The useless (to the Tibetans) charade of visiting the Dalai Lama
"If freedom-loving people throughout the world do not speak out about Chinese repression in China and Tibet" Nancy Pelosi said, "we have lost all moral authority to speak on behalf of human rights anywhere in the world".
She may not be exaggerating. But the issue is not about the freedom-loving people of the world, who are already speaking up against Chinese repression in Tibet.
Wizbang Pop! has a video of Bruce Lee's interview with Canadian host Pierre Berton. Fascinating interview, just Bruce talking about his craft and his philosophies. You'll also get to see why Pierre Berton became something of a Canadian institution. And as author MacStanbury notes: "And now I know that I don't want to get in a fight with Steve McQueen...."
What is this? What is its purpose? Click the image and head on over to Rev. Sensing's site for an answer. (Hat Tip: reader Tom Pechinski)
Did it succeed in its purpose?
The following is the lightly edited transcript of an IM I just had with a friend. I'm thinking about 'washing dishes' as the basis of a personal philosophy, and am interested in what people think:
me: so what's the existential bummerfriend oh the usual shmoo. my therapist says I have death anxiety. well, yeah. so I'm working through that, and figuring out what I really want to do with the next 10-20 years or so. not just what I've been dreaming about doing or what I think I should or what somebody else's good idea is, but coming to some conclusions about that deep-down life eval that started quite a while back and which has been bubbling the last couple of years. and realizing that I have an enormous range of choices and freaking out about which flavor of ice cream to eat first. wondering why the hell I have so much stuff published not in my name... which seems rather self-sabotaging for someone who professes to want to make a living writing. hard to get credit for it if my name's no where near it, right
me: nope, doesn't work too well
me: so - how do you feel about washing dishes
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In the Prologue to The Wisdom of Jokes, Alejandro Jodorowsky discusses his zen master Ejo Takata and what he learned. One of the things he learned was this:
"A temple isn't the "exclusive" place of the sacred.
You go to a temple to learn the meaning of the sacred.
If you've understood the lesson, the entire world becomes a temple."
From The Wisdom of Jokes comes this tale of the hunchback who hunted cicadas. Taken from The true classic of the empty void by Liu Tseou, a contemporary of Taoism's Lao-Tse:
"How can you catch so many cicadas?" someone asks him. "Most people can’t even catch a single one of them."
"I used to be a juggler, and I worked with four or five balls," he replied. "Then, I kept the balls in equilibrium. Eventually, I abandoned the balls and left for the country, where I remained perfectly still, without even moving a millimeter. One day the cicadas came and thought I was a tree. At that point, I just had to close my hand to catch them."
What's this story about?
Morihei Ueshiba founded the martial art of Aikido in 1942. It's most famous these days for being Steven Segal's method of choice; but it also has a unique approach and philosophy. At least one of our team members has some Aikido skills, and can vouch for its effectiveness.
O Sensei (common term of address for Ueshiba among aikidoka) said:
"Progress comes
To those who
Train and train;
Reliance on secret techniques
Will get you nowhere."
Morihei Ueshiba founded the martial art of Aikido in 1942. It's most famous these days for being Steven Segal's method of choice; but it also has a unique approach and philosophy. At least one of our team members has some Aikido skills, and can vouch for its effectiveness.
O Sensei (common term of address for Ueshiba among aikidoka) said:
"Day after day
Train your heart out,
Refining your technique
Use the One to strike the Many!
That is the discipline of a warrior."
What is O Sensei talking about? What is the One? The Many?
Morihei Ueshiba founded the martial art of Aikido in 1942. It's most famous these days for being Steven Segal's method of choice; but it also has a unique approach and philosophy. At least one of our team members has some Aikido skills, and can vouch for its effectiveness.
O Sensei (common term of address for Ueshiba among aikidoka) said:
Do not fail
To learn from
The pure voice of an
Ever-flowing mountain stream
Splashing over the rocks.
What do you think he meant? Science and the Beauty of a Flower and Hasidic Wisdom: the Gemologist look at 2 angles. What's yours?
Morihei Ueshiba founded the martial art of Aikido in 1942. It's most famous these days for being Steven Segal's method of choice; its approach differs from many other martial arts, and it has a philosophy to match. At least one of our team members has some aikido skills, and can vouch for its effectiveness.
O Sensei (common term of address for Ueshiba among aikidoka) said:
"Each and every master, regardless of the era or place, heard the call and attained harmony with heaven and earth. There are many paths leading to the peak of Mount Fuji, but the goal is the same. There are many methods of reaching the top, and they all bring us to the heights. There is no need to battle with each other - we are all brothers and sisters who should walk the path together, hand in hand. Keep to your Path, and nothing else will matter. When you lose your desire for things that do not matter, you will be free."
Writing over at Crooked Timber, Eszter Hargittai offers some humourous "Zen Jewish" sayings along with her good wishes for the High Holidays. Stuff like:
"There is no escaping karma. In a previous life, you never called, you never wrote, you never visited. And whose fault was that?"
Some of them were spiritually useful, too:
This story comes to us via the famous Buddhist monk and author Thich Nhat Hanh. Finding Our True Home is a translation of the Amitabha Sutra, as well as an accessible commentary and introduction to the Pure Land school of Buddhism.
"Within Christianity, Judaism, and Islam, there are also many different schools each with their own teaching & practice. And within these schools there are various forms of practice. When we learn about the three levels of practice in regard to the Pure Land school of Buddhism we can naturally apply this way of looking to other faiths.
