy to just attack Bush and ignore how it is that we are so certain he has erred stupendously. It would be incredible if most folks could easily see their inner Bush, but I think it is much easier to imagine folks seeing that they are not unlike the scoundrel aspects of Turq's personality. Smaller sins make the burden of recognizing resonance lighter. With 2/3rds of the world getting less than two dollars a day, it's hard to get someone to say, I'm part of that. My mind has abetted that crime. But the same folks will have an easier time seeing themselves more clearly when they pass by a homeless person asking for donations with a wave of a rusty coffee can. Harder, then, to slip into some rationalization. Ten years ago, I was so humbled by this young boy I read about in the news. This kid was with his father, and they saw some homeless person, and the kid asked his dad about the situation. At some point, the kid cut to the chase in a way that, to my thinking, had the power to humble the haught of most elitists. He simply asked his father if he could go home and get that extra blanket out of the closet and give it to this shivering man on the streets. It melted his father's heart on the spot. The kid was saying, This I can do. This will help. This is easy. This is simple. I have the power to help someone in an immediate and significant way. Well, the father, what could he do? Here was a guy who had probably passed hundreds of homeless folks out there street begging and never had
[FairfieldLife] Re: Just a hint, for those not averse to antibiotics
As re the apocalypse (from Wired): http://snipurl.com/gu9o2 ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: I am NOT a doomsday or apocalypse freak. I do NOT get off on imagining the worst as a way of feeling self-important. However, I am also the son of a man orphaned by the 1918 flu pandemic that killed an estimated 20 to 100 million people worldwide. Therefore my ears perk up every time the mention of such a pandemic appears on the News. So today, in the spirit of my old Boy Scout motto Be Prepared, I went to the pharmacy to take advantage of the fact that in Spain one can buy antibiotics over the counter, without a prescription, to stock up on one of the two antibiotics that has been shown to kill off this latest flu virus. I try to never take antibiotics unless I absolutely have to, but I like being able to get the antibiotics *if* I have to. So what did I find? They're already scarce. Spain has so far only had 3 *suspected* cases of this swine flu, and the pharmacy I went to had to try four different suppliers before they found a box of them they could order for me. So, just in case you have similar just in case plans for yourself or your family, t'would be better to act upon them sooner than later IMO. 'Nuff said. The two antibiotics in question are: Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) Relenza (zanamivir)
[FairfieldLife] Re: Has anyone seen the movie 'Earth' ?
Thank you for the heads-up. The trailer was excellent; I'm planning on catching the movie tonight. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rf...@... wrote: Wow! I just watched the trailer here: http://disney.go.com/disneynature/
[FairfieldLife] Evelien Lohbeck
Perhaps you've seen this, but if you haven't yet, you ought to. As on reviewer said, Not to be missed. http://vimeo.com/4116727 **
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Yes, same for me. Good discussion. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: Marek, Thanks for your feedback on this and related posts. They have helped me further my thinking. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_reply@ wrote: **snip If student independently elects and applies to a charter school that is upfront that: i) it has a silent time, and ii) DLF will teach students for free off campus for those who elect to do so, that would appear to meet the general criteria above. Do you see a legal argument against that? **snip to end No, that would seem totally acceptable.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
GrateSwan, you've correctly identified the two clauses re religion in the Constitution, the establishment clause (Congress shall make no law respecting the establishment of religion,. . .) and the free exercise clause (. . . or prohibiting the free exercise thereof.) Both clauses are binding on the individual states through the 14th amendment. The scope of the Establishment clause does more than forbid a state religion, and it does not forbid every action that may result in a benefit to a religion, but its goal is a benevolent neutrality in respect to religion. As a general matter, the Establishment clause bars government sponsorship of religion, government financial support of religion, and active involvement of government in religious activities. There is a 3-pronged test utilized by the Courts in analyzing whether or not there is a violation of the Establishment clause. To be valid under the Establishment clause, a statute or other governmental action must: 1. have a secular purpose; 2. have a principal or primary effect that neither advances nor inhibits religion; and 3. not foster excessive government entanglement with religion. The last prong is important because the decisions that have come from all the different cases that have come before the Courts show that the test is inescapably one of degree. (Walz v. Tax Commission, (1970) 397 U.S. 664.) So if you look at TM in the schools (not the DLF initiative, but programs that use public school facilities or staff to facilitate TM), you can easily satisfy the first prong (better grades, improved behavior, etc.) but you start to run into difficulties on the second prong, and you entirely miss the mark on the third, because even a cursory examination of the TMO history (and present structure) demonstrates that it is replete with religious imagery, religious language, religious beliefs, and a religious and philosophical mission. The state cannot become entangled with it because it would violate the Establishment clause. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Yes, same for me. Good discussion. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_reply@ wrote: Marek, Thanks for your feedback on this and related posts. They have helped me further my thinking. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: My interest in this is not about TM, but whether any consciousness-based education could be taught in public schools. And if not, why the first amendment would prohibit such a thing. The intent of the first amendment on religion is, as I understand, to clarify that congress will not establish a religion -- and that everybody should be free to worship or not worship in any way they please. It is elegantly and concisely stated. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; And while I know that there is a rich history to this clause, it appears to me that currently, there is a hyper sensitivity, almost a prissy cleanliness -- and a parental protectiveness to the whole thing not warranted by the above clause -- as may be the case with other clauses in the Bill of Rights. At times it seems that the Constitution has become a religion -- that is, it is treated as golden tablets from the mouth of God. I don't think that's what was intended. Jefferson as I recall was hopeful the thing would last 20 years -- before another revolution or redrafting of the thing. Regardless of the reverence of the Constitution as gospel, if one views these first amendment clauses in their own words, simply, without prejudice, the application of the clause would be far simpler and on the mark than where we find ourselves today. The primary question is Is congress establishing a state religion by passing this law. That leaves a huge latitude for policy -- e.g. , first it doesn't prevent the president for using executive powers to create a state religion, nor the states, nor counties. and, second it doesn't preclude funding a multitude of religions in that this is not establishing and its not a single region, but many. For the sake of focusing the argument, I will focus on the broader (and perhaps not contained in the first amendment) idea that government - at all levels -- is prohibited in establishing a religion. However, even with that lenient -- and perhaps too far stretched interpretation -- if an action is evaluated as to whether the gov't is establishing a religion, yes or no, the whole matter is seen in a whole new light. I think a mythos has created itself about the first amendment. Some makes strong statements that the constitution forbids this or that act -- when if you read the words -- it clearly does not. That view -- which I
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Right, but you can make the threshold requirement of the first prong by stating that the intention is secular, rather than religious. If, for example, the stated intention of promoting TM in schools was to create heaven on earth and have all the students act in accordance with the will of god in god consciousness, you couldn't satisfy that first prong. But if you write a proposal that directs the school administrators' attention to better grades and improved performance (that god consicousness and heaven on earth is going produce), then, at least for the first prong of the analysis, you've done all that's necessary. What most people realize is that even a superficial examination of the TMO reveals is a branch of modern Hinduism. One's subscription to any or all of the specific beliefs within that branch are, to one degree or another, optional, but that doesn't get it off the religion hook. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On Apr 19, 2009, at 12:04 PM, Marek Reavis wrote: So if you look at TM in the schools (not the DLF initiative, but programs that use public school facilities or staff to facilitate TM), you can easily satisfy the first prong (better grades, improved behavior, etc.) Since this tack is based originally on various verses in Hindu religious scriptures, I'd wonder if a possible legal tack against this 'first prong' in regards to TM would be to cite Hindu religious texts where the benefits of increased intelligence, etc. are all said to be boons garnered from the goddess one is internally worshipping, at the mental level, through the repetition of shakti mantras? They of course try to back this up with biased, poorly-controlled science, but the claims have been made (since at least 1959) before there was any science on the matter. These are clearly traditional claims and all relate to boons one will get from mental worship of goddesses (and gods). Maharishi's system of deep meditation has the capacity to improve the mind and develop it to its fullest capacity so much so that transformation of a dull mind into a brilliant scholar is counted to be an ordinary gain of this practice. Thus the meditation is more educative than even the present system of education, with all its glories of various branches of learning. _Values of Meditation: In View of Maharishi's Easy System of Deep Meditation. (extracts from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's discourses)._ 1959
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
A law setting aside a time of silence in public schools for meditation or voluntary prayer violates the Establishment clause when its sole purpose as evidenced by its text and legislative history is to endorse a religious exercise, and it thus has no secular purpose. (Wallace v. Jaffree (1985) 472 U.S. 38.) Public school practices conducted on premises as part of the school's program, whose purpsoe and effect is to aid religion, have been held to violate the Establishment clause. The fact that programs may be voluntary does not save them, either. The Establishment clause, unlike the Free Exercise clause, does not depend upon any showing of direct governmental compulsion. (Engle v. Vitale (1962) 370 U.S. 421.) Requiring public school students to salute the flag and recite the pledge of alliegance is invalid as applied to children whose religious scruples forbid it. The government cannot require affirmation of any belief. (West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) 319 U.S. 624.) The Supreme Court has held that the Free Exercise clause affords no right to a religious exemption from a neutral law that happens to impose a substantial burden on religious practice, as long as the law is otherwise constitutionally applied to persons who engage in the same or similar action for nonreligious reasons. That covers the prohibition of polygamy but not animal sacrifice. Ordinances that barred ritual animal sacrifice with the object of suppressing a religion that employed this as a principal form of devotion violate the Free Exercise clause. (Church of the Lukumi Babalu Aye, Inc. v. City of Hialeah (1993) 113 S.Ct. 2217.) When a governmental action burdens or restricts conduct that is religious for some persons (but not all), the Courts do a balancing test considering 3 factors: 1. The severity of the burden; 2. The strength of the state interest (the state interest has to be of the highest order, compelling, important); 3. Alternative means (can the state interest be satisfied by means that impose a lesser burden on the religion). American history is replete with government recognition of our religious heritage and with official expressions of religious beliefs. This does not violate the Establishment clause unless, in reality, it establishes a religion or religious faith, or tends to do so. (Lynch v. Donnelly (1984) 465 U.S. 668.) The Supreme Court has never defined what religion is, but it has ruled that religious beliefs don't have to be theistic. (Torasco v. Watkins (1961) 367 U.S. 488.) ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard J. Williams willy...@... wrote: Marek Reavis wrote: ...because even a cursory examination of the TMO history (and present structure) demonstrates that it is replete with religious imagery, religious language, religious beliefs, and a religious and philosophical mission. The state cannot become entangled with it because it would violate the Establishment clause. There is really no *absolute* separation of church and state. U.S. money has cultic images and religious statements printed on bills and coins. What about 'bowing down' or saluting the U.S. flag? In some ways, 'Americanism' is a religion itself. Government laws are permitted to impinge upon private religious practice for individuals. For example, state laws can prohibit such practices bigamy, having sex with children, and occasionally animal sacrifice, and the use of certain drugs, even if actions are part of a religious practice.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Maharaja Adiraja Rajaram speaks about religion and teaching etc
I practice TM daily. And although the practice alone may not be a religion, the TMO promotes a religious worldview and a religious philosophy along with the meditation. You don't have to buy into the larger TMO picture, but it's definitely pushed, and it's fundamentally religious in nature. There's nothing wrong with promoting a religious agenda, but it seems absurd for the TMO representatives to deny it in the face of the movement's direction during the last couple of decades. That denial, which at one time may have actually been the direction of the movement, now seems just one more example of its peculiar cult eccentricity. I have no explanation as to why the meditation, which I think is great, has nonetheless given rise to such a strange organization. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, enlightened_dawn11 no_re...@... wrote: and just to put the icing on the cake, those who like broken records keep insisting that TM should be a religion DON'T DO TM. its ludicrous, like trying to justify an experience to small children, who don't have the experience. why anyone wastes their time responding to this nonsense is beyond me. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, bob_brigante no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, shukra69 shukra69@ wrote: He speaks very directly about the kind of issues that some people are concerned about here, is TM a religion, what is the relationship with Hinduism, does a TM teacher have to represent the tradition all the time 24/7 etc. currently repeating often on the Maharishi Channel and you can find your time on the schedule. www.maharishichannel.in * King Tony spoke very well, saying TM is not Hinduism, because religion is a belief system, and we work from experience only, no belief required -- truly Vedic Science.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. But the gestalt of your phrasing was just great, thanks again. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo richardhughes...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: This page contains an embedded video of Maharishi leading a group performance of the TM puja, sur- rounded by the Rajas in full costume. snip Whatever your stance about the TM is/isn't a religion issue, ask yourself, If the TMO was proud enough of this occasion to broadcast it on its 'Maharishi Channel,' why don't they place this or similar videos on the tm.org website, so that all of the million kids they hope to teach TM to can see a preview of the ceremony they will soon be participating in? Possibly because they know what people like you would try to make of it? People like anybody. How many do you reckon would go ahead with learning, sorry initiation, if they saw this vid first. Ponder recent claims that kneeling is kneeling and that it's not really a bowing down to what these practitioners of the TM puja do at 09:35 into the video. The person who created the puja and in this video defines it as a ceremony TO Guru Dev, and the costumed leaders of the TM movement that surround him seem to have a slightly different interpretation of what 'namah' means and how to demonstrate it than the person who said kneeling is kneeling. Looks a lot like bowing down to me. But that's exactly the point. Kneeling is kneeling; it depends on the person doing the kneeling what it means to that person. This sounds really desperate. Put it in it's obvious context, what else could kneeling before a holy man mean? My shoe laces need tying up? Or maybe feeling a bit tired and in need of a kneel? Why should it be the case that if a raja thinks kneeling means bowing down to Guru Dev, therefore that must be what the student about to learn TM thinks? Is it some kind of magic telepathy that transfers this idea from the mind of the raja into the mind of the student, without the student even being aware of what has been put in his/her mind? And therefore kneeling is bowing down to the student even though the student doesn't think it is? Boy, that's some heavy siddhi these rajas have! Check out the paintings on the walls and the way that the room is decorated. Will similar paintings and decorations bedeck the room in which the students learn TM? Check out the scene at 00:35 into the video and the guy seated on a raised dias, higher than Maha- rishi, and how he is dressed and the offerings and adornments laid out at his feet. Dat's Da King, the current leader of the TM movement. Nothing religious about him and how *he* is presented and treated and his relationship to other people, right? Will he be present, complete with offerings and adornments, in the room in which the students learn TM? Again, is it some kind of magical telepathy that invisibly recreates the room in the video, along with King Tony, in the room where the students learn TM? I guess the whole point here is that they try to hide all this until you are in the TMO enough to subscribe to the Marshy channel or curious enough to go looking it up on the net. Here's a funny (and of course true) story: A couple of new meditators were one of the last weekend courses held at an academy in England before the scorpion- land amusement. They had dinner and a pleasant chat with the other CPs and then went to the meeting room where they were told what the programme was etc. The teacher then put on a vid of King Tony, after a few minutes they looked at each other, got up, walked out, packed their bags and left. I'd say we do a poll of how many would've learnt TM if they knew it was going to be like this but I think some of us might have lost thier objectivity.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
This might be the best summary rap about the movement. And you accurately described the arc of my own start in the TMO, too, uncanny. That's almost exactly the way I came into, and felt about, the movement. That is, of course, the one big reason why FFL is valuable -- not a lot of folk have this type of history. Excellent rap, thanks. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo richardhughes103@ wrote: I'd say we do a poll of how many would've learnt TM if they knew it was going to be like this but I think some of us might have lost thier objectivity. I was only 16 whe I went to my intro, and at the time very religiously motivated. I had been doing yoga for about 6 months (my friend and I did assanas in the waiting room before being initiated ,much to the chagrin of our teacher who sent someone out to tell us to cool it! I was kind of shocked when they taught us assanas on my first residence course because the teacher made it seem like thery weren't necessary with TM. He had been worried that I was doing unauthorized assanas, not purified by Maharishi's approval.) Having read the Meditations of Maharishi, the reprint of 4 SRM pamphlets before the intro, I had some pointed questions about God realization which were quickly stifled during the intro and again during the private interview after the prep. They gave me just enough wink wink nudge nudge that ALL my desires would be fulfilled with TM that I went ahead. But like most teens dealing with adults (they were only in their mid 20's) I sensed that pushing them further would not be cool. It felt a little weird and it took me a while to get used to the duplicity game of TM language. After the advanced lecture which dealt with God realization openly, I questioned them about their dodginess at the intro and got the whole wise shouldn't delude the ignorant angle. As a snarky teen I ate that shit up! Yeah, that's the ticket, I'M the wise and we just feed the scientific charts to the ignorant. I started doing intro lectures with the teacher that first year and learned the rules of talking to the public and how little we could trust their ignorant asses with the deeper perspective. So I was down with the religious angle from the start and would have more happily started without the SIMS shuffle routine. I was hardcore SRM baby! I enjoyed being an insider but I sensed the duplicity from the start and the mixed message almost kept me from starting TM. I wanted GC, not lower blood lactate! But the calming reassurance of the charts did reinforce that it was a real experience. On another level I did take the charts seriously, not knowing my total inability to interpret their actual meaning or scientific merit.Or the teachers for that matter, who were not college grads. It had a truthiness vibe that worked on me. Taking and teaching SCI the next year developed the double line shtick as an instinct. I was an insider now, a KNOWER of reality. Oh yeah! MIU TTC, more of the same message about the levels of knowledge and how to dole it out from my lEVEL. MY LEVEL! It wasn't that I thought I was so great because there were so many above my LEVEL that kept my ego in check, but it did impress on me that the public was on a lower level. It was US against THEM, and they couldn't be trusted to follow what was best for them. We held the thin golden line between the public and God realization. I'm glad everyone has more access to all the movement's teaching and perspective with the Internet. I believe that the movement's best PR move would be to embrace their cultural identity as Hindu-lite and give up the smirky we are just like you, impression. Belief-wise movement people aren't just like me. They hold a set of beliefs and assumptions that the general public either doesn't know about, doesn't care about, doesn't agree with, or has their own version of from their own spirituality. I heard one single refrain from all the reporters I talked to when I first got out of TM who had contact with movement reps. They all said that they knew something was up, something was being hidden and dodged in the answers, but they just couldn't put their finger on what it was. The movement presents itself to the public as if it has something to hide, something it can't trust the public to know, and that duplicity with its implied condescension, hurts the movement and the kind of public who might dig TM. Nobody likes a slippery Sam. But the problem is that the movement has run the double line teaching so long it has become internalized. Many discussions here take that form. Once you are on the PR language track, it has its own logic and vocabulary. And the movement is a master at keeping it separate from the Non-PR beliefs. So it is not
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
GrateSwan, I think you're slicing the baloney too thin, though I appreciate the intent to be rigorously objective. But it's not a Zeno's paradox thing; it's so clearly religious and in every aspect, *except* for the TMOs labored explanation/interpretation that has to be immediately inserted, which essentially boils down to it just *looks* religious, but it's really not (it's a science actually). That argument flys in the face of a totality of the circumstances analysis. If the saying of the Catholic rosary had provable, scientifically veriafiable effects on student's attitudes and grades, would that justify teaching it or having the students practice it at school? No, not under the federal Constitution. This is exactly the same thing. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. I have a questioning (same say questionable) mind. I am not defending any position, rather just questioning the logic and implications of your statement. What is the import of religiously based? Most things we come across, do, are involved in have a religious basis. Imagine the founding fathers saying a prayer before signing the DoI or Constitution? Does that make all our laws religious based? Ergo, are you practicing a religion when you practice law? US currency says in God We Trust. One could say that US money is religion-based. When I buy stuff, is that a religious practice (granted some things I buy are divine and make me feel like I am in heaven, but I digress). Wine .. well you heard my rap on that. Kneeling -- are hookers practicing religion? If research showed that kneeling created a mind-body response that makes one more able to learn some things, would kneeling in TM instruction be ok then? If TM is religiously based, should that preclude the practice of it (not explicitly teaching of it ) on a voluntary basis in schools a religion? If so, is that only for state-funded high schools and not state-funded universities? Are non-catholic participants students of catholic schools practicing catholicism? Do many of such students converto to catholicism? I am not arguing your point, and not defending TM. But these are the types of questions I would ponder if I were an appelate judge deciding the matter. But the gestalt of your phrasing was just great, thanks again. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Hugo richardhughes103@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ wrote: This page contains an embedded video of Maharishi leading a group performance of the TM puja, sur- rounded by the Rajas in full costume. snip Whatever your stance about the TM is/isn't a religion issue, ask yourself, If the TMO was proud enough of this occasion to broadcast it on its 'Maharishi Channel,' why don't they place this or similar videos on the tm.org website, so that all of the million kids they hope to teach TM to can see a preview of the ceremony they will soon be participating in? Possibly because they know what people like you would try to make of it? People like anybody. How many do you reckon would go ahead with learning, sorry initiation, if they saw this vid first. Ponder recent claims that kneeling is kneeling and that it's not really a bowing down to what these practitioners of the TM puja do at 09:35 into the video. The person who created the puja and in this video defines it as a ceremony TO Guru Dev, and the costumed leaders of the TM movement that surround him seem to have a slightly different interpretation of what 'namah' means and how to demonstrate it than the person who said kneeling is kneeling. Looks a lot like bowing down to me. But that's exactly the point. Kneeling is kneeling; it depends on the person doing the kneeling what it means to that person. This sounds really desperate. Put it in it's obvious context, what else could kneeling before a holy man mean? My shoe laces need tying up? Or maybe feeling a bit tired and in need of a kneel? Why should it be the case that if a raja thinks kneeling means bowing down to Guru Dev, therefore that must be what the student about
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Judy, you accurately describe the attitude that I, as an intiator, tried to project to initiates who did not kneel when cued to do so. You also accurately characterize your initiation setting as being religious (or religiously ambiguous), If the teacher was religious, that was OK with me, but I had no intention of joining his religion, if that's what it was. TM is religion based, just religion derived. You can practice the meditation without the religion, but under the federal Constitution, the meditation instruction is unquestionably a religious ceremony. I cannot imagine the TMO overcoming the legal challenges that will be made against teaching the meditation (which requires the specific form of instruction utilizing the puja) in public schools. It's not even a close call IMO. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. The point, of course, is that the person kneeling is the one who imputes meaning to it. There's nothing *inherently* religious about kneeling (e.g., one kneels in the garden to plant bulbs and pull weeds). Of course specific contexts narrow the possible meanings for the individual who kneels. But there's still a range. When I was initiated, I assumed the gesture to kneel had to do with showing respect for my teacher, to whom the ceremony was pretty obviously important. But I didn't see it as any different from the way Christians will don a yarmulke when they attend a Jewish ceremony of ome kind, or the way Obama made a very low bow to the Saudi king recently--sort of a When in Rome... attitude. It would never have occurred to me in a million years that I would have been committing myself to worship Guru Dev or the teachers of the Holy Tradition if I had knelt. That wouldn't have been what *I* meant by it. If the teacher was religious, that was OK with me, but I had no intention of joining his religion, if that's what it was. As it happens, I respectfully declined to kneel just on general principles, and that appeared to be fine with the teacher. If he'd *insisted* that I kneel, on the other hand, I probably would have walked out. That it was voluntary confirmed to me that he respected my autonomy amd wasn't trying to convert me to anything.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
IMO, I would expect that someone saying the rosary (essentially a collection of hail marys and our fathers) would be getting many of the same (if not all) of the salutory effects of TM. I'm not debating the merits of the respective practices, but the analysis under the federal Constitution, if such a practice would be lawful under the separation of church and state. Similar to teaching TM in the public schools, it would not be allowed. I like the separation doctrine, and agree with it. That principle is more important to me than teaching this form of meditation to public school students. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: snip If the saying of the Catholic rosary had provable, scientifically veriafiable effects on student's attitudes and grades, would that justify teaching it or having the students practice it at school? With the rosary, would you be able to say, We're just giving you the part that has scientifically verifiable effects and none of the religious stuff?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
[Correction: sentence should read: TM is religion based, *not* just religion derived.] --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavisma...@... wrote: Judy, you accurately describe the attitude that I, as an intiator, tried to project to initiates who did not kneel when cued to do so. You also accurately characterize your initiation setting as being religious (or religiously ambiguous), If the teacher was religious, that was OK with me, but I had no intention of joining his religion, if that's what it was. TM is religion based, just religion derived. You can practice the meditation without the religion, but under the federal Constitution, the meditation instruction is unquestionably a religious ceremony. I cannot imagine the TMO overcoming the legal challenges that will be made against teaching the meditation (which requires the specific form of instruction utilizing the puja) in public schools. It's not even a close call IMO. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. The point, of course, is that the person kneeling is the one who imputes meaning to it. There's nothing *inherently* religious about kneeling (e.g., one kneels in the garden to plant bulbs and pull weeds). Of course specific contexts narrow the possible meanings for the individual who kneels. But there's still a range. When I was initiated, I assumed the gesture to kneel had to do with showing respect for my teacher, to whom the ceremony was pretty obviously important. But I didn't see it as any different from the way Christians will don a yarmulke when they attend a Jewish ceremony of ome kind, or the way Obama made a very low bow to the Saudi king recently--sort of a When in Rome... attitude. It would never have occurred to me in a million years that I would have been committing myself to worship Guru Dev or the teachers of the Holy Tradition if I had knelt. That wouldn't have been what *I* meant by it. If the teacher was religious, that was OK with me, but I had no intention of joining his religion, if that's what it was. As it happens, I respectfully declined to kneel just on general principles, and that appeared to be fine with the teacher. If he'd *insisted* that I kneel, on the other hand, I probably would have walked out. That it was voluntary confirmed to me that he respected my autonomy amd wasn't trying to convert me to anything.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
The picture of Guru Dev has a halo, too, sitting on a throne decorated with specific religious symbols. One of the great pleasures of teaching TM, for me personally, was gently guiding an initiate from a purely material, scientific POV of the world, into the wonderfully rich metaphysical structure and philosophy underlying the meditation. At least getting them comfortable with the discussion. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing (even in hindsight), but it was more than a little deceptive, and it was an attitude shared by most, if not all TM teachers during my tenure in the movement. The last time I initiated someone, I was very upfront with my actual attitudes and feelings. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On Apr 18, 2009, at 11:36 AM, Marek Reavis wrote: Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. People seem to forget to mention that they're not just kneeling, they're kneeling in front of someone, who in English translation is the Guru God (Guru Dev). Hello? Great one R. and thanks to Curtis for SO nailing the becoming a TM Boy Scout experience. I wanted GC, not lower blood lactate! OMG, my spleen!
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Universities have all sorts of openly religious groups from all sorts of religions using university facilities to openly and notoriously practice their religions and espouse their beliefs. Using federal money to do so (other than facility use alone) is not allowed. Teaching the tenets of any religions under a religious studies curriculum is allowed. High schools are different because students in high school are minors, high school attendance is mandatory, and the state has a greater fiduciary responsibility to keep everything neutral for the greater percentage of the total population who are escorted through that doorway than the lower percentage who voluntarily (and as legal adults) elect to attend college/university. I think that the David Lynch Foundation is more or less good intentioned, but misguided (under the doctrine of separation of church and state) in their plan to teach it in the high schools. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: GrateSwan, I think you're slicing the baloney too thin, There are interesting if not important distinctions to be explored and understood, IMO. Let me try to recast them, the distinction between: 1) learning and practicing. 2) religion-based and the practice of religion. With just these two distinctions we have a 2 x 2 table with the following combinations: 1) learning a religion 2) learning something religious-based 3) practicing a religion 4) practicing something religious-based Add to this to voluntary vs required Required 1) learning a religion 2) learning something religious-based 3) practicing a religion 4) practicing something religious-based Voluntarily 5) learning a religion 6) learning something religious-based 7) practicing a religion 8) practicing something religious-based The Lynch program as I understand it, is only about option 8. Though much of the discussion seems to be blurring it all, with many of the other non-Lynch elements being bantered about as objections to his program. Lets take Lynch and TM out of it. Lets say its #8 for a buddhist-based awareness meditation. A) Should that be prohibited from publicly high schools? B) Should that be prohibited from publicly universities? On the latter, universities, should any courses on hindism or buddhist courses be banned? What if the course involves a field trip to see some temples. Or a yagya? Personally, I don't see # 8 in HS for buddist awareness meditation as a religions practice that should be banned from public HSs. An if it is, then I would expect a whole scale change and reduction of public university courses that have religious content. And certainly those that observe religions practices. In my view, if you are objecting to #8 at public universities you are cutting the first amendment way too thin. HS? Still pretty thing -- so thin its transparent -- hold it up to a window and you can see light. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. though I appreciate the intent to be rigorously objective. But it's not a Zeno's paradox thing; it's so clearly religious and in every aspect, *except* for the TMOs labored explanation/interpretation that has to be immediately inserted, which essentially boils down to it just *looks* religious, but it's really not (it's a science actually). That argument flys in the face of a totality of the circumstances analysis. If the saying of the Catholic rosary had provable, scientifically veriafiable effects on student's attitudes and grades, would that justify teaching it or having the students practice it at school? No, not under the federal Constitution. This is exactly the same thing. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Richard, the phrase in need of a kneel got me laughing so hard -- thanks for that. Kneeling is such an intentional posture; and the idea that it's just a posture, merely equivalent with any other, and that a person would assume that pose immediately following a religious(-type) ceremony (and on cue from the instructor), and not draw the immediate conclusion that the whole thing is religion-based is absurd. I have a questioning (same say questionable) mind. I am not defending any position, rather just questioning the logic and implications of your statement. What is the import of religiously based? Most things we come across, do, are involved in have
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
You miss my point: the practice can't be done on or off campus until the student is initiated into the practice. The initiation ceremony is unquestionably religious in nature and the fact that it can't be severed from the practice (whether or not the student ever sees another puja in his or her life) means that it steps over the line drawn, separating chuch and state. This is analogous to the fruit of the poisonous tree doctrine that mandates that all evidence against a criminal defendant that is illegally obtained by the state, and all evidence that flows from that initial illegallity (i.e., police illegally search a house and discover evidence that leads to other crime or crimes of the defendant), all of it must be suppressed and cannot be used against the defendant. (Easier said in theory than accomplished in actual practice.) If you can't teach TM without the puja, then you can't federally fund it in the classroom. If, however, a group of students who had started TM on their own began their own club, there would be no issue about that as far as I could see. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: snip TM is religion based, [not] just religion derived. You can practice the meditation without the religion, but under the federal Constitution, the meditation instruction is unquestionably a religious ceremony. I cannot imagine the TMO overcoming the legal challenges that will be made against teaching the meditation (which requires the specific form of instruction utilizing the puja) in public schools. And if all the instruction (including puja and checking) took place off school grounds?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
But you miss my point, which is that you *can* say with the Catholic rosary, that we're giving you all the salutary effects but none of the religious stuff. I don't have to believe in Jesus and Mary and a Heavenly Father to say those prayers. They're just words. They're essentially just sounds, you don't have to attribute any meaning to them. And if you don't know the english language, all the better, because that way you won't even be distracted by the meaning behind the prayers that the people who do know english and do practice Catholicism say they mean. It's exactly the same. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: IMO, I would expect that someone saying the rosary (essentially a collection of hail marys and our fathers) would be getting many of the same (if not all) of the salutory effects of TM. Could be, but that's irrelevant to my point, which was that with the rosary, you couldn't say, as you can with TM, We're giving you the part that has all the salutary effects but none of the religious stuff. It's not parallel, in other words. I'm not debating the merits of the respective practices, but the analysis under the federal Constitution, if such a practice would be lawful under the separation of church and state. Similar to teaching TM in the public schools, it would not be allowed. I like the separation doctrine, and agree with it. That principle is more important to me than teaching this form of meditation to public school students. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: snip If the saying of the Catholic rosary had provable, scientifically veriafiable effects on student's attitudes and grades, would that justify teaching it or having the students practice it at school? With the rosary, would you be able to say, We're just giving you the part that has scientifically verifiable effects and none of the religious stuff?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Deceptive in the sense that there was a hidden agenda. Maharishi's original and lasting intention was to spiritually regenerate the world. TM was the original and fundamental vehicle to accomplish that intention. With more exposure to the greater world outside India, and with the fortuitous results of Keith Wallace's doctoral research, Maharishi re-crafted the message, but the intention remained the same and, as Curtis so accurately depicted, many or most of the TM teachers understood that they were spreading a message and a practice that was greater and more important than the initial message we told potential inititates and new meditators. The first step (meditation) was necessary, but it was just the start. Again, I don't feel that it was all wrong, or done with bad intentions, but it wasn't very honest. I was willing to be dishonest for what I believed was a higher principle. I feel differently about that position now. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: The picture of Guru Dev has a halo, too, sitting on a throne decorated with specific religious symbols. One of the great pleasures of teaching TM, for me personally, was gently guiding an initiate from a purely material, scientific POV of the world, into the wonderfully rich metaphysical structure and philosophy underlying the meditation. At least getting them comfortable with the discussion. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing (even in hindsight), but it was more than a little deceptive In what way was it deceptive?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Yes, I'm not informed of the the DLF program particulars, so perhaps much of my argument is moot, and I apologize for speaking without knowing the particulars. But, for clarity: regarding the mandated quiet time -- is that something that's already designated in schools? Or is it only in those schools who decide to participate in the TM program? Is it that all of a sudden there's a school-mandated quiet time that coincided with the introduction of DLF sponsored TM teaching? If so, that would seem to be disingenuous, easily seen through by any reviewing court and likely to be disallowed. IMO. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: You miss my point: the practice can't be done on or off campus until the student is initiated into the practice. The initiation ceremony is unquestionably religious in nature and the fact that it can't be severed from the practice (whether or not the student ever sees another puja in his or her life) means that it steps over the line drawn, separating chuch and state. But that would mean, it seems to me (assuming all the instruction takes place off school grounds), that if a school had a mandated Quiet Time during which students could do some quiet activity or no activity, students would not be allowed to practice TM during that time, even if they had learned it completely on their own hook (although I'm not sure exactly how you'd stop them unless you required the students to keep their eyes open). Even *prayer* is allowed under those circumstances, as I understand it, as long as it's the student's choice to pray. snip If you can't teach TM without the puja, then you can't federally fund it in the classroom. It isn't being federally funded. Lynch is funding it. The only thing the school is doing is mandating the Quiet Time period in a classroom or other school location, during which students can do TM or another quiet activity, and providing teachers to monitor the period. I have to think there's some major misunderstanding about what Lynch's program involves here.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Correct, mantras are not prayers; that was not my point. And although they are semantically meaningless sounds, they have a rich history of very specific religious and ritual associations and meanings, not fundamentally different in how an adherent of either religion (Catholic or Hindu) would appreciate them. So my point was not that mantras are prayers, even though I understand that both are religion based, and do not exist independently from their religions, except in a very careful, and thin, argument. Again, anyone can say the Catholic rosary without the slightest belief in any of the religious underpinnings, and that is entirely analogous to the TMO's argument that the silent repetition of Hindu mantras after a Hindu puja is not religious. But under a church/state analysis, it doesn't pass muster. And I believe that many private citizens would and will object to its promotion in the schools, even under the DLF. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: But you miss my point, which is that you *can* say with the Catholic rosary, that we're giving you all the salutary effects but none of the religious stuff. I don't have to believe in Jesus and Mary and a Heavenly Father to say those prayers. They're just words. They're essentially just sounds, you don't have to attribute any meaning to them. And if you don't know the english language, all the better, because that way you won't even be distracted by the meaning behind the prayers that the people who do know english and do practice Catholicism say they mean. It's exactly the same. Wow, Marek. Ingenious argument, but fundamentally sophistic. TM mantras aren't prayers in *any* language; they're semantically meaningless sounds.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Well said. The seeds of later unfolding petals of knowledge (to use an inelegant time-lapse metaphor) were planted right at the beginning, I agree. The spiritual agenda was broached at the beginning, however it wasn't emphasized. You have to realize that we had to soften the general audience up for the preparatory lecture where we showed them the picture of Guru Dev for the first time, and touch, ever so delicately, on the Holy Tradition stuff. I mean, if they were going to be intitiated in a day or two, they had to be somewhat prepared for the the puja. But for those, like Curtis, myself, and many others at that time, we were looking for some hardcore hinduism and the teachers gave us enough reassurance that this was da kine to bring us in, as well. It was really well crafted at the time, for the time. Now, not so much. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: But Marek, the agenda *wasn't* hidden. In my intro lecture, the teacher was explicit that TM was a spiritual practice. I can't remember for sure exactly when I first heard the phrase spiritually regenerate the world, but I'm pretty sure it was during the three days of checking, most likely the third day. --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Deceptive in the sense that there was a hidden agenda. Maharishi's original and lasting intention was to spiritually regenerate the world. TM was the original and fundamental vehicle to accomplish that intention. With more exposure to the greater world outside India, and with the fortuitous results of Keith Wallace's doctoral research, Maharishi re-crafted the message, but the intention remained the same and, as Curtis so accurately depicted, many or most of the TM teachers understood that they were spreading a message and a practice that was greater and more important than the initial message we told potential inititates and new meditators. The first step (meditation) was necessary, but it was just the start. Again, I don't feel that it was all wrong, or done with bad intentions, but it wasn't very honest. I was willing to be dishonest for what I believed was a higher principle. I feel differently about that position now. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: The picture of Guru Dev has a halo, too, sitting on a throne decorated with specific religious symbols. One of the great pleasures of teaching TM, for me personally, was gently guiding an initiate from a purely material, scientific POV of the world, into the wonderfully rich metaphysical structure and philosophy underlying the meditation. At least getting them comfortable with the discussion. That wasn't necessarily a bad thing (even in hindsight), but it was more than a little deceptive In what way was it deceptive?
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Wine may have a rich history of religious use, but its general use is independent of any specific ritualistic use. The commandment of wearing undergarments for Mormons doesn't make Fruit of the Loom or Victoria's Secret sectarian choices. The TM mantras, on the other hand, are entirely dependent on the Hindu/Tantra traditions of India and have no independant utility outside those traditions. To the extent that TM represents the first use of mantras independent of that religious tradition, it's a weak example since the only argument is that the TMO maintains that it isn't despite most other indications to the contrary. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Correct, mantras are not prayers; that was not my point. And although they are semantically meaningless sounds, they have a rich history of very specific religious and ritual associations and meanings, not fundamentally different in how an adherent of either religion (Catholic or Hindu) would appreciate them. Wine has a rich history of very specific religious and ritual associations and meanings? Does that make drinking wine religions? The problem I have with some of this (wider )discussion is criteria is being used selectively for meditation when there are other things that meet the criteria but are not restricted for first amendment reasons. So my point was not that mantras are prayers, even though I understand that both are religion based, and do not exist independently from their religions, except in a very careful, and thin, argument. Again, anyone can say the Catholic rosary without the slightest belief in any of the religious underpinnings, and that is entirely analogous to the TMO's argument that the silent repetition of Hindu mantras after a Hindu puja is not religious. But under a church/state analysis, it doesn't pass muster. And I believe that many private citizens would and will object to its promotion in the schools, even under the DLF. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jstein@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: But you miss my point, which is that you *can* say with the Catholic rosary, that we're giving you all the salutary effects but none of the religious stuff. I don't have to believe in Jesus and Mary and a Heavenly Father to say those prayers. They're just words. They're essentially just sounds, you don't have to attribute any meaning to them. And if you don't know the english language, all the better, because that way you won't even be distracted by the meaning behind the prayers that the people who do know english and do practice Catholicism say they mean. It's exactly the same. Wow, Marek. Ingenious argument, but fundamentally sophistic. TM mantras aren't prayers in *any* language; they're semantically meaningless sounds.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, grate.swan no_re...@... wrote: **snip If student independently elects and applies to a charter school that is upfront that: i) it has a silent time, and ii) DLF will teach students for free off campus for those who elect to do so, that would appear to meet the general criteria above. Do you see a legal argument against that? **snip to end No, that would seem totally acceptable.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Science Of Spiritual Marketing (Is kneeling *ever* just kneeling)
Sorry for being so obtuse. Yes, one could be a TM meditator and not get all hopped up on all the inside dope that becoming an initiator, governor, siddha, raja promised and somewhat delivered. Not requiring the entire belief system in order to learn the technique is one of the reasons why there is some purchase for calling TM *not* a religion. But if you go farther into the movement structure than just meditating, you find out quickly just how hindu the mindset and expectations were. Not everything about Hindusism, at least at first, but the guru bhakti vibe (which I totally enjoyed) is a palpably religious one, grounded firmly in Hindu tradition. Puja and yagyas and animations of Hindu gods kind of reinforces the religiosity, too. What I meant about being reassured was just to piggyback on what Curtis had written at the beginning of this thread. For those of us who came to TM looking for god realization and not deeper rest, there was an immediate acknowledgement that we were on the fast track to the real thing by the TM teachers. They were into it just like we were. Autobiography of a Yogi, Be Here Now, Krishnamurti, Ananda Marga, ISKCON -- all that stuff was out there and percolating in the 60s and 70s. Lots of folks were riding on that kind of energy, and most of the TM initiators were riding that same wave. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, authfriend jst...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Well said. The seeds of later unfolding petals of knowledge (to use an inelegant time-lapse metaphor) were planted right at the beginning, I agree. The spiritual agenda was broached at the beginning, however it wasn't emphasized. You have to realize that we had to soften the general audience up for the preparatory lecture where we showed them the picture of Guru Dev for the first time, and touch, ever so delicately, on the Holy Tradition stuff. I mean, if they were going to be intitiated in a day or two, they had to be somewhat prepared for the the puja. And for most, that's as far as it went. There was no need for them to know any more about the metaphysics than they got in the three days of checking for them to make use of the technique. Did you as a TM teacher consider yourself a failure if your students went off and practiced TM on their own, with an occasional checking session, and never came to any advanced lectures or went on residence courses or got any more deeply involved in the movement? But for those, like Curtis, myself, and many others at that time, we were looking for some hardcore hinduism and the teachers gave us enough reassurance that this was da kine to bring us in, as well. It was really well crafted at the time, for the time. I don't understand what you're saying here. I don't know what was da kine to bring us in, as well means, or how it relates to what we're talking about. I'm still trying to figure out why you think it was deceptive.
[FairfieldLife] Scientific American article. . .
. . . on the decriminalization of street drugs in Portugal. In the face of a growing number of deaths and cases of HIV linked to drug abuse, the Portuguese government in 2001 tried a new tack to get a handle on the problemit decriminalized the use and possession of heroin, cocaine, marijuana, LSD and other illicit street drugs. The theory: focusing on treatment and prevention instead of jailing users would decrease the number of deaths and infections. Five years later, the number of deaths from street drug overdoses dropped from around 400 to 290 annually, and the number of new HIV cases caused by using dirty needles to inject heroin, cocaine and other illegal substances plummeted from nearly 1,400 in 2000 to about 400 in 2006, according to a report released recently by the Cato Institute, a Washington, D.C, libertarian think tank. Full article at: http://snipurl.com/fxzdt
[FairfieldLife] Re: Is this lecture being taught in today's highschools?
Most evil things aren't done by evil people, they're mostly done by clerks and minor functionaries, minuted by committee, stamped and approved by the relevant authorities. Well said, Guy, and important to realize. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, guyfawkes91 guyfawke...@... wrote: Perhaps many have been reincarnated from the previous period... The Samsaras of the Nazi Era, are being worked out in the TMO. Maharishi attracted to him, the ones with the most need in this area, to release the strong Samsaras, so that the consciousness of the earth could be 'once and for all', rid of these demi-gods. It is interesting to note, that on day of the announcement that Maharishi had passed, was on the day that Barack Obama sailed on 'Super Tuesday'... The torch had been passed... R.G. People re-incarnating from previous lives as Nazis? This kind of analysis is a complete waste of time, a very poor substitute for careful thinking. It presupposes that some people are inherently evil, but it fact research has shown that in the right circumstances pretty much everyone can be persuaded to do bad things. It's true that some people do find it easier than others to take on the role of camp komandant and get a kick out of ordering people around even to the point of having them done away with. But it's very much the nature of the collective morality of the group that allows that to happen. Most evil things aren't done by evil people, they're mostly done by clerks and minor functionaries, minuted by committee, stamped and approved by the relevant authorities. I think a more correct way of seeing things is to notice that as soon as a group of people develop the notion that their cause is so right that everyday ethics and simple compassion can be abandoned then they start down the road to unpleasant extremism. It's something that has been played out so many times in the course of history there's almost a standard script with established roles in the play. North Korea, the Bush administration, medieval Catholicism, the Taleban, Zionism, Nazism, Russian Communism, or the milder and more contained present structure of the TMO. They all share the idea that their cause is so right that it's OK to trample on the heads of other people. The thing to watch out for is any sign of harshness in the way a group deals with its members or dissenters. That seems to be pretty much diagnostic of the disease, and it's a symptom the TMO certainly has. But the underlying cause is lack of humility. These things aren't due to Demi-Gods who need to clear up samsaras. It's just a plain consequence of how human nature works in groups. Recent history, and certainly most the 20th century has been about learning how to recognize and deal with this unpleasant facet of human society. It's interesting to note that countries that have recently escaped from that kind of thing are quicker to recognise it and react against it than countries who never really been through it. I.e. the reaction of the Berlin audience to Schiffgens or the Spanish courts taking on the legal brains behind the Bush policy of arbitrary imprisonment and torture. Or even more mildly, Goran (from ex-Yugoslavia) taking on John Konhaus. Any group with a devoted following of people who believe their cause is right and who have a strong leader who will allow no disaggreement will end up in trouble. There's no need to use demi-gods to explain things.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Happiness is relative
Just to piggyback on this post as the bird threads are winding down, and because it involves a chicken. . . When first living in Davis when my (now former) spouse was beginning her residency and I was being the househusband so the kids would have a parent at home, I worked part-time at a bookstore. While there I met a woman whose uncle was a retired lawyer in Stockton, and who lived on a century-old walnut ranch where he had become a chickenhead (his term). My daughter and I had the opportunity to visit his ranch and it was an amazing experience. It was an original homestead parcel, 240 acres with huge walnut trees that must have produced a lot of walnuts and a lot of income still, a beautiful old home with lots of additions over the years, fruit trees, big palms, willows, and ornamentals, and (literally) thousands of chickens. The scrub chickens were everywhere, just hanging about and roosting wherever they wanted. Everywhere you looked there were chickens. But the good chickens had their own runs and roosts, segregated by types so they were purebreds, and there were more of them than the scrubs. The chickenhead lawyer told me at the time (1991) that his feed bill was close to a thousand dollars a month. We spent an afternoon (before the barbecue -- scrub chicken, of course) walking around all the different enclosed runs and it was amazing. There are so many different types of chickens and many of them are absolutely stunning birds. You could see how much he cared for his birds and how much they meant to him. He just loved to have them around and to take care of them. His hobby had grown to encompass other birds as well, including all sorts of pheasants and even some tropicals for whom he had built regulared indoor runs. All the birds had plenty of room to roam, roost and fly as they desired. It was an extraodinary private operation. The one memory that sticks with me the most as we were walking around his property was an african stork he had in an outdoor pen. It was a female, almost 6-feet tall, or nearabouts, and she was, apparently, in love with the lawyer. While we walked up to her pen, as soon as she saw him coming, she came close to the fence, opened her huge wings, and began this hopping dance for him that, he told us, was a mating ritual. He went inside and danced with her for several minutes, the two of them hopping, bobbing, and weaving together and obviously digging the whole interaction. He told us she did this everytime she saw him and that he usually danced with her everytime, too. For the birds. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, do.rflex do.rf...@... wrote: Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/biomechanic/3165721000/in/pool-farside
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Wannabee TM Teacher Test
Thanks for Ruby's story, RaunchyDog. It's cool how these little dinosaurs can have such an emotional connection with us. Below is a short video of an ultra-cute owl bonding with someone they obviously enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDHB-19-ZrU or http://snipurl.com/fot78 Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchy...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_reply@ wrote: **snip And since this is my last comment of this week, just a quick remark to you Marek: It's nice that you have observed that I do not use harsh words as often as before, nor do I ask Edg to get back on medication any more. Neither do I recommend a checking as often. The reason for this is not because I have mellowed (or perhaps a little bit) but mainly because I see these recommendations have no effect. Unfortunately, many of the anti-TM-bashers on this forum seems to have stiffled beyond growth and understanding; it's simply what they live for, they are getting old and in their desperation think that they have found an area to make a difference during the last few years of their silly lives. In addition some fellows here are doing their anti-TM activity on a professional basis, so why bother ? I find your interest in Ravens and Crows very heartening. As a young boy of about 6 I nutured a chicken-Crow that had fallen out of the nest with water-milk and bread on the warm floor of our bathroom until he flew away quite happily. Since then I am always aware of their activities, particularily their distance to me, the angle from where they appear and the particular sounds they are making towards my direction. Last time I was in Kovalam Beach in India a Raven settled on my head as I was going down the outdoor steps from my hotel-room and stayed there until I reached the ground. :-) **snip to end Nablusoss1008, regardless of the reasons, I appreciate very much the more tolerant posts you've been making these last many months, and only offer my encouragement. I love your crow experiences. I've had several myself, some quite profound; or at least, they affected me profoundly. When my son was just around the age you were when you saved your chicken-Crow, he found a young, adolescent raven under some trees that was hurt in some unknown way. Being a fan of Edgar Allen Poe at the time, he named the young raven Nevermore and attempted to do what you did with your fledgling. Unfortunately, whatever Nevermore had wasn't amenable to my son's loving care and Nevermore died within a couple of weeks. I discovered dead in the morning but left him for my son. It was my son's first direct experience of death and it was both hard and beautiful to see his grief over Nevermore's death. He held the raven's body close to his chest and cried, not in a child's way, but in deep and authentic grief. The raven had given him love and loss, two valuable gifts. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Jai Marek Such a beautiful story. Thank you. I loved and cared for a wounded fledgling robin for two years. Her name was Ruby. She had a broken wing and a broken leg. She couldn't perch but she was a very good hopper. She ate just about anything, meal worms, mulberries and green onions were among her favorites. A robin metabolizes food with amazing speed. When Ruby ate onions, almost immediately, even from three feet away, you could smell her onion breath. Her stomach was like a high intensity furnace. It was an a blessing getting to know all about her robin ways. I held her as she died and it was sad to see the light fade from her little robin eye. Ruby was worth every tear. I'm very attuned to robins now. I watch and listen for them every spring and when I hear, Cheerily, cheeriup, cheerio, cheeriup, I think of Ruby.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Wannabee TM Teacher Test
Totally agree. I love this stuff. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Thanks for Ruby's story, RaunchyDog. It's cool how these little dinosaurs can have such an emotional connection with us. Below is a short video of an ultra-cute owl bonding with someone they obviously enjoy. I can't get enough of these bird stories. 2 Years is a very impressive time to keep a wild bird alive. When my parrot taught me how to speak bird (mostly body language) I went to a private zoo and tried it out on a raven in a cage. It reacted to all the same gestures that work with parrots (closing your eyes when you get close and offering your hair to preen from a lower, non dominant position) In a few minutes it had its little back against the cage so I could pet it and rub it behind the ears. It is so funny how much birds love to be touched, they are so social. The appearance of a sense of humor and ability to be deceptive makes ravens and crows so charming and interesting. The dinosaur connection is fascinating. There is so much more to learn about these little elves! Here is yet another short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8L4KNrPEs0feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDHB-19-ZrU or http://snipurl.com/fot78 Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchydog@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_reply@ wrote: **snip And since this is my last comment of this week, just a quick remark to you Marek: It's nice that you have observed that I do not use harsh words as often as before, nor do I ask Edg to get back on medication any more. Neither do I recommend a checking as often. The reason for this is not because I have mellowed (or perhaps a little bit) but mainly because I see these recommendations have no effect. Unfortunately, many of the anti-TM-bashers on this forum seems to have stiffled beyond growth and understanding; it's simply what they live for, they are getting old and in their desperation think that they have found an area to make a difference during the last few years of their silly lives. In addition some fellows here are doing their anti-TM activity on a professional basis, so why bother ? I find your interest in Ravens and Crows very heartening. As a young boy of about 6 I nutured a chicken-Crow that had fallen out of the nest with water-milk and bread on the warm floor of our bathroom until he flew away quite happily. Since then I am always aware of their activities, particularily their distance to me, the angle from where they appear and the particular sounds they are making towards my direction. Last time I was in Kovalam Beach in India a Raven settled on my head as I was going down the outdoor steps from my hotel-room and stayed there until I reached the ground. :-) **snip to end Nablusoss1008, regardless of the reasons, I appreciate very much the more tolerant posts you've been making these last many months, and only offer my encouragement. I love your crow experiences. I've had several myself, some quite profound; or at least, they affected me profoundly. When my son was just around the age you were when you saved your chicken-Crow, he found a young, adolescent raven under some trees that was hurt in some unknown way. Being a fan of Edgar Allen Poe at the time, he named the young raven Nevermore and attempted to do what you did with your fledgling. Unfortunately, whatever Nevermore had wasn't amenable to my son's loving care and Nevermore died within a couple of weeks. I discovered dead in the morning but left him for my son. It was my son's first direct experience of death and it was both hard and beautiful to see his grief over Nevermore's death. He held the raven's body close to his chest and cried, not in a child's way, but in deep and authentic grief. The raven had given him love and loss, two valuable gifts. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Jai Marek Such a beautiful story. Thank you. I loved and cared for a wounded fledgling robin for two years. Her name was Ruby. She had a broken wing and a broken leg. She couldn't perch but she was a very good hopper. She ate just about anything, meal worms, mulberries and green onions were among her favorites. A robin metabolizes food with amazing speed. When Ruby ate onions, almost immediately, even from three feet away, you could smell her onion
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
RaunchyDog, the very first bald eagle I ever saw was in Fairfield. It was in the winter of '81-'82, and we (the young family) were living out on the east end of town, adjacent to a flower nursery and just up from Chatuagwa (sp?) Park. I was walking through the park on a grey, winter sky early morning walk. Snow was pushed up in big heaps along the roads, but in the woods the snow was pure white and maybe a foot deep with a little hard crust, so when you walked, you kind of crunched through, then sunk in. Walking through the trees while the sky slightly lightened and all of a sudden I see this adult bald eagle flying evenly overhead, never pausing to glide, but just evenly rowing himself through the sky right above me. I didn't know at the time about their midwest haunts. Seemed a good omen at the time. We used to find bald eagle feathers all the time along the beaches of the Olympic Peninsula. (In and around Port Angeles, not very far from where Arhata lives in Port Townsend, Washington.) ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchy...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Yeah, I was thinking something like that while I was watching the video. it's impossible not to dig being able to fly; and hawks and eagles have it all -- high-end flying ability, extraordinary vision, and an arsenal at their feet. And pelicans are pretty amazing, too. They fly in lines of 5, 6, and 7 around here, modern pteradactyls, low to the water, and each one *looks* like he/she is really thinking about flying. Even though they fly with total grace and pure confidence, it always strikes me that they are totally engaged in the process, too. Lots of considered adjustments to the flight, even as it appears effortless. I don't know how to describe it but they've got lots of presence. Ravens and crows are wonderful, too, very high guys. Marek, January 16-17, 2010 is worth a trip to Iowa just to attend Eagle Days in Keokuk. It is blistering cold on a windy day walking on the observation deck overlooking the locks and damn but, despite the cold, a real thrill to see such gigantic birds fly high in the sky. The Mississippi freezes but the water stays open by the locks so the eagles can feed there. They are truly magnificent birds. There is a nature center nearby where you can warm up at an indoor show featuring a live bald eagle you'll get to see up close. Occasionally, I spot a bald eagle or two by river towns along the Des Moines not far from Fairfield. Beautiful. http://tinyurl.com/cg4xeb http://www.keokukiowatourism.org/eagledays.htm I checked out http://www.neatorama.com/ Fun site.
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Wannabee TM Teacher Test
The falcon video was amazing; what a great feeling it must be to have that body. Your conures are beautiful. How big a bird are they? SInce you let them out, do you/did you find them easy to train not to destroy whatever they had a mind to? When I was an undergrad at UW, I had a friend in the art department who had two African Greys, whose names I now forget; but they had turned their destruco beams on all over her house. They were fine to be out when she was right there in the same room with them, but if they were out of their cage without her supervision, they would just begin to methodically chew window molding, furniture, appliances, virtually anything -- and just chew whatever it was they turned their attention to, down to nothing. Amazing chewers. But great talkers, too. And they loved my friend, Lissa, and that made everything allright. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchy...@... wrote: Geezerfreak, Amazing high speed falcon! 242 mph Wow! Thanks. Birds are such interesting creatures. If you get to know one as a pet, you'll find they have huge personalities. As I type this right now my green cheek conure, Chi Chi, is preening the roots of the hair on my head. Tickles. I only object when he moves from my head and starts chewing holes in my shirt. I shake him off and he flies away for a while to hang out with his girlfriend, Tu Tu, a yellow-sided green cheek I got for him last year. Nesting season is now, but I've decided to delay getting them a nesting box until June when I get back from vacation in Jamaica. I may be tempting fate, but I hope they won't have babies until the nesting box arrives. In the meantime, Chi Chi occasionally gets under the couch and makes a mess shredding the stuffing underneath the couch where he hunkers down and makes a low mournful, longing sound calling for his mate. Apparently, he thinks the couch has perfect nesting material and it's a great place to raising a family. Tu Tu thinks the nest should be behind the refrigerator. She is very quiet whenever she hides out there. If I can't find her anywhere in the house, she is usually behind the refrigerator and refuses to come out. I have to slide the refrigerator out from the wall a couple of feet so I can squeeze in to get her. Fortunately, I have a tile floor for easy sliding. Anyway, it gives me a chance to clean up the dust bunnies. I'll write about the babies when they arrive. [http://www.loriinae.com/Dsc01609a.jpg] Tu Tu [http://www.parrotchronicles.com/2006/yourbirds/septoct/lucy_yourbirds_s\ eptoct2006.jpg] Chi Chi [http://pics.hoobly.com/full/J2BBQDBLRE9BV69NCJ.jpg] Chi Chi loves Tu Tu --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, geezerfreak geezerfreak@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltablues@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Thanks for Ruby's story, RaunchyDog. It's cool how these little dinosaurs can have such an emotional connection with us. Below is a short video of an ultra-cute owl bonding with someone they obviously enjoy. I can't get enough of these bird stories. 2 Years is a very impressive time to keep a wild bird alive. When my parrot taught me how to speak bird (mostly body language) I went to a private zoo and tried it out on a raven in a cage. It reacted to all the same gestures that work with parrots (closing your eyes when you get close and offering your hair to preen from a lower, non dominant position) In a few minutes it had its little back against the cage so I could pet it and rub it behind the ears. It is so funny how much birds love to be touched, they are so social. The appearance of a sense of humor and ability to be deceptive makes ravens and crows so charming and interesting. The dinosaur connection is fascinating. There is so much more to learn about these little elves! Here is yet another short video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F8L4KNrPEs0feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDHB-19-ZrU or http://snipurl.com/fot78 Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, raunchydog raunchydog@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_reply@ wrote: **snip And since this is my last comment of this week, just a quick remark to you Marek: It's nice that you have observed that I do not use harsh words as often as before, nor do I ask Edg to get back on medication any more. Neither do I recommend a checking as often. The reason for this is not because I have mellowed (or perhaps a little bit) but mainly because I see these recommendations have no effect. Unfortunately, many of the anti-TM-bashers
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
Richard, thanks for the recommendation. I have not heard of the book before but I plan on getting it now. Crows and ravens are my favorite all around bird. Just a few months ago I was walking across the jail parking lot, going to visit some clients, and there was a big seagull tugging and tearing at a discarded bag of Cheetos. You could see that there were still a few cheetos in the bag and the gull was intent on getting them. He struggled to rip the bag but wasn't making any progress at all when suddenly a crow swooped down, bullied the gull to one side, picked up the bag at the bottom end, dumped out the few remaining cheetos and quickly gobbled them up while the gull stood there, looking on incredulously. It was beautiful. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Richard M compost...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Yeah, I was thinking something like that while I was watching the video. it's impossible not to dig being able to fly; and hawks and eagles have it all -- high-end flying ability, extraordinary vision, and an arsenal at their feet. And pelicans are pretty amazing, too. They fly in lines of 5, 6, and 7 around here, modern pteradactyls, low to the water, and each one *looks* like he/she is really thinking about flying. Even though they fly with total grace and pure confidence, it always strikes me that they are totally engaged in the process, too. Lots of considered adjustments to the flight, even as it appears effortless. I don't know how to describe it but they've got lots of presence. Ravens and crows are wonderful, too, very high guys. This reminded me of a review I saw a while back - a book about nothing else but crows and ravens. It seemed such an unlikely subject to me, but the review was fascinating and there was clearly a huge depth in the subject of which I had no idea. So I made a mental note to get the book. But like most of my good intentions, it slipped my mind until I saw you mention those guys here. The book is In the Company of Crows and Ravens by JM Marzluff. Have you come across it? Crows and people share similar traits and social strategies. To a surprising extent, to know the crow is to know ourselves. Corvid intellect goes beyond tricks and chance. The authors have witnessed a murder of a crow by its fellows. They've also observed funerals in which a mob of crows silently surrounds a departed member [not the murdered one] for a long period, only to depart without a sound beyond the flutter of wings. Quiet crows are unusual. They also, it has been learned, developed the ability to count. Tests conducted with crows indicate they can count to five. They also play. According to the authors, crows will slide down snowbanks or another smooth surface much as otters do, and with as little discernible purpose. Perhaps it's indicative that the Norse god Odin had two ravens, Thought and Memory as companions.
[FairfieldLife] Marek -- Consider this beast too (Re: Hawk Cam)
Edg, I'm with you. We ride on the shoulders of all those we interact with here. I recognize myself in Nablusoss1008 and in his deep conviction and love for Maharishi and the TMO I also see my reflection, though from a different period in my life. Furthermore, I've noticed over the past year a more nuanced and even considerate and humorous personality in his postings than before, and that is heartening, too. Insults and rude epithets, however, almost always dissappoint me, no matter the source. Coming from individuals pursuing spirituality they seem even more inappropriate. Ignoring them is my general rule, but occasionaly I'm prompted to comment as I did this time. Thanks, brother. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Duveyoung no_re...@... wrote: Marek Reavis wrote: When I lived in Davis there were a few people I met who hunted with hawks and it was not only fascinating to watch but I envied their relationship with such fine and regal beings. Marek, Hey, I liked your smacking Nab for his gratuitous besmirching of Curtis, but . . . I call you to take wing into meta-thinking. We see ourselves thrilled to ride the back of a hawk -- to imagine the POV of such a mind that can so effortlessly be a prince of a realm we can but dimly conceive. The thrill is palpable. Yet, miss not, that a hawk is a world class killer despite its status as a Lord of the Clouds. Nor would the thrill be diminished if we had a camera riding the shoulder of any being out there. Put me in the world of an ant or elephant, and I'm mesmerized. But, as I wrote above, but . . . Isn't Nab just such a thrill ride? Isn't he soaring over landscapes only he knows as only he can? Is he not a winged prince of his POV? Isn't each post of his a looksee from a camera on his shoulder? Do we not voyeur his strange ways, his strategies for mastering his alien world, his deep idiosynchronicity, his hunt? Surely, we, who pride ourselves that we've been able to peer into the eyes of the most feral of minds and yet CONNECTED WITH THEM, might be served if we can de-giddy ourselves enough to see Nab as equally thrilling to ride. Why not, eh? Note that we are thrilled that we've vicariously been able to identify with a raptor -- a being that feels not the least concern when it attacks and eats a victim alive. Surely we can witness the POV of Nab with the same aplomb and brag of the adventure we've had by riding one of his posts in the same ways that we are comfortable with how we took wing with the hawk? This is a lesson in identification -- we we are able to witness the most heinous acts without feeling morally pinched for having done so. The witness cannot be burned, wetted or cleaved, eh? Just so, I call to all here to ride the back of Nab, thrill yourselves with the world he sees, the world in which he's capable of finding the FFL's mice that he finds so tasty to rip apart. See his landscapes, his realm and CONNECT with him and feel the same pride you'd feel if you camera-tandemed with a hawk. Isn't he simply adorable? Aren't we privileged to view his life? Isn't it thrilling to, safely from the comfort of our homes, CONNECT to him -- know him -- pretend to be him for a moment? Hey, in the future, what with technology knocking our socks off every day, it won't be long before we can voyeur any moment in history. Take a ride on Hitler's shoulder as he processes six million Jews into greasy smoke. Um, did I go too far with that? No I didn't. All of us are identifying with POVs that would shudder a Sat Yugan's mind to a halt. We're all little alien hitlerettes who think we know when it is proper to kill and eat. Ask a feedlot steer if it has a view of us that is not unlike a mouse's view of a hawk or a Jew's view of a Nazi. Ask any angel about a Kali Yugan's mind. We're so comfortable in a world of hurt when we're not hurting -- yet. Identity -- it is a bell tolling -- a pealing tone that calls us to witness our own soaring adventures over our inner landscapes and shudder. Shudder that we filter out most incoming data, and with precise visioning are able to find our brand of mice, and, in doing so, we miss most of reality as much as Nab misses when he's targeting his furry meals. What a piece of work is man . . . Edg --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@ wrote: Hey Marek, thanks for the hawk cam! I like to watch the variuos hawking and falconry videos on you tube. I hadn't seen the one you sent before. --- On Fri, 4/10/09, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: From: Marek Reavis reavismarek@ Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:21 AM Turq, thanks. My main source for cool stuff on the net is Neatorama.com. They do the web surfing so
[FairfieldLife] Re: The Wannabee TM Teacher Test
Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_re...@... wrote: **snip And since this is my last comment of this week, just a quick remark to you Marek: It's nice that you have observed that I do not use harsh words as often as before, nor do I ask Edg to get back on medication any more. Neither do I recommend a checking as often. The reason for this is not because I have mellowed (or perhaps a little bit) but mainly because I see these recommendations have no effect. Unfortunately, many of the anti-TM-bashers on this forum seems to have stiffled beyond growth and understanding; it's simply what they live for, they are getting old and in their desperation think that they have found an area to make a difference during the last few years of their silly lives. In addition some fellows here are doing their anti-TM activity on a professional basis, so why bother ? I find your interest in Ravens and Crows very heartening. As a young boy of about 6 I nutured a chicken-Crow that had fallen out of the nest with water-milk and bread on the warm floor of our bathroom until he flew away quite happily. Since then I am always aware of their activities, particularily their distance to me, the angle from where they appear and the particular sounds they are making towards my direction. Last time I was in Kovalam Beach in India a Raven settled on my head as I was going down the outdoor steps from my hotel-room and stayed there until I reached the ground. :-) **snip to end Nablusoss1008, regardless of the reasons, I appreciate very much the more tolerant posts you've been making these last many months, and only offer my encouragement. I love your crow experiences. I've had several myself, some quite profound; or at least, they affected me profoundly. When my son was just around the age you were when you saved your chicken-Crow, he found a young, adolescent raven under some trees that was hurt in some unknown way. Being a fan of Edgar Allen Poe at the time, he named the young raven Nevermore and attempted to do what you did with your fledgling. Unfortunately, whatever Nevermore had wasn't amenable to my son's loving care and Nevermore died within a couple of weeks. I discovered dead in the morning but left him for my son. It was my son's first direct experience of death and it was both hard and beautiful to see his grief over Nevermore's death. He held the raven's body close to his chest and cried, not in a child's way, but in deep and authentic grief. The raven had given him love and loss, two valuable gifts. Thanks for sharing your experiences. Jai Marek
[FairfieldLife] Hawk Cam
A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APViUODDhT0
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
Nablusoss1008, the added insult re Curtis in your comment was entirely gratuitous. I shared with FFL and you as a member of this online community an item of interest and beauty and you have detracted from it with that uncalled for remark. For what it's worth, there is no one on this forum for whom I have greater respect and admiration than Curtis. His current POV re Maharishi and the TMO and your issues re that POV notwithstanding, he is your gurubhai and you do yourself and others a disservice by your insult. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APViUODDhT0 Nice video, but the music is so poor that Curtis could have been behind it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
Turq, thanks. My main source for cool stuff on the net is Neatorama.com. They do the web surfing so you don't have to. I check them every morning to see what cool stuff is out there. The hawk cam was a bit disorienting but that final swoop down to the gloved hand was really fine. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APViUODDhT0 You find just the *best* videos, dude. I once wrote a story that featured a hawk named Garuda who did aerobatics for fun. Now I know what it would have looked like from his point of view.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
Mike, you seem to know a lot more about raptors than I. (On second thought, I guess that isn't much of an accomplishment.) You knew that the hawk in the video wasn't a peregrine, at least. Have you, or do you, have hawks? When I lived in Davis there were a few people I met who hunted with hawks and it was not only fascinating to watch but I envied their relationship with such fine and regal beings. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6...@... wrote: Hey Marek, thanks for the hawk cam! I like to watch the variuos hawking and falconry videos on you tube. I hadn't seen the one you sent before. --- On Fri, 4/10/09, Marek Reavis reavisma...@... wrote: From: Marek Reavis reavisma...@... Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:21 AM Turq, thanks. My main source for cool stuff on the net is Neatorama.com. They do the web surfing so you don't have to. I check them every morning to see what cool stuff is out there. The hawk cam was a bit disorienting but that final swoop down to the gloved hand was really fine. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ . wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=APViUODDhT0 You find just the *best* videos, dude. I once wrote a story that featured a hawk named Garuda who did aerobatics for fun. Now I know what it would have looked like from his point of view.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
Yeah, I was thinking something like that while I was watching the video. it's impossible not to dig being able to fly; and hawks and eagles have it all -- high-end flying ability, extraordinary vision, and an arsenal at their feet. And pelicans are pretty amazing, too. They fly in lines of 5, 6, and 7 around here, modern pteradactyls, low to the water, and each one *looks* like he/she is really thinking about flying. Even though they fly with total grace and pure confidence, it always strikes me that they are totally engaged in the process, too. Lots of considered adjustments to the flight, even as it appears effortless. I don't know how to describe it but they've got lots of presence. Ravens and crows are wonderful, too, very high guys. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, curtisdeltablues curtisdeltabl...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Your defense is much appreciated Marek and everything you wrote could have been written by me about you. That Nablusoss1008 would attempt to make any connection between my music and the video's music style kinda says it all. Great video. I was thinking that the missing component that they could include in a virtual reality mask, is the super normal vision of the predator birds. I would love to see the world as they do. My friend put is well when we were discussing bird's vision, he said Can you imagine how sharp your eyes have be to fly between tree branches! Nablusoss1008, the added insult re Curtis in your comment was entirely gratuitous. I shared with FFL and you as a member of this online community an item of interest and beauty and you have detracted from it with that uncalled for remark. For what it's worth, there is no one on this forum for whom I have greater respect and admiration than Curtis. His current POV re Maharishi and the TMO and your issues re that POV notwithstanding, he is your gurubhai and you do yourself and others a disservice by your insult. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, nablusoss1008 no_reply@ wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APViUODDhT0 Nice video, but the music is so poor that Curtis could have been behind it.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam
That sounds really fine, Mike. Where do you live? If I remember correctly, in California you have to have a permit to trap and train a raptor. Is that true where you live? Perhaps I have it wrong. Of the types you mentioned (Merlin, Peregrines, and Goshawks) which one would you prefer to train? Marek --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6...@... wrote: I used to be into falconry back in the 60's and since I just retired, I have nothing but loads of time ,so I'm getting back into it. I'm going to the beach tomorrow to watch the return migration of Peregrines and Merlins. I'll probably trap a few and let them go. They really are cool birds. I'll keep a young one next Fall when they pass through again to train for hunting. There is another You Tube video of a Goshawk flying in a forest with a camera mounted on it's back. It's amazing how they can manuver through a forest at such a high rate of speed. Mike --- On Fri, 4/10/09, Marek Reavis reavisma...@... wrote: From: Marek Reavis reavisma...@... Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam To: FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com Date: Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:48 AM Mike, you seem to know a lot more about raptors than I. (On second thought, I guess that isn't much of an accomplishment. ) You knew that the hawk in the video wasn't a peregrine, at least. Have you, or do you, have hawks? When I lived in Davis there were a few people I met who hunted with hawks and it was not only fascinating to watch but I envied their relationship with such fine and regal beings. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Mike Dixon mdixon.6569@ ... wrote: Hey Marek, thanks for the hawk cam! I like to watch the variuos hawking and falconry videos on you tube. I hadn't seen the one you sent before. --- On Fri, 4/10/09, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ ... wrote: From: Marek Reavis reavismarek@ ... Subject: [FairfieldLife] Re: Hawk Cam To: FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com Date: Friday, April 10, 2009, 12:21 AM Turq, thanks. My main source for cool stuff on the net is Neatorama.com. They do the web surfing so you don't have to. I check them every morning to see what cool stuff is out there. The hawk cam was a bit disorienting but that final swoop down to the gloved hand was really fine. Marek ** --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, TurquoiseB no_reply@ . wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@ yahoogroups. com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A small videocam strapped to a hawk. Almost 8 minutes long. The final swoop and dive hits the spot. http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=APViUODDhT0 You find just the *best* videos, dude. I once wrote a story that featured a hawk named Garuda who did aerobatics for fun. Now I know what it would have looked like from his point of view.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Raam Navami - Friday, 3 April
Perhaps they will share videos of the TMO's celebrations of Lord Rama's birthday at the David Lynch concert. That would put a lid on all the controversy. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, michael vedamer...@... wrote: Tomorrow, Friday, will be Raam Navami - Rama's Birthday. In the morning will be for the last time the Navaratri Puja, beginning at 5:45h in the morning (Holland summer time) live from the Brahmasthan of India. Then at 13:45h (Holland time) will start Rasthra Geet and at 14:00h the Raam Navami Puja will start live from the Brahmasthan of India. This Puja will take around 1 1/2 - 2 h. A'wards Maharishi's Raam Navami speech of 2007 will be played. Happy Raam Navami Jai Guru Dev
[FairfieldLife] Re: Paxil (anti-shy drug)
Comment below: ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj vajradh...@... wrote: On Mar 31, 2009, at 9:12 AM, Kirk wrote: Vaj, still it! I can tell you the two things aren't similar sensations. Well, maybe similar but they effect different parts of the brain. But keep dreaming. Kundalini is a more wholistic wavefront than the Zaps! Are you getting the zaps? The guy in the article made it sound more generalized, like a static blanket being drawn over the head. Interestingly the most famous scientific researcher on prana, Wilhelm Reich MD, felt there was a connection between static electricity and manifestations of prana. IME when the nadis reweave or reset, it feels like a wave of static passing through the body. The visual I get is like a living mercury stream through these rivulets throughout the body. When this has happened to me, I was, each time cured of a particular ailment. **end FWIW, occasionally (and for years) while in meditation I'll get a zap of electricity, burst of bright light, and a precise geometric design momentarily flash in my awareness; different design each time (I believe) but composed primarily of orthagonals arranged either in a tessellated or matrix pattern -- not mandalas, complete and whole in themselves, but more like a portion of a larger pattern. Not necessarily pleasant, but not unpleasant either; more surprising (and shocking, literally). Accompanied by a popping sound.
[FairfieldLife] Barcelona in 1908
A charming 7-minute YouTube video taken from a trolley car along different routes in Barcelona about 100 years ago. http://tinyurl.com/c4t8f2 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJdwzY1o7k8
[FairfieldLife] Re: Barcelona in 1908
Before I posted the video I googled to see how far Sitges was from Mundaka, one of the premiere big wave surf breaks, to give you a heads-up if it was close by; but it's almost 6 hours away, driving time, from you. And the women wear far less clothing. - So at least some progress has been made over the intervening years. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, TurquoiseB no_re...@... wrote: --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: A charming 7-minute YouTube video taken from a trolley car along different routes in Barcelona about 100 years ago. http://tinyurl.com/c4t8f2 or http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJdwzY1o7k8 Cool. I know most of these streets. Interestingly, many of the buildings you see in this over-100-years-old film clip are still there. The streets are now more full of cars and less full of bicycles, but they're the same streets. No more trolley cars. Buses and subways, these days. And the women wear far less clothing.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Broken down in Striped Butte Valley
--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, yifuxero yifux...@... wrote: http://www.flickr.com/photos/bcgreeneiv/641082502/ ** Death Valley is one entirely beautiful place. I've backpacked several times at the north end, east of Big Pine around the big Eureka sand dunes and the Panamint Range. Cosmic.
[FairfieldLife] 3 Delightful Links
First, from Improv Everywhere, a great performance art group; this one more subtle than some other of their work, but nonetheless, a real gem. http://improveverywhere.com/2009/03/18/subway-art-gallery-opening/ or, http://snipurl.com/e59ka Next, a YouTube link to LED-augmented, extreme sheep herding by the B-stards. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2FX9rviEhw or, http://snipurl.com/e59os Last is a link to some very cool green roofs around the world at Eco Salon. http://www.ecosalon.com/high-tech-green-roof-technology-in-architecture/ or, http://snipurl.com/e59w4 Enjoy.
[FairfieldLife] Re: Meditation and Drug-use Pollicy
Thanks, Sal. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Sal Sunshine salsunsh...@... wrote: Marek Reavis reavismarek@ wrote: Most people who've been participants in the criminal justice system as defendants, have had pretty shitty lives, are used to be shit on, and frequently (and not surprisingly) have internalized all that shit and believe it to be true. They've been told that their whole lives and in the context of the criminal proceedings, the same message is being given. But I know that there is very little difference between them and me, and that difference I don't perceive as being that substantive. Attention is love A beautiful observation, Marek...and so true. Sal
[FairfieldLife] Re: Eliminate Congress?
Appealing in many respects, but scary, too, inasmuch as it would allow what William Burke referred to as the tyranny of the majority, which the current system of republican government and the checks and balances of the three branches of government in the US Constitution, keeps more or less at bay. ** --- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Rick Archer r...@... wrote: Idea from a friend: rick, i think we need to evolve our republic into a democracy. we have the technology now to eliminate congress entirely and let the citizens do their own voting on everything - like in some european countries. in sweden, for example, the residents vote on their t.v. every month for or against even little things, like a new stop sign in their neighborhood. they're having great success with it as they have total say in how their government is run and their tax money is spent, and it's being spent wisely. their lifestyle has surpassed ours because they have a true democracy, not a republic. i think at some point this is an idea whose time is coming in the usa ... and there's no stopping an idea whose time has come, especially with the advent of the computer age. trouble is, how do you start a movement that would be the beginning of the end of congress? i don't think writing your congressman would do any good. he's not going to be for eliminating his own job, or letting us vote down his raises he himself approves. how would we start a movement to allow voting via interactive t.v. or computer? if we could get one town to use their t.v. or computer to vote, it would spread and the rest would happen automatically and congress would become obsolete at some point, because there would be no need to have representatives vote for us when we can vote ourselves. if you really want to change the world, save the seals, polar bears and stop global warming, this would do it. make sense? this has been a pet peeve of mine for many years because congress is the problem. the house of representatives is a remnant from the colonial day when the only way to communicate our vote to washington was to send a representative. that need no longer exists. nowadays, everyone knows congress represent special interest groups and not the people who elect them. maybe we should just get the word out like this and start a movement to let people vote from home. hasn't the time come? bob
[FairfieldLife] Check out this guy's portfolio
Clark Little, a fellow who takes photos similar to the ones Rick posted of the celestial pictures of Iowa; but Little finds his heaven in the barrel, which is perfectly understandable. http://www.clarklittlephotography.com/main/gallery_images?type=2
