sean

Welcome @JM_ 👋

Me: Awwee yeah, made some tea, time to relax and catch up on the forum. Hmmm, what's this topic about here? Also Me (10 minutes later):

I've always been fascinated by something like chronokinesis, which can include abilities to pause, rewind, speed up/slow down and various other manipulations of time. But I worry this could lead to my personal experience becoming so weird and incomprehensible to anyone, that the alienation would eventually drive me crazy. Maybe I should just stick with flying. 🤔 Nah, boring, never mind, make me a vampire. Yeah, I choose immortal, undead creature of the night as my superpower. Please super size that with a side of super strength, ability to run hundreds of miles per hour, and transform into bats, cats, ravens and wolves at will. Who even loves the sun? 😎 Sean

One day I'm going to have enough spare time and take enough ritalin to code my own forum. One of the features I envision is everyone being basically a mod of every topic they start, with the ability to add new mods to any of their topics as well (e.g. for this exact scenario, where someone would like trusted help moderating one of their popular, longstanding topics). Sean

For now I moved it to a private admin area. I generally try not to delete anything except complete junk, e.g. spam, etc. I can lookup something for you if you want and maybe even move topic to Rabbit Hole if it's not a complete trash fire. Sean

Excerpt from: BEGINNINGS: THE PALI SUTTAS by Samanera Bodhesako In the syncretistic approach one views spiritual teachings as if they were a smorgasboard spread out on an enormous table, to be partaken of by all who seek spiritual sustenance. The seeker, plate in hand, helps himself to whatever he cares to, in whatever quantity and variety appeals to him -- let's see now, a bit of TM on toast, some Karma Yoga and cole slaw, a dash of Sufism for spice, a bit of this, a bit of that -- and if he has chosen wisely, he will consume, spiritually, a satisfying and nutritious blend which -- who knows -- just might lead to.... The crystalline approach, on the other hand, assumes that no truth can be more consistent or relevant than the teaching by which it is revealed, and that therefore a teaching that truly leads -- i.e. is one-pointed and consistent rather than an amorphous collection of spiritualisms -- is akin to a many-faceted crystal, wherein each facet may reflect its own prismatic colours, but each is nonetheless inseparable from the crystal as a whole, for the crystal, being an organic unity, is indivisible. In this approach there can be no pick-and-choose attitude, for to fragment such a teaching is to miss its holistic essence. In such a case, having once made the decision that this is the standard we choose to follow, we will thereupon voluntarily subjugate our personal preferences in favour of the advice of our teaching, even if it is directly contrary to our own wishes. This does not preclude taking "whatever is useful". Rather, it gives us a basis for judging what is and is not useful. And if it should happen that within our chosen teaching we already find all that we need in order to "get on with it", then so much the better. But if the charge of narrowness is nonetheless made, then we will note first that an arrow that is broad and wide is far less likely to hit its mark than one that is properly shaped for one-pointed flight; and second that the charge of narrowness is made without understanding. For no point of view can be understood except from its own frame of reference, an observation which already suggests the crystalline approach, for all that it is true of syncretistic views as well.[4] It is most commonly the case that people do not question the assumptions that underlie their own basic attitudes -- after all, it's obvious, isn't it? -- but until they do so, they will be necessarily unable to understand a point of view that does not arise from those assumptions except from within their own viewpoint, which is to say that they will not be able to understand it at all. And the charge of narrowness is made from the syncretistic point of view without comprehending the crystalline point of view. The collection of discourses known as the Pali Suttas heartedly recommends itself to the concerned individual as being that guidance to the transcendental which he seeks. They inform the seeker firstly that his life-problem arises dependent for its condition upon a wrong view of things, and secondly that a right view, which would undermine and end that problem, is to be achieved by following right-view guidance, namely, the training-course set forth by the Buddha. There can be no doubt after even a brief look at these texts that they staunchly advocate the crystalline approach towards liberation. In many ways do they declare themselves to be all-of-a-piece,[5a] a Teaching not to be understood by taking from it according to personal preference.[5b] Therefore when inquiring into the Pali Suttas it is a necessity, if one hopes to understand what is meant therein by "right view", to adopt the crystalline approach, and we do so here. Full text here: http://www.saigon.com/~anson/ebud/begin/begin1.htm

Wooof. That's rough.

Welcome @UserD503 👋

Welcome @XAB 👋

Welcome @Fylgija 👋

Welcome @Wuxia 👋

❤️ Happy to meet a fellow Chuang reader. I've been really impressed. You might like their recent outline of the Hong Kong uprising. Haven't been able to find much smart, nuanced coverage of that, as it seems more complex to me than typical, Western right/left intuitions. Sean

Dunno really, was just gonna re-up tho and curious if it makes a difference. Same, Jarrow is great. Sean

Yeah, +1. Cannot even count how many B12 supplements I've tried. That Jarrow Methyl B12 is second only to shelling for an IV drip. Have you tried the one with Folate by chance? Sean

I liked his "hurr durr how am I right wing? Preposterous! I'm only merely regurgitating right-wing, easily debunkable talking points that climate change is unrelated to human activity and just a hoax to * wait for it * increase mah taaaxes." Sean

Uh oh. Pack it up fellas, we're victims of a brainwashing taxation scam. LMAO. Fortunately we've got an extremely smart boy here to help us see things clearly. Sean