The Consensus Political Spectrum

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On a Short Leash

On a Short Leash

Did you hear about that Buddhist couple who're never more than 15 feet apart?

Of all the relationship experiments ever tried—polygamy, wife-swapping, no-fault divorce, open marriage—the one described in the May 15 New York Times might be the most perverse. For 10 years, Michael Roach and Christie McNally have been together—for every single minute. The two never stray more than 15 feet from each other.

When they eat, they share a plate. When they read, they share the book—the faster reader waiting for the slower to finish the page. When they do yoga, they inhale and exhale together. When "he is inspired by an idea in the middle of the night, she rises from their bed and follows him to their office 100 yards down the road, so he can work." Oh, and did we mention that 1) they live in a yurt in the Arizona desert and 2) they're celibate?

Nooooooo. Captain Cook and I can barely stay in the same zip code at times.

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Words for Buddhist Livin'

Words for Buddhist Livin’

Three quotations from Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche, from Ocean of Dharma: 365 Teachings on Living Life with Courage and Compassion.

The Lion’s Roar

The lion’s roar is the fearless proclamation that any state of mind, including the emotions, is a workable situation, a reminder in the practice of meditation. We realize that chaotic situations must not be rejected. Nor should we regard them as regressive, as a return to confusion. We must respect whatever happens in our state of mind. Chaos should be regarded as extremely good news.

All-Encompassing Friendship

Maitri could be translated as “love,” “kindness,” or “a friendly attitude.” Having a friendly attitude means that, when you make friends with someone, you accept the neurosis of that friend as well as the sanity of that friend. You accept both extremes of your friend’s basic makeup as resources for friendship. If you make friends with someone because you only like certain parts of that friend, then it is not complete friendship, but partial friendship. So maitri is all-encompassing friendship, friendship which relates with the creativity as well as the destructiveness of nature.

Full Moon in Your Heart

The teacher, or the spiritual friend, enters your system much as medicine is injected into your veins. According to the tradition, this is known as planting the heart of enlightenment. It is transplanting the full moon into your heart. Can you imagine the full moon coming through your living room window and coming closwer and suddenly entering your heart? On the one hand, unless you are terribly resentful, usually it is a tremendous relief: “Phew. The full moon has entered my heart.” That’s great, wonderful. On the other hand, however, when that particular full moon has entered into your heart, when it’s transplanted into your heart, you might have a little panic. “Good heavens, what have I done? There’s a moon in my heart. What am I going to do with it? It’s too shiny!” By the way, once that moon has entered your heart, it cannot be a waning moon. It never wanes. It is always waxing.

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The God - Konstantin Bronzit Animation (2003)

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Buddhism Art Dance (Thien Thu Thien Nhan)


From the video:

"This is the Chinese Disabled Performing Arts Troupe (they are deaf). I got this from my grand-ma. I found it very beautiful & interesting. She told me it took them over 10 whole years to get to such a high level of perfection."

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Soma and offerings in Hindu and Buddhist Tantra

In certain plates of the secret visions of the fifth Dalai-Lama (the “great fifth”), a skull is used to contain the burnt parts of the lingam, the modelled or paper figure accused of evil, which is ritually burnt, and the skull hidden in the ground.

Soma itself is a sacred drink, which sometimes becomes the god Soma. Its composition has given rise to many interpretations. It is sometimes sarcostemma viminale or asclepias acida, and can lead to divine exhilaration, perhaps with added hallucinogenic substances such as hemp. The composition varies according to the type and place of the ritual. Some rituals require plants to be ground up during the ceremony, indicating that they were collected locally.

Certain Siva traditions consider sperm as soma. A fair number of hymn texts describe Siva or Indra ejaculating into the mouth of Agni, the god of fire. Representations of this episode are to be found, notably, on bas relief of the 8th century at the temple of Bhubanesvar in Orissa. In hymn no. VI of the Rig Veda, section eight, are the lines:

"O Agni, the burnt offering has been hurled into your mouth, as the ghrita is poured into the spoon and the soma into the sacred vase. Give us great and glorious opulence, to assure us of abundance, renown and power."

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December 8, 2007

It's Bodhi Day in some Buddhist traditions.

According to Buddhist tradition, Siddharta Gautama finally abandoned years of rigorous fasting and asceticism by accepting milk and honey from a young woman (2500 years ago). He then sat down beneath the Bodhi Tree and vowed not to move until he attained enlightenment.

After 49 days of concentrated meditation and several battles with Mara (illusion), Siddharta became the Buddha, the "Enlightened One."

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Secret Drugs Of Buddhism

Secret Drugs Of Buddhism

Mike Crowley and his excellent work on the Secret Drugs of Buddhism. First is an introduction and a brief synopsis of his adventures leading up to his engagement with Buddhism. A lama is asked if psychedelics have been used as a secret practice. He answers, "How would I know if it was secret?" Mike Crowley elaborates an idea which many of us have long suspected.

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Planning Solstice Celebrations

Winter Solstice Celebrations

It's not too soon to think about Winter Solstice celebrations, which are increasingly becoming more popular. (If you really want to go old school, see Saturnalia.) Some people do this in addition to their usual Christmas traditions. Some have the celebration of Jesus birth assimilated into the Winter Solstice. And some are just tired of the whole cheesy commercialism of Christmas that concentrates more on enriching the retailers and stressing us all that they wish to try something different.

It depends on what you want to get back from this season. Love? Peace? Presents? Do you want to honor it with a religious experience? And which one? Should you feed your spirituality in a more earth-based way, leave out the whole biblical aspect, or celebrate your usual family traditions? And what about the children?

How does a Buddhist couple with Protestant parents and Pagan kids celebrate the holidays? We manage to do our own thing and also honor our family's way of celebrating by finding something we all can relate to. One thing is we all celebrate the Winter Solstice and continue through New Year's Eve: 12th Night. We build a bonfire, (my husband's favorite part) and a Yule log is taken from that to the indoors where it (and more firewood) burns until the 12th Night. Then you spread the ashes on the field or garden on the first day of the year (which get into Compitalia). In those 12 days there's also a procession, gift-giving, (a little gift each day) bells, singing, paying it forward, feasting, prayers and much more but this is getting a little long.

Winter Solstice for 2006 will occur in North America on December 21, Thursday. The precise time depends on your time zone. In PST, it will be 4:22 pm; in EST, 7:22 pm.
* * * * *
Related Resources
* Solstice Planning Guide for the home and outdoors.
* Winter Solstice Religious Celebrations
* Sew seeds for Winter Solstice.
* Saturnalia


In the midst of winter I found there was within me an invincible summer. ~Albert Camus

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ZEN NOIR began more than ten years ago, when I was meditating in a Buddhist temple at 5 a.m. Keenly aware of all the half-asleep people sitting in the room, I was suddenly struck with an odd thought: "what would happen if one of us just keeled over, dead?"

From that moment, the ideas slowly evolved: Western vs. Eastern views of death; Love vs. the inevitable fact that Everything Changes; and finally, Logic vs. Reality.

It was this last thought that brought me to the idea of Film Noir. In Film Noir, the detective often sets out to solve one mystery, but ends up finding another, deeper mystery, and having to confront dark, sometimes frightening truths.

In Zen Buddhism, this type of mystery is often expressed as a koan. A koan is a teaching riddle the master poses to the student that cannot be solved with logic. The koan most Westerners are familiar with is: “what is the sound of one hand clapping?” On the surface, the question is absurd, because no amount of reason or logic will lead you to an answer. But there is an answer: the answer is who you become as you explore the question, what you discover about yourself, the universe, and all of existence. Opens September 15.

* A collection of Zen Koans

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Buddha Moon & Scorpio Full Moon Celebration
3rd Annual Scorpio Full Moon & Buddha Moon - May 12-14 at Harmony Works in East Tennessee. Just across the NC line; a leave no trace gathering. [More]

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WEBTRAIL - Born, Explore!, Crispin, Cohen, King, Lovelock & Blangha

'Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man' is a low-key and impressive music documentary that screened at Sundance on Saturday. Australian director Lian Lunson builds her film around a recent Australian concert at which musicians from Rufus Wainwright to Jarvis Cocker, Beth Orton and Nick Cave covered a set-list of Cohen numbers. We see Cohen performing for the benefit of her film, and after a minute, the camera pulls back to reveal his backing-band. It's U2. Rufus doing 'Hallelujah' is a fucking masterpiece. So good it hurts [MORE...]

Chapter One of the new book, 'Cell' by Stephen King

Born Magazine - Exquisite Art & Lit Collaboration. Link

Flickr: Explore! - Flickr labs have been hard at work creating a way to show you some of the most awesome photos on Flickr.

News on the uber imaginative Crispin Hellion Glover and his long time project, "What Is It?" which prompted one reviewer to exclaim, "Like Fellini on psychedelics-- wildly creative but completely twisted." He's been working on this project f o r e v e r. Link from the excellent insider's film news CineMadMag.

The current 'Reality' of Gaia - Thirty years ago, the scientist James Lovelock worked out that the Earth possessed a planetary-scale control system which kept the environment fit for life. He called it Gaia, and the theory has become widely accepted. Now, he believes mankind's abuse of the environment is making that mechanism work against us. His astonishing conclusion - that climate change is already insoluble, and life on Earth will never be the same again. Link

What is Blangha? Blangha is a contraction of the words "blog" and "sangha." The Blangha is an aggregator of news feeds from a community of Zen-oriented Buddhist bloggers.

This website looks best when viewed on company time.

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I've seen this story a few places today...

He has been fasting for six months, has been bitten by a snake, and witnesses say a light is emanating from his forehead. Thousands are flocking to the dense jungle in Nepal to see this 15 year old boy who has been silently meditating under a pipal tree (same type of tree as the Buddha did) for six months now.

If visiting Buddha Boy helps you make it through the night, carry on.

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The Daily Om is good today. (For those of you that only read EBC through a feed, Daily Om is featured on the right side of my website.) Today's topic is Tonglen Meditation: Transforming Negative Into Positive. I'd never heard that term before.

Just as pain can grow exponentially, so can compassion and love be inspired in countless others. All it takes is a single individual who chooses to transform negative energy into goodness. One method of doing this is the Buddhist practice of tonglen meditation, wherein you consciously draw suffering into yourself and release positive energy with each focused breath. In the Tibetan Book of Living and Dying, it is described as breathing in that which is to be healed and transforming it through the power of your own heart and the heart of Buddha. Then, in breathing out, you project that which was transformed in your heart into the hearts of others. [more »]

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The First One's Free
Or, Newbie's First Trip @ Recent MindStates

Immediately following Mike Crowley's presentation, "The Secret Drugs of Buddhism," I begin a shopping spree that I will call "Operation: Tripping Balls."

My first buy of the weekend is from a knowledgeable man in a khaki ball cap; he resembles your typical organic pumpkin-patch attendant, and he delivers a $25 vial of Salvia divinorum extract.

"Can this shit get me high?" I ask him. [more »]


Recently, a Clear Channel radio station masqueraded as a pirate station called Radio Free Ohio, which feigned taking over the airwaves of other Clear Channel frequencies with rants about the bland effects of corporate-controlled radio. This was all merely a publicity stunt to promote a new Clear Channel "progressive" station--you can read more by clicking here. Clear Channel. Do they have any idea how sad they really are?

Chatterbox - New York Dolls
Thanks, Free Radio Asheville!

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Lesson For Today: Do NOT flip someone off in traffic when driving a Volkswagen. If you're going to be inmature like I was and flip someone off to begin with, I hope you have the foresight to size up the vehicles of the flipper vs flippee in case they decide to follow you.

Quote For Today: Holding on to anger is like grasping a hot coal with the intent of throwing it at someone else; you are the one getting burned. ~Buddha

Meet me in Cognito, baby.

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Honest Bloggers Quiz
1. Which political party do you typically agree with? Democrats.
2. Which political party do you typically vote for? Democrats
3. List the last five presidents that you voted for. Al Gore 2000, Bill Clinton 1996, Bill Clinton 1992, Mike Dukakis 1988, Walter Mondale 1984.
4. Which party do you think is smarter about the economy?Democrats
5. Which party do you think is smarter about domestic affairs? Democrats
6. Do you think we should keep our troops in Iraq or pull them out? Set an agreed upon date, pull out all military and contractors. Give Iraq their country back in full control; not pseudo control. If it runs in the ditch, it's theirs to fix. If it flies, great.
7. Who, or what country, do you think is most responsible for 9/11? We've always been hated and it was almost inevitable, but international relations were worked on diligently to keep us safe. Most helpful? I think Carter and Clinton. Most destructive? Bushes 41 & 43.
8. Do you think we will find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq? Let me consult my 8-Ball. It says, "Fat chance, motherfucker."
9. Yes or no, should the U.S. legalize marijuana? Yes.
10. Do you think the Republicans stole the last presidental election? Yes.
11. Do you think Bill Clinton should have been impeached because of what he did with Monica Lewinski? No.
12. Do you think Hillary Clinton would make a good president? I'd have to hear more about her plans.
13. Name a current Democrat who would make a great president: Bill Clinton
14. Name a current Republican who would make a great president. I don't think there is one.
15. Do you think that women should have the right to have an abortion? Yes.
16. What religion are you? Currently a practicing Buddhist.
17. Have you read the Bible all the way through? No.
18. What's your favorite book? Even Cowgirl's Get The Blues, Tom Robbins.
19. Who is your favorite band? Rolling Stones.
20. Who do you think you'll vote for president in the next election? Kerry.
21. What website did you see this on first? Post Human Blues

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I hope you are enjoying a lovely Sunday. Ask a question of the Buddha Oracle. (site design may hurt eyes)

New episode of SNL had a great sketch last night that spoofed right-wing Chris Matthews (Darrell Hammond) on his Hardball show berating Ann Coulter (Amy Poehler).

::White House calls for end to leaks. Hires expert "plumber" (right) to fix problem.

Quote - Sometimes your joy is the source of your smile, but sometimes your smile can be the source of your joy. ~Thich Nhat Hanh

Kinky is using a feather; perverted is using the whole fucking chicken.

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Hi there. Having trouble getting the old ass in gear? Why not cast the runes to see what Monday holds for you? Or you might enjoy Buddha Minders this Monday morning. Ok. I'm going to go visit you now and also visit three new weblogs today.

{overheard} Wesley Clark. There's just something inharmonious 'bout a liberal general. Like a vegan coyote. And a civilian (well, a National Guard deserter) is our current prez. It's too easy to hop aboard just anyone's bandwagon these days if it looks like it can run over Bush and Co.

{monday reruns} what really happened/zenzibar/spiraling cycle/

Rickie Lee Jones' new cd, The Evening of My Best Day will be released Oct 7. Would love to hear it.

International A.N.S.W.E.R. held protests against the war in many cities this weekend. End the Occupation of Iraq! Bring the Troops Home Now! October 25 - Mass March on Washington, DC.

Jam Base is an easy way to see what bands are playing in your area. I found the link at Pause Record.

{Quote}The greatest glory is not in never failing, but in rising up every time we fall. ~Confucius

Have you crashed your Windows today?

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Good morning.....thanks for stopping by. Coffee IV, STAT".


Who Wants Slippers?
How to make bedroom slippers out of maxi pads. Three convenient sizes: Regular, Light Day, and Get Out The Sand Bags.

All you Cosmic Lovers may be interested in checking out the One Man Band at The Mello Hippo is fun. [via: everlasting blort]

I just witnessed Condaleeza Rice do the "I'm-dancin'-as-fast-as-I-can "avoidance tango around the WMD question with Wolf Blitzer. That woman has some mad-ass riffing skills.

Today's Quote
Meditate.
Live purely. Be quiet.
Do your work with mastery.
Like the moon, come out
from behind the clouds!
Shine
~Buddha

Don't squat with your spurs on.

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